Substance of Faith

Busy little bees...

2010-09-27T20:31:00.003-06:00

I'm ashamed to say it's been almost exactly 2 months since I last posted. We've been busy little bees around here... Ethan has been busy growing and making trouble for Mommy and Daddy, Mommy has been busy with work and trying to clean up after Ethan, and Daddy has been busy trying to keep up with Mommy and Ethan.

Soooooo.... updates... well Ethan has been walking since a few weeks after his first birthday. That is both wonderful and quite tiring. It's nice not having to carry him everywhere- especially cause he was getting so heavy... and it's nice that he can entertain himself so much more (he loves chasing Pookie around)... but he gets into EVERYTHING. And he loves helping me "clean." As I was cooking this evening I realized that Ethan threw away most of my cooking stuff- measuring cups, stirring spoons, ladles, etc. Not fun. I wasn't able to save those. But was I able to pull out both of his shoes, a measuring spoon and a spatula from the garbage this evening.

Ethan had a wonderful first birthday (I know it was

so long ago!). We had a party at the park by Grandma & Grandpas and so much family showed up! Dave's family was there and my sister & her husband, my brother & his fiance, and my other brother & his wife surprised us by all showing up. It was great!

And now... well, the big news is that we're adding to the family! Sometime in April, Ethan is going to be a big brother! Yay!

And now for pictures...

Home improvement.

2010-08-29T16:34:00.000-06:00

Thanks my love.

Walking!

2010-07-30T17:08:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday!

2010-07-20T09:11:00.003-06:00

2010-07-09T19:39:00.001-06:00

Hiking the hills behind our house...

2010-07-09T18:38:00.000-06:00

2010-07-09T18:37:00.000-06:00

Ethan's adventures...

2010-07-09T18:36:00.000-06:00

Ethan's First Birthday

2010-07-02T22:45:00.000-06:00

So the park has been reserved and we're getting ready for the party. Start watching for an invite, if you haven't already gotten one.... (or send me an email and I'll make sure to get you one).

2010-06-24T22:50:00.001-06:00

Personal swimming pool

2010-06-24T22:50:00.000-06:00

Hiking

2010-06-24T22:49:00.000-06:00

Crazy about those graham crackers

It's been a while!

2010-06-24T11:36:00.002-06:00

Wow... so I always love it when friends & family update their blogs so I can see how they're doing and here I am neglecting my own! Sorry! I can't believe it's been a month....

Well Ethan is 11 months old. I am now planning his 1st birthday party (and it's going to be a big one). I can't wait to send out invitations (I guess I need to make them first). Ethan is doing well... his little tooth now has a friend (2 bottom front teeth!). He's also crawling all over the place- he's got a turbo speed so he can get into the things he's not supposed to that much faster. I think our dog might be starving because we keep putting her food out of Ethan's reach, which is also out of her reach. oops! Ethan is also really good at standing up. He can balance on his own for a few seconds at a time but prefers to hold on to something. And he just loves walking in the grass (again, attached to someone). I could just write on and on and on about how wonderful Ethan is. :) I need to get some pictures up but I don't have my camera close by.

Dave and I are doing well... enjoying the summer. Next week Dave's best friend is getting married so we are preparing for that. It will be a fun day to go celebrate. It makes me think of how Dave and I are getting that much closer to getting sealed. :)

Anyway... I'll try to be better and I'll see about getting some photos up.

High Chair

2010-05-29T21:29:00.003-06:00

So Ethan has moved beyond his baby food- he has no interest in anything in a jar. He just wants what mommy & daddy are eating. And he wants to feed himself. It's fun to watch- Ethan really enjoys it. So in the past week we got a high chair so that Ethan could really go to town with his own food (before we had a booster seat so he could sit at the table with us).

It has been fun watching Ethan discover foods- right now he seems to love Strawberries.

We had strawberry crepes for breakfast- Ethan wanted to feed himself.

Ethan is just so pleased.

Loving the High Chair & the crepes

This is my favorite picture. :)

Eating in Action.

I know it's been way too long

2010-05-29T21:16:00.003-06:00

Man, it's amazing how quickly time can pass. I have been meaning to update the blog for a while now but time just slips away. I have been really busy with work and with Ethan. And amazingly I haven't been taking that many pictures lately (that will change now that it is summer and Ethan is going to be 1 here in a few months).

So how about some updates? Ethan is crawling... for real crawling, no scooching. It's awesome. :) Sometimes he gets crawling too fast for his little arms to keep up with him and he does a face plant (it makes me laugh). Ethan has a tooth as well! He wa

s pretty fussy one night and the next morning- a tooth! :)

As for me and Dave- we're doing well... more of the same. Dave is doing outdoor soccer on Mondays- it will probably be his last year of outdoor soccer. He also plays indoor soccer on a game by game basis. So he's definitely keeping healthy. I have been working a lot lately- we're getting ready for a new fiscal year so there is a lot of prep to go with that. My mom & dad finally moved to Utah. We are all so excited about that. :) I have so many plans for the fun things we'll be doing this summer and beyond. Now we just need the weather to start agreeing with us... it's still been pretty cold and rainy. Unusual for this time of the year- we had snow (!) last week!

And now we're trying to decide if we want to remodel our kitchen (new cabinets & counter). We'll see.

Anyway- here are some pictures! :)

Look at that beautiful face!

Just try to resist that smile. :)

On the move...

Daddy & Son (One of the Mother's Day Pictures)

What a good looking duo!

Walk in the park

2010-05-20T08:24:00.000-06:00

Surfer Boy

2010-04-14T23:19:00.003-06:00

Okay so I have been wanting to get some pictures of Ethan in his little board shorts for a while now and I finally did! Dave, Ethan, and I went to the Rec Center on Monday for Family Home Evening... and it was so much fun! :) Ethan just loved having Daddy with him, and like always, loved the lazy river and the fountains. And Mommy had the chance to sit in the Hot Tub & the Steam Room while Daddy & Ethan played.

Ethan was getting a lot more adventurous this time... he kept putting his face in the water. Of course, every time he'd get a mouth full of water. Anyway, I just think that Ethan is the cutest little man in his board shorts (Thanks Heather & Myka!).

That's a smile you just can't resist. It makes me smile just to see this picture.

Swimming

2010-04-01T21:31:00.002-06:00

So we (Grandma and myself) took Ethan swimming at the Rec Center (South Davis Rec Center to be exact). One thing I love about Utah is that they do Rec Centers right... I love ours. There's an indoor track, 4 pools, lots of space and equipment, etc. As for the pools- even the pools are awesome! The "Leisure" pool has a lazy river, a slide, and a climbing structure for kids. In the summer there's an outdoor pirate ship for kids to play on. I love it! :)

Anyway... back to the point. We went to the pool on Monday afternoon. It was actually the saving grace of our Monday (we were supposed to have a fun & fancy free day but nothing we tried worked out- until swimming). Ethan loved the water! I thought that we'd spend maybe 15 minutes in the water before we had to leave, but instead after an hour we were leaving only because we needed to get dinner- Ethan would have been fine to hang out a little longer. :) Ethan loved the various fountains and the lazy river. After just a few minutes Ethan was one relaxed baby! :)

We went again this afternoon. Both times I have wanted to take a picture of Ethan in his cute little board shorts (thanks Heather!). He is seriously so cute in his little trunks. But I left my camera in the car and I don't think the other ladies in the locker room would appreciate that. One of these days I'll get some pix of him. But it is so much fun to have one more excuse to go to the Rec Center! :)

Scooching, Teething & Waving...

2010-03-24T08:17:00.002-06:00

Well the big action is finally hitting. Ethan has figured out how to get (almost) mobile. He's not crawling yet. But he's right on the verge. I have a feeling that one day, out of the blue, he's going to lean over and just start crawling. The past few days we've been placing objects just out of Ethan's reach (or sometimes what we think should be well out of his reach). And in the past few days Ethan has learned how to get himself to those objects (unfortunately for us, sometimes). It's quite cute. Although Dave might be rethinking his excitement in Ethan learning to crawl. :)

Ethan has also spent the past few days (weeks?) teething. He's not eating and sleeping as well, and this is really taking its toll on me. And on his grandmas as well... Ethan has been pretty grumpy because he is both hungry & tired. That translates to wanting to be held all the time. Yikes. I'm not sure how long it's going to take for those teeth to finally show up, but it can't be too soon.

And the cutest thing... Ethan has started waving. It kind of looks more like a salute, but I love it. If we wave at him he'll hold up his hand to wave back. And if we smile at him from across the room he'll wave at us as well. I love it.

Sorry no pictures this time, but I'll get there.

Family

2010-03-17T20:38:00.009-06:00

Okay, so I finally got my camera back from Portland. And my brother is in town. So what does this mean? A whole bunch of pictures of Ethan to make up for lost time. Below you'll see Ethan on his own, with Grandma and Grandpa, and with his Auntie and Uncles.

Uncle Louie and Ethan (tired baby)

Sizing each other up.

Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma

Grandpa

Uncle Doss

Uncle Doss & Auntie McKenzie

Henry

Auntie McKenzie

Auntie McKenzie & Henry

Happy Baby (standing on his own)

Happy Baby, sitting at the big table.

Things I'm supposed to be doing...

2010-03-13T17:55:00.002-07:00

It's so funny the way I can be so productive, when I am trying to avoid doing something I really should be doing. Take for example today... I am supposed to be working on my lesson for tomorrow's primary class and, more importantly, I am supposed to be writing my talk for church tomorrow. So far I've got zip on either of those. But man, my house sure is clean. And I love the new paint in the bathroom.

Tomorrow Dave and I are giving a talk on the Plan of Salvation. A nice wide subject. Dave already has his talk prepared and nicely printed out. I made him read it to me in hopes that there was something in there I could steal. :) Dave makes things look easy- like when it's his turn to teach our primary class. The kids actually pay attention and things go great. When it's my turn, it's crickets and/or barely controlled chaos. Same goes for this talk- his was done within 24 hours of getting a phone call about it- and it's really good. I love him, but man, I am a little bit jealous.

Wish us luck!

Companies I hate

2010-03-05T12:19:00.002-07:00

Okay, so I keep putting writing this blog off... but really, I spend time thinking about how much I hate some companies every day. I know I should be using my thoughts/energy more wisely, but DANG! Some companies just really get under my skin.

I am finding that more and more there are fewer and fewer companies that I am okay with giving my money to. There are entire industries that I hate (banks, cell phone companies, internet providers are the big ones). It just seems like it is getting more obvious that companies are taking advantage of their customers- there doesn't seem to be this "I provide a service or product and the customer pays for it" anymore. Now it seems to be more of how little of a service or product can I provide and get as much money as possible out of the customer?

I am an econ major so I understand the mechanics of the market. However, it really seems to me like the power is getting too one sided- consumers really don't have a choice in things anymore. I am finding more and more that I am trying to use my money as my voice- I don't give my money to companies I hate (or I try to give them as little as possible if I have no other option). It seems more often that the first thing I think about when thinking about purchasing something is "can I live with giving that entity my money." I am comfortable paying more for something that I feel comfortable supporting (local stores or something that has meaning).

Anyway, the thing that brought on this gripe today? Qwest. We finally got the internet at home. We didn't have it at home for many reasons, but working from home necessitated getting it. Man I am already pissy about it. It costs so much money for something so basic and then! I found out that Qwest actually charges it's customers a service fee FOR PAYING THEIR BILL. I have seen other companies that do this as well (big banks and credit card companies). Whatever happened to customer service? What the hell is the reasoning in charging your customers extra for trying to be good customers?

Economics also talks about barriers and it seems to me adding a "pay your bill" fee is one more barrier between receiving money and not. But I guess companies just figure that customers will roll over and pay the fee. I think it's crap.

I can already feel my blood pressure flying through the roof when I think of all the different ways companies are using the system to screw the consumer. Between subsidies and bail outs and fee increases and general inflationary increases (heaven forbid the average worker actually gets a raise to stay in line with the cost of living increases). Yikes. I am going to work myself into a frenzy.

My advice? Put your money where your mouth is... pay cash, and support companies you can live with.

And We're Back

2010-03-03T21:14:00.002-07:00

Man, so my schedule has just been so messed up over the past 2 weeks. I don't think I have had a moment to myself in that time. Let's see 2 weekends ago Dave went to Ohio to visit his friend Jason. That was pretty great for him, but left me on baby duty 24/7 for 4 days (Meghan, I don't know how you do it). It was actually my first time completely alone with Ethan for 4 days in row- and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't have to worry about keeping the house clean or cooking dinner while Dave was gone, so it was surprisingly easy. Well, easy isn't quite the right word, but that's the idea in general.
And then last weekend Ethan and I went to Portland to visit my family. That was awesome and I definitely learned something... I need to pay more attention to when I am flying. The flights to and from Portland happened to overlap both of Ethan's naps (his morning and afternoon nap) and his lunch. So I flew to Portland and back with a very angry little baby. That was NOT fun. But I learned to pay more attention about when I schedule flights, and maybe even that driving is easier. As far as Portland- it was a blast to hang out with (Ethan's) Grandpa & Grandma and his Auntie McKenzie and Uncle Doss. We played Killer Bunnies, which is one of my new favorite games... if anyone out there is interested in playing call me, I need game buddies. This is the part where I would be posting lots of pictures of Ethan with various family members, but my camera is actually still in Portland. It's one of many things that I left there (I'm great at packing apparently). On the other hand I did find my teddy bear from when I was a baby and brought that back with me (yes, it is on the bed now).
Anyway, so now we're working on getting back on schedule.

And We're Off!

2010-02-24T22:42:00.002-07:00

Ethan and I are heading to Portland (Oregon) tomorrow morning. I am quite excited. It's Ethan's first trip to Oregon (well, the first time he could "see" everything) and he's going to meet one of his Grandmas for the first time. I swear this kid has traveled more in the past 7 months than I did in my first 10 YEARS. :) I love traveling with Ethan though- he's so chill and such a sweetheart. He just likes looking around. :)

We'll be back on Sunday- with lots of pictures and stories. :)

2010-02-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

2010-02-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

Almost crawling! Ethan's newest trick is rocking back and forth on his hands and knees.

Onions

2010-02-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

I can't keep a house plant or a garden alive for the life of me but apparently I can grow onions without trying.

2010-02-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

Baby ear gear

2010-02-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

Ethan is so cute in his hat!

Pray My Neighbors Away!

2010-02-16T11:21:00.002-07:00

Okay, this morning I have to admit that I am just not up to par. In fact, I am close to hating everyone. Okay, that's definitely an exageration, but you know the feeling where you wake up and you just don't have enough patience to go around? I kind of feel like that- everyone annoys me, well except my husband and my son.

Things have been going well in general for all of us out here in Utah. Dave is going to Ohio this weekend. I am excited for him and nervous for myself- it will be the first time that it's just going to be me, Ethan, and Pookie for 4 days. I love those breaks that Dave provides and I know it's going to be a long weekend without him. :(

The following weekend I am going to Portland (with Ethan). I am pretty excited about that. I am so excited for my dad and step mom, and my sister and bro in law to see Ethan. He is just the cutest! This weekend we practiced having him balance on his hands and knees. He's getting pretty good at it! Not long til he's crawling now!

Dave and I are also extremely excited to announce (hahaha... I can imagine all of you thinking the worst)... that we've finally paid off all of our credit card debt. It's been a hard road, but we are so proud of ourselves! We have so much more freedom now and things are looking on the up and up. Now just to tackle those pesky medical and dental bills.

Anyway, back to the subject of this blog posting... Dave and I have had the most horrible neighbors for over a year now. Last night I honestly spent over an hour in prayer trying to figure out why we had been stuck with them. Did we need to learn tolerance? patience? how to literaly love our neighbor? did we need to learn how to stand up for ourselves? WHAT!? Off and on our neighbors have been loud, rude, destructive, and generally a thorn in my butt. They have two pit bulls that they don't pick up after- even when it's in front of their door. They have parties consistently complete with multiple people slamming doors all night and cursing and loud bass. Last night it really felt like the last straw. Dave and I were up until 3 AM after having gone over there to ask them to quiet down and having called security twice. Believe me, if we could move we would have. Sounds like our condo complex is trashy huh? It's not. It's filled with (generally) wonderful people and Dave and I have loved our condo, but our neighbors just drive us crazy. So my new campaign is to "pray my neighbors away!" Sounds silly or even blasphemous? Then pray that the Lord provides us with a new home! Who knows. Something needs to change though.

New Phone!

2010-02-01T10:39:00.001-07:00

So I got a new phone after Ethan destroyed my last one. In fact I'm using my new phone to post this! How cool is that?

Calling

2010-01-31T18:17:00.002-07:00

So a member of the Bishopric came by this afternoon and left Dave and I with a calling. We knew it was coming (The Bishop dropped a big hint during Tithing Settlement like "We need to get you a calling!"). Anyway...

So today Dave and I found out we are going to be teaching primary for 6 or 7 year olds. WOW! Dave hasn't taught anything for a long time and as for me... I'd been praying I wouldn't end up with a teaching calling. To be honest I am a bit intimidated. I've never been to a single primary class and I don't even know any primary songs. I don't feel that confident in my ability to teach ANYTHING let alone to KIDS, let alone something as important as Church Stuff.

Oh boy. Wish us luck. Our first lesson is next week.

Sales Tax

2010-01-27T15:41:00.002-07:00

Okay, I almost feel lame about posting about this, but it is something that I ran into just this month...

You should know your area's sales tax. Hopefully you can recite off the top of your mind, if you don't- take the time to look it up. And this second part is a little more complex... you should know what is taxable and what is not.

Here in Utah there's a sales tax rate for Food is 2.75%. And depending on where you live the general sales tax rate averages around 7% (in North Salt Lake it is 6.5%). And if that weren't enough, there's another tax rate for restaurants.

The tricky part is that Utah doesn't tax services, but it does tax products. That's kind of a "duh" statement right? It's a SALES tax. Anyway, Dave and I had to replace our tires the other day and we were over charged on our sales tax. The company we went through charged us a sales tax on the untaxable services they performed. LAME! I know it's sounds pretty anal to get all crazy about it, but considering the fact that they overcharged us, they're probably overcharging every customer and then we're talking LOTS of money.

Anyway, just be aware.

Ethan is 6 Months Old!

2010-01-23T12:42:00.003-07:00

Ethan's 6 month check up was on Wednesday! Our big boy weighed in at 21 pounds 11 ounces and 27.5 inches long. It was also time for more immunizations. I swear those are harder for me than they are for him- Ethan recovered from them faster than I did. Maybe I'll make Dave take Ethan to his next appointment so I don't have to hold his little hands next time he gets his shots. :)

Ethan has been sitting up on his own for quite a while now. Now Ethan is to the point where he's comfortable leaning forward a good distance and to the sides- putting his weight on his arms to reach for toys. I love it! :) I keep saying that I am not excited for the crawling stage, but I am- babies look so darned cute when they crawl around. :)

The other day I managed to capture some pictures of Ethan sucking on his bottom lip. This is one of my favorite faces that he makes. It just cracks me up. :)

It's been a while

2010-01-23T12:24:00.002-07:00

Well, I've been busy out of my mind lately... between work, Ethan, and trying to keep the house clean, I don't have a moment to myself. Sometimes it feels like the days pass so quickly, but we're still here in the middle of January.

Thigns are going well over all. Today we're doing house projects (another item on the to do list that is my life). Dave is hammering in the last of the base boards right now... next up is caulking them into place and ultimately painting. We're trying hard to break all of our projects into small pieces or we're going to get overwhelmed too quickly. There's lots we want to do with the house and we have a plan, but it's hard to pace ourselves. :) Luckily, the projects we do tend to wear us out so we have to take a few weeks off.

Last weekend Dave, Ethan, and I went to Wendover, Nevada. Wendover is this little town on the Utah/Nevada border with like 10 casinos. We had received a free night and a free dinner at one of the casinos so we went for it (free mini-vacation!). It was fun, but I did feel bad the first moment we walked into the casino and the noises (and smoke) hit us- and Ethan. We got checked in as quickly as possible and took Ethan up the room. That night Dave and I took turns going down the casino. We both played a little roulette and won! :) So we got a free night, a free meal, and $100 bucks! :) It was a good vacation. :)

As for things now... well, back to the day to day stuff. Sometimes I feel like my life is just one big to-do list. Sometimes it doesn't feel so much like I am living my live as much as I am trying to navigate a giant "To Do" jungle. There's a certain satisfaction at the end of the day knowing I got stuff done, but the down side is when I finally have a moment to sit down, I just thinking of checking off "relaxing" as another item done. It takes the fun out things.

Handy Husband

2010-01-03T23:18:00.005-07:00

On Friday I got the urge to do some house projects... you know, just little things to get organized for the new year. Well, Dave and I really went for it! Lowe's had a great deal on some wood laminate and we had been talking about doing that for a while... so we did it! Talk about spur of the moment.

My husband is so wonderful... we woke up early on Saturday morning and started ripping up the carpet and the mat below it. Then we had clean up the dust, dirt, and staples. Then we had to take the floorboards/molding out (I wanted new boards). Our "little" project kept growing... Our "one day" project turned out to take two (which isn't bad considering we replaced our floor!), required the help of various family members at different times, and Dave and I only snapped at each other a few times. :)

Anyway... the before and after pictures...

Apparently I suck at before pictures, because this is the only one.
Let me describe our carpet to you... It's one of those things where once you replace it you wonder how you could have lived like that for so long (another example would be our bathroom).
Our carpet wasn't bad, just really really old. And dirty. I kept meaning to get it cleaned, but time just got away from me...

The New Floor! It has made the room seem so much brighter, more comfortable, and warmer. We also took the chance to rearrange. I quite like how we rearranged- it's different. Not all of the furniture is just pushed against the wall anymore. And the room feels bigger!

The new molding.
Dave learned how to cut and install this himself- and believe me, it's pretty tricky! I'm so proud of him!

King of Christmas

2009-12-30T21:48:00.006-07:00

Here's the king of Christmas. We had such a good time- Christmas truly is best shared with family- and children. :)

Piano

2009-12-30T21:44:00.003-07:00

My dad plays the piano. We've grown up with it and I have loved it. One of the things I am most excited about is that Ethan will also grow up with a piano around. :) Here's some bonding and learning time...

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus

2009-12-30T21:32:00.006-07:00

So our good friends the Woodbury's asked us for a favor the Sunday before Christmas... Anne asked if we could play Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in their primary pageant. I was so excited that I said yes instantly. :)

All of us in our costumes- Anne is so talented!

Surrounded by all the kids. :)

Darn...

2009-12-30T00:01:00.002-07:00

I was going to post a million pictures from Christmas morning but I realized that my camera is still at my mom's house. Bummer. There were some really cute pictures though! Ethan didn't really know what was going on, nor did he seem that interested. But Dave and I had a great time! We were both so excited to get up that morning. It was also the first Christmas where we had to split time- we started at our place, then went to my parent's house, and ended up at Dave's sister's house for a traditional Spanish meal (YUM!). Ethan's favorite new toy is actually just a little truck that makes popping noises. Pookie ate one of Ethan's toys (we got him a small soccer ball- Bad Pookie!).

I wish I had pictures to share. Soon. :)

Big Baby (Pt 2)

2009-12-09T12:34:00.003-07:00

So Ethan's 4 month check up was on Nov 23. And I was once again dead on regarding his size. 2 weeks ago my little boy weighed 19 pounds and was 27 inches long. He's in the 90 something percentile for his size and weight (he's a good height for his weight and vice versa). A few days ago I was reading one of my friend's blog and I realized that her baby and my baby were the same size (give or take a pound and an inch) and her baby is 9 months old.

Anyway, it cracks me up. Our little boy is so big! And he's strong too. He loves standing and if he could he would already be walking and getting into everything. Ethan loves it when we pick him up when I am cooking dinner and show him what we are doing. We have such a curious and smart little man! :)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-08T10:25:00.002-07:00

This year I made an electronic card instead of paper ones to be mailed out. I apparently can't work the scissers or glue in a competent way so an electronic medium is much better for me. That and I never get everything mailed out (I still have thank you cards sitting on my desk from my wedding).

Anyway, I sent out cards to the email addresses I have... so if I don't have yours, here's your copy. :)

Merry Christmas! We love you!

Gobble Gobble!

2009-11-27T20:43:00.004-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a great day... we went up to Dave's sister's house and join other family members for an excellent Thanksgiving Dinner (Thanks Dave and Carol! It was yummy!). Anyway, I am really just using this as an excuse to post a cute picture of Ethan in his Thanksgiving headband. We received the headband from one of my aunts and I have been so excited to be able to use it!

That's a Turkey on the headband- so CUTE!

And just for fun- a cute face Ethan was making as he was playing.

Thank you...

2009-11-25T16:02:00.003-07:00

I'm going to admit something I am terribly ashamed of.... It's taken me about 25 years to appreciate family and 27 years to realize that it is the MOST important thing that any person has.

Today I am writing to thank each of my parents, siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles, and everyone else I could possibly be related to...

Over the past year, especially after the birth of my son, I have come to realize what an integral part of my life my family has been. David, Ethan and I have received so much support and assistance from everyone- from advice and baby clothes, to babysitting and people to talk to. It really does take a village to raise a child- and it's a good thing that between our families combined we have a small town! :)

I am so thankful that my eyes have finally been opened to the true value of family and I am so grateful that even though it has taken me so long to figure that out, everyone continued to give me a chance. I know that this realization isn't going to make me any better about sending out emails or birthday cards or presents (I wish it would though!) but I want you all to know that I really do think of each of you EVERY day. Every time I look at Ethan, my heart swells to think of all the people that have come together to raise me, to raise David, and to help us grow. To see us through the awkward years, to tease us and make us stronger, to encourage us, to help us through the tough spots. And to see us through the good times as well. Dave and I don't say it enough, and Ethan can't say it at all (yet), but we are extremely grateful that each of you is in our life, that we were lucky enough to get you as a family member, and that we figured it out before it was too late. We love you all. We think that you guys are the best and we wouldn't trade our places in the world for anything. Thank you for being with us through every thing, for supporting us through so much change, and for being with us as we start a new branch of family. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you and love each of you.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Deborah, David, and Ethan
(Pookie too)

Ethan's Wish List

2009-11-16T20:56:00.002-07:00

Just thought I would throw this out there.... I have been reading to Ethan a lot lately- stuff that I loved from my childhood. So I would love to hear your favorite books/stories/etc from YOUR childhood.

I have been on Shel Silverstein kick lately... been reading a lot of "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and "The Giving Tree." Most of you know how dear The Giving Tree is to me and my family. :) I knew that becoming a mommy would make me more emotional but now reading the Giving Tree actually makes me tear up a little bit.

Anyway... Ethan's Wish List...

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

Mrs Piggle Wiggle (The whole Series)

Picture books

Dr Suess

Beethoveen CD's

Today

2009-11-16T20:49:00.002-07:00

Well today Ethan and I met up with April and her kids Mara, Asher, and Sylas. (Yeah aren't those awesome names? Dave wants me to scout out names from April for our next kid. :) )

Anyway... we met up at Temple Square. It was pretty awesome- and a little cold. It has been the first time that I have gone through the visitor's centers at Temple Square... they did a great job! It's really amazing to see the history of the building and the big Jesus statue. I know that it has an official name (Christus?) but I can't think of it. The painting surrounding it is amazing! I want to hire that guy to do my bedroom- the background (the stars/galaxies) are amazing! They have also started putting up lights in Temple square- I am so excited to see the lights this Christmas. :) I'm going to make Dave take me out.

I got my hair cut today as well... it's nice and short! I hadn't had a haircut in 2 years (no exagerating). Now Ethan can't get his fingers stuck in my hair. :)

Anyway- this weekend Dave is taking me to Rodizio for my birthday. YUM! :) I am so excited. :)

Mirror Lake

2009-11-11T10:07:00.004-07:00

Over the weekend we all (including Pookie) drove up into the Uintas and to Mirror Lake. The Uintas are beautiful in the summer and beautiful in a different way in the winter. And COLD! For example- the Lake was frozen over with pretty thick ice. One interesting thing was that it was silent up there... really quiet in a way that people rarely hear. No animals, no people, no cars. In the faint distance there was the sound of an airplane. We could hear the wind howling. It was really interesting to experience.

And of course Dave and I couldn't leave until we spent some time throwing rocks at the ice trying to break it. We didn't.

Notice the frozen mass of ice? Mirror Lake. It was so cold we had Ethan in a jacket and a thick blanket just to be sure he was warm.

Bubble Boy. What a cutie!

Oh My Goodness... It's been that long?

2009-11-11T09:53:00.006-07:00

I just noticed that I haven't written a blog entry since the middle of October. And it's almost the middle of November now! So much has happened around here! Ethan is almost 4 months old! Can you believe it? I can't. I am still amazed at the ability to look down at my little boy and watch him grow before my eyes... and learn before my eyes. I love it.

Let's see since I last wrote, Ethan and I flew down to California to pick up my mom and drove back up here. Ethan is an awesome traveler... just sits quietly and looks out the window or sleeps. Made the drive from CA to UT so much easier! We had snow promptly after returning- yeah snow! Halloween came and went- with Ethan dressed up as a chunky monkey. And now here we are getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I have been trying to listen more closely to what the Spirit (Holy Ghost) tells me so that has been my daily challenge/goal. Who would have thought that just listening could be so hard? :)

Anyway, no posting would be complete without pictures....

Snow! One of our friends gave us (Ethan) this cute little snow suit.

Daddy and Son dressed alike (even if you can't tell). Some guy time.

His Concentrating Face (Daddy makes the same one when playing video games).

King Chupa the Pirate.

There's a picture of me with my older sister Molly holding me and I was wearing a turban thingy kinda like this.

Swimming!

2009-10-18T20:43:00.006-06:00

Last night one of Dave's friends had a surprise birthday party at the local rec center. So we went. And we brought swim suits. :) It was Ethan's first chance to go swimming!

Daddy and Ethan getting ready to go for a swim.

Ethan loves his bathtime so we were hoping that that would translate well into a swimming pool. And the pool at the rec center is pretty awesome... there's a great section for kids, including a gently sloping entry with a soft bottom and a fun structure to play on. There's a lazy river type thing and a pool as well. And for the adults- a hot tub and a lap pool. Dave and I grabbed Ethan, put him in his little swim shorts (and a swim diaper) and headed for the pool. I'd like to think that Ethan loved it- I could see the wheels turning in his brain as we went in. Unfortunately the water was just too cold for him to be able to enjoy it. Poor little guy started shivering after just a few dips in the water. After that we sat by the edge of the pool where we could put his feet in the water and keep the rest of him warm. A good friend of ours watched Ethan for a few minutes so Dave and I could run off and go down the slide a few times. Also our friends told us about this awesome underwater/waterproof/kidproof digital camera... I think that's going to have to be a must in the future.

The first dip (just the toes and bum for now).
Ethan hasn't figured out that the water isn't as warm as his bath yet.

Ethan is still trying to figure out what is going on.

A little bit deeper- Ethan is starting to figure out this "bath" isn't nearly as comfortable.

Smiles

2009-10-18T20:36:00.006-06:00

I love Ethan's smile. In fact I carry a camera around with me constantly in hopes of capturing pictures of it or of the other cute things that Ethan does. I think I've written before about how Dave and Ethan must be sick of seeing me behind the camera. Anyway... when Ethan smiles I just can't help but to smile back...

The Big Smile. Dave is so good at getting Ethan to smile.

The "For Mommy" smile

Beware the Cute!

2009-10-10T20:30:00.007-06:00

Where do I even start? Ethan and I went to Cali last week. It was so much fun! And we planned it perfectly so we missed the first storm of the year (well, there was lots of rain in the valley and snow in the mountains). We met up with Aunt Kenny and Uncle Doss, Uncle Lewy (sorry bro if I butchered that) and his fiance, the soon to be Aunt Steph, and Grandma and Grandpa. I had so much fun and I think Ethan was glad to see some new faces and see Grandma again. And we had a chance to see some of my old friends. :)

It was a great vacation for us. Ethan was great on the flight there and only a little grumpy on the way back. And I had a chance to relax and kick back while everyone else played with Ethan. :)

Pictures? Why Yes!

I love those cheeks and that smile!

Chilling at Laguna Beach.

Hat and mommy's home made sun shade.

Ocean!
Blog Cross Over. :) Lunch with Heather, Myka and B. :)

Random Updates

2009-09-28T14:50:00.003-06:00

Hi Folks! It's been a bit hasn't it? Life seems hectic to me lately. I have been feeling a little overwhelmed lately but I think that's going to be about standard for the rest of my life. Ethan is doing well. I can't stress enough what a cutie he is. :) When he wakes up in the morning the first thing he does is smile. I love it! And the best thing? When Ethan smiles, it's impossible not to smile back at him. It just lights up his whole face. Someday I'll be lucky enough to catch it on camera. But for now I am content just looking. :)

I am heading to Cali at the end of the week. I am meeting my family down there to visit with Bro as he is on leave from Iraq. I am bringing Ethan with me and I am already so stressed about it! (proof? I am already packed because I am so worried about leaving something important behind). Our flights are at his usally nap times so I am hoping that he'll just sleep. The bad news? Lately Ethan has been refusing to take a bottle- from me or anyone. That doesn't help the situation at all. I'm excited to get to Cali (and to come back) but I'm not too thrilled about the flying part. I am looking forward to seeing my family and also meeting up with some old friends from Hawaii (Hi Heather and Myka and B!).

And the other thing that I am really excited about, but I'm not really going to talk about (sorry!) is that I am getting my endowments. I still have to make the appointment, but I want to go to the Salt Lake Temple.

Anyway, that's the haps from around here. Fall is marching its way in. The trees on the mountains around my mom's house are turning vibrant Red. I love it and wish she were here to see it. Oh yeah, I guess that's another thing! I don't know if I mentioned it before but about 3 weeks to a month ago my mom's retina spontaneously detached. There was a trip to the ER followed up by an emergency surgery. As soon as my mom was travel ready she headed down to Cali (to meet up with my Bro) and where she could get some follow up health care. Well, this past week her retina detached again, so she had to go in for surgery #2. :(

Okay One More...

2009-09-18T22:16:00.002-06:00

Ethan's Halloween Costume- He's going to be a Monkey... My Chunky Monkey to be exact. :)

I love this picture too...

That's a big baby (Mommy's work out)

2009-09-18T22:10:00.004-06:00

My best friend April had her baby, Sylas, 2 weeks after I had Ethan. They're going to grow up to be best friends. The babies were roughly the same size- Ethan was 7 lbs, 9 oz and Sylas was 7 lbs, 1 oz; okay so there's some pretty good difference there, but still...

Anyway... Keep in mind that these 2 babies are only 2 weeks apart...

The proud mommies with the future friends.

Yes, that big buddah baby is my "little" Ethan. And that's Sylas... It looks like Ethan could go on a rampage and eat Sylas as a mid-day snack. I love it.

Ethan's 2 month appointment is on Monday so I'll find out for sure what he's weighing in at.

Oh yeah, bonus- Ethan is bigger than most of the other babies in our wards and he's the youngest. Dave and I were the runts of our families... kind of makes you wonder...

Lottery

2009-09-18T22:04:00.003-06:00

So we drove up to Idaho (Malad to be exact) to pick up some lottery tickets and scratch tickets. We go up every once in a while to fill my need to go on road trips (even small ones) and because it's just fun to scratch those little tickets.

It was the first time we had taken Ethan on a long trip (my marathon errand running sessions don't count). Silly me. I was thinking that it would be a quick trip up and then back down so I skimped on bringing the baby stuff. I learned my lesson quickly. We pulled into the parking lot to discover that Ethan had a blow out. A big one too. His onesy and his blanket were covered. Yuck. So I had to get him out of the carseat and into the gas station changing table without spreading the love around. The really fun part was trying to get his onesy off without spreading the poo all over him... I'm glad I brought a huge wad of wipes to clean up after that. Luckily there was an extra diaper hidden in the bottom of my diaper bag but I didn't bring an extra change of clothes. So Ethan had to class it up by sitting naked in his car seat while we scratched our tickets and then for the car ride home.

Anyway, Ethan's first road trip/scratch ticket:

Pictures

2009-09-18T21:53:00.005-06:00

I promised to post some of my favorite pictures of Ethan... so here are my 2 current favorites.

Just before bathtime. I know it's playing with fire but I just love my little naked baby and we had to pause to get some good pictures.

I don't know why this one is popping up like this but honestly I am too tired to try to figure out the problem so just tilt your head for the full effect.

Handful- More like an armful

2009-09-16T13:20:00.002-06:00

Well my little chunker is keeping me busy. His personality is definitely emerging. And he's still the cutest little boy around. :) Ethan is the sweetest little boy in the morning- all smiles and giggles (yes- he's working on giggles now) but by afternoon it's a different story. Ethan gets more high maintenance as the day goes on, so by about dinner time all the attention has to be on him (makes making dinner quite the task).

I am up at my mom's this afternoon (Hi Mom! I'm watching your place). She's in Cali getting ready for a little family reunion. My brother is heading there for 2 weeks of leave from Iraq. I had really hoped that we would be able to go down and meet him as well, but it's just not going to happen. The most we would have been able to do would have been a long weekend and most of it would have been spent driving and the thought of trying a 10 hour drive (twice) with a 2 month old was a little deterring. So I made a whole bunch of videos for bro and sent them with mom. And as soon as I find my connector cable I'll post one or two of them on here. Ditto for some pictures.

Speaking of pictures, I took a photography class in High School and learned that while there is definite skill involved in taking pictures, by sheer multitude one can come up with some amazing pictures. I have so many favorites of Ethan (I plan on posting many here) but we recently took the most amazing pictures of him. I know it's not fair to talk about the pictures without sharing, but like I said, I need a connector cable. That and I just wanted to brag about how photogenic my boy is (but really are there any unphotogenic babies?).

Anyway, life goes on. We celebrated Dave's 30th (!) birthday this weekend. Amazing! Now I get to tease him about being old for the next few years... at least until I turn 30. Then we'll talk about how young we are. My husband looks darned good for a 30 year old, actually he's pretty hot for any age. :) (Hi baby!).

It's now the middle of September, I dropped into work yesterday and everyone wanted to know when I'd be back. I can't believe I only have another few weeks of "official" leave until I have to return to work. I guess I keep waiting for something to happen to cause time to stop or keep me in my little bubble. I am also hoping that something will happen so that I don't have to go back at all. :) (Speaking of, I guess there's a big pot for the lottery.)

Still not eating...blah

2009-09-05T19:16:00.002-06:00

Well I'm still on my pseudo-liquid diet. I should say squishy food diet. Okay, I'll admit it, I've been pushing it... I just can't do squishy foods/liquids only. My dad is heading back to Hawaii tomorrow so we all went out to breakfast this morning... so I got the french toast, the bacon, and the eggs. And I don't regret it! (Don't tell my dentist). I took little bites and pretended like it was all squishy/liquid food. But that's been my only cheat so far. Over all I feel a little bit better so that's kind of nice.

Dave is at the US vs El Salvador World Cup Qualifier this evening. I am excited that he was able to go. In about 20 years, be sure to watch for Ethan to be on the US' national soccer team. :)

We got Dave the new My Touch phone for his birthday. Those things are pretty cool!

Other wise not much going on here. Wish there was more to write but I've been on pain medication all weekend and I am thoroughly useless.

Oral Surgery

2009-09-04T14:20:00.002-06:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I finally have regular internet access and I still don't have time to write. :) Ethan, David, and I are all doing great. Dave is busy at work and Ethan is busy at keeping me busy. :)

Let's see- last week my mom had a spontaneous detached retina. That meant a midnight trip to the ER and a follow up surgery the next day. So that kept us pretty busy last week- I was taking care of Mom as much as I could. Much to my mom's joy, my dad flew in last weekend to help take care of her so that was pretty awesome.

Then this week was my turn for surgery. Yesterday I had a molar pulled and an implant put in. I have had a problem tooth for a while now and finally the dentist and I said that enough is enough. So no more tooth. Unfortunately my mouth hurts a lot now so I'm taking it pretty easy this week. Down side- liquid diet for the next few days. Commercials suck. The second I couldn't have any of it I started craving hamburgers and french fries and pizza and those commercials just made everything look so tasty. Why aren't there any soup shops? Anyway, so I'm pretty hungry and I'm already sick of pudding, ice cream, and yogurt and it's only been 1 day. Great. It's going to be a long weekend.

Ethan is growing so quickly. I love it. He makes the cutest faces and does the cutest things and is generally the most wonderful little boy. :)

One Month

2009-08-22T14:05:00.004-06:00

Ethan turned one month on Thursday. :) It's been amazing to think that it's been a month!? Time flies, as I am sure all of you mommies will agree. My little boy is turning into quite the chunker and I love it! :) I love everything about him, but his face (and the expressions he makes) just cracks me up.

Life is going well here... it has its ups and downs but we try to take them as they come. I've been trying to follow Dave's example- he's great about keeping faith that everything will work out. I love my husband so much. :)

Anyway, here is a picture of Ethan looking totally cute right before bathtime. :)

Bumbo

2009-08-18T16:06:00.005-06:00

I was bored the other day and thought I would see how Ethan liked his bumbo. He has been working out his neck by doing his little baby push ups so I figured this could be pretty amusing. Plus Ethan really likes being able to sit and watch what is going on in the world. Anyway... Here are some pix of Ethan in his bumbo... isn't he cute?

Borrowed Computer

2009-08-11T13:51:00.002-06:00

Well I wish that I could post some pictures right now and have more time to type but I am at Dave's work using his computer. Daddy is off showing off his first born son. :) I can hear Ethan crying down the hallway- funny how I am so in tune with that.

I thought that staying at home all day meant that I would get restless and go stir crazy. Not the case! In fact I have been busier than I have ever been.... I'm just off running all day long. My plans to post lots of pictures of Ethan growing and all of his little cute things has been delayed, but I'll get back on track. I am definitely still taking lots of pictures. :)

Anyway, we're all doing well, if not a little tired.

More Pictures

2009-07-31T13:22:00.003-06:00

Okay guys, just another quick update... still no regular internet access- next week things will be a little more stable and I'll be able to write more. I just thought I would add some pictures real quick.

Start of the smile. :)

And then there were three....

2009-07-28T14:03:00.009-06:00

Ethan David :)

Sorry for the long delay in getting an update to blogger. We don't have the internet at home so I had to get my tushy in action and get to where there was access. So... you probably want to see pictures. And I won't disappoint. I think Ethan (and Dave) are already starting to dread to sight of my camera. But there are just too many cute moments that I can't pass up. Unfortunately this means that for the most part I am behind the camera so there are only limited pictures of Ethan and I.

Anyway... so the details. It was a long weekend/build up for Dave and I before Ethan's arrival. We went in to the hospital on Saturday night and I thought for sure that Ethan would be making his arrival the following day (our anniversary). Unfortunately we were sent home that night- I was in early labor and there wasn't enough going on to warrant keeping me at the hospital. I was told that I'd probably be back at the hospital in about 24 hours.

Sunday (our anniversary) was a quiet one with me just relaxing. That night, against my will (I thought for sure that we would just be sent home again), Dave dragged me back to the hospital. Turns out I was in labor for real this time. After a long night (filled with contractions that lasted upwards of 8 minutes- AGH!) I finally got an epidural in the morning and spent the day pretty comfortable. Advice for those of you thinking about epidurals- they are so wonderful. :) At about 4 PM I began pushing... and kept pushing for about 4 hours. Dave was with me for every moment, encouraging me and helping the nurses where he could. He was also very good about taking care of me when I was a mess and scared and excited and completely worn out. The two memories that really stand out for me were the moment that I realized I was about to start pushing. It hit me then that I was about to have a baby. The second moment was when they put Ethan on my stomach right after he finally made his way out. Reaching down and realizing that there was a warm, squishy, and wiggly baby right there blew my mind.

Ethan finally arrived at 7.57 PM. He weighed 7 lbs, 9 oz and was 21 inches long. And he is the most beautiful little boy in the world (sorry all you other mommies).

It's been an amazing week since then. :)

Anyway, let me get on to the fun part already- pictures. :)

Mom and Ethan at the hospital the day after.

Proud Daddy. :)

Father/Son moment.

Beginning of the family pictures- 3 generations: Grandma, Mom, Ethan.

Ethan is already getting tired of the camera. :)

Ethan sleeps just like Daddy does. :) Deep in thought already.

Last Pregnancy Update

2009-07-17T10:38:00.002-06:00

Okay Folks... this is your LAST pregnancy update. After this they're all going to be BABY updates! Yay! The big news first- the end is in sight! Ethan's official due date is TOMORROW! We'll see if he is going to be a punctual baby or if he's going to make a late arrival. But the really good news is that... even if Ethan makes a late arrival, there's still an end in sight- TUESDAY! At the very latest this little boy is going to meet his mommy and daddy on Tuesday.

So sit patiently by your phones and wait for pictures and phone calls- cause it's going to be happening soon! :)

And on a side note... I know that this is totally impersonal (personal notes are in the mail)... but I wanted to express my gratitude for all of the love and support that Dave and I have received over the past months from all of you guys. There have been so many people that have gone out of their way to make things easier for Dave and I and to give us encouragement and to provide us with lots of baby stuff. Dave and I are so greatly appreciative and blessed to have you all in our lives. Thank you so much. :)

Book Recommendation

2009-07-14T09:08:00.002-06:00

Okay so I just saw the movie trailer for "Time Traveler's Wife" and it reminded me how much I really liked that book. Actually, I never really forgot because it's consistently been on my favorite books list, but I hesitate to recommend it to some people because, well, there's lots of sex and some of the people I know would be turned off by it. Anyway...

So I guess I'm saying that you really should look into reading this book because it is just a fantastic story. In fact, I'm probably going to read it again here real quick. And check out the trailer. I don't know if the movie will be bad or good, but I'm excited to go see it anyway. And I'm going to make Dave take me. Hahahaha. :)

Still Around

2009-07-13T14:47:00.002-06:00

Just thought I'd let you know, I'm still around- and Ethan still hasn't arrived yet. 5 days until the official due date.

On another note.... Mom finally got into town on Friday afternoon. We promptly went out for some frozen custard (YUM!) before heading home to let Mom unpack and relax. The rest of the weekend was a good one- and a lazy one. I have been meaning to work on some sewing projects and I finally got the energy up to do it. I love it! There have been some baby supplies that I have wanted to make (wet bags, diaper wipe holders, and snack bags) that I finally got some fabric for and made them. :)

It has been so much fun having mom around. :)

Not much to say...

2009-07-09T08:30:00.003-06:00

Just thought I'd give a quick update... I'm still here- and Ethan's not. 9 more days (give or take)- or as I like to think of it (optimistically, and probably unrealistically) any day now...

Weekend Fun

2009-07-07T08:55:00.007-06:00

Figure it's been a while since you've seen a picture of us. :)

Well it was a good weekend for Dave and I- and very much needed. :) We had Friday off for the holiday so we were extra lazy this weekend. And I loved every minute of it.

Friday we had a family barbecue up at Dave's sister's house. It was good to see everyone again. Although I have noticed that whenever I start calling people now they all immediately assume I'm either a) going to the hospital b) at the hospital or c) calling to tell them Ethan is here. Not yet folks. :) Friday night we watched the fireworks up at the golf course. A few years ago Dave and his friends staked out the most awesome place for watching fireworks and watching the sun set. It's quite the hike, but definitely worth it. Basically, the spot we've got staked out is about 100 feet above and east of the place where all the fireworks are getting launched. So you can imagine how close the fireworks explode. :) It's a lot of fun. Oh yeah- and super bonus fun- there was a lightning storm out over Antelope Island (in Salt Lake). So while waiting for the fireworks to start we got to watch some amazing lightning. Awesome!

The view of Antelope Island and Salt Lake from where we were sitting.

Saturday was another good one for us. I pretty much hung out on the couch reading and being lazy. (Whoo hoo! I'm trying to get as many of those days in while I can). Dave went out and did some skeet shooting. I wish I could have gone, but they don't make full tummy ear plugs (as it is I'm worried about the exposure Ethan has had to concussions and the such). It was Dave's first time shooting his shotgun and he loved it. :) That night we joined the Woodbury's for dinner and to say good-bye to Dave's friend Jason. Jason is back to Med School for another year.

One of my favorite summer time activities is sitting out in the warm night air and just talking with people. Saturday night Dave and I got comfy on the swing on the front porch of the Woodbury's and we watched the neighborhood kids light off fireworks. There was even a string of firecrackers that lasted (no joke) like 10 minutes. Just when we thought it was done, it went off again. I think there must have been like 100,000 of them (not exaggerating). The Woodburys also had a portable firepit so we lit up a fire (I helped!) and some of us roasted marshmallows. It was so much fun. Fun smores recipe: sandwich marshmallows between two chocolate chip cookies. I hear it's pretty tasty. :) Anyway, it was a wonderful evening. :)

Sunday was pretty lazy for Dave and I. Pretty much trying to prepare ourselves for another week of work. I love three day weekends, but it's so hard to leave them behind! And now it's back to work.

Oh yeah, Dave and I saw Transformers 2 as well (on IMAX). I really have nothing to say for or against it. It was a movie. A really long movie. And there were lots of explosions.

11 days until Ethan's tentative arrival.

Oh and to brighten your day- here's a series of pictures that Dave and I took while waiting for fireworks on Friday night. I was trying to capture some images of my ultra huge belly for you guys (pay attention to Dave in the background).

Baby Shower

2009-06-29T13:18:00.005-06:00

Diaper Cake!

My in laws are so awesome. They threw me the most wonderful baby shower on Saturday. It was a lot of fun! :) I am always so amazed by how generous and helpful and kind and creative the G's are (yes, they do deserve that many compliments- plus more).

The food spread. Yum.

Everyone was so generous and thoughtful with their gifts- and it was really good to get advice on a variety of things. I wish Dave had been there too- I think he would have had fun. But it was good just to have a girl's afternoon as well.

Baby EXPLOSION!

2009-06-29T13:09:00.002-06:00

Did I catch your attention?

Our condo finally looks like a baby is about to move in. Seriously. Our living room (and bedroom, and baby's room, and kitchen for that matter) are covered in baby stuff. I love it. Dave just wanders around with this distant look on his face mumbling stuff about "baby sized gifts" (search Simpsons episodes for this reference). It's become a running joke between us, and well, between Dave and anyone who knows him really well. :)

My coworkers threw me a baby shower last week and then the G's threw me one on Saturday. Dave and I have all the baby stuff we can start with. I think that I can safely say that we are set- at least until Ethan starts growing. Our baby is going to be clothed, fed, and sheltered quite nicely until he is 6 months old. Then we'll have to start adding to our baby stuff collection.

I over exerted myself just a little bit yesterday getting my mom's room ready for her (moving furniture) and getting our room ready to share with Ethan (at least for the first few weeks)- more moving furniture. We have a bassinet set up on my side of the bed so I have easy access to Ethan in the middle of the night (we'll see if Dave can learn to sleep through it). We have a jungle of baby stuff in the living room to navigate through (I'm so glad that I don't have to pass through there on the way to the bathroom). And per my mom- she said she just needed a place to sleep, well Mom- your wish has been granted- you have a room but walking into it is at your own risk. :) Good luck avoiding the baby stuff.

Anyway, I'm pretty excited. I feel like I got a lot done over the weekend (even if my legs are still sore). Ethan is sitting tight, but I am hoping he can hear my subconscious thoughts to get a move on. We have 19 days, but I am hoping it is much less (Mom- get your tushy moving on up here already!).

Friday again

2009-06-26T15:41:00.003-06:00

Well we've come to the near end of another Friday. It has been a quiet week here at VOA. Kind of nice- very different. I got a lot done this week so I feel a nice sense of accomplishment over all. I made the mistake of saying earlier how quickly my week had gone by- so my reward has been a VERY slow Friday afternoon.

The highlights from this week:

Getting the bathroom done (finally!). We tested the shower yesterday (had to give it a few days for the grouting/sealer to dry). I love it! I'm so pleased with our shower.

We had a potluck at work on Wednesday. It turned into a surprise baby shower for me. :) That was pretty awesome. My coworkers are so awesome.

Otherwise I've just been pretty lazy. I thought I was tired before, but this past week I've taken tired to a whole new level. I can make it to about 7 PM before I can literally feel the energy drain from my body. It's amazing. I read somewhere that energy requirement for growing a baby is the equivalent to running a marathon every day (then why am I gaining weight?). Anyway, I certainly feel like I've run a marathon every day.

I have some serious cleaning to do this weekend (nesting?). I have to wipe down all the cabinets to remove the dust from our bathroom remodel. Then I have to clean all the floors and do some heavy duty carpet cleaning. Then I have to get my mom's room ready (she's arriving next Wednesday!). I've started to think a lot about freezer meals as well. I've started freezing half of everything I cook so that there will be some ready made meals for when we need them. I've also got a million baby blankets that I need to make (million= 2.5). I also want to try making some reusable snack bags and some wet bags (look at me go!). We'll see how my sewing skills turn out.

Tomorrow the G's are throwing me a baby shower. I am excited just for the opportunity to hang out with them. :) Some good girl time.

Anyway, Ethan is 37 weeks now and is officially "full term." We have three weeks (or 22 days) until his "official" due date, but I'm kind of hoping he comes a little early. I'm not terribly uncomfortable, I'm just really excited to meet this man. I can't believe that we've come so far and are so close now!

Anyway, my big thought of the day (reminder to myself?) is: Matthew 6:34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Basically, I'm trying to remind myself not to get ahead of myself. Things are going to work out just fine.

FINISHED!!!!

2009-06-23T15:07:00.011-06:00

Well, it took a few days longer than we expected, but our bathroom is DONE! We went over budget, over schedule, and I almost had a mental breakdown about halfway through, but we made it. And honestly? I LOVE IT! Our bathroom looks so much better now! :) Most of the compliments have to go to Dave though- he's the one that made the important decisions like which tile to use and the new bathroom fixtures. Basically, I just sat back and watched. I really like the colors that Dave picked out. :)

Anyway, it was so wonderful to get our house (and bathroom) back yesterday. It was nice to come home to condo without tools and tiling stuff everywhere. Now we can start cleaning up the mess. If you are looking for a handyman, I totally recommend Sam.

Here are the before pictures (WARNING: this is embarassing! and sad). Frankly, it's amazing what you can get used to when you don't think about it.

Looking in from the doorway

Water damage along wall next to tub

Mid Remodel- the beginning of the new tiling

Tiling complete- just need grouting, fixtures, and a toilet.

The design on the floor (luckily our handyman is creative).

The finished product!

Complete with new fixtures!

I hate Mondays

2009-06-22T15:32:00.001-06:00

I hate Mondays. Seriously. I just tried to post this blog entry a moment ago and even blogger hated me and came up with an error message making me come back and re-write this entry about how much I am having a bad day. Blah.

Bathroom Remodeling

2009-06-19T09:22:00.003-06:00

Well we've already broken our budget on the bathroom remodel. It didn't help that Dave and I only like the tile that cost about twice as much as we had budgeted for. In our defense, we were thinking, small space to tile equals fewer tiles equals we can spend more per tile (or square foot). Somewhere our math got messed up. So much for economics. :) Anyway, we are beginning DAY 2 of the big remodel. Dave and I were excited/apprehensive about coming home last night to see that state of our condo and bathroom. Yup. It was dusty and there's a toilet sitting in the baby's room. It was interesting to see the bathroom all torn up and in the first stages of being put back together. Dave and I agreed that we definitely picked the right tile though so that helps.

Anyway, remodeling a bathroom is much more involved/intensive than I had previously expected. I don't know, I kind of thought it would be more like Step 1) pick out tile I like Step 2) Pay for labor/supplies Step 3) Watch it all come together. Turns out there are a million little things that needed my approval and or attention. But we seem to be moving along just fine now.

I have been trying to decide if I want to post the Pre-remodel bathroom and Mid-remodel bathroom pictures or if I just want to wait and show them all at once. Hmmm. We'll see.

Tuesday

2009-06-16T13:49:00.003-06:00

I'm feeling kind of sassy this afternoon, which is a change from my usual "tired." The sun is finally back, and I think that it is more or less here to stay (for the summer). Over all I am feeling rather productive today- I am getting a lot of little things done so I feel pretty awesome. Dave and I have actually been up to things lately so I have stuff to write about!

Saturday I finally went out with my friend April and played Bunco. If you guys get invited to a Bunco night, I highly recommend going. I had so much fun! :) I ended up winning for the most number of buncos and for being on the winning team, but I'd play even if I hadn't won anything. It was nice to get out of the house for a while and to hang out with April.

Sunday I received my patriarchal blessing. That was an amazing experience and will be pretty much the only thing I have to say about that.

Yesterday Dave stayed home sick and I ended up going home early. It is getting harder and harder for me to make it through the day (yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't want to hear about "when you're pregnant and have kids at home..." I am trying to enjoy this first pregnancy because I know during the next one I won't be able to take it as easy). Anyway, yesterday was just and uncomfortable day in general- and it was Monday to boot. I got to work to find out the office had had a minor flood (I didn't want to guess the origin of the water- gross!) and it just seemed nothing could go smoothly. And the bonus was that I just didn't feel good. So I gave up and headed home early. I am wondering if that is going to happen more and more often. I swear that Ethan grows in 1/2 pound increments. I don't think there's any middle ground for him- he just expands all at once. Not comfortable.

Anyway- last night Dave and I went over to the Woodbury's for a barbecue and to hang out. I really enjoyed myself. We even brought Pookie with us to meet their new puppy Fergie. Fergie was a little bit too hyper for Pookie (she usually ends up getting stepped on) but I think over time they'll get used to each other. We pretty much spent the evening on the back deck eating and watching the sun set- it was a wonderful time. :)

And now for the BIG NEWS! Dave and I are re-doing our bathroom! We have been talking it over for a while, and one of our friends (actually one of the Woodbury's) referred us to a guy that has been doing some work for them. Anyway, so we got a deal right in line with our budget and he's going to tile our shower and our bathroom floor. I am totally taking "before" and "after" pictures. Dave and I are so excited. We decided that it was important to get the bathroom done before Ethan arrives and it seems like things are working out for us. :) Unfortunately we are going to be sans-toilet for 3 days (not good for a pregnant lady) so we're getting a hotel room for two of the nights. Anyway, Dave and I are really excited. It's the beginning of many house projects that we have been wanting to do. :)

I think that's pretty much all the news from around here. Only a little over a month until Ethan arrives. I can't wait.

Pookie makes me smile

2009-06-16T10:39:00.002-06:00

So I'll post more in a bit, but I wanted to post this picture. Pookie never fails to make me smile so I'd thought I'd share this....

Pookie enjoying the sun.

The Mid-Afternoon Slump

2009-06-10T15:45:00.003-06:00

Well, it's mid afternoon. That means nap time for me. Unfortunately I am at work right now, so napping is out. Instead I have to try to keep myself awake and keep plodding along. Also unfortunately I have officially blown my ability to think straight. One of the projects I have been working on has short circuited my brain... so I'm pretty much good for nothing right now. But at least I am trying. :)

Well folks, we have 38 days until Ethan's tentative arrival. He is full term as of the 37th week (I've heard 36 weeks is full term as well, but I'll go with 37). If Ethan were to arrive right as he became full term, he could be here as soon as June 26. Crazy to think about huh? Maybe this would be a good time to start a betting pool?

Anyway, things are quiet here. More rain and thunderstorms. So far we've had plenty of both (I'm not complaining- actually I am enjoying it very much).

It was a good test run...

2009-06-08T09:17:00.002-06:00

Saturday morning I woke up at about 4 AM with some contractions. After laying in bed awake for a little bit I realized that I was having good sized contractions about every 5 minutes. So I woke up Dave and told him that we needed to head in to the hospital.

So it was our first trip to the hospital and it was a good trial run. We headed up to Labor and Delivery and they set us up in a room and attached a contraction monitor and fetal heartbeat monitor to me. It was interesting to watch the monitors- especially as a contraction was coming on.

Anyway, all is well now. We went home about 7 AM after a shot to stop the contractions and with directions to get lots of rest over the weekend. So it was a pretty exciting morning!

Baby Registry

2009-06-04T11:22:00.003-06:00

Hey Folks- We've been getting a lot of questions about what sorts of things we need for Ethan. We're registered at both www.target.com and www.babiesrus.com. If you search for baby registries using our last name you should be able to pull up our list. Some things overlap a little bit because I wanted to give people some choices...

We have lots of 3-6 month clothes but very little newborn/0-3 clothes. 6 month and beyond clothes are also totally welcome (who knows how quickly Ethan will grow!?). We've decided to do cloth diapers and I've got a good amount of those already. However, we are going to start out with disposable for the first few weeks and we'll use disposable intermixed later. Books and toys would be great- we don't have too many of those. And if there are any of the "rich uncle" types out there... it's not too late to fund a scholarship to pay for Ethan's college education (just joking- unless you're serious).

Hope that helps!

Favorite Childhood Toy...

2009-06-04T10:04:00.003-06:00

So a conversation with my mom last night sparked a memory from my childhood...

Teddy Ruxpin. Man I loved that thing. Do you guys remember this? You'd pop a tape in his back and then he'd read you a story (complete with book). It was seriously the coolest thing ever. And I thought it was magic or something.

Anyway, it was just fun to think about how awesome that toy was. If we end up with one then I am not sure who is going to enjoy Teddy more- me or Ethan. :)

Another Reason to Love Utah....

2009-06-03T11:32:00.003-06:00

One word: Thunderstorms.

The past few days have been wonderful! Good, sunny weather all day, and then in the afternoon/evening- Thunderstorms. We're talking light up the sky, drench everything in rain, and shake the windows storms. I love them. And the best part is that it's so easy to watch them come rolling in. Waiting for them to arrive is almost as much fun as watching them. Just look up and look for the dark mass of clouds coming (hopefully) your direction. It's fun to see parts of the cloud light up with lightning and the sheets of rain come pouring down... and the distant roll of thunder.... Ah... what a way to end the day! :)

50 days!

2009-05-29T13:48:00.002-06:00

Can you believe it? 50 days (more or less) until Ethan arrives. I already feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve... so excited for the big day. I need to tone it down or I'm going to drive myself crazy between now and July.

Things are going well- I am so glad that it is Friday (and Friday Afternoon at that) and the weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend. It's going to be a good weekend. If there isn't a baseball game going on tomorrow I plan on walking around the park (I'm trying to get some exercise in when I can). I'm still terrified of the park after the baseball incident. Sunday Dave and I are hanging out with Dave's brother Chris- that will be a good time. That evening Dave and I are going over to some of our friend's for a barbecue. It's going to be a good day (lots of food!)

Anyway... I really just wanted to share how eager I am about meeting Ethan for the first time. Not too far away now! Really I am the most excited about seeing Dave hold his first son for the first time. :)

So I'm a little slow

2009-05-28T13:29:00.002-06:00

I have been meaning to write about my weekend all week and here it is- Thursday already.

The weekend was pretty good- it was so nice to have a three day weekend. :)

Saturday Dave and I were pretty lazy. We went up and hung out with the Woodburys for a little bit. We brought Pookie along and let her play with Zeus- the Woodbury's 120 pound German Shephard. It's pretty amazing to see 6.5 pound Pookie next to this big dog, but they seem to have lots of fun together. We let Pookie off her leash (a first for her- outside of the park) and let them run around. Rather, let Pookie run around and Zeus attempt to chase her.

McKenzie and Doss came into town on Sunday and stayed the night. I was so happy to see them. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures (well, except for one taken at 4.45 AM and I didn't look so hot). We just sat around talking and letting our dogs play together. Henry and Pookie got along (I'd like to think) and ran around together. I really had a lot of fun. And McKenzie and Doss came bearing gifts- they brought a whole box of baby clothes- I am so excited! Everything was so cute and there is an awesome snow suit I can't wait to put Ethan in. :)

Monday morning McKenzie and Doss were out the door pretty early so Dave and I were pretty much on our own on Monday. What a nice lazy day! :) It was nice and sunny so we took Pookie out to the park and let her run around some more (I feel so bad that she's cooped up all day so I try to get her to the park as much as possible). Monday afternoon Dave and I went up to his sister's house for some quality family time. It was so much fun. Except for the part where I didn't feel the greatest- back aches, stomach ache, and tired.

Anyway, so it was a pretty good weekend overall. :) On Tuesday my dad got into town so last night we all went out to dinner. Then McKenzie and Doss blew back into town on their way home so we stopped for frozen custard (my new favorite dessert).

So lots of family and I am loving it!

Three day weekend!

2009-05-22T14:33:00.004-06:00

Yeah! It's the weekend (well, almost). I am looking forward to THREE days! to myself (well, almost). Nothing too exciting going on this weekend. It's supposed to be nice- so that makes me very happy. I'll probably end up taking Pookie around the park and to play fetch so she can be outside for a little bit.

Some exciting stuff- My sister and her husband are passing through here on their way to Vegas. I am so excited to see them. And they're bringing their dog as well so maybe Pookie will be able to make friends? We'll see. Lately she's been quite the weiner- barking at bigger dogs when she knows that either myself or Dave is close by- and then running away when little kids try to pet her. Anyway, back to family. I am so excited to see them and to be able to hang out for a little bit. :) I think my dad said that he was coming into town as well but I am not sure when he plans on doing that... I guess we'll just wait for a phone call.

Things are going well otherwise. Work is good. We are getting ready to close our fiscal year and start another one. That means lots of budgets, lots of reconciling, and many, many projects like that. I am actually enjoying it over all... even though the level of concentration/detail can be incredible. I have to say I have come a long way regarding attention to detail.

My friends Katie and Matt came into town as well. It was really good to see them. I tried to cook us dinner but it didn't quite turn out (how embarassing!) so we went out to eat instead. Darn. I wanted to make a good impression- I'm just glad they they are old friends and will probably overlook the cooking attempt. :) I'm kind of bummed because we didn't take pictures!

Ethan is still growing nicely. Now when Ethan moves I swear that I can tell that it's little feet or hands that I am feeling (I don't know which, but I know it's got to be one of them). It's amusing to me to be able to feel his hands/feet as the run across my stomach- it feels weird- both from the inside and if I put my hand on my stomach to feel from the outside. Doctor's appointments have been bumped up to every two weeks now and soon they'll be every week. We are now 32 weeks along with 57 days to go! Less than 60 days! Wow! I am getting so excited to see what this little man looks like. Right now I imagine Dave's head on a baby's body. I know Dave is excited to see how our little boy is going to blend our features... some of me, some of Dave.

Victory!

2009-05-21T16:07:00.003-06:00

So I wrote about how I planted a container garden (right?)... anyway, I have been waiting patiently for my little seeds to sprout up (half worried that I had managed to kill the plants even before they'd had a chance to grow).

Sunday I went out and watered each of my containers and looked closely for any shoots. Nothing.

Monday, I came out to investigate again and I found this:

My little Zucchini plant is growing! FAST! That popped up over night. I am so excited!

And then yesterday I went out to investigate some more and I saw the beginnings of some tomatoes. :) Yeah! Now we'll just have to see if anything else comes in. Oh yeah- the spinach is growing like mad! I am excited about that too.

Baby Stuff

2009-05-18T12:02:00.005-06:00

I am so excited- one of my coworker's gave Dave and I a whole bunch of baby stuff. :) Awesome! We got a whole bunch of little things and a few of the bigger things we have been looking for.

Activity center/jumper...

Bouncer (with vibration)

Most of the available space in the baby's room is taken up by a guest bed (for now) so most of the new stuff is hanging out in our living room. It's fun to see baby stuff around- guess it makes it just that more real!

Biker Baby

2009-05-15T14:02:00.002-06:00

So we got a care package from my Dad and Step Mom (Pam) the other day. In it were some really cute (and soft!) blankets as well as a diaper bag (yeah!) and the best was this...

A little Harley Davidson bear.

Ethan is going to be our little biker/soccer baby. :)

... And outwards

2009-05-15T13:50:00.002-06:00

Well, I guess it's time for my weekly Friday post. :) It's been a quiet week over all which is kind of nice. It's been slowly warming up- whoo hoo! This weekend we're supposed to expect upper 70's and mid 80's and next week- the 90's! It will be interesting to see how I do with the heat.

Well today marks 31 weeks. We have 64 days until B-day... just two months away! I can't believe it. I am excited for July to get here, but at the same time, I am not in a rush to get there. Over all things have been going really well, with aches and pains along the way, but over all, pretty good. :) Currently Ethan seems to enjoy using my belly button as a punching/kicking target. Also I've been able to feel when Ethan gets the hiccups- which is pretty often. I am still trying to figure out what I am eating that is doing it to him, cause he usually gets the hiccups most often after lunch (my thoughts are that it's either the ranch, the peanut butter, the carrots or the celery).

This weekend is going to be a good one. Tonight I am meeting up with my friend April and we're going to get pedicures. I am kind of excited. I am not much of a hand/foot person but I wouldn't mind a foot rub. :) Tomorrow I think I am going to be picking up some baby stuff. One of my coworkers had a boy last summer so she is going to giving me a lot of the stuff she no longer needs. I am really excited about that... I'm not sure what she has, but I am excited to look and just happy to get anything. :)

Other than that it should be a quiet weekend. Maybe I'll try to get more house projects done. Oh yeah- Dave and I have decided to redo our shower. We're going to rip out what we have now and put in tiles. This will be interesting because we're going to try to do it largely by ourselves. Of course we'll get some experienced people in to do the hard stuff (mudding? taping?) but I've been told that putting up the new green board and the tiling itself shouldn't be too hard. I'm excited. I'll have to remember to take before and after pictures.

Next week my friends Katie and Matt will be in town and I am pretty excited to see them. Katie is one of my oldest friends (all the way back to High School!) and Matt (now married to Katie) was the first person we met when we came to Utah for college. Anyway, it's going to be really good to see them.

I have been promising a picture of my belly for a while now and unfortunately I keep forgetting to take one. So here's a modified close up of my belly...

Fighting Pessimism

2009-05-13T13:01:00.002-06:00

It just seems like it is too easy to see that the world is going to hell in a hand basket and feel helpless as it does it. And then there are also the daily challenges of just living. It seems like it can be too easy to get discouraged and give up. So I've been trying hard to make some changes in my life that allow me to appreciate more what I have. Even though I haven't been doing to the best at making those changes happen, at least I am making baby steps.

I have been focusing on trying to be more grateful- in my daily prayers and also in my attitude. I am surrounded by some amazing people and I am so blessed to have them in my life. Dave and I have a wonderful home, jobs, and a growing family. We aren't over our heads in debt and day to day living is manageable. We have good health and good attitudes. Whenever I get discouraged, or think about the things I don't have, or think about the challenges in store for Dave and I, I try to remember that we're taken care of and that we're going to be fine. I know that things will work out and I just need to remind myself.

I have been trying to read better books- and less news. First I am a news junky. I get my news from multiple sources and even have headlines emailed to me. I spend an extraordinary amount of time on "news." And I noticed a while ago that it was affecting my attitude. Everything was bad and the world was broken and everyone was getting screwed in one way or another. So I am trying to (slowly) give up reading as much news. This has benefited my life in other ways too- I don't watch the news at home anymore so I am watching less TV each evening. In addition to less "news" I have been trying to be pickier about the books I am reading. I try to find encouraging, uplifting books that I can learn something from. It helps that I don't have the budget to just go out and buy whatever book catches my eye- now I have to 1) be picky; 2) read what has been given to me; 3) go back through my bookshelf and rediscover old favorites.

I am trying to watch less TV. Less TV means many things, some of the best of which are: more time for other things and less advertising. I don't want as many things and I don't feel the need to acquire stuff as much anymore. I don't care if I have the latest gizmos, as long as I have what I need. I read a book that cited a study that showed that the amount of TV affects consumption and "wanting" things. Kids who watched more TV were more susceptible to advertising- makes sense right? This will become more important as I begin to raise my own children. I'm not going to say that my kids can't watch TV but I want to teach them to be selective. They don't have to watch everything just because they can and because it is there.

Dave and I had briefly talked about looking for and purchasing a house. When we were in this mode I would come home and look at all the things I didn't like about our condo. We are probably going to be in our condo for at least another 5 years- I needed a change of attitude or I'd go crazy. I have been trying to appreciate more what I have now and think less about how things could be. I am trying to take better care of what I have now- make things prettier and last longer and, in general, just be a better steward of my money and resources. I have learned that taking care of what I do have makes me appreciate it more and also helps me to realize I don't need a lot (and helps me be more grateful for everything I do have). I have been working on mini condo projects for the past few months and I love our home. It is perfect for us. I love Dave for having the foresight to provide us with such a wonderful home.

Finally, I have been trying to be more charitable and service oriented. And this one I am still struggling with. But I am working on it. I get home from work and the last thing I really want to do is go out and do anything. But I am hoping that I can get there. I want to be able to share the blessings that I have received with the people around me and in some ways I just want to make the world a better place- at least in my little corner. It seems stupid, but I had a revelation a few weeks ago about the nature of service. It used to be that I couldn't change the world or serve everyone that I thought I was supposed to. I was so discouraged that I didn't even try to help anyone. Then it occurred to me that I can't serve the world right now, but I can help the people that I come in contact with (and not even all of the people I come in contact with- just some of them). So I am trying to make a conscious effort to pick three people a month and then work on serving them. I figure it's a good place to start.

Finally, I have been trying to change that attitude that I can do everything. I can't. Some things are just beyond my control and accepting that will just make things easier. I need to remember to be humble and to count on other people. I am so thankful that I have a wonderful husband who makes life such much easier for me. He is such a wonderful provider and the perfect partner in life. I have been trying to do my part and let God do His- and remember Who comes first. :) One quote that I recently stumbled across puts in perspective for me: "Work like everything depends on you; Pray like everything depends on God."

And thinking ahead to the future- and the challenges that are coming- I just found this quote: "Deal with the problems as wisely as you can. Make your decisions. You may be right; you may be wrong. Hopefully you will be right because you have prayed earnestly over the matter and you have discussed it with your associates. But once these decisions are made, put them behind you and do not worry about them. Turn around, stand tall, put your head up, and look forward to the marvelous opportunities you have."

Container Gardening and Other Things

2009-05-11T13:05:00.002-06:00

So I got my container garden put together. I am so excited! Last year I tried it and it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. This year I am hoping to put a little bit more love and attention into and see how it all turns out. I also decided to keep it simple this year. Hopefully that helps as well. Anyway- I planted Thyme, Basil, Mint (to go with the Rosemary I already have); Cucumbers, Zucchini, Spinach, and two types of tomatoes. So nothing crazy, just stuff that will supplement our groceries nicely. We'll see how it turns out! :)

Dave and I also went out and saw "Star Trek" this weekend. I really enjoyed it! :) I'm not a big trekkie, but I enjoy the movies and it was just a fun one. I would definitely see it a few times.

Other than that- things are quiet around here. It's warming up nicely and I've been trying to spend more time outside. Pookie has also been loving it- I have been letting her out on the deck to lay in the sun (probably her favorite activity).

Where is the year going?

2009-05-08T13:14:00.002-06:00

I've been waiting all year for it to get warm out and it's finally starting to happen! I can go outside in a T-shirt and today I didn't even bring a jacket to work with me. Whoo hoo! But the flip side- did you guys know it's already MAY!? WHAT THE HECK? Where is time going? It seems especially bad because at work I am definitely stuck on a monthly closing cycle- it seems like I spend a lot of time trying to get the previous month's books closed just to turn around and realize it's time to start all over again.

My little boy is only 10 (!) weeks (or 71 days) from his arrival. It's odd to think that I am 30 weeks pregnant! 30! I know it's only been the matter of a week, but it seems like such a big difference to go from twenty something to thirty something (is this how it is with birthdays too?).

This month is looking like it's going to a pretty social one for Dave and me. Family events left and right and now friend after friend and friend coming into town. I am so excited! It's kind of like crawling out of hybernation. :)

I keep meaning to take some pictures for you guys but I keep forgetting to do so- sorry! Maybe I'll finally get my act together this weekend.

Baseball

2009-05-06T14:29:00.003-06:00

You might be looking at the above (and below) picture and wondering why you're looking at my arm. If you look closely you might notice that I have a baseball sized bruise on my arm. The picture failed to capture the multi-colored beauty (if that's the word for it) of this bruise.

Yes, the most exciting thing that has happened to me in weeks is that I got hit in the arm by a baseball. I had decided to take Pookie for a long walk around the park across the street from us. I figured the weather was beautiful and I (we) needed some exercise and fresh air. As we were finishing up our first lap around the park, we were passing by a little league game. I was off in doggy walking la-la land and wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings. Although I doubt that my reflexes or any reaction that I could have had with advance warning would have helped me (and probably would have only made the situation worse). Anyway, out of no where I feel this arm deadening whack. Yup, I got hit by a foul ball. I was so shocked I just kept walking with Pookie. However now I was heading home instead of around the park again. My walk had effectively ended.

On my way home all I could do was say a little grateful prayer that the ball had hit me in my arm versus my head/face/belly. I think that was the most shocking thing of all- the realization that the baseball could have just as easily done some real damage instead of giving me a good sized/colored bruise.

Another week gone by...

2009-05-01T15:56:00.003-06:00

Well it's Friday again. Today I am 29 weeks into this pregnancy and have 78 days until B-day. Time is just scooting along! Sorry no recent belly pictures- I'll make Dave take some this weekend to give everyone an update. I'm not to the "uncomfortable" stage yet, but I'm getting there... so far there's still enough room for the two of us, but we'll see how long that lasts. :)

This week has been an interesting one. Pookie and Dave have been sick so I have been on double duty. My poor little family. :( Not too much excitement really going on though. Just work and taking care of my babies. Hopefully this weekend will be a calm one.

Wow, I wish there was more to say, but it's just been that kind of week I guess. On a side note, I ordered and received the cutest diaper covers- I am so excited. :) I should take a picture, or you can just go to www.pattynaps.com. They are made by a woman out here in Utah and they are just the cutest thing. :) Stephanie makes all kinds of diapers but I focused on just buying diaper covers (waterproof covers) for some prefold diapers I already have. Yup, we are going with clothe diapers. I have a good collection of diapers so far... we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, hope you all have a good weekend.

Weekend

2009-04-21T14:15:00.007-06:00

Dave talking some jibberish about bikes.

Well I know it is already Tuesday afternoon, but I was really busy yesterday so I didn't have a chance to post anything. We finally have wonderful weather! It has been steadily getting warmer since Saturday- and I love it! Today it is the upper 70's and tomorrow/Thursday- the 80's! I LOVE this time of the year- when the warmth is a welcome change (as opposed to September when something cooler sounds nice). I have been trying to enjoy it as much as possible. I don't know if Pookie is happy about the good weather or not. On the one hand she gets to go outside more often, but on the other hand, most of her walks are death march long (for her) and she usually can't wait to get back home. Anyway, I am going to enjoy it while I can.

So let's see this weekend. Well, it went too quickly, but that's the standard. Saturday Dave and I joined the Woodbury's at the Miller Motorsports Track out in Tooele. The Woodbury's are racing (motorcycles) again and we were there to support them (Dave helps as "pit crew" and I bring the snacks). And the best part? It was a beautiful day- and just the right temperature.

Dave and the Woodburys lined up beside the track to watch the start of the race.

BJ (Left/Back) and Tom (Right/Front): Other members of the "pit crew"

Me and Anne Woodbury (Spectators)

Saturday night was a small family get together at Dave's sister's house. It was fun to hang out with everyone. Nothing really exciting there, but it was good to see everyone and chat. :) It's also probably a sign of things to come- family getting together more often during the summer.

Sunday was a quiet day. We took Pookie out to the park across the street and played fetch for a little bit. It seemed like everyone else in the neighborhood had the same idea as well. For a park that doesn't allow pets, there sure were a lot of dogs. :)

And just for fun: Pookie snuggling up with Dave.

And then back to work.

Good Bye Motorcycle (we hardly owned you)...

2009-04-17T15:49:00.005-06:00

Well Dave took a big step yesterday... he sold his baby- his motorcycle (Ol' Red Pipe). I feel really bad about, but Dave did a good job getting it sold (it was his graduation present- and here we are selling it a year later).

In honor of the bike, here are some pictures of Dave on his motorcycle....

Portland

2009-04-14T15:24:00.018-06:00

Dave and I at Crown Point- overlooking the Columbia Gorge.

Dave and I at Wahkeena Falls

Okay, this post is going to be chock full of pictures so I hope you are ready. :)

Dave and I went to Portland for the weekend to visit my family. Yes (most of) my family was in ONE place during the SAME weekend. Jamieson is about to head to Iraq so it was a chance for all of us to get together and wish him well and just enjoy ourselves.

Let's see- Friday evening Dave and I flew out. After some last minute catastrophes (we needed to find somewhere new for Pookie to spend the weekend) Dave and I made to the airport in the nick of time- to find out our airplane had been delayed an hour (I hate flying and delays don't help). We finally made it to Portland where my Dad picked us up and drove us to our hotel (with a stop at Jack in the Box). It was so good to see Mom and Dad (Tom) and Dad (Greg) and McKenzie, Doss, and Jamieson. What a group we were! It was a pretty early night for Dave and I- the boys (Doss and Jamieson) went out drinking and everyone else went to bed.

Saturday we woke up early and headed out to the Columbia Gorge for some pictures and hiking. McKenzie and Doss were both working that morning- so the five of us (Dad, Mom, Jamieson, me and Dave) crammed into Mom's rental car- which I think fits 2 comfortably. I love the Columbia Gorge- it is really just so beautiful. The first stop was Wahkeena Falls followed up by Multnomah Falls. We ended with a visit to Crown Point.

Dave at Wahkeena Falls

Jamieson, Me, Mom, and Dad (Tom) at Wahkeena falls.

Jamieson, Dave, Mom, and Dad at Wahkeena Falls

Dave and I at Multnomah Falls- Bro snuck in the back at the last minute.

Jamieson, Mom, Dave at Multnomah Falls.
I also made Dave hike up to the bridge (in the background) with me.

And then that afternoon was OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry). I love that place. They were having a Da Vinci exhibit- they had some of his notebooks and a lot of his inventions. The entire second floor was pretty much devoted to the Mona Lisa, which was a little bit overkill, but oh well. The fun part has always been the hands on "learning" stuff. I learned that my brother is a much better engineer than I am and that Dave makes some pretty awesome paper airplanes.

Dave and Jamieson playing with balls.

Dave shooting 2 liter bottle into the air
(using water and air to build pressure in the bottle)

Saturday ended at DeNicolas- our family's favorite pizza place. I had been waiting to eat pizza here since we first started planning the trip to Portland. Unfortunately, I got really sick right before dinner started (seriously, as they were putting the food down in front of us). I managed to eat about 1/4 of a piece of pizza before my sister had to drive us back to the hotel. Boo. It was another early night for Dave and I, but by that time we were pretty exhausted.

Sunday Morning was Easter Breakfast. We all managed to get up and out at a pretty decent time. After breakfast we had enough time to hang out at my sister's place before my dad drove Dave and I to the airport.

Dad (Greg), Jamieson, Doss, McKenzie, Henry, Dave, me
(That fuzzy thing up by Doss's head is Henry- their dog.
Henry looks like an Ewok and sounds like one too. Possibly the cutest dog ever- after Pookie)

And the flight home was pretty chill.

And the big thing- Bro got his The Giving Tree Tattoo - so the set is now complete. :)

Soccer is back!

2009-04-08T09:33:00.003-06:00

Well Soccer season has started again. Dave's first (practice) outdoor game was on Monday- and it was a beautiful day for soccer! The sun was shining and it was in the 60's. Pookie and I watched for half of the game. Within the first few minutes, Dave scored the first goal of the game! Whoo hoo! :)

This weekend

2009-04-06T15:46:00.004-06:00

Well the weekend was pretty quiet- general conference was the big thing for the weekend. And it was good.

In between conference sessions- this is what Dave and I did. :) He finally gave in and watch the movie with me. I'd already seen it a few times, but it was fun just to know that Dave finally gave in and watched it with me. :) Even if it took him 6 months to do it. :)

The usual

2009-04-03T13:29:00.002-06:00

Well, nothing too exciting happening today. I'm just trying to make it 5 PM. It seems like my motivation gave up yesterday afternoon, somewhere around 3. At least the day has gone by more or less quickly today.

This weekend is going to be pretty quiet. It is general conference (it happens every April and October). It seems like it's going to be a good weekend for staying inside (rain and snow). Dave's best friend is in town (has been since last weekend). Dave has been hanging out with him a lot and will probably spend the rest of the weekend with him.

Wish there were more exciting things to say, but there just isn't. :)

Hope you all have a good weekend.