I changed my font at Lily Puff

Friday, December 24, 2010

'Tis the Season

"It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour." ~Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol"

We love Christmas in this house! . Tonight we will be starting a new tradition of fish for Christmas Eve dinner, then going to see the lights. We'll go to Temple Square because it's only 9 blocks away. I think Will is going to love the lights this year! He sure is obsessed with the ones on our tree :) This is most likely our last Christmas in Utah for awhile, and let me just say, I'm pretty miffed there is NO snow. What's up with that? I tried to teach Will about Santa this year. He didn't really get it. Oh well. Andy and I are trying to integrate our family traditions, while also creating some of our own. Andy's family eats Christmas Eve dinner by candle light, which is something we have been doing. My family opens one gift on Christmas Eve, which is something we do. Some of our own traditions are having fish for dinner and handing out gifts to our neighbors on Christmas Eve. We also like to invite friends over for Christmas Eve dinner, although it didn't work out this year. Working at the Ronald McDonald House is such a rewarding job. But, it totally trumps all at Christmas time. We do a "home for the holidays" where donors donate amazing gifts for the families who have to be here on Christmas. It makes my heart happy seeing the generosity of people. So many of our families here are trying to make the best of a bad situation. Having to think about Christmas on top of it all, makes it that much worse. It is wonderful to be able to hand these families bags of gifts and see the relief and thanks on their faces. One tradition I would like to start when we no longer get to work at RMH is doing a service on Christmas Day. What kind of Christmas traditions do you all have?

(In other news, we got to have breakfast with Paul Millsap of the Utah Jazz Thursday morning! It was basically amazing. I have a picture, I promise. I'm just waiting for it to be emailed to me)

Merry Christmas everyone, remember, our Savior is the reason for the season!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

And so....

The medical school applications have been sent.

Here are the final choices:

A.T Still University
Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine
Touro University of Osteopathic Medicine-California
Western University of Heath Sciences/College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine-Lake Erie/Bradenton
Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Pikeville College
University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine
New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of NYIT
Lincoln Memorial University- DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine

Yeah...we went to "narrow the choices down" and added two more schools to the list. We are so excited for this process to seriously be started. We have been talking about applying to medical school since before we were married. I can't believe it's here now! I am not excited for the wait...but, it'll all be worth it!

~~~~~~

In other news: We are so excited for Thanksgiving! This year we are working on the actual day, so we're celebrating with Andy's family on Friday and my family on Sunday! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! I love all the food and being with family, just to be with family!

WARNING!!! BLIZZARD OF 2010, (or so they're calling it) will hit today between 2pm and 4pm. I have never, in my three years of living in the state of Utah, seen such a hub-bub of excitement over the weather! Especially SNOW! They've closed the U campus early, school is canceled for tomorrow, I've mentally prepared myself to work the office tomorrow in case no one shows. I am ready for the power to go out, I am ready for the one million questions I will get from guests, they are telling people to leave work early, flights have already been canceled...the only thing we can count on, apparently, is the mail! It will be interesting for the blizzard. Since, every time I check weather.com or fox13now.com, they say "light snow"....where has this buzz word 'blizzard' come from? Alas, we'll see how this all actually pans out...

For now, though, bring it on blizzard. I wouldn't be a real Utah citizen if I didn't survive a real life blizzard, would I?

Monday, November 8, 2010

Challenge

I have accepted a challenge from a friend to read the Book of Mormon by December 31st. That's just ten pages a day! If you would like to strengthen your testimony and grow closer to your Father in Heaven, join us!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Happiest Place on Earth! Disneyland 2010

(This one is a little of a doozy! Enjoy!)

THE trip has finally happened! Since Andy and I were married, we have been saving for the big Fraser Family Reunion in Disneyland! It has been a lot of "planning" and stress and worry and craziness, but when it was all said and done, it was the best thing we could have ever been able to do! Andy's family likes to set a tradition of doing a BIG family "vacation" (I put vacation in quotes because I see it as a trip, but his entire family calls it a vacation. If we are being honest, I need a vacation from this trip. Therefore, I will refer to it as a trip from here on!) It has been a labor of love. Andy's family is big into planning. Me? Not so much. I like to set a date and a place and see how it goes from there. I can see now, why planning is important. When there are 35 people, 21 of which are children all of which are under the age of 14, there needs to be some sort of a plan. We reached a happy medium and had a BLAST! I was nervous at first. All this hype for some dinky little kid rides and lots of people? Gimme a break! I was pleasantly surprised. It is one of my favorite places! I loved everything! (Especially the churros and Mahi Mahi Tacos) I am pretty sure my entire outlook on life has changed. I just feel happier. I want to make my family happy. Spend time with them more often. Seeing Will playing with his cousins made me and Andy so happy!

Our trip started off on the right foot with an eleven hour drive from Salt Lake City to Anaheim, CA. In ONE day. With Will. For the first time on a long trip. And we didn't even leave until about 845am. Most of Andy's other siblings had the luxury of driving there in two days. Can you say jealous? We stopped in St. George and had Cafe Rio for lunch, eating at a church yard. At the boarder town of Nevada and California, Will started to LOOSE it. He was freaking out. He was sick and tired of being in the car. So, We stopped at a place called Whisky Pete's and I hopped in the back seat. Lame Sauce. We reached our destination at about 630 Pacific time. And it was heaven! Our house was amazing!

Saturday we spend the day with the Watkins Family. We went to California Adventures. It was so fun! We got to ride Soarin' Over California and Hollywood Tower of Terror. Along with Monsters Inc., Bugs Life, The Muppets...all those good rides.

Sunday we went to Church and then did our grocery shopping. We had a family dinner that night. It was great to see Jake's face when he opened the presents Andy MADE for him. We pulled our resources together as a family and bought a Civil War Era bayonette and cannon shot. He LOVED it. Andy made a shadow box out of some old barn wood and stained it just a little darker. It was a great gift. I am glad I married such a "Handy Andy". He's always thinking of ways we can do nice things for family.

Monday we spent the day at California Adventure again. We got to spend time with all our family this time though! It was such fun, but large crowds MOVE SLOWLY!

Tuesday was our first REAL day at DISNEYLAND! I had never been before and I LOVED IT! It was so great that we were able to ride the majority of the rides together as a family. I have fallen in love with this place! We are planning a trip (with the help of our amazing Disney CC...credit cards are wonderful if you know how to use them and make them work FOR you!) to DisneyWorld in about 3 years! I have been on a Disney high since we got back. We had such a great time riding Dumbo and Alice and the carousels and eating CHURROS! The food was great! I would give anything if I could just have ONE fish taco!

Friday, our last day in California, we went to Seal Beach. It was my first time to a Pacific beach and Will's first time to the ocean, period. It was an overcast day, the water was freezing, and the waves were HUGE! I can say, I totally prefer my Gulf Coast beaches. SO much nicer! Will was freaked out with the waves until he realized they were just water. We played in the water for a bit, I lost one of our shovels, then fished it back out! (hahahaha! I am cracking myself up right now!) We were going to walk the Pier, then it started raining, as we were walking past the playground, it stopped. We played a little bit and just missed the major down pour. (Becky and Weston weren't so lucky!) We had another family dinner to end the big trip. It was a swimming party! The big kids were in the pool and the little kids with me, Andy and Cassie were in the "hot tub". (It was literally colder then any tub I would bathe in, but we have to watch out for the little ones!)

DisneyLand was a great adventure (and very much needed) and I am glad we were able to do it with our family. They have become so much more then just family though, we are all friends and we always have a great time. I realized how great and happy my life is, everyday. I have an amazing husband and a great son. I realize my responsibility to them both and want to do my best to be a great wife and mother. I DO need a vacation from this trip. I still have not caught up on my sleep! We crashed out every night as soon as we got back from the park! But I would not trade it for the world! If we could, we would go on trips like this all the time! We are slowing working up towards that goal, with our little camping trips. I want to see the world with my kids! They make life so much better and they are only little for such a short amount of time. I will make sure that I spend it with them as much as possible. I am so grateful for the opportunity and lessons I learned while spending time with The Frasers'. I will make my efforts to do these kinds of things with my siblings, too.

(I have pictures on Facebook. I will also post some on here as a different post!)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Yellowstone 2010



Aren't we cute?
This past Labor Day, we were able to go to Yellowstone National Park. I have never been there and Andy hasn't been in at least 10 years. It was on our list of places to go camping. I think it was a great last camping trip of the year. We drove up Friday afternoon when Andy got off work. The drive wasn't bad, but it was about 430 before we got out, so we didn't get there until around 930. Luckily, we were meeting Andy's sister Nikki and her family. They already had the camper set up! We didn't realize, because the advertising for Brandin Iron Inn is false, that our "camp site" was just a gravel section in a motel parking lot! Thank goodness Ches and Nikki love us and let us sleep in their camper instead of having to sleep in the truck tent. It was COLD! Saturday, we woke up bright and early (ok, we really slept in until about 8) and made some Mountain Man breakfast. Yummmm! Then, we headed to the park. We went to West Yellowstone and headed up through the park until we made it to Mammoth Falls. We saw lots of buffalo and elk. No bears. We really wanted to see some bears too :) After lunch, we went to Mammoth Falls. It's pretty dried up now. There aren't as many falls as there used to be. There is a little town there in Mammoth. When I say little, I mean there is a general store and about three houses. We used the restrooms, went to get back into our car, turned the key...and nothing. The car would not start! We tried jumping it and still...nada! We ended up having to call a tow truck to come pick us up! SO NOT COOL! after waiting for a good hour, a two and 1/2 hour to drive out of the park and 500 dollars later, we made it to a mechanic near our camp site. The mechanic said he would try to come in on Sunday to check it out...he didn't make it. Andy took our battery to Napa Auto and they tested it. They said it was fine. They took the battery back to the car, started it up...and viola! It started! We didn't want to push it. Sunday we rode around with Nikki and Ches. Went to see Old Faithful and then tried the car again. It started again! We drove to Idaho Falls to have it looked at. Came home early on Monday morning and haven't had a car since Wednesday because it has been in the shop! I just kept thinking "You have got to be kidding me. This is a joke! Do I have Griswold written on my forehead?" I was trying really hard to keep it together. Andy and I said a quick prayer to Heavenly Father that after we did all we could, we could have the faith for him to take care of the rest. I can say, prayers are answered! It was such a fun trip, with some crazy stories we'll be able to tell to our kids, and every time we go to Mammoth Falls, we'll remember to pray that our car doesn't break down!





This is us at the Madison River.

Here is Will at our earlier camping trip to Bear Lake. He liked the water, but it was freezing!


And here is Will, being cute with Daddy's hat!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Spring View Farms 5K






These pictures aren't in order, but you can see, Nikki and I finished the race! It was such an accomplishment! I hope to do another one before the year is over!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Knotty Pine and "she runs?"

We were able to go camping at Knotty Pine with Becky and Weston and their SIX, yes six, girls, over the weekend of the 24th! It was such a wonderful time! It was so nice to have Alison and Erica there. I wish Will had older siblings. Maybe I can recruit Ali and Erica, although, I think Becky would want them back eventually! Will had a wonderful time playing with his cousins and going to the park and pool with them! He also thoroughly enjoyed playing in the fire pit. Of course, that was only when the fire was out. As you can see, here he is having a wonderful time! He was covered in ash and soot from head to toe. We promptly threw him in the tub when we got home. It was great, we love using our camping gear and being outside all day and night, literally! I like to think if I had to, I could survive living like the pioneers did, as long as I had a dutch oven and a tooth brush! We made a wonderful (well, ok, it was a little dry) blackberry cobbler in the dutch oven for Andy's birthday! We are planning to hit up the DI's in search of used dutch ovens. I have a friend who says if you just wash the rust off thoroughly, then throw it in your oven on the self clean cycle, they come out good as new! Hopefully, we can find one before our big Yellowstone trip in a few weeks!


We also sold our Malibu!! It didn't take long. We purchased a VW Passat Station Wagon! It's charcoal gray with cream leather interior. It is the perfect size! So roomy! It's got to be the sweetest car either of us has ever owned! And yes, we OWN it. We paid for it in full! Still no car payments! Yay! Andy is a master negotiator! I am lucky I married such a thrifty man! We were able to load all of our camping gear into the back and STILL see out the back window! And we didn't have to pack anything into the seats next to Will!


This past weekend was quite busy for us! We had a wedding (including the luncheon and reception) on Friday. It was Andy's cousin, Bryson's wedding. He married a sweet girl names Erin in the Salt Lake Temple. It was fabulous to be in the same temple where Andy and I were sealed! The Salt Lake Temple will always have a special place in my heart! Afterward, we had the luncheon to attend. We were able to come home for a few hours to take naps before the reception. It was held at The Kimball Home at This Is The Place. It was beautiful! Andy's a descendant of Heber C. Kimball, so it was fun to walk around "his" house. (It is just a replica, but there are lots of pictures! Andy and I love the way 18th and 19th century homes are built and would like to one day build our own home in the same fashion. With a tower, of course. Andy MUST have a tower! haha) After the reception, we stayed at Andy's parents house because his sister, Nikki, and I were going to run our first ever 5k EARLY in the morning! The 5k was such a blast! I ran pretty much the whole time. The only time I walked was half way up a hill for the second time. I had just finished running up and back down said hill when I had to turn around because it was the half way mark. It was steeper the second time around! I ran it in 33:56 and placed third for my age group! I didn't even care about placing at all. I just wanted to finish! It was only after I checked my time online that I discovered I had placed 3rd! I am quite pleased with myself. I have been training for months and have never considered myself a runner...until now! Of course, I am addicted and would like to run another before it is too cold! After the race, we had a birthday party with my Aunt Loralee's family. After that, we had a wedding shower for Andy's OTHER cousin, Aaron. He is getting married on August 14th in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. I love that temple as well. It's so gorgeous!

Today consisted of church, where Will was, yet again, an angel during nursery. The teachers always thank us for having a wonderful child who hardly ever cries and who is easy to calm down when he does cry! Tcha! If only he was that way at home!! He's started hitting us. Mostly me. Not cool. We've started time out. I never thought it would happen so soon! He's growing up so fast! We love our little man, that is for sure!

(I will post pictures as soon as they are downloaded!)

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Up and Coming

July 23- Camping at Knotty Pines again, this time with the Watkins family!

July 31- I am running my first 5k! I have been training for MONTHS! I am totally not a runner...well, I used to not be a runner. Now I love it! I am addicted! My sister-in-law Nikki is going to be running it with me as well!!

Throw in some weddings, and more camping (including Bear Lake, Yellowstone, Moab and Zion's!) and the selling of our car to buy a VW Passat Wagon. That's right. We are looking to sell our Malibu and upgrade to a wagon. Hey, we live in the Avenues now, it was only a matter of time before it happened. Right? I would look totally hot driving a Passat.


We are looking forward to these adventures and if you know someone who would like to buy a 2003 Malibu, send them our way! It's a sweet car, we just need something bigger.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Where Did We Go Wrong?

Where did we go wrong in the raising of our son? I know, he's only a year and a half right now, but still, we've obviously gone wrong somewhere!

Here is a list of all the things we have done wrong in our meesley year and a half of parenting:

1. We can NOT get Will to eat hardly any meats. Sure, he'll eat Tyson nuggets sometimes, sometimes, I say! We have tried ground beef, hot dogs, hamburger, steak, roast beef, every type of meat you can think of, even roast chicken. He hardly ever eats any of them. Sometimes we can manage to sneak some in. Then, he realizes our tricks and doesn't fall for them again. He enjoys a good handful of granola for his source of protein.

2. "Chocolate Milk? Right, in your dreams Mama and Daddy! Gemme the white stuff!" What's up with that?? He won't drink chocolate milk? What did we do wrong?! I love chocolate milk. Andy loves chocolate milk. We have managed to get Will to drink chocolate milk ONCE! It's the perfect little snack! And we can't manage to get him to drink it! What kid doesn't like chocolate milk? Geesh!

3. Candy? Sweets? Nah, hand over the fruit. And don't give him stuff out of a can, he prefers the fresh stuff. I once gave Will the choice between a chocolate chip cookie and two apple slices, he chose the apples! Happy dessert!!!

4. Bagged veggies, with butter? Right, you WISH! (well, ok, we don't REALLY wish, but still. I was advised to add butter to his veggies by the WIC office. Seriously? You're a "nutrition program" and you want me to put butter on my kids veggies. He eats them just fine, thanks.) He loves fresh or frozen veggies. He just gobbles them up! Sans butter.

5. Fruit snacks? Nah, I'll take the crazins, thanks Ma! He LOVES crazins! This kid will got through a package of crazins in a week! Thank goodness WinCo sells them in bulk. I think buying OceanSpray crazins would put us on the street.


So, there ya have it. We are raising a partial vegetarian/tree huggin granola eater WITHOUT even trying!

At least I don't have to worry about having TONS of junk in the house. I just buy a little for Andy and me and snack on the healthy stuff most of the time with Will. And he doesn't point at all the cookies and junk for me to buy while shopping. He's getting so big and he's just so smart and sweet. He is just a little giver. He will pick up anything on the ground and hand it to you. My sister-in-law, Cassie, watched Will for us so we could go on a much needed date. While she was watching him, she fed him some yogurt. She said when he finished his portion of the yogurt, she let him have the spoon. He started giving her bites of yogurt. He loves to play hide-n-go-seek. He loves to give hugs and kisses. He loves little babies and playing with other kids. He is finally in nursery and he LOVES IT! I couldn't be happier. We just dropped him off and he was just fine. His teacher said he didn't cry at all. Just got a little bit fussy towards the end there. It's been great having him around and we wouldn't have it any other way!!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

4th of July Weekend

Remember a while ago when I talked about our super awesome tent gear we purchased? Well, this past weekend was our first time to use it! Andy took Friday off and we packed up the car to the rim and drove up to Knotty Pine. It's a campsite around Kamas/Heber City area. We set up all our gear and went straight to the pool. Will hated it at first. It took a good 20 minutes to get him to loosen up a bit. He wasn't at all like this last summer. He loved the pool! We cheated the first night and went to Midway for Cafe Galleria (Andy's parents were kind enough to go up on Thursday and make sure we had a spot big enough for our tent. They took us to dinner that night.) This place has the BEST pizza ever! It's brick-oven baked Italian pizza. That night we tried in vain to put Will to bed around his normal bed time, but what with the loud campers around us, it didn't happen. He stayed up with us and we sat by the fire and had s'mores. He finally conked out with Andy around 10pm. Saturday we drove into Kamas and went hiking. It was a blast! It was a beautiful hike with lots of trees and three lakes on the trail. It was about a 3.5 mile hike round trip. It was a tricky hike too. It was downhill most of the way to the lakes, then coming back, it's mostly uphill (obviously). Andy and I totally picked up on our mountain stride and kicked the hike back in much less time then the hike down. Don't let the pictures fool you, I carried Will half of the time, we just ended up taking pictures while Will was on Andy's back. (PS, I LOOOOOOVE our Dueter III) The lake waters were wonderfully refreshing and we enjoyed putting our feet in the water. I can't wait until we live in the middle of nowhere....Andy has given me the ok to have some chickens and horses, and of course we'll build our home on property with a creek. Oh, to be settled one day! No more apartments! Won't that be wonderful? Our second night camping, Will slept much better! It was freezing both nights and he ended up between the two of us each night...except the first night, he managed to kick Andy out, eventually. We won't get to go camping except one more time this month, but in August we will be able to go more often. We'll be saving our Southern Utah trips for August and September. Plus, we will for sure be heading to Yellowstone (YAYYYYYYY! I have never been!) and Bear Lake! I love camping and I can't wait until our children are older and we can do these things with them!

Will getting ready for the hike!


Our cute family!

On the 4th we did sparklers! Will loved them!

Friday, June 25, 2010

It Came To Me while Driving My Car...

...That is when I realized what I want to do with my life. Besides the wife/mom business, I want to go into "I can make your yard beautiful" business. I have contacted a couple schools and am just waiting to hear back from them. Seeing as I am a stay-at-home mom, plus I work, that doesn't leave me a lot of time to leave my house and my family to go to school. BYU has a BS in Landscape Management, while I want to do the design aspect more then the management part, I think it's all ditto. I have found a school out of New Zeland which does everything online, BUT it doesn't qualify for Pell Grants. Because Andy did well on the MCAT, this time next year, we'll be moving to wherever we end up going to Med School...(Virginia! I hope!) It would be ideal to find something online, that way it doesn't matter when we move or where we end up. And then, while I am in school, I can get grant money, which will help us survive. Being in medical school, you don't get any grants because...it's a graduate school. If I can get grants, we won't be completely poor or swimming in debt up to our eyeballs. Andy's job will be to do well in school. Once I graduate, which will still be before Andy finishes everything for med school :P, I can do jobs here and there and make some money. It will be beneficial to our family and it is something I will love. Being outside, working with plants...that's right up my alley!

And it all came to me while driving my car.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Home Sweet Home

Last week was our wonderful week in Asheville. The greatest place on earth! We had such a great time! My grandparents are so amazing! We arrived at around 330 pm, and made the trek to Asheville (it's about a 2.5 hour drive from the airport) I had worn jeans and a long sleeve shirt for the plane ride. I always seem to freeze on the plane. Well, as soon as we stepped out of the airport, I regretted the choice to NOT wear a t-shirt under my long-sleeve shirt. It was HOT, and HUMID. I loved it. The drive from Charlotte to Asheville is amazing. You go from the lowlands to the highlands and the trees only get thicker. Many of my cousins had never seen so many trees before!
Saturday we spent the day getting ready for the big family BBQ. My grandmother went to the store and my Baca and my cousin, Evan, to the recycling yard to take out some boxes and such. I immediately put everyone else to work. We managed to get the house as clean as you can get a house that has 14 people staying in it! haha, Then, me, Andy, Donavan, and Tyler managed to get the patio cleaned and the yard mostly weeded. My grandpa has not been able to do as much this year because of an accident he had earlier this year with his leg. It felt great to get out there and help out as much as we could. My grandpa wants to fly Andy back out to help remodel the laundry/pantry room and their bedroom. He realized Andy is a lot like him when it comes to work...he doesn't stop until he has done all he can to do the job right. That night we had my brother, Donavan's, graduation. As graduations go....it was short and sweet, but mostly, it was "blah, blah blah"!
Sunday we had a big family BBQ after church. It was great. My Uncle Tim and Aunt Martha came from Gastonia. My Dad and step-mom were there with my Grandma Smith. It was wonderful. We played frisbee and bad mitten. And acted like a bunch of kids!
Monday, Andy had to leave back to SLC...LAME! The rest of us went to sliding rock!
(This is NOT any of us...we were lame and I forgot to bring the camera for the trip!!) It is seriously the best fun you can get for a dollar!

Tuesday we painted pottery. We didn't get to bring it home yet, it takes a week in the kiln. I painted a honey pot. It was so much fun!

Wednesday we went to Cherokee, NC. It's a Cherokee Indian Reservation. It was quite interesting and educational. I loved it. My grandma was telling us a story about her grandmother Queen, who swears we are Cherokee. Everyone thought she was crazy. My Mam Maws name was Janie Dorlaska, which is cherokee. To add to the suspicion of us being Cherokee, my cousin Tyler bought a walking stick made my a village member whose name was T. Queen. It will be hard to prove though. Like some other Native Americans, the Cherokee follow their lines through the mother. The fathers had nothing to do with the raising of their own children. Later, we had a picnic and played in the river with the ducks.

Thursday, we went swimming. Last year, Will LOVED playing in the pool, this year he didn't want to go where he couldn't touch. He clung to me like death! hahaha it was a lot of fun and we all got a little tan!

Friday was a realxing day because we had to fly home the next day. My grandma made her awesome Chicken n Dumplins and we made ice cream sundaes! It was a great night!


Being back in Asheville made me realize how much I miss being in the South. Life is just simpler there. I no longer am going to feel self-conscious about my southern accent, or about the fact that I use "Yes ma'am, No ma'am. Yes sir, No sir" or that I prefer blue grass music over every other kind of music. I prefer not to wear shoes most of the time, and I would rather walk out my door and see nothing but trees and green grass. I have accepted the fact that I am different from people here in Utah. And I am going to embrace it. I have realized that I am who I am.

"I feel no shame, I'm proud of where I came from. I was born and raised in the boondocks"

I can feel that muddy water runnin through my veins.

Andy loved it there. and I want to raise our kids there. I will live in Utah as long as I have to, but eventually, we'll be back in the boondocks.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Memorial Day...and the count down begins!

This weekend was Memorial Day. We were able to get lots of things done this weekend! Andy was able to make a new pop tab sorter for the house. RMC collects pop tabs and recycles them for $. We have to sort through them because we can only recycle the aluminum ones. He made a new sorter so when we slide the tabs down the magnet, they don't fly all over the place! Sunday we had church and got to finally do something with our calling! We had combined Relief Society/Priesthood where our group talked about the New FamilySearch site. Starting this Sunday, we will be teaching an interactive family history class. Andy and I have week 1! It'll be crazy for the first time we do the 8 week class because Will is still attached to our hip! I wonder if they'll let him go to nursery early :P On Memorial Day, we went to eat at our favorite place...MOOCHIES! We go there for all days off. Andy had the Philly Cheese Steak, as usual. I mixed things up a bit though. I got their new Hot Wing sandwich. It was like heaven, on a hoagie bun! Then we went to Babies R Us and got Will the rest of his summer clothes. We have tons of clothes for the first year...then TONS for years 2-4...but the whole 18 mo sizes we got nada. After wards, we went to Fitts Park because Andy remembered going there with his Grandma Fraser to feed the ducks...except it wasn't quite what he remembers it being. The poor ducks and muskrats lived in a creek that had the thickest film of gunk on top that I have ever seen. You couldn't go 30 feet without walking into a giant cloud of smoke. If you smoke, fine, but don't make me breathe your nasty left-overs, thanks. It was fun. Will kept saying "Uck!" (that's duck in Will tongue) It was cute, but we'll stick to Liberty Park for all our adventures.
The countdown is on for our trip to the prettiest place on the planet! 8 days to go and we'll be sittin pretty in Asheville!
Look at all that green! I miss it so much. I can't wait until we will live in a place like this. It's just...well...it's home. People are just friendlier there. It's a genuine nice too. Not a "I'll be polite to you" nice. It's green and moist and fresh. It is home to me.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

We always talk about these things..

We always talk about how things will be when we get to medical school, or when we buy our house, or when Andy will just graduate stinking college!

Well, enough with the talk already! This past weekend, we made the 5-6 hour drive to Las Vegas, sans Will, and Saturday, Andy took the MCAT! I can't believe he actually has taken it! This is the test which tells us if he can get into med school or if he should take it again and wait another year. (I am praying it's the former of the two) I have never been to Southern Utah/Las Vegas. I have to be honest, I was not impressed. It's all the same three colors, brown, red and tan. Yuck. Oh, with some tumble weed and joshua trees thrown in the mix. I could never live there. Yuck! I can't imagine sending my kids to play in the back yard and there is no grass, or trees, or water. It's a fun place to visit, but I sympathize for those who must live there. I think you end up there, you don't choose to live there. And if you do, I think you should go talk to someone. We made it to Vegas around 6 and went to Wally World to get some dinner. Our room had a kitchenette, which I am pretty sure was bigger then our old kitchen at the village. (Man, I don't miss living there!) Saturday was the big day. Andy had to leave about noon to take his 4 hour test! I stayed at the hotel and chilled by the pool until I was quite crispy on the edges. Bad idea! That night we went to eat at the Planet Hollywood Buffet and walked around the strip. It was fun, but Vegas is dirty. Most people there are dirty and I was glad to get home! It was a great trip with just the two of us though! Andy's mom watched Will for the weekend. He is now spoiled rotten and will not take a nap to save his life, or mine for that matter. He grew while we were gone. I am pretty sure he's an actual toddler now! What happened to my little baby!?

Now it's back to life, and work. And crying babies who will not sleep. But, boy, am I glad I am not one of those adults who got sucked into the playground they call Vegas!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother's Day. It was fabulous! Will has been a sicky this weekend. I was woken up by him cuddling with me. He's not as big into cuddling as he was when he was little. I like to take it when I can get it. We have early Church, at 9 am. I am NOT a fan. haha. But because Will has been sick, we stayed home until Sacrament (we have it last in our ward). We didn't think it was the best idea to have him playing with the other kids. While Will was taking a catnap before Church, Andy made us some Rhodes cinnamon rolls. They were divine! We had a wonderful sacrament, with great talks on mothers. I am so grateful to be a mother. I am so grateful to have Will as a son. Each night we read a page out of his "My First New Testament" book. He loves it. I always say "Ok, where is Jesus?" and he points at Jesus in the picture. After wards, we say a prayer. I make it short and sweet, he doesn't have patience for much more then that. It's very humbling to realize the innocence of a child. I pray I am being a good mother to him. I pray that he not only hears me talk of the gospel, but sees me live it. Heavenly Father trusts me with his children. I could not ask for a greater responsibility. I pray that I am loving and nurturing in the ways which Will needs. I am excited to add more children to my role of motherhood, but for now, I am just enjoying Will. This is the only time I'll have one baby around, and I am just drinking it up. I could not have asked for a better, more laid back child. I could not have asked for a better husband. He always makes me want to do better. He works so hard for us. I am excited for Father's Day!

(p.s. I am also the new owner of The Remarkable Soul of a Woman by President Uchtdorf. Andy ordered it, (over a week ago) it's just not here yet. I can't wait to read it though!)

Monday, April 26, 2010

It's actually nice at 645 am

I've started running. Yes, I know what you are all thinking? Running? Mycah? Do those words even belong together in a sentence? I have been waking up at 645 and I run. Not far. And I am usually completely out of breath about 5 seconds after I start, but it's all good. I have my earbuds in, so I can't hear people snicker as I huff by. I am thinking about starting a training program for a 5k. It's an 8 week training, but I think I will do it for like 10 weeks and do one in August. I have such a love/hate relationship with running. I have been really focusing on clearing my mind while I run. That way, the whole time I am not thinking. "I hate this. I can't breathe. This SUCKS!" haha I only think that about half the time now! I would love to do a 5k with someone, but I donno. We'll see. If you are interested, I am going to be looking at races today, so comment and let me know.

It's getting to be gardening season! I am SO excited! Green thumb over here!

Monday, April 19, 2010

It only took 6 months...

and we FINALLY have callings! Yes, that's right. We hung under the radar for 6 months before getting called in our new ward as Family History Consultants. CRAZY! I was totally not expecting that calling! I am super excited about it though. For our wedding, my Aunt Maureen and Uncle Jack gave us a Book of Remembrance. She is the family history person on the Workman side of the family. She has gotten family history done down through about the late 1300's. My grandma is a convert and we don't have a lot of history on her family, so I am excited to head down to the Family History Library downtown (I'll walk since it's SO close!) and find information on the Mullis side of the family. I also can't wait to learn more about Andy's family. His side of the family is a little bit easier because he comes from two long lines of Saints. Lucky dog! I have always been really interested in history in general. And I know this is something I am supposed to be doing!

Will is a crazy little bugger. He is running all over the place and getting into everything. Yesterday was such a gorgeous day, after nap and Church, we played outside and all he wanted was to play in the dirt and carry rocks around! Such a little boy. I love it.

In other news, I have lost 15 pounds! That's right! I did it! I am now at a reasonable weight that I am not so intimidated by saying, I need to loose 25 pounds! Talk about scary! I have developed a habit of choosing good foods and it is really sticking. When I eat junk, I get a tummy ache. I learned over the last three weeks that I LOVE CARBS! I just LOVE bread and pasta. Oh, yum! I got a new recipe for Honey Banana Bread and I can't wait to try it!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Spring Break: The Finale!


This is our cutie pie after his bath. So fresh and clean in his sweet robe! He is seriously so big!


On our last day of Spring Break, we hiked Ensign Peak. Will loved the hike!
I took Will on the hike down. Our Dueter is amazing! Best investment yet!

Andy took Will on the hike up. I love my boys!

We hiked Ensign Peak which is just down the road from us as part of our SB adventures! It was our time to test out our new Dueter carrier. It was a nice day, and when we got to the top, we had a little picnic. It was so nice.

On Friday, Andy and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary! We dropped Will off with our sister and saw Alice in Wonderland! The, we picked him up and he stayed with Andy's mom for the night. We went to eat at Red Lobster! My favorite place ever! I got the ultimate feast! Yuuuum! After dinner, we headed up to Huntsville and stayed at a cute little bed and breakfast! It was so nice.

This past Wednesday, we FINALLY got to go to our concert!

MICHAEL BUBLE!

He was amazing! He was the BEST performer ever. I have never seen such an amazing show, and I have been to a lot of concerts. It was great to hear good songs. He kept thanking the audience for spending our hard earned money to come see him. He had a great opening group called Naturally 7. They are a Capella and amazing. I suggest everyone go google them right now. He came out for an encore. The last line of the last song, he stepped away from the mic and he sang to us WITHOUT the mic. That right there puts him in the number one spot of my top singers. To be able to SING to an entire stadium of people WITHOUT a mic and actually sing it, not yell it, and have everyone hear it, takes talent. Andy and I will go see him, again, and again. It was the best anniversary/Christmas gift we could have gotten each other!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Oh, Saratoga Springs

Today was day two of Spring Break. We left around 915 and picked up our friend Matt. Then, we picked up our friend Ryan. We dropped Will of at my sister-in-law, Cassie's, house to play with his cousins.

The four of us drove out to Saratoga Springs to go shootin! That's right. Matt brought his hand gun, Ryan brought a shot gun and a rifle, Andy brought his shotgun and we just shot things all day long! I have only been shooting once before, but it is so fun! I love it. Makes me feel like if I really needed to, I could hunt for my food. I forgot how much of a kick a shotgun has. I thought I had it back tight in my shoulder, but my first shot on it totally almost knocked me back! I have a huge bruise in the making. I think my favorite was the handgun! It was so awesome!

Afterward, we all went to In-N-Out burger. Of course, it was great!

Will had a great time with his cousins and we have decided that he needs to be able to play more with them, so I am hoping to get together with my sisters more often!

Tomorrow I think we will have a break day. There is laundry and cleaning to be done. But if something fun comes up, everything else can wait!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Spring Break: Day One

Today is the first day of Andy's Spring Break! I am so excited because not only does he have school off, but he also has work off! (They told him he wouldn't have to work, then a week later they were begging him to work. He loves us so much though, he said NO!)

We decided to start the festivities early. So, Friday, I picked Andy up from school and we went straight to Idaho Falls to visit his sister Nikki and her family! Will was a doll. He slept the entire way! I couldn't even believe it. It was so fun! One of the highlights was Kimmie wanted to take a bath with Will so they could splash each other. They were having a ton of fun, then all of the sudden, Will starts trying to get out the of tub. So, of course, I was standing in the doorway saying "No Will. You have to sit." So, he'd sit. Then try it again. Next thing I know, there is a HUGE turd in the tub and Kimmie is looking up at me saying "What do I do?" Naturally, I said "GET OUT OF THE TUB!) It wasn't the hardest of poos either. Yummmmm-o! It was a fun weekend and we were sad to leave. But we'll see them again soon!

Today, we had our first adventure. We went to Huntsville with our friends, The Thatchers, and went to a Trappist Monastary! I know, we're not Catholic, but who doesn't want to see Monks, right?

Here is a picture of the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity:

The left door is the entrance to their gift shop. They sell honey and preserves. It's such a simple place. The Chapel (is that what you would call it?) is just as simple as the outside. (all the buildings kind of look like bomb shelters. Those Catholics gotta watch out for all those Mormons, huh?) We were able to enjoy a prayer service with them and listen to them chant (they sing their prayers) They are all men of course, and they don't have the best of voices, but you can feel that they have devoted their life to God and that is a beautiful thing. The Monks were all kind and we enjoyed it. If you ever go to Huntsville, you should visit them and buy some yummy strawberry honey :)

It is definitely much different then I was thinking. On our road, there is the Cathedral of The Madeline Catholic Church. The bells really do toll on the hour. And it is a HUGE church. Google them and you'll totally notice the difference!

Tomorrow we will have another adventure. I'll tell you all about it then!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Has it really only been TWO years?

Two years ago today, Andy and I were married in the Salt Lake City Temple! We were married as early as possible because, well, we wanted to be married :P


(I just love this picture.)

Throughout the last two years, we have moved 3 times, had a baby, worked on school, started new jobs, had lots of wonderful ups and a few downs.
Andy is the greatest husband I could ever have asked for, and believe me, I wasn't asking at the time. I didn't know I wanted to be married until I met Andy. Maybe that's how it works. You don't want to be married until you meet the one you want to marry. Andy is just that guy. As Claire from Outlander will say: "He's a bloody hero." He answers to the call of duty whenever it calls. He does whatever for his family. He is cuddly and funny. He's kind and sweet. We can lay in bed and talk and laugh. We can tell each other when to chill out and talk about things that bother us. We work well together and we make it work.

I love you, Andy. You make the world a better place!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Bad Mom

Lately I have been feeling like I am a bad mom. Will used to be such a happy baby, now he throws tantrums, doesn't eat, rarely naps, he will be crying and I will pick him up, only to have him cry and scream harder and want nothing to do with me. He would rather throw himself on the ground then have me hold him. His eating has gotten really, really bad. He doesn't want anything except fruit and hardly NO veggies. Don't even get me started on meats. He'll only eat chicken, sometimes. I try, really hard. I try the choo choo train, I try showing him that it's yummy by me eating it first. I know this doesn't make me a bad mom. What makes me a bad mom is I get so frustrated! I try and then when what I know how to do doesn't work, I shut down. I just wait until he comes to me and try my best to ignore it. I know he needs to get out and be with other kids his age, but who? I don't know if I am just not easy to get along with or I am too brash or whatever, but I just don't feel as though I fit in anywhere really. I have convinced myself that I enjoy being alone. That really, reading all the time is much more fun then how awkward I feel trying to make friends. And in turn for whatever reason it is I can not seem to make/keep friends here in SL, poor Will suffers because all he gets to do is stay at home with Mommy, go on walks with Mommy, play at the park with Mommy. Never playing with kids his own age. He LOVES playing with other kids. Am I really that bad of a person that I just don't fit in anywhere? I just don't know what to do about anything.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Blessings have been poured upon us

Leviticus 27:30 “ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord."

And it is true. No matter how much of a dire straight we are in, we have always managed to pay our tithing. And we are continually blessed because of it. We have always had just enough to get by. And if we have not had enough, we have family who is always willing to help us. I see the loans and grants we have received as blessings because without them, we would not be able to survive. This past year, we were able to pay off both our car and the scooter, pay off a loan we had to get one year for school. This loan acquired nearly 1300 in interest alone, in only two years. We have been able to put more money in savings then we ever have our entire lives. While we still shop the sales, still eat out only if we have a gift card or coupons, we have been blessed in our efforts. And on top of all things we have, we have been blessed with this job. We have saved so much in working for our rent. We have grown closer as a couple and a family because we are not having to worry as much about making rent, or paying our bills. We are able to go places we would never haven been able to go if we were still living in Student Housing.

This year, we plan:

-Trips to St. George
-Visiting a few Ghost Towns
-Meeting Andy's brother at the Grand Canyon to camp
-Hiking to our little hearts desires
-oh, camping to our little hearts desires
-Plant another garden this year! We'll be doing lots of herbs, onions, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, pole beans, yellow squash, and strawberries. I love gardening. It really is my favorite thing to do. Remember my dream of having a HUGE garden in my yard? Yeah, it'll happen one day. For now, I am content with my garden plot.
-Did I mention camping?
-Seeing my "not-so-little brother" graduate high school and seeing all my family.
-Spending a week in Asheville with my grandparents
-Having my mom here for 10 days
-Going to Disneyland for the first time AND for the first time as a family

We have so much planned this year, I don't know how we'll fit it all in! I am so excited we will be keeping ourselves busy! I am excited for Will to play outside and start camping at an early age. My family didn't camp very often, but I love it and I am glad we were able to get our lifetime gear so early in our lifetime!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

It's Almost Here!


Are you as mad as the Mad Hatter?

Johnny Depp is my all time favorite actor. I have loved him since the first time I saw "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" when I was about 6.
One of my all time favorite movies is "The Nightmare Before Christmas" By Tim Burton. Now, you are either a Tim Burton fan, or you aren't. I am. I know, he's kinda weird, but I think him and I would get along just fine. I can't wait to see the new movie by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland! It just looks so amazing!
We won't get to see it opening weekend, but that's ok, because we are FINALLY going to have our family pictures done! My good friend, Malina is going to be our photographer and we'll be doing them at City Creek Park. I am so excited to finally have a picture of the trio, that will actually look good. I am excited because Malina wants me to be apart of the editing process. Last time I did that, was with our wedding photographer and I loved it. We're gonna play around with our colors because it's going to be still pretty gray out. I will be sure to post some as soon as we have some!
We have lots of fun trips coming up here in the next 3-4 months. In May, my mom is going to be visiting for 10 days. June, we are going to North Carolina for "Grandkids Camp" for about 10 days. We'll also be there for my brothers graduation! I am so happy I get to be with him for that! Then in September, we have our BIG Disneyland trip!

Well, motherly duties call and so do work duties! Hope everyone is well!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Can't Wait For Summer!


Please say hello to our new toy! This is the new tent we will be getting by Nemo!

Ever since I moved to Utah, I have been so thrilled about all the outdoor things to do. We just haven't been able to do any of them yet. This tax season we were blessed with a nice fat return. While we used the majority of it to put in savings and to pay off some student loans, we used a small chunk of it to buy camping gear! Working here at RMH, we will actually have weekends to do things! When we were first married, I worked Saturdays, then I didn't and Andy did, then neither of us did, but we had to go to my in-laws to do laundry and the only day we had was Saturday. NOW, we get to go play from 9am on Fridays until 5pm on Saturdays. We have a HUGE list of things we are going to do this summer. And all of the places we are going require camping! I just can't wait! I am so excited to finally go see places like Moab (and not be driving through in a blizzard) and St. George, Northern Utah and just everything we have planned! We're gonna teach Will how to fish and let him be free range. (Andy thinks we should take our pack n play with us so Will doesn't wander too much...I am of the belief that we just need to teach him boundaries, not just keep him caged. Plus, who REALLY wants to drag a pack n play in the woods? I'd rather not. They did it back in the old days and kids turned out just fine.) We are really excited for all the new adventures headed our way. And we are really, REALLY excited for some warm weather!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

It's been weeks since this started...

Remember how Will has been sick? Well, on Monday, we took him to the doctor and he was put on a new antibiotic, Omicef. Tuesday, he had a little bit of a rash on his chest. I thought it was just from putting Vicks on his chest at night. Wednesday, it had spread to his neck and face and his chest and stomach were both covered in little red dots. I thought for sure it was an allergic reaction to the medicine. We didn't give him his dose that morning and called the doctor...yet again! We went in that afternoon and Dr. Kelly took a look at him. Just a quick glace and said "Oh, yeah, this is the second case I have seen of this rash this week. It's not the medicine, it's called Roseola." Whooty, whatty? So, Will had roseola. If you don't know what that is, it's like the chicken pox, just not nearly as bad. I was so glad to FINALLY have a diagnosis! It explains the red, goopy eyes, the loss of appetite, the fever of 102.6. The only reason we didn't know before was because you don't know you have it until the rash occurs. Awesome. We felt sad Will wouldn't ever get the chicken pox, but I guess he got the next best thing. (We both had the chicken pox as kids, and wanted to see our little man with spots!) He's still on the antibiotic for the ear infections, but he's been in great moods and is slowly getting his appetite back!


In other really exciting news, Will is an official walker now. We didn't work with him really at all! He just started walking from couch to couch and eventually went to the chair, then the table then a few steps down the hall and now he's a walkin machine. It's sooo weird. He's an official toddler now! He's not a baby anymore :( Not only is he walking, but he is FINALLY starting to use some sign. He does "all done" and "eat" But, mostly he does "all done" we are working on "more" and "please" and "thank you". He also says "Hi, dad!" and "Hi mama" And if I put him in his chair with a snack and go to do the dishes and he is all out of snack and wants more, he says "MAAAAAM!" I love it, Mam! That's what I want my kids to call me, mama or mam! It's just SO cute!

Today is Saturday, Andy is at his MCAT class and I'm waiting to put Will down for a nap because I am tired. We stayed up and watched Braveheart(one of the greatest movies ever!), it didn't even start until stinking 9:45. So, we went to bed LATE! When Andy gets home, we are going to clean, clean, CLEAN! Then maybe go out to do something fun.

I am getting excited for Spring/Summer. It will be so fun this year! Taking Will with me to work in the garden, to the park and pool, on all our camping trips we have planned for the summer. Working here at the RMH, by the time Friday rolls around, we just want to get as far away from here as possible. We'll be getting our tent soon and we can't wait!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

What a FUN weekend!

This past weekend was great! Andy and I are NOT Valentine's people. We just both this it's a commercial holiday. "Go spend money on cards that say mushy love poems and candy for your wife who started her New Year's diet. That's the only way to show I Love You." And does anyone actually know the history of Valentine's Day? Go here. It's to celebrate the martyrdom of at least three Saints named Valentine. Do you know what happened on February 14, 1929? The St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Awesome! Sounds soooooo loving right? But, it's really just this commercial holiday. If you only get lovey and mushy with your spouse or significant other or whatever once a year, then I am sorry for you.

So, this weekend we had a looooot of fun! Saturday we spent the day driving all over creation to buy a Wii! That's right. We broke down and got a Wii. And I LOVE IT! We have had SUCH a blast playing together! Andy is obsessed with sword fighting and I dominate at 3-point shooting. Sunday we spent the day at home, because YET AGAIN, Will is sick, sick, sick. Same stuff, different day. He had a fever of 102.6. We took him to the doctor on Monday and he's on a new antibiotic and eye drops. FUN! Oh...and I'll have to take him in AGAIN today because he is breaking out in a rash ALL OVER HIS BODY!

Monday, Andy had the day off! Happy Presidents Day! We kept our tradition of going to Moochies on all "small" holidays. Andy got the Philly Cheese Steak and I got the Reuben. Of Course. Our friends, Amy and Jeff, watched Will while we went to see Avatar! IN 3D! It was amazing! Seriously, it was the BEST movie I have ever seen in my entire life. Andy and I want to live on Pandora and be Na'vi. The story line is almost identical to Fern Gully though. I thought for sure James Cameron could come up with something a little better then stealing a story from a cartoon. It was still amazing though! If you have not seen it, GO SEE IT! It is WORTH IT!

Now, I must shower so I can take Will to the Doctor yet again. Hope everyone is doing well!

Friday, February 12, 2010

I'm just not one of those women

I have a wonderful family. I love Andy to death and he works so hard to provide for me and Will. Will is an amazing child. He's funny and cute and totally a mama's boy. I love it.

We are not perfect.

Sometimes, not often, I will search through different blogs of people I don't really know. I have discovered that a lot of mom's seem to brag about how perfect and amazing and problem-free their families are, everyday. Their kids are always cute and doing funny things.

They just live a perfect life.

Wouldn't that be nice?

I am just not one of those women.

Yeah, I usually see the glass half full. Usually.

I do not feel the need to shout at the rooftops about how wonderful every day is at my house. Because, being honest and real here, my house is not always wonderful every day. Sometimes I get annoyed with Will because all I really want to do is go to the bathroom by myself without either
a) waiting for Will to take a nap
or
b) listening to Will scratch and whine at the door

Sometimes, mine and Andy's common goal for the day? Going to bed before 1130 or midnight.

We don't always get along.

and sometimes we just want to be alone or have a night out with our friends

and that's okay.

we love each other more then words can describe.

That, in no way, means we are perfect.

So, when I come along those blogs, with perfect families and never-a-thing-wrong, I don't get all giddy and excited, I get annoyed and would rather listen to Will scratching and crying while I go to the bathroom. I enjoy blogs like Glamazon Mormon Mom. If you want a good laugh and you need that reassurance that, yes, it is ok that I laughed when my child fell down, you should check her out.

I love my family more then words can describe.

But, sometimes I just wanna pee and poop in peace.



Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Well, child!

We had Will's doctor appointment today. Poor bugger had 6 shots in his bum. That is no fun. He's such a trooper though. He cried while it happened, but as soon as it was done, he stopped crying. He did give the nurse evil eyes though. It was pretty funny. He's 30 inches long now. 17.3 pounds. STILL long and skinny. The doctor says he's fine though. Just skinny. I asked about his murmur, he listened for a good minute and didn't hear anything. He said sometimes when babies get sick they have what is called a flow murmur. Basically, there is extra fluid "flowing" around. I know I am not a doctor and all, but I still have quite an uneasy feeling about it. I'm not sure if it is because the doctor at the InstaCare was shocked about it, or my non-chalantness about it, or if maybe it's my mother's instinct telling me to have it looked at, and soon. I just worry that because the doctors at the NICU really wanted us to keep an eye on it. I mean, he is the most active child I know. He's really happy, never, EVER lethargic, everything seems fine. But, lots of kids seem just fine. And they aren't. The NICU cardiologist said it was big enough to possibly require surgery if it wasn't better by a year. I mean, it could just be smaller, and that's why our doctor doesn't hear it well, but I think I would just feel better having it checked out by a specialist.

I don't know. Any advice...and can you go have an echo done without a referral? Or should I voice these thoughts more loudly to our doctor? I just don't want it to be something that we could have fixed now and then later in life because it wasn't fixed, it causes problems.

Monday, February 8, 2010

It was easier then I thought!

Since before Will turned one, I have been wondering "How on earth am I gonna wean this child?" Well, my answer came in the form of a cold. Will's cold to be exact. The poor little man got a HORRIBLE cold last week. It started on Tuesday, just a little runny nose. By Wednesday night, we had a dripping faucet of snot, two red goopy eyes and a choice to run to the InstaCare. (I've had many an eye infection, the last thing I wanted for Will was to wake up and not be able to open his eyes.) We saw the doctor, the verdict? Horrible head cold, with double eye infection and on coming ear infection! I am glad we caught it just in the nick of time. He was put on amoxicillion right away, and by Thursday evening, we had only slightly red eyes. Still had an incredibly stuffy nose though. Try feeding your child when he can not breathe out of either side of his nose. The poor guy. Now, he wants nothing to do with me. It makes me kind of sad, but at least I am not struggling to wean him!

In other news, we go to his well child check up on Wednesday. When we saw the doctor last week, he noticed Will's heart murmur, which we were told was gone...So, I have a bone or two to pick with a Dr. Colin Kelly. I am going to go ahead and request an echo to have it checked out. It should have healed on it's own by now, if not, they may have to do a small surgery. Let's pray it doesn't come to that though.

Friday, January 29, 2010

I actuallly have to study again!

If any of your remember last summer, you'll remember I learned I love to garden! This summer I will get to be in charge of the big vegetable box here at RMH. I am really excited. I have big plans for the veggies I want to grow. I'll be doing tomatoes of course, and zucchini (I'm gonna cage them so they grow up and not out. We'll see if it works or not.) We'll do beans again, but I would also like to try some new items. We'll be trying garlic (we eat it with everything) and onions.

I decided to look at the U's and BYU's websites for continuing education for gardening/herb classes. I thought for sure they would have something. BYU didn't have anything, but the U did. for NINETY bucks! For a DAY class. It's not even multiple days, it's just A DAY. LAME! This year I really want to learn to grow herbs, how to store them properly, prepare them in teas and such. After extensively searching the internet, I found Universal Class. They have an All About Herbs class, and I am taking it. It's online, so I can do it when I have time. And it was only 30 bucks! I am pretty excited! It will teach me to create a container garden, so I can grow herbs all year long (my home will smell so yummy!) It also teaches you the medicinal uses of certain herbs, how to dry, prepare and store them. Everything you could possible need to know! I actually have assignments and tests and reading. I am so excited! When I am finished with this class, I would like to take the Holistic 101 class. My hubby will be the doctor and I'll be the healer. Sounds awesome, right?

Monday, January 25, 2010

My, how time flies!


We welcomed this little stud one year ago today! I can not believe my first child is already a year. It has just flown by! To be honest, a year ago today, we were hoping he wouldn't show his little face for 4 more weeks. But, he just couldn't wait to meet us I guess!



Here he is with all his tubes and oxygen tent when he was only a few hours old

Later, with mom, just on some oxygen!

He used to be such a cuddle bug!

Now, mom and dad are grateful for a little snuggle in the morning!


Will's first year has been fun for all of us. It's been the hardest thing we have ever done, but it's been one of the best things we have ever done! We can't wait for him to take more then three steps at a time on his own, or take him on many a camping trips this summer, going to the zoo, and having him help us with our garden this year!

We love you little man!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

One day, I'll have a Library in my house



I love books. I love to read. I love the smell of books. I love the feel of books. I love to turn the pages in my hands. I love everything about books.

So, what's the deal with these "electronic books"? First there was the Kinder, then Barnes & Noble came out with the Nook. I have to be honest, I am not a fan.

1. I can't stare at a screen for as much as I read.
A. I would totally miss turning the pages! Half the fun of reading is getting to a really good part, having your fingers already on the next page, just shakin in your boots to turn it and find out what happens next! Pushing a button does not sound exciting to me.

For me, reading is like watching T.V. Except better. I love getting a book that is so great, when you are reading it, it's like watching a movie in your head. It's just amazing!
I hope I can teach my children to love reading as much as I do...and hopefully, we won't all convert to this "Nook". Let's be honest, I'd break it in a week.

Speaking of Barnes & Noble, I went there today and got a home remedies book. Hopefully it will help us get rid of our headaches without taking IBporfen all day long :P

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

A Review


FINALLY! Book 7 of The Outlander Series has been published, and I finished it in 2 weeks. (It's an 800 page book. That's about 57 pages a day.)

Of course, it was amazing. Gabaldon takes the stories of Jamie and Claire, Brianna and Roger, Lord John, William Lord Ellesmere, and Ian and writes them in ONE book. Don't worry, you won't feel as though you are swimming in a sea of 'What the flip are we talking about here?". Jamie and Claire about about 60ish now. Jamie still makes my knees weak and I still want to be Claire.

And I still very much want to live here:

Applachia
(I would love to live in a little village type place.)

And I want to go here as often as I can:(Scottish Highlands)


I'm lucky I married a Fraser. Even if he isn't 6'6 with striking red hair, he's still "that guy". And I love him for it.



( I now have all 7 books and I will be reading them straight through. It's better then tv, I promise)


I hope I can instill a love of reading in my children.