DeMom, Mr. Clean, and Jarhead

25 Years

2012-01-15T12:38:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I'm actually 25! I don't feel old or different but it's just weird to say!
In honor of turning 25, here are few things that I want to remember!

25 of my Most Favorite Memories (not in order- i tried to keep them in categories instead)
Life Memories::
1. scoring my first goal in soccer
2. graduating from high school and BYU
3. being accepted to BYU and living in a whole new state on my own
4. going to Hawaii
5. going to Europe
6. going to the beach during the summers
7. Being an RA for some of the most AWESOME girls!
Mr. Clean Memories::
8.Go Carts Date with Mr. Clean
9. Reading the notes that mr. clean sent me when we were apart and we were dating.
10. Getting Married
11. Going on our first Night away without Jarhead
12. this last week when mr. clean did something special each day for my 25th birthday! *including taking me to the melting pot!!
Jarhead Memories:
13. bringing Jarhead home
14. the day Jarhead smiled at me
15. the first day Jarhead started walking everywhere
16. Jarhead's funny faces
17. Jarhead's laugh
Friend Memories::
18. girls nights (esp this one last friday!)
19. summer days with the kiddies playing outside
20. buying strawberry daquari mix and OJ for our nonalcoholic drinks but the cashier not believing us!
Church Memories::
21. being baptized
22. meeting SPASM
23. "moving furniture" but really learning all the things I did while doing it.
24. going through the temple
25. receiving my patriarchal blessing

25 Reasons Why This Birthday was Awesome!
1. Mr. Clean surprised me with roses on Monday
2. We watched NCIS on Tuesday and BOTH were great episodes
3. We made AWESOME pizza on Tuesday.
4. We walked around the mall just in case there was something I wanted to buy on Wed.
5. I got NCIS season 5!
6. I went shopping to multiple stores and found cute things!
7. I found time to craft!
8. I got my HairCut! (it's been over a year!!)
9. I got to take a nap.
10. Mr. Clean straightened the house multiple times! (he does this often but this week I was usually asleep!)
11. Jarhead was so good all week! even took naps a few days!
12. I had an AWESOME girls night with friends!
13. I went shopping with friends! We were giggling and talking really fast and just having fun!
14. There was no snow!
15. It was a beautiful week- weather wise! There were a few days I didn't even need a jacket!
16. I got to talk to everyone in my family on my birthday!
17. I got to talk to a friend that I haven't talked with in a while for an hour!
18. I ate whatever I wanted all week and didn't feel bad about it!
19. Mr. Clean was super sweet all week! (he usually is) but this week I got to choose what we ate, what we did, etc.
20. I got a glue gun. *so I dont have to borrow my friend's anymore! haha
21. I got a new calling that I'm SUPER excited for! (Activity Day Leader)
22. Mr. Clean took me on a date to the MELTING POT! It was sooo yummy!
23. Our friends' watched Jarhead for about 4 hours on Saturday so we didn't feel rushed on our date!
24. Mr. Clean let me pick the movie we watched! (Rise of the Planet of the Apes! SO GOOD!)
25. I turned 25! It's pretty awesome because it's a quarter of a century!

I am so blessed in my life. My husband is the best ever and is my very very vest friend. I have the cutest little boy and he makes me smile every day. I love my family and I have the greatest in-laws. I have the gospel in my life. I'm excited and ready to be 25! Here I come year- it's going to ROCK!

December 2011

2012-01-05T13:12:00.001-07:00

Wow! December was SUCH a busy month for us! It flew by! We did so many great things tho- I hope I can do it justice in this post!

My dad came in the beginning of the month for about a week. He was here for Jarhead's first birthday. We went to Cabela's, the Bean museum, Iggy's to watch our football teams play against each other, and to the base of the Y to see the valley. Jarhead had a great time with his grandpa here!

While Grandpa V was here, we celebrated Jarhead's First Birthday! I can't believe my baby is one!! This past year has been full of so many ups and downs with jobs and schooling and moving and health issues but the best thing about it was my little Jarhead. He made it alll worth it. I sure do love him! One of his favorite theme songs to watch is the Cosby Show.. We thought it'd be fun to use that for the theme of his birthday! Plus- what other 1 year old has a Cosby Party!! It was so much fun tho. Matt's brother,wife, and little boy, and our neighbors (Jarhead's best friend T-Man's family) and my dad were here with us. Jarhead was SO spoiled but we're really grateful for everyone who got him fun little toys, clothes, and other things.

After my dad left, we had a week until Mr. Clean's parents came. It was a busy week straightening up from Jarhead's party and getting ready for more company..

Mr. Clean and I got to go away overnight which was super nice and relaxing! I dont have any pictures tho :( The room was really nice. We went to a nice dinner and the movies. We'll def go back to the Anniversary Inn again.

With Mr. Clean's parents here we were super busy! Pros- We had Scones for Christmas Eve at his sister's house and Christmas day was TriTip and potatoes at our house. The girls went out shopping and to lunch while they were here too and Jarhead's cousin was blessed.. Cons-Jarhead cut a new tooth so he was cranky for a few days. Mr. Clean and I got super sick so we did nothing but lay on the couch for a day. but in the end it was a great trip..

Christmas was great- Jarhead loved it. He loved eating (and breaking) the candy canes. He loved the chair that Santa brought and he enjoyed opening all the gifts! He didn't hate sitting on Santa's lap... It was just all great..I love that he was much more alert and excited this year! It's just going to get better and better!

We have a bunch of videos as well but I need to sort thru the good ones! I'll post them later! Hope your Christmas was as awesome as ours!

November

2011-12-02T16:15:00.001-07:00

November! What a month! I kept up with the month of gratitude on facebook even thought i didn't dedicate a whole post to each here.. they didn't all have fun pictures to go with, and let's face it.. that's why you're here reading :)

We started off the month eating a bunch Jarhead's Halloween candy! it was so yummy! yes- we did share with him. his favorite was the kit kat bars.. he doesn't get sweets to often and you could tell! he kept wanting more and more!

I can't wait to post about all of the fun crafts I have been making... but most of them are Christmas gifts so it will have to wait.. I posted the skirt I made last month..(here's the tutorial.- you should make the waist smaller than she says tho.. mine came out a bit to big)But anyway, this is a car seat cover I made for a friend. It's reversible and there are also black ties on the green side. I made one for our new nephew as a gift too. but i sewed the top in strips of fun blue, red, and white blankets... i forgot to take a pic of that one tho :( It's super easy to make and I LOVE how it turned out... Here's the tutorial.

He's tired here but I love how he's still playing with his little car.

We celebrated 11.11.11 with a pizza! Yummy!!

This was his new climbing spot for a while. Then he started to stand and hang onto the high chair. Obviously- he couldn't get down. Or, he'd climb into the black shelf if the crate was moved over in front of it. We've emptied the blue crate and moved everything.. He doesn't seem to miss it and I'm glad!

playing in his toy bin!

what a climber.. I had climbed up to get something and got down to put it on the table and turned around to this. He was getting a kick out of it!

ohhh, the fireplace...

He FINALLY started to hold his own bottle... Not all of the time, maybe half if we're lucky.. but hey- I'll take it! especially in the car!

Somehow, I missed a picture of the beautiful turkey... I really thought Mr. Clean took one but I can't find it right now... Thanksgiving dinner was so yummy. We had Mr. Clean's brother, wife, and new baby over. We ate so many great things and the turkey came out fantastic! oh and the apple pie... and the salads, crescent rolls, and potatoes.. oh man...

It was the last of the little man's first holidays... Bitter Sweet.. I can't believe he's growing up.. For being such a picture taker, I really dropped the ball on this holiday.. I only have a couple.:(. but we relaxed, ate, and enjoyed our company.. You can see Jarhead loved the dinner and that the sweet potatoes got stuck in his hair! He almost dropped after all the food he ate!

Uncle S is reading one of Jarhead's favorite books. It's funny but he only likes certain ones! I haven't figured out a pattern to the ones that he likes except that they are short (but there are some short ones he doesn't like) If he doesn't like the book, he closes it on you, continually hits it until you close it or tries to take it and throw it. If it's a book he likes, he'll sit there quietly looking at the pages and helps you turn them... I have most of his favorites memorized. i'm hoping he'll find new favorites soon...

He got to open a birthday gift from his aunt melanie and cousins early this year so that they could see it on skype. the technology we have is amazing! i didn't think he'd really be into new toys but i was wrong! he loves this thing. it has this part(in the picture) and another part that you can sit on(the red part in the picture below).. It's pretty impressive the things that it can do.. I'm excited for him to open the rest next week...

At the end of the month, my old roommate came to Utah! It was so great to see her(and her family!)! Her little girl is 2 now and I hadn't gotten to meet her yet! It was so fun to see her and it made me wish she lived closer(even more than i already did)!!

On that same day, a good friend from home was also in Utah! I dont have that picture yet tho.. still waiting for her to email it.. But it was great to see her and some other friends for breakfast and then head to Ikea to see my old roommate! What a great day!

We're so blessed in our lives. I love where we are living. We have some GREAT friends, awesome families, and the most wonderful little man. Life is crazy and busy and sometimes seems long and difficult but in the end, I wouldn't trade any of it because all of it has shaped us into who we are and lead us to the life we are living....

We hope your Thanksgiving was as great as ours and Have fun getting ready for Christmas! It's such a WONDERFUL time of year!

The walking little man!

2011-11-28T16:50:00.001-07:00

I can't believe November is just about over! It was such a fun month! I'll post about it later but for now you can see the little jarhead walking... sorry it's from behind.. i kept trying from the front but he'd drop and crawl to the camera.... it's so fun to watching him waddle all over! my favorite thing about this video is that hes so persistant.. he just keeps on trying- even when he falls! enjoy and more pics will come soon!

GrAtEfUl NoVeMbEr!!

2011-11-09T10:04:00.003-07:00

Sometimes the things that our government does drive me nuts. However, i am still so grateful to be living in America. This is the promised land. It is where I have religious freedom and I can say and do just about anything I want. Even tho sometimes it feels like it's a crazy place to be- I'd rather be here than a lot of other places..

(unless maybe an island that I owned and ruled! p.s. only family and friends would be allowed on this island. no stupid people!)

GrAtEfUl NoVeMbEr!!

2011-11-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'm so lucky to have great in-laws.

I'm grateful for them for 2 specific reasons.

1: They raised Mr. Clean to be a WONDERFUL husband and father. He's a great best friend, honest, faithful, fun, and responsible. T

2: From the moment I met them, I knew I would love them. It was Dec 22, 2008 and I was flying home for Christmas. They came to Utah to spend Christmas with Mr. Clean and his sister.. So, it was a quick hello before Mr. Clean drove me to the airport. You would have thought I'd known them all my life. I got a big hello and a cute Christmas gift. I was welcomed right away into their family and treated as a daughter from then on.

I love Mr. Clean's parents. It's awesome to look forward to vacations at their house or visits when they come to Utah. I know a few people that love their spouse's family but wouldn't choose to spend their afternoon with them. This last time Mom C was in- we had a great time! It was fun to spend time with her and J & M! I also have a lot in common with Mom C. When we're together we do crafts and go shopping and talk about how cute her grandkids are. I feel like I'm constantly forming a stronger relationship with them. Mr. Clean is also really close with his parents and I know that he is really grateful to have them to go too- whether it's something as simple as a cooking question or something deeper.

Most people are lucky to have one great set of parents, but I'm lucky enough to have 2 great sets!

and how awesome is that!

GrAtEfUl NoVeMbEr!

2011-11-07T12:53:00.001-07:00

I have awesome parents.

I dont remember much about growing up, however, one thing i do remember is having fun with my parents.

My mom is super cool. She taught me how to do new things, make old things better, and look outside the box. She is spontaneous and showed me that you can have fun- even as an adult. There are a lot of things we have in common- things I didn't see when I was in high school... I'm glad that my teenage years didn't reflect the relationship we'd have now. Even though I can't go back and change that time, I can make up for it now. I'm glad that my mom is my friend and that I can go to her with anything <3 She's also a great grandma and Jarhead loves her!

I use to think my dad was more on the quiet side. Now that I've gotten older, i've realized it's just because i was a punk teenager who didn't like to spend time at home! I love sports. I love playing sports and my dad is AWESOME at teaching! especially things he's passionate about. He let me be in all the sports I wanted to growing up so that I could spread my wings and decide the one that was best for me. When I joined soccer in highschool, he was a crazy fan! I know that I am a daddy's girl and I'm so grateful for that! He's also a great grandpa and loves spending time with Jarhead. I'm super excited he is coming next month for Jarhead's first birthday and to spend almost a week with us!

The thing about my parents that I am most grateful for is that they trusted me and let me make decisions for myself. When I joined the church, When I chose what sport to play (or not to play), When I chose my college and my major, When I got married, etc. They taught me the things I needed to know and guided me in the right direction. I have been stronger in the choices I have made because I knew they were right behind me- supporting me. I may not have made all the choices they have made- or that they would have made- but they let me make the decisions that were best for me.

GrAtEfUl NoVeMbEr!!

2011-11-06T09:33:00.003-07:00

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is on this earth and I know about it. It makes my life better and makes me happier. every.single.day.

When I first found The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I had no idea the impact it would have on my life. It has affected my decisions, my thoughts, and how I feel about certain things that happen. Basically, it has affected who I am and who I have become--and I am a better person because of it.
Here are just a few specific instances of why I am so grateful.

- In high school, I could have gotten in a lot of trouble. Knowing my purpose in life, helped me make better decisions.
-When I was accepted to a few colleges, I was able to pray and be inspired to choose the right one- I chose the one where I would later meet Mr. Clean.:)
-It taught me that marriage can be forever- if done by the proper authority in the proper place.
-It taught me that i can be with my family forever. What a wonderful blessing.
-When we were going thru some pretty crazy trials at the beginning of this year, I was grateful to know that I could turn to my Father in Heaven in prayer and be heard and be helped.
-I know that even on days that are difficult,my Heavenly Father has a plan for me. I don't always see that plan but He sees all things and I know that His plan is best.
-2ce a year, I get to listen to His prophets and apostles and learn about the things that He needs me to hear.

GrAtEfUl NoVeMbEr!!

2011-11-05T12:32:00.002-06:00

I love my friends!

I've moved around a lot in my life and I've had friends everywhere I've gone. I have my good friends back home and those from college and from MD. I'm really grateful for all of my friends and everything they have done for me over the years. Everyone has helped me with something different in my life.

Right now, I have some friends that live SUPER CLOSE- in my complex. Do you know how awesome it is to have friends within walking distance- even on a cold snowy/rainy day? Also, my friends are always willing to watch Jarhead- whether it's for a date, to visit newborn babies, or to exercise. They tell me that I'm a happy person. Generally, I am happy. But if i'm having a bad day- I remember that and I always feel better. They help me be a better person. They've helped me learn that I actually enjoy running and exercising. I've learned more about different crafts and cooking and parenting. Moving to Utah after everything that happened in the beginning of the year was difficult. We were nervous and anxious. Even tho we didn't plan to end up where we did, I'm glad we chose to live here. I'm lucky to have the best friends in the world. I know that I can count on them no matter what- good days and bad- and I'd be willing to do the same for them..
and that's a good feeling.

Here are some (although not all!) pictures of other good friends i've had over the years... i love you lots- even if your pic is not included here! i can't post a hundred pictures!! lol

GrAtEfUl NoVeMbEr

2011-11-04T21:15:00.001-06:00

I know- they're the same as from facebook but i do it here so i can add pictures and write more :)

today, i'm grateful for sisters...

I am really lucky to have married such a great guy. I'm even more lucky that he has a great family.. Now that he and his 2 siblings are here in Utah, we get together a lot. It's always fun. Today, J&M and I went with the kiddies to IKEA. It was a good girls day out (plus Jarhead)... i'm grateful that I have 2 great sisters that I get to be friends with and do things with! It's also fun our kids will grow up together- at least for the next few years while the hubbies are in school....

I was lucky enough to have a sister for 9 years of my life growing up... Of course, our parents split up before we were both in high school and so she and i didn't get to be as close as i thought we would be when we were younger. i dont talk to her nearly often enough and our kids don't know each other. but i miss her and i think of her often. Sadly- this picture is about 5 or 6 years old- the last time I saw her...

Even though I am my parent's only little girl- I was given some great girls that i can call my sisters. I love you and today that's what I'm grateful for <3

GrAtEfUl NoVeMbEr!!

2011-11-03T10:02:00.002-06:00

My little Jarhead is so happy! Just look at this cute face- how can you not smile when you see him?

He makes me smile just holding him. He makes me want to be a better person because when he gets older I want him to look up to me and want to be a better person. I always want to teach him the right things.

I am blessed to be able to have a wonderful little boy. <3

Pillow Video!

2011-11-02T11:24:00.000-06:00

I just posted with pics so check that out below :) but i finally got some video of Jarhead beating up the pillows!
enjoy!!

October and a Grateful November!

2011-11-02T10:08:00.001-06:00

This time of year is my FAVORITE! I love the fall! I love that the leaves are falling everywhere.. Of course, we're in Utah so it's starting to get cold- but this has been by far the best fall I've ever had in Utah (and LONGEST!) The other reason I love this time of year is because it is full of Holiday Fun! i love the holidays. As a kid, I didn't like to decorate but I did because we did it as a family but now- I love it! I need more Thanksgiving ones tho! I have a good amount of Halloween and a ton of Christmas but not much for in between! Guess that's what i'll be working on this next week!
Thanksgiving is a great holiday! It reminds us to be thankful! I tend to think I'm a grateful person most of the time- remembering my blessings and where they come from but we could all use the extra reminder to be thankful for even the small things..

Today- I'm thankful for my very best friend. He supports me in all things. He works so I can stay home. He goes to school so we can support our family better later. He reminds me that little things don't always matter. He helps me let go and relax. He helps me be more me. He's a great dad and encourages me to be a better mom...He makes me happy and I love him.

We also had a GREAT October!! Enjoy some fun pictures...

dressed for church! my handsome boys!!

He likes to stand in this corner.. haha

When Mom C came in October, we went to Gardner Village. It was alot of fun and we ate a SUPER yummy lunch! best fries ever!!

Lounging with dad while watching TV

The skirt Mom C helped me make! I love it! It's SO comfy and was a lot of fun to do! I'll make another one soon!!

We LOVE Fall and Leaves!!

Jarhead has been sleepy alot lately- and extra snuggly <3

The EQ of the ward put together a pinewood derby.... There were no rules so it was a bit crazy- but everyone had a good time.. mr. Clean came in 10th overall.

Looking so old in his Sunday outfit!

Mr. Clean and Jarhead dressed as Calvin and Hobbes and I was Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween. I used my coat at Mr. Clean's work but it was SO nice out when we went trick or treating so i sewed up the second picture in about 10 min! i was so proud of myself :)

Isn't he a Cutie!

2011-10-27T13:35:00.001-06:00

My good friend and I switch kids 3-4 times a week so we can exercise childless. The boy is a year old and probably Jarhead's best friend. They follow each other around the house, try to take each other's toys, Jarhead uses him to climb on while T tries to climb away. It is SO funny to watch the boys play together. Here I put some snacks out for Jarhead and T squeezed his way in and they both tried to eat fast so they could get more than the other...

This is Jarhead's "scared" face I've been talking about. Mr. Clean taught him to do it on command. It is soo funny to watch!

He LOVES to beat up the pillows.. I can't find the good video of it so for now this one will have to do...

Same with this video... I need to look around for the good one I have. He climbs over Mr. Clean's legs(or whatever is around) over and over... As you can see here- he's super sleepy.. haha.. He also makes that noise with his lips all day. Super cute!

We were at Mr. Clean's sister's house and we decided to see how Jarhead would do with a push toy. Obviously- he loved it! We're borrowing one from a friend and he walks around the house all day!

Well- he's up now so it's time for lunch!! enjoy the videos!

Family Pictures 2011

2011-10-15T15:32:00.001-06:00

Matt's mom came in yesterday and it's been fun just hanging out. We're looking forward to the rest of the weekend with her! But for now- just a quick post full of some family pictures.. We went up to the canyon this morning. It was pretty cold- you can tell Jarhead's nose is pink.. He did so good tho- as he usually does when we're outside... even for being so tired... I also took a swing at some photoshop and like how they came out.. Not bad for a first try! I hope I just keep getting better!!

Ron Page

2011-10-14T08:51:00.001-06:00

A good family friend passed away last week and I've been thinking about him a lot. I really wanted to write about it but for some reason I just keep deleting every post I write. I dont seem to have the words to describe what a wonderful man he was and why- even though I have only known him for 3.5 years- he was so important to me.
Growing up, I had attended more funerals than weddings. I knew what to expect, how everything happened in what order, and the feelings that accompanied those events. This viewing and funeral was different. It was still a sad event. Ron Page was a good man- better than good. He truely blessed the lives of every single person he met. I wouldn't doubt that he made the person standing behind him in a grocery store line have a better day- just because they were near him. From the day that I met him and his family, I was welcomed. I was treated like I was one of them. I got big hugs and kisses on my forehead. I got "we can't wait til we see you again" when we left. I always loved being in their home. They were there for our wedding. They offered to let us use their backyard for the reception and when in the end we decided we were afraid of rain, they helped us set up their church's cultural hall. They helped set up and take down. His wife and Matt's grandma made us a beautiful quilt complete with engagement pictures and one of the temple we were married in. They are a good family and my life is better because I know them. He was active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He reactivated many people- some of those that have had generations of impact. That is why it was sad- because the world lost a good man-someone who made everything better around him every day. However, being there at the viewing and funeral, a different feeling overwhelmed my body. It was comfort. I know that I have had a testimony of the plan of salvation since the beginning. What I didn't know was how knowing that can change what you feel at a funeral. He is safe. He is happy. He is healed. His wife and family only have to be without him while they are still here on this earth. When they pass away, they will see him there- waiting to give them hugs and kisses.(and probably waiting to play a prank on them!) With the gospel of Jesus Christ and the plan of Salvation- death does not have to be a completely sad experience. It is sad now- for those that are left here without him. But in the end, it will be ok because we will get to be together again.

Ron Page will not be forgotten. His memory- his spirit- his happiness will continue in all those who knew him. One of the things I will take with me and try to do better at is loving my family and treating everyone I meet as if they are my oldest friend. They deserve that. He taught me that. You are loved, Ron. We all love and miss you.

September

2011-10-03T22:04:00.000-06:00

September was busy! In fact- I doubt I'll get all of the AWESOME pics/videos into one post so you'll have to keep checking back! Jarhead has learned so many new things this month! He's getting so big and is starting to seem more like a "real boy" each day. (as opposed to our baby boy <3) He loves to cruise along the furniture, walk with you, crawl everywhere, fight with the pillows, slap Mr. Clean's bald head, make funny faces, imitate you, and of course- just be happy. He is almost always smiling or laughing or making funny faces that will make you laugh! Jarhead and I got to go home for my brother's wedding in the middle of the month. We went to my mom's house for a few days first, then up to PA for the wedding, and then stayed there a few days. Mr. Clean got to come join us in the middle of the trip. It was short and busy but it was great to see him. So- funny story. Mom, Jarhead, and I picked Mr. Clean up from the Philly airport. He was getting in at a crappy traffic time (4pm!) so we decided to stop for dinner. We told him we were going to my mom's friend's restaurant. The GPS guided us there and told us it was on the left. All of a sudden from the backseat we hear Mr. Clean go "CHEEBURGERCHEEBURGERCHEEBURGER" It was like a kid on Christmas morning. SURPRISE!(My mom's friend really does own a restaurant but an Italian place on the other side of town) My mom and I also love this place so we were really excited to go. I'm so glad we decided not to tell him before we got there that we were going. It was SO funny I really wish I had captured it on camera! Here are some fun pictures from the trip!

Rememberence

2011-09-11T22:18:00.000-06:00

“I recognize that, on occasion, some of our most fervent prayers may seem to go unanswered. We wonder, ‘Why?’ I know that feeling! I know the fears and tears of such moments. But I also know that our prayers are never ignored. Our faith is never unappreciated. I know that an all-wise Heavenly Father’s perspective is much broader than is ours. While we know of our mortal problems and pain, He knows of our immortal progress and potential. If we pray to know His will and submit ourselves to it with patience and courage, heavenly healing can take place in His own way and time.”

—Russell M. Nelson, “Jesus Christ—the Master Healer,” Ensign, Nov. 2005

There are so many things going on in the world today. This last week, my home area experienced a horrible flood. There was water everywhere, destroying everything in its path. It was no respecter of person or home. The pictures are devastating. The statuses on Facebook are heartbreaking. Friends and Families lives have been torn apart and their only option is to start over. My heart goes out to them. I can't imagine what it would be like to see my home destroyed. Every possession I own needing to be tossed. One lady I saw on the news said it best, "I know it's just stuff. But it's my stuff and it's everything I have." I pray that they will be able to start over. That they will get the assistance needed from the government or insurance if they have it.

There are so many devastating disasters happening everywhere. Tsunamis, fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes. These truly are the last days. These events are happening and they are not and will not slow down, for me, for you, or for anyone. We just need to be prepared. I updated our families 72 hour kits this morning. Changed out Jarhead's clothes, diapers, and added some food since he's not just on formula anymore... I know it won't protect us from everything but it makes me feel good to be following the counsel of the prophets. When I get home from visiting my family in VA & PA at the end of the month, we will start to build our food storage more faithfully. We may have a small apartment and not have room for a whole year's worth of food but I know that we can have more than we do. Our first goal will be to build up to a 3 month supply. :)

Prayers also go out to those who are still suffering from those friends and family that they lost 10 years ago. and to those who lose friends and family every day- especially those that are off serving our country.

Even with all of these crazy sad things happening in the world, we can't give up HOPE. It is the thing that will help us survive.

“To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His ‘more excellent ministry’ with a future of ‘better promises.’ He is your ‘high priest of good things to come.’ ”

—Jeffrey R. Holland, “An High Priest of Good Things to Come,” Ensign,Nov. 1999, 36

What a Great Weekend!

2011-09-05T21:48:00.000-06:00

This weekend equals one word= AMAZING!
Friday, our friends watched Jarhead so that Mr. Clean and I could go to the temple. We also got some pizza and played video games...Saturday was filled with errands, rearranging the living room to fir our new entertainment center, eating an AWESOME dinner made up in Mr. Clean's mind, and playing Mario Kart. Yesterday we got to skype with SPASM and Mom & Dad C! It was GREAT! Today, we cleaned (blah!) but also had a BBQ with friends and then played Minute to Win It Games.. We did the games but everyone just took as much time as they needed to finish.... The boys won by a few minutes but in the end it was just SUPER fun. We got some GREAT pictures and videos....

This month has just been full of some fun things! Jarhead is getting soo big and active. He walks on the furniture, with your hands, or pushing something. he still army crawls everywhere but can crawl too if he wants (usually outside). he LOVES to play with our friends, especially T man. They're so funny together. T man will be a year old in a week or so and can do more things than Jarhead. but he does not think that's fair! haha.. Jarhead tries to do the same things he does and is learning things super fast because of it!

i've probably overloaded this post with pics and videos! but hope you enjoyed them all! i've got a bunch more but i dont want to wait forever for the videos to load...i'm sleeepy. maybe some time this week?

Friendships

2011-09-05T07:29:00.001-06:00

I had a BYU professor my very first semester who taught me about the Book of Mormon. She is probably one of the smartest people that I know. She has written a ton of books and also keeps up a blog with helpful insights about being happy, being worthy, and "living in truth". Anyway, she posted this the other day about friendships-

"We talk a lot about the importance of family in the Church, and we should. Family is very important not only in this life but in the eternities. But as I was ready in the book of Ether this morning I was struck again with the importance of friends.

At the time of the tower of Babel when the language of all the people was changed, the brother of Jared first prayed that he and his brother’s language would not be confounded. And the Lord had compassion on them so that they could still communicate. But then Jared asked his brother to pray that the language of their friends would not be confounded and again the Lord answered his prayers so that they and their friends would retain the same language and be able to continue in their relationships.

This indicates to me that yes family relationships are important, but so are friendships. It is important that we cultivate and maintain strong friendships with people who share our common beliefs and will encourage and help us along the path of righteousness."

I have always made friends quickly wherever I have moved(which is a good thing for being in 10 schools!) I'm grateful for all of the friends that I have had my entire life. For the most part, I have learned from each of them and it has helped shape me into the person I am today...

The friends that I have now are absolutely amazing and I'm so glad that I know I can turn to them no matter what is going on. I'm glad that their kids play with little Jarhead even though he doesn't really play back. I'm glad that they encourage me to be a better friend and person every day.

and of course- my very best friend... mr. clean makes me a better person each day and i'm grateful i get to be his best friend and wife forever <3

Here's a link to Sis Johnson's blog where you can read this post and so many others!

Good News by Sis Sherrie Johnson

just some old photos! i know i'm missing some tho :( i can't find others...

Families Can Be Together Forever

2011-09-04T09:16:00.001-06:00

In my hometown, a boy that was my brother's age passed away after being in a motorcycle accident. I didn't know him really well but he graduated with my brother. I was good friends with his sister when we were really young and even though we haven't kept in contact over the years my heart goes out to her and her family...
I've known young people who have passed away before but for some reason I have been thinking about him and his family so much more than the others. Maybe it's because even though i'm not close to his family anymore, i was at one point... i'm not sure..
one of the things i have been thinking about is how grateful I am for our Heavenly Father's plan. I know that because of that plan I was able to be sealed in the temple to my best friend and that all of our children will be sealed to us. In the end, I know that I will see them and live with them again and that will allow there to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Life is hard and difficult and trials will arise but as we live by His Word, His promises to us will be kept. I know that families can be together forever through Heavenly Father's plan. I know that He wants all of his children to receive the blessings that He is just waiting to give to us. We just need to live worthy of those blessings and ask Him.

Thoughts and Prayers to his family.

yay! they're working!!

2011-09-01T16:40:00.000-06:00

some won't post it just says failed attempt? i'll need to figure out those.. but at least some are working!! this one is dark but he gets a KICK out of people smiling and laughing at him... isn't his laugh just soo cute!

video!!

2011-09-01T16:32:00.000-06:00

video attempt!

2011-09-01T12:39:00.000-06:00

first attempt at a video... if i figure it out! i promise you'll get an overload! :D

AuGuSt

2011-08-17T21:42:00.000-06:00

August has been such a fun month for us so far! Jarhead and I LOVE being together all day long. We do a ton of fun things like read, "play ball", and hang outside with friends. He's eating a ton of fun foods (aka finger foods!) and he's enjoying it. He hasn't grasped how to not squish the banana. But he's liked the peaches and cantaloupe.. oh- and he loves Ice Pops! He's getting brave too! He tries to climb on everything and move from thing to thing on his knees... He also will walk if you hold his hands or if he's holding onto a laundry basket... He falls a lot but he's learning and songs (esp the cosby show music!) helps him to feel better... i know i've mentioned the cosby show a few times but he just loves that jazz! i wonder if he'll ever grow out of it!

Enjoy some pictures of August's FuNnEsS!

pulling himself up!

just some cute ones

i ran a 5k (above).. I did it in 33 min 30 sec! 5 min from my best practice time! it was my first ones and i did it with my friends! it was SO much fun!! i'm looking forward to doing another!

here's some more cute ones of jarhead!!

he's trying to play with his friends... it's cute to watch!!

mmmm..sweet potatoes (above)

we went to the dinosaur museum!! jarhead loved it! we had a good time w. jenny & brad & their little girl... the kids liked the dinosaurs and we liked the discovery room! worth it for $2 Tuesday!

July

2011-07-31T09:33:00.000-06:00

Can you believe that July is almost over!! It's just super crazy! We have had a busy- fun filled month tho! We loved every minute of it! We have met a bunch of new friends in our complex and we're still busy hanging out with our friends from before we left for MD! We saw fireworks, the final Harry Potter (A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.) (thanks sally for watching Jarhead!!) had a Harry Potter party, went to a wedding, celebrated Mr. Clean's birthday, and played a ton of new games. One thing we didn't do is go in the pool enough. That will be my goal for August!

I know you come for pictures- so enjoy!!

We went to the aquarium twice! Jarhead LOVED it. The second time, we got to see them feed the penguins... His favorite spot was with the bright colored fish.. he'd kick his arms and legs when we'd get close to it..

Our HP party was a TON of fun! We played HP scene it, made potions and came up with what they did and their names, were sorted into our houses, made HP inspired treats for Honeydukes and drank butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron... yum yum yum and so much fun!

for Mr. Clean's birthday we went to see transformers (thank you friends for watching Jarhead!) and Mr. Clean went golfing while I played games and went to lunch with my friend Sally. It was a good weekend...

and finally- Jarhead learned some new COOL things this month. He's becoming a real boy!! He can sit by himself, crawl, and is so funny!He can clap his hands and give high fives! He's so happy :)

Little Man Update

2011-07-08T11:58:00.000-06:00

Jarhead is ADORABLE! He'll be 7 months old on Sunday!! I love love love staying home with him and helping to teach him new things. He loves when I play with him, when he plays alone, when he's in his jumper... well- he's happy about 95% of the time... 2 bottom teeth just popped thru a few days ago and so he was fussy last week but not as bad as I thought he'd be- considering all the horror stories I'd heard... He's a trooper. He makes new faces now(a growl smile one), is ticklish on his right thigh/knee, and laughs all day.. he also talks to himself but not often to others... he tends to be quiet whenever we put the phone near him..haha... he weighs about 16.5 lbs now! he's getting so big.. he LOVES the pool, the cosby show intro music, and being around people... he also LOVES to play with his cousin! It's great having them close!
Enjoy some pics!! (more on FB)

2011-06-30T08:26:00.001-06:00

i'm tired.

the end.

Happy Fathers Day

2011-06-19T09:26:00.002-06:00

Happy Fathers Day....

to my dad-
Life is always better when you know that no matter what- there is someone there to support you. Thank you Dad- for being the very best you knew how to be and for teaching me to be the very best I can be. We love you.

to mr. cleans dad-
He raised such a great son. He taught him to be respectful and kind and loving. He encouraged him to be great at everything he did and to learn through reading and observation. We love you.

to mr. clean-
mr. clean makes life fun. he reminds me that every minute does not have to be planned and it's okay if we by pass cleaning now and then to do something fun with our family. he's SUCH a great dad to jarhead. he plays with him and talks to him. i know that if jarhead grows up to be like his dad- he's going to have a good life. thank you mr. clean for bein such a great dad to jarhead and hubby to me <3

to all the other men/dads who have influenced my life(both those still here with us and those who have passed on)-
thank you for teaching me patience, love, and so many other things. thank you for traveling to my special events. thank you for being a great dad to your children and for loving those that aren't.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

may

2011-06-06T11:18:00.002-06:00

don't miss april's post below and the pics of the new apt below that! there are some great pics there too!!

may started with a drive to pa where we spent 10 days! we loved it!

jarhead had his first "real" food.. greenbeans!! yum! (since then he's also had peaches,carrots, and sweet potatoes. we also tried turkey but he was NOT a fan!)

hung out and played with family

and friends

and just had a great time! We ate yummy food, went on walks, tried to go on a picnic, and took lots of pictures! jarhead learned to pull himself up in the bouncer if he's holding onto something. (ie. he reached and grabbed mr. clean's hand and pulled himself up to his feet!) i miss them! it was so great being home for a little while! and it was a nice break before our 2200 mile trip!!

drove about 6 hours and...

stopped in Kirtland to see the temple and Jarhead stayed in his first hotel..

then drove about 7 hours or so and visited with SPASM! when we first got there it HAILED! it was nuts!!

I love this family.. I can't believe how grown up the kids are... I was the oldest's age when i first met them! we stayed there for 4 days. We relaxed, had FHE, ate great food, went to an open house at the school, and played games. best of all we just caught up.

tried to visit the Chicago temple.. but it and the grounds were closed. plus it was cold!!

then we ventured out the rest of the drive. we took 3 days and almost no pictures :(... but we stopped in omaha, rawlings, and then ended up at mr.clean's sister's house... we visited with them for about a week until we got into our new place. i LOVE our new place.. we took a lot of pictures with jarhead and his cousin.. but you'll have to see her blog for those :) and then you saw the pics of our apt!!

we love it here. it's great being back in utah! we love the mountains, our apt, having family close, and friends too!!

April

2011-06-06T10:25:00.000-06:00

I know.. it's been forever since I've actually posted some fun pictures... There is no way this post can encompass everything we've done for the last 2 months because it has been crazy! but in a few posts I might be able to tell the story in pictures....

The last pic post we were at my mom's for her 50th bday... after that, we packed our entire house, hung out with some friends, and went to California. Here's the rest of April:

Jarhead went on his first plane ride... he did so good!

met new people

WE hung out with Mr. Clean's friend Chris and his family. We had a super yummy lasagna. We also went to this awesome pizza place with him.. it was SO GOOD!

We went to Old Sac and went to a train museum and walked around the old stores.. We went with Mom and ate salt water taffy! yum! Mr. Clean and I got a characiture!(spelling?) I've wanted one since we got married! Only took me 3 years! haha

played with family

had easter

had Jarhead's baby blessing...

and Jarhead found how fun big people's beds are... and we all slept. and slept and slept! Moving is hard work and it was great to relax for 2 weeks!

We had SOO much fun in Cali. We loved visiting with family. Mr. Clean got to go golfing and I went to(and won a prize at) Bunco. We were really sad to leave..

Then we came home and had 3 days to finish packing, load the 3 pods, clean and move. We also found some time to visit with some GREAT friends and their new baby... We went to Cheeburger with our other GREAT friends and their little girl but our camera ran out of batteries so no pic from there...

and that was our April! there are sooo many other great pictures but I need to get onto May! I'll try to put some different ones up on FB so check there too! :)

New Orem Apartment

2011-05-30T21:13:00.005-06:00

After packing up our stuff in boxes, a 15 day trip to California, three days of packing the pods, 10 days in Pennsylvania, five days in Illinois, almost 3000 miles of driving, and then unpacking everything here in Utah, we are settled in and ready for Utah! Here are some pictures of the new place.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-13T17:52:00.000-06:00

i know this is a little late. but with moving and traveling and visiting with family i haven't gotten around to posting. i'll post about jarhead turning 5 months old soon because let's be honest- you all want pictures.. haha. but i haven't gotten around to putting them on the puter yet...all in good time my friend. but don't worry- he's still cute. he's still growing. he's still a good sleeper. and we STILL love him more than anything!

i really enjoyed this talk called "mothers who know". thank you to to my mother and mr. cleans mom who without we couldn't be the people we are today without them. they taught us, loved us, nurtured us, and helped us to grow and love and enjoy life. also, thank you to all women who in some way have influenced our lives, have taught us to be parents, have taught us to love and be patient, who have loved us.

here's a link to this talk
http://lds.org/general-conference/2007/10/mothers-who-know?lang=eng&query=mothers

this was my first mothers day and i loved it. thanks to my sweet hubby for making the day so special!

this is also belated (as was the post below! also new :) )but happy mothers day mom.

3 Wonderful Years

2011-05-13T16:30:00.000-06:00

The last 3 years have honestly been the best 3 years of my life. Sure- we've had some difficult times (ummmm, these last 6 months...) But even with all of that- life is wonderful. why is it wonderful? because i married my very very best friend. in fact, i have the very best husband in the world- no- i won't argue that you think your hubby is the best..because that's not the point.... your hubby is probably great- for you. but for me- mr. clean is the most perfect person i could be with. so because of that- this post is dedicated to him.

10 reasons i love mr. clean:

1. We have SO much fun together. Sometimes- i'm a grumpy person.. especially when i'm tired. but mr. clean is so good at making me feel better. if i want to dance- we dance. if i want to sing- he lets me sing.

2. He's super cute :)

3. he's really good at making funny faces. he makes me laugh. and he's not afraid to be himself- even with others.

4. he's an AMAZING dad. he takes care of jarhead when i nap. we take turns feeding and changing his diaper. he plays with him and teaches him new things. our children are going to have so much fun with him. jarhead already does and he's only 5 months!

5. he's my best friend in the entire world.

6. he helps me with the housework.
7. he is going to school to get his masters degree so that he can give us a better life.
8. he is going to work while going to school so that i can stay home with jarhead.
9. he supports what i want to do. no matter what it is- he does what he can to make it happen.
10.he is a worthy priesthood holder. he can give me or jarhead a blessing whenever we need it. he is an example to me and he is an example to jarhead. every day i see him striving to be a better person.

there are soooo many reasons why i love mr. clean. he's my bestest friend. and even though it's a few days late- happy 3 year anniversary, sweetheart <3

HoMeLeSs but full of opporutunities

2011-05-01T10:18:00.000-06:00

Well- We are officially homeless. We got back from Cali late Wed night (cali fun-ness to come later)... Thursday we spent packing the pod. A friend and her 3 young boys came to help during the day for a few hours. Even though their hands were little, it cut down on a lot of our trips up and down the stairs which was really helpful... then mr. clean and i took a break and ate some chipotle using a gift card i won while in cali... our friend mike came over that night to help mr. clean move the couch, love seat, and desk.. our couch really didn't fit well in the pods! :( we had to slant it... Anyway, we knew then we probably wouldn't fit everything into 2 pods like we had hoped and so we just decided to keep everything and we'll try to sell it once we are in utah. friday morning another friend came with his 4 kids (all a bit older). they helped us finish get everything into the pods. Packing for our trip took a little while since as we were putting things in the pod- if it had to go in the car it was just moved to the back room in no sort of order... friday night we decided to take a break and go visit some friends since we hadn't seen their new baby yet. He was so long and skinny but super cute. anyway, it was a great break. we're gonna miss them!! saturday morning we finished cleaning and left our place by 12:30. We turned in our comcast stuff and headed to PA for a visit with my family.

We lived in MD for the last year and half. I graduated from BYU while working part time for ACOM about 2 years ago. Then I was full time, promoted to team lead, and then to supervisor of the DC office all within 6 months. Once we found out I had the job, I had to start the following month. so Mr. Clean quit his job and packed up our house while I continued working. Then we took a 2 week house hunting trip to DC, flew back to UT and made the drive out3 days later. I started work 3 days after getting to MD. It was crazy and hectic and exciting... i loved my job and we made GREAT friends. We made weekend visits up to my family in PA and took a week-long vacation to NC with my mom's family. We took an anniversary trip to Atlantic City and enjoyed many day trips to DC... We got to see the fireworks with the monument and had fun callings in our ward. We started our family and were lucky to have such a great hospital for Jarhead. We had so much help and support from family and friends when I got sick... Living in MD wasn't perfect though.. We lost power- multiple times. We had flood and tornado watches. We had a crazy amount of snow where life basically shut down for a week. We experienced sickness and more hospital visits then either of us had ever had in our lives previous to that year. It was busy and stressful at times. When we decided that Mr. Clean was suppose to go back to school for his masters, we knew that UT was the place for us to be...again. I hated UT when we lived there but I've decided that this time would be different. I learned a lot while living in MD. There is a lot of bad with the good but if I make sure to focus on the little good things the bad tings- even if they are big- won't seem to matter quite as much. i read this quote that someone wrote in sidewalk chalk that reminded me of this "sometimes good things end so that better things can come". we didn't expect to have to leave MD in such a hurry- we had planned to be there for a few more years but the Lord had other plans for us. I don't know what they are. I know that Mr. Clean is suppose to go back to school and I know that the best opportunity for that is in UT. I know that once we get out there we're going to have to find a place to live- find jobs- and start the student life all over again. but it's also exciting. It's a whole new opportunity. Mr. Clean's siblings will be there and we're going back to lots of friends.In the end, we're really excited for our move. We're sad to leave our friends in MD but we're grateful for the time we had to be there and make them.

This was already a long post so I'll write about our cali adventures later... with pictures hopefully.. i still need to download them from the camera.

cute giveaway on the idea room

2011-04-20T23:08:00.001-06:00

my friend posted about this and i also wanted to share! cute giveaway!

http://www.theidearoom.net/

i also added them to the side of my blog because they have a lot of cute giveaways!

Moving Time!

2011-04-10T14:57:00.000-06:00

I can never think of clever titles... sorry about that! oh well!
anyway- we've been super busy around here!! We're just about packed.. Today will consist of disassembling most things in our place, moving the bed to the living room, and then cleaning the back to rooms so we don't have to worry about them anymore.... Now that we know we're going, we're excited and ready to get to Utah and find a place to live... It'll be busy but worth it... Mr. Clean is going to go back to school for a little while and then we'll see what life holds!!

this is how we found jack after one of his naps!

and below are some pics from my mom's birthday party!

and then just some other cute ones from the last weekend or so :)

Jack Bathing

2011-04-08T21:41:00.002-06:00

Jack talking with his hands in his mouth.

2011-04-08T21:28:00.001-06:00

Jack eating cereal

2011-04-08T21:18:00.002-06:00

Jack Kicking...a lot...

2011-04-08T20:57:00.002-06:00

Jarhead

2011-04-01T07:38:00.000-06:00

Our life has been super eventful lately! I feel like I haven't even had time to catch my breath!
Jarhead just had his 4 month appointment..
He weighed 13 lb 4 oz- 25%
He was 23 in long-5%
His head was 40.5 cm- 50%

He has also had a ton of firsts this last month..

He learned to roll! He went from his back to his tummy first and we got to see him do it! He's been pulling himself up to his side for a while now and one morning we left him in his crib to watch him keep trying. and then there he went- onto his tummy!! Mr. Clean and I were so excited! I think we scared him after he did it.. He continued to improve the rest of the day and now he's an old pro. A few days later he figured out how to go from his tummt to his back- which is more comforting so if he rolls at night- i know he can get back... He's a side sleeper tho! When we wake up in the morning- he's usually on his side!

He learned to blow bubbles and spit. He's been drooling for a while and he eapractically eats his hands! He sticks his whole hand up to his wrist into his mouth until he gags a little bit, then he'll pull it out for a few seconds and start over.. silly little one! your mouth is only so big!! haha. He loves to blow bubbles tho! He will entertain himself for at least 30-40 minutes just blowing bubbles. He has to have a bib on or his whole shirt is super wet!

He's been sleeping through the night since he was about 6 weeks. but now that he's down to 5 feedings a day, sometimes his last feeding is between 8 and 9.... if he has his last feeding after 8, we let him sleep other wise we wake him up for one last feeding... but he can sleep up to 12 hours now! not every night, but at least a few nights a week.. Last night he ate at 830 and fell asleep after around 9. He slept until about 8 or 815 this morning. Now, if I went to bed when he did- I'd have gotten a ton of sleep! haha.. but no, i went in around 1230! at least i got about 8 hours!

Little Man loves TV! We've been really busy lately- cleaning and such- and so we've put on his "Baby Signs" DVD a few times. His eyes are glued to the TV and he's quiet. He's just like his daddy!

Jarhead is such a happy little boy! I love spending time with him! I love being there when he does new things for the first time. I love watching him smile. I love watching him sleep. I just love being a mom!

He'll also have many firsts in the next few months!

His first plane ride.
His first time in CO(layover) and California.
His first time meeting mr. clean's family(except mr.clean's mom)
His first time having rice cereal(we're starting that in a week or so)
His first time on a loooooong road trip- across the country long. he'll be in ohio, indiana, illinois, iowa, nebraska, wyoming, and utah.
His first time meeting family in IL.
His first time meeting more family and friends in Utah.
Then-
He'll have his second home and become a resident of Utah...

It's going to be a crazy month for us! We're here in VA visiting my momma until Tuesday and then we'll be headed out to California for 2 weeks then come back, pack up the pods and head back out west. we'll head to pa to visit my family for a few days then start the journey... when we get there we'll be staying with a family friend while we look for a job and a place to live... mr. clean is going to go back to byu to finish his degree...

who would've thought that we'd move here for a year and a half and then head back out west... utah- here we come....

*sorry for no pics.. i'm at my momma's and the pics are on my home computer..

Pictures and stuff

2011-03-16T15:06:00.000-06:00

I LOVE BEING HOME! I've got so many things to do and I love it. Today, it was beautiful outside and so I messaged my friend Risa and out we went for a walk with her little girl, the boy she watches, and Jarhead. It was great to get some fresh air. We've taken a bunch of pictures lately and some really cute videos(which matt'll post later because i have yet to figure it out!)... These pictures and more are also on facebook but he's just so cute you can look at him again!

We had SUCH a great time having Great Grandma Vicky here in February. The first weekend in March, we promised we'd return her and it was sad to see her go! But we got the visit PA and had a great time! Jarhead loved spending time with his aunts, grandpa, and cousins! It was such a busy visit! We visited friends at church(sorry, no pictures!) and hung out with all the family. We also had a girls night at Savo's. The girls loved holding him! It's so weird to think we're all so grown up. Married, kids, enagements pending, etc.. it's great and i'm so glad that we're still friends. I thought it might be weird- not seeing them for so long, but it wasn't.. It was SO fun!

Enjoy some pictures!

1st day home

2011-03-14T20:11:00.000-06:00

Wow-
I'm exhausted! I am really excited to be home with Jarhead. Not only did I get to spend time with him, give him a bath, and encourage him to roll over, i got to run errands, do some laundry, clean and reorganize his room, and take a little nap. i also am blogging, listened to music, watched some TV, and played on the computer. i'm exhausted now and my to do list is about just as long as when the day started but that's okay. i don't want every day to be this busy and i'm looking forward to a nice break. but think about it- once i finish these things that i've been putting off for forever- some things have been waiting for a year or more- then i'll be able to just chill and craft! I just want to get caught up first...

Other than that- I FINALLY sent out the majority of the birth announcements today... I know Jarhead is 3 months old now and it seems a bit silly to send them out this late but it was really important to me and even though it took me this long- i'm glad i did it.. now i'm just waiting for a few more addresses.

enjoy the video below! Jarhead is such a chatter these days! oh and he sleeps in his crib too :) oh he's such a good cute little boy! We love him!

Jarhead Talking

2011-03-14T19:05:00.003-06:00

Jack Relaxing

2011-03-02T10:53:00.002-07:00

So Jack was talking to his swing. I tried to get a video, but he noticed me, but this is still a good video.

Matt

Jarhead

2011-02-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

I definetly don't post as often as i'd like. but life is really busy right now!!

I have posted a bunch of pictures below but it’s being silly and not letting me type in the post as well so here you get it in two different posts. Oh well.
Some info about the pictures in the post below!!
There are just some cute ones, one with his Coci Aileen and great Grams.. There's one of me after Mr. Clean woke me up to feed Jack(I had fallen back asleep over my legs..haha) Jarhead loves when Daddy takes breaks to play with him and Mr. Clean is such a great dad! Jarhead always smiles when he sees him.. the one where Jarhead is bundled in all those blankets is when we laid him down in the power outage. He really did smile so much that day-even though it was 55 in the apt! He's such a good little boy and we love him soo much!

Here is also a CUTE pic of Eva looking over the pack and play to peek at Jarhead. They're going to be good friends :)

February has come and is already almost gone. Grandma and Dad came in the beginning of the month so that Gram could be here while I went back to work and we figured everything out. She also wanted some time with the little man! and he has LOVED having her here:)

Work was draining and I missed Jarhead from the moment I left until the moment I came home. I spent part of my day making his milk and the rest keeping busy. I knew my heart was at home. One day, I came home and Jarhead was sleepy and starting to cry in his pack and play. My gramma told me from the other end of the room, “he likes it when you rock his pack and play from the side.” It made me so sad. I am so glad that she was able to help but I knew right then that I was 100% positive that I wanted to know those things about Jarhead. I wanted to be home with him and I wanted to take care of him. My last day at work is Mar 4. I love my job. I love my employees and my coworkers but I love my Jarhead more and that is what I want to do with my life. I want to raise him and be with him all the time.
So that’s where I am. I have 5 days left in the business world. 5 days until I start my newest adventure. 5 days until I become a real stay at home mom and do stay at home mom things like laundry and cleaning and encouraging Jarhead to roll over. It’s a new adventure and I am ready for it.

Jarhead is doing great.. he's growing well.. I FINALLY have the birth announcements almost ready to go out... We're not sending to everyone so here is the note we are sending out with his announcement:

Hey There!
I know, I know- I was born about 2 ½ months ago and my parents are just now sending my birth announcement. To say the least, things have been crazy around here! However, the perk of waiting a few months to see my cute little baby face is that you get to hear how I am doing now!
At my 2 month checkup, the doctor said I was 21 7/8 inches (20% for my age) and 10 lb 13 oz (25% for my age). (My head is 40 ½ cm BTW- 60%. Guess I’m gonna be smart! hehe) Even though I was born a bit bigger than some, I decided I wanted to fit into my family more J
I LOVE my bath or shower time, naps, bouncy seat, swing, walks in the carrier, TV, when mommy and daddy talk to me, and riding in the car. I am very alert and love to look at new things around me. When my parents take me to new stores or people’s houses, I try to skip my nap so I can look around. My parents think I’m great because I like to sleep at night. For about 5 weeks now, I sleep from about 11p to 7a. I’m trying really hard to roll over but I’m not quite there yet but I can lift my head pretty good to look around. Well, it’s time for my nap now. Love you Lots!
"Jarhead"

Life is wonderful.

Pictures

2011-02-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

on our way back up the hill

2011-02-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

I'm really tired so I'm not going to post right now but I hate coming to my blog and seeing that my latest post is a frustrated one. after the power outage, we were able to come home... we had to toss all the freezer food and about 1/2 to 3/4 of our fridge food... It was crappy. Our fish died too- all but the sucker fish. Even though I hated those fish, it was sad to think that their little bodies froze. Then after on Wed, Mr. Clean went to Utah until Friday and then we enjoyed a few days home alone (even if it was filled with mostly cleaning). Gram and Dad came on Tuesday. and Gram is staying until March...
i'll give you all the detailed updates and pictures soon but things are better... it's still crazy and it's busy but sometimes we just have to have the tough times. life is getting better. it finally feels like the clouds are clearing and what a good feeling that is.
:) good night.

frustrated

2011-01-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

i'm frustated. i'm not going to post about everything right now because it'd be a lot of complaining. however, i will say that after driving an hour and a half home thinking our power was back on, looking forward to sleeping in our bed, it really would have been nice. it is frustrating to look around and see that the lights in the buildings around us were on and keeping those families warm. so we turned around, drove an hour and a half back to grams. at least we have a warm place to sleep.
i sure hope it's back on tomorrow. i'll post when i have more happy energy.

Home with my Boys

2011-01-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

I said in my last post that i didn't really post about the private things in my life to often. I thought about why I don't since I put up the last post. i really didn't want it to sound like a "woe is me" kind of a thing. Things have been hard but I really didn't want people to think I was just trying to complain about my lot in life. However, since posting, I have felt free. More free than I have in a long time. When it was just the craziness of the birth and Jarhead's surgery I was able to tell a few friends and family and felt "unstressed" enough to have a few people to talk about it too... However, once all of these other things started happening, it didn't seem like enough. I wanted people that would just ask "how are you?" to know that at that very moment, I wasn't doing okay.. I didn't want to say great- I wanted to say, I'm doing okay or I'm doing better. i can do that now and I'm glad. i can post on facebook a bit of my frustration. I was able to post my excitement of coming home to my boys. I was able to post about being excited to eat real food again...
Another wonderful thing- people have been able to help. Those in our ward have been wonderful- beyond what words can even express. They brought us meals after Jarhead came home and will bring us meals the rest of this week too. They have sent emails, called, posted on my facebook, and let me know they were thinking and praying for me and my little family. Other friends did the same- those close and those far, those I talk to often and those i haven't spoken to in a while...Our Heavenly Father speaks through his servants and I have felt that love through so many people.
My mom has also been so wonderful. She came last week on Tuesday morning to help the day of my surgery and was going to leave Thurs. She willingly stayed- feeding, changing, bathing, and in general taking care of my baby. She helped Mr. Clean clean the house and take care of things while I was gone and while he came to visit me. Mr. Clean's family offered to fly out to help if needed. My family truly is the best that I can ask for.

I came home yesterday. I loved coming home. i loved the smell of my house, the feel of my furniture, the sight of my little Jarhead. I loved being able to hold him, to feed him, to just watch him sleep. I can sit on my couch, sleep in my bed, cuddle with Mr. Clean, eat what and when I want. I don't feel wonderful yet. i still feel a little sick and I'm really sore from being so tense but i'm home and that's what matters. i'm sure i'll get better- a day at a time... i just need to be patient and eat good mild foods until then. but one day soon i'll be able to have a pizza, or chicken wings, or chips and queso. i'm crossing my fingers that day will be the super bowl since we will be having a TON of super yummy food- but it may just be that I get a bite or 2 of eac yummy thing that day. I guess we'll see.

Now that i'm home, I'll start taking more pictures of Jarhead. Here are his first 5 week photos. Since I was in the hospital, i'll do his 6 week one today and you'll get to see it soon :)

Happily Ever After

2011-01-23T17:24:00.004-07:00

Well, orginally, I wasn't going to post about everything that is going on in our lives but I decided that I really need to clear my head- vent a little- and get it all out in the open.

At my appointment before Jarhead was born, my doctor suggested that I have a induction that Thursday so that the baby wouldn't be to big and because it would be easier for me since I was already overdue. i assumed this meant that she would be my doctor (i go to a group practice)... Well, on Monday, and Tuesday, there was still "no room in the inn". On Wed they called around 4p and said they found room and to come in at 10p. I never planned to be induced but I was so pregnant, so sick, and so ready for Jarhead to come into the world. So, in I went on Wed night to start what would be the most uncomfortable few days ever... They told me that another doctor was on call, but I thought since my doctor was the one who wanted me to come in, i might still be seeing her.. But that was not the case, I was stuck with one of the doctor's i didn't like...By Thurs, I still hadn't progressed much and I had hit my pain point so i opted for the epidural. It felt wonderful. Although, they messed up the first time and i had to get it again, having it during 1 minute contractions was tough to stay in the position they wanted me in and to not squirm. 2nd thing that happened that I hadn't planned on. I guess I knew that the birth wouldn't go as planned but I didn't think it would go that different. Then, Friday came and I was finally at a 10 and was allowed to start pushing. After a few long hours, all that was happening was the coning of Jarhead's head.. So, the doctor said I was to go in for a c- section. i didnt want to argue. i was tired, I wanted to believe she was telling me to do this for my health and my baby's health and not for her convenience. I'll never really know for sure tho. so- in i went, just another thing to add to the list of the unplanned.

after jarhead was born, he was a beauty. he was so handsome with his chubby cheeks and smooth skin. he truely was an angel that had been given to us. i didn't mind when he wimpered in the night because i knew it meant i'd get to hold him. i loved just looking at him and his deep blue eyes and brown hair. he was truly right from God, given to us at this time to raise and to love. He was/is perfect. By Saturday night though, things weren't going as perfectly when they had to take him for a few tests and found that he had a blockage by his bum. It would require surgery. So, he and Mr.Clean went to The Children's Hospital while i stayed up at HCH. It was horrible being away from my baby and my hubby so soon. At least my family was there, mom and gram stayed with me and dad with mr. clean. I got out on mon and went home to shower because I knew I wouldn't be home for a while and then I went to CH. There we waited with Jarehead until they let us take him home on Wed. it was 5 of the longest days of our lives. he needed to be bottle fed mostly at the hospital although they let me start BF before he came home. he didn't really like that idea. at least he switched to the BM pretty easily and didn't get attached to the formula.
Coming home was tough, exciting but tough. We were so stressed from everything that had happened earlier that week. Then he came home and he wasn't sleeping or eating well didn't make things much better. at his first appt that Friday, they said he wasn't gaining enough weight. We wanted to stick with nursing but as I paid more attention, we realized he wasn't really eating but just chilling there nibbling for an hour and a half or so. We switched the the bottle but stuck with the breast milk. So I began the crazy schedule of pumping and feeding. BUSY! Jarehead turned into a new boy when we switched to the bottle. it wasn't an easy decision and Mr. Clean let me make it on my own although he was thinking we should switch. i didn't want to and i cried when i made the decision. but in the end- it's not about me, it's about my little man and if he's happier and healthier with the bottle then I should be too. Jarhead is now gaining the weight that he should be and he's so much happier now. I don't feel like a failure, I tried and I dont feel like I gave up. I just changed my route and did what needed to be done for my baby to succeed. Pumping FT allowed me to build up a good supply so that when all of this stuff happened with my body, we didn't have to switch right to formula and could still use my supply.

so really, everything that i had planned had changed and change is tough but i was adapting best I could and pressing forward, trying not to become frustrated with the "unplanned-ness" of so many things.

a few times during my pregnancy, i experienced the worst pain that i ever have in my entire life. a true "10" on the hospital scale of "how do you feel?" I assumed they were gas pains and part of the pregnancy and when I went to the ER the first time, they said that was probably it and so I just sucked it up. On 12.27, it came again but the usual things to help it go away didn't help this time and after about 5 hours we went to the ER. after waiting about 1.5 hours in the waiting room, the pain went away and so we came home. Mr.Clean's mom came that week and when the pain came back on 12.31, she said we should go in because having it this often could mean something other than gas. she thought of gallstones and after googling it- we realized all the symptoms fit what i was feeling. so- we left jarhead with her and went into the ER... again.. After waiting in the ER with a not nice nurse for what seemed like forever, (about 2 hours), we got back to see the doctor who after looking at me, feeling my stomach, and seeing my pain gave me strong pain meds, and ordered an ultra sound. There were a bunch of gallstones chilling in my gallbladder! No wonder I was in so much pain! We were there about 5 hours. The only real solution is surgery to remove the gall bladder and so I scheduled an appointment with a PCP and the surgeon. That took about a week or so to get them all set up and the surgery was scheduled for a week later. (total of 19 days since finding the stones) On 1.8, the pain came back after taking the medicine and being sick for hours, it finally relieved itself for about 1n hour and a half only to come back again. on 1.9 we were back in the ER after about 12 hours of pain. They gave me medicine took more ultrasounds and sent me home. I almost went in the night before my surgery but decided to wait it out since I knew I'd already be sitting in the hospital all day...

The day of the surgery was a long one. Mom came up to take care of our little Jarhead. We came into the hospital around 12p for my surgery at 2p. they made me start fasting at midnight and
stop drinking at 8am. They were behind at the hospital and I ended up not having my surgery until 530! i was almost crying i was SO hungry! and thirsty.. i was allowed to swish my mouth with water as long as i promised not to swallow. but it was better than nothing! I was sent home that night around 1030 and was told I had no diet restrictions!! FREEDOM!

- or so i thought-

Wed I didn't feel very good so I stuck to soups and sandwiches*although i did add cheese to my sandwich!* i couldn't even eat half of the panera bread creamy tomato soup that mr. clean bought me! i stuck to my meds every 4 hours because i tried to ease up around 4p and decided that was not super smart. by thurs, i was feeling worse. glad mom decided to stay and help. i was lightheaded, really nauseas, and in a lot of pain. i also started throwing up everything i had really eaten that day around 4:30. we called the surgeon and he said it was because i was taking to many of the narcotics. so we let my last dose wear off and i stuck to tylonol. when i was still throwing up by 6, we called him back to ask if this was normal. he said to come into the ER. we came in the the brought me right back. they gave me morphine and some other pain meds but neither worked. it truly was the worst pain i ever experienced. worse than labor. i even think it was worse then the other gallstones pains (although maybe because the gallstone pain usually only lasted a few hours- this was constant) it was hard to breathe, hard to move, horrible. finally they gave me more meds and those at least took the edge off..they were going to wait 2 hours to do a catscan but since i was in so much pain, mr clean told them they could not wait that long. they took me in very soon after that. my nurse was very nice and felt bad she couldn't give me more medicine... after a little while, they were able to give me more medicine and i was finally feeling a little better! The doctor came back and said that i had acute pancreatitis and i would need to be admitted. They think a gallstone came out and got lodged in the duct between the gallbladder and the pancreas.

and here we are. when i was leaving , i was too drugged and misplaced my cell phone. i think it went down with the linens. just another crappy thing to add to the list. so i'm stuck here without a long distance phone. on Thursday and Friday, I wasn't allowed ANYTHING to eat or drink even. I have never been so thirsty in my entire life. by saturday morning, i was allowed clear liquids and then full liquids for lunch. for dinner this evening i was allowed to add bread to the diet. yogurts, broth, tomato soup, ice cream, and now breads. not many options. i also have to discard my milk. i've been tossing since tuesday. my supply is really low since i couldn't eat ALL day Tuesday, or Friday and part of Thursday. no food= not much milk. plus i missed pumpings the days of both surgeries because i was under the anesthesia....being in the hospital has been pretty crappy. mr. clean has gone home to sleep- and i'm glad. i didn't want him to have to sleep in a crappy chair for a few days. i've played a lot on the computer, watched a little TV on the limited channel options they have here, and tried to take at least one nap a day. My day nurse has been great. Her name is Marsha and she is like an angel. I love when she comes in in the morning and am sad when she leaves. Tomorrow is her day off though- blah- so i hope i have a good day nurse. my night nurses have been okay- but nothing compared to Marsha. It makes such a difference having a good nurse when you're stuck in a crappy situation. It kinda makes me want to go work back in the nursing home. It was crappy and it was HARD but I was good at it. I was cheerful and happy and I know that I made the residents smile. I want to make people smile more... The worst part about my stay here in the hospital is being away from my Jarhead. I"m glad my mom stayed to help take care of him... This way Mr. Clean can come visit me. They were going to bring him to see me but we decided that with the germs and icky-ness of a hospital it would be best if he stayed home. I miss him. He's started smiling more (at least I got to see it 2ce before coming in!) and he has started laughing. He's getting really strong legs. Mr. Clean says he prefers to be held so that he can "stand" instead of being cuddled or held cradled. I hope he still lets me cuddle him when i get home.. potentially the day is tomorrow- if i can handle "real food". The GI doc said I prob won't be able to have a reg diet for a while tho. he didn't really give a time frame tho. but i hope soon. i'm so tired of eating this bland food. i want a pizza, a taco salad, chicken salad, a hebrew national hotdog, chips and queso, chicken wings with blue cheese dressing, and sooo many more things. all i can think about is food these days and i can't wait to eat again.

so- where does this leave us? tired, stressed, and grateful for the little things. .. life has been tough and i'm close to saying i can't handle it anymore. i don't think i've ever had so much go on in my life at once- ever.. i want life to be normal, to slow down, and to let us have a break. it's really not to much to ask i don't think. my maternity leave has been nothing of a leave. it's been filled with 3 ER visits, a hospital stay, and at least 8 doctor's appointments for Mr. Clean, Jarhead, or me. ::Sigh:: once life has slowed down- i won't miss it's craziness. I usually love being busy, being entertained, having things to occupy my mind. but not this. THIS is stressful.

But- soon(hopefully) we'll have our happily ever after. i know things will be a bit crazy in between but it'll slow down. and we'll definitely be grateful when it's all over.

I know what a post. I'll add a pic of Jarhead to have made it all worth it.

2011-01-19T21:21:00.001-07:00

2011-01-19T21:18:00.001-07:00

Jack Attack!

2011-01-19T21:12:00.006-07:00

Well, I've been wanting to post and keep running out of time in the day so I'm not 'blogging' just posting some pictures. These were taken by our friend Risa who is AMAZING! check out her website at risawest.com Thanks so much for taking them of our little guy!

Friends

2011-01-17T00:18:00.004-07:00

You know- friends make the world a better place.
Yesterday, we had our friends over for dinner. well- they offered to bring us dinner and come over to visit. going out is much more difficult now, trying to remember everything to bring.(worked out too because Jack went thru 3 outfits just while they were here!)Since I'm on this low fat diet, Amy made 2 dishes that in combination had less than 5 g. We're so lucky to have such great friends. Dinner was yummy and it was so nice to catch up. It's been over a month since we've actually done anything with anyone. After dinner we played RACKO. They are expecting their first (also a boy!) in April. They'll be moving tho :( so we hope we still get to see them often. We also have other friends that are moving too! BUT they're moving into our complex. :) they have a little girl who is 1 and i'm super excited to have another mom so close!

Many crazy things have happened to us since moving here to MD. Many challenges. However, one of the most wonderful things is the friends we've made. We always heard how tough it is to find "couple friends" where both you and the husband like both the husband and the wife in another couple. I don't know if it was because we were still kinda "newlyweds" or because it was Provo or because we still wanted to hang out with our single friends, but we didn't have a whole lot of "couple" friends. We had a few but none that Matt and I would hang out with the couple together or just the girls or just the guys would get together. We've been lucky enough to find a few couples to be friends with here. It's great to have friends that are in the same stage of life!!

Anyway! I've just been cooped up for what feels like forever and even tho we stayed inside- it was great to have company!

Saturday mornings

2011-01-14T23:33:00.002-07:00

By the end of the week, I'm exhausted! I sometimes miss my naps because we have apts or because of cleaning or because that's when matthew has his break from work. but whatever the case may be i usually lay down to watch tv with matthew around 7 on friday nights only to fall asleep. i wake up around midnight or 1 am to find that matthew took care of jack all night. he'd feed and change him before he even started to really wimper so that i would stay asleep. i feel so refreshed and ready for the week then. it won't always be this way but for right now i'm just so grateful for a hubby that lets me nap and takes care of our little boy. he's such a good husband (plus i'm less grouchy and more energetic for whatever he wants to do on saturdays :) )

1/11/11

2011-01-11T09:50:00.002-07:00

What a cool day! 1-11-11 and it's my birthday! We've had SO much going on lately so I didn't get to plan my birthday as I had planned last year. I really wanted to have a party with pizza and ice cream and brownies surrounded by friends and games and maybe a movie. It's a Tuesday so it would have been last weekend or next weekend. but life has thrown a lot of things at us these last few weeks and so Matthew and i will be doing some more low key things instead. I can't really eat the food that I want but we'll Matthew said he'd make a yummy dinner. we'll skip the dessert for now. After next week, Matthew promised to take me out for whatever food i'd like to eat. My mom is in town so we'll head over to Dave and Buster's for some games and maybe a movie since it's right there. My mom will take care of Jack for us. i'm really excited and even tho i'm not having a "1" party- I get to spend the day with my little boy and then the evening with my very best friend. It's going to be and has already started out to be a perfect day.

I love birthdays! I can't believe a whole year has come and gone. I've gotten so many things accomplished though it's really amazing. and it's been 3 years since Matthew proposed on a cold winter night in utah. that birthday and everyone since has been amazing. life is good and for that i am grateful. busy and crazy and tough- but good.

life as we know it

2011-01-06T16:43:00.010-07:00

Life is busy. but- what else is new?!?

i totally love being a mom. don't get me wrong-i'm crazy tired and hungry and sore but every minute is worth it. it's different, yet the same as what i thought it would be. i knew all of these things would happen- that i wouldn't get sleep and that i would love him so much but it's different knowing you'll feel a certain way and actually feeling it.

We're done with visitors now- all on our own. It was great to have family here and Jack loved it! My mom was here for about 2 weeks and then we had Christmas. then Matt's mom came for about a week. i loved the help and having someone to talk with during the day but now I have Jack all to myself. which is also nice.

we started to "sleep train" today so hopefully he'll catch on quick and I'll get some more sleep during the night. today went great. i'm still tired but it's nice having a set schedule. we'll see how it goes over the next few weeks.

for being a new mom, i feel so accomplished. sure- my house won't always be clean but it's mostly clean right now and that feels good. i've been able to get myself in a little schedule so that i can play with jack, clean, nap, pump, feed jack, and have time with matthew. once he starts to sleep more at night-i may even have time to start my crafts! but february will come quickly and then I need to go back to work. it's going to be so difficult. i don't want to leave my little man. he's just so cute. but that's a little while away so i won't even think about it just yet. :)

jack is such a good kid! he loves to stare at things (often the back of the couch- haha). he enjoys his tummy and bath time. he can lift his head pretty well now and move it from side to side when on his tummy. he likes to do "little pushups".. he doesn't really like having his face washed in the mornings tho. probably because it wakes him up some. he's definitely a sleeper! we're trying to put more of that sleep in the middle of the night and so far so good. i'm not totally counting on it to last consistently but i'll take what i can get. i actually wake up after about 3 hours now wondering why i dont hear him.... it's nice to just check that he's still soundly sleeping like an angel and close my eyes again to fall asleep. he LOVES to be in his bouncer or swing. even if they are still. he has to sit up for about 30 minutes after eating so he doesn't spit everything up so we usually put him in one of those if we can't hold him at the time. he also likes to watch the TV(when it's on his eyes are glued to that part of the room) and the fish if we put him near the tank..

here are some pictures (which i know is why you read this blog :) )

he loved spending time with grandma christensen and papa bob(great grandpa)

we loved our christmas as a family! i think jack enjoyed his first one too!

he also loves to play with his daddy!!

he also had his first "temple trip" to see the lights! it was a GREAT night. (so warm)

the post you've all been waiting for

2010-12-18T15:44:00.005-07:00

little jack

well- this will probably take me a few days to actually post since my days- and nights- now consist of feeding my little man and then trying to sleep when he sleeps. except when i just need a break and need to hear from the real world- i get on the computer.

i am letting you know, as a reader of this blog, that probably 99% of my posts will now be about little Jack.

This last week has just been crazy. We went into the hospital on Wed the 8th and I was induced by Thursday morning. I got an epidural by Thursday night around 7 when I just wasn't getting anywhere with my labor. By Friday, I was more in the active part of labor but his head was just too big and around 1100, the doctor told me his head was turning into a cone and that i would need a c section. the c section was extremely uncomfortable. not painful- because i was numb- but i have never been more uncomfortable in my entire life. they ended up giving me the gas stuff because i couldn't stop tensing my body. I don't remember much of what happened after that. They let Matthew go over and take video and pictures of him right after he was born. They rbought him over to me and that took my mind off of the pain. He was (and is) beautiful. I didn't realize how much I could love him right away. I've felt like his mom for a while now but it made it so real to see him, to touch him, and to feel the warmth of his skin. they took him away then to get him all finished up and moved me into recovery. I wasn't able to feed him right away because I was far to weak to even lift my hands; let alone hold him. When I first held him, Matthew had to put his arms under mine because i was so groggy.

Nothing went as planned with the birth of our little guy. I knew that my birth plan was flexible but things came and went so differently than I had expected. I hadn't even ever considered being induced or having a c-section. None the less, all of the pain, frustration, hunger, and everything in between was so worth it once i saw his little chubby cheeks.

Jack and I both received many blessings during this time. It made me really grateful to know that Matthew has the priesthood and could bless us and let us know what Heavenly Father wanted us to know. Jack probably didn't understand his blessing but the comforting words definitely calmed him. The words in his blessing were definitely more for us than for him anyway. He's such a little angel.

i love holding him, feeding him, knowing that he loves me so much even if he doesn't understand. being a mom is the most wonderful feeling in the world. it's comforting to know that I can take care of him. He's mine and I am already smitten by his cuteness.

our first family photo

in his car seat ready to come home

family before leaving hospital

his cute little hand

with his great grams

first tummy time. He loves it!

with his Bachi

coming home.

oh- we won't be posting any of his videos on the blog but if you'd like to be able to see them, please let me know. :)

9 months...

2010-12-08T17:01:00.003-07:00

well- the day is here. i'll be going into the hospital in 3 hours. i'll some meds tonight and more tomorrow and then it's up to him....

hello little one- we've been waiting for you!

pictures to come soon :)

40 weeks

2010-12-06T16:37:00.005-07:00

Well, the date that I have waited for for the last 9 months has come... and gone.... I know most people go late with their first but I really thought our little one would come a bit early. They estimated my due date as November 11 at first, and then switched it to Dec 5 and stuck with that. But I guess I thought that since they guessed earlier first, he'd be here at least a little before 12/5. Nonetheless, here I am. Still writing, still walking, still waiting to hold my little one...

I went to the doctor today and they would like to schedule an induction by the end of the week. Right now "there's no room at the inn", but she said to hold tight until tomorrow when they will call again to see if I could get in. When they call, they could tell me that I could be coming in tomorrow night to Thursday night or, I guess if there's no room they'll put it off more. I'm really hoping that Jack comes on his own but

I'm open for whatever. I was really against being induced until I found out that a lot of people in my family were induced with their little ones. I trust my doctor's and I trust that they will also help me to know what's best for me.

Even though I thought he would come early, I still feel so

unprepared. I have everything ready and I'm not scared about anything but I know that I will feel unprepared as soon as his little self enters this world. Life will be so different for Matthew and I and

as muc

h as I know that I know it will still be a huge shock. Our lives will revolve around th

is little child in a way that neither of us can expect or prepare for. That is a crazy thought. I am going to be a mom. I will have someone else that is 100% dependent on me. He will be dependent on me for food, cleanliness, happiness, and everything else he can think

of! It'll be hard- I'm sure harder than I can even imagine, but it'll also be worth it- I'm sure more worth it than I can even imagine...

I'm ready for our little Jack to be here. I'm ready to see his cute little squished face. I'm ready to bundle him up in the cute little clothes and blankets that we have for him.

Hopefully, I won't be posting for a little while but while I'm here- I'll keep you updated!

Here's the 40 week pictures!

update

2010-11-30T09:48:00.002-07:00

...we're still here... and jack is not. i know we still have a few days til his actual due date but i am so ready!!!! keep your fingers crossed he comes soon :)

Parenting Advice

2010-11-27T11:58:00.004-07:00

So, I found this on another blog and it made me laugh. Of course, it's common sense but some of the pictures are hilarious! haha. can't wait for our little one :)

Day 30-Your favorite song

2010-11-27T07:28:00.002-07:00

Only 1! this is actually tough!!

i love just about anything by Something Corporate, Relient K, Dispatch, Counting Crows, Hootie and the Blowfish, and Rascal Flats.

My favorite song would probably be Out of My League by Steven Speaks tho. I know- sappy as it is- it's my song with Matthew, the one we danced to at the wedding, and the one that always brings good memories. I associate a lot of my life memories with songs and so as much as i LOVE all the bands above they all come with different memories- good and bad- that no matter how hard i try, the quick thought of that memory comes into my head.. With Out of My League, that memory is of when I first heard it. Jan 11, 2008 when Matthew told me this was one of his favorites on the CD he made for me when he proposed. i then think of how we danced at our wedding receptions and it was just perfect. wonderful memory + wonderful song= my favorite..

and I'm done with the 30 day challenge! WOW! I can't believe i actually did the whole thing :)

Day 29- What have you learned in the last month

2010-11-26T17:51:00.002-07:00

I have learned a lot as I often do. Life is full of learning.

But most of all, I learned to not be afraid. As i looked back for pictures of old friends, or me a year ago, or who i wanted to marry, i remembered that before some of those things happened or worked out, there were some tough scary patches. i didn't know if i'd meet friends when i went out to college or if i'd find a good room mate, or my best friend, i didn't know if i could be happy with one person the rest of my life. and now, at times i felt scared or worried about having a kid, but this is just like those things above. it's going to be crazy- i know that. and i won't do everything right- i know that too.. but i know that i love him- i know that i can raise him to be a nice young man- and i know that i have my matthew to be by my side helping and supporting me the entire way...

life is going to change. things in the future might seem scary or huge but it can always be learned from and overcome. It's the way that God intended it to be.

Day 28-A picture of you from last year and now-how have you changed?

2010-11-25T09:19:00.006-07:00

i've changed a lot in the last year.

Last year I had just graduated from college, just started my first full time job, and was enjoying life in utah. then my current position opened and after a conversation that surprised both matthew and i, i decided to apply. i got the job and we packed up and moved across the country in about a month. it was a crazy busy time in our lives... and here we are, a year later-- about to have our first baby and living a busy life....

last year to the left and this year below.

Day 27-Why you are doing this 30 day challenge

2010-11-24T15:18:00.001-07:00

haha.. well, i started because i had nothing to blog about and thought it would be fun. i haven't really enjoyed it very much but i'm glad i've done it.. just a few days left and i'm glad that i stuck it through. hope i can keep up the blogging! i've gotten into a good habit :)

Day 26-What do you think about your friends

2010-11-23T15:55:00.002-07:00

Well- I think this is a silly question!

My friends are AWESOME! duh. If they weren't awesome than I wouldn't be friends with them. Sure, I'd be "friendly" but we wouldn't hang out!

Anyway, my friends know who they are but they really are great. I have great friends from high school that even tho I don't talk to them as often as I'd like- I miss them and think of them often. It's the same with those I met and loved being with in college. Now that we're out here in MD, Matthew and I have made some great friends that we hang out with often..

Life is better with friends and I'm glad I have so many of them.

Day 25-What I would find in your bag

2010-11-22T18:37:00.002-07:00

Well- the basics

wallet, pen, gum, and some medicine (headache, tums, etc)

a bag for my little brush and some light makeup.

cell phone if i'm out with my bag and my badge...

My HOSPITAL papers :) just in case i need to go to the hospital asap...

that's about it! i'm pretty simple!

Grateful Post

2010-11-21T16:16:00.002-07:00

I love thinking of all the wonderful things that I'm blessed with in my life!!

-I'm 38 weeks today! i'm healthy and Jack is healthy and he'll be here soon. We're so excited!

-I took Friday off to enjoy a day of rest in case baby came early. It was a perfect day. We slept in, saw Harry Potter 7, and went shopping for baby! I had so much energy all day. I didn't feel sick or tired or really crampy. Best of all, I got to be with Matthew the whole entire day.

-Jack's room is just about finished. It's so dang cute!!

-I love seeing how excited Matthew is getting for Jack to come! He's gonna be such a cute dad!

-I'm going to be a mom soon. I mean, Jack is real and moving so I'm technically already a mom. but a real mom. one that stays up worrying and feeding and loving my little boy. it's a bit scary but so dang exciting.

- as i've been thinking a lot about being a mom- i've thought alot about my parents, matthew's parents, and those that influenced my life. i've been so blessed since i was little. i'm glad to know what i know and know that i can be confident in teaching those things to jack.

- it's thanksgiving this week! i love turkey day! i love being with family, although this year we'll be with our friends since we decided it best not to travel. but we're so excited for that too!

Day 24-A letter to your parents

2010-11-21T16:05:00.002-07:00

Dear Mom and Dad--

Life is good. I know that growing up things were different then I'm sure you imagined. I don't think you thought you'd be raising us on our own- driving back and forth to bring Anton and I to visit the other. Sure, sometimes, we didn't like it but we made out alright. You taught me good values. You let me choose for myself the things that I know to be right. You'll know these things one day too. Thank you for giving me that freedom. Thank you for letting me be me all the time. As I get older, the more I realize how important you are in my life. Now that Matthew and I are starting our own little family, I realize how important it is to be strong and to know what I believe in. My little boy might be crazy like I was but if he grows up having learned all that I did, I'll be a proud parent.

Thank you..

Love, DeAnna

Dear Mom and Dad C--

You are wonderful! I am so in love with your son and he treats me better than I ever could have imagined possible. He wouldn't know how to do that if you hadn't taught him so well. You taught him to be strong in the gospel, to treat his family right, and to have passion about whatever it is he's doing in life. He's going to be such a great dad and that is so comforting. Thank you for raising Matthew to be the man that he is. My life is amazing because of it.

Love, DeAnna

Day 23-Something you crave for a lot

2010-11-20T12:28:00.002-07:00

I ALWAYS crave pizza and even tho I have my favorites from the valley I can at least satisfy my craving by some other places around here..

however, Costa Vida chips and queso is my favorite queso I have ever eaten and they don't have it out here. i've tried others but the craving does not go away. When I went to Provo for 2 days in May, I ate chips and queso twice. I loved every minute of it!

Day 21-A picture of something that makes you happy& Day 22-What makes you different from everyone else

2010-11-18T17:36:00.006-07:00

There are many things that make me happy :)

I could keep going but you get the idea :) family, friends, the fall, the temple, food. i really do have a good life :)

What makes me different:

well, many things. i'm tiny- aka fun sized and i love being this small. i have very independent, some say stubborn, personality. i am very forgiving. i want to see the best in people and try to let that be in front of everything else. little things frustrate me and tend to put me in a bad mood quickly. i'm in love like i never knew was even possible. i love my life.

Day 20-Someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future

2010-11-17T17:17:00.008-07:00

Best day of my life. matthew is my bestest friend and this picture i think describes it best. we had fun then. we have fun now. and we'll have fun forever <3 i love you baby!!

Day 19-Nicknames you have and why you have them

2010-11-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

De: many of my friends and family call me this. pretty simple reason though- it's shorter than DeAnna!

Sweetie- my dear hubby calls me sweetie all the time :) because he likes me..hehe

Goober- my matthew also calls me this too. we don't really know how we started this but matthew says he calls me goober because it denotes cuteness :)

Peanut- family use to call me this all the time, although it's fading now. but it's because i'm tiny just like a peanut :)

i'm pretty sure that's all my nicknames!

Day 17-Someone you would want to switch lives with and why

2010-11-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

So- I posted day 18 instead of 17 yesterday so here's 17 :)

You know- I know this is probably a lame answer but I dont think I want to switch places with anyone. I am married to my very bestest friend and we're getting ready to have our first little boy. However, if I could take them both with me when I switched places, I would choose someone who has enough money to support their extended family, has a house paid off, and doesn't have to work full time. I wouldn't do it so that I could be lazy. I would do it so that Matthew and I can travel to the different sides of the country(and the middle!) to visit our family! Plane tickets are so expensive. I would do it so that Matthew and I can just stay home together and raise our little boy and neither one of us would miss a first of anything. I would do it so that I could serve those around me and give them gifts and things when they are in need.

But- I would never do it without my Mathew!

If I was switching for just the day- i'd switch with someone rich in Italy and I would eat at the best authentic places and I would go on a little boat in Venice and fly to all the other big cities!

November Picture Post

2010-11-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

I know! My 3rd post of the day! Be sure to check the last few :)
October was busy and November isn't slowing down any. There are a bunch of pics to post and baby will be here end of December so I didn't want to wait to post. I'm at 37 weeks now and officially "full term". We're excited for our little guy to come. Life is good and I know life will be so different when the little one is here but he'll be cute :) You can check Facebook for more :)

gifts from SPASMs

food

handmade choc covered pretzels that have little feet or BABY!!

favors

sarah

tana

amy and risa

our family :)

my momma!

one of my favorites!

hehe.. i told him he's always talking to my belly I should talk to his so it doesn't get jealous. haha. i guess there's a baby in mine tho!

another favorite!

normal

matthew trying to make his equal to mine! HAHA

that's all for now :) hope you enjoyed them!