Jayson, Carrie, and Posse

downer :)

2011-12-14T15:04:00.000-07:00

You know the phrase "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"?
Haha, that's why I don't blog very often :)

In all actuality, life is grand. We are very blessed! But, I'm a little bit of a downer and way too self-consumed lately and don't think the world needs to hear about that, so as soon as we get our camera back (still being fixed from the fire 6 months ago), I'll take pictures of my handsome boys, list my blessings, and as pinterest would say "stop being sad and start being awesome".

Haha.

Addict

2011-09-01T16:10:00.002-07:00

I'm totally addicted to diet coke.

I've quit, restarted, quit, restarted, etc.

I come from a fam with a lot of addiction creeping around, so at this point I'm going to thank my lucky stars I've never touched more harmful substances.

And, until I get my house back, I'll probably keep drowning my sorrows in dc :)

Sorry if that makes me a downer, haha.

It's funny because I'm also addicted to exercise.

You'd think those two things wouldn't go together, right?

Well, that just shows how crazy I am.

So today while the boys were sleeping and I was craving my daily ration of dc, I made some lemonade and it's a-ight. I guess. I even put it in a fancy glass to try to talk me into loving it, what a weirdo.

I almost feel like I'm being unfaithful to my dc, isn't that weird?

Hopefully I'll skip it today, but I'm not going to hold my breath on that one :)

What 3 things do you grab when your house is on fire?

2011-08-12T00:28:00.002-07:00

Oddly enough, I know the answer to the question in the title of this post...

My kids
Nothing
Nothing

Guess what I've learned? All that matters is people. Doesn't matter if we burn our house down, lose our job, lose our identity, lose our home, lose an arm (did you see Soul Surfer? loved it.), etc. With family/friends/church family/neighbors/loved ones/Heavenly Father, you can get through anything - at least that's what I believe.

I tried to get a pic of the boys and their new Goodwill spoils
and this was the best one! Rhet didn't want to cooperate!

As a point of explanation, about 7 weeks ago I was busying myself at home with the kids, getting a TON of work done - I mean, my house was SPOTLESS (ha ha), when my laundry room caught fire. We still don't know for sure the cause, but we're pretty sure that some flammable substance in the laundry room caught fire when the pilot light to the gas dryer or water heater turned on. Then the fire got into the attic and pretty much trashed most all of our belongings. Long story short, we now live in Pinal County close to Jayson's full time job, and are itching to get back to our downtown Mesa home. We don't really care about losing things, we're just seriously so grateful that we're all safe and healthy... BUT it sure would be nice if we could feel at home again, I tell you what!

So anyway, we're extremely grateful for how blessed we are. To feel the love of everyone around us (literally practically everyone I know who hears has tried to help me in one way or another) is completely overwhelming. I tear up every time I think about it.

The next 6 months or so will likely be a little challenging but you know what? We have too much to be grateful for to feel sorry for ourselves! Plus, what else did we have to do? :)

Just before the fire, I was reading about the pride cycle in Jack's little Book of Mormon storybook (that makes me sound like a good mom but I swear I'm not... that was just one fleeting moment of clarity I had as a mom). Later I talked to Jayson a little about why I think we had kind of a crazy life that kept us so busy. I decided that if we weren't constantly working and trying to battle our way through so much silly stuff that we wouldn't learn how to work hard, and would consequently wind up a little lazy and probably a lot entitled. In other words, I think it's a lot easier to be prideful. Don't get me wrong, I have my days (most, in fact) when I am a little lazy, entitled, and prideful. But that's why I need a little kick in the pants to bring me back down to earth to wake me up and help me remember that I've been given much.

Anyway, so I clearly needed a little kick in the pants, and here we are. I'd like to think this will make me a better person, but so far I'm just mostly a little cranky! But I'm working on it. Life is beautiful, and I have been given so much. And because I have been given much, I too must give. So I desperately need a service project to be working on to keep from being selfish. DOES ANYONE HAVE AN IDEA OF A SERVICE PROJECT THAT I CAN BE WORKING ON FROM TIME TO TIME, LATE AT NIGHT, ETC? I need to give, as I have been receiving so much lately. I'm going to work on my personal goals of being a happy mom and wife, smiling at everyone I meet while out and about, and the like, but I'd love it if I could work on a project that will have a start and a finish. Does that make sense?

Hopefully someone has a good idea for me. This hymn is what I'd like my new motto to sound like:

Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone’s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?

(And here's Carrie's wake up call...)

Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.

There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.
’Tis noble of man to work and to give;
Love’s labor has merit alone.
Only he who does something helps others to live.
To God each good work will be known.

I had me an epiphany,

2011-05-23T16:04:00.000-07:00

I've been doing this a lot lately. I'll be pondering on life and realize something really big (ie my epiphanies), and I wonder how I've lived the last 26 years without that knowledge? I know that God gives you what you need line upon line, but my overly impatient self doesn't like to wait. I'm still working on the patience thing. Big time.

But that wasn't the epiphany. It happened as I was actually able to listen to some adults speak at church yesterday (usually I'm working with the children, which is what I love love love so much - I'm not being sarcastic, it really is my favorite thing - but it's still nice to see adults and hear big words and about older peoples experiences). While I was listening, I got lost in my thoughts during one such adult's talk and got to thinking about my perspective on life.

I have a tendency to complain/be sad/gossip/not be 1,000% perfect/etc... Like, I do those things a lot. Don't get me wrong, I also appreciate and love all the amazing goodness that my life has. My kids are the best and they're the worst. Marriage is amazing and it's also a buttload of work. Working to try to make ends meet is crappy, but results in food on the table... yummy food. Serving others can be so time-consuming at times, but brings so much more peace and happiness than not.

Jack set up this photo shoot. I hate pictures, but look how he had all his animals framing us, too funny.

I've been worried that I need to focus more on the positive, and then my personal epiphany came yesterday regarding this. Yes, I need to count my blessings every single day and remember how much God has given me, BUT ignoring the not-so-fun stuff and pretending like it doesn't happen isn't a requirement, or even beneficial in my opinion. Yes, forgiving and forgetting, moving on from trials, and all that jazz is vital to our happiness. However, I know that the challenges we've had to conquer (or just survive) have blessed our lives long-term, and if I just pretended like hard stuff doesn't happen that I'd be discounting that.

So basically, I'm not going to feel quite so guilty about grabbing a diet coke after a long week and complaining about teething/never sleeping babies, state licensing tests, a pile of work to do for church, and the pile of dishes that smell so bad in the sink. Life is kind of gross sometimes, and that's what makes the glorious times so much better. So this is what's going to work for me for a while...

Calling all Losers!

2011-04-25T23:03:00.001-07:00

Anyone need motivation to keep eating well and exercising? Or (let's be honest) maybe even motivation to start? Come on over to my house next Monday, May 2nd to weigh in and pay $5, then we'll weigh in again June 13th. Winner takes all! (Or maybe winner takes two-thirds and second winner takes the remainder, if that sounds better...) I desperately want to feel good in my bathing suit this year, so let's do this.

I just finished a biggest loser challenge with a girlfriend and bunch of her friends and it was the best motivation for me! I lost quite a bit during the 6 weeks, but since the final weigh in I've been less than perfect in my eating. I still workout as much as I possibly can because I love it, but my healthy eating has gone out the window a bit (I'll have fruits and vegetables in one hand, then Reese's and Peeps in the other hand - not awesome, I know).

RULES: no unhealthy weight loss allowed! No crazy HCG or XYZ diets, dehydration, fasting, barfing, etc. here! I know some people are down with that, but I'm not one of them, sorry. We're only promoting healthy exercise and nutrition please and long term, for reazy weight loss!!

If you wanna join the fun, email, text, facebook, or comment me and we can figure out a time to get 'er done! If you live far, far away and can't make it that day, let's chat and figure something out. I'm excited, let's lost some lbs...

edit: here's some more details that i had posted on fb:

I've had questions about our party, so here goes... We just weigh in the two times: at the beginning and end of the 6 weeks, unless you just wanna come visit me in between! Come weigh in anytime before 2 or 3 pm Monday. Weight will be kept confidential, but we'll announce percentage weight lost at the end, unless someone is super opposed to that.
Oh yeah, if you don't want to do the money part but you still think it'd be fun to at least weigh in, feel free to come over. Of course you can't win the moolah, but it's still good motivation. Finally, if anyone wants to get together to workout from time to time, just say the word and we can party!

I Believe Stuff

2011-04-13T14:35:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to heed the counsel of a favorite speaker of mine, and mention to anyone who may or may not glance at my blog, that I believe stuff. In no particular order, here are a few of those things:

1. I believe in family.
2. I believe in taking care of our bodies.
3. I believe in hard work.
4. I believe in eating scrumptious food (see number 2, but also deserves its own number).
5. I believe in gratitude.
6. Most importantly, I believe this church to teach Jesus Christ's true gospel on the earth today.

Certainly isn't a comprehensive list, but it's a general idea of what I've been thinking about today. Since it's nap time, I guess I'll go get me a workout in and think about God's plan for me!

Magical Munchkins

2011-04-11T16:10:00.002-07:00

We had some super cute kids from the 'hood over to put on a magic show last week. We made a video from the photos, which turned out awesome because of the fun, giggly little peeps. I realized how fun life is when you bring a bunch of happy kids together, let em eat some snacks, and watch em play!

best random lady in a picture ever

2011-03-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh, is this lady not hilarious? She was in front of us in line for the Dumbo ride...

So about a year and a half ago we went on vacation. It hasn't happened since :) Anyway, at Disneyland we took the picture above and have been cracking up about it since!

Anyway, I grabbed that picture because it's my goal. I was running and lifting then and I wasn't super skinny or chubsky or incredibly buff or anything, but just right. Just chill. I want to go to there! I started a "biggest loser" challenge with my cute friend and we have 5 more weeks to lose the most body weight percentage we can. HELP! I got nothing, I've been jogging and trying to eat awesome (admittedly had pizza last night and cookies today) and I haven't lost a pound this week. Oh and I have at least 10 or 12 to go to my goal... Any suggestions for how to lose some more LBS but not lose my baby's MILK?

In other news, Jayson starts a new job in a couple weeks - hope we don't regret stirring up craziness by changing jobs. Technically he's still going to work in real estate, and I'll be getting my RE license to help out as well, but change can be a little scary :) It's all good, we prayed about it and even if we're scared we feel pretty good about life.

Welp, I'm off to eat something delicious, and hopefully not too naughty.

Oh and by the way, running barefoot is super fun! I've been jogging or walking at least a little most days this week without shoes and it makes me smile!

my latest hippy-ish thing

2011-03-07T02:28:00.001-07:00

Um, so I hate my running shoes. They make me have blisters, scrunch my toes, hurt my arches, yadda yadda. So I think I've decided I'm going to try something this week. I think I'm going to start just 5 minutes a day of jog/walking barefoot... I know, loco, right?

ew, not a flattering foot picture, but the only one i could find - by the way, i am DYING to go to the beach!!!

Well, anyway, I just wondered if anyone else in the universe had ever tried it? I've been meaning to buy new running shoes for forever, but they are so flipping expensive, what's the fun in dropping that kind of cash for shoes? I mean, I freak out when I have to pay $2.99 for a Jack-sized sweater for Jayson's sister's wedding, for heaven's sake. Most of my family's clothes are purchased exclusively at Goodwill on Thursdays (Dollar Day). So when the running store tells me I need to buy 80 dollar shoes I hesitate big time.

Back to bare feet - I live right by a park with about a quarter mile loop of cement that my bare tootsies are going to get to know very soon. I'm actually kind of excited to give it a shot - it feels a little liberating to think I maybe one day won't have to rely on shoes to go running. I don't know, maybe it'll suck, but it's worth a shot I think.

Wow, that was a random post :)

And it came to PASS

2011-02-03T23:35:00.001-07:00

Guess who's been sick for like 2 weeks straight:

Yup, these guys. It's the cool thing to do, pretty much everyone we know is doing it.

But I think we're all finally on the mend (or close to it at least?) and my super kids will be back to sporting their super capes in no time. Rhet was Superman and Jack was Jackman in the above picture, which was taken before the wave of bleh came over our house. Jayson and I still haven't really gotten sick (knock on wood), though we are suffering the effects of cranky kids mixed with sleepless nights. The first week I must say that I was pretty darn patient through it all. HOWEVER, my status as a bad mother is back with a vengeance this week. No more patience here.

But it's all good, at least I can count my blessings that it is pretty rare that any of us do get sick. I feel so much for those with children that have health problems. I can pretty much figure that my kids' little sickness will end and they'll be back to running, jumping, and scooting with smiles on their faces - not all moms can know that'll happen in this life.

...And on a happier and irrelevant note, I have lost like 11 pounds this year. Alleluiah. Something like 11 more to go!

Just Call Me Katniss

2011-01-12T00:01:00.002-07:00

Warrior Dash? Sounds awesome: I want to go to there. Maybe if I finish the race I can be as tough as one of these ladies:

(By the way, Gina Carano is my hero.)

Is it weird that I want to run through a river and jump over fire and crawl under barbed wire in mud?

Well, anyway, Camille and I are SO THERE! How fun is that? Gives us something hilarious to look forward to...

Arithmetic

2011-01-05T00:28:00.002-07:00

Here's an arithmetic lesson for the day, that you may not have learned in school, but is WAY more applicable to my real life than any calculus or trigonometry that I learned during both high school and college.

THIS:

(only a fraction of the things I made this Christmas season)

PLUS THIS:

(the offspring)

EQUALS THIS:

(ouch!)
(by the way, that was the first toe paint job in at least 6 months for me)

I am so grateful that my Father in Heaven has entrusted me with the ability to procreate and that I've been sent two of his angels to look after. Not only that, but I've been blessed with the ability to provide more than a sufficient supply of nourishing milk to those babies. That is what is most important, I know.

HOWEVER, my very selfish, worldly perspective is clear... I do NOT enjoy gaining 60 pounds every time I work on growing the body of one of those special spirits inside my belly. Both times I hit 190. Yeah, not cool. Even though I jogged through 6 months of the last pregnancy, I still gained a buttload of weight. And both times I had a really hard time losing while breastfeeding. I still have 25 to go after 4 1/2 months, and the whole overindulging tradition that is so custom in our society during the holidays doesn't help (I have little self control when mom's apple pie is within my grasp).

So I'm hoping that if I post my weight for the world to see (luckily no one reads my blog - especially after a 2 year hiatus), my attempt at training for a half marathon at the end of 2011 will prove to be a little more successful. I can't wuss out now, right? I've made it known. So far, I'm struggling through about 2.25 miles per outing - admittedly still having to walk at times - but it's a start. I'm not calling this my resolution, though, since that doesn't seem to work for many of us. But I do have goals of hiking Havusupai without a stitch next summer as well as completing 13.1 miles next November-ish. Reach for the stars, right?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Singing Loud for All to Hear

2010-12-23T22:18:00.004-07:00

So I was working on making jams, fudge, cookies, caramel pretzels, rice crispies, salsa, etc. the other day when my poor, abandoned children requested that I pay attention to them. So I changed the baby's diaper at the chaise end of the couch, talked to each of them for a minute, and turned to toss the used diaper into a wet bag. Then I turned around and noticed the boys enjoying "Elf" together at the end of the couch...

Two peas in a pod!

And yes, those are my cloth diapers drying on a drying rack to the left of them - it was raining outside, I promise I don't usually have them out for display :)

Investing in our Family

2010-12-19T22:53:00.010-07:00

I switched to cloth diapers when Jack was potty training (by the way, I hate potty training). Switching to cloth was just one of my many attempts at saving a little moolah. Luckily, I really honestly enjoy using cloth, the only real bummer is 2 or 3 more loads of laundry a week, but with the amount of laundry that a small family goes through, what's another 2 or 3 more? Most people I know either think I'm crazy or get super defensive when I mention we use cloth diapers, which I think is weird. Alls I'm saying is this -- it works for me. I'M NOT SAYING YOU SHOULD CLOTH DIAPER YOUR CHILDREN... I'M NOT TRYING TO CONVINCE OR OFFEND ANYONE!!! I'M JUST SAYING MODERN CLOTH DIAPERS, IN MY OPINION, ARE PRETTY SWEET... (Now that my disclaimer is out of the way) I'm pretty open-minded about some stuff, and my husband is surprisingly supportive of my craziness, so why not go for it and save a few thousand dollars this year? It's even better that I pretty much enjoy the whole thing way more than I ever did with disposable diapers!

I just have to add, who wouldn't want to see the booty of their adorable little guy or girl in such adorable colors? I can't wait until summer when he'll be scooting around in just a diaper, who knew poo holders could be so much fun?

Here's one piece of advice that wasn't really mentioned by my friends or anywhere online when I was researching... If you're making/buying cloth wipes, just make/buy as many wipes as you have diapers! I struggled with how many to make, and now I realize DUH - one wipe per diaper change - how could I not have thought about that sooner!

Did I mention that we bought this a couple years ago:I love our home. Most days. Other days I hate it, but I think the major repairs are FINALLY complete and now we just get to maintain and make beautiful. Next project: paint the outside. We're thinking of the color "City of Mesa Gray" as one friend named it... In other words, the free paint City of Mesa provides, hopefully it'll be a pretty gray the day we pick it up!!

...and now I'm off to launder some diapers.

Change is a Good Thing

2010-12-15T02:02:00.005-07:00

So I quit my full-time job last month, while unemployment rates are off the charts, my husband's industry is in complete disarray, and income is as inconsistent as the day is long. Seemed like the smart thing to do.

Even though every bit of logic says I'm a dummy, we knew I needed a career change. Jayson and I didn't (and still don't) have a perfect plan, just a strong impression that something needed to give. My employer and I worked out an arrangement so that I can work remotely on a part-time trial basis, which seems to be quite the answer to prayer at this time.

I just finished working (it's after 2 am) and even though I haven't slept all week and my eyelids are heavy, I really wanted to say that I have faith - and maybe posting this is just so that I have the reminder in writing when my faith waivers a bit. I know my Father in Heaven (aka God) is mindful of our family. Even though I'd so love to know what's in store for us, I'm just going to try to work hard, serve others, and know that what's meant to be will be.

So I'm no longer a full-time work-outside-of-the-home mother. Now I get to be a full-time work-at-home mom, and I'm sure the retirement plan will be MUCH better.

Birth Story - VBAC :)

2010-12-13T01:16:00.005-07:00

So I've had a lot of people ask about my birth story, and thought I should just post it here to let anyone interested refer to it... I had the perfect natural vaginal delivery after a c-section 3 years prior. It was AMAZING!!!! I wrote this when baby Rhet was very small, and haven't read it since, so it's fun to think back :)

I think our birth story started 3 years ago after my first son came via Cesarean section due to his being footling breach. I learned quickly by visiting a half-dozen different OBs over the next three years that my desire for a VBAC might be more difficult than I had imagined! … Then about three months into this pregnancy I stumbled upon Bethany Women’s Healthcare and haven’t looked back! Yes, I had to drive from the East Valley where we live and it took a lot of gas and some patience in traffic, but it was oh so worth it.

I had had contractions for at least the whole third trimester of this pregnancy, and at around 40 and a half weeks, nothing exciting seemed to be going on! I went in for a check-up on the Friday the 13^th of August and Diane asked if I wanted to be checked internally and I couldn’t help myself, I wanted to know what was up! She said I was at about a 2.5, 80% effaced, with baby’s head down low and a little bloody show. She smiled a little and said she didn’t think I’d make it to next week’s appointment, but I told myself not to get my hopes up…

The next day I woke up and for the first time in a few weeks I felt like actually putting make-up on and attempting to wear a cute dress – not very characteristic of me. So I tried beautifying my 60-pound overweight self and begged my husband to take me to Ikea to walk around (he refused – it was a super long drive, it’d be about an hour from the hospital). Instead, we went to fill water bottles around noon after picking up a Powerade from Circle K (a guilty pleasure that helped get through the hottest months of pregnancy). While waiting for my husband to fill up the first 5-gallon bottle of water, I felt a little “twinge” somewhere around the baby’s head then some seriously warm liquid started dribbling out onto the seat of the car! I opened the door and told my husband, “babe, my water just broke!” We were both kind of weirded out by it, so he asked if we should continue fill up any more of the water bottles and I said heck no, let’s go home!

So we called my folks who were to meet us at home to play with and then babysit our 3-year-old while we were in the business of birthing the baby. Then I called the midwives, and I was super excited to hear that Lynnette was on call. When I spoke with her I told her my water broke, fluid was clear, but labor hadn’t begun, and she said great, feel free to come in if contractions get below 5 minutes, but if nothing happens by 10 pm to head in to just check everything out. Sweet. We also called to warn our doula. I had to sit on the toilet for quite a while because the fluid just wouldn’t stop, and it would soak through huge maxi-pads like crazy for the first couple of hours, so I didn’t get to move around a whole lot J

Contractions started within the hour, nothing super consistent for a few hours though. Between my folks, my husband, and myself, I was the most calm, it was hilarious! Dad was itching to get me to the hospital, husband was busy cleaning the bathroom and doing laundry, and mom was scrubbing the stove top while I made sandwiches and watched “The Proposal” in the living room!

Around 4 pm or so the contractions started really messing with me. I would get the chills, hot flashes and/or cold sweats with each one, and decided I wasn’t feeling awesome, so I called Lynnette again and she suggested I might want to head toward the hospital within the hour if I felt like I should. The only thing was not all of the contractions were really bad. I’d have one or two easy ones, then one super intense one. Nothing too crazy, but all within 5 minutes. However, within a half hour I told my husband I didn’t want to stay at home anymore and felt more comfortable heading out. So that’s what we did.

It was easier to labor in the car, I sat in the back seat and just closed my eyes during each contraction – trying to breathe and stay calm like my hypnobirthing book said to. Although I wasn’t practiced or an expert in hypnobirthing, I really appreciated the mentality/philosophy taught in the book, it helped my labor a ton. At the hospital we walked all the way to the elevators and tried every floor until we finally found the right one! We’re such dummies – we totally forgot where to go! I’d have to stop walking for the contractions and have my husband help support me, but having his support was enough to get through them just fine…

The staff was surprised to know that I had walked up there 4 or 5 hours after my water breaking – I was getting pretty dang distracted by the contractions at this point, so I didn’t respond much. They let me settle into my room right away and I tossed on the ugly gown and laid myself on my left side in the bed and closed my eyes. I was pretty uncomfortable during the contractions at this point, but when they were done I felt perfectly fine and at ease, joking with my husband or sipping a bunch of water. Finally Lynnette came in and asked if I wanted to be checked and I said yes please, I want to make sure something is actually happening!

Lucky for me, I was at about a 6.5 and she joked that I was about 98% effaced, that was music to my ears! I had secretly hoped to not get to the hospital until after 6 cm, I know it’s silly and just a number, but it was one of those crazy little mental goals I was looking for. Unfortunately, there was another gal trying to have a baby at the same moment as me, so poor Lynnette was trying to juggle both of us. I still feel bad about that J. I totally forgot to bring up the birth plan from the car, so when they ladies asked what my birth plan was, I just said “no drugs please! And no knives!” They said “okay!” and that was that!

My doula really helped me out after this point, because not too long after I was checked did I start getting really uncomfortable during those dang contractions! She helped remind me to focus on the parts of my body that weren’t experiencing the intense discomfort during the contractions, then she helped remind me to come back to center in between contractions. In between, she suggested opening my eyes, looking at my husband, and getting grounded again. That was huge. I remember thinking at one point, “thank heaven they’re not offering me drugs because at this moment I might take them”, but then I remembered hearing from so many others’ birth stories that that usually means I’m almost done. And guess what? Pretty soon I blurted out mid-contraction “Oh my gosh, he wants to come out!” I even remember my legs twitching a bit when I tried to suppress the urge, it was so cool to feel my body tell me what to do.

I don’t even remember what time it was, but I remember toward the end of one contraction I totally thought I needed to push him out, but refrained because I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. Then the next one I couldn’t even stop myself! I remember again reiterating that he wanted to come out and I really wanted to push, and then I heard someone say, “we always believe the mother when she says that!” That was so amazing to me – they trusted me and my body and didn’t try to play God and mess with what I and my body was saying. I loved it!

Unfortunately, Lynnette was still with the other mom, so I was on my own for a while until Lylaine was sweet enough to come early to her shift (at least I think she did?) and help out. So she got there during the pushing and was just amazing. Between she and my doula they helped me to work with my body to help baby Rhet ease his way into the world. At first I was a little timid with my pushing, I didn’t feel like I knew what to do and wasn’t sure if I should push very hard, but then after pushing for a while (and getting pretty tired, to be completely honest), I bore down even more each time. I remember at the end it seemed like my body was taking a little bit longer rests between contractions, as if to let me save up a little more energy to make the next one count even more than the last. It was awesome when Lylaine asked if I wanted to feel the top of his head, which I did. It actually bummed me out a little because I was hoping more of him would have been out, but I remembered not to worry, and everyone reminded me that he was just going to take a little time to try to keep the perineum in tact J. Not much longer after that, Lylaine said something like, “I think he might come with the next one” and I got even more determined. I did feel some burning at the end (which I think was from tearing), but mostly just a ton of pressure as he was coming (I was pooping out a 14 cm head, after all).

Finally after a few more pushes I felt some serious relief as my baby boy’s head, then shoulders slithered on out! Sounds weird, but that’s how I felt it – he slithered out after the head emerged. Lylaine had asked me earlier if I wanted baby on my chest right away and of course I wanted to. I got to hold him right away while she worked on the afterbirth, my husband cut the cord after it finished pulsating, and as she stitched up my weird tears (yeah – I tore in an unusual way she said – very superficial but kind of all over!). Baby Rhet got to nurse right away and hardly every cried – he was very chill and oh so handsome!

All in all, it was the absolute perfect birth, and I couldn’t have asked for anything to go any better. After a while of some amazing bonding, baby Rhet was weighed and measured – 8 pounds 5 ounces and like 21 inches or something like that. EVERYTHING has been easier during this postpartum in comparison to the C-Section. I truly believe that letting him decide when to come, and having his entry to the world as nature intended it resulted in the best start we could ask for! Thank you, thank you to all the midwives (and Dr. Chambers before she left) at Bethany Women’s Healthcare! I really loved and appreciated all of you and your calm, joyful approach to pregnancy and childbirth. I especially thank Lylaine and Lynnette for the VBAC class I attended, which was both therapeutic and useful in preparation for BAC, and then for your help on d-day too! My family and I were just so impressed with how awesome everything went, and especially for Lylaine’s help with the delivery and the first few hours we had with our son. I’d literally recommend you guys to anyone – and already have a number of times!

Queen of the Castle

2010-11-19T20:53:00.005-07:00

So I live with a handful of boys... and I LOVE it!

I'm grateful for this healthy, strong, and always energetic bundle of joy:

And I am seriously grateful for the good-natured, easy-going, and content newest addition:

It's so fun to see our family grow closer and watch us all settle a little more comfortably into our roles as mom, dad, big bro, and little bro. And I realize more and more every day how I wouldn't be complete without these guys. Good stuff. I am oh so grateful to be queen of this castle!

We're ba-ack!

2010-10-03T02:09:00.004-07:00

I don't know what's up recently, but I've gotten a handful of people bugging me about not using my blog anymore. Honestly, I just went private because I had stopped blogging after I graduated and had a friend who's childrens pictures were misused by some Chester the Molestor. So I figured hey, I'd rather not delete the whole thing, but instead just privated it (is that a word?). Now I think I'll just go ahead and delete as much of the personal stuff as possible and try to update friends and fam who're interested in hearing about our simple, but fun-ish, life.

By the way, Boogz loves this movie:
Have you seen it? We were given this on VHS, which means Boogz knows how to put it into the VCR himself. Kill me now.

Look Alike

2009-02-15T00:19:00.005-07:00

Our little man isn't so little any more! He's even speaking some English! He's also getting very good at bossing us all around with his English. At first we were so excited he could say "Right there" or "Brush the teeth" or "Apple" that we would heed his every command, but now he thinks he's in charge and that's no bueno. Anyway, that's the fun of parenting, right?

So for the longest time I thought Boogz's "look" was totally unique and that he didn't really look like Husband or me. Then I was just taking a peak at some of his recent pics and noticed that something about them looked familiar. Before chopping off his hair again, we snapped a few pictures, and as I was peaking at them I realized he looks an awful lot like these fellows:

Yeah, those are my brothers when they were energetic, crazy, annoying, too smart, wild toddlers. And theres TWO of them! Could you imagine? My mom had two in a row. I think Heavenly Father knows that only saints like my mom can handle that... Terrible moms like me would never be blessed with two energetic boys in a row so close in age, right? Either way, I think those two brothers especially look like my little man:

Okay, so maybe these pictures aren't perfect matches... I'm now on the hunt for some even better examples, but the moral of the story is that Jack is much like my bro's: he's pretty darn cute, but super naughty!

Joy Turner vs. my Sis-in-Law

2009-02-15T00:12:00.002-07:00

I'm a bad blogger. Sorry. Now that I'm out of school and feeling free, I tend to stay as far away from anything that reminds me of school, such as this computer. However, Jayson and I found this picture and we laughed out loud:
If anyone here watches "My Name is Earl" and/or knows Jayson's next youngest sister, I DARE you to try to guess who this picture is of. Is it Joy Turner from "My Name is Earl" or is it Jayson's sister? It's especially confusing with such a tiny picture, which makes this game even MORE fun!!!

Happy New Quarter!

2009-01-10T15:05:00.005-07:00

It's resolution time! I don't keep year-long resolutions, so I've decided to break 2009 into quarters so I can actually keep my resolutions. Here we go:

Eat 2 cups each of fruits and veggies at least 5 days a week. (And yeah, I realize that that's not even as much as is recommended in the food pyramid, but I'm taking baby steps here. I'm not the world's most nutritious person. I'd rather have Filibertos.)

Jog 3 times/week. (Remember, this is just the first quarter so maybe next quarter I'll step it up a notch! Or I'll get sick of running and move on to something else.)

No milk chocolate candy. (Note: I can still eat dark chocolate and yummy desserts made of cocoa powder. Here's my rationale: If there's a Snickers or a Mr. Goodbar or whatever sitting in front of me, I'll eat it. I don't love milk chocolate candy bars, but if they are there, I will eat it. But, during the next quarter, I'll be milk chocolate candy bar free!)

And those are the quarter resolutions I'm sharing with the world. Let's all meet back in April and see if we could actually keep a resolution for once!

Help! No one likes a Mr. Sniffles...

2008-12-05T20:46:00.005-07:00

"I hate Mr. Sniffles." (name that movie)

Does anyone know of any cold/flu daytime medicines that don't make you loopy? Maybe one that instead of making you loopy makes you super alert, raises your IQ several hundred points, assists you to think clearer and more able to complete tasks at hand, and perhaps even eliminates sleepiness during finals week?

I don't know about anyone else, but my body likes to wigg out when I have a lot to do and well, I've got a lot to do. Therefore, I'm sick. You know that cute Walgreens commercial where the mom says she can't pencil in a cold right now because of a long list of things to do? I feel for her.

Please, if anyone knows of something to help a head cold go away and wait to come back until after next Thursday then please share!

Oh, and good news: I found an awesome job. It's great and it's horrible. I'm loving the coworkers, enjoying the work, and excited to use my sweet degree in a financial industry (which is right up my alley)... BUT... No one wants to leave their babies all day... But then again, you gotta do what you gotta do. This phase of life's just going to be a little bit crazy. I am so dang tired. Fortunately, this lady says I can do it, so I should be okay:

Cripes.

2008-11-29T13:35:00.002-07:00

5th folder, 5th picture, yadda yadda.

Here's a good one of my toes (I paint them twice a year, so this is unusual). We went to batting practice for the first (or was this one the second?) time ever. It was awesome. I think that's the Dodgers, so we might have been watching Manny smoke 'em to left field at this point. Don't love Manny, but it was still fun stuff.

Before & After

2008-11-24T18:42:00.006-07:00

So my little man is multi-talented. He now brushes his own teeth! Boy, that makes life easier. Daddy taught him how to do it and now his teeth have gone from a little questionable to squeaky clean!

Before:
After:

See? Pearly whites, baby...

Fortunately, Boogz is one little happy man... MOST of the time. Then again, he's also a quick learner and he's realized now how to throw fits. I guess we're already getting a sneak peak at the terrible twos. Very exciting. One night we were just chillin' and one of those mood swings swung.

Before:

After:

No bueno. But it's a pretty good picture, right? If anyone has any helpful tips for tantrums (I just ignore him, I hope that's right) then please let me know!

Insane in the Membrane

2008-11-19T17:07:00.005-07:00

Guess what? There's good hip hop and rap on the radio again!

Tune in to 101.1 FM if you're in the East Valley like me and listen to the classics: Tootsie Roll, Insane in the Membrane, Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, and everything else from junior high! You can't help but get down when the signal is strong (yeah, sometimes it doesn't work too well, but whatev) and Nelly starts singing about shoes! Oh and Boogz thinks momma's dancing is the coolest...

Chain letters

2008-11-11T20:01:00.003-07:00

This will be the 2nd chain letter of sorts that I'll have completed in the past month. You know that neighborhood phantom ghost thing that the danged Mormons do to each other around Halloween? You know, where you get a plate of cookies and then you're supposed to go phantom someone else? I got that and passed the love along (it only took me like 2 weeks to do it, though), which is the first chain letter I've completed since junior high. Then I just realized that my dear friend Hillary tagged me like 40 years ago and I'm just noticing. I am officially the queen of chain letters. Here goes the fun:

My 8 obsessions...

Mixed Martial Arts - very feminine, right?
Learning - I can't get enough, everything from formal education to reading ridiculous fiction... it's all good.
Procrastinating
Fluffernutters on bread or Ritz
The internet - so much information and keeping in touch with old friends!
Staying up late
Binge sleeping
Diet Coke (Husband came up with 6-8 by the way, so those ones must be pretty accurate)

8 words or phrases I use often...

Holy crap. (not a good one, I know)
Poopsicles. (Husband made this one up as another word for fudgesicles)
Oh snap. (See: My Name is Earl)
Shnookums. (Husband's nickname)
Bugz. (Boogz's nickname, pronounced Boogz)
I hate running.
I need to study.
Will you watch the baby while I study?

8 things I want to do before I die...

Write a song and play it on the guitar. (this will never happen)
Compete in one amateur MMA match. (Husband says this will never happen)
Have 3-4 children and be very happy.
Finish grad school.
Read the entire Holy Bible. (I've tried, it's hard)
Grow all the ingredients to a delicious salsa and then make it and then eat it with everyone who might truly appreciate it.
Do my hair and/or makeup every day for like a week or something.
Be a grandma - after all, that's why I'm having kids.

8 things I have learned from my past...

Those "helpful" books on babies do NOT know my child and therefore do NOT apply to him and/or me.
Post partum depression sucks.
My husband is perfect for me.
Not finishing everything on your "to do" list every day is okay sometimes.
When I start to see funny squiggly things in my eyes accompanied by a little bit of nausea and a slight headache, that usually means I'm about to up-chuck.
Everything that is worth my time is going to be hard. Nothing worth it is ever super easy.
My Father in Heaven knows best - I just need to keep plugging away even if I don't know what's next.
Boogz is the bomb.

8 places I would love to go or see...

Real Mexico - not just the touristy part
Florida/Georgia
Hawaii
Suns game in San Antonio - we'd have to win, of course
Warm places
Sunny places
Ocean-y places
QT

8 things I currently need or want...

More hours in the day
To figure out what I should do when I grow up
A filling (I just found out I have my first cavity in my adult teeth. I am so bummed.)
A house I can fix up and make ours with a garden, a pet, and some place to put all our stuff
The desire to have another baby... if they're all as energetic as Jack, I just don't know if I can have another one!
Compression shirt/shorts for working out. Are cheap brands just as good as expensive ones?
To find the perfect grad school and major for me... I'm too random to choose just one.
Some sleep - it's been a while

8 people I tag...

Ooh, should I pass along the chain letter?

Words of Wisdom

2008-11-09T02:52:00.001-07:00

I don't know why I clicked on this link as I lay here unable to fall asleep at 2:51 am, but I do know that I needed to read it:

NOW & HERE: Why I'm Not Afraid of Coyotes

Maybe you'd like to read it, too? If not, at least know that no matter what, our Father in Heaven answers our prayers. I just need to remember that rather than asking to keep bad things from happening to me, all I need to ask is for the strength to work my way through my silly little struggles. Thank you, thank you, Sister Blair!

Everybody's doing it...

2008-11-06T16:14:00.008-07:00

... so we decided to have a Halloween post, too!

Here's the fam in all our glory:

Yes, we made our own Halloween costumes and yes, we are very cheap. I think they cost about $20 total.

The "I'm not diggin' this" face:

Here's my favorite picture of Boogz the peeker:

Special thanks to Rob n Tif for the sweet pictures (as most people who know me know, I'm not a big picture taker). Halloween is by far the coolest holiday. Whoever came up with that one is a genius.

5 days, baby!

2008-10-24T13:41:00.005-07:00

If you can't wait until October 29th to see our favorite Diesel, then check out this song and dance routine at http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/b543b61e4e - just put it on mute for the first 30 seconds or so (there may or may not be a few choice words used, particularly one that is a synonym for donkey).

Being healthy is great and all, but...

2008-10-22T16:53:00.007-07:00

...if I don't get one of these a few times a week, life just isn't worth living:

This is a fluffernutter. As discussed at this website http://www.marshmallowfluff.com/pages/fluffernutter.html, a fluffernutter might be described as "a wonderful concoction of Marshmallow Fluff and peanut butter in a delightfully tasty sandwich". Can I get an amen?

Yeah, I know we don't live in New England and don't have access to the original Marshmallow Fluff brand, but Marshmallow Creme has proved to be a sufficient substitute. Walmart's brand is aight with enough fluff, but is lacking a bit in the marshmallow-y explosive flavor of its competition.

Quick Updates (for all the faraway folks we never see):

Jayson is working hard as the real estate guru for a residential mortgage/REO bulk home buyer/hard money loan company. He works with young guys and they have a dang good time "working". He also has learned how to be the world's greatest husband/dad. He'll offer to take the little man out for a while just so mom can have a moment of peace and still doesn't chastise me for letting our home get super messy! What a stud!

Jack doesn't speak English yet, but I'm not worried. He just wants us all to learn Jackanese. Why shouldn't we all completely alter our entire lives, including our primary language spoken in our home, for him? It only makes sense... The countdown is on: one month until he's in nursery (look out, Cara)!
Carrie was talked into training for a 10k while training to be the world's greatest ultimate fighter. It is awesome. I have a serious love/hate relationship with working out. School's done in 2 months. I found out that there are approximately ZERO awesome part time jobs available but about a BILLION pretty good full time jobs available. The picture above was from a trail Jayson and I took a while back. We're risking our lives to train, next time I think I'm going to bring my lucky machete.

That's it, I'm officially looking for a job...

2008-10-01T16:03:00.005-07:00

Any ideas?

As most of us mothers know, life is no bueno when you have to work and have a baby. But you gotta do what you gotta do. I am looking at our stack of bills thinking, "hmmm, I could just not pay tuition and be able to afford like 3 months of bills, but what's the fun in that? Let's make this really challenging..." So I paid tuition and watched my checking/life savings/children's college fund/future trip to Europe fund deplete (and no, I never really had a future trip to Europe fund).

Now, I really don't want to work full time, as most mothers do not, but with school too, I don't even know if that's possible. I bet I could squeeze it all in, though! I grew like 3 arms after having Jack, so maybe I'll grow a few extra hours in the day, too.

I've got the patent pending on the clock above. If anyone has suggestions on good mommy/student/wife/crazy person jobs or tips for adding 1-3 hours to every day, then let me know. (And please don't tell me "stop blogging, then you'll have more time" or else I might have to use the new cutting elbow move I learned in my MMA class. Scary stuff.)

Wedded Bliss

2008-09-19T14:53:00.001-07:00

Three years. That's a long time! We've got about 67 more to go, according to this crazy lady I talked to at Walmart on our anniversary weekend earlier this month... She thinks 70 is the number to aim for. Her parents did it, so we're going to too! (Oh and nevermind that our anniversary was like 3 weeks ago and I am just now acknowledging it. That's just the way it is.)

I was going to do a "before" and "after" picture, but decided that was no bueno. We paid way too many people to make us look good for these wedding pictures, so there's no real comparison now with the baby weight, barely combed hair, unpainted lashes, and love handles. The only pictures we take now are of Jack anyway.

So for the big day, we went and tried to see "Don't Mess With Zohan" in the dollar theater and let me tell you... DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME! We lasted about 10 minutes before we decided that a PG-13 rating wasn't appropriate. So we ran over to see some delectable Will Smith in "Hancock" and loved it. Boy, is Charleze Theron tough and hard or what?

...And we haven't been out on the town since. Instead, we hang out with Jack in our smelly apartment. If it's not a diaper, the bathroom sink drain, or the garbage disposal, then I'm not sure where the smell is coming from.

Buns

2008-09-06T20:09:00.004-07:00

So I've been feeling super adventurous lately. Two Fridays ago, I decided bread was too expensive. So I thought I'd try my hand at homemade bread.

By the way, my favorite Walmart brand wheat bread is now well over $2.00. Wow.
Side note: I don't know why everyone's in such a huff over all the gas prices and stuff. Everything is super expensive now and that just sucks. The whole, "hey let's add another tax to gas so it will be cheaper for us" is my favorite idea. I'm going to propose something now: Let's add a tax on bread so that bread makers and the government can work together and use that money to find cheaper ways to make bread! Awesome, why has no one thought of this before? Do you think it will work?

Anyway, back to my adventures. So last week, I made some buns. They looked pretty tasty, so I took a picture to show off because I am totally TAMN from seriously so blessed.

Then this past Friday, I saw some more tasty buns that I just had to take a picture of.

I hope I don't get flagged and shut down now because of nudity on my blog or anything, but the buns were worth sharing. That's him escaping putting on real clothes after an hour-long swim.

In other news: if you look closely, Jack no longer has curls nor does he have a mullet. That's right. On his 15th month birthday, we took the clippers and a #7 comb to his head. Even though I insisted that it was time, I still tear up thinking about it...

M&Ms are expensive.

2008-09-02T02:11:00.002-07:00

I've been considering buying a giant bag of M&Ms for the past week or two. Unfortunately, with tuition, health insurance, a quick trip outta the country (ya I know that is my own dang fault), a ton of business expenses, yadda, yadda... we're pretty low on funds.

So, I've been trying to decide which M&M is best of these three:
1. Peanut Butter
2. Almond
3. Dark Chocolate

They're all favorites, but with something like a three to four dollar investment on the line, I'm finding this decision pretty tough to make. If anyone is crazy enough to read this blog, please help me, I am in a bind. I added our first ever poll on the right hand side (isn't that just super exciting? We've got an interactive blog now). Help me figure out which M&M is best! Please?!

...And now, I will get back to my homework.

Cripes.

2008-08-25T23:27:00.003-07:00

I just started a Mixed Martial Arts class today at ASU. We didn't start training, but we will begin Wednesday. Let me tell you I am terrified and I highly doubt I will make it through this semester alive. I've lived a full life. I just wish I could have made it to Jack's 2nd birthday.

Holy cow, we went to Mexico.

2008-08-23T11:02:00.007-07:00

Here I am, telling everybody that we never do anything. Then, a few weeks later, we run off to Mexico. I guess I am a liar. We do do stuff. And it was wicked fun. Jack had a blast - up until the ride home, which wasn't so fun - and we even have tans for the first time in about 3 years!

Warning: this is the most amount of pictures I've ever taken and definitely the most amount of pictures I've ever posted. Good luck.

Here's Jack LOVING the wind and constant sand-rubbage on his bod:
Here's the awesome view we woke up to every morning:
Jack's wings were super curly in all the humidity:

My boys:
Enjoying the Mexican sunset:
Tim's transformation into a chubsky midget mermaid with some serious love handles and a too-small seashell bra. Rachel was the mastermind behind the muffin top: Cara, Jayson, and Zach took turns trying to see who could get Jack higher. I don't know who won: Soaking up some rays:

Nice profile of Jack's dunlop in his rash guard:
Jack's wind-blown hair was too good not to post this one:
My main squeeze:
Jayson and Jack keeping an eye on Camille and Tim being eaten alive by some ferocious waves:
The end. Whew.

Oh dear, I miss my fictional friends.

2008-08-08T00:45:00.005-07:00

If they're not engaged by the end of the next episode I'll have to regulate.

Oh and take a good look at Jim's hair. Remind you of anyone? It's official. Jack (our son) and Jim (Halpert) have the same "do"! That's awesome!

We don't do stuff.

2008-08-06T15:33:00.004-07:00

It's true. We don't ever do anything. Glancing quickly at friends' blogs and friends of friends' blogs I really realize that we do nothing. Everyone in the universe goes on trips to the beach, fancy dates, camping trips, cabins, cold places, humid places, movies, concerts, resorts, yadda, yadda, yadda...

We never do any of that. Sorry. So, here's a picture of what we do do:

We hang out at home playing with the laundry baskets and electrical plug-ins while listening to Dbacks games. Things like that. It sounds lame, and quite frankly it kind of is, but sometimes we have some fun while we're at it. Maybe it's my guilty conscience getting to me because I am the most un-fun mom and wife ever, but is there anyone out there that doesn't do anything? Does anyone have a hard time justifying spending hard-to-come-by moolah on anything besides milk, bread, and the electric bill? Am I the only one who barely makes it through my daily responsibilities with my sanity before I hit the sack?

Okay, since I am the worlds worst fun-haver, I thought maybe we could all work together to up the fun. Camille and I are seriously considering a day trip (without kids unless you're super brave) to Fossil Springs sometime in August or September. I've been trying to do bleachers down at Westwood from time to time to get in shape (which totally isn't working), so I need a little while to get in better hiking shape, but doesn't a quick dip and hike sound fun? If I make a commitment with other people then maybe I'll actually participate in this "fun" thing everyone blogs about. Is anyone else up for a quick visit to Fossil Springs with some out-of-shape, un-fun-havers like me and Jayson?

Okay, I think I'm done being mopey now.

School is for Fools

2008-08-04T16:02:00.002-07:00

Okay... last week of summer school. Finals week. My blood pressure is dangerously high right now.

Somehow, though, I managed a way to finish up Breaking Dawn this weekend (what? my priorities can't always be perfectly aligned). I've got to be honest, I'm not totally in love with it, but I will support my favorite author and the world's finest group of fictional characters through thick and thin. I get that a lot of plot had to be fit into one book, and that's cool. It ends way better than it begins, so the aftertaste is super sweet. It kind of makes me want to go run and smooch my son and husband and tell them I love 'em. That's always a good thing, right? Jayson's reading it now, we'll have to get his take on it very soon.

Finals week. Dang, gotta go.

Top Ten Reasons Why My Son is a Vampire

2008-07-21T16:36:00.004-07:00

Oh and for a definition of what a vampire is, see http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilightseries.html and purchase the best-written books of your life!

1. His eyes seriously change from topaz to gold to dark brown (okay maybe not black, but close) depending on the day (nevermind that they also turn blue, green, and everything in between). They don’t go crimson red like some vampires, but that’s because he’s a “vegetarian” vampire, right?
2. His teeth are wicked sharp. Seriously, does he file those things when I'm not watching?
3. He likes to chew on my collarbone. Sometimes he tries to give me hickeys too.
4. Somehow his ice cold (slobber) fingers surprise me when I least expect them.
5. He runs faster than any other human I’ve ever tried to keep up with.
6. He can pull down and drag objects MUCH larger than his own size, including my ginormous diaper bag.
7. He is wise beyond his years. He learns things and NEVER forgets them (like the vampire photographic memory, get it?), like how to use the remote control to turn everything electronic on in the house or ways to open doors and run away quickly before anyone can catch him.
8. He is wicked strong. He can tear up every piece of important paperwork in the house and destroy all things left within his grasp.
9. He can dance like a banshee. It’s all in the leading, right?
10. He barfs up human food. What goes in, must come out. In Jack’s case, it often just comes right back up. Especially since he has the Uncle Tim syndrome and doesn’t know how to stop eating when he’s full. (Stephenie Meyer talks about how vampires barf up human food somewhere on her website, I promise I didn’t just make that one up.)

I thought this was cute:

Jayson used to come home from work and I would find teeny tiny sparkles on his face. It was weird. Then Jack used to get them too. I found out later it was something they'd pick up at Grandma Carpenter's house (not some mistress of Jayson's, which was my first guess). Jayson's younger sisters would sparkle up the bathrooms, which would then sparkle up my men. So, all of my men sparkle! So I guess the 11th reason why Jack is a vampire would be because he sparkles!

11 DAYS UNTIL BREAKING DAWN!! How can we get through the next week and a half? Any suggestions?

One more quote

2008-07-10T14:20:00.002-07:00

My dearest Danielle introduced me to this one. Better grab the kleenex...

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someones garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

-Marjorie Hinckley

I was thinking...

2008-07-10T13:25:00.004-07:00

...about this quote:

'Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out and proclaiming; Wow what a ride!!'

This one sure makes me want to get out of my silly everyday routine and take on the world! Who's with me?

Am I the only one salivating at the thought of August 2nd coming around? Anyone else up for an all-nighter that night?

(I have to admit I'm not as excited about December because I just haven't been able to fall in love with Edward Pattinson. Boring. Call me when a real live vampire with a perfect predatorial (is that a word?) smile, some serious Greek god-ish sex appeal, and a truly delicious voice of velvet comes along.)

Even thought the Dbacks are stinking it up lately, we still love 'em. The whole below .500 record is just not acceptable, but we still turn on the radio every gametime. The picture above is proof that we went on a real live date (good thing my own personal Edward is way dreamier than that silly actor)! This very flattering picture is of us at batting practice even. We went EARLY to the game and made a whole big EVENT out of it.
Whack, smack, I love my Diamondbacks.

Check this out:
https://www.michaelsutter.com/emaildiplomastatus?mailstatusid=8180-1706129-351
Proof that Jayson's a graduate! I'm so proud of my Summa-Couma-frikin-Laude grad (that's how I say it since no one really knows the right pronunciation).

To all my old friends:
I used to be anti-blog. And anti-Facebook and anti-MySpace and anti-EverythingElseOnline. Don't get me wrong, I still think a lot of what happens on these things is lame and quite inappropriate, but I am SO SO happy that I've been able to take a peak into the life of my old friends through this silly blogging stuff. I think I've gotten a little more lonely since I stopped working full time, so hopefully my new blogging friends and I can plan a serious get together to reminisce and think about what in the world we'll all do in the future... Hmm, I think that would definitely require a date with the BBQ and some serious sweets?

Birfday Cake

2008-07-02T13:34:00.003-07:00

Here's how Jack celebrates birthdays. He even let us put the crown on him, it was awesome! Grandma got him his own little cake and he had no problem eating the entire thing himself... If you look closely you'll see his In-n-Out tattoo on his right arm. Check out his guns!

Ya, we're a little late posting this, his birthday was over a month ago... We do the best we can.

the best movie EVER

2008-06-25T22:30:00.006-07:00

Holy cow we just finished watching this and I am so impressed! I say it's better than Nacho, but Jayson's not convinced. I haven't had so much fun in quite some time... I'm going to go ahead and give it two "straight thumbs" up. And if you don't know what those are, ask Jayson the next time you see him. He will explain.
Disclaimer: the lower your expectations before watching the movie, the better it will be.

Jack walks!

2008-06-11T14:16:00.004-07:00

Jack's decided he doesn't have to hold on to something and can cruise all over the house/yard/store on his own. What a relief this is for momma... Jack is much less angry now that he's mobile. Oh and he turned one. That was awesome. Here's some pics of us lounging around last month (even though we were all a little under the weather); the bday pics are on their way. In other news, school sucks, and that's all I have to say about that. Jayson's working hard and not seeing a ton of results, but we've only just begun, right? Jack is taking a nap right now - wow - he's never done that before. Life is good.

We went somewhere!

2008-05-27T23:46:00.008-07:00

...without Jack! It was crazy, Jayson had a huge conference to go to in Vegas and driving was way cheaper than flying. And I couldn't let him go alone, could I?

Even though Jayson was gone all day both days, I didn't let that stop me in my fun! I relaxed with "The Host" (you know, by Stephenie Meyer, and I can definitely say I liked it better than "Twilight") by the pool and got a nice burn on my shoulders and thighs... I guess it had been about 10 years since I had had a tan.

Instead of sleeping, we enjoyed the Strip both nights and fell in love with the Bellagio! Even the nasty smelling casino was the best of them all. The highlight of the whole trip was definitely the free fountain show. The water danced to "Proud to be an American", it was awesome.

Jack had a blast with all the grandmas, he didn't even whine until after we got home. I guess we should leave him more often!

Jayson got educated!

2008-05-12T01:09:00.003-07:00

Good news moment:
Jayson is officially a graduate! He's so old and grown up! Now he gets to get me graduated, then we can all go somewhere and get him some even higher education. Does it ever end?
Jack is feeling a thousand times better and eats like a horse again! His tummy bug appears to have disappeared and not a moment too soon. His giant belly wasn't quite so round toward the end of the sickness... Please, no more of that nasty stuff!
Carrie just had the best mother's day/week ever! I have the sweetest husband who knows how to take care of his wife in all the right ways... I got to sleep in on Saturday, I got "The Host" on Sunday AND a clean kitchen! He cleaned up my mess from dinner in the kitchen!!!!! Life is fantastic. Now we're planning on going somewhere together without the baby for the first time ever... Oh my goodness. Of course, it's just Vegas and Jayson has to work the whole time, but we're still going somewhere, wow.

Extended family news:
Camille has found a new love, Ghepetto, the world's smallest kitten. Welcome to the fam, Ghepetto. I hope Tim's not worried about the cat taking his place in bed...
Cara just wasted the entire state in pole vault. I bet she beat all the boys, too. Congrats yo.
Vince (my bro) is a real live cop now, holy crap. Sure, he won all the awards in the police academy, but do the thugs of Scottsdale consider that when aiming weapons at his nogin?
Okay I think I'm finished.

My little helper...

2008-05-02T23:10:00.006-07:00

So here's our favorite helper. He can't get enough of the bathroom, as shown in this picture. He seems to think that the tub is for him to nose-dive into and that q-tips are to be eaten. I have proof, I took this picture. Oh and sorry that all our pictures seem out of focus, we have a problem locating our digital camera, so we rely heavily on our camera phones...

We want to give a special shout out to Camille on her birthday (sorry, didn't get to post yesterday, thanks to a certain four letter (plus two) word -- finals). She is now the ripe old age of 23, welcome to the club. I know, you feel as though your youth has been stripped away from you. Sorry, you're an old married lady now.

By the way, Jack very nearly took a step today! He did his usual "stand up in the middle of nowhere and rock back and forth" thing, no surprise there. But today he looked from Jayson to the VCR (which he loves to try to electrocute himself with) and seriously considered getting there on foot. One foot lifted up a quarter inch, moved forward about a half inch, then landed. I gasped, Jayson laughed, Jack startled, and then he fell. Like I said, it was very nearly a step!

In case any "Maine-iacs" (code word for my mom's family from Maine) get to see our little journal/blog at all this weekend, we want you all to know we love and miss you! You're in our thoughts and prayers... Jayson can't wait to come meet you all (he's heard so many fun stories) and it took all my energy not to spend our entire life savings to fly back with my parents today! Hopefully, after we both finally graduate this year, we can try to abandon our responsibilities long enough to come visit. Peace out, all.

Jack's Hair...

2008-04-29T18:34:00.004-07:00

...is getting pretty long. I think no hair style is as appropriate as the one shown above, or perhaps the mohawk, but there are some who don't approve. The grandmas (all of them), for instance, aren't big fans. They think he looks too much like a little punk, but I say, "he looks like a punk!" If you've met him, you know that he is a mini punk rocker and the hair ought to match, right? Well anyway, I think he looks just right!

We have fruit flies...

2008-04-28T00:56:00.000-07:00

What the heck, what has a girl got to do to get rid of fruit flies? I've been swatting, spraying bleachy sprays, hiding my fruit in the fridge, and cleaning like a crazy person. I even tried a silly apple juice "trap" (as discussed on eHow.com) that turned out to be a waste of time. It just looked like we had some sort of bodily fluid (if you know what I mean) just chillin in a plastic bottle on my kitchen counter. The fruit flies were NOT impressed. If one more lands on my nino, I will have to open a can of you-know-what on those little pests.

Any suggestions?