Addie Mae

Bye Bloggity

2011-12-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

I think I am done with blogging. I love to do it, but mainly just to have my memories written down for myself.

I figure people don't really care about the day to day things that I like to blog about anyway. I haven't gone to any really amazing places, or done any really interesting things, or have any fun ideas or crafts for you to do. I'm not articulate.

I love my family, and the little things we do together. And when I make time to blog it takes me away from my family, or cleaning, or something else I SHOULD be making time for. Plus, I feel weird about posting all the pictures of my children that I want to on the Internet for everyone to see.

My new alternative? I am going to head on over to blurb and put my blog into book form. Instead of posting on a blog, I will add a page to a book, and hopefully print it off every so often. If you don't feel like you get to keep tabs on our amazing lives, feel free to leave your e-mail address and I will invite you to take a peek at whatever books I am working on. I have one I just finished for Addisen for Christmas. It is an ABC book, and pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself.

As a result I am sure that I will not be following anyone's blog as much as I usually do. Sorry. Your blogs are all so cute and you do so many fun things that I get jealous :) I will leave you with a few comments that you can cut and paste if you please.

"Ha ha, that is too cute!"
"Love it!"
"Congrats! That is so exciting!"

and last but not least..."Miss you" because I will!

The things she says

2011-08-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

A few friends have links on their blogs leading to a page of funny things their kids say. I am stealing the idea because I always mean to write that stuff down, and usually forget. So, I would like to introduce the link on the left called "The things she says"...anyone have a better name for it? Hopefully I am better about posting there than I am with my photography page :)

We have managed.

2011-07-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

We have made it through week one of Addie being gone. Our projects have suffered greatly...

Laundry isn't nearly as fun.

Cakes for Daddy aren't quite as beautiful.

Taking pictures has been a bit lonely.

Fasteners are just fasteners. They haven't doubled as a "wedding ring" since she's been gone.

Refinishing the claw foot tub isn't as exciting without someone always trying to get in it.

Painting has been so dull.

I can't say for sure, but I don't think I have hovered above Kyle while he's sleeping even once since she left.

And, no one else is willing to help great grandma eat her noodles properly.

I can't wait until she gets home!

Here is what I hope to do with the next few weeks:

renew drivers license
paint trim in Addie's room, paint doors and entryway
I have 50-60 dental models to finish
etch the glass in the bathroom
refinish porch railings and columns
clean and organize every room in the house- yard sale?

More importantly, this is what I wish would magically happen:

have topsoil brought in, grass replanted, and sprinkler system redone
brick path in back finished
sidewalk and steps poured
finish Addie's bathroom (we are almost there! wahoo!)
put fence back up (took it out to bring in dirt)
fix the kitchen cabinet where we installed dishwasher
fix stupid dishwasher
redo the trim on the outside of the house
paint the whole outside of the house
rub my nasty swollen preggo feet

I guess I better get busy!

Mental Hospital

2011-07-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

I want to live here. Yes, I want to live at the state mental hospital. Well, maybe just in the orchard.

The deer were not even phased with the kiddos walking right up to them.

Addie turned and ran as fast as she could while yelling "It made an angry face at me!"

These are the cute boys we went to take pictures of.

Addie left on a road trip with her grandparents yesterday. They are headed to Oregon, Washington, up to B.C., and then to Banff. She will be gone for a month. That is if I don't freak out after a week and fly out to pick her up. She was so excited to go. She climbed into the car while they were packing up. I sat down in the car to talk with her for a minute while everyone finished getting ready. She looked at me and said "You aren't coming!" She was just hanging out in her car seat. Kyle tried to get her to come inside since it wasn't time to go yet. She hurried and put her arms in the straps and tried to buckle herself in. I thought she might have a hard time leaving us. I guess that I thought wrong.

Now I am left with extra time. I was worried that I would be bored and wouldn't have enough to do to keep me busy. Ha ha, I'm kind of embarrassed, but I totally slept in today. I guess if all else fails I could just sleep until 1:00 PM every day :) Luckily, I do have a lot of dental models to prep while she is gone. Enough to keep me busy for a few days anyway. I have some projects that would be great to get done before the baby comes as well. I haven't been blogging much, so I will probably take some time to post pictures of this year just for journal purposes. Sigh,....I think I will have a harder time with this than she does. What would you do with your time?

Jewelry from a stranger

2011-07-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

Last fall I came home from one day and there was this random guy metal detecting our yard. He had knocked on the door and asked Kyle if he could check it out because our yard was all tilled up. I have always wanted a metal detector. So, I sat outside and talked to Bill while he searched our yard. He found a few coins, and an old toy, but nothing too exciting. Probably because I was bugging him too much to really search :) He showed me some really cool old mining tokens that he had found elsewhere, and we chatted about his funnest finds. It got dark and we told him that we were going to do some more tilling if he wanted to come back.

Our tiller ended up breaking, and the weather turned bad before we were able to get any more done. This spring when we finally got some more tilling done I found out that Kyle had deleted Bill's number from his phone. I was bummed, so I looked online and found one of the treasure hunting clubs that he had talked about. I e-mailed the president, and asked for Bill's number. I didn't have a chance to call him that day, but Bill called Kyle and said he had heard that we had tilled. He set up a time to come back over. He told Kyle that he had a surprise for me, but not to tell me what it was. I was within hearing distance of Kyle, so it drove me crazy not knowing what my "surprise" was. I was dreaming that he decided to give me his metal detector, or something outrageous.

Finally the day came when Bill came to search our yard again. He said that he was bringing the president of the metal detecting club with him. When I answered the door that night I saw Bill standing there with my 7th grade science teacher. Bill pulled out of his pocket my surprise. He had found a ring in our yard the last time he was here and had it all cleaned up and polished for me. He even had it in a little ring box. It was so sweet of him to give me his find. Addie is particularly in love with the ring. I don't remember the names of the stones, and Mr. Monson joked that he could go over minerals and gems with me if he needed to. Some other club members ended up coming over that night to search our yard. I'm sure our neighbors were wondering what the heck was going on with about a dozen people swarming our yard with their equipment.

Eventually I will buy some equipment and do my own treasure hunting. But, I probably won't be nice enough to share my finds :)

Please imagine that I look cuter in this picture. Thanks :)

Bird Nest Cookies

2011-04-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

I made these cute lil cookies for a book club group I went to a few weeks ago. I thought they were adorable, but they kind of tasted like what I imagine a real nest tasting like. Maybe it was just the pregnancy hormones making things taste funky :)It was super easy, and Addie had fun helping. Here's a Link if you want to give it a try.

Besties

2011-04-10T14:18:00.001-07:00

I haven't mentioned it here, but in August we will be welcoming girl number two into our family. I was, not so secretly, hoping it would be another girl. Maybe it is because we just had the foster boys and I need some more girliness to equal that out, but mainly I just want Addisen to have a sister. We are a little girl strong in our family. The niece and nephew count will be 6 to 2 when this little girly arrives.

She will be such a great sister, and I am sure a "mini mommy." Every once in a while she will pat my growing stomach and say/sing "My baby is getting bigger." She will carry around the baby's ultrasound pictures, and even asked me the other day if I could just burp the baby out already. She has been very interested in hearing about when she was born. One day she was telling ME about when she was born, and she "ripped my stomach open and came out". I think I won't worry too much about explaining what really happens when a baby is born :) Probably because I want to forget about what is going to have to happen myself. It has been fun reminiscing about having Addie. Yesterday I found our old phones and downloaded about 200 pictures from when she was born, and the next few months. Hopefully this time around we won't have to experience the NICU again.

Addie's suggestions for baby names started with "Grandpa Monte", "Baby Mason" (our foster boy's name), and "Poke-a-mocha baby". I think those are better than the names she has given her baby dolls though..."Mhata Mmm", and "Bhata Mmm". I'm excited to see what this little girl's personality will be like, and how she will change our family. Tomorrow is my "half way day" (20 weeks) Wahoo!

My older sister says she prayed me here. When I was younger and would be upset, she would yell at me that it was her fault that I was even here, so if I was going to be mad that I should be mad at her. There are 5 years in between us, and I love looking at pictures from when we were little. I don't have them on my computer, but there is one of us standing next to each other holding our "Reflections" paintings for school. Kambree, sporting a side ponytail, is holding her painting of a waterfall and beach. Next to her I am standing, also sporting a side ponytail, holding a first grader's version of an exact replica of her painting. It is funny to see and remember how much I wanted to be like her. I must have not been sisterly enough, because 7 years later we were blessed with another sister. No one has owned up to praying her here, but I am so glad to have them both...and my wonderful sister-in-laws. I am so excited that my girls will each have a sister.

When Bullying Goes Wrong

2011-03-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

What do you think? Both kids were punished by the school....oh, and that leg is not broken. Personally, I see it as self defense. The school probably has to suspend them both just to protect themselves. I wish they would take a stand and support the larger kid. Props to the girl that stops the bully's friend though.

You Tube removed the video after I posted. So, Here's the Video and a bit more about the punishment. 4 days vs. 21 isn't bad :)

This isn't for moms

2011-03-02T15:27:00.000-08:00

Monday morning Addisen woke up and was trying to get a finger hold on top of our wainscoting so that she could climb our wall. We had been in St George this last week, and she had so much fun climbing the rock retaining wall in grandma and grandpa's backyard. We decided to go over to the rock climbing gym and let Addisen take a crack at it. She was super excited all day long, and kept asking if we could go get daddy from work. Finally, she decided that she didn't want daddy to come because he would just tickle her anyway. She tried to convince me to take her without him.

She looked so cute running around in her harness. I'm not sure what she loved more: the climbing, or the repel down. As she was scaling the wall, she turned to me and said "this isn't for mommies". I think it's sweet that she looks out for me, well kind of :) The whole time we were there I was thinking that maybe we could visit more often. After all, it was only 2 dollars to take her. (free for under 3, we just had to rent the harness) But, she threw the biggest fit that I have ever seen when it was time to leave. We finally got her away from the wall and into the pro shop, where she made note that she wants ALL of this climbing stuff for Christmas. I fear that we have created a climbing monster!

Burned Out

2011-02-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

The boys are gone. It ended up that they had a half brother that had been adopted by another family, so they went to go live with them so they can be together. We miss the boys. Addie had a hard time with them leaving. She asked Kyle if she was happier if they could stay. I didn't think about it being that hard for her, and kind of like a little divorce. She has been clingy since they left. I think she is worried that she could move away from our home too. When the family came to pick up the boys Addisen told me she didn't want to go with those people. Addisen has been tired, and sleeping everywhere. Tub. Backpack. Box. So have I :)

"I want it to be Christmas time"

2011-01-14T20:51:00.000-08:00

Addisen loved Christmas. She cried and whined when I took the tree down. She tells me almost daily, "I want it to be Christmas time." When I was picking up toys a bracelet with little bells on it broke. I thought I got them all picked up, but she found a little jingle bell on the floor. She excitedly told me that it was probably from Santa. I love the little spirit of Christmas she has. She was so giving to the boys. She will wrap little presents for me throughout the day and is so happy to have me open them. It seems her favorite present to give, of late, is the computer mouse...wrapped in the mouse pad. Kyle took her shopping on Christmas Eve to pick out some stocking stuffers. She picked me out a pillow pet, a digital picture key chain, some paintable Mickey and Minnie figurines, and (my favorite) were little walkie talkies so that we can talk to each other. I really love that they are earpiece walkie talkies. She is the sweetest girl.

I talked to her about leaving some cookies for Santa, and unfortunately we just didn't ever get around to making any cookies. I realized right before we went to bed at grandma and grandpa's. We got a few things from the cupboard. All she wanted to leave for him along with his milk, was a crouton and a yogurt pretzel. Sorry Santa, I wish that we would have had time for her to make you some super small cookies, because it makes me laugh so hard to see her roll these tiny little balls of dough.

We had a lot of fun at Grandma Joy's Christmas party. There was an excellent Santa there. The kids were so not into Santa this year. We had gone to another party, and I set one of the boys on his lap and it was a death scream. When I tried to put Addie on his lap, her scream was even worse. So, when Santa and Mrs. Claus walked in to Grandma Joy's party they both started getting nervous that I was going to try to plop them down on his lap again. He brought them around some presents, and to my surprise later they both agreed to sit on Mrs. Claus lap. I have some cute pictures. I hate that I can't post pics with the boys in them though.

We had fun decorating the gingerbread house from Elyse's wedding into a winter scene.

Addisen was so excited to get a big red wagon for Christmas from her grandma and grandpa. Her cousins just moved back to Utah and she asked me one morning if we could go see them. I told her that her daddy had the car, and she said, "I have an idea, probably we can take the wagon to see mine cousins." I love how she fits "probably" into so many sentences. And, to make it even cuter she holds up one little finger when she says she has an idea. I told her that it was way too far to take the wagon. Without skipping a beat she responded "Probably we can ask Lucy to give us a ride." Lucy, for those who don't know, is our Great Dane- Blood Hound mix. She is so big I almost think we could ride her. I sure love this girl.

Foster

2010-11-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

Things have been a little crazy at our home the last few weeks. Kyle and I were in St. George and got a call about some little boys that needed a foster home. I wish I could post pictures and tell you all about them, but unfortunately I can't.

Kyle and I started the process to become foster parents in January. We were finally certified in July, and this is our first placement. I have been asked a lot why we wanted to do foster care. We have always wanted to adopt, even before we were married. It seems to me that people assume that we are doing it either for money, or because we can't have kids. But, we plan on having more biological children of our own, and If you are looking for a way to earn money, looking to foster care definitely isn't the answer. I have a hard time putting to words the reason that I want to do foster care. I think that it is because I don't want to say that someone is damaged. People fear the children that have unfortunately been put in a bad situation. The children are not in control of what happens to them. I'm not saying that the fears that people have about fostering children are not unfounded. I certainly have my own reservations. I know that it is going to be hard, but I don't think that is a big enough reason for me not to do it. I guess that I just see that there is a need for these children to be loved, and I have some that I am happy to give them.

Our friends and neighbors have been so great to shower us and these little ones with such kindness. When our friends heard that we were coming home from St. George with more kids they broke into our home and got everything ready for them. They cleaned our house, and set up another crib. I'm super embarrassed that my house was left such a mess. And even more embarrassed that my friends knew that it would be:) We received lots of phone calls to see what the boys needed, and it was so nice to see so many people who care. Thank you!

In order to become foster parents you have to go to some training classes. I remember the trainer commenting that the placements will change your family. I considered that before accepting the responsibility to foster, but didn't realize exactly how hard it would be, or how rewarding.

It is definitely an adjustment having 3 kids. (4 if you count the 16 year old boy that we have living with us.) My grandmother raised eight kids. I always thought she was amazing, and a bit crazy, when I thought about her having three kids under the age of three. Now I am adjusting to 3 under 3. It seems that someone is always wearing a wet diaper, hungry, throwing something, or screaming for one reason or another. I have been so blessed to have a wonderful lady in our ward that is willing to come help me for a few hours a day. I feel a bit lazy, and guilty, hiring someone to clean my house. However, I have always been a horrible housekeeper, and she is worth every penny. I have so much more respect for mothers who do it all themselves.

Addie is so in love with the baby. It has been a big change for her having the boys. The other day she came and told me "mommy, it is hard having boys" and then continued by saying "I just don't want to live with babies". Later she got mad and spit. I picked her up to put her in time out, and she told me "I'm just having a hard day". So was I. The first day was crazy with everyone and I was trying to figure out how long I needed to keep the boys before I could call and let the caseworker know that it wasn't working out without losing any self respect. The next morning the older boy must have sensed that I needed some reassurance and all he wanted to do was cuddle with me when he woke up. That definitely helped me want to make this work. When I ponder the situation he is in I understand that it is a huge adjustment for him as well, and he is handling things the best way that he knows how. I'm sure he needs some reassurance as well. Every day seems to be getting better. The "sibling" rivalry is simmering down and I am actually really enjoying this new change. Kyle and I loaded up the 3 car seats this weekend and headed to St. George. We left intentionally late with hopes that they would all sleep on the drive. The last hour was insane. It was midnight, and all three kids were screaming. Addie wanted me to rub her back, and wanted the light on. The light woke up the baby. The baby woke up the older brother. The older brother wanted to hold my hand. So I was trying to feed a bottle to the baby, rub Addie's back, and hold the boy's hand at the same time. I decided to try to focus on whoever had the most annoying cry. On another trip Kyle and I somehow found out that the baby will fall asleep to loud music. Think "American Woman". So Kyle turned the radio up, and we just laughed. I am loving this new family I have.

Wedding "cakes"

2010-11-16T21:19:00.000-08:00

I have been promising a few people that I would post pictures of some wedding cakes that I did for my sister in law's wedding. I made one out of gingerbread and the other is rice krispie treats. The groom is an architect and so the white building is Villa Savoye. A famous house that represents Brent's style. The funky house represents Elyse's personality. They didn't turn out as perfectly as I would wish, but it was fun! I am too lazy to post pictures over here so if you want to see the pictures then you have to go to my photo blog
PS. There was a light that lit up inside the gingerbread house that you could see through the window. The flower lamppost also had a working light.

Mashed potatoes and Carrots

2010-09-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

We made these fun little cupcakes for my friend Rachel for her Birthday. Happy Birthday Rachie! We also took some to my aunt who watched Addie while we went to The Lion King. It. Was. Amazing. The costumes were the best! I almost want to make a hyena costume for Halloween. It would be a little extreme for whatever trunk-or-treat we end up at though.
And, I dug up our carrots this last week. They were purple on the outside, and even bled when I cut them. I guess that they got a little busy with the neighboring beets next door. They even tasted sweeter than usual. They looked so pretty in our sushi though!

Belated

2010-09-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Happy belated birthday to Kyle. I made him possibly the ugliest cake ever. Addisen loved helping me make it though, and was thrilled that it was her daddy. We have a 16 year old boy from Mauritius (Africa) staying with us for a few months, and he said it looked like a Muppet. Kyle's mom couldn't bring herself to eat the frosting because it was skin. Anyway, August was an awesome month with both of our birthdays. Addisen has been singing Happy Birthday everyday since because she is certain that it is someones birthday. We went to the Melting Pot and had dinner one night. It was our first time going, and had a lot of fun. I love love love fondue, and need to pull out our fondue pot more often than we do. Another night we went with some friends to La Caille for dessert, and embarrassed ourselves more than once :) I can't believe how old we are both getting!

I get all giddy...

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

When I drive into the Salt Lake valley from the South and can see 3 temples....and take a picture of 2 at once :)

Making it official :)

2010-09-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a little photo business and have been putting together a photo blog. I finally went "public" today and thought I would share the link if anyone wants to check it out....it is www.SimplySoSweet.blogspot.com

Family Pictures

2010-08-10T22:19:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this last one look like Lucy is Scooby-Doo? She isn't a very photogenic dog, but the photographer got some ok shots of her. Addisen wasn't very cooperative with the picture taking either. I think the stupid Scooby picture is the only one of her smiling.

old pics

2010-06-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

I found an old file of pictures that I had taken about 7 or 8 years old, and had fun looking at them. My DSLR keeps breaking and we have fixed it twice already, but it broke again. So it has been out of commision for about 3 years now. I miss it :( I just need to start saving for a new one I guess.

Who's two?

2010-06-17T23:22:00.001-07:00

When we asked Addisen what she wanted for her birthday she would say an owl. That's it. Just an owl. Luckily I was able to convince her that an owl cake would do.

We went to the zoo and watched the bird show, which she adores. And then on Sunday night we just had a little get together with the family.

I have this really annoying habit of liking to make cute food. I like it because, I get to surround myself with chocolate. I get to make something artistic, and I don't have to worry about making it perfect cuz someone is just going to eat it anyway. The chocolate covered oreos were fun to make, but took for-e-ver. I only had one mold so I had to stay up all night waiting for each batch to cool enough to take out. And by that time I would have to reheat every color of chocolate again. But seeing Addie's big smile was worth it.

Addisen loves her cousin Alex. They were born only a month apart, and are so stinking cute when they are together. I sure love this little two year old!

If I could

2010-06-03T18:02:00.001-07:00

If I could catch a moment in a jar and save it forever I would have saved one from the other night. We tried to go camping in Snow Canyon, but the campground was full so we "camped" at grandpa's house. It was so much fun being out late by the fire with Addie. The night was hot and she was running around half nakie. We introduced her to duck duck goose, and she giggled so hard as she ran as fast as she could around and around the circle, never sitting down. She always wanted to be the one being chased. She would touch your head and say "duck" but then she would start to run, and say "goose" as she sped away. Eventually we had to stop the game, because no one had the energy to chase her anymore. I gave her a bath (a nice perk of camping at home) and took her outside to look at the stars. We could hear crickets so we climbed the big hill behind the house to get closer to one. I told her that the crickets were singing her a song, and she marveled at that thought. We stayed up on the hill and rocked back and forth until she fell asleep in my arms. That doesn't happen often. I wish I could cuddle her forever. What moment would you catch in a jar?

sister conversation

2010-05-17T23:26:00.001-07:00

Kylee makes me laugh...

Me: You know, if you go bear hunting with dad during "that" time of the month that you will attract the bears. They will try to bite into your head like an apple while you are sleeping.

Kylee: If "that" is what they are attracted to they won't bite my head. They will just try to attack my butt.

Four years ago

2010-05-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

Four years ago, I stayed up texting Kyle until 2 am and woke up at 4 am to get ready for our wedding. I slept on the floor in an empty room because I had already moved my bed, and all of my stuff into our house in Provo. We got married in the Salt Lake Temple, we had the first open slot in the morning. I loved being the only bride in the bride's room, and being able to sit alone with Kyle in the Celestial room before we were sealed together. It was so beautiful, and serene.Although, I am sure it wasn't very fun for our guests to have to wake up so early to be there.

Kyle proposed to me on a beach in Santa Barbara. We had gone once to look at rings, and didn't really find anything we liked. It ended up that he was only wanting to get my ring size, because he was designing the ring himself. When we were getting out of the car at the beach I saw him slip the little box into his pocket. (I have a special way of ruining my own surprises.) We walked along the beach for a little while, and watched the sunset. We hid in a little cave in the rocks because it was getting windy and cold. Kyle sang me some love songs, and asked me to dance. Then he knelt in the sand, and asked me to be his wife. He gave me the ring, along with a letter that he wrote. The letter outlines each of the symbolic items he placed in my ring. On the inside of my ring, where one might usually engrave something, he had placed 6 little diamonds. The first three stand for Faith, Friendship, and Forgiveness. There are many more symbols in my ring, but I won't bore you with them all. I was so touched that he took the time, and effort to make my ring extra special.

The last few weeks Kyle has been excited about getting me an anniversary present. He keeps asking me if I want hints as to what it is. And keeps taunting me that this one I would never guess. I had been trying to let it be a suprise, and not snoop around too much. Well, yesterday, I went to go pick him up from work, and one of the tellers asked "Are you guys getting that piano?". I shrugged my shoulders, and then I went into Kyle's office, and told him that I had another guess. It was so funny that we made it until the night before our anniversary until the suprise was ruined. He said now I don't get it though :) I guess that I will find out tonight.

He spoils me, that is for sure. But there are so many annoying things that he does: he thinks he is funny, he farts in the car ALL the time and locks the windows, when I have been a jerk he asks me first thing in the morning if I am "feeling better" and it pisses me off even more, he will put his plate full of food in the sink and since we don't have a disposal I end up having to scrape soggy mush into the garbage can, he will tell me when he doesn't like dinner, he doesn't like chapstick so when I wear any it ensures that he won't kiss me, he kicks his legs in the night, and steals my blankets, every year he says "I thought we weren't going to do Christmas this year", have you seen him play basketball? The man is MADE of sweat and hair! And I feel like the luckiest girl to have him as my husband. My faults are a lot worse than his, and he is a lot easier to deal with than his irrational, emotional, crazy wife. I love him so much.

Late Easter

2010-04-20T22:14:00.000-07:00

This month has been going by so quickly! Every year my grandma has a huge Easter egg hunt at her house. This year she rented a bounce house slide, and it was so much fun. My grandma is hilarious. She even went down the slide, by the way she acts I wouldn't guess that she is 80 years old. She also jumped right in on the donut eating contest, and donut fight. This was really fun for me because my very first memory is of this same contest at my grandma's. I was probably about 2 and remember the donut hanging from the string, and how strange it was that they didn't want me to use my hands to eat it. I can still picture my blue outfit I was wearing, and walking up the driveway. It is a weird first memory :) I was so excited that Addisen got to bring home a fake icecream toy that she found on the egg hunt. When you push the button on the cone, the foam ball shoots off. I have a picture of myself with the same toy when I was little. Hanging out at grandma's reminded me how fun being a little kid was.

Not a perfectionist.

2010-04-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

Addisen has a very unhealthy relationship with "Dora". Whenever she gets a little ouchie she would rather watch Dora than be kissed, or cuddled. I have been feeling a little crafty lately, and thought she would like having a backpack of her own. Usually I try to stay clear of these types of projects because I am far from being a perfectionist, so they always end up looking sloppy. I think it comes from growing up with a perfectionist mom, and two perfectionist sisters. I would get annoyed at how long it took to make something if you had to do all the small time consuming steps. So I found that I just had to do a half A$$ed job and someone else would come take over and it would end up being more wonderful than if I had done it myself :) I was telling the lady at the fabric store that I was making a backpack, and didn't think Addie was paying attention at all. But then a few moments later she started singing the backpack song, and said "make backpack". She did the hand action for the word "make" from the "pop corn popping" song. We made it home with everything I thought I might need and more. I hate that sewing ends up being more expensive than if I had just bought the stupid backpack at the store. I couldn't find a pattern so I made one myself. At first I had a backpack with straps and all made of file folders and tape. I had Addie try it on, and I couldn't get her to take it off. I wish I had a picture. The rest of the night she was helping me cut material, and climbed on my back while I sewed, she was so excited, and kept telling daddy we were "making". I was going to save the finished backpack for her for Easter morning, but there was too much exploring that had to be done last night :) Unfortunately I couldn't find any white foamy stuff for the eyes, and it is going to drive me crazy....

Layers

2010-03-28T00:42:00.000-07:00

Our house was built in 1883. We still have one of the original doors and key. I never thought I would own a cellar, or have a stone foundation. Kyle grew up in a historic home, and bought our house before we were married. I have grown to love the character that it has in it's arches, and old doorways.
One of my favorite things about living in a historic home is peeling back the layers, and discovering little bits of the past. Kyle tore up our storage room, to remodel it into a laundry room. We had to take it down to it's "bare bones". When Addisen first saw it her jaw dropped to the floor and she quietly told my that it was a "big mess", and it still is.
Underneath the carpet was this lovely linoleum, underneath that there was newspaper spread out. It was so wonderful to be able to read bits and pieces from February 1st, 1956. I especially enjoyed the funnies :)
I have a little collection of things that I have found in, and around, our house. I can't help but to think of all the families that have lived in our home. I want to know their stories. I want to know where this puzzle piece fits. Or who wore this pin? What grew in this garden? Whenever we have remodeled a room I have loved looking at all of the layers of paint that have been on the walls. There is white, on top of yellow, on top of green, on top of red, on top of another shade of green. As each family has added on, I think of the dreams that they must have had for their home, and their lives. I imagine in several years someone will find my shade of paint on the kitchen wall, buried under other, fresher paints, and they too will wonder about me, and why I ever thought red was a good idea....

Hallelujah

2010-03-13T22:42:00.000-08:00

Last week I was in St George and my mother-in-law invited me to go to a concert with her. I had never heard of the "Canadian Tenors" before. Apparently they performed at the Olympic opening ceremonies in Vancouver, and were on Oprah a few weeks ago. My mother-in-law is Canadian (Yes, my hubbie and daughter have duel citizenship) so I thought she just wanted to go because they were from her home. I don't know what I was anticipating when we first arrived at the theatre, but I was definitely surprised to see that the whole auditorium was filled with silver haired senior citizens. As the men came out I started counting how many songs I would have to sit through smelling the weird medley of old lady perfume. I noticed that one of the very last songs on the program was one of my favorites, "Hallelujah", by Leonard Cohen. The first time I was introduced to this song was a little over a year ago at my cousin Roy's funeral. Roy was only a few years older than me, and it was a difficult death to deal with. Although the song is Leonard Cohen's, the version that was played at the funeral was Jeff Buckley's. It immediately became a song I love, and I have been trying to learn to play it on the guitar. The Biblical references are interesting, but the lyrics do sound a little strange if you don't make all of the connections. Each version is different, and the "Canadian Tenors" sound so much more magical in person than they do on video. I thought I would share with you a video of them singing my favorite song anyway. I ended up really enjoying the whole concert, they sang a lot of songs in French, Italian, and Spanish. It was really nice. When they were on Oprah they didn't know that Celine Dion was going to join them on stage, so that is why the transition is kind of off in the video when she walks out :) While at their concert I didn't notice that they weren't really following the program until they bid us adieu, and walked off stage without singing the song I had been waiting for. I was so happy that they did return, and sang it as their last song. I think it is such a weird "tradition" for performers to leave and then come back to perform more. Oh well, I was happy to hear the song anyway. I liked the way that the voices melded together, and every person sang their part beautifully. Each person's voice was so different, and the outcome was wonderful. I reflected on that today as I held my sick sleeping little girl, as Kyle gave her a blessing. I felt such a strong bond to our family, and a love for the different roles that we all play. It is often strange to think of myself as a mother, and I feel inadequate. For that brief moment, we all came together as a family should, and played our part. I am far from having perfect pitch as far as motherhood goes, and that is why we have each other to pick up where the other leaves off. I hope you enjoy this version. Maybe check out Cohen or Buckley's if you get a chance, because this video only has about half the song.

Foster Care

2010-02-21T16:11:00.000-08:00

Some of you have noticed one of my new blog links to the left of the page entitled, "What's right with child welfare in Utah." Kyle and I just finished up our last training class to become foster parents at the beginning of the month, and that blog belongs to one of the trainers. We were able to go last week and get our fingerprints scanned for a background check. After that we have a home inspection and we will then (hopefully) be officially licensed. I figured many of you will probably be seeing us around with new children in tow, and will wonder what is going on.

Kyle and I have talked about wanting to adopt for a long time. Since we are now married, and can have our own biological children, we decided that it would be nice to do foster care rather than adopt. We figured that there are probably more people willing to adopt than would be willing to do foster care. If the opportunity comes up to adopt a child through foster care we will still be very happy to adopt as well.

I have a lot of fears going into this. One of my biggest fears is that it will be really hard to give the children back to their biological parents. The kids will have been removed from the home for abuse, or neglect. I am so afraid that I will fall in love with these little ones, and have a difficult time sending them back to a home where they have been previously abused. I am also afraid of bringing so much hurt and pain into our family. They will have dealt with so much heartache, and I am afraid that we will be hurt by this too. Especially Addisen, I hate the thought of bringing anyone into our home who may hurt her in any way. I feel like this is a very rational fear. I have heard many times that people who abuse others, have often been abused themselves. I am fearful of dealing with the child's emotional scars. I can go on and on about what I am afraid of. On a side note, many people think foster parents only use the children for money. I don't know how people make money through foster care if they are legitimately taking care of the children. We will only be getting about 15 dollars a day to provide everything that the child will need. On average, foster parents spend and extra 150 dollars a month out of pocket to care for the child. Ha ha, a little off topic. Anyway, they are hoping to cut the reimbursement rate even more this year.

There have been nights when I have cried myself to sleep thinking about how hard it will be. I feel comforted to know that this is something that our Heavenly Father wants for us. One night as my emotions were going back and forth, I came across this scripture in 2nd Timothy: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." This scripture mended my heart. I know that whatever trials we deal with because of, and with, these children we will be able to overcome with the help of our Savior. We have this special opportunity to open our hearts, and homes, to these little ones. We will have the chance to build their self esteem. We have the opportunity to show them that they matter, and that they have a Heavenly Father that loves them dearly, and feels their every pain. How comforted I am to know that I am loved, and cared for, by many people around me. It seems so selfish for me not to help those in need, simply because of my own fear. I hope, and pray, that I will be able to keep a positive attitude about the trials that we are sure to endure. In 1973, President Lee said: “The greatest miracles I see today are not necessarily the healing of sick bodies, but the … healing of sick souls, those who are sick in soul and spirit and are downhearted and distraught, on the verge of nervous breakdowns. We are reaching out to all such, because they are precious in the sight of the Lord, and we want no one to feel that they are forgotten.” (Ensign, July 1973, p. 123.) I don't want any little child, through no fault of their own, to ever feel forgotten. I think it is sad to give up on them because they have had a hard past. I hope you will keep us in your prayers as we embark on this journey :)

Everything and a bathroom sink

2010-02-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

Kyle and I have different opinions when it comes to decorating. Pretty much whoever is going to be doing the project has the most say in what happens with the room that is being redone. My style is, umm, cheap. I love getting a good deal on things. The more that something is marked down, the more I tend to like it. Ha ha, of course, I like nice things, but just have a hard time spending money on them. We were walking around Home Depot last night and I found a bathroom vanity that was marked half off. There wasn't anything wrong with it, and I thought it would work well in our guest bathroom. I was so excited to show it to Kyle, but he was lukewarm with the idea. He didn't love it as much as I did. I went home emptyhanded, and a little bummed. Today he called me from work to tell me that there was a sink on KSL that he liked. We decided to settle on it. I am not deeply in love with the tulip idea. I am hoping that it will be cute with our vintagey house. It is a special edition sink from Kohler. Online it sells new for a whopping $1600.00. (Who the heck pays that much for an uggo tulip sink?)It came with a dark granite countertop, and a nice faucet too. We were able to get it for $74. Kyle thought it was funny that I tried to whittle the price down. I am happy with the good deal, and he is happy with the granite. So it was a win-win situation. Oh, and as soon as we set it down Addie started filling it up with dog food. So she is happy with it too. Now hopefully we can just find a nice and CHEAP cabinet :)

Princess Party

2010-01-20T14:30:00.001-08:00

All the princesses. We were able to round up a bunch of dresses, and Grandma Dona is wearing a very fashionable graduation gown, um Prada of course :)
Queen Grandma and the puppet king.

The wonderful magician and my little princess. His show was a hit. Especially when he vanished and came back in a dragon costume and chased the girls around.

Working on the crowns

Ensley's masterpiece

The table setting

"Princess Sammies" (strawberries and cream cheese)

We had a lot of fun twirling and whirling in our dresses, and just thinking about how much we love being women, and daughters of God. If you are wondering what the occasion was, there wasn't one. We just got all fancied up and hung out for no particular reason. It was a little awkward when random people kept dropping by the house when we were all dressed in prom dresses :) Oh well.

Temple Square

2010-01-17T19:50:00.001-08:00

My sister and her family were able to visit for a week in December from Georgia. It was so much fun to have them around. Sisters aren't meant to be that far away. I was able to go to a production of The Christmas Carol at Hale Center Theater with my friend Rachel, and my sister and her hubbie. To know the stories behind the actors made it so special to me. The man that plays Kratchet (sp?) has been playing that role for several years. His family used to be in the play with him. A few years ago they were traveling home after the last production of the year. They were in a car accident and most of his family passed away. They asked him if he wanted to continue being in the play, and he said that he couldn't stop now, because that is something that his family loved to do together. There is a scene in the play when he is crying about Tiny Tim, and that emotion seems so true, because he can relate to the loss of family. It was fun to be able to hang out with Rachel as well. After the play we met up with my mom, other sister, and the kiddos up at temple square. We took a horse drawn carriage around, and it is now going to be something we do every year. I had no idea it would be that fun. I am not sure if it is just slowing the pace down, or the family, but it was wonderful. We joked before we got there about having the driver take us through a drive thru for dinner. I asked him, and he said of course, as long as we sang some Christmas Carols. He didn't say that we had to sing them well, but we gave it our best shot. We had already eaten, so we tried to get some hot cocoa at Carl's Jr, but they don't sell it. We still got a kick out of trying it. The temple was beautiful as always, and the week went by way too fast. I miss my sister :( I have been terrible about blogging, so I did two posts today. If you missed the first one be sure to check it out. Hopefully I will catch you all up with more pictures from the last few months later this week. Love ya!

Cabin Trips

2010-01-17T19:17:00.000-08:00

Addie and I were able to go to lunch with my grandma for her birthday. She turned 80 this year. When I was little she would invite me to go to Arctic Circle with her and my grandpa for my birthday. So, this year we took her. It was fun to carry on that tradition with Addie, and spend some time with my grammy. She has a cabin up in Kamas that we were able to spend some time at this winter. We loved snowmobiling, sledding, and even trying to get the cars out of the snow. The wildlife is so amazing up there. One breakfast we were able to see a beautiful red fox out front. Addie only made it a few laps around on the sled behind a snowmobile before she fell asleep. That girl loved being outside and playing with her cousins.

Daddies

2009-11-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

Kyle's dad had a birthday at the beginning of the month. Addisen and I were in STG and were able to help him celebrate. Addisen loves playing with the barrel of monkeys with Grandpa so I thought she would have fun helping me make a monkey cake for him. Ha ha, I didn't notice how funny Addie's face looks in the picture with the cake. It looks like she may have had too much frosting :) I have enjoyed being able to work for Kyle's dad, and spend time with him when we are down for work.

I am so grateful for my dad. For an early Christmas my parents got us a shed. We had worked on it little by little for the last couple of months, making almost indistinguishable progress. My dad came down early one morning, and worked on it all day until it was done. It is wonderful to have it finished before it snowed. I really appreciate all that he does for our family. Anytime we have any little project he is always more than willing to help. It is so nice to have a shed to put all our crap in. We are still in the process of sorting through all of the stuff that has been in our storage room. I am so thrilled to have more space in our house! Addisen had a blast helping grandpa with his tools. She is such a grandpa's girl. She loves both of them so much! I had worked on getting her to say "mommy" for her first word, but the grandpas snaked it from me. Her first word was "grandpa." I am feeling blessed to have two of the best dads that I know. This Thanksgiving thing must be getting to me :) lol, I forgot what I was meaning to post about. We just had some family pics taken a few weeks ago, so I wanted to post a few. I will post the Christmas themed ones after Thanksgiving. Hope everyone has a great holiday!

Halloween pics

2009-11-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

Kyle's work has a Halloween party every year at the Energy Solutions Arena.

Addie was a big fan of playing on the basketball court, and making fun little masks with the other kids.

She was nervous about the Jazz bear, but he kind of freaks me out too.

Halloween weekend Kyle's grandparents came to STG. So we headed down there to see them.

Addisen loved trunk-or treating. She ate way too much candy for such a little person. But, at least we got her to floss :)

STG

2009-10-17T13:42:00.001-07:00

The STG Marathon took me FOREVER, but it was so much fun! It turns out that 26.2 miles is pretty far :) I loved the views, and it was great to be able to look at the amazing beauty without worrying about driving off the side of the road. The motivational posters that people put up were so fun to read, and some even brought me to tears. My sweet husband got me this great stand for my medal. It might be hard to read, but it says "We are proud of you- Addie and Dad". I had some huge blisters, and one of my toenails fell off, eeeew. I know, TMI. Addisen was so funny. I could hardly walk for a few days after, and she would mock me by walking funny and laughing. So to sum it up, it was fun except for the 26 miles part.

2009-10-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

Enter to win a Free Disneyland Vacation for 4. Because who doesn't love free trips?

www.sweetlifeinthevalley.com and www.outandaboutwiththefamily.com

the lie was...

2009-09-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

15 truths and 1 lie

2009-09-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

See if you can pick out the lie.. Watch out though, you might not have realized what a weirdo I am :)

#1 I chewed the same piece of gum for 6 days. I was going for a straight week but accidentally swallowed it with a big gulp of chocolate milk.

#2 I didn't sleep in a bed for about seven months when I was in high school. No particular reason. I decided that I wanted to simplify my room so I moved everything out except for my gumball machine (see #1) and my bean bag.

#3 I can't sleep in a room that has any source of light in it. I have to cover the radio's little blue light with something every night before I go to bed.

#4 I have tried a lot of dumb diets. Atkins. Weight watchers. Cabbage Soup diet. One where you only eat bacon, grapefruit and eggs.

#5 When I was little I had a pet lamb named Snuggles. She would let me ride her.

#6 I used to wake up at 5am to make myself waffles, or toast and cocoa, every morning before school in 8th grade.

#7 I haven't thrown up since I was in 4th grade. My teacher asked me if I was okay, and I told her yes. After I told her that I was okay I realized that I wasn't. I felt stupid telling her that I didn't feel well, and... well, that's enough of that story...

#8 I got a stupid PETA pamphlet with pictures of inhumane treatment of animals, and now whenever I eat bacon I can't help but picture rotting pigs. I hate it! Also I watched a wild animal show with a wolf chasing a rabbit. That imagery stayed with me too, so sometimes when I eat meat I picture myself having to chase it and tear into it with my teeth. Gross, I have issues, I know.

#9 I would love to go skydiving but am terrified of bungee jumping

#10 I tried to teach myself Farsi....please don't ask me how that is going.

#11 I tried to enlist in the Marine Corp when I was in high school, they wouldn't let me join.

#12 I choked on a bit-o-honey and had to get the Heimlich in the grocery store.

#13 I have never gutted my own fish, and I never intend too.

#14 I used to want to name a kid Daiquiri. I would call him (or her?) Dax. It started out as a joke, but I really did like it at the time. But, not so much now :)

#15 I really like playing tricks on people. I won a lot of candy in elementary school so I unwrapped the wrappers and poured Tabasco sauce on the candy. Then I wrapped them back up and gave them to the people who were laying bricks on our house. ha ha ha. What a mean little kid.

#16 Sometimes I wish that someone would pick a fight with me so I can punch them in the face. I have always wanted to do that for some reason.

Dance Class?

2009-09-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to find a dance or gymnastics class for Addisen. I don't want it to be competitive or even super structured- I just want to give her the opportunity to dance and run around while meeting a few little friends. I have had a hard time finding one that I like online. There is "The Little Gym" But I think that their prices are a little high, and because I travel a lot with Addie she wouldn't be able to make it to all of the classes. Any suggestions?

Bliss

2009-09-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

For an English class I took a long time ago I wrote an essay about the phrase "Ignorance is bliss". Tomorrow I am going in for an ultrasound of my thyroid. I couldn't help but to think back to the first time I was confirmed hypothyroid. I was in fifth grade. I was on medication for about nine or ten years until my insurance changed, and I decided that I didn't want to pay that much for my prescription. Once you have started this medication you generally have to continue taking it for the rest of your life. After a year or two of not taking it I decided to go have my hormone levels checked and start taking my meds again. Much to my surprise my thyroid had started working again, and the doctor said that I didn't need to take them. A few weeks ago I decided to go have my levels checked because I have not been feeling well. This time they came back low. It makes me happy to know that I can take medication to feel better, and that I am not just left feeling like crud! This time my doctor thinks that my hypothyroidism is caused by Hashimoto's disease. It is an autoimmune disease that attacks your thyroid. Sometimes the thyroid will start working again, but usually it is only for a short time. So I am back to my medication again, and tomorrow I have to go in for an ultrasound. When I was in 5th grade I had this same ultrasound. The first time I went in I remember how casual and carefree I was about it. The technicians told me that I needed to stop laughing because they couldn't see anything with my throat bouncing all over the place. I couldn't help it- it was so funny having that cold gel squirted all over my neck, and them rolling that little wand all over kinda tickled. I didn't think that I was really nervous about going in for this check up again, but I find myself worrying about it. I think the difference is that I now realize all of implications that would come if there is anything found on my gland. It has really made the phrase "ignorance is bliss" ring true. I almost wish that I didn't know about the things that might happen. I hate worrying about the "what ifs". If you are curious here are some of the fun side effects of being hypothyroid:

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss

When someone is really overweight and says that it is glandular -this is what they are talking about. I wish that I could wear a shirt with that excuse on it :) I am amazed at how many people I have met that have this same condition. It is quite common. About 1 in every 13 women have it. So if you are feeling icky you should go get checked out.

Q tips anyone?

2009-08-24T14:43:00.001-07:00

I was in the grocery store and noticed a group of five or six ladies storming the aisles with coupons, hunting for great deals. I thought to myself, how much can they truly be saving if they are driving from store to store. I also pondered how much time they had spent going through coupons and figured that they were wasting their time. The other day I came across these two different blogs and was amazed at how much these women claim to save. In one the girl takes a picture of all of the groceries that she bought. It was supposed to be about $103.00 but she got it for only $11 http://couponaddicted.blogspot.com/ Granted, Kyle would think I was super crazy if I came home with twelve boxes of Qtips. But heck- if buying a bajillion helps you save that much money, why not add it to your storage? If all Hell breaks loose you'll be set for years! The other website is krazycouponlady.blogspot.com. There she has done all of the work for you. You just have to see what awesome deals you can get and print them off. There is a lot of coupon lingo that I haven't quite figured out, but I am excited to see how much I can save, and thought that you might like to check it out too.

10k@10k

2009-08-01T19:07:00.001-07:00

This weekend we headed up to my grandma's cabin in Fairview. It was the perfect time of year to go. Last night it was a crispy cool evening. I loved cuddling Addie up in a blanket to sit under the stars. This morning we woke up and headed a few miles away to paricipate in the Skyline Drive 10k @ 10 k (6.2 miles @ an altitude of 10,000 feet) It is a fundraiser for the local hospital. The funds go to purchasing needed medical supplies. The race was pretty grueling because the first few miles were uphill, but it was absolutely beautiful. My pictures don't do it justice. I miss my SLR- it is broken right now, and I wish that I had it so that I could better capture the views. It was fun just being with my family, and hanging out. Here are some pics from the weekend:

terrable twos

2009-07-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

Last night, as I was doing dishes, Addie clung to my pants and begged "up up up up." I told her just a minute because I wanted to finish. She threw herself to the ground and started pounding her head on the kitchen floor. Earlier in the day I set her in her play crib. She yelled and flung herself backwards into the netting. She doesn't do this very often, and when she does I try to ignore it. I want her to learn that she doesn't get her way when she throws a fit. Still, it is so hard to see her hurting herself. Any suggestions? Who knew that the terrible twos starts at 1 :)

75 days

2009-07-19T22:14:00.001-07:00

I only have 75 days left until the St. George Marathon. I am in the process of compiling motivating stuff for my ipod. I was wondering if you have any favorite inspirational quotes, thoughts, scriptures, songs, or pretty much anything that I can listen to while I run. If it is a quote or something I will just record it myself. I will need about 5 or 6 hours of stuff to listen to. I will be running by myself, so please INSPIRE me!

Nika's Wedding

2009-07-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

Kyle's sister Nika go married last week. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. She got married in Silverton, Oregon. They were married in a private park. There was an amazing heart shaped pond, with a little island in the middle of it. The flowers surrounding the park were gorgeous, as was the bride. The ceremony was so sweet, and after we were able to munch on yummy quiche, rainier cherries, cheese, and bread. The cake was so pretty, and delicious. The flowers on top of the cake are purple lilies. The picture looks like it is decorated with fondant, but it is actually a cake called La Joconde. The decorations are baked right into the cake. The flavors were amazing. I got a taste of the cassis layer, which is an almond flavored cake with a black currant mousse, and french vanilla buttercream. The other layer that I tried was lavender pear. It was AMAZING! I love Bocce' ball and so it was so much fun playing at the reception. There were also games of badminton and croquette. Eric loves all sports, but especially loved the Seattle Mariners. Nika wanted to surprise him with a groom's cake so and asked me to make it for them. It was really fun playing with fondant, and figuring out how to make it into a baseball. I hope he liked it :) They were able to drive away the perfect car that matched her eggplant wedding color, and as they left we threw handfulls of lavender at them, it smelled so fresh, and pretty. Congratulations to the wonderful couple. They are so cute together, and love to make each other happy. Eric brings her flowers every Monday, and had sent her a card that he wrote to her while she was getting her hair and makeup done. They do some much to show each other how much they love each other, and it was fun to be able to be with them on their special day.

Bullied :(

2009-07-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a little jog down by the river. I came across a group of five or six teenagers that were all walking side by side. I was jogging towards them pushing Addisen in the stroller. They were taking up the whole trail, and there was that awkward moment where I wasn't sure which side I should go to in order to pass them. I hung to the left but no one got out of the way to let me by. Finally at the last second I was able to squeeze in between two of them. They barely even let me through. As I passed one of the girls looked me in the eye and told me that I need to lose weight. Seriously? Was I just really bullied by a bunch of 15 year olds? How awkward. It just made me so happy that I am not in high school anymore. What a strange age.

Pictures

2009-06-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Kambree has been bugging me to post some pictures of Addisen's birthday, so here they are. I didn't get very many of everyone who was there- sorry. I also tossed up some of a hike we went on, and Addie playing in St George. So no eloquent writing, funny stories, or poetry....just pictures.

Georgia

2009-06-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Georgia. We went to Hilton Head Beach in South Carolina. Bergen taught her how to do "head stands" so they both loved doing them on the beach.

She would randomly just lay down in the water. I love how uninhibited she is. You just don't see adults burying their heads or laying face down in the sand.

We found out that she definitely sweats like her daddy. Anyone who has ever seen Kyle play basketball knows that it only takes a few minutes for his shirt to be soaking wet. But I do love those little beads of sweat on her nose.

I had never seen a mushroom like this, I thought it was cool.

Ens "flying" in the hotel room.

Ensley slipped off the playground and hit her head on a bar. You can't see it very well, but there are 3 stitches in there somewhere. It was pretty dramatic. We had rented bikes and rode about 6 miles to the playground. So we were stuck without a car with her head bleeding all over. Luckily we were able to get a ride with someone, but it was not the ideal situation.

Berg is so stinking funny!

I wanted to see an alligator, but was kind of apprehensive about it at the same time. We saw this guy while riding bikes.

This horseshoe crab had washed up onto the beach. He was huge!! It was about as big as our bike tire. I had never seen one before, it was crazy!

Addie loved seeing all the birds!

We went to the Atlanta Aquarium. It is the largest in the world

and was absolutely amazing! Here are some pics... Kambree and Ens with a Beluga Whale

Addie checking out the fish. She tried kissing them through the glass.
I'll post some more pictures of our Georgia adventure later.

Singing Rainbows

2009-05-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

I tried putting Addie down in the pack-n-play today. As soon as she saw me headed in that direction she started throwing her weight around, and yelled loud enough that I am sure all the neighbors thought I was pinching her. Feeling guilty, I decided to lay on the floor next to her until she fell asleep. Well, that didn't happen quickly. I spent 20 minutes playing little games with her through the mesh. She's a crazy one, and thinks it is really fun when we touch fingers through the mesh or give each other kisses. She squishes her face up against it, and laughs so hard that she probably pees in her diaper. I was glad that I was able to spend that time with her just making her laugh. We played peek-a-boo as well. I was thinking about how many days go by without me trying to make her laugh. Sometimes I get so caught up in the "to do" list that I forget to enjoy the journey along the way. I go through the motions of feeding her, getting her dressed, and whatever else moms do. I really should just enjoy cuddling with her, or watching her learn and play when I get the chance. I know I will regret all those missed moments.

On Thursday she is going to be a one year old, and she started walking a few weeks ago. I am amazed at how quickly she has gone from being a baby to a little girl. I loved hearing her giggle today, and sang some songs to her that finally put her to sleep. When I was little my mom would sing me a rainbow song. I sang it tonight, but then had to go find the lyrics online. I am so nostalgic for my childhood whenever I hear it. Kambree and I were talking the other day about another song that we have known ever since we were little. I have only ever heard it sung with my family, and don't know anyone else that has ever heard it. It is really a weird song. Here are the lyrics:

Chorus :

Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Verbeck how could you be so mean?
I told you you'd be sorry for inventing that machine
For all the neighbors dogs and cats will nevermore be seen
For they've been ground to sausages in Johnny Verbeck's machine

1st verse:

There was a little fat boy a walkin in the store
he bought a pound of sausages and laid them on the floor
then he began to whistle, he whistled up a tune
and all the little sausages went dancing around the room

sing chorus again

2nd verse:

One night the darn thing busted, the dang thing wouldn't go
So Johnny Verbeck climbed inside to see what made it so
His wife was having nightmares a walking in her sleep
she gave that crank and awful yank
and WHAM
Johnny Verbeck was MEAT!

Disturbing isn't it? Why would you sing this to your children mom and dad? Has anyone else ever heard this? And since I am sharing songs I thought I would toss up one of my favorites to sing with my sisters. You sing it in a round with a slightly different tune, and I love it. I think it is just the chorus that we know. Do you have any family songs, or songs that you love to sing to your little ones?

Spider song:

It's a web, like a spider's web
made of silver, light and shadow
spun by the moon in my room at night

It's a web made to catch a dream
hold it tight till I awaken
as if to tell me my dream was of you

This and more

2009-05-01T13:28:00.001-07:00

I love how Addisen says "this" and shows me the things that she finds. She can't make the "th" sound, so it sounds more like a "hiss."

Ens found a tractor at Grandma Dona's house. My mom ran behind her trying to hold Addie onto the back of it as Ens peddled her little heart out. When my mom would pick up Addie off the back she would use her new sign language to say "more." I think my mom got a pretty good work out that day :) It has been so much fun watching her learn how to communicate the things that she wants.

wahoo

2009-04-20T12:35:00.001-07:00

In January I started a blog with my sisters and sister-in-laws to help us reach different goals. We have been sharing tips, recipes, and frustrations. It has been so very helpful to have that support. In February we ran our first 5k. It was a little disappointing because they apparently didn't measure the distance because it was WAY short of a 5k. In March I talked my mom into doing another race with me. Once again, it was a 5k, and was for cancer research. My best friend's family happened to be there. They were running in memory of a cousin that had recently passed away. On Saturday I finished my first half marathon. It was so great. I was so nervous and excited that I couldn't sleep. I woke up before 4 and just laid there until my alarm went off. When we got to the starting line the weather was crispy, but it was so beautiful. There was an enormous sea of people, and the energy was amazing. There was a local church's gospel choir singing, and helicopters circling in the sky. It was awesome to run through some of the main streets of Salt Lake. The local residents had parties on their front lawns to watch the runners come by. There was a man trying to lure runners out of the race with a free beer and an empty lawn chair. There was another group of people cooking bacon in their yard, and would try to hand it to runners as they passed. My favorite was the people who brought instruments and would play on random street corners. It was absolutely amazing how much that music helped to keep me going. There were drums, guitars, and even flutes. The first 11 miles went by faster than I ever could have imagined, but the last two miles were quite a bit harder for me. I hadn't stuck to my training schedule the last two weeks before the race, so it wasn't a big surprise that it was more difficult. The race ended at the Gateway, so before we ended we had the opportunity to run past the SLC temple. It was so beautiful, and nice to have in view for my most difficult part of the race. Crossing the finish line didn't even seem real. To be honest, it was a little easier than I thought it would be. I expected to be bleeding and limping as a crawled across because of my lack of training. I am so excited to have to have finished it, even though my time is nothing to brag about :) I am excited to work on getting faster for the next races. There are a few that I am eagerly anticipating and would love some more company if anyone is up for it. The next one I'm going to do is in June and is a night time run (in Ogden), and will be a lot of fun. August 1st there is a 10k in Fairview, which is up by our cabin. The altitude will probably make it more difficult to run, but the scenery will be worth it. A week after that is the Provo River Trail half marathon. And finally, I put in the lottery for the St. George Marathon. If anyone is interested there is still time to register, and you have 165 days to get ready for it! Thanks for running the half marathon with me Circle and Kambree!

Happy Spring!

2009-04-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our spring adventures. I love Easter, and all the new life that it brings. When I was little I always anticipated our spring lambs being born. There is nothing better than cuddling up with a brand new lamb, and feeding it a bottle, or watching them run and play. I miss having sheep to cuddle, but am enjoying spring with my new little girl.

Eating cereal with cousin Bergen.

Hanging out with Grandma and Alex at Great Grandma's Easter egg hunt. Thanks for the cute dress Andrea!

At the stake Easter egg hunt.

Eating the candy we found.

Playing in the splash park in St. George, I LOVE it there!

The wonderful spring blossoms.

We have the most fantastic neighbor. She is always spoiling Addisen and Shisho with treats!

Pantalones

2009-04-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

Kyle's sister Nika is getting married in July. For part of her wedding present I am making her a levi picnic blanket (Shh, don't tell her) so if anyone wants to get rid of any old pants I could use some!

Picture This...

2009-04-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

Picture this...

....with the sound of a fog horn.

Kambree and I found this picture and thought of Kylee. She has the WORST Allegies and needs one of these inventions. We were laughing about e-mailing this picture to her, and looked over to where she was working on her homework to see a mile high pile of tissue. Kylee, I love you, but you need help! Ok, the truth is that most of the Peterson girls need one, but we chose to pick on Kylee because of the evidence.

HLHS

2009-03-20T11:26:00.001-07:00

My best friend Rachel and her husband Adam are expecting a baby girl on August 2nd. On Tuesday they found out that Zoey will be born with a rare heart condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Rachel is one of the strongest people that I know, and I think she will do a wonderful job of mothering this precious baby. I was hoping that those of you that know her would keep her, and her family, in your prayers. I love you Rachie, and I hope you don't mind that I stole this picture from your blog. If you would like to send your love her blog can be found at the following address. Thanks! http://adamandrachelspencer.blogspot.com/

Giveaway

2009-03-19T13:21:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share with you one of my favorite blogs. It is called Maison Douce, and is full of beautiful vintage finds, as well as great ideas. The woman who writes it is named Isabel Lang, and I love her creativity. If you drop by be sure to find the fabric dresser (on the left sidebar) It is so cute, and I hope to find a similar dresser to remodel for my guest room. Her blog makes me want to redo my whole house! Right now Isabel is having 3 free giveaways to celebrate her 100th post. Enjoy! www.isabellang.blogspot.com

On the Run

2009-03-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

I have been training for the Salt Lake City half marathon, and have been spending some time on the Provo River Trail. I especially love where the trail meets the lake. There is hardly ever anyone there. I let Shisho off the leash and run behind her. In the summer the fields are full of cattle. Right now there seems to be hundreds of ducks and geese taking refuge in the fields. The last couple of days I have enjoyed the constant croaking of frogs as well. It is amazingly beautiful and I love feeling closer to nature and God's creations. The pictures just don't do it justice. I am new to running so if anyone has ANY tips I would love to hear them!

Pleading the case of decency

2009-03-11T17:21:00.000-07:00

I came across this letter to HBO written by Jimmy Dunn. It pretty much summed up my feelings about temple ordinances being depicted on the show "Big Love" so I thought I would share it with you.

To Whom it May Concern:

My name is Jimmy Dunn, and I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints – a Mormon. I learned today that one of the upcoming episodes of Big Love will showcase the clothing and ceremonies that take place within the walls of the LDS temples. Trust me when I tell you that there are few things more sacred to an adult member of the LDS church than these. I know that it is tempting to categorize me as just another offended member of a minority group and simply tune me out, but before you do, please let me try to explain just what you are doing to me.

At the risk of sounding crass, I ask you to think of the private parts of your body. There is nothing secret, strange, or dangerous about them. To be frank, we all have them and we all have a pretty good idea of what they look like and what their purposes are. Yet, we wear clothing to keep these parts of our body private and sacred, hidden from public view. This is how I feel about the temple and the ceremonies that take place there. They are not strange. They are not shocking. And they are certainly not dangerous. They are simply precious and sacred to those for whom they hold meaning. They are an integral part of my religion and of how I define myself and my relationship with my family and with God.

One of the most basic rights we have as human beings is to decide whether, when, and where we will share the most intimate pieces of ourselves, our own bodies, with another person. Some of the most powerful and ugly words in the human language are reserved for describing the times when that right is forcibly taken away: sexual harassment, prostitution, molestation, rape.

I want you to know that when you decided to put the most sacred parts of what goes on in a Mormon temple on TV, you committed an emotional and social crime against my people, my religion, and myself. While I will not pretend to use a word so ugly as rape to describe what you have done, it is, at the very least a sinister and unwelcome violation of the privacy and dignity of an entire people. As a religious peeping tom, you have exposed those things that are precious to me to the world.

And there is nothing that I can do to stop it.

That is why I am writing this letter to you, HBO, Tom Hanks, and anyone else involved in choosing the content of the show, Big Love. If you care at all about social responsibility, not to mention human dignity and religious freedom, you will not air the episode in question. The beauty of social media is that this letter can be copied, posted, blogged, and emailed enough that thousands of people will read it. I admit that I am too jaded to believe that even that will be enough to stop you. I can only hope that it will have some bearing on the decisions that you and others in your position make in the future.

Pleading the Case of Decency,

Jimmy Dunn

PS - I would not presume to speak for the LDS Church or its members. These thoughts and opinions are my own and no one else’s.

Why diets don't work:)

2009-03-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Dinner on me

2009-03-05T18:16:00.001-08:00

A while ago I wrote about my recalled cookie from Kashi, but I have got to say that I still love their products. The cookie was just recalled because of those peanut butter recalls. Right now if you go to www.kashi.com they will send you a coupon for a free frozen entree. I am not a big fan of frozen entrees but figured I would give it a try, and thought that you might like to as well. Plus it's free, and you can't beat that!

Harry, Harriette, and Blairiette

2009-03-04T16:29:00.001-08:00

I have been watching my brother's kids this week. Olivia is 4 and has these three friends, Harry, Harriette, and Blairiette. Umm, they aren't real. The funniest thing about it is that Mitch gets so jealous when her friends come over and his real friends can't. He wants them to have to go home. As a parent would you treat imaginary friends the same way? I don't know if I should let her just have them over whenever she wants, or if it is better to make them go home at all the same times when any real friends would have to. Anyway, I love Harry, Harriette, and Blairiette. They are actually some pretty well developed people. Blairiette has a baby, but hasn't named it yet. I'm excited to see what other name she can think of that goes with that sweet name trio she has going on already.

Peep

2009-03-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

Did you know that they make peep flavored lip balm? Gross!

mmm chocolate cake

2009-03-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

I heard about a study that involved two groups. The first group was asked to remember a series of 5-7 numbers and the second group was asked to remember only 2 numbers. They only had to remember the numbers long enough to walk into another room, and repeat the numbers to someone in the other room. On the way to the other room there was a person with a table of treats. There were two options, the first was a fruit bowl with strawberries. The second option was chocolate cake. They told the participants that they were thanking them for participating and could choose one. Interestingly, the group that only had to remember 2 numbers were more likely to choose the fruit, and the people who were trying to remember 5-7 chose the cake by a 2-1 ratio. So here is the theory. We have emotional and logical decision making capabilities. The people who had to remember 5-7 were busy using the logical part of their brain focusing on remembering the numbers. Therefore, they relied on their emotional decision making in order to choose and were more likely to choose the cake. The people who only had 2 numbers to recall were able to use the logical part of their brain to make a healthier decision. I am watching my brother's kids while he is on a cruise with his wife. So here is some advice for my sister-in-law while she is on the cruise: If your room number is more than 2 numbers long, don't even try to remember it. Just stay in the restaurant, it's only a week long cruise. How much damage could you do anyway?

Want something?

2009-02-25T15:52:00.000-08:00

This is what you do:The first 3 people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a song. It may be a self portrait or maybe even some creation I haven't yet dreamed up. I may draw. I may bake you something and mail it to you. It may not be big or impressive. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure! So come on, sign up!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog. The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

Love Day

2009-02-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

I was thinking back about our past V Days and what a lucky girl I am to have such a romantic hubbie. When we were dating we celebrated "Valentines Week", and Kyle gave me a gift every day. A few days before the 14th he gave me a Zales bag and said that it was an early present. My hands were shaky as I peeked into the bag, expecting to find an engagement ring. I was surprised to find a bracelet in the bag. That weekend we went to California and spent some fun time out on the beach. We watched the sunset and found a little cave. He asked me to dance and sang me some love songs. He told me that he loved me and got down on one knee. I was so amazed because we had only looked at rings once or twice and I thought we were picking a ring together. It turns out that it was just a ploy to get my ring size. The ring was beautiful, and to make it even more special he designed my ring, and placed a lot of symbolism into it. The inside of my ring is etched with three intertwining ribbons to signify the premortal life, the present, and the eternities. There are also two sets of three "secret diamonds" on the inside of my ring. These stones each represent something special. When you add the three main stones on the outside of my ring, there are three sets of three diamonds. And because the number three signifies the Godhead and is considered the most perfect number I have the "perfect ring" as well as the perfect husband. He wrote me long letter telling me everything special about my ring, but there is a lot, so I won't share it all. Kyle is always surprising me with insanely romantic gifts. For our first anniversary he knew that I had always wanted to go on a 2 person bike so he brought one home for me. It gets better though, he took me on a ride in the rain, and it was so much fun. This year for love day we had to spend it apart. We went out to dinner a few days early and he gave me a big surprise. He knew that I had been wanting to see my sister who lives in Georgia, so he booked me a ticket to fly out to spend some time with her. I am so excited to go, and nervous too because I will be flying with Addie. Another sweet surprise was when he tore out our master bathroom to remodel it. It was also a Valentines Day present a couple of years ago, but it is now almost complete, and soaking in that new tub is well worth the wait! One of my favorite romantic things that he does with me is when we stay at the cabin we take the canoe out on the pond after everyone has gone to sleep and look at the beautiful stars as we canoe around. It is so relaxing and sweet of him to think of. There are so many things that I love about my husband, and I really feel lucky to have a husband who is always thinking of cute ways to make me happy. But the truth is, he doesn't need to try so hard, because just being with him makes me happier.

2009-02-11T14:00:00.001-08:00

I was telling my mom that for the first time I looked at a picture of Addie and thought that it looked like her. I wanted to e-mail it to her, but she has a ridiculously long e-mail address that I couldn't remember. So I decided just to post them for her to see. It is this first picture of Addie that reminds me of a picture of my mom when she was little. The rest don't particularly look like her.

Recalled Cookies?

2009-02-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

I saw an ad several months ago from Kashi saying that they are making cookies now and to fill out a thing online and they would send you a free one. I was bored and did it, plus I wanted to try one because I normally like Kashi products. A few weeks later I received the cookie in the mail and ate it. This was at least 4 or 5 months ago. Today I received an e-mail from Kashi saying that the cookie I ate has been recalled. Ummm, I ate it. Who do they think saves a single cookie for several months? Now I feel sick. Uck, recalled cookie.

A bad habit

2009-01-29T12:53:00.000-08:00

Addie found her nose, several times. I made the mistake of laughing the first time she did it, so now it happens all day long. She also is having fun learning new sounds. She loves saying "gampa." At first I was a little bummed that she wasn't saying mama, but now I just ask her who taught her to pick her nose, and she says "gampa." So I'm okay with that:)

New Pictures

2008-12-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

Everyone keeps telling me that I need to toss up some more photos of Addie. So here it goes...

It has been fun spending the holiday season with Addie. We went to see Santa on Saturday and then went to a family Christmas party later that night. I think you can consider yourself from a "redneck" family when you stand out if you don't wear camouflage to the party. It seems so crazy how much the family has grown since the last time we were able to make it. There were dozens of kids that I didn't recognize, and the ones that I did recognize had gotten so big. We have a little family tradition of going up to my Grandma's cabin in Kamas around Christmas. It might sound strange, but I swear that everything tastes better when you eat it at the cabin. My brother cooked some eggs for breakfast and we had fun reminiscing about eating eggs with my grandfather before he passed away.

Come what may

2008-11-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

The lesson in Relief Society this week was about overcoming adversity. It reminded me a lot of my mom's oldest brother Randy, who was born quadriplegic. He was an amazing example of overcoming trials. When he was little his brothers and sisters would pull him around in a little red wagon. One day the siblings were swimming in the ditch in the backyard. Randy was able to participate by having someone cut piece of a hose off that he held in his mouth to breathe under water. Unfortunately, the rest of the siblings became distracted by another activity and left him in the water for several hours until they remembered that they had left him behind. He didn't let his physical problems hold him back. Randy was able to go to college despite his teachers' reservations. He was able to write by placing a pencil in his mouth. He succeeded at the goals that he set for himself, despite people not believing in him. Another of his dreams was to some day be able to drive a car. Without having the use of arms and legs it sounded impossible. He persisted, and was able to get someone to design a car that would allow him the operate it using his neck, as well as the little movement that he had in his toes. He was quick to get his first speeding ticket as he explored his new found freedom. The family was also able to create a way for Randy to be able to shoot. They tied a string around the gun's trigger and placed it in his mouth. He lost a battle with cancer and left behind a wife and son. He was able to live life to the fullest and appreciated what he was given. Although most of us have bodies perfect in function, we do have our own personal struggles. Often it is hard to look on the bright side, and to find the strength to endure. It is a great comfort to know that the things that we struggle with in this life will be made whole in the next, and that one day we will all be made perfect.

Thanks!

2008-11-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

When I was about fourteen I wrote a list of 101 things that I was thankful for. I printed it off and kept it in my scriptures. We had a FHE this week and showing gratitude was the topic. I couldn't find my list, but one thing that I remember from my original list was chapstick, I hate having dry and cracked lips. I'll admit that towards the end of my writing I began listing everything in my pockets, bedroom, or near proximity. But we really do have so much to be thankful for. I love the Holiday season but I think that it is odd that we dedicate one day to giving thanks, and the next day consumers wake up at 3:00 AM to flock to the stores, push and shove (and trample) only to get more. So I decided to write another list of things that I am thankful for, but I'm not promising 101 things. I am thankful for...

My husband. I am grateful that my husband's parents taught him to love his Heavenly Father and to build a relationship with Him. I am thankful that he has the priesthood and can bless our family. I am grateful that he has great friends that were able to share the gospel with him, and that he was able to recognize it's truth and be baptized. I am glad that he was able to serve a mission. I am grateful that we were able to be sealed as a family, and can be together forever. I am thankful for the peace that knowing that brings into my life. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a mother and to be able to watch Addie as she learns and grows. I am thankful that she was able to come home from the hospital healthy and am thankful for the doctors and nurses that cared for her in the NICU. I am thankful for the leaders of the church and the prophet. I am thankful that we have always been provided for. I am thankful for the love and support of our friends, family, and neighbors. I am thankful for forgiveness. I can keep listing things but I feel like I am being a little redundant. As I am pondering the things that I am most grateful for I realize that they are not really "things" at all.

Enjoying this sick baby

2008-10-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to keep her healthy, but I guess it was inevitable. Someone was generous enough to share a cold with us. Addisen has had a couple of rough nights with a runny stuffy nose. I can't imagine having all that gunk in my nose and not knowing how to get rid of it. She will finally get to sleep and then she will have trouble breathing and wake up again. She gets so upset when she is eating because she can't breathe out of her nose, and can't eat and breathe out of her mouth at the same time. At first I was getting really annoyed with her being sick and waking up all night. I remembered a talk that was given in April's General Conference that has helped me to cope. It talked about mothers enjoying the time with their children when they are young. It taught not to worry about the laundry that needs to be done, or the things that seem to frustrate you. There will come a time when your children have grown up and moved on and your heart will ache to have them little again. So I wrapped Addie up in a blanket and held her all night in the rocking chair. I sang to her (though not very well) and cuddled with her while she slept. I decided that at least I know what I can do to help her right now, and there will come a time when I have no idea how to help her through her troubles. So I guess what I am trying to say is that I was glad to have that time to hold my little girl and be a comfort to her. I'm sure it will get harder, and I'll wish that I could so easily make things better for her. That being said, I still don't enjoy holding her down and trying to clear her nose with those terrible blue syringes.

Addie's 1st pony

2008-10-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

My sister Kambree was visiting from Georgia last week and was excited to play with Addisen's hair. I'll be honest, I usually just let her hair do whatever it wants to. But we had fun putting her hair into a pony tail and trying on different bows. It turned out that Addisen didn't like the big brown one very much.

Husband Tag:)

2008-10-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

So I saw this on my friend's blog and decided to fill it out because it made me nostalgic for when we first met....

1. Where did you meet? I was going to school in St. George and my roommates brought him home, so I decided to keep him. I remember how I felt so comfortable around him, and had never been treated as well as he treated me.
2. How long did you date before you got married? 9 months

3. How long have you been married? 2 1/2 years, it's gone by quickly
4. What does he do that surprises you? I come home to big remodeling projects. When I was in St. George I came home to see that he had ripped out our master bathroom and was redoing it for me for Valentines Day. He also decided to redo the nursery, yippee!

5. What is your favorite feature of his? He does a little side smile when he is being sarcastic that I love
6. What is your favorite quality of his? I like how outgoing he is, he is really great at making new friends.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Kemosabe or stink-o-sabe
8. What is his favorite color? yellow
9. What is his favorite food? Usually he gets ribs when we go out to eat
10. What is his favorite sport? He plays a lot of sports...basketball and soccer though.
11. When and where was your first kiss? He kissed me the first day that we met. We were playing truth or dare with my roommates. I dared him to eat a big teaspoon of salt. Later someone dared me to kiss him because I made him eat the salt. I didn't mind...

12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? We beat each other up a lot. I like the sneak attacks, but usually it ends up with me laughing so hard that I pee my pants, and then I get mad and cry.
13. Do you have any children? Yep, She's a cutie!
14. Does he have a hidden talent? He is a really great musically, but nothing creepy.
15. How old is he? 26

16. Who said "I love you" first? He did. We were hanging out on the couch, it was only about two weeks after we met, awww.
17. What is his favorite type of music? Hmmm, he does not listen to a lot of music. He likes NPR and Sports radio. But I guess Weezer or Jack Johnson.
18. What do you admire most about him? His work ethic
19. Do you think he will read this? Probably.

I tag Kambree and Rachel