Dustin and Erika

I'm checking out for 3 months.

2012-01-04T19:30:00.001-08:00

Today starts Winter 2012 semester! I'm off-track, but am taking 15 credits to stay on-track to graduate July 2013. I'm taking all generals, and am pretty nervous about what this semester will entail. It will be a true test of responsibility and good practice of time-management. I'll be on campus 4 nights a week, and am also taking 3 online classes. I plan on staying on campus for a couple hours extra each night instead of trying to shun my children away while I do it at home. Hopefully this will be a success rather than total failure.

Updates:
Jack is consistently saying 2-word phrases now and loves his speech therapist. He loves throwing balls, wearing his Cars jammies, and being sweet and chill. Unfortunately, he's also being raised by his older sister and secretly enjoys wearing tutu's and toting around purses full of random McDonald's toys.

Lillie can write her name legibly and is so proud of herself! She can identify every letter and can count up to 30. She understands quanitities, and is starting to figure out time (seconds, minutes, hours, etc.). Lillie enjoys any kind of art project and is constantly wearing dress up clothes, purses, fancy shoes, and singing some random song she made up on the spot at all times. She's very compassionate and very girly. I love her creativity and affection.

Dustin C Marshmallow is a good father and husband. He was telling me last night that even though he and I won't see much of eachother Mon-Thurs while I'm in school, he's excited to have the chance to spend so much time with Lillie and Jack. He's busy each day fixing rental units and doing lots of side jobs. He loves his old Chevy truck, and has been running quite a bit the last couple of months. He's very sweet and is always helping me with dinner, dishes, and the dreaded laundry. My favorite time of the day is when we put the kids to bed and spend time together watching movies, playing scrabble, or staying up late drinking Pepsi and playing cards.

You pretty much know everything about me. I'm happy to report that I did, infact, get into the music program! The program here at BYU-Idaho is very small and very difficult to get into. I finished my voice Jury last semester with an A-, which I'm very proud of. It was quite intimidating, to say the least.

We had a wonderful Christmas and really enjoyed being with both of our families. I'm excited for 2012 and all the opportunites life will bring us. Merry (late) Christmas!

Welcome, Friends.

2011-12-14T00:48:00.000-08:00

I just realized I never posted about where we live.
So, um, yes.

We moved in June 3rd this year and we love it. It's a multi-unit home with separate basement and attic units. We have the main floor, yard, front porch, and back deck exclusively(which means we do the yard work). And with the 2 other units basically vacant, it pretty much feels like it's all ours.
One day in the near future I will go through and take pics of the inside, but I realistically don't see myself having time to do that anytime soon... nor do I think you care that much. So here are the basic stats:

1400 sq/feet of original dark hardwood floors. 2 large bedrooms both with extremely almost-a-waste-of-space walk-in closets that are serving as a play room and our office. We have a big kitchen and separate laundry room. Our living room/dining room is so ginormous, it houses our furniture with total ease. It has pretty neat 1920's era features that you just can't get from your typical cookie-cutter house and it has all new big windows. We love having a yard to mow and plant flowers in and a deck to sit out on and enjoy our lovely view of the Aquatic Center parking lot while sipping lemonade (or not). We seriously love this house, even with all of it's "special" (Daniel) characteristics. I always feel right at home when I walk through our front door. Plus, our ward is absolutely fabulous. I hope we get to stay here for a while longer.

My HUGE Stressor right now.

2011-12-06T12:02:00.001-08:00

BLOGGING.

I can't even check other peoples' blog because it gives me HUGE anxiety. Really? What else do you have to share about your perfect life??

I know, I'm just being grouchy. Perhaps after my last final on December 15th I'll be happier. Tis the season to be stressed....

Our 25$ trip to Vegas

2011-11-06T21:46:00.000-08:00

Last minute, Dustin and I were blessed to join the Horns and Halo's RAGNAR Relay team in Las Vegas back in October. It's 189 miles divided up by 12 runners. Each runner ends up running between 15-20 miles total. I was stoked, Dustin was unsure. After dropping off our sweet little kiddos at Aunt Dana's house to play for the weekend- we picked up our carpoolers and left to Vegas.
9 hours later... we met up with our team that we would really get to know over the next 36 hours- and then slept. 5am came bright and early, but Dustin (runner 1) started us off at 9AM on the dot. The next 35 hours are just a blurry mess of awsome.

Because Dustin and I were in different vans, we only saw eachother once every 6 hours or so. Here's the only picture of us together at the finish line!
We finished on Saturday late afternoon. It was exhausting, super duper hot, but really fun. That sounds weird and contradicting- but for any of you that have ever ran a relay like this understand what I mean. We loved every minute of it.

We also got to hang out with our oldtime good friends, the Delemonts! It was really fun to see them again and made us want to move back... almost.

oh, and how was it only 25$? Gas was paid for by the girls we drove down via BYU-I rideboard. The registration fee was waived by the runners whom we replaced, and our Hotel on Saturday night at the Paris was paid for by RAGNAR.

We spent 24.99 after taxes on our hotel at the Santa Fe Station for Thursday night.

Deuce

2011-10-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

Bring it on, Jack!!
It's not like I haven't dealt with age 2 before.

I've been blessed to have a taste of what things will be like for the next 12 months. Jack loves to imitate Lillie's drive-me-crazy whiney voice. "uuuuuuuuuuuuuunhuh." He also loves to wear Lillie's Tu-Tu's and twirl. A couple weeks ago he dumped out an entire bottle of baby powder. As you probably recall, a year before he was covered in 5 pounds of flour. A few weeks ago I caught him shoving raisens into our DVD player. 2 months ago at church he grabbed 2 handfulls of cheerio's and threw them about 5 rows in front of us. This past Sunday, after taking a bath and putting on new pajamas, he decided to get back into the bathtub and play somemore, fully clothed and thrilled. I love being with that snuggely little boy. Sure, we've had our testing times- but I love hearing him say "I want Mommy!" right after he wakes up and picking up super-tiny peices of garbage and bringing them to me saying "Gank-oo!" (You're welcome Jack, I guess.)

I can't believe my tiny 6 pound, 8 oz baby with brown hair and blue eyes is now 27 pounds, has a buzzcut, and looks up at me with his brown eyes (yes) and kisses me on the cheek. He used to just sleep all day- now he reads books, colors, fingerpaints, and plays with his tricycle. I love that he hates TV, I love that he eats more than our 4 year old, I love how he always has a messy face no matter what, and I love that he loves me back.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Jack-ie! (as Lillie would say)

A Blessed Miracle!!!

2011-09-13T21:11:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday I had a vocal audition to get into Music 155- private voice lessons. After talking to my incredible friend, Kaitlin (who majored in Vocal Performance from UW) she gave me a list of about 10 classical songs. I went to Chesbro for a while, and decided on 1 song, Caro Mio Ben... mainly because it was the easiest to learn, Italian-wise.

I practiced almost every day for about a month. I knew my Italian wasn't perfect, but I sang Italian songs when I was in voice in High School, so... does 6 years really make a difference???
YES.

My Audition was with the head of the music department. While waiting in the hall to go in, I couldn't help but observe that every girl singing in his office sounded like a professional Oprah singer. Crap.

My confidence plummeted, but I went in anyway with a smile. This is where it goes terribly bad.

The on-site accompianist (bless his heart) wasn't so great. I sang the first line for him while snapping the tempo, but of course, he played it rediculously fast. Now, what i SHOULD have done, was stop him and correct the tempo. Oh, but what did I do?? I went along with it. So, after feeling disconnected from the mood and feel of the song, I forgot my words 2 times, almost ran out of breath on a line, and just plainly- I sounded bad. No, not bad, really bad. It didn't help watching this guy frantically type who-knows-what on his laptop the entire time I was singing.

After the vocal part of the audition, there was a sight-reading exercise. We had to sight-read a Methodist Hymn. It was tricky. I think I did okay on it, though. We ended the audition by him telling me that I messed up the rhythem in 1 measure, and that my Italian sounded like Spanish.

Right after I left his office, I walked out the doors of the Snow Building and instantly started crying. And... pretty much kept crying for the rest of that day, Sunday, and Monday.

On Monday, I found out that out of the 60 kids that auditioned for this Major-Voice Lessons class, only 25 would make it. I "let myself down" and went home trying to think of ways that maybe I could retake it next semester, etc.. If I didn't get in, I would have to graduate a semester later.

To make an already unnessisarly long story shorter...
I checked the list today and I made it. It is seriously a miracle. I'm not even trying to sound modest- that audition sounded really bad.
I'm so grateful I got in! At the list posted on a bulletin board, there were girls left and right bawling and walking away. I feel very blessed to have somehow gotten into this class.

Oh, and BTW- this 2 credit class will not be as easy as I imagined. Not only do I have a private 1 hour lesson a week, but I also have 2 hour-long master classes, have to sing in some STAR recitals, and have to attend 8 choral events this semester. Gah!!

What should I be doing right now?

2011-09-10T01:39:00.000-07:00

Sleeping.

It's 2:50AM and I've been home from work for about 30 minutes. I'm having one of those nights where my mind is racing, and I can't fall asleep. Prolly because I'm stressed.

Now, those of you who really really really know me, know that I simply don't handle stress well. I get easily overwhelmed, lose patience, and cry and stuff. I've known about this little (ahem, big) problem I've had for years. Luckily, I was blessed to marry Mr. Dustin who is super laid back and very easy going. He balances me out perfectly and very patiently listens to me dramatize every detail of my life, then tells me he loves me and gives me a big hug.

I guess I'm just rambling on at this point, but I promise that I DO have something to say. If you don't really care about me, then I would suggest not wasting your time reading. It would be pretty boring to most people- but is therapeutic to me.

There are a few things going on right now that are making me feel a bit upset/stressed/overwhelmed.

#1
I'm super sad that some certain family members are moving away. I was so excited that Tyson married Alli because she's always been like a sister to me. You can't find a more kind, loyal, and honest friend. Sometimes I call her up and ramble on about everything and she listens. I'm pretty sure I'm in complete denial that she's leaving.
And of course Dustin is upset that his brother is moving. This is all from my point of view, but Tyson has played a very vital role for our family, especially the last year. He's helped us out in many times of crisis and is genuinly a carring person. Sometimes Dustin will get on a role about all the silly things those two would do to eachother growing up. It's crazy to think that after 20-some years of being enemy's, Tyson is now Dustin's closest friend.
I'm happy for their family. It sucks to move. I've never enjoyed uprooting my entire life and having to start over. It's not easy making new friends, figuring out where everything is, and feeling so disconnected from everything you know- but it really brings you closer as a family. All of our "adventures" have turned out to be incredible experiences that we wouldn't trade for anything. I know they'll be happy because they'll atleast have eachother.

#2
College. I start Wednesday (Sep 14th) and that will be the start of a 13-week sanity haitus for me. I will be driving to Rexburg and back 5 days a week and will be taking on a moderate load of 14 credits- including a math class (dun, dun, DUUUUNN!). Means Dustin is working buisilly, The chillins will be tended to via at-home daycare. I was blessed to have been reffered to this lady who has excellent references, serves healthy food, and does preschool along with childcare. AND IT'S AFFORDABLE! So why am I stressed? Because for 25 hours a week I will not be with my children. That may sound lame to some of you- but to me it's devestating. I (surprizingly) like my kids. I've never worked durring the day since Lillie was born and haven't been away from them very much, on purpose. I love being a mother, and I've always understood that I only have 20 years or so (1/5th of my life) to raise my children and I want to be at home and make sure I do the best that I can. It is, afterall, the most influencial and important job anyone could ever have. Sure, I sometimes randomly leave the house after Dustin gets home to drive to Target and walk around by all myself because the crying and tantrums get to me a little bit- but this is 25 hours a week for 20 months straight. I hate knowing that somebody else will be raising them. I don't know. I'm sure I'm dramatizing this also- but it's honestly how I feel.

(*disclaimer: I understand that every family and situation is different, and I'm not necessarily anti-daycare.)

#3
On top of school, I'm still working. And nope, I can't get out of that. My kindhearted boss told me I didn't have to work anymore on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, she's wonderful. Unfortunatly, I'm still working 2-3 nights a week. And those of you who really know me, or just kindof know me, know that I need my sleep or else I turn into some yotchy, critical, rude, unpleasant person.

Yeah. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. More than a disaster- it's a LIZASTER! (30Rock)

Gosh I'm tired.

Housecleaning 101, lesson 2

2011-08-15T23:08:00.000-07:00

Product: Arm and Hammer Washing Soda

Heard of it?
It's in the fabric softener section of your cleaning/detergent aisle at any grocery store.

Price: about 2 or 3 dollars

Uses: Amazing laundry detergent booster. Add a 1/4 cup to a really soiled load of clothes to brighten and really clean, not just cover up with perfumes.
You can also use it to clean essentially anything. It's a "green" cleaner and can be used in bathrooms and kitchens alike.

What do I use it for?
My hypoallergenic laundry detergent. I think I've finally perfected my recipe.

I know what you're thinking, and yes, it is way worth the time and effort.
I originally started making my own laundry detergent because Lillie started getting these weird rashes that wouldn't go away with any cream, over the counter or perscription. After realizing the problem could be partly due to our Tide laundry detergent (which I love), I made my own soap, and the rashes went away.

Now of course you can always go out and buy All Free and Clear and achieve the same results, but to make a 5 gallon bucket of the homemade stuff ends up costing $2.70 per 5 gallon bucket, whereas All will run you atleadt $15 for the same amount of loads.

Alright, alright. Here's the simple, perfected, hypoallergenic recipe.

1 bar of hypo. bar soap (i use Dove) -grated like cheese
2 cups of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1 1/2 cups Oxy Clean (also hypo. version)
5 gallon bucket
Water

After grating the soap, disolve it in a pot of 3 cups of water, stirring constantly. It should take about 4 or 5 minutes.

Add other ingrediants to the bucket, including dissolved soap, then fill up with warm water.

This is important:
Stir bucket of detergent every 15 minutes for 2 hours. I find it makes it less clumpy.

To use:
Add 1 cup of detergent to every load.
Don't freak out when you get your clothes out and they don't smell like mountain breeze, or fresh linen. They're not suppose to smell like anything, that's how you know they're really clean.

And that wraps up lesson 2! If anyone has another recipe or tries this one, let me know!

(i understand that lots of recipes use Borax, but everytime I added it, the rashes came back. If you don't have a oroblem with that, go ahead and add some Borax- about 1/2 cup)

Simplify, yeah right.

2011-08-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

And how do I do that exactly??

Between work, side jobs, and running- Dustin may as well be working 65 hours a week! Then add on me working at the temple and doing 10+ hours of house cleaning a week (not even including my own house)... I'm feeling quite overwhelmed.

And school starts in 4 weeks...
(yes, I realise that the '...' Is super annoying, but it exemplifies my thoughts and feelings of stress and growing anxiety.)

So I really need to simplify my life, I just don't know how to accomplish such a feat.

Cleaning shleening.

2011-08-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

After years of semi-professionally cleaning, I thought I'd be a good friend and share my secrets. And yes, I have many useful ones that WILL be profitable unto you.

Let me introduce you to my good friend: Cascade Powder Dishwashing Detergent

Uses: dishwashing, cleaning/sanitizing nasty, yellow tubs

Directions: sprinkle detergent all over tub, grab a rough, brissle scrub brush and work away. Rinse with insanly hot water to ensure detergent dissolvement. Voila!

you're welcome.

Sorry, I smell like varnish.

2011-06-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm ending my almost month long hiatus an am now going to inform my 3 readers what I've been up to.

1. Time Out for Women with sister and sis in law. Yes, I cried.
2. Work. Some weeks I work 4 nights and some weeks only 1, but it's still very exhausting. And before you text me me asking, I work as a housekeeper for the IF Temple... And have since March.
3. Half Marathon. I finished it on June 11, but am still running to prepare for my next one in August. It's awsome, but yes, time consuming/exhausting.
4. No internet... But not to worry. After a recent purchase, we now have wifi AND a Samsung Galaxy.
5. Refinishing our piano. After hours and hours of neverending sanding, staining, and 5 coats of polyurethane... It's (still almost) done.
6. Did I fail to mention that we moved? Yes. June 6th.

I could write a list of biblical proportion about how number 6 has been almost the death of my happiness. Moving to a house and unpacking things from 2 storage units (some of which have been stored unopened for 2 1/2 years) has been stressful and not quite as fun as I had previously anticipated. Whatev.

So, I'm back, slightly grudgingly. And yes, I do realize I prolly spelled that wrong.

We're emptying out both storage units.

2011-06-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, you heard, and understood it correctly. We're moving into a house!
No, we're not new home owners, we're just renting it. And technically (if you're going to be like that) it's not completely our house. The attic is a separate unit that some girl lives in, and the basement is another separate unit that is currently unoccupied. However, the main front door, porch, back deck, and fenced backyard is all ours. Also, the 1400 sq/ft main level living space is ours. This old charmer was built in the 1920's and is complete with dark hardwood floors throughout, archways, walk-in closets, and a humongous kitchen (despite the nasty dark-red sloppy paint job on the cabinets I'll be forced to ignore). We're only 2 blocks away from Kate Curley Park and are living in one of the few neighborhoods in Idaho Falls that have sidewalks- pure luxury.
So, it's probably not as nice and fancy as your place, but we're thrilled to have it be ours... for at least 12 months (darned leases). It's Christmas morning all over again! Hip hip horray!

Oh... so that's why.

2011-05-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Elder Orson F. Whitney wrote: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.”

This quote makes everything sound so easy! It was somewhat of a revelation to me when I first read it the other night. We all go through pretty crummy things now and again, and I feel like I've had my fair-share of heartbreak and sorrow. However, looking back before the whirlwind of trials came through, I was immature, selfish, and impatient... and probably a bit naive. It wasn't until reading through Kent F. Richard's entire "The Atonement Covers All Pain" talk that I realized I have been schooled through my own difficulties that I've (basically) been forced to overcome.

So, in a way, I'm grateful. If I could go back and change some circumstances would I? Honestly? Probably. But, I would still be very selfish and prideful right now. I would also be very ungrateful.

Here's another paragraph from Elder Richards I especially liked:

Much of our suffering is not necessarily our fault. Unexpected events, contradicting or disappointing circumstances, interrupting illness, and even death surround us and penetrate our mortal experience. Additionally, we may suffer afflictions because of the actions of others. 3 Lehi noted that Jacob had “suffered … much sorrow, because of the rudeness of [his] brethren.” 4 Opposition is part of Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness. We all encounter enough to bring us to an awareness of our Father’s love and of our need for the Savior’s help.

Birthday Budget

2011-05-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

My family includes:
Dustin and I
Our 2 children
7 nieces
6 nephews
5 Grandma's
3 Grandpa's
9 siblings
8 in-law siblings

Total: 42
times that by $20.00 for each Birthday present per year...

$840.00

(and that doesn't even include baby showers, Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Christmas, or the few friends I still exchange gifts with)

So, I've decided to tone things down a bit. Back in 2006, when Dustin and I had no children, and only 5 nieces and nephews combined, $20 wasn't a big deal. But let's be honest- now it kind of is.

Don't get me wrong, I really do love giving gifts. Do I expect to receive them myself? Not really. But it's a pretty universal tradition (especially in both of our families) to wish other's a Happy Birthday, and if you're close (or related, for that matter) to give a gift to brighten their day and let them know you love them and care about them. I love thinking about each person and figuring out what they really would like. It's a game for me that lets them know that I really care about them and that their Birthday wasn't an after-thought.
I suppose I just need to be a bit more creative with my gift finding to keep things on budget.

Only Seeing the Rocks

2011-05-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

I had a huge wake-up moment last week.
I left my husband and kids Wednesday night and left for a slow, 4 mile run. I got to my 2 mile mark, and as I turned around to run back, I, for some reason, decided to stop and walk. I took off my headphones that were blaring Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" album, and for once, noticed how quiet everything was. (*que cheesy music*) I could hear rustling of trees, and water rushing down a canal, and the sound of a calming, easy breeze. I looked all around me. I could see the magnificent Grand Teton Mountains, rolling brown foothills, and never-ending fields of newly growing alfalfa, hay, and barley. The landscape was broken up by small, antique farm houses complete with clothes lines and tulips. The sun was setting, there were a few white clouds above me, and the sky was blue. It was almost too perfect, how serene it was.

The weird thing about this cheesy, obvious observation was that I run on that road 4 times a week. It shouldn't have been anything new to me. I guess I'm always looking for cars ahead, or for rocks, or for intimidating, scary canines. It wasn't until last week that I realized there was an infinite amount of acreage of pure, simple beauty surrounding me. I've been blinded by the obstacles of running, and have been missing out on everything else breathtaking.

So it is with my life. I've become obsessed with everything that's wrong. I need to start looking around at everything that's perfectly beautiful and right.

The not-so-religious part of Easter

2011-04-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

Every so often, Dustin's Birthday is on Easter Sunday. It was a full, chaotic day of many celebrations! In lieu of a cake this year, Dustin requested his favorite childhood dessert- "Million Dollar Dessert." It's essentially chocolate pudding, cream cheese, and cool whip on top of a nutty crust. And since there are certain family members that are unable to eat it due to nut allergies and extreme dislikes of cream cheese, there were also mini cupcakes available. We had lots of family over for an awesome Easter Egg Hunt and ham dinner. Happy 29th Birthday, Mr. Dustin!! I love you.

The Living Christ

2011-04-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, our Relief Society had a meeting centered on The Living Christ. They divided it up into 23 parts and had each sister bring a picture that went along with their part.

My part was: "He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvarys Cross."

This was the picture I brought:

The entire meeting was centered on ways we can teach our children about Christ, even at very young ages. In the September 2010 Ensign you will find a very inspiring talk about a mother who wanted to teach her children about Christ, and did so by memorizing it in it's entirety herself, then teaching her family. In the end, all of her children, even her 4 year old, had memorized it. http://lds.org/ensign/2010/09/bringing-christ-into-our-home?lang=eng

As a result of that R.S. Meeting I attended, I went home right away and began to memorize those words. I've never been great at memorizing, but I have a determination to know this declaration. After 1 1/2 weeks, I have memorized all but the last 2 paragraphs. I find myself constantly whispering through it many times each day to make sure I can still remember what I've spent hours studying. And to be honest, I've only spent 3 hours total memorizing. That's only 1 1/2 episodes of The Biggest Loser!

I've already seen many great things come to pass since I've started this journey. I can already tell that I have the Spirit with me more. Every time I begin reciting paragraph after paragraph, I feel a small burning within me, testifying that all of these words are real and true. I've noticed that I begin to contemplate the meaning of each paragraph, and how things are worded. The past 11 days I've felt noticably closer to the spirit and more patient with my children.

I encourage you to read the article, and print out your own copy of The Living Christ. I wrote out each paragraph on a 3x5 card and put them next to my bed. Every night I spend about 15 minutes memorizing another line or another paragraph.

You've got nothing to lose, really.

Let's do that again!!

2011-04-03T17:13:00.001-07:00

Recognize the quote?! It's from Shrek and it sums up entirely how I feel. Our honeymoon/5 year anniversary celebration was nothing less of incredible. I remembered what our life was like before we were caught up in the busy lifestyle of child-rearing. I don't know if I need to explain every picture from our trip. Just know that we had a remarkable, relaxing time- especially knowing that it would probably be at least another 5 years before we do something this liberating again.

"Step aside, Randy Quaid!" and Bubba Gumps

These next pictures were taken at my sister's house when she was watching the kiddos.

... oh yeah. Did I mention that while we were away our baby Jack came down with a double ear infection, strep throat, and pnemonia?? We didn't even go to dinner that night that we found out because we were so heartbroken. It was very comforting to know that our children were in good hands.

I'll try posting more often! I'm in a bad habit of being extremely lazy, computer-wise.

My only tip is that if you've been thinking about it, you should make a way to do it. It's worth it.

My last entry... for a while.

2011-03-17T17:53:00.001-07:00

Well folks, I'm writing to say goodbye for a while!

Tomorrow Dustin and I are flying to California and are going to be gone for a total of 10 1/2 days to celebrate our honeymoon/5th Anniversary. We're leaving our kids behind with family. I think (or... I hope) they'll have a lot of fun playing with their Aunts and cousins and Grandma and Gramps. I made them a picture cube full of pictures of our family so they can look at it if they start missing us, even though I'm sure we'll miss them more than they'll miss us! This is by FAR the longest we've ever been away from our children, so naturally I'm freaking out a bit.

Aside from that, this vacation couldn't have come a day sooner. I can't wait to act like newlyweds and pretend that our lives are perfect... just for a little while. We're planning on visiting Hollywood Boulevard and the Santa Monica Pier before we board our Mexican Riviera Cruise. We're going to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. It should be a lot of fun!

We fly into Idaho Falls at 7:10pm on Monday. Dustin has an interview in Omaha, Nebraska the next day at 11:00AM!! So after debating on flying or driving, we chose the cheaper route and Dustin's going to drive 1,007 miles to save us $600.
Don't worry, we already have a case of Red Bull.

So come April 1st, everything will be back to normal. I'll post pictures and updates then- so for now, Goodbye!!!!!

Our long-awaited honeymoon

2011-02-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. It's about time!! Dustin and I were never able to go on a honeymoon. We stayed at the MGM in Las Vegas the night we were married, then drove home at 11am, and Dustin went back to work the next day. LAME.

So, after debating and debating, we finally decided to just do it. This June will be our 5 year anniversary, making it even more perfect. While living with my parents, we were able to save up some money to buy a house. Well, that obviously didn't work out, so we decided to take a chunk out of our savings and go on a vacation, just us 2. I know there are many other things we could put this money towards- but for some reason I have the feeling that we won't regret doing this. We've had a rough past few years (to say the least), and I just want to escape for 1 week with my husband and act like newlyweds.

So... come March 19th, we'll be sailing away on a Mexican Riviera Cruise!

The e-mail I got this morning

2011-02-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Erika:

Congratulations! We are pleased to offer you admission to Brigham Young University-Idaho. Rich blessings and life changing opportunities await you here. yada yada yada

I got in!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to go back to school. Rexburg, Idaho here I come!

24 is my year.

2011-02-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

So friends, I guess I'm officially 24 years old now. Mid-20's.

I rarely make New Years resolutions, but I do make "age resolutions." My goals for age 23 were to start working out and to run a 1/2 marathon. Well, after doing Insanity (it actually is insane. I wanted to throw up or die during every workout) and running, I accomplished my goal and finished the 13.2 miles in 2 hours and 9 minutes. I never stopped running the entire time and I'm proud of my time!

For age 24 I have some bigger resolutions/goals. This year I want to work out my MIND!! (That was suppose to be overly cheesey) I want to go back to school. I'm not exactly sure what I want to major in yet (which has been a large contributor of why I haven't gone back until now) but I think I'll figure it out soon. I at least know what I don't want to do. So, I applied to BYU-Idaho for hopefully Fall/Winter semester- but we'll see. It will be nice to return. I won't have to transfer credits and I'll be around people just like me. Plus, BYU-I has much more to offer than a typical state school- smaller classes, teachers that remember your name, a fast track where you can attend school 3 semesters a year instead of 2, and really inexpensive tuition. We're moving to Southeast Idaho as soon as one of us can find a job.

My other goal is mostly for my family, but it's to have our Independence back!! I can't wait to reunite with our belongings safely stored in 2 separate storage units. It's been 2 years since I've even seen our beautiful black breakfast buffet table. That reunion will definitely be sweet/similar to Christmas morning.

So there you go.

Oh, you want to know how my Birthday went yesterday?
Great! I got to sleep in until 10:30. My mom took me to lunch and Dustin took me to KFC (it's what I wanted) and to get dessert at Papa Haydens in Portland. Dustin surprised me with a mini fridge stocked with beverages galore and the first season of The Middle. I also got a creme brulet torch w/ ramekins, some cute clothes, jewelry, some awesome sandwich shape cutters (which even got Lillie to eat her entire heart-shaped PB&J today), a gift card to Applebees, VS lipgloss, shower gel, slippers, OPI nail polish, and even a homemade cherry cheesecake from my visiting teachers!

But I have to say, the best gift of all was logging on to facebook today to see my entire page full of Birthday wishes. Who doesn't love that?

Lovingkindness- yes, it's one word.

2011-01-14T17:27:00.000-08:00

"Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." When I first heard this profound statement by Marjorie Pay Hinckley, it resonated within me. I hurried and scribbled it down on some scrap paper with a broken crayon I managed to find down in the depths of my purse/diaper bag- whatever you want to call it. The statement was too significant not to remember, and since that moment, it has become a motto for my life.

Being born and raised in a middle-class suburb of Vancouver, Washington was exceptionally ordinary. I attended public school, made good friends, was obedient, and then began the first leg of my college journey at BYU-Idaho.

My average life quickly changed in June of 2006. I got married. I began my first "hard battle" of halting my education, running off with my "newly degreed" husband, and starting our idealistic newlywed life in Las Vegas. But after our first lay-off, first baby, and a never-ending pile of bills, I realized we were headed for a war.

My dear husband has been laid off seven times. Right when life started going great, we got "let go," a child got sick, our insurance company denied another claim, or we needed to replace our timing belt. I've cried a lot. I pitifully wondered what I was doing wrong. Then, one day, as I was contemplating our lack of income, I realized that everyone around me was going through something even harder. I have friends who are dealing with foreclosure, cancer, death, depression, an inability to get pregnant, or divorce. I then taped my scrap paper quote to my bathroom mirror and sincerely began serving others who were facing tremendous challenges of their own. The battles I fight are unrelenting, but my perspective has changed. We are all in this together, and I've found lovingkindess to be essential for survival.

Dustin

2011-01-02T21:14:00.000-08:00

No, it's not his Birthday. Nor is it any of our many anniversaries! My New Years Resolution is to be more appreciate and more loving towards Dustin.

You could say I got lucky. It could have been a huge mistake- after all, we were engaged after a record-short courting period. What you may not understand is that despite how fast everything went, it was the easiest decision of my life and I've never second-guessed spending the rest of my life with him.

So, there you have it. Instead of making a resolution to lose weight, eat healthier, watch less TV, or some other unrealistic goal that I'm sure to fail at by March- I've decided to be nicer and more appreciative of my husband.

Be kind

2010-12-13T15:07:00.001-08:00

"Be Kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
-Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Our Amazing Photographer

2010-12-10T20:52:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago we had our family pictures taken. Our photographer, Eric Harker out of Salt Lake City (ericharker.com), happened to be in town and did a very professional job. He understood my complicated vision of what I wanted these pictures to look like and captured them perfectly. I loved the indoor lighting, the formal clothes, and the classy and elegant location. Of course, we have a million pictures to choose from, but these are 5 I really liked out of 230. I could have posted 20 more. Enjoy.

I would recommend him! Thanks again, E^2.

Tip of the day

2010-12-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

Want a great seasonal tip? When you go to make your gingerbread houses this year, instead of making icing that doesn't taste so great out of confectioners sugar, instead buy a normal-sized container of white frosting and add 3-4 tablespoons of cornstarch. You won't taste the cornstarch and you'll be surprised how stiff your frosting will dry. Plus, it's cheaper.
Also, instead of worrying about using knives to adhere all your candies- simply spoon your frosting into some Ziploc baggies and cut a small hole off of one corner. Zip up the top, and you've made yourself a mess-free, less-hassle way to frost your gingerbread (or Graham cracker) houses.

Your welcome!

I wrote this post for you!!

2010-11-30T14:06:00.000-08:00

I made the mistake a few months ago of naming specific people who have made a lasting impression on my life. Of course, I didn't name every single person that deserves to be on the list, and because of this, lots of people were offended! So, to all those I didn't mention by name, this post is for you.

I got the idea from my good friend, Lydia. She did a post a little bit ago and without naming people, wrote a trait or talent that each person has. So, thanks for the ingenious idea, Lyd!

If you're reading this, I know who you are, and this is for you.

*You're one of the best friends I could ask for. I know I can always call you about any random fact or just to spill my guts out and you'll always be there to listen. The pizza isn't so bad, either :).

· *If I could describe the word 'loyal,' it would be you. You're practically a sister to me. What I'm thankful for most is having a best friend who gets me.

· *You have so much courage and a great sense of self. You're very honest, sincere, talented, and apparently have a great memory of things that I don't remember happening!!

· *Thanks for always being a good friend and being on my side even when I'm probably wrong. You're one of the best parts about me marrying into this family and I love you!

· * You're a very patient and fun mother who I've always looked up to my entire life. You've always been supportive of my decisions, support I've needed many times from others and didn't get.

· *Essentially, you've always been a good and trusted friend. You make me laugh, you understand why I get irritated, and you have a beautiful gift of music, art, and comedy in general!

· *You're not afraid to try anything! Whenever I hear about a new trendy craft or skill, I'm sure you've already done it.

· *I'm thankful for you because you are as sweet a friend as they come. I liked you even before you broke out of your "shy" stage, and I admire how you look at life and live it to the fullest. You fulfill every single goal you set and are a light to others.

· *Man, sometimes reading about your life makes me tired! You're a very cute mother of 3 and are probably the most considerate wife I've ever known. You're honest. You're also very self-less and I admire your patience!

· *Every time I read your blog posts I laugh! I'll tell you again, please write a book!!

*I don't think you know how beautiful you are. I know it's not fair why some people are blessed in certain ways and others aren't, but you deserve to be happy and to have everything everyone else has. You're a good friend, and you're always very sincere.

· *Some women are born with amazing maternal instincts, some have to work at it (like me!). You are a wonderful mother and never think twice about serving others.

There.

Thank you.

Everything's shaping up for 'ol Erika

2010-11-09T10:29:00.001-08:00

Last week was bad. Our car almost died! I was driving home on Friday (Oct. 29th) from the party store when I noticed that our oil light was constantly blinking at me. I called Dustin right away and told him what was happening. He asked if the car was smoking, was making funny noises, or even smelled questionable- None of the above. He then inquired where I was and finding out that I was only about 1 1/2 miles away, he told me just to come home. I was watching the dashboard like a hawk making sure the temperature didn't rise. It was an intence and scary drive, especially since I had Lillie in the car with me.
After I pulled up and got out of the car, I noticed there was a trail of oil down the road I just traveled. I went inside and in a panic-stricken voice called out to Dustin. He went outside and popped open the hood only to find that every square inch of the hood and engine was covered in oil. He even took one of our wheels off only to find more and more and more oil. The dipstick was bone dry, and even after adding 2 more quarts of oil, nothing was registering. That night was the Trunk-or-Treat, so we hurried and blew-up 50 water balloons for Lillie's costume (pictures to come in a later post) and all packed in to the 2-seater pickup to drive a little over 1/2 mile to the church parking lot, don't tell.
Luckily, we found a guy in our ward who specializes in Honda/Toyota mechanics (thank goodness!). We towed our beloved car over to his place a couple days later. A butt-load of money later (which would have been at least doubled at a 'real' place) we got our car back ONLY TO FIND that there must be car-angels out there watching over us. Apparently when that oil light flashes, it means there's no oil pressure at all going to the engine.... and usually when that happens, when an important seal has broken and all the oil has been gushing out of your engine, your engine usually explodes in about 15 seconds- rendering your car as a 2,000 pound paper weight.
You see why there must be car angels? Because I drove the car for a good 6 minutes after that happened. I was even driving it on I5 at a high speed for a good mile.

Well, naturally I didn't see it as a blessing at first. I was pretty upset! It's not like we just have that money laying around for this kind of set-back. All the money we had been saving to go to Idaho for Christmas has now gone to repairing our only vehicle. Another blessing, though, is that with just 90 dollars remaining to our name until the next payday (2 weeks later), I was miraculously able to buy groceries for our family of 4 for only 36 dollars. I bought all the usual stuff and have a dinner menu for at least 15 meals. Coincidence?

Things started shaping up in the most inconceivable way. Not only did the previous 2 miracles happen, but I also received a ticket to Time Out for Women! To make a long story short, My bro-in-law's mother wasn't able to go so she gave me her ticket. I spent this past Friday and Saturday at the convention center in Portland with Tacie and Laura. We even stayed in a nice hotel, ate at Red Robin and everything. No kids, no diapers, no bedtime routine, no accidents, no tantrums. I haven't slept that good in years. The speakers were incredible and with the theme of "Hope," I really did come back home with a renewed importance of my role as a mother- something I have been struggling with. It was an experience I had been praying for and that I really needed.

On top of THAT, I just received tickets for the Mo Tab Christmas Concert featuring David Archuleta! Tickets were so difficult to get that they turned the entire thing into a lottery, with just one entry per address. AND I WON! I've been trying to get tickets to this thing for 4 years now. We're not sure if we're going yet, but just receiving the tickets in the mail made my day yesterday.

PLUS, Dustin is on-call for his work this week. That means he's still working 40 hours a week, but after work from 5pm-7am he has an activated cell phone for emergency maintenance matters. It's a blessing (contrary to what your instincts might think) because all it means is more moo-la. So, maybe we can afford gas to Idaho and back plus a moving truck rental/expenses?! We'll see. Hopefully he gets called in a lot... (he want to, too)

So there you have it. It looks like things are finally turning around!

Can you belive it??

2010-11-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

This was our tiny 6 pound 8 ounce Jack when he was just 9 days old...

...and now here's our handsome, happy little Jack a year old already!

The wierd stuff on my mind.

2010-10-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

1. I love my family. Dustin and have have been living with his parents and my parents for 11 months now. We've really learned to appreciate the times we have together when it's just us together. We go way out of our way to spend time alone and have "immediate family time." The past 11 months have brought us way closer together. Monday night "family night" seems weird, because every night is family night.
2. I want a place to live. How I envy any and everyone who can afford to live on their own!! 8 months of unemployment and a butt-load of medical bills makes it so we can't right now, but hopefully soon. Be grateful that you don't have to fight over the TV, the thermostat, and who's eating whose cereal.
3. Jack is 1. I know I should have done a blog post (maybe I still will?) about his Happy Day- but it was a tad depressing for me. I really thought that by the time he was 1 I would have had a place to put his crib. For well over a year now, I've had a brand new nursery for him, stocked with brand new bedding, teddy bears, quilts, baskets, a lamp, newborn pictures, his name in wooden letters, and even a vinyl saying for a wall that I haven't been able to take out and put up. I even have paint samples picked out. I know, I'm whining about something insignificant- but isn't one of the best parts of having a baby is getting their room ready and customized? Needless to say, I cried for a long time after Jack went to bed that day.
4. Lillie is 3. And I have a headache.
5. Our stuff is in 4 different locations and it's driving me CRAZY!!!!!!!!!! But not to worry- we're saving up our money to afford a moving truck. The plan is to move everything back when we're in Idaho over Christmas. Sooo excited for that! Well, and also to go to Idaho for Christmas!
6. I need more willpower. I want to lose 7 pounds REALLY bad. Why 7? Because I have a stupid number in my mind of where I want to be. I know I could easily get there, but I'm not committed yet to give up all my treats. I need to eat better. I bet if I changed just my eating habits.......
7. I'm feeling like a horrible mother because I still haven't gotten Jack's 1 year pictures taken. I need to do that, I'm just slacking. And I need to get his 12 months vaccines. That's it. I'm scheduling it tomorrow.

Anyway, nothing too exciting. Just a glimpse at my thoughts lately.
I'll post pictures later when I feel like it!!

A Touchy Subject

2010-10-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here's the deal. About 7 years ago I was terrified of gay people. I was uncomfortable around them and almost even... afraid of them. What the heck?! Why??
Answer: Because that's the way I was raised. My mother never specifically said she didn't like people who were gay, but every time we saw someone who was, she would make this "clearing her throat" sound, look down, stop talking, and quickly walk past them. I'm not blaming my mother, I'm sure she had early negative influences also.

Well, fresh out of high school, I took an intern position at a Theatre Camp (CGST). I will never forget how I felt that first hour or two after I was dropped off. I went in to meet the other staff, only to find that out of the 21 staff members, 11 were gay. I felt awkward and imagining myself there with "those people" for 2 1/2 months scared me.

A funny thing happened, as I'm sure you saw coming. I became really good friends with almost everyone. I was surprised to find out that they were normal human beings. It blew my mind. All this time I thought gay people were weird, horrible people- only to find out that they were just like everyone else in the world! I know, I know. I'm making it seem like I thought they were aliens. Well, maybe I did. That Summer I got a big slap in the face.

Any person who has been or is constantly persecuted usually ends up being nicer, more considerate, and accepting of others. The people I had the privilege of being friends with at CGST were exactly that. They knew how much it hurt to be hated and mocked by everyone, to be judged based on one part of who they were. To be talked about, disrespected, and unwanted almost every day. In spite of that, the people I knew at least, were kind. Even though Mormon's have a stereotype of being unaccepting of gays, they were still nice to me. One friend I had at CGST told me on the last day, "Usually Mormon's don't talk to me. You are the first Mormon who has ever been nice to me." Her words haunted me.

While Mormon's believe that marriage is to be between a man and a woman- we don't believe that having same-gender attractions are fake. We do believe that gender isn't an accident. For more on what Mormon's really believe, check out the following links:

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=1aba862384d20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=e1fa5f74db46c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=e5cbba12dc825110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

The point that I'm trying to make is that I'm sick of all this. While I still firmly believe that marriage is to be between a man and woman, I still love those, and am respectful to all those who are gay. I'm tired of all the comments I hear, the jokes, the relentless mocking, the headline news when someone sees 2 guys holding hands. And PLEASE stop with your stupid argument that "I can't understand how it feels because I'm only attracted to the opposite gender." Well, you want to know how it would feel? It's easy. Have everyone tell you that your feelings towards your spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever- are fake and wrong. See how it feels. Have some compassion. We're taught that Heavenly Father "is no respector of persons" and loves us all equally. I can't explain everything, but please don't be one of those dumb Mormon's who contributes to the bad rep of: "You're the only Mormon who has ever been nice to me."

Really bad intentions

2010-09-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Most time I have good intentions, but they come out the wrong way and end up offending someone. However, there have been a few times that I bluntly did something on purpose that was really bad. I'm sure you have, too.

First Story: For Christmas one year, my little brother Bradley got the computer game called Baseball Pro '98. It was a big deal for a 10 year old. He didn't get very many other presents that year because of how expensive this particular game was. Well, that Summer the little twerp told on me when I took a bunch of quarters from my dad's humongous cup-o-change and rode my bike a mile away to Dairy Queen to get a Cookie Dough Blizzard (that's right, I still remember what kind). I was so furious that he was such a little tattle tale that I went into our office, took out his beloved computer game that was safely concealed in it's case, grabbed a ball point pen, and scratched the crap out of it. I'll admit, it felt good. Sweet Revenge!!
Well, obviously it didn't feel that good, because to this day I feel extremely guilty. Even writing about this incident 12 years later, I can still hear Brad in the back of my mind saying the next day, "Dad? Baseball Pro isn't working, can you please come help me?" Ahhhh! I never fessed up! What the heck would you have done if you were 12 and knew that Baseball Pro '98 was going to cost you $60 to replace- or a good 5 months worth of babysitting every single weekend (at the rate I was paid in 5th Ward)? I wasn't about to do that.
Plus, Brad was perfect. He never did anything wrong- so it's not like I could have gotten back at him by tatteling on him later.

Story #2: I told my supervisor that one of my sisters died just so that I didn't have to work over Christmas. Hahahaaaaa! I even faked crying on the phone and everything. I don't know why I couldn't have just quit like a normal person.

Dance

2010-09-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today was Lillie's first day of Dance class. Her teacher's name is Miss Carly and Lillie loves her. I've been anticipating this day since I found out I was even having a girl! The best part is that her class has just 2 little girls. Talk about affordable one-on-one attention. The class agenda today was learning how to count to 8, learning how to skip (see the below pictures), doing some footwork with their tap shoes, and learning what left and right means. They also attempted stretching when Lillie got up and started running around the dance floor instead. I guess we'll have to practice that...

Our baby girl is 3!

2010-09-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have a 3-year-old! Lillie turned 3 in August, I'm just a little slow at documenting the occasion. We're a little broke, so we had to get creative. I planned a "Tea Party Birthday" themed event for her. Everyone dressed up in their 'Sunday best' and had tea (apple juice), cream puffs, brownie bites, homemade bread and jam, and some overly frosted pink or yellow cupcakes. I made her Birthday banner out of some construction paper, found her pinata for only 3.75 (what a steal), and used fresh flowers and bright table clothes for the table scape. Throughout the month I went to garage sales and DI and found some cute, real teacups and plates for each party guest to bring home as a favor. Budget wise, I came in at about 13.50 for everything. Most importantly, Lillie loved it. She still talks about it!

For her gift from us, Dustin made her this amazing dollhouse! It's to scale for an 11 1/2 inch doll (Barbie). He even made all the furniture! Because most everything was made out of scrap wood, everything only cost us 6.00. I painted it (with the help of my neighbor, Sue) and sewed the bedding, throw pillows, and curtains. She sure is spoiled!

Don't worry, Jack doesn't turn 1 until October 10 (10/10/10!). However, my niece and nephew's Birthdays are only 4 days apart, and Jack is just 2 months younger- so we had a combined 1st Birthday party for the three 1-year-olds. The only baby that ate their jumbo cupcake was Sayde! Andy and Jack wouldn't have anything to do with it, which is a little offensive means I spent forever making those cupcakes!

"No thanks!"

It's September 10th now, and here is my little Jack! 11 months old, exactly. And, not so little anymore. He's a solid 23 pounds, crawling all around, and starting to get a really playful personality. He's still laid back, but a lot more animated now. Oh, and the fohawk is gone. We gave him a buzz cut about 3 weeks ago. 3/8th's on the sides, 1/2 inch on the top. You should see him in his church outfit, he looks like a missionary!

And here's Miss Lillie Jo. Just happy, and living it up the 3-year-old way.

As for Dustin and I, we're still waiting to hear back about Dustin's job interview at the site. If he gets it, it will still be a while until he gets security clearance (1-6 months). If he doesn't, I'll go out and find a part time job, probably at nights so we can get out on our own. I dread working, but I'll do what I have to do to get by! I refuse to be a freeloader!

In the meantime, Dustin enjoys his job. He's been doing tiling, drywall work, siding repair, plumbing, and bids for his office. So, if we ever need to finish a basement, we can save on labor cost!

What's your thing?

2010-09-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

So, I'm not sure why I'm so down about this lately, but I really want to have a "thing." Everybody has a thing. Some people are runners, some people are readers. Some are singers, bakers, or fashionistas, or Thespians, or entrepreneurs. Some are handy-man's (Dustin), or car mechanics. Some people are amazing photographers. I'm feeling like I'm not great at anything. I think I'm good at some things, though. I enjoy sewing, cooking, baking, singing, playing the piano, and running. However, there's already a friend or family member that would be considered the best for that particular talent. For example, I love, love, love to play the piano. I also love to sing. But I can think of like, 11 people on the top of my head that are family members or close friends that can do both of those considerably better than I. So... what is my thing? I'm feeling a little mediocre. I know it's just because I'm being dumb and am comparing myself to others, but even knowing that, I'm still bummed about it. And I know everyone will comment saying, "There's always going to be somebody better, so get over it." (or maybe that's what I would post) but it doesn't change the way I feel.

Where should we end up?

2010-08-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

After talking to a person yesterday who has traveled the world doing remarkable things, I felt enlightened. He said, "You're so lucky to be here in the Northwest. You can go to the beach, the mountain, the river, the lake, go hiking, eat at incredible restaurants- everything is at your fingertips." It's true, though. Everybody thinks of Portland or Seattle as cities with too much rain. Well, have you ever visited? Sure, it rains for 5 months during Winter, but because of the moisture, it's beautiful, like, stunningly beautiful for the other 7 months. Plus, just because it's rainy outside doesn't mean it's not sunny! And if you think about it, almost everywhere has a long period of "unwanted" weather. For example, when we lived in Las Vegas it was unbearably hot for 6 months a year. We had to stay inside! In Idaho, it snows for 6 months a year. So, in the NW it rains.
Wow, that was a tangent!

Anyway, the point is, after that conversation I haven't been able to stop thinking about all the choices I have. Dustin and I have the agency to raise our family wherever we want. We've been assuming that Idaho Falls is the perfect place for everyone to grow up. Now I'm not so sure.
First of all, before I start offending all the South-Eastern-Idahoans, I do have to say that Idaho Falls is a great place to live. For starters, there are tons of lakes, camping sites, beautiful mountains, and the best perk- our families. Our closest friends and family members live there. Lillie and Jack have cousins galore to play with on a regular basis! It's an amazing circle of support.

My only complaint is the lack of diversity. While I love being surrounded with people who have the same values and beliefs as I, I secretly miss all of the crazy, sometimes weird liberals that Portland has to offer. It's a breath of fresh air to go to a restaurant and observe how the world is (and also be the only table not drinking). I feel like there are plenty more opportunities to "stand out" and speak up about when I believe in. I love the idea of living in an area packed with more culture and hilarious bumper stickers than Idaho Falls. Plus, out here sidewalks and curbing come standard- a rare feature in SE Idaho.

Now, this doesn't mean we're moving to Vancouver, Washington for life. It doesn't have to be here. It could be Georgia, or Long Island, or DC, or conveniently Seattle. The only state I wouldn't consider is California (for reasons that WILL offend certain persons).
Obviously I will go wherever the work is. Currently Dustin's job is primarily located in Portland and we're residing in Vancouver. And, right now Dustin is waiting to hear back from 2 job interviews that are both located in Idaho. I would love for Dustin to get either job in Idaho- but if he doesn't, then we won't live there right now.

The truth is, I'm afraid of settling down. I feel like there are so many other places that would be fun to live in, so why Idaho?
But then again, why not Idaho?

The Flour Inncident

2010-08-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

The day after arriving in Vancouver, I ran out of the room for about 2 minutes and came back to find this. Only 5 lbs of white all-purpose flour for me to spend the next 2 hours cleaning up. Enjoy!

Oh boy, it's a long one.

2010-07-05T19:19:00.001-07:00

I thought you all would be interested to know that Elmo is getting potty trained. Because of his interest in this feat, he's also getting thrown in the washer quite often.

June was busy. I'm anticipating July to be even more packed with various events. June consisted of a few Birthday's, our anniversary, camping, Brycen's blessing, swimming, getting 2 teeth, Father's Day, and the never-ending trial of potty training. Here are a few (well, a lot of) pictures. The descriptions will be below the photograph.

To start June off, I found out that Jack loves getting his head scratched. Like, drools and zones out for minutes at a time. Here's Angie doing what Jack loves best.

For Julie's Birthday Party, Alli and I got together and made these cupcakes. Julie eats popcorn almost everynight and is an incredible bowler. The mini popcorn cupcakes are made simply out of white and yellow marshmallows. The bowling pins are a regular-sized cupcake with a mini cupcake stacked on top, then a doughnut hole stacked on top of the mini cupcake. To get the smooth finish we melted white frosting then dipped the assembled cupcakes.

For our 4th anniversary, we dropped both kids off at Aunt Dana's house for the night and took off camping. We both love camping, and both loved the idea of not spending hardly any money for our anniversary. Let me tell you, it was memorable. We were able to go see some waterfalls in Swan Valley, make s'mores, go shooting, and hike to some natural hot springs in the river around midnight. The more negative parts were coming in contact with the following: a million red carpenter ants, a snake, some ground squirrels, 15 mosquito's in my face at all times, a bat (that flew into me then flapped its wings in my hair), a very close skunk that Dustin threw a rock at, and a hiking trail-o-beetles. By the end of the night I was bawling.

Shootin' the 22.

Did I mention that we forgot firewood? After searching for a few minutes, Dustin took off his shoes, crossed the stream, and climbed up a cliff to retrieve a dead tree. What a man.

Here's the hot spring we soaked in for a while. It was pretty awesome.

To make up for the crizzapy camping attempt, the next night (Friday) we went to a quaint little restaurant in Idaho Falls called The Snake Bite, then met up with Eric Harker (who happened to be in town) for a night of bowling.

The top score is Dustin's, then Eric's, then mine.

Jack is always really happy and smiles on command. Here he is after a delicious dinner of peas and applesauce.

And... Jack finally got his first tooth at the late age of 8 months! Then 4 days later he got his second one.

On the last day of June, we picked up Alyse and went to the splash park in Rexburg. The girls had fun chasing each other around, Jack was very focused on the water, and I attempted to get a tan.

On July 1st, we packed up and headed off to Washington for a little while. Although we missed the Freedom Celebration in Idaho Falls, we had a very entertaining show put on in the cul-de-sac by our neighbor, Eric. After several unsuccessful attempts to blow out the street light with roman candles and large explosives, we sat and watched the guy get a little drunk and yell out each name of every firework about four times. The finale was entitled, "Kings Ransom! King's Ransom! King's Ransom, everybody! King's Ransom!!"

Age

2010-06-26T15:53:00.001-07:00

I was married when I was only 19 years old. I met my future husband 2 weeks after I turned 19 and just knew he was the guy I wanted to be with. There was no reason to wait! Sure, I didn't talk to him about every single detail of my life, and no, I didn't learn about every single detail of his- but I knew what was important to me and he met all of those specifications. I didn't go to BYU-Idaho to get married. In fact, I took a 4 credit Mission Prep class at 7AM M-F because I've always desired to go on a mission. I had no plans on marrying anytime soon. However, after I met this one Dustin Miller my whole life instantly changed. It came as a shock. I never imagined myself getting married so young. Your life never goes the way you always thought it would- it ends up being better.
Since the day we were married on June 24th, 2006 (4 years ago) our relationship has only become stronger. Dustin's better than I ever thought he was and I don't think anyone else could make me happier. Dustin is smart, easy-going, humble, and very realistic. He doesn't care about material things and is a very hard worker.
I'm sure some people may have looked on our short, 4 month engagement and thought I was stupid, or that I was making the biggest mistake of my life. But no, YOU WERE WRONG. I listened to the spirit and made the most important decision of my life. I've never doubted my decision to marry Dustin.

I had Lillie in August of 2007. We both wanted lots of kids, and Lillie was the biggest blessing we've been given. I was only 20. Was I too young to be a mother? Was it a stupid, immature decision to try to get pregnant? No. Because unlike some of my other friends, I never thought living the cool single-life at a University where all I have to look forward to is getting a degree in something I won't want to do in 10 years and figuring out how I'm going to pay for my 7 dollar martini's that weekend. You can't say that a 4 year bachelors degree is better than the incredible responsibility of raising children. I'm not discouraging education by any means, but I often hear the false opinion about how if you have kids before you graduate that you're throwing your life away.
Well guess what?? I guess I threw my life away! Actually, I'm only 23 and though I have absolutely no idea what I want to "do" for a profession for the rest of my life, I've always known I wanted to be a mother. So until I narrow my majors down from culinary arts, English, music, or teaching (or maybe something I haven't even realized I enjoy yet), I'm going to try to be the best at the most influential role I can ever be, a mother. After all, I only get to do this for about 1/5th of my life. I'm going to put everything I can into it, enjoy it, and savor it. I've never heard anyone looking back on their life say, "I wish I would have worked more."

No. Age doesn't matter. If you don't get married until you're 45, then great. If you think that waiting to have kids until you're finished with your schooling and 3 years of experience is the responsible decision, than wait. Do whatever works for you. I did what works for me. I love my husband, I love my two beautiful children. I love being a mother. I'm only 23 and feel so blessed to be where I am right now.

33rd Place!

2010-06-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

Yes friends, I finished. After a couple of months of training, I ran the Teton Dam Half Marathon on Saturday, June 12th at 7:30AM. It was about 5o degrees, 9 mph winds, and a lot of hills. I ran the 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 9 minutes- averaging 9 minute and 51 second minute miles. My goal was to finish between 2:15 and 2:17, so I was pretty shocked to find that I finished in only 2:09. My placeing was 33rd out of 77 for my age division (20-24 female).

I have the best husband. He woke up at 6:30, got himself and the kids ready (and fed), then drove up to Rexburg to cheer me on all morning. I saw him at mile marker 5, 7, 10, and of course the finish line. Lillie cheered really loud for me, too. I loved it. Unfortunately, I forgot to charge the battery in our camera, so I have no real pictures of me actually running. This could possibly be a good thing, because I'm not sure I look so great in my running action shots! The following pictures were taken about 3 minutes after I finished. Thanks Dana for bringing a working camera.

As you can see, my sister Dana ran it with me (or I ran it with her). She's so fast, even after having 5 kids she still pulled in a time of 1 hour and 51 minutes! She placed 3rd in her division. I'm so proud of her! We didn't really train together (obviously) due to the fact that she runs a lot faster than I can, but she still motivated me to even attempt this feat.

In the end:

I'm proud of myself. My left knee hurts. But, I accomplished something that I didn't realistically see myself ever doing. The last time I've ever ran 13 miles was with my good friend Michael Holt... and that was almost exactly 5 years ago. The training was hard (not gonna lie), but not impossible- just hard to get used to at first. I worked hard, woke up early, and pushed through it. It's hard to find time to run with 2 kids around!

I also have some people to thank: First of all, My Husband for his unconditional support. At times I was slightly offended when he almost forced me do my runs during the week, but he knows I'm a natural quitter. Couldn't have stayed motivated without him! Plus, he so willingly watched the kids for me, and even has driven out to find me about 1/2 hour into my long weekly runs just to bring me water.

Second, my sister. If she can find time to run with 5 kids, then I can.

And third, the cast of Glee. Couldn't have done it without you, all!

So.... I challenge all of YOU to make a goal and work hard to accomplish it. YOU can do it. While I was running around mile 11 or so on Saturday, I started thinking about what I was doing 6 months ago. Nothing. Jack was 2 months old and I specifically remember not working out and not even being able to run one mile. I mostly just sat around all day and considered my exercise walking around at Winco once a week, or nursing.

Moral of the Story:

Do it.

La-dee-la

2010-06-11T09:30:00.001-07:00

So you would think with Dustin being unemployed that I have all this extra free time, but it's not true. Everyday has something different to offer. I'm in the middle of potty-training Lillie (which isn't as easy as I was hoping it would be), Dustin's spending a large portion of each day looking for work, I'm still training for this 1/2 marathon on Saturday (which takes up quite a bit of time), plus the regular day-to-day things that just need to be done. On top of that, Dustin has been fully maintaining his Grandma's yard plus the past 6 weeks. Also, Dustin and I have been doing huge "jobs" around the house in order to earn gas money to get to the family reunion in July (Pacific City, OR). We recently cleaned out the disgusting back garage. That took 2 days. We found disturbing amounts of dead mice, a couple of bird nests, cat pee, and risked disease by cleaning out the huge bird aviary room that, might I add, hasn't even been occupied by any birds for at least 12 years- yet had about 3 inches of bird seed on the floor covered in bird feces. Oh my gravy- it was disgusting. It's all nice and sanitary now. We ended up taking 3 loads of crap to the dump.
This past week we spent many hours scraping off the paint, then repainting this wooden canopy thingie in the back yard. It used to be white, but now is a pretty burnt orange color. It looks really clean and new especially with the pretty greenery behind and flowers all around.
We're also painting the trim and doors for the entire upstairs next week! It'll be hard work, but we've been tight on spending money and really needed to find a way to pay for this family reunion trip. It's nice to be independent and not have to rely on money from anyone else! Even at our poorest, we've always found a way to pay for every single bill and expense. Whether from me working, us selling plasma, selling items we don't need, doing odd-jobs, or whatever it be- we've thankfully never needed or asked for money from anyone else. I'm a firm believer that there's always a way to get more money if you really need it.
Besides that....
We never thought we would be unemployed for 5 months now! I guess you could say that I'm more than ready for Dustin to find work. He's putting in a lot of hours in the job search. He's applied to over 400 jobs in the past 5 months. He's getting frustrated and a little discouraged when he calls to check on the status of the application, only to hear from the HR rep that they've received over 200 applications for that one particular job posting. Ahhh! Whatever, he'll find something! He's been applying all over the country, too-- so if you hear about anything.....
Tomorrow's my big day! I'm running in the Teton Dam Half Marathon in Rexburg at 7:30AM. I'm a little nervous. My knees and ankles have been a little sore lately. My goal is to finish and to run the entire time. We'll see how it goes!

GLEE Volume 3

2010-05-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't told very many people, but I'm running the Teton Dam Half Marathon in 2 weeks. I started running in February, did Insanity in March and April, then started running more seriously starting in May. I'll admit, I'm slow. But, I know that if I keep it up my pace will pick-up. Right now I'm running 4 days a week with 1 day of cross training. I usually only run 3-5 miles, then on Saturdays I run 8-11 miles.
Anyway, it's hard. I'm slow. But I really want to accomplish something grand in life, and this is my first step (well, besides getting married, having a beautiful family, and being sealed to my family for all eternity). I've decided that if I can do it, anyone can.
And how's the weight loss going?? I tried Insanity and ended up gaining a flipping 7 pounds. Retarded. But, I did increase my push-ups from a whopping 2 when I started to 25 when I ended. With running, however, I've lost 2 pounds. I need to lose about 12 more to be at the weight I was when I got married. However, I was only 19 when I got married, and I have had 2 kids since then... not sure if 10 pounds is in the cards for me, but whatever. Running is a great and fun activity and I currently have a perfect blood pressure score. Plus, I've almost got the latest Glee soundtrack memorized already. So even if I don't lose any weight, I'm still doing it.

Some people call me crazy...

2010-05-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

...but I love being a mom.

Mother's Day 2010

Dustin's Gun Fund

2010-05-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Dustin has been in love with some fancy gun that he says is "the finest piece of weaponry known to mankind." It's an M1A. About 2 months ago he started a gun fund (a jar that says "Gun Fund" with a pic of the M1A on it) and has been saving up money via selling plasma. I'm so proud of him, after his Birthdaya week ago, he's successfully saved up $630! I'll admit, I didn't think he could do it, but he's proving me wrong. For being unemployed and finding other various sources of income for this fund, he's doing a great job. The gun is $1499 brand new, and about $1000 used, so he still has a little bit to go. I'm just so proud of him!

And BTW- my last post was aimed at noone who reads my blog. There was a bit of discrepancy about it, and I just wanted to officially clear it up!

To Thank or Not to Thank

2010-04-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Did your mother teach you to send out thank you cards? I find it not only appropriate to send them for wedding gifts, shower gifts, but sometimes for Christmas and Birthday gifts. It seems like this practice is lessening. I was always taught to send a card for every significant gift given and to do it as soon as I could. I think it's a nice gesture of appreciation, and though I'm not giving a gift to receive a thank you, I still think you should. Don't we all like receiving a nice card in the mail to know that the recipiant appreciated it? A 25cent card that takes about 1 minute to write out and mail is the least one could do to say thank you to someone else's thought and time. After all, I'm sure their generosity took more than 1 minute towards you.

I once met a lady in our Stake in Las Vegas that, while laughing, told me and a group of ladies that she's never sent out one thank you card her entire life, including her wedding and both wedding and baby showers and gifts. Her "hilarious" excuse was that she directly told some of the givers thank you for the gift(s) in person or texted them, and that the people shouldn't be giving to receive a thank you card. Can you believe that? The other ladies I was standing with all glared at her- one even spoke up and said, "That's very rude."

Obviously not every gift is in need of a hand written thank you card. I'm not suggesting you buy a costco-sized box of stationary and write out thank you's to people who hold open doors at the mall or let you borrow a movie, I know I don't. But I'm sure we can all agree that sending a thank you card is never a bad idea, and that when in doubt, send one.

I know writing out and sending thank you cards is tedious and tiring, but it's just what you do. You don't text, facebook, call, or worse off, assume that by saying thank you at the time you've done enough- you send a thank you card. We're all busy, but atleast someone wasn't too busy to go out, spend their hard-earned money, and buy you a gift!

Want to learn more about Thank You Note Etiquette? Check out the link.
http://www.thank-you-note-samples.com/sample-thank-you-notes.html

We have some exciting news!!

2010-04-23T22:48:00.000-07:00

Nope, we don't. I just thought that maybe you were sick of all my million blog posts lately that you wouldn't read my blog unless I tricked you.

Anyway, the real post title should say, "Another 5 more pictures." I guess we've been busy this month or something, only to get busier. Dustin turns 28 tomorrow! That will be another blogpost.

I read a certain friend's blog (you know who you are) and got inspired to check out the Idaho Falls Zoo. It wasn't bad! First of all, 3 and under are free and adults are 5$ a person. We paid 10$ for our whole family to come in. Plus, we packed a lunch. The zoo isn't big, by any means, but it has all the cool animals and it's the perfect size for a toddler that has a short attention span. We'll go again, for sure.
Here's my Jack again. I'm obsessed with this little guy. He's just so happy and squishy. He's sitting up now!
Alli's baby's quilt. I should have just said, "Brycen's quilt." Anyway, I liked the way it turned out. I used a pattern this time and learned how to bind! I fell in love with it and was seriously considering making another one for Jack.

Here it is inside, and you can see the back fabric.

Tonight we had 2 of Lillie's cousin's over for a sleepover! Alyse and Lillie are both 2 and are best friends. They boss each other around and tonight they even insisted on sleeping in the same bed. After 1/2 hour of hearing them giggling they finally fell asleep.

So that's it for now, friends! I promise I won't trick you again unless we really do have some exciting news.

Oh, and that job Dustin had an interview for: Dustin was placed #3 out of 5. The first guy turned it down, and they're still waiting to hear back from guy #2. If guy#2 doesn't take it, then Dustin will have a job! We'll just have to wait and see.... but keep praying please.

14 New Pictures

2010-04-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

That's right everybody, Jack turned 6 months old 8 days ago and is now enjoying a new variety of food. So far he hates peaches as much as I hate cottage cheese, and loves bananas, peas, squash, sweet potato's, and pretty much everything besides the peaches.

Hallelujah, Idaho doesn't suck anymore. The snow melted and it's been sunny and in the high 60's for the last couple of days. Dustin set up the trampoline and Jack's been loving the little red swing. It's time I start spending more time outside, I noticed today that my legs looked almost see-through from being so white.

Jack is almost 17 pounds! It's almost time to switch car seats for him. Lillie can be in a booster seat with a back, and lets be honest, I can't carry a 17 lb baby in a 4 lb car seat.

On Friday night Dana and some of her girls, Elisha, and me and Jack went to Rigby High's production of Beauty and the Beast. It was great! I would recommend it to anyone. The costumes and set were amazing and it followed the movie pretty closely. Here's a picture of little Jack and Sayde (2 months apart) sitting together at the musical.

The girls loved Bell!

My favorite was "Be Our Guest." People came out as china, various silverware, and salt and pepper shakers.

Alli had her baby 5 weeks early, so her baby shower came 1 1/2 weeks after Brycen was born! On Saturday we had the shower. Alli got tons of cute baby clothes and blankets. I volunteered to make the cake, it was fun and pretty easy to make.

The table-scape.

Favors.

The quilt Grandma Hill made.

It's been a busy weekend, but a fun one! Last night Dustin took me out to the Drive-In to see "Bounty Hunter" and "Date Night." I've never been to a drive-in theatre, and I loved it! It was only 6$ a person plus you can bring in all the food you want. What a steal.

The Cocoa Bean

2010-04-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

Okay Southeastern Idahoans, you win. All this time I thought Idaho had nothing good to offer me besides the amazing food selections at all my favorite franchises. I met my match on Friday when I stepped into this little cupcake cafe in Rexburg. I purchased the "Raspberry Chocolate Cheescake" cupcake for $2.75 and almost peed my pants. It was splendid, no, more than splendid. It was by far the most amazing moist chocolate cake topped with glazed raspberries, light cheesecake mouse, and a fresh berry anyone could purchase, anywhere... and it came in a really cool box.

Next time you're in Rexburg and are feeling down, are on your "you-know-what," or need a quick and easy Birthday present, head over to College Ave (across from Porters) and partake. That cupcake gave me all kinds of crazy endorphins.

Dustin got an interview!!

2010-04-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

Some guy from Kartchner Homes (out of Idaho Falls, ID) called Dustin tonight around 4:45 and asked if Dustin could come in for an interview tomorrow morning. We're so excited! Finding a job these days seems impossible, so that phone call was a pleasant surprize.
Please say a prayer, or send positive energy, or whatever you do our way!

The past week.. sheesh!

2010-04-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

Holy Moly.
Not only was it General Conference weekend, a weekend that takes up a good 8 hours for me, and 10 hours for Dustin (well, maybe more like 8 1/2. He doses off a lot.) but also Easter weekend. We had an egg hunt on Saturday between conferences at Aunt DeeAnn's house and another egg hunt Grandma Julie put on after dinner on Sunday.
Then, Alli went into the hospital around 8 or 9PM Easter Sunday and had their baby at 10:48AM Monday morning! He was 5 weeks early, but is doing pretty good. I'll have to dedicate a whole 'nother blog post to just baby Brycen Timothy Miller when I get more pictures.
Lillie and Jack got a really fun package from the "I-gotta-package-man" on Saturday. Lillie loves getting mail, and started laughing really hard when she saw the box! She opened it and told me what everything was. Grandma Diane really spoils our kids! Lillie and Jack are always getting fun things in the mail. Lillie loves talking on the phone to "bah-bah" and "Bap-bah" (grandma and grandpa).

Easter morning we made Lillie wait to go and see what the Easter Bunny brought them until Jack was finished eating. She was dying!! She really was excited when she ran out. The first thing she yelled was, "WOW!!!" And she was being a little pill when we tried taking the picture... typical Lillie.
Sunday afternoon Grandma Julie had her Easter Egg Hunt for the Miller grandkids. It was so much fun! Even Jack got in on the fun and played with all the bright eggs.

Angie was kind enough to hold Jack so that Dustin could help Lillie and I could take pictures.

Jack is getting so much bigger! He's always chewing on something.

The Easter Bunny must have been watching the ads and found some great deals on things to give to Lillie and Jack. He must have known that Lillie needed a trike! She loves it and rides it as often as the weather permits.

My favorite part of this picure is the wrench in Dustin's back pocket.

Here's baby Brycen!! This was taken about 1/2 hour after he was born. I love that little guy! Can't wait to hold him. Alli and Tyson are already really great parents. Dustin and I are so happy for their little family.

It wouldn't be Idaho if there wasn't a huge snow storm in April. This was all from April 5th-April 6th. It snowed about 7-8 inches in Ucon. Lillie loved tromping around in the snow. It was almost up to her knees! We had fun and made a snowman. Jack still fit into his snowsuit, too. We put him in the red swing for a few minutes. He loved it.

Welcome to Idaho, baby Brycen!

And did I mention through all of this we're potty training Lillie... again??! She's doing really great. It's been a million times easier than it went about 8 months ago.

This is the dress Grandma Julie gave all the little girls, BTW.

It was a fun Easter! Even though it was busy, Dustin and I still sat down with Lillie and explained in very simple terms what Easter is really about. I loved all the talks at Conference. Especially Elder Hollands talk at the end of the 2nd Saturday session, and President Eyring's talk at the very end of the 2nd Sunday session. I loved how so many talks were about eternal families and loving our neighbors and the power of Christ (atleast that's what stuck out to me). I'm very grateful that Dustin and I were able to be sealed together. I'm grateful to know that if we keep our covenants we can be together forever with our family. I'm grateful for Christ preparing a way for me to be with my family. I'm grateful for the safety and security of the gospel. I feel very blessed, even at our hardest times. I love the gospel and I will never be quiet about it!

Happy late Easter!

Jo Malone

2010-03-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of this amazing-ness?? It's a fabulous collection of various scents you can wear alone or mix and match. The scents are mostly unisex, and all go together. There isn't any combination that wouldn't "go."

I'm embarrassed to say, but I'm thinking about starting up my own "fund" to obtain 3 or 4 or 6 of these bottles. I made fun of Dustin for creating his "Gun Fund" (A jar with a picture of some expensive, masculine, scary-looking gun he wants) ... but after the trip to Utah I'm thoroughly obsessed.

http://www.jomalone.com/

I want the following:

Lime Basil and Mandarin
Nectarine Blossom and Honey
White Jasmin and Mint
Amber and Lavender
154
Black Vetyver Cafe

"We're really doing it, buddy!"

2010-03-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's true, we packed up our family and went down to Utah for Saturday and Sunday. We stayed at the awe-inspiring Hyatt Hotel in SLC. Lillie loved sleeping in her very own Queen bed.
Saturday night, after picking up good ol' Eric Harker, we all drove down to Orem to see Michael Holt in his show called "Dirty Rotten Scoudrels." Let's be honest, I was a little skeptical at first if I was going to like it, but after about 15 minutes I couldn't stop laughing. Dustin and I were almost in tears! Singing was outstanding, acting was decent, and Michael did a good job. Thanks for the tickets, Michael. We also went to an amazing pizza place called 712. Wasn't disappointed.
Dustin and Eric helped me pick out a new perfume. I've been in the market since January. Dustin found his Jean Paul Goutier, and I found my Chloe. I almost picked up another awesome perfume called Flower Bomb... but after going back and forth, I'm confident I chose the right one. It was a big decision, and I couldn't have done it without those two (and the 2, slightly pushy sales ladies).

Sunday morning we woke up and headed off to Magna to see our old friends at church. It was nice catching up on everything that's been going on and see all the new babies that have been born in the year we've been gone. We picked up some lunch, then headed over to Temple Square. It was a really nice day. Lillie loved running around in the mid-50's sunny weather. It was a great weekend.

People that Change Your Life

2010-03-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about the people that stick out in my mind who have impacted my life. Everyone has their own list of those meaningful people. Some of the people on my list I was never really close with, but being around them made a very positive impact on me.
(by the way, this list is on NO particular order)

1. Laurel Merz. One of the happiest, enjoyable people to be around. She has faith in everyone and is accepting of everyone. She's everybody's instant best friend, and is probably on everybody's "list" of most influential people in their life.

2. Summer. The boldest, kindest Relief Society President I've ever had. She was only 28 or so, but was a full-time firefighter until she had her baby girl (who was born the same day as our Lillie). She never hesitated to bear her testimony. Every time she did the spirit was so strong and brought me to tears. She always looked out for me that first, difficult year we were in Las Vegas.

3. Jen Hirschi. A forever friend. A person I have a strong connection with and who I look up to more than she'll ever know.

4. Randi Nordstrom (Alexander, now). My hero for many reasons. She was contagiously happy and hilarious. She always had a positive, optimistic attitude and taught me that my attitude was a choice, not a consequence. She also bluntly said to me after I was throwing a teen-aged tantrum about not being asked to prom, "Maybe you need to be humble." I think about it all the time!

5. Dana. The most giving, considerate person I've ever known. She always puts herself last and gives everything she has and can to everyone. She's one of my best friends, and is a 2nd mother to me. If I could choose to be like anyone, it would be her.

6. My husband. I married a perfect guy. He's very courageous and humble. He's very honest and open and does what's not popular. He never says no when he's asked to serve in any capacity, and always gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. He admits when he's wrong, and forgives me when I'm wrong. He's very supportive of me and my dreams, and earnestly tries to be better every day of his life. We've never been in any fights because he's so patient and kind towards me. He helps me to be better.

7. Kandis Broadhead. A very loyal friend. She's outgoing, hilarious, and giving. I remember coming home and finding delicious, homemade brownies on our front step, and her also bringing us a meal at a trying time. She rescued me when I found out we needed to take Lillie to Primary's (when she had RSV) and would send hilarious text messages at just the right time ("I am your brother, your best friend forever..."). Her and Dave befriended us when we were new in the ward. Her personality is so vibrant. She's a friend anyone would be blessed to have.

There are probably more people on this list, these are just a few who stick out in my mind tonight. I love all of these people. They've all taught me so much just by their example.

Thankgoodness it's Sunday!

2010-03-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

I've been in a serious bad mood this week. Not necessarily grumpy, but just really stressed and emotional... and NO... not because of you-know-what.
I figured out why. Not only am I stressed-beyond-stressed about Dustin finding work, being really really sad about Jack still not having his crib set up (weird that I'm so upset about that one), or exhausted from these crazy "Insanity" workouts Dust and I have been doing 6 nights a week... I had a bad week, I think, because I missed church last Sunday.
Lillie had a cold and fever, and Sunday morning after everyone was all dolled up and ready to go Dustin and I realized that Lillie probably should not go to nursery. I stayed home with her and I've been in a funk all week. I decided that as much as I complain about the stress of Sacrament Meeting with a 2 year old that likes to color on the Hymn books and a 5 month old baby that seems to always spit-up on me right after we sit down, and a chorister that thinks 120 beats per minute is actually 60 beats per minute... I need it.

"Our fireman are not heroic."

2010-03-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

First of all, this is not a quote by me!

I was in a small discussion with a person who has a strong opinion about how fireman, police officers, and even those in the military fighting in wars are NOT to be considered heroes. This person said that the only heroes are those who aren't being paid. They said they were "sick and tired of all the media giving credit and honoring" those who are being paid to rescue lives.
They then went on to comment that lifeguards save more lives than any other rescue force.

Hmm.... I definitely know what my opinion is on the subject... but what's yours? How would you react or respond?

Darned pictures

2010-03-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

Note to self: Don't wait a flipping 4 years to print out pictures.

I've been going through albums on our computer for hours on end the past few weeks picking which ones to print out. They go all the way back to March of 2006. Holy cow. After many hours, and a pretty penny... all 630 pictures have now been placed into 2 beautiful family photo albums (another steal at Costco).

I'm engaged, friends!

2010-03-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

It was almost 3 years ago in Hawaii when I lost my wedding ring. Dustin and I were boogie boarding at a nice beach in Kaua'i when I looked down a few hours later and noticed that I was only wearing my wedding band. My engagement ring was totally gone. I was devestated. I've always felt so guilty about losing it. I had the feeling over and over and over to not bring my ring on the trip but I was obsessed with that darned ring, so I immediatly brushed the thought away. I brought it anyway, then lost it on some white sandy beach.

Dustin's always been nice about the whole situation. I would have thought he'd be mad, or atleast a tiny bit upset. I've told him over and over to not get me another one because I don't feel like I deserve it. There are better things we could spend the money on, and I atleast still had my little wedding band. I don't need a big diamond to know I'm married... plus, it's not like it's coming with me to heaven!

Well, apparently Dustin's been saving up for this for quite a while. I walked into our bedroom and found a note and a little black box on my pillow.

I love the 2 floating diamonds.
I love him so much. He spoils me. Here my husband is now selling plasma (again) to save up for some fancy-shmancy gun he's wanted forever, and instead of buying that with this money, he spends the money on another beautiful ring for me.
I cried. I love it.

The Wedding

2010-03-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of our family at my sister Tera's wedding. The wedding was in gorgeous Ashland, Oregon (about 10 miles from the California border on I5). It was in the 60's and was beautiful. Tera looked beautiful and happy. Jeff and her seem to be a great fit for each other.

We put 3,200 miles on our car in just 9 days. I love our car. Our 2000 Honda Accord now has 162k miles and is going strong. That car took us to Widby Island, Ashland, Oregon, and Yakima. We had the best time visiting with friends and family. We also ate at Burgerville and Chevy's, had gelato, went to the Portland Children's Museum, Jantzen Beach to ride the carousel, went bowling, got a lb of Sees, and did lots and lots and LOTS of shopping. Dustin's favorite part was probably going to Cabela's. He even treated himself to an orange hat as a souvenir. Lillie and Jack did pretty well. Aside from a few tantrums from Lillie (lack of naps), the trip went almost perfectly.

We're semi glad to be back here in Idaho. Well... let's be honest. I'm not that happy! I hated driving back and watching the terrain get yellower and browner, then colder and colder...
It was so nice wearing t-shirts and bermudas, sandals, and open-toed shoes. We brought our coats but never put them on even once. Even when it rained on Thursday it was still so in the 50's and beautiful! Washington and Oregon have tulips, pink cherry trees in full blossom, daffodils, green grass everywhere, and perfect spring temperatures. I went running and LOVED it. My lungs didn't burn and it felt good.

So... I'm ticked. Idaho has at least a month or two until Spring comes. Until then, I guess I'll put back all of our new bright spring and summer clothes and keep wearing my sweaters and boots.

Disclaimer: Idaho isn't that bad. We do love being close to our families, and the snow is fun. No offense devoted Idahoans.

On the road again

2010-02-19T12:14:00.000-08:00

We're packing up our family and are heading off to good 'ol Vancouver, Washington for an undetermined amount of time. My sister's getting married in Ashland, OR on Feb. 28th (the main purpose of the adventure). We're also driving up to Seattle area to see Erika L. and Kaitlin, going to the Carter's outlet in Troutdale, meeting up with Jessie and Syd (after a long hiatus), and most importantly, eating at Burgerville.
Bring it on Highway 84.

Thank you Rexburg plasma center

2010-02-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

Taken just a few days after our 1st date. February 2006

After our 184th date (assuming we go on a date once a week.. which we do) . February 2010

If it weren't for you, Rexburg Plasma Center, Dustin and wouldn't be together today.

It was an annoying, depressing, and cold, Valentines Day morning in 2006 when I decided to go sell some plasma before work and school. I sat down in my donating chair at 7:20AM or so, when the plasma center randomly decided to do a "Valentines Day Raffle." They put all the chair numbers in a hat to win a grand prize of dinner for 2 at Bajio and 2 movie tickets. Lucky me, they pulled out chair #38 (I still remember).

I must have seemed to be a bit of a crazy person because I coudn't find anyone to take me on a date that I was basically paying for.... at BYU-I (lame). Before resorting to taking a roommate with me that night, I called my sister who set me up with one of her co-workers' sons. Dustin picked me up at 6:30PM later that day, and the rest is history.

Happy 4 year (from our first date) Anniversary, Dear! To celebrate 4 V-Day's together, we wrote eachother poems. Please don't zoom-in to read them, they're pretty wierd and most of the time don't make sense.

"Jack-ie Boy!"

2010-02-15T10:01:00.000-08:00

4 months goes by too fast, my friends.

Dustin's family hates squirrels. I don't know why, I've always thought they were so cute!

"Surprize, surprize, surprize, duh-duh-duh Happy Birthday!"

2010-02-01T23:12:00.000-08:00

It's true, on Sunday (JAN 31) it was my 23rd Birthday. I had a great Birthday weekend. On Saturday night Dustin took me to TGIFridays to get some amazing ribs curtosy of their new Jack Daniels Grill. World's best ribs, my friends.
He also took me to a comedy stand-up with some hilarious LDS comedians. There were 3. One of the guys just did a stand up at The Laugh Factory with Tim Allen a few weeks prior, and one of the other guys was the guy who wrote "Singles Ward" and "Mormons and the Mafia." All 3 of them were so funny. After that Dustin took me to go get a Maple Butter Blondie from Applebees (amazing), and then we went on a long drive. We were gone for 6 1/2 hours. It was the best gift ever.

Tonight (Monday) Dustin threw me a shin-dig to celebrate with our families and friends. It was chaotic and so entertaining. We ate sandwiches, played BINGO, ate cake and ice cream (with some wonderful trick candles, thank you Dustin), and opened presents. It was fun to visit with everyone and so great for everyone to come. I have a great family (on both sides) and amazing friends.

Here are the pictures from the party:

And thanks again Tacie for my GLEEK shirt! I'm wearing it right now.

The Sledding Mis-hap.

2010-01-24T19:23:00.000-08:00

It was a nice snowy day here in Ucon, Idaho when our family decided to go to the Ucon "pit" and go sledding. Lillie went down a couple of times, but wasn't so sure.

Dustin decided to give it a whirl.

So after that I was debating on going down myself, but the 7 year old kid next to me was talking smack, so based solely on peer pressure.... I went. I screamed louder than any other 13 year old, Curve smelling, push-up bra wearing middle-school girl there, thank you very much.

Overall it was a fun 35 minute outing. We had some good laughs, and some good cries (just Lillie, Dustin wanted to clarify). Can't wait until it snows again! I might be going by myself next time.

We ran out of Mt. Dew.

2010-01-06T15:22:00.000-08:00

For New Years we went over to Amber and Che's with Tyson and Alli and had a fun time. It was weird, we were over there for 5 1/2 hours but it felt like 2 hours. It went by so fast! We (as the title suggests) ran out of Mt. Dew, but feasted on pizza, chocolate fondue, and chips, and all other kinds of junk food.

We watched a few episodes of "Friends."

Happy New Year! 2010!

"Is there sugar in syrup? Then yes!"

2010-01-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

Lots of fun treats at Christmas! The above picture is of Cooper, Kate, and Lillie "helping" me make jam thumbprints. The picture below is of my sister and her girls (and Lillie) decorating some gingerbread men.

Alyse turns 2 this month, but Dana had her party a few weeks early while family was in town. It was Monkey theme, and Alyse loved it, I think!

Below: Gramps (Dustin's dad) made this beautiful quilt for Jack! He makes a quilt for all of the grandchildren. I'm sure Jack will love it for years to come.

And last but not least... our snowman. It took forever to make, but it was well worth it. My memories of making snowmen growing up were always happy ones, I guess my dad was doing all the work or something because building a snowman is so hard!

"Hey check it out, it's old man Marley."

2010-01-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas! Lillie loved her Elmo, Jack got some baby toys, Dustin got me an ENV3 cell phone (along with a mandolin, pillows, a teapot and a bathrobe that I love), and I got Dustin an iHome. We loved seeing all our family that came into town! Enjoy the pictures from the special day.

It was a mess!

Cousins, Grads, and Christmas Clothes

2009-12-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

Aunt Elisha holding Jack and Andy.

All the cute babies! It was really hard getting a picture where they were all sitting up with their eyes open. Aren't they all cute?!

The graduates! Alli and Clark graduated from BYU-I this past weekend, and Angie graduates in just a couple months, so a celebration was at hand! We had lots of appetizers, including 7 layer dip, cheese fondue, shrimp, and muddy buddies (amongst others).

Lillie and Jack in their Christmas getup. Lillie's dress is from Grandma Julie, the hairbow was made by Aunt Dana, and Jack's cute outfit was a steal at 12$ from TJ Maxx.

And, yes. This is the first picture I have of Lil and Jack together. She finally held him long enough to take a picture!

Our life in Ucon, Idaho

2009-12-14T22:08:00.000-08:00

We're all settled in at the In-Law's. It hasn't been bad at all living here. Milan and Julie have been so gracious and accommodating. We set up Lillie's room in Clark's old bedroom with her new toddler bed, her play kitchen, and the changing table. It's been nice for Lil to stretch out! She's been sleeping in a closet in her pack-n-play for the past 8 months in Jackson. I decided not to set up Jack's crib yet. We'll wait until the next move. I like having him sleep in our room in his little bassinet for right now.

Our tree:

Dustin loves his son! Almost every picture I have of Jack has Dustin in it. Jack lost some of his hair, it looks like he's balding like an old man! I love it.

One of the best parts about staying here in Idaho for the next few weeks is getting to spend more time with my sisters, Elisha and Dana and their kids. I got to watch Anna and Alyse for Dana for just a few hours. It was so much fun! Lillie loves playing with her cousins.

My sister Elisha let us borrow Andy's sweater vest for a while. Jack looks so cute in it! Here's Jack and Dustin all ready for church. I need to get a picture of Jack with his cousin, Andy. Andy's so big and adorable. I love holding that kid!

We took the kids to go see Santa last week.... it didn't go well.

Jack smiling! He only smiles for Dustin and Grandma Julie.

Jack playing! Grandma Diane got this for Lillie 2 years ago, and Jack seems to enjoy it even more than Lillie did. I don't know why the picture flipped around when I uploaded it, but it's too complicated to fix it now, so just deal.

Lillie doesn't have any interest in Jack yet. She knows who he is, but just still does her own thing. She's been throwing a few more temper tantrums, but is hilarious! She never stops singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and loves being tickled and is obsessed with Elmo. She's started saying more words, and now can say "Mickey Mouse" and jabbers on the telephone to anyone that calls. You should call to talk to her, it's really funny.

Can you even believe that he's already 2 months old??

Jack's stats:

Weight: 11# 7oz (45%)

Height: 22 1/2" (38%)

Head: 35%

Daddy soothing Jackie-boy. He's not the most perfect baby... he's only sleeping about 2 1/2-3 1/2 hours straight at night and seems to only sleep when he's being held! I looked back in Lillie's baby book and at 2 months she was sleeping 8-10 hours a night. Gah! I guess Dustin and I will be acting a bit crazy for a while longer from the lack-o-sleep. We love that little boy!

Our life is great! I feel bad for complaining about this job because it really is a blessing. It's nice to have been close to our families ever since April. We love our family and Dustin's been able to be home a lot. Can't complain about that!

We're semi-homeless... again.

2009-12-02T13:42:00.001-08:00

In a nutshell, Dustin and I have moved 7 times in the 3 1/2 years we've been married. The most recent move was on Monday, November 30th.

Here's the long, obnoxious story.

The shop Dustin was building was suppose to be completed by August 7th. However, because the Fish and Wildlife Service is rediculous, change order after change order... the job finally was completed about 2 weeks ago.
The lease on our ghetto apartment ended November 30th. We had to be out of that apartment by then (Trust me, it wasn't too sad leaving that moldy, tiny, earwig infested apartment). So, Sunday and Monday we packed everything up. The plan was for us to pack everything up, go to Idaho Falls for a few days, and move to either Florida or California (to the next job) by the end of this week. On Monday (after we'd packed up 1/2 of our stuff) Dustin's boss called him up and said that California is not an option anymore and that there's a little glitch with the job in Florida and they're not sure if they still have the contract to do the work there. So, that job is on hold until January. Instead they're having Dustin go to Tacoma next week for a few days to work on another job, then nothing. We're staying at Dustin's parent's house until the begining of January (5 weeks) when we'll hopefully be moving to Florida, if they even get that job. It's all tentative.

We tried finding a month long lease at an apartment here, but all the month to month apartments (all 2 of them) are scary and even more ghetto than our last one (if you can even imagine). So, I guess we'll just chill here for 5 weeks. The good news is that we're getting paid for a month of not working. The bad news is that this job is SO ANNOYING!! I'm so sick of this company being so rediculous. Seriously. What if we didn't live by Dustin's parent's house? They would just send us out on the streets for 5 weeks with a 2 year old and a baby? They just expect us to have a place to stay while we're MID PACKING?? I don't even get it. I would think they would be a little more considerate. You know, maybe tell us where we're moving atleast 1 week in advance.

Dustin's looking for a new job. Anyone have any ideas?

Mr. Fix it

2009-11-24T19:43:00.000-08:00

Here's Jack in his "Mr. Fix it" jammies. Don't you just wanna pick him up and snuggle??

More pictures

2009-11-24T17:38:00.000-08:00

Here's our side table. I thought it was a neat picture with Lillie and Jack and Dustin and I in the background.

Here's Jack's birth announcement. I loved how it turned out.

Here are some pictures of our family taken about 30 feet away from the building Dustin's building on the Elk Refuge. We ran over there real quick today to snap some pictures for our Christmas card. Lillie thought it was hilarious how I had to run back and forth to set the timer on our camera between every picture... so thankfully she was smiling in every picture!

Blessing Day

2009-11-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

Sunday, November 15th was a busy day! My sister Dana's baby, Sayde was blessed at 11:00, Elisha's baby, Andy was blessed at 1:00, and our Jack was blessed at 4:00! Here's a picture of us sisters after Sayde's blessing.

Dana and Sayde, Erika and Jack, Elisha and Andy.

**********************************

Jack's Blessing

Jack's blessing was really neat. We decided to do it at Dustin's parent's house instead of having everyone make the trip to Jackson. It was at 4:00 with a dinner right after at 4:30.

Dustin and I decided to put a little program together for it. We had an opening song and prayer, then Dustin gave a little talk about families. He did a really good job and made me tear up when he spoke about how much he loves our family. Alli and I sang a duet to "Come Unto Jesus." Alli did an amazing job with the alto part! There wasn't even a part written in, so she just made it up on the spot. Amazing, talented girl. The song went well. Right after we were done singing, Dustin blessed Jack. In the circle was Dustin, Milan, Rick, Steve, Tyson, Clark, Lance, and Dallin. It was a really neat blessing.

After that, we had a closing prayer and ate lasagna, salad, and rolls. For dessert was cake and ice cream. It was really tasty and the perfect end to an special day!

Our family after Jack was blessed.

Little Jack on his big day!

Tyson and Alli and Angie and Kate.

Elisha and Anna (Dana's daughter) and Lance and Andy.

Jessie and Dallin came! Here's me and Jess with our babies!

The Miller granchild picture. Julie got all of the pretty dresses and clothes for the boys. Lillie, as always, threw a tantrum right when she saw the camera!

Dana got this cake. It said, "Congratulations Jack, Andy, and Sayde!" So... naturally we took a picture with the babies by the cake they never got to eat!

***********************************

Saturday, November 14th

Elisha and Lance had Andy sealed to them! It was a really special day for them and Andy looked so cute in his little white suit!

The whole slew of us!

Long Awaited Update

2009-11-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

Holy cow, I can't believe it's been 5 1/2 weeks since baby Jack was born. We've had a pretty eventful past few weeks. Here are some memorable things that have happened:

Lillie came down with pink eye in both eyes
Lillie, Dustin, and I all had the swine flu for about a week.
Jack came down with pink eye (luckily only in one eye).
We went to the doctor 11 times in 21 days.
We hit 2 deer!
Jack came down with pink eye AGAIN.
Halloween! We went to the Melaleuca trick or treat, went trick or treating with my sister Dana and her fam, left the kids with their Grandparents while Dustin and I went to a Halloween party at Tyson and Alli's.
Had a fight with our landlord after they walked in to our apartment thinking we were gone.
Went to my sister's sealing to their new adopted son, Andy
Had three baby blessings to attend on Sunday... including Jacks!
Got our car back
Now we're just waiting to find out when and where we're moving!

Here are some pictures of all the events exept the blessings. I'll post those later.

This little girl! She colored all over the wall and was just so proud of it. I had to take a picture before I sent her to time-out.

Jack's Newborn Pictures

2009-10-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

Last Monday we had Jack's newborn pictures taken. He was just 9 days old, and his umbilical cord fell off (luckily) about 1 hour before the photographers got there! He did really well, and we got a bunch of beautiful pictures of our handsome Jack. Here are a few of our favorites!

I highly recommend the photographer. They're a younger couple out of Rexburg and do excellent work. RognonPhotography.blogspot.com

Stupid pigs

2009-10-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

On Monday and Tuesday night Lillie had really high fevers. Tuesday night at midnight Lillie woke up with a sad cry. We took her temp to find out she was sporting a 103 degree fever! We called our advice nurse, who said to bring her into the doctor in the morning.
Jack had an appointment to be circumcised the next day, so we just doubled up the appointments. It was a horrible day! Jack was circumcised, the doctor told us Lillie had the swine flu AND pink eye in both eyes, we found out Jack's billiruben levels went back up to 17.9 (they were 14.4 on Monday) and I came down hard with the flu that night.
Anyway, it's Friday now and we've just been on the 'survive' mode. Lillie's flu is considerably better. She's on day 4 or 5 and her symptoms should be lessening. Mine, however, is peaking! I've had chills all day, uncontrollable shaking, a high fever, a sore throat, a little bit of coughing, and extreme fatigue. Dustin came down with it this morning, after taking every possible supplement and washing his hands every 10 minutes in pursuit of dodging it. Poor guy.
Jack's been to the doctor 4 times this week. His poor little feet have been pricked so many times! The doctors think that his billi levels went up because of a condition called "breastfeeding induced jaundice." It's where my breast milk apparently has too many amino acids for his little liver to break down. I've had to stop nursing for the past 1 1/2 days and supplement him with formula. It's apparently suppose to make his billiruben level plummet. I'll go back to nursing tomorrow and supposedly his levels will stay low. If they go back up, then it's something more serious, like an infection or disorder. The good news is that he's been in a completely different room than the rest of us, and my mother-in-law (bless her heart) has been feeding him today since Dustin came down with the swine flu also. He's as healthy as can be (well, besides the jaundice thing).

We were suppose to be moving this weekend, but that's obviously been postponed. Dustin's company is still deciding between Homestead, FL (south of Miami) or that office job in San Diego. At this point, I don't have an opinion about where we go. I just know that everything will work out.
... and hopefully we'll look back on this week one day and laugh! Then we'll know we can make it through ANYTHING life throws at us.

Back to the hospital

2009-10-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

Don't you love his first pair of sunglasses??

On Friday we went to Idaho Falls for a well baby check up. I told the Doctor that I was a bit concerned about Jack looking a little yellow the past 2 days. He said that he did look yellow, but he's seen lots worse. He sent for a lab test just to be sure, though.
Well, as we were driving home I got a call from the Pediactric Center. They forwarded me to the nurse, who then said, "I'm going to need you or your husband talk to the Doctor." Doctor Hatch got on the phone and told us that Jacks billiruben levels came out at 21.5. Apparently that's almost toxic. He told us to rush him into the hospital and that they knew we were coming. Needless to say, Dustin and I were both in tears.

Jack was in the hospital for exactly 24 hours. They put him under some high intensity lights and his billiruben level dropped from 21.5 to 14.4 in just one days time. We got to take him home with a 'billi-blanket' (a heating pad type thing that we put under his onesie). He gets checked again tomorrow, and if he's less than 13 then we won't need the blanket anymore!

The good thing is that Jack's been eating great and has stayed well hydrated. He hasn't been acting lethargic, which isn't typical with a jaundice baby. He's doing really well! We're just glad to have him home and to not have to choose between meatloaf or tuna salad sandwiches for our hospital meals anymore.

Baby Jack

2009-10-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome baby Jack!

Jack Dustin Miller

Born at 4:13PM

6 lbs 8 oz

20 inches long

We're moving!

2009-09-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

We're off to beautiful San Diego! Dustin took the job his company offered him to be an assistant project manager. It's a stable job, and we plan on living there for a long while.

Now we have to figure out where we're going to live. We're planning on moving October 9th or 10th. That will give us atleast 2 weeks before the baby's due. We're so so so thrilled that things are working out!

Getting Ready for Baby...

2009-09-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

Here's not the best, but the most recent prego pic of me. It was taken tonight. I'm not showing too much for being due in 5 weeks, but at my last appointment I measured at 34.5 centimeters instead of 33 (I was 33 weeks at the time). I don't really get that... but that baby's head is already down and that kid never stops moving. I haven't gotten a decent good nights sleep in a few weeks.

With just 5 weeks left, and absolutly no idea if/when/or where we're moving, I've been doing everything I can now to get ready for this new baby.
Here's the quilt Dustin and I made a few nights ago. Dustin did all the cutting and pinning, and I sewed it all together. The back is a really really soft brown material (that cost a pretty penny).

Here's a close up of the fabric. I LOVE it! The top fabric says things like, "Come," "Fetch," "Good Dog," "Shake," "Roll Over," etc.

My mom and sister taught me how to can peaches about a month ago. We accidently ate all the jars I brought home... so we canned more! Dustin and I (yes, Dustin really helped) canned pears, peaches, raspberry jam, and strawberry jam.

Smiths also had a caselot sale, and we stocked up on cases of peanut butter, tuna fish, cream of chicken soup, Ramen, flour, sugar, rice, honey, and other canned goods. Then we drove to Pocatello to go to Costco and bought large amounts of TP, paper towels, dryer sheets, garbage bags, baby wipes, and a few other items.

As you can see, we're running out of room for everything.

I took out the box of baby boy clothes we've been collecting all Summer and washed and put away the Newborn and 0-3 month size clothes. We have so much! Thanks again everyone who's been giving us little gifts here and there (and thanks to Dustin for letting me buy so much).

And as for other news, Dustin's job will be done in a week and a half! September 30th is the final inspection. Dustin's company also found out Dustin can do draftsman work and can draw up plans and things on the computer. They've been keeping him busy doing that on the side.

As for moving, nothing's official yet. His project manager threw out some ideas on Friday of possibly having Dustin take an office job (in San Diego) or also having us just plan on staying here until we have the baby and doing more drawings in the meantime. We would both rather move somewhere before the baby's due, and Dustin doesn't want an office job doing things you don't even need a college degree to do. So... we'll see what happens.

And today is day 6 with no accidents for Lillie! She's doing so well.

7 weeks to go

2009-09-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Just 51 days to go?? I can't believe it sometimes. It has me a little worried.
First of all, I will say right now that I do actually love being pregnant. I hate the feeling sick for 3 months, being exhausted from doing nothing, and having raging heartburn, but honestly love carrying a baby around for 9 months. I think it's fascinating. I love feeling this baby roll, kick, and sometimes even tickle me (I think he's opening and closing his fingers or toes, but it feels really weird). I love maternity jeans, the way my skin looks, and everyone holding open doors. I'm grateful to be able to reproduce! I love, love, love babies and love being pregnant.
However, with just 7 weeks until my due date I'm getting pretty anxious. We're still in Jackson, WY and Dustin's still working away at getting this building completed. We have no exact completion date, and for all I know we could be here another 4 weeks. We also have no idea where we're moving to. Dustin's boss told him 2 days ago that they were being very careful and making sure that wherever we go will not be a short-term job. We've heard of the possibility of Homestead, FL (Miami), Houston, TX, Tacoma, WA, Richmond, VA, and someplace in Colorado. I just wish they would make up their flipping minds! I wish we could have moved 2 weeks ago. Or better yet, August 7th like the original completion date.
I have nobody to blame. It's not Dustin's fault, it's not his company's fault, it's not the US Fish and Wildlife's fault. Everybody wants to get this dumb job completed, it's just not happening.

So, for all of those people who think I'm always so optomistic and positive all the time, I'm not. I know everything will work out, it always does. I'm just sick of always having to move when I'm pregnant, and I would just like to know when we're moving, and where to.

So feel blessed all you people who have regular jobs and live in houses!

Potty Training Day 1

2009-08-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my good friend Randi (and her amazing little boy Caleb), Lillie and I are giving it a try at Potty Training.

Lillie has gone once last night, and 3 times today. She's had no accidents so far! She gets to play with her new toys only while she's on the pot, and gets an M&M every time she goes. A few different people told me to have her start out wearing "big girl undies" from the get-go so that when she does have an accident, she'll realize it's uncomfortable and have another incentive to get to that potty as fast as possible. I know she'll have lots of accidents in the future, but it'll be easier to clean those up now than with a newborn baby! We're using lots of positive reinforcement and crossing our fingers that this works!

Go Lillie!

Haircut!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-26T15:41:00.000-07:00

I finally did it! After lots and lots of debate (and a realization that long hair isn't always cute hair), I chopped off my disgusting, dry, frizzy hair! They took off 8 inches.

Before:
After:

It's WAY different. I'm still getting used to it. I like it 70% of the time right now, but I'm sure as the days go by I'll like it 100% of the time. The best part, it only takes about 3-4 minutes to blowdry and style.

Ladybug Birthday

2009-08-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Lillie turned 2 on Monday, August 17th. Her Ladybug party was Saturday, August 22nd and she had a blast. We held it at Kate Curley Park in Idaho Falls, and every single one of her cousins was there. They made ladybug jars (with real ladybugs) and played some water balloon games, but most importantly had cupcakes and Reed's Dairy ice cream.
Lillie got tons of presents. Dustin and I got her a little play kitchen (that took Dustin 4 hours to assemble). She got everything from cute Levi jeans, to play shoes and coloring books. She's been playing with all of her toys nonstop today. I'm most excited about all the clothes she got.
It was a fun party and we were happy everyone could be there. Lillie had a great time, and that's all that matters!
Here are some pictures:

Owl

2009-08-17T10:23:00.001-07:00

We were driving home to Jackson last night when this little incident happened. We were driving over the pass from Victor to Jackson (Dustin was driving) when I looked to my left and saw this big white thing flying. I knew it was a huge bird of sorts, I was just confused because I've never seen that large of a bird flying so low to the ground. I said to Dustin, "What is that thing?" Before Dustin could look over the darned bird smacked right into our car, scaring the crappers out of Dustin. I've never heard him scream like that before! haha!!! (He denys that he even screamed at all)
The "large bird" ended up being a white owl with a wingspan of about 3 feet. That thing was huge. It left a bunch of crap and guts and blood on our window that we had to ignore until we made it over the pass and could stop at a gas station to clean off.
The bird whacked so hard into our car that it also broke our drivers side mirror. Not only is the glass missing, the entire structure is cracked (you can't see it in the pic though) and a bunch of screws and stuff are gone, too. Whatever. We both couldn't stop laughing about it the whole night. We were in bed and one of us would just start randomly laughing at the flashback of that thing smacking into the car about 12 inches away from Dustin's head. What the are the chances??

Weekend getaway

2009-08-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

Dustin and I planned world's most amazing weekend getaway for each other!
Starting Saturday morning, we're leaving Lillie with Dustin's gracious parents and are driving down to Utah to do the following:

Attend the Logan Temple for the first time since we were sealed there 2 years ago
Get a 70 minute side-by-side couples massage
Eat at the Melting Pot (you have no idea how excited I am)
Stay in our Little America tower room suite
Attend Music and the Spoken Word
Eat at the amazing Grand America Hotel Sunday brunch

I'm so excited! We're really living it up, means we'll be limited how much "us" time we'll have after we move to Virginia and have another baby.

Plus, tonight we're going to see the new babies, go out to eat with Tyson and Alli and Dustin's parents, then later I get to go hang out with my good friend, Jenni Wilson.

Andy and Sayde

2009-08-11T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of my new nephew and niece!
Andy Lance Sheppard (Elisha and Lance's first baby) was born Friday, August 7th. He was 8 lbs 2 oz. and is soooooooo cute.
Sayde Jean Alboucq (Dana and Mike's baby) was born early this morning (Tuesday, August 11th) and was 7 lbs. 12 oz.. She's so sweet and is their 5th girl.
I love my new niece and nephew! I'm 28 weeks along and am SO baby hungry now after holding those two babies today. I guess I don't have too much longer to wait...

Dutch Joe Creek

2009-08-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

We went camping Friday and Saturday at a place called Dutch Joe Creek. It's out in the boondocks of Wyoming, near Pinedale. It's real down and dirty camping... no toilets, showers, close neighbors, or water spickets. We had a blast! Right beyond those trees is the creek, so Dustin went fishing all day Saturday and caught 4 fish! Our campsite was also above 9,000 feet and you could see a million stars at night. It was so relaxing and peaceful.
The only bad parts were Dustin thinking he only needed to print out the last half of the directions to our campsite (I'm over it now), how freezing it got at night, and the hour long ride on a bumpy, dirt road from the highway. But other than that, it was well worth it! And now I'm exhausted and am going to bed early!!

3 Kitchen Gadgets

2009-07-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

I love kitchen gadgets. I'm a big fan of the KitchenAid Garlic Presser, and the melon-baller, or any other 'one purpose only' item. I've come across these 3 kitchen gadgets the past 2 weeks- I highly recommend them!

Gadget #1: Potato Peeler/scrubber
Found at: DollarTree (1$)
Why I like it: Self explanatory! Gadget #2: Cheese Grater Box Set
Found at: Ikea (4.99)
Why I like it: Because not only does it save you a plate to grate your cheese, but also comes with a lid for storage. No mess, and no worries if you grate too much. Plus, it's easier to grate cheese with this than with the standing box grater.Gadget #3: Cherry/Olive Pitter
Found at: Target (9.99)
Why I love it: All of a sudden eating cherries is easy. This device comes with a 'splatter guard' and is virtually mess free. It takes out only the seed, and none of the fruit leaving you with a perfect, healthy snack.

Old and New....

2009-07-14T13:38:00.001-07:00

It's here! I ordered the baby's bedding a few weeks ago and I recieved it just a few days ago. I figured Lillie and the new baby boy would be sharing a room... so I searched for matching stuff. I got everything really cheap at this one ebay store, both bedding sets were 80$ combined. They're both 100% cotton and are both really cute, I think.
Here's Lil's toddler bedding set:
And here's the new baby boy's:

Also, we sold our truck! We put an add in the Thrifty Nickle that came out on Thursday and we sold it on Sunday. The guy paid for it in cash... which was pretty awsome. To be honest we hated that pickup. It was a good car, but we're glad it's gone. Goodbye 95 Nissan!

Here's Dustin's new company truck. It's a 2005 Chevy Duramax. He loves it. It's obviously quite the step up from his last vehicle.

And with the 4th of July weekend and all the traveling we did last week, it's hard to believe I'm already 24 weeks (6 months)! I've had an awsome pregnancy so far. I'm staying a good weight, eating extra healthy, and excersizing a few days a week. I have energy and only feel pregnant at night when it's uncomfortable to sleep. I'm still pretty nervous about having another baby, especially with all of Lil's temper tantrums lately... but also excited at the same time. I'm really enjoying this time that I have with just Lillie. I know that when baby #2 comes life will get harder!

Dustin also informed me that we'll be here atleast 6 or 7 weeks (through the end of August) then we'll be off somewhere else. His boss flew out to his job early last week and told him that they have 4 years of work lined up for him right now- which is amazing! If only I knew where we were moving... grrr.

Lincoln City Beach

2009-07-13T14:22:00.001-07:00

Beach day! You never know what the weather will be like on the Oregon coast, but even though the weather wasn't ideal, we still enjoyed our time. It was low 70's, just windy, overcast, and kinda misty the entire day. We went to Mo's, the best seafood restaurant ever. We had an ocean view table. Dustin ate disgusting oysters, but I always get the clam chowder. We made sure to pick up some salt water taffy, and just enjoyed sitting on the beach. We'll be back to Lincoln City next year, and it had better be sunny!

Newport Beach Aquarium

2009-07-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Here we are! Newport is farther away than I remembered... but the 3 hour drive was still worth it. The only thing Dustin really wanted to do on our trip was go to a real aquarium. We went to the one in Utah, and it's just a little lame compared to this one. This one had otters, seals, sharks, lots of varieties of jelly fish, and every other kind of aquatic creature you can think of. We used to go here a lot when I was a kid because Keiko (Free Willy) was here. We ended up staying for almost 3 hours.

One of the otters eating clams.

Dustin took this picture.

These are world's largest crabs. Their arm span is 13 feet!

They had an "Odd Water" exibit. Lots of interesting fish.

Here's Dustin touching a small shark.

They had lots of tunnels full of fish. Even parts of the floor were glass so you could watch the fish swim over you and under you.

Just a massive 10 foot shark swimming about 5 feet away from my head.

Vancouver Trip

2009-07-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a quick trip to Vancouver last week, completely on a whim. They had just poured the concrete on Dustin's job last week, and they needed a good week for cure time. Dustin had nothing to do for work, so his company let him take a paid vacation for a week! We figured it would be a looooooong time until we could go back to Vancouver if we didn't go now. We went to Vancouver, Portland, Newport, Lincoln City, some outlet mall in Troutdale, and spent our last day in Yakima visiting Tacie and Ryan. I'm dividing up our trip into 3 posts because I took too many pictures.
These pictures are mostly of The Portland Childrens Museum. We took Lillie there and she loved it.

*************
One of the best parts about visiting was seeing Abby again!

One of the restaurants we have to go to everytime we visit is Chevy's. We met up with Jessie and Dallin, it was incredible. Oh, and Jessie is due in 3 weeks!

Independance Weekend!

2009-07-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! Our weekend included boating, a BBQ, fireworks, and exhaustion! Lillie didn't like the fireworks, but Dustin and I sure did. Idaho Falls has the 14th best fireworks show in the US... so it was pretty good. Here are some pics from the weekend.

Lil playing in the water with the straw from her Capri Sun.

Lillie chasing Cooper

Dustin and Lillie on the boat, she was a little tired.

Cooper, Easton, Lillie and Rachael jumping on the tramp at the BBQ.

My half eaten Flag cake... a must for the 4th.

All the kids (besides Rachael) after the BBQ waiting around to do our own fireworks.

Dustin lighting off the illegal's.

Lillie snuggling with Gramps.

Rachael and Lillie waiting for the big firework show in IF.

They make it look like it was cold!

Lillie and Anna with their glow necklaces and bracelets.

Another pic I got of the fireworks! The show was 35 minutes long and was incredible!

3 years

2009-06-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

Three years goes by fast. I love being married to Dustin. I can honestly say that I love being with him more than anyone else. The past 3 years have been so fun- It's weird to think it all started from an incredibly awkward blind date on February 14th, 2006. We were engaged 3 weeks later, married 4 months later, sealed 1 year after that, and truly happy together ever since.

A look back at what we've done together the past 3 years:

Made 1 1/2 babies

Raised 1 kitten

Owned 4 cars

Worked for 7 companies (2 for me, 5 for Dustin)

Read the BofM 6 times

Moved 5 times

Lived in 4 States

Had 4 root canals

Been on 4 vacations (child-less)

Been to 8 temples together

Changed approx. 3,960 diapers

Held 9 church callings, combined

Been apart 78 days

Been together 1,014 days

Dustin is the kindest, most selfless person I know. He rarely says anything negative about anyone. He's easy going and doesn't change around anyone. He's so smart and can remember everything! He has a strong testimoney of the Gospel and is the leader of our home. I love having a worthy Priesthood holder to lead and guide our family. I'm grateful for his strength, optimism, and love. He's very patient with me and says "I love you" to me many times a day. He does the dishes every night and opens the door for me everywhere we go. I knew right away that he was the boy I was going to marry- and I'm grateful that I chose him to be with for Eternity! It's funny looking back to when we were first dating and saying our first "I love you"'s to eachother. It seems that I hardly knew Dustin at all then, but I knew I loved him. I had no idea I could love someone as much as I love Dustin today. Sure, we're technically not newlyweds anymore- but our marriage has only yealded more love and unity as time goes on.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

This is what Lillie made for Dustin for Father's Day in Nursery. It's called a "Picnic Pocket" and is filled with 2 juice boxes and 2 rice krispi treats and a little note that Lillie colored. They are suppose to go on a picnic together- such a cute idea!
We've had a really busy Father's Day weekend, not only was it Father's Day, but it was also Dustin's mom's Birthday, and Clark and Kristi's baby's blessing for sweet little Bailey. It was a really really really busy and eventful weekend!

The weekend before my sister Elisha had a BBQ for my dad. I made these sugar cookies. But unfortunatly, didn't get very many pictures of the actual BBQ.

The same weekend my sister Dana, her girls, and my parents came to Jackson for a few days. We went down to Pinedale for one night and stayed with my Aunt Jean and Uncle Emil. All 10 of us squeezed into our tiny 550 sq/ft apartment for the next night- it was really funny and we had nowhere near enough towels.

This is us at our Elder's Quorum activity. It was a tad wet outside, but we had fun! We went to the Castago Wagon Ride and Cookout. We rode real canvas covered wagons pulled by horses and ate steak, potato's, hot dogs, salads, and all the deserts you can think of! They also had a guy there singing old time songs. It was a fun time!

Except Lillie didn't always think it was fun...

For Father's Day, Lillie and I got Dustin some fishing stuff! Dustin inherited an old fly fishing pole from his Great Grandfather and really wanted to start fishing a lot while we're still here in Jackson. He got another fishing pole, tackle box, and all the stuff that goes with it. My Dad took us to a lake near Pinedale. Unfortunaly, none of us caught any fish that day.

We had a good Father's Day celebration the past 2 weekends! Dustin is a really good Father to Lillie. I remember when I was still pregnant with Lillie, Dustin wanted us to have a boy. However, ever since she's been with us, they have been best friends! Lillie is such a daddy's girl. She gets so sad when he leaves and starts laughing and smiling really big when he comes home from work each day. They play together and read lots of books together. Lillie would rather go to Dustin when she's sad than to me, which is really sweet I think. Dustin is the best dad, and I know that Lillie loves him a lot!

Laundry Soap

2009-06-18T16:07:00.001-07:00

A lady I know from my online MI Forum told us all how to make your own laundry detergent. She's been making her own for 3 or 4 years because one of her kids gets really bad rashes from detergents that aren't hypoallergenic. Because hypoallergenic laundry detergents are so expensive... she makes her own!
Anyway, I've been making ours from her recipe. I don't really care that if it's hypoallergenic or not, I just love making it and it's way cheaper than even the Kirkland brand!
If you're interested, here's the recipe:
1 bar of soap (hypoallergenic Dove, Dial, Melaleuca platium bar, etc.)
1/2 Cup of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (found by the fabric softener, about 2-3 dollars for a 3.5 lb box)
1/2 Cup of Oxy Clean (generic works great)
5 gallon bucket
water

Just grate the bar of soap with a cheese grater.
Bring 2-3 cups of water almost to a boil then add the grated soap and stir until it's completely dissolved.
Fill your 5 gallon bucket half way with hot water.
Add hot soap water, 1/2 C washing soda, and 1/2 C of oxy clean and stir for 3 or 4 minutes.
Add more hot water until it reaches near the top.
Stir every 15 minutes for 2 hours.
Voila!

*The soap will thicken as it cools down. I usually make mine at night time, and by the time I wake up it's the perfect, gooey consitancy.

I use about 1 cup of the detergent for a large load of laundry. The soap gets a little goopy, but I read that it gets like that because it has more cleaning agents in it than store-bought soap. It's really cheap to make and cleans your clothes really well... plus it's hypoallergenic!

Break down of costs:
bar of soap 1$
Washing Soda .75
Oxy Clean .25
Total: $1.90 for a 5 gallon bucket (not including the water and time)

Irritated.

2009-06-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

So... we got our 'final bill' from Elk Run Apartments. We moved out on April 8th and paid our full months rent for the month of April on April 1st. We were told that we would continue paying the full rent until the apartment was filled, and because we ended our 12 month lease 6 months early, we would not be getting our 300$ deposit back.
WELL.
(breath)
The apartment was filled June 3rd. Instead of paying All of May's rent, and 2 days of June's pro-rated rent ($856.00), we are being charged for the following:
May rent: 799.00
2 days in June: 57.00
Water for May: 36.00
Move-in Discount deductable: 150.00
Early Termination Fee: 499.00
Cleaning Fee: 40.00

For a GRAND TOTAL of: $1581.00
(not to mention the fact that we're already losing our 300$ deductable)

YEAH RIGHT!
First of all, we never had any sort of 'move-in special' when we moved in. Second of all, I'm not paying 36.00 for water from a vacant apartment, especially when all of our utilites combined were only 18 dollars a month.
THIRD: Nowhere in our contract does it ever state ANYTHING about an early termination fee. Even when we've called and asked nobody has ever said anything about it. If it's not in the contract, I'm not paying.
And don't even get me started on the cleaning fee.

Anyway, I wrote a very stern letter stating that I would only pay for the rent, and that they could happily keep our 300$ deductable. So um.. pray we only have to pay $856.00 instead of $1581.00!!

Herbs and such

2009-06-06T20:08:00.001-07:00

This is the extent of our garden this year. It's kinda hard when you live in an apartment to find space to grow stuff. I'm growing (LtoR): oregano, cherry tomatos, basil, and a cactus plant. I got the cactus plant for Mother's Day from Julie. That's the easiest one to keep alive. My basil and oregano are doing so well! They've atleast tripled in size since we got them 3 weeks ago.

I also found these hanging baskets for 20$ a piece that I love.

Well, Dustin and I have gotten alot for the baby! I found some insane deals on Gymboree.com and bought about 10 outfits 6-12 month sizes for next Spring and Summer. We also got a few more 0-3 month outfits, bathrobe/washcloths, bibs, pacifiers, a baby book and photo album, burp rags, and a bunch of little blue fuzzy socks. All that's left are white onesie's, a few more 0-6 month size clothes, a few toys, and a crib set. I already have the cribset picked out, it's brown and a combination of blue stripes and polka dots from Target. I'm trying to get all the baby stuff before we move (Aug. 7th) so that when we do move, I won't have to be overly-stressed with unpacking, finding a doctor, registering at a hospital, AND worrying about buying last minute things. It is fun looking at boy stuff for a change!

Dustin's work is going well. He's been rained out for the past week so it's been slow, but nice having him home all the time. He's working hard and learning a lot about erecting a steel building. The company owner (who is also LDS) flew out here to look at the jobsite last week. He always calles Dustin 'Brother Miller.' He should be getting a company truck soon, also. Dustin also started riding his fancy bike again. He goes out for 10 mile rides every once in a while. Dustin also decided he wanted to start fishing and camping a lot while we're still here. There are lots of great places to go fishing, so for an early Father's Day present we went out and bought him a fishing pole with all the stuff that goes with it. He also inherited an ancient fly fishing pole from his Great Grandfather, and he's excited to try out flyfishing!

Lillie babbles. She never stops! She makes up wierd words and wierd sounds and changes the inflation of her voice- we have no idea what she's saying. It's pretty funny! She's also obsessed with the Baby Einstein video "Baby McDonald" and can do all the animal sounds. She's already acting like she's 2, and throws a couple tantrums a day. It's hilarious. Everytime she just throws herself down on the floor and starts kicking and screeming, we just laugh! She's a lot of fun to be around and is becoming more and more independant.

As for me... I'm actually excersizing on a regular basis for the first time in 2 1/2 years! I go running or walking or I ride my bike about 3 or 4 times a week-- and it feels great. I'm also busy finishing up a few quilts right now and I've been experiementing with new recipes the past 2 weeks and love using my homegrown herbs!

We love it in Jackson (except for the fact that there isn't a Target) and are sad we only have 2 months left here.

We're having a....

2009-06-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

BOY!!!

We're so excited! We knew we were suppose to have another baby about 7 months ago and it's nice to know that this little guy is suppose to be in our family. The baby weighs 8 oz. and is about 6 inches long. He's healthy and everything seems to be developing as it should. The due date is still October 31st.

We've already received many gifts! Yesterday my sister, Dana gave us a little outfit (very left) and Angie got us another cute outfit (very right). Then later that night Julie suprized us with 3 adorable outfits and a pair of shoes. Everything is so cute and so tiny!

Baby giving us a thumbs-up!

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