A Log of Three Lives

Blankets for generations

2012-02-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Millie was given lots of blankets. As I looked at them last night while putting some laundry away, I realized that a good portion of the blankets she has were made by family! She's got quite a tradition to get in on. I think handmade blankets are beautiful and special... seriously, check these out.

Grammy made two of the blankets in that stack, both SO beautiful.

Cross-stitched Peter Rabbit characters

I can't imagine how much time each of these took! They're so beautiful.

This beautiful pink blanket was made by Gretchen. She has this pattern memorized- memorized!! Pretty amazing.

Then the quilts from my mom... I think the first one may be the inspiration for Millie's nursery once we get to Houston and have our own place. I just love the colors!!

And finally, the chevron blanket I crocheted. Took forever but I love the way it turned out! The pattern is HERE if you're interested.

I count 3 generations of blanket-making represented here... and it goes further back I'm sure. No pressure Millie!

One month of parenthood

2012-02-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

Millie is a month old today! It has gone by so fast. But we've learned a lot over the last month... here are some things I would tell my still-pregnant self if I had the chance:

-Always wait a few minutes to put the clean diaper on after opening the dirty one. And take cover.

-Take as many pictures as you want- this girl changes every day!

-When all else fails and she's still crying, take a drive.

-Accept help when it's offered.

-It may seem pointless to get dressed when you're staying in all day, but you'll feel better, so do it anyway.

-Don't even try to imagine how much you'll love this little girl- you can't even begin to know!

Guess who

2012-02-03T07:38:00.004-07:00

A little girl I know slept for 4 hours between feedings last night!

The difference in how you feel with one more hour is amazing. I'm a new woman.

Millie also moved out of newborn diapers. It's crazy how quickly she changes! Makes me regret not hiring an actual photographer to take some newborn shots of her. I attempted it myself yesterday and it was just pathetic!

Full hand(s)

2012-01-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

I don't mind typing my paper with one hand, as long as this is what occupies the other!

I am one lucky momma. Happy Tuesday!

Just for today

2012-01-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

Can I admit something? I didn't really make any New Year's resolutions. My life has changed so much already this year and we have more big changes coming our way- graduating, moving, etc. so I didn't want to set some unattainable goal for myself and just end up disappointed. I've decided instead to set monthly goals and take life on in smaller chunks. So, my goals for February:

-Eat healthier. I watched "Forks Over Knives" last night- made me think quite a bit. I want to have a better, more plant-based diet. Not that I'm cutting out meat and dairy completely, but I'd like to use it less- the meat that's in my freezer will last me the whole month hopefully. This will require a little creativity and branching out on my part, so I'm excited!

-Journal more consistently. Giselle gave me the "Mom's One Line a Day" journal at my baby shower and I love it! The only problem is that I haven't been doing it every day. So then I go back and try to fill things in, but I know it's not as meaningful when I'm just writing general stuff. This month I will at least write in that every day. And maybe blog a little more too?

-Be better at the little daily things. Scripture study, prayer, etc. Because really, those things aren't little!

I was reading in the Ensign today and was inspired by this quote: "As we reflect on the value of resolving to do better, let us determine to discipline ourselves to carefully select the resolutions we make, to consider the purpose for making them, and finally to make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop us. Let us remind ourselves at the beginning of each day that we can keep a resolution just for that day." I think I tend to make a bigger deal of things than is needed, so I'm just going to take these resolutions one day at a time! February will be awesome!

Vain stuff

2012-01-27T09:45:00.001-07:00

Please excuse my vanity.

Tyler's computer recently crashed (it won't even turn on now) and he needed some files off of it for a school project. So he called Ryan for help, and we girls tagged along to visit with Cari, Gabby, and Natalie while they were working on his computer. It was so nice to get out of the house! I got dressed up (and by dressed up, I mean dressed) and put Millie in a cute little outfit, and even did my hair. I totally understand now why "the mom haircut" exists! I'm really itching to cut my hair after yesterday. I'm sure poor Millie is wishing I would too... my hair kept falling in her face while I was nursing her or holding her. Tyler even said the other day he was looking at pictures from when we were first married (I chopped my hair about a week after our wedding) and he loved my hair short. But I've been growing my hair out for so long! What's a girl to do?

Also, this post-baby body. Doesn't get much more glamorous, right? I heard a lot growing up about pregnancy and the fun body changes that come along with that, but no one ever mentioned how it is after the baby is born. What an adventure. I decided what my body is like the other day- a frumpy version of Pamela Anderson. Or maybe Dolly Parton? I think you get it. I secretly hoped to be one of those people who could wear their pre-pregnancy pants right away... fat chance. Literally. I'm back to using that hair-elastic-around-the-button trick like when I was pregnant. Can't wait to start working out for real again!

But I must say, the fact that I haven't worn my pre-pregnancy clothes in so long makes them appealing again. It's like I have a whole new free wardrobe! Awesome.

Alive

2012-01-25T09:28:00.003-07:00

My days and nights are wrapped up in Millie Mae... it's the best! We are officially on our own now and are doing pretty well, though I definitely miss having the dishes and dinner "magically" done. I feel like Millie is so different from when she was born already! She had her 2-week appointment on Friday and did great- didn't even cry when they poked her heel again. The doctor gave her a gold star for weight gain- she gained a pound and an ounce! So now she's 9 lbs 4 oz! Our little chunker.

Millie's had lots of people come by to meet her- she is one loved little girl! I randomly took a picture when Steph and Andrew brought their kids by as they were passing through.

I still think one of my favorite things about having Millie here is watching Tyler interact with her. He is a great dad... Millie's got him wrapped around her little finger already!

Some other random pictures:

All ready for her doctor's appointment. She LOVES her carseat!

Seriously, those cheeks? I could kiss them all day.

Millie's birth

2012-01-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

Since Millie is two weeks old today, it's probably about time I sit down to record the story of her birth! I still can't believe she's here. We feel so blessed that she and I are both healthy and that everything went well.

So I had been having contractions for a long time- for a few weeks, really. My mom arrived in town on January 2, since we were all thinking Peanut would come early. We cleaned and made meals and got things ready for a few days, waiting semi-patiently. I kind of felt like there was a bomb we were all waiting for to go off, and it was me! :) It was a weird feeling waiting. My sister Kim and her son Sam also came down for a couple days so they could see my mom since we didn't have a baby yet. It was a party!

On Friday the 5th we went up to Sandy to a wholesale fabric store and chose some fabric for our Christmas PJs for next year! I started to notice that I was having more frequent contractions as we were walking around, but I wouldn't let myself get excited about anything-- I had decided days ago that I wouldn't start paying attention to or timing them until they demanded my full attention. So we went about the day-- shopping for fabric and groceries, making dinner, etc. We even got brownies and ice cream to celebrate my birthday (I'd had a cold on my real birthday and couldn't taste anything so we waited on the birthday treats until I could taste again).

The day I went into labor... Last pregnant picture! Not attractive, but oh well.

After dinner and dessert we played some games-- Ticket to Ride and Yahtzee. It was during the games that I started to time contractions... maybe the fact that my mom beat us all at Ticket to Ride stressed me out enough to put me into labor? I don't know. But the contractions were about every 7 minutes and getting more and more intense. It was painful, but I knew that these contractions were actually doing something so I was really excited! We all went to bed at about 11:30, but no way was I sleeping. Tyler and I watched Prison Break on our laptop in bed until I decided I wanted to get in the tub. He stayed with me and timed contractions. My doctor had said to go to the hospital when they were 5 minutes apart for at least an hour, but at this point I had gone straight from 7 minutes apart to 3! So we finally decided to go to the hospital at about 1 am.

That 5 block car ride to the hospital was one of the most painful of my life! I had stayed pretty calm until then, but I definitely cried on our way there. We got all checked in and settled and they checked me at about 2 am- I was 4 cm dilated. I had been 2.5 cm at my last appointment, so not tons of change. The nurse said if I didn't make about a centimeter of progress in the next hour they'd send me home to labor on my own for a while longer. That was a long hour, spent contracting and praying that I was contracting enough to stay there! :) Tyler got me some flavored ice chips- Tiger's Blood, which reminded me of my Sno-Shack days. Awesome. The nurse checked me again and I was a "good 5." Hallelujah!

So we settled in. We watched Cake Boss and a House marathon on TV and tried to sleep between contractions, tried being the key word for me. I made pretty good progress, probably a centimeter an hour, until I hit 8 cm. Things kind of slowed down as far as contracting and dilating goes (not as far as pain goes, unfortunately), so at that point I decided to get an epidural, probably at about 6 am. I'm glad I did because things didn't pick back up on their own, and they started some pitocin after a while. To be honest, I didn't really like the epidural. I liked not feeling the pain, but I didn't like the way it made me feel, or the fact that I had no control over my legs. Or the fact that my nurse dropped my leg a few times? Kind of weird. We were still watching House and sleeping off and on, but after a while of being on pitocin Millie's heart rate started to drop a little too much for our liking. They put me on some oxygen and took me off the pitocin, and luckily Millie's heart rate improved after a while and the contractions didn't slow down, so that was a relief.

Reminiscent of my breathing treatment days as a child!

I finally got to 10 cm at about 1 pm. The nurses who were there when we first arrived all thought she would be here by 8 am! So we were all so excited when I was fully dilated. The doctor told me to rest for another hour so I had some energy and Millie could keep moving down on her own.

I finally started to push at about 2:10 pm! It was a little surreal. They had the doctor there at the beginning because Millie was face up and they wanted to try and turn her over to make the delivery easier. The doctor said Millie was shaking her head- she did not want to turn! But she eventually turned and I kept pushing and the doctor left. After about 20 minutes of pushing they called the doctor back in- I guess she was moving down pretty well. I kept pushing while we waited but after a little bit they had me stop and we waited some more. The doctor finally came and a few minutes later so did Millie! Her left hand came out with her head, making things interesting, but it turned out fine. She came!

We have been so lucky to have both our moms come and help! My mom stayed with us until the 11th, and Gretchen arrived the 11th and stayed until the 18th! Thanks again to both of them for their help, and to our dads for letting their wives leave for so long.

Fatherhood looks so good on him!

First family picture

What surprised me the most was how I felt that I knew her already when I saw her for the first time! We felt so much love for her instantly and were so glad that she was finally here and healthy. Millie Mae has the most kissable cheeks on the planet and is a great eater. She's a super calm and low maintenance baby! When we can get the message across that day is day and night is night we will be glad. We love her so much!

Introducing

2012-01-11T11:14:00.001-07:00

Millie Mae Juergens

born January 6, 2012 at 3:26 pm.

8 lbs, 3 oz. 21.5" long

She is the sweetest thing ever and we are just smitten with her!

More pictures to come!

Christmas events

2011-12-27T13:34:00.002-07:00

I can't believe Christmas is already over!! It flew by and we had a great holiday weekend. We had family arrive on Thursday evening. We went to Cafe Rio for dinner and then saw the new Mission Impossible movie. Definitely enjoyed it! Friday morning the boys went running, which had Tyler's legs really sore for a while. We both are excited to get back into shape asap!

We ran some errands, including the purchase of a pack 'n' play for Peanut! Now we have something to bring her home in and somewhere to put her once we get home.

We had In 'n' Out for lunch and I made some cookies to take to Aunt Sheila's for the family dinner. It was a Feliz Navidad with Mexican food galore in honor of the 3 missionaries from our family serving in Mexico/Peru! Yummy. We went straight from Salt Lake over to Soldier Hollow for tubing! Well, so the boys could tube. I got to relax in the lodge with donuts and hot chocolate while chatting with Gretchen, Aunt Dana, and Aunt Sheila.

Christmas Eve we had a lazy morning before running some errands- the BYU Bookstore, lunch at J Dawgs, a movie ("We Bought A Zoo"-- HIGHLY recommend), grocery store, and then a nap. We spent the evening at Aunt Dana's, where we had a delicious waffle bar and did the nativity and everything. I was a very realistic Mary (the only one there who was great with child) and there is Oscar buzz about Tyler's performance as Joseph. It was fun. We played games for a while and and then went home. We made an attempt to watch Happy Feet before bed but were so tired we turned it off!

Christmas morning we had a yummy breakfast casserole and cinnamon rolls and opened presents. Tyler and I feel so spoiled by our families! It was a fun morning. We went to church at 11 and then came home and had lasagna for lunch. We talked with my family a little bit and then got to talk to the missionaries! It was so fun to have all 3 of them on the phone at the same time. They all sound so great and that was a highlight of the weekend for sure. The rest of our afternoon was spent working on the puzzle Aunt Dana gave us for Christmas! Christmas puzzles are so fun.

That night we went to Cari and Ryan's for a yummy dinner and visiting with family. Christmas is the best that way! It was such a great day with everyone.

Monday we slept in and then went to Magleby's Fresh for breakfast. Came home and worked on the puzzle again, and Kim and Sam came over to say hello. We had to get a belly pic since Kim is finally showing a tiny bit and I won't be pregnant for much longer!

Bumping bellies like when we were little- only these aren't pillows under our shirts!

That afternoon we finished the puzzle! I can't believe how quickly it came together- we are basically puzzle pros.

With the finished product! I look like I have a bowling ball belly.

Weird lighting, but it was a beautiful puzzle! 1000 pieces baby!

We saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie that afternoon (also very good! Love holiday movies) and then ate at Cafe Rio again. Yep, again. I'm not ashamed! It's delicious and it's not available in Houston so there you go. Since we had a Utah dinner, we had to have a Texas dessert! So we went to the Provo Beach Resort, where they recently started serving Blue Bell ice cream. It definitely hit the spot- I ate so much! Actually, I'm pretty sure my next doc's appointment will reveal just how much I ate.

This morning we said goodbye to our family! It's sad to go back to reality after such a fun holiday. Tyler is back at work today so I'm just chillin' at home- taking down Christmas decor and doing other stuff to get ready for Peanut's arrival. Now we're just playing the waiting game!

He's a dad already

2011-12-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

Peanut's not here yet, but you might think she was the way Tyler is these days.

If you peeked in our window you'd probably see him pushing our new stroller around the apartment. Or practicing folding it or putting the carseat in and out of the car. In church on Sunday he leans over to me and asks if we can take our stroller on a walk later? Maybe once we have someone to put in it, dear!

While eating dinner a couple weeks ago, he stops for a minute and looks at my belly and says, "I just love her so much!"

Pretty sure fatherhood will look amazing on him.

The school years, part 2

2011-12-19T09:37:00.001-07:00

Fall 2008: Got a full-time job at Inwest Title as a courier, took a few classes in the evenings. Tyler and I joined an intramural bowling league and loved bowling every Thursday night! So many fun adventures this semester. It was so fun living with Kim.

Y Hike

After the championship- Go Ducks!

Same story for Winter 2009: full-time work, part-time school. Tyler and I got engaged this semester! We also played intramural tennis and had fun, even if we didn't do very well...

Country-swing dancing... mid-laugh, it looks like

We both went home to Houston for the summer. Tyler had an internship and I had random odd-jobs, including babysitting, teaching swimming lessons, and running a couple tennis camps. We planned our wedding and had a great summer with our families.

Swimming- Memorial Day

Astro's game

Lagoon with Tiffany and Tyler- finally!

Wedding August 8 2009! We went on a cruise for our honeymoon and got back a few weeks before school started. I found a job as a receptionist at AMP Security and took the year off of school so we could save a bit. I also worked at Stevens-Henager College at night. Tyler worked part-time at Pinnacle and went through the jr. core. That was a blur of a year! We took a trip to Houston in October for our open house, and drove down for Christmas. Well, attempted to.

Family pic before open house

Sledding on my birthday

Baseball game with Heidi

Tyler had another internship in Houston that next summer and I stayed in Utah for work. I ran my first 10k and first half-marathon with Aubrey! Tyler came back in August and we went to Zion's for our anniversary.

A most attractive post-race picture

Fall came so fast. We both went to school full-time that semester and it was busy busy. We managed to squeeze some fun in though!

Basketball game with Randall and Crystal

Thanksgiving with the Juergens

Winter was another busy semester that year- we both worked (Tyler at Pinnacle, me at the School of Music office) and went to school. We loved having Garrett and Mitchell here at BYU that year!! It was so fun to spend time with them. Tyler played on an intramural basketball team with them as well as Adam, and they had so much fun. We got in a car accident in March and spent the rest of the semester getting that all taken care of.

The Dunkin' and Covenants. So hard core!

Valentine's Day party with some of my best friends from high school

Poor car!

We went down to Houston for Tyler's last internship at the end of May. He worked hard at his internship and I did a few independent study classes. We went to the Juergens reunion in June and loved being with our families. We had a great summer!

At Annie and Mike's wedding in May

Canoeing down the Colorado River with Kevin and Amy

Camped in Moab with Austin and Giselle before heading down to Houston

Fall '11... my last semester and Tyler's second-to-last! It flew by. Tyler was my hero and worked on top of school and taking care of a wimpy pregnant wife. Jeff got home from his mission just before school started and it was fun having him around. We had lots of family visit from out of town over the course of the semester and loved it!

I know I posted this recently...

Tyler's the best uncle!

It's hard to believe I'm done with school! I feel so blessed to have been able to finish. It will probably feel more real once Tyler's done and we walk at graduation together.

So congrats to me. And to anyone who made it through these 2 super-long posts! Just as impressive.

A campout... of sorts

2011-12-16T09:35:00.001-07:00

Tyler and I celebrated being done with the semester with a little campout! Well, kind of. We camped the way you would being 9 months pregnant and in the winter.

Substitute a tent and sleeping bag on the cold ground for a comfy mattress in the living room,

Switch a tin-foil dinner for chicken and mashed potatoes,

Christmas tree lights instead of a fire for light,

And exchange star-gazing for a laptop Prison Break marathon!

But keep the happy campers.

The school years, part 1

2011-12-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

My alarm went off early this morning. Tyler had to be at work at 6:30 and my last final began at 7, so we both had multiple alarms set just in case. I stayed in bed for a few minutes going over the day in my mind- my last day of college! Then I went back to the first days and ran all the way through. So many good times!

My first semester began in April 2007. I left high school without walking at graduation and never really looked back! That first semester at BYU-I was quite an adventure. I ran myself ragged with school, dating, tennis, and working as a figure model for some art classes (I know, embarrassing). But Tiffany and I were roommates and just had way too much fun- junk food, getting extensions in our hair, etc. I also got to spend lots of time with Lindsay and Kenny and little Ty! Well, he was little back then.

I went home for the break, about 7 weeks. My body pretty much shut down and I spent most of the break recovering from mono! No fun. Fall 2007 Tiffany and I moved to a new apartment and had 4 new roomies- again, way too much fun. That was also a busy semester, and I loved every second of it! I worked for a telemarketing company, selling satellite. Hated the work, loved the people! My calling as FHE "Mom" was a blast and we had such a fun group. This post deserves so many more pictures of Tiffany and I- we had so many adventures! Sadly, most of those pictures are on my old computer, and I can't seem to find a good way to get them off. But seriously- Tiki was the reason my early college years were so great!!

Halloween 2007

Tennis team-- go Titans!

Cheering on our FHE brothers

Roomies Fall '07

Winter 2008 I was off-track and actually transferred down to BYU Provo. This was kind of a hard semester for me! I always had a weird fear of BYU growing up, like I wasn't good enough to go there or something. I remember calling my mom crying on the first day of classes, so lost and so overwhelmed. But despite being scared, being in a long-distance relationship, taking 16 credits, and working 35 hours/week for the same telemarketing company that had just opened a Provo office, it really was an awesome semester. I loved living with Michelle (we always talked about it growing up!) and we had a great ward.

With Jess and Michelle- we're all related!

Not really sure...

Summer semester 2008 I went back up to Idaho. This semester is a bit blurry in my mind! I took lots of credits, worked at the Sno-Shack (one of my favorite jobs ever, no joke!), got engaged, got un-engaged, played lots of tennis, and got extensions again (Tiffany deserves an honorary hair degree for all her work on me over our time together)! Oh college.

Making jam with Saylor

Tiffany taught me to longboard!

Playing at Rigby Lake

Roommate dinner

I went home again for the 7-week break, unsure of what my next move would be. Provo or Idaho? Enter Tyler!! He got home from his mission that June, and when I got back from Idaho in late July we began dating. I worked for my now father-in-law at his chiropractic office (again, one of my favorite jobs ever!) and had such a great summer. I decided to go back to Provo a few weeks before school started and am so glad I did!

Tyler's first Blue Bell trip!

Pool with Botzy and AJ

Beach trip!

This is getting a bit lengthy... I'll save the rest for another day!

Quick note

2011-12-13T08:18:00.004-07:00

All these statistics formulas just aren't sticking in my brain right now... too much other fun stuff bouncing around in there!

Cari and Aunt Sheila had a baby shower for me on Saturday. The theme was "Hello Peanut" and we feel so spoiled by everyone's generosity! We had a great time and Peanut's room now looks like a cute pink bomb exploded in it. Pictures to come soon, hopefully.

As of yesterday I am dilated to a little over 1 centimeter... which I know doesn't mean much but it's still exciting to me! Tyler is so cute, telling me to lie down all the time. He brings me water constantly and is trying to take over cooking like I'm crippled or something. It's adorable! I think he'll be less worried once I'm done with my last final on Thursday and Peanut still isn't here.

2 finals down, 4 to go. Tyler is 1 down and 4 to go. Tonight we are giving a presentation together for our humanities class. How fun is that? Our assignment is to cover the whole class in 3-5 minutes... wowsers. So we're going to talk about various people we have learned about and what they did and why we would or would not name our child after them. Gotta use the pregnant factor for creativity points, right? Hopefully it'll go well and I won't drag Tyler down too much- he is really good at this kind of stuff!

We sold back almost all of our textbooks yesterday and are super-happy with how it went. We may have even made a little money this time around! Take that, bookstore. Thank goodness I have a genius husband who knows how to beat the system.

I guess it's back to stats....

A magic number

2011-12-07T15:29:00.001-07:00

My favorite number today is ONE.

It's the number of times I woke up last night to go to the bathroom. Maybe because I only slept for 4.5 hours, but still! It was so nice not to be up so many times.

It's also the number of days of classes we have left, and the number of tests Tyler and I have left to take before we can focus on our finals.

One is the number of months until Peanut's due date. That's right- one month, people! She'll be here before we know it!

Don't worry

2011-12-05T07:10:00.001-07:00

We have entered the last week of classes! My last week of classes for probably my whole life. Do I seem sad? I'm definitely not. I love being in school, but I love that I'm almost done with that stage of life! 2 tests this week (who does that right before finals??), 5 finals and a presentation next week. Bring it on. I'm just trying to not stress about anything so Peanut will have a better chance of staying put at least 2 more weeks. Bob Marley keeps coming into my head this morning- Don't worry, be happy. But just in case she doesn't hang in there, our FHE activity tonight is going to be looking at/maybe purchasing a carseat and putting together a hospital bag! Everyone at church yesterday kept asking us if we were ready, if we had everything we needed, etc. and I started to freak a little bit. Uh, no... we have a few outfits we could put her in when she's a few months older, and a diaper bag (cutest diaper bag EVER... I love it), and a few other random things. So tonight is Peanut Preparedness night at our house. I laughed so hard as we were walking into the hospital last week to figure out what was up and Tyler kept saying, "We don't even have our camera with us! She can't come yet..." So now our cameras are all charged and sitting in a designated "grab and go" spot. It's funny how you realize what is important to you at certain times.

Wasn't the Christmas Devotional the best?? That's one of my favorite broadcasts all year. It kicks off the Christmas season for me. Jeff and Robin came over to watch it and we had popcorn and hot chocolate- it's fun to have Jeff back! We've loved that every year we've been here at BYU we have had at least one sibling living close by. We'll definitely miss that when we leave. We read a book this weekend for our Humanities class-- that's right, a whopping almost 400-pager. Doesn't seem like a lot, but when you're reading out loud, it takes a ton longer. We're pretty proud of ourselves.

Our ward Christmas party is this weekend and I need to think of a fun dessert to bring. Any suggestions? I want to try something new!

Thanks

2011-11-29T09:10:00.001-07:00

We had a great Thanksgiving! It was nice to stay here and relax a bit. Tyler and I both had lots to do school-wise, but we had fun and enjoyed a break from classes. We had Thanksgiving with Aunt Dana and the gang- a small gathering with just 7 of us, but it was so great. We even went up to Park City and did some other Black Friday shopping- our Christmas shopping is finished!! I'm pretty sure I won't want to be waddling around the mall after finals when I'm 3 weeks away from having a baby. No thank you! So it's nice to be done with that.

Now all we have to focus on is finishing the semester! 8 days of classes left and then finals week. I'm pretty sure it was just September, but I'm excited to be done.

We had a little scare yesterday, thinking maybe Peanut was as anxious to meet us as we are to meet her. As anxious as we are, we're glad she decided to stay where she belongs for the next few weeks. I was told to take it easy from here on out and come back if these contractions get any more intense or painful. Peanut, just hang in there a bit longer! I want those cheeks nice and chubby and kissable. And I'd like to at least get through finals without going into labor. Okay? Okay.

p.s. I FINALLY saw The Help on Saturday with Dana and Natty and Gabby... why did it take me so long? I loved the movie. Made me want to read the book again. So good!

33 weeks, with Lindsay

2011-11-20T17:17:00.001-07:00

It was so fun to have Linds and Kenny and their adorable kiddos here with us on Friday and Saturday! We only wish they lived closer so we could see them more often. We were busy having fun together and neglected to take any pictures, except right before they left. Had to get a belly picture, right?? It's so fun to have sisters that are pregnant too! If only Kim would have been there to add her belly to the mix.

Our dad always used to say "Back to back!" whenever we talked about our heights. We thought we'd look at width this time instead of height...

We had a fun weekend with them here. We ate some Cafe Rio and had BYU Creamery ice cream- something they don't have out in Cleveland and we just like to eat. Other than that we just enjoyed visiting and being together! Ben and Charlotte came over for a bit on Saturday and it was great to see them.

p.s. I had another dream last night that Peanut was a boy. Should I take these seriously?? I'm tempted to ask for another ultrasound... dreams are so funny. He was a super-cute little boy though! I also had a dream this week that I was in labor and Peanut started twisting around and around and I could see her twisting from the outside. So strange!

One more reason

2011-11-16T15:17:00.001-07:00

I am so glad it's the holiday season, if only because these commercials have begun airing again!

Not sure why I find her so hilarious. I once went to IHOP with some family on the day after Thanksgiving and saw a group of middle-aged women- all in expensive-looking track suits and looking extremely tired. One of them had her hand over her face for a while, and when she finally took it down, I saw a nice long scratch from just below her eye to her jaw! I'm sure the other lady looked worse.

These ladies seemed a little bit extreme, but I have to admit... I love Black Friday shopping!! We'll hopefully head to Park City again this year. Can't wait!

Also, Lindsay and her cute fam are coming this weekend... we are so excited! Plus, I rocked my statistics exam today, taking me down to only one more test before I get to relax for Thanksgiving. Great week? I think so!!

Breakdown, pickup

2011-11-14T16:01:00.001-07:00

Today has been a weird day, and it's only partly over.

This morning brought nausea. I've been feeling nauseous in the mornings the last few weeks, but never like this morning. I think I even remember saying something to Tyler about putting our bedroom on a roller coaster? Everything was spinning and I could not move- I felt like I was going to fall off the bed. What's weird is that even in the first trimester, I never had morning sickness! I only felt sick at night, so this is new for me. I have to say, I'm not a huge fan. I'll keep the night sickness, thank you. So of course Tyler was so sweet and brought me water and a mint and a bucket. :) Yep, he's a keeper. By the time he got home from work, I was just sick of it. Of everything. Tyler let me cry on his shoulder and complain about school, being pregnant, feeling crappy, being a complainer/cryer, and whatever else came out of my mouth. It was silly. But he is so encouraging and loving- he reminded me that there are only a few weeks left, and then school is over and Peanut will be here. I'm so thankful for him. And also super embarrassed at what a wimp I am. I've had a really great pregnancy and haven't been sick very much! I should be more grateful.

But the day is looking up. I have eaten finally and went to my class this afternoon. Tonight is Piper's 1st birthday party, and we're excited to see everyone.

Other good stuff: being pleasantly surprised by how much we liked eating at Village Inn on Saturday; I finally got my pumpkin oreo shake Saturday afternoon; crepe night with Jeff and Robin yesterday; catching up in my reading for our bishop's Book of Mormon challenge. Also, the fact that 3/4 of the things I just listed included food. That's awesome.

Oh, and these! I cannot wait to see both of these movies!!

Collection of random thoughts

2011-11-09T16:15:00.002-07:00

-The weather may be getting colder, but I am still craving a pumpkin oreo shake from Arctic Circle. My cravings are the type that don't go away until they're satisfied... we'd better get to "where the good stuff is" pretty soon!

-I know it wasn't very long ago that I gushed about Tyler, but I just can't help it. Walking from home to campus as much as I was all semester was starting to get to be a little much for Peanut and I. So you know what Tyler does? 2 days a week, he leaves for work 15 minutes earlier (that's 6:30, mind you) to take me to campus. The other 3 days he gets to work AT 6:30 so that he can get off early enough to take me to my afternoon classes. What would I do without him? I can't wait to tell our little girl all about her superhero dad and all the things he did for me and her before she was even here.

-A girl in my ward had a baby about a week ago- the baby came 7 weeks early! Scary stuff. Luckily their baby girl is doing well- she only had to have breathing support for 24 hours and will only be in the hospital until she learns to eat. As I was making dinner to take to them last night, I couldn't help but think about all the things that could go wrong in a pregnancy and delivery. The fact that this process goes right as often as it does is a miracle! I'm so grateful that so far Peanut and I have both been healthy.

-This post is a lot about Peanut, but I finally realized yesterday that those little spasms I feel once or twice a day are hiccups! Can't believe I didn't figure that out before. I hope for her sake that her hiccups aren't painful like her mom's... how cute is it that she gets hiccups? She's totally a little person already. That blows my mind.

-Tyler and I went to Park City with Cari and Ryan and their kiddos and had a blast! We shopped around a bit (I found 2 outfits for Peanut... couldn't resist) and ate at the Loco Lizard, I think it was called. It was delish and we loved spending time with Cari and Ryan. Grace and Jaac told the best knock-knock jokes- they make us so excited to have kids that age! We're going to miss them all so much when we leave in April.

-Not including holidays, we only have 3.5 weeks of classes left. That means we can probably definitely make it, right? Just kidding... it's all going by so fast!

But who's counting?

2011-11-03T09:49:00.002-06:00

-21 days til Thanksgiving

-43 days til the end of the semester

-52 days til Christmas

-59 days til my birthday

-66 days til Peanut's due date

So many exciting things ahead... trying hard to remember to appreciate each day until all this exciting stuff. Because I know all the craziness of the holidays/finals/baby-ness will make a part of me miss these quiet evenings with Tyler, not having much to worry about besides homework.

But it doesn't hurt to be excited, right??

First things first

2011-11-01T08:51:00.001-06:00

I think I could listen to Christmas music all year long... it makes my heart feel so warm and happy! But I only let myself listen to it from Nov. 1st through New Year's. So of course, today is the day I start. Before I get too caught up in Christmas, I thought I'd give a shout-out to Thanksgiving by listening to probably one of my favorite Josh Groban songs ever! [Even if it is on his Christmas CD]

There are so many things I have to be grateful for, but I've been especially grateful for family lately. The family I was born into, the family I married into, and the family Tyler and I began over 2 years ago. I'm grateful for this little Peanut growing inside me and for the joy she already brings to us. I feel so lucky and blessed and happy! What a great time of year!

The big 3-0 and our weekend

2011-10-31T12:20:00.002-06:00

30 weeks. For reals?

I can't believe how quickly the last few months have gone by!!

We had a fun weekend. Friday night was spent catching up with my high school friends at Annie and Mike's... everyone brought yummy healthy food and we had a great time. Kim and Nick brought their 3-mo. old Payton and I got to steal her for a while and pretend she was mine! Kim and I have already decided our daughters are going to be best friends. Hope they don't mind.

Saturday we slept in a little bit, ran some errands, took a nap, did some homework, and went to the Wright's for a pumpkin carving party! We're not really sure what happened to our pumpkin (couldn't find it anywhere as we were leaving), but oh well. Uncle John was a master carver and we had a blast eating and talking with everyone. Tyler got some hands-on fatherhood training by playing with Piper- he's going to be such a great dad! I can't wait to see it.

Grace asked Papa John to carve her a pig... it turned out so cute. Kinda reminds me of Angry Birds!

I hope you all have fun and exciting Halloween plans... Tyler and I have a test in our humanities class tomorrow so we've got a review and then a study date. I love taking a class with Tyler! We've got to do something fun though- it is a holiday, even if it's one I don't necessarily like. Maybe if I'm lucky we can sneak in some pumpkin oreo shakes or something? Happy Halloween!

A list

2011-10-26T12:02:00.000-06:00

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday... and then scheduled another one for Nov. 4th. Am I seriously already in the third trimester?? I can't believe how quickly time has passed! From here on out we'll have an appointment every two (and then one, of course) weeks... crazy. There's just so much to do before Peanut gets here!

1. Stop baking. When I asked the doc if I was on track as far as weight gain, she smiled and said, "Well, at this rate you'll definitely be on the high end of the recommended range..." oh snap. In my defense, I'm just trying to help Peanut feel nice and comfortable in there! How embarrassing. But it's a little sad- 'tis the season of baking and treats! How am I supposed to resist?

2. Finish crocheting Peanut's blanket. I was making good progress for a while, but things have been so busy lately and I haven't touched it in over 2 weeks! Hopefully I can still finish in time.

3. Get out of school alive. The past few weeks have just been non-stop for both of us! This morning we were both complaining about how tired we were, how we didn't know it was possible to be so tired, etc., and then realized... we don't even have a baby! I'm so grateful that I'll be finished before Peanut gets here, and I have a serious respect for my sister and other people I know who did/do kids and school at the same time. Super women, I tell you.

I saw a Christmas-y commercial yesterday and felt so happy inside. What a fun time of year!! Tuesday I finally get to start listening to Christmas music. This weekend will be full of Halloween parties, and Thanksgiving and Christmas always come so quickly after that. Bring on the holidays!

Strike two

2011-10-19T20:55:00.004-06:00

So you know that kid who asked me if it's hard to go to class when I'm that pregnant? Well, he struck again. I hadn't seen the guy in a few weeks (thankfully, it's a large class) and he saw me on Monday and said, "Wow, you got so much bigger! You are so big!" I made sure to tell him this time that even though I wasn't offended, he should be careful what he says to his someday wife when she is pregnant. Not that I think he'll get married anytime soon, making comments like that. Seriously- where do people learn to have conversations??

In other news, our baby girl is going to have two girl cousins her age! Kim and Lindsay are both having girls, and we are so excited for them. They are both due in March, and only a couple days apart! So fun.

Our week is going well, even with all the tests. When I come on a stressful week or day, I get a little bit of tunnel vision and get too wrapped up in the things going on. But every time the stress is over, I remember that there is life afterwards! So this week I have tried to focus on the things that are most important instead of the things that were stressing me out. I think it's working! There will be life after this week, after this semester, after everything hard. And, I've done just as well (if not better!) on my tests. So I guess the key for me is to remember to "forget not to be happy now," as Pres. Uchtdorf told us HERE.

This weekend for us again begins on Thursday, with the arrival of my dad and Kim with her cute family! We'll have a fun few days with half of the siblings together.

p.s. Is it normal that my bruise from getting my blood drawn a week ago still hurts?? It doesn't look as bad anymore, but it kills!

This is what a party looks like

2011-10-17T10:19:00.002-06:00

When you have 14+ people spread over a bunch of different states.

I hope Lindsay won't mind my stealing her picture... I always forget to take a screenshot when we have our google "hangouts"! Family is the best, and I'm so grateful that technology allows us to see each other even when we can't be physically together. Sunday night hangouts are so fun!

Other than our internet going out, we had an uneventful weekend. I had two baking failures (cupcakes with frosting that refuses to thicken and bread that ripped in half upon removal from the pan) and one very patient husband during all of it.

Sunday was a great day. I caught up in my reading of the Book of Mormon (our Bishop challenged us to read it cover to cover by the end of the year), worked on Peanut's blanket, and secretly enjoyed being mostly out of internet. We went to campus to skype with everyone- hopefully our internet will be fixed today!

Just so you know- the new Kevin James movie "Zookeeper" was not nearly as good as I was hoping for. We are big Kevin James fans, but the whole talking animals thing really just kind of bothered me. If you watch it, do so with no expectations!

A week gone by

2011-10-14T15:00:00.000-06:00

Not much has happened in the last week... we're just chuggin' along here. I have another round of tests starting tomorrow and Tyler does as well, so we are a little lame in the social/fun department right now. It's the worst when you have to take an exam on the first day it opens just so you have time to study for your others. Pretty sure all my professors got together with their calendars and said, "Okay, which weeks can we all schedule stuff at the same time?" Not cool. The only thing that's exciting really is that each day that passes brings us one closer to January 7th! I'm making some good progress on that blanket I'm crocheting... it's turning out great so far. This week I had that nasty glucose test. Luckily I kept the gross stuff down and the results were normal. Despite my least painful blood draw ever, I have the worst bruise ever. Guess I shouldn't have complimented the nurse so readily? Oh well.

So, you should have a fun weekend for us. Not that studying isn't a blast...

A recipe {but not for food}

2011-10-05T19:00:00.001-06:00

Ingredients for a perfect fall evening:

stormy day

crochet project {I'm working on THIS for Peanut}

comfort food {THIS recipe, actually}

an early bedtime

Tyler hasn't been feeling well all week... hopefully a relaxing night will help him feel better.

26 weeks- "that pregnant"

2011-10-02T21:14:00.000-06:00

I'm not super happy with any of the pictures for this week... so here are two. Both taken the same day, just a few hours apart. I didn't like the angle of the first one so I had Tyler take another, but now I think I like the first one better. Whatever.

This, apparently, is what "that pregnant" looks like.

At 26 weeks:

-I wake up 5-6 times a night with leg cramps

-Peanut is just starting to figure out that my ribs are a fun place to hang out

-Food still doesn't taste as good in general... unless of course it's a dessert

-My feet swell pretty easily, but usually not too badly

-Tyler can see and feel Peanut move around more and more all the time

-I bought my first baby outfit!!!

Time is flying by so quickly, but we're okay with that. We are just dying to meet this little girl!

Warning: slight gushfest ensuing

2011-09-30T11:15:00.000-06:00

If you're one of those people who doesn't like mushy stuff, stop reading here. Because I'm pregnant and I get to be mushy and emotional anytime I want, but you are so not required to read it.

May I just say that I married the greatest person I know? I'll even go out on a limb and say he's the greatest person out of people I don't know too. That's how great I think he is.

Tyler sent me a text this morning, just asking how my day was. I said it was good and asked him how his was going. This was his exact reply: "Mine is great. Isn't it awesome that we are married?"

Yes, Tyler. It's the awesomest thing there is.

Thank you for massaging my feet when they're swollen and sore, asking me to wake you up when I wake up with leg cramps in the night, smiling when I talk too much, and loving me no matter what.

You are pretty awesome.

Notes to self

2011-09-29T10:13:00.000-06:00

-Please do those things that have been on your to-do list forever. You know what I'm talking about- just get it done.

-Don't be too hurt when the guy sitting next to you in statistics says, "Is it hard to go to class when you're that pregnant?" He is just ignorant and doesn't know what being really pregnant looks like. Yet. Take it easy on him.

-On the other hand, you're big enough now that you can't just get up and sit down on the ground like you used to... so do everyone a favor and find a chair.

-Put the cookie down! Didn't you make them for your visiting teachees, anyway? {I made THESE yesterday and they are delish!}

Weekend events

2011-09-26T11:42:00.002-06:00

Thursday: Yes, Thursday. Our weekends have been starting early the last few weeks... this last one was no exception. Steph and her kids came into town Thursday night! It was fun having them stay with us. We stayed up late playing- Jeff came over since he hadn't seen the kids since before his mission! It's crazy how much kids change in such a short time.

Don't they look happy to see him??

iPods make for great distractions

Friday: Classes, doctor's appointment {everything looks good, thankfully}, lunch at the BYU Creamery, last exam of the week, football game craziness, and eating at Communal. Steph's kids are really into BYU right now so they thought eating at the Creamery was pretty cool. Bubba even got Lavell's Vanilla ice cream. Communal was fun! Definitely not somewhere we can afford to frequent, but it was great. We enjoyed the mashed potatoes the most, I think. Delish.

The kids loved our porch and ran up and down all day.

Everyone needs a strong uncle to play around with!

Saturday: walked to Bridal Veil Falls {BBRRRRRR. It was freezing}, BBQ with Steph's in-laws, RS Broadcast with some of Tyler's family, dinner at La Jolla Groves to celebrate Aunt Dana's birthday, and the movie Catfish. Saturday was a crazy day- I think I was home 2 hours total from the time I woke up til I went back to bed.

"Take my picture while I dance in the leaves!" Something tells me this girl has had her picture taken once before...

This family picture will be complete about a week from now!

The Relief Society Broadcast was so great. I loved all the talks, but President Uchtdorf's talk was my favorite, if I may pick one. I'm really not sure what it was {oh wait, yes I do. Pregnancy!}, but as soon as he got up to speak, I started to cry, and pretty much didn't stop the whole time. I just felt so strongly that everything he said was true and good and meant for me {and the world} to hear that night. You can watch his address HERE, and if you haven't seen it already, I definitely think it's worth the time. I may or may not have already watched it again.

Okay, on a totally different note, Catfish. Have you seen it? Blew my mind. It was weird and crazy and I can't believe it's a true story. I can't really decide if I recommend it, but if you're looking for a crazy true story about social networking, check it out sometime.

Sunday: Ward conference, SAW ELDER JUERGENS, yummy dinner, skyped with family, and had birthday treats for Aunt Dana's birthday with their fam. I can't wait to get the pictures from Mitchell when he sends home his memory card- we finally saw him! After weeks of driving around the temple/MTC every time we saw missionaries out, we spotted him. We got to talk to him for a few minutes, and it was just so great. He looks so much older and more mature already and his Spanish is so impressive! Poor guy was shocked by my belly- it was cute to see him so excited about his niece. He'll leave for Mexico in about a week, so this was our last chance to see him! So glad we did- we miss and love all our missionaries so much.

This week will be just as great. Tonight we'll watch Gabby dominate on the soccer field and watch my tummy change shape every two seconds- pretty sure Peanut is trying to be a dancer like her aunt Heidi! I've got some cleaning to catch up on, homework to do, and recipes to try this week. Then Kurt will be here this weekend for General Conference. Lots of fun stuff happening. Time just keeps flyin' by!

Some good stuff

2011-09-21T14:40:00.004-06:00

I am happy to report that 3 people {all random strangers} have asked me when I'm due, how far along I am, etc. So apparently I'm finally starting to look pregnant to the world and not just fat. Hooray!

I am also happy to report that this semester is 1/4 of the way over!! This means I have 3 tests to take in the next 3 days, but hey, each one down means one less to go.

More happiness: taking a class with Tyler is so much fun! Nothing says romantic date night like memorizing titles of paintings over soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, huh?? And he's so sweet to me and to Peanut. She's one lucky girl to have him as her dad.

One more happy report: Steph and her kids are coming to visit this weekend! We are going to eat at Communal {have you been there? Is it good?} and just have a jolly time.

I lied, there's more. Fall officially begins soon {tomorrow? Friday? I can't remember} but I see it in the mountains already. It's so beautiful and the weather has been amazing lately!

Last one for real! Credit card rewards are just awesome. I have probably about $100 worth of maternity clothes coming in the mail, and another $50 gift card to spend. For how much of this did I pay, you ask? Nothing. I <3 Discover.

Dear Peanut,

2011-09-19T18:44:00.000-06:00

Every day brings us closer and closer to meeting you! We can't wait to see your beautiful face and hug you and kiss you.

Grandma came to visit for a few days, and she helped me make some cute blankets to keep you warm when you get here. You're going to look so adorable wrapped up in these!

I just love the rick rack around the edges!

Your dad and I rode our bikes down to the Riverwoods on Saturday. He's helping me to stay active even when I don't feel like it so you and I are both healthy.

He loves his hat that has his initials on it. He looks so good in hats!

We just can't wait for January to come, baby girl!

To have and to hold

2011-09-13T07:28:00.000-06:00

I'm a pretty visual person. Especially when it comes to accessories- if I don't see it sometime in the process of deciding what to wear, I don't even think about wearing it! So on Saturday I tried something I saw on pinterest and I'm loving it so far.

An empty can of oats (I ended up throwing the lid away)

Mod Podge

Scrapbook paper (or fabric)

My paper didn't quite make it all the way around so I improvised

a headband holder!

I turned it upside down so that I could use that side to hold little clips as well. Final product:

Happily positioned next to the tissues and Tyler's monstrous tub of hair gel.

Now I just need more headbands! It's funny how these kinds of products turn into more projects.

23 Weeks

2011-09-11T22:25:00.000-06:00

17-ish to go! Please also notice that my nails match my pajama pants. Awesome.

Tyler and I were called to be ward missionaries last week, and we're enjoying it so much! We visited two new families this morning and love getting to know people in the ward. Pretty fun. I tried THIS recipe for dinner today, and it was pretty good. I think being pregnant has affected my taste buds, so I can't really trust my own opinion of how food is. The important thing is that Tyler loved it, so he can have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Friday night was spent with Dane and Taylor- Zupa's and "Ghost Town." BYU's Marriott School also put on an event that evening, and we went for free J-Dawgs and sno-cones. My belly may not be big, but I manage to spill things on it already! Awesome. We had fun organizing our extra bedrooms Saturday, in prep for having family come to visit randomly over the next few months! I also filled a drawer with clothes for Peanut... this little girl is already spoiled and she's not even here yet. :) We cleared out some space for each of us to have a study desk, and I've got a little craft corner to have fun with too. We just love this apartment! Then we watched the BYU game over some chips and chili and had a relaxing evening.

I made something on Saturday that I've been meaning to make for a long time. It's a great feeling to cross something off your list that's been there far too long! But I'll do a separate post for that, since there are a bunch of pictures. For now, I'm going to eat a {okay, another} snickerdoodle and relax with my hubby. Sundays are the best!

Random stuff

2011-09-06T08:55:00.000-06:00

-I love 3-day weekends, but it's so hard to head back to reality! Thank goodness we only have a 4-day week ahead of us. We're only a week into school and I'm feeling ready for it to be over! But we'll make it... gotta make it.

-Lately, and thank to pinterest, I feel like I'm obsessed with food! I've found some great new recipes to try, and many {okay most} are desserts, so it'll be really fun to try them all out. I'm very into easy or short meal prep lately, so if you have any must-eats, please send them my way!

-With this dessert/food obsession of late, I've wanted to try my hand at some fun cakes. I found clipped to a magnet on my fridge a $50 giftcard to Williams-Sonoma! 2 years after our wedding, we're still finding that we haven't used up all the gifts yet. So now the only trouble is making a decision of what to get. Tyler and I went to the store yesterday, but I was just so overwhelmed at not knowing what half the stuff was, so we left empty-handed. Help?!? I'm thinking some round cake pans would be good, but stuff like this is just so fun!

-I was complaining to Tyler yesterday, and I guess I didn't get it out of my system because I feel the need to vent here. I am STILL in that {is she pregnant or fat? I think she's just fat} stage. This is super-annoying because I cannot fit into most of my old clothes, nor can I wear a lot of maternity clothes without looking like I'm drowning! What do I do?

-We are having so much fun being back in Utah. It's so great being close to good friends and so much of our extended family for another year! We want to make the most of it before we move away.

-I have finally found a new list notebook, and all is right in the world again.

Genetic pool

2011-09-02T16:59:00.002-06:00

Now that we know peanut is a girl, it's so fun to imagine what she might look like. Maybe she'll look like me?

But if we're really lucky, our baby girl will get her dad's good looks!!

See what I mean? Cutest. kid. ever.

Sugar, spice, and everything nice

2011-08-30T16:30:00.002-06:00

That's what our little GIRL is made of! We are having a little girl!!

Now I can start making stuff like this

And maybe this for myself for Halloween?

Tutorial from here

We are SO excited!! Not that a boy would have been bad news, but it's just so fun to know! Hooray for little girls!

Joke's on us!

2011-08-30T07:41:00.001-06:00

Much to our disappointment, we did not find out the sex of our baby on Friday.

BUT. We will for sure (I hesitate to say anything for sure but oh well) find out today!!!

Peanut's probably getting a good laugh. I'm just getting more antsy. I had a dream last night that we went in for the ultrasound and I fell asleep. Once I woke up, the ultrasound tech was gone and she hadn't told Tyler if Peanut was a boy or girl! We were freaking out, but suddenly in my mind I knew we were having a girl and I was okay. Weird!! So I'm going to make sure and NOT fall asleep during the ultrasound today.

Nothing says sudden urge

2011-08-25T19:33:00.001-06:00

like a baby dancing on your bladder.

Peanut, I love to feel you move, but let's make sure we kick up instead of down, okay?

We may look nice...

2011-08-23T11:05:00.002-06:00

but we've got fire in our eyes.

Just kidding. This picture popped up on my desktop last night and we were dying laughing at the insane red-eye we've got. Thank goodness we have a better camera now!

Speaking of not nice... last night we got our textbooks. Yowzas!! Thank goodness it's my last semester.

p.s. Cast your vote on the right-- is Peanut a boy or girl? We find out Friday! AHHHH! Not sure why the poll listed the question twice... that's a bit annoying!

Hanging out

2011-08-22T09:25:00.002-06:00

Are you a google+ user? If not, you should be! I am definitely not being paid to praise them, but I benefited from its coolness yesterday and wanted to share. My brother Jeff was released from his mission a few days ago! He is still in Prague, taking my parents around his city, so we haven't been able to see him in person yet. We tried to set up a big video chat session with my whole family, but because of time zone differences and Church meeting differences, we couldn't all meet up with the folks in Prague. Tyler and I got to skype with him and he seems great! Last night, however, those of us in America decided we wanted to try to get on one big video chat session, even if we couldn't all be there. So my siblings and I hopped on google+ and had a "hangout." It was so great! We had all the siblings there except Jeff, and even my brother-in-law Andrew was able to join us from Iraq! I couldn't stop thinking all night how grateful I am for technology and all the cool things we're able to do because of it! I wish I had taken a screen shot of the hangout. It was pretty rad.

Tyler and I have been pretty lazy lately. Lots of our friends are returning from internships and what-not, so it's pretty much just been us hangin' out. I always love that, but because we are both so bad at making decisions, that usually just means that we're being lazy at home. So to break it up, we hiked the Y on Saturday morning! What a great way to celebrate being 20 weeks pregnant. Half-way baby!!

Not the most attractive picture, but we made it to the top!

We will find out if Peanut is a boy or girl on Friday... I can't really think about that at night or I lose sleep. I'm so excited to know! I'm learning that Peanut likes his/her space. If I have my computer on my lap and it's touching my stomach, Peanut will repeatedly kick right where the computer is! Yesterday I was holding Tyler's hand in church and his elbow was touching my side. Peanut kicked and kicked right there where Tyler's elbow was! It was so funny. Peanut also moves a lot when we're in the car- I'm curious to know if it's because he/she likes car rides or hates them! Guess we'll find out in a few months. :) It's crazy how this little one already seems to have a personality.

To do this week: buy textbooks (yuck), become members of Costco (yay!!), go to the ultrasound on Friday (YAY!!) and enjoy our last few days of freedom before school begins. Sounds good to me!

p.s. I finally figured out how to make pictures big. Now I feel like one of those cool bloggers!

In case you're ever in Columbus, TX

2011-08-17T09:36:00.004-06:00

Before we left Texas, we went on a kayaking adventure with Tyler's high school buddy Kevin and his girlfriend Amy! We drove out to Columbus and went kayaking down the Colorado River. I didn't realize the Colorado River came all the way down to our neck of the woods! I learn somethin' new every day I guess.

Before we hopped in the river!

On the river, we found some friends! Mooooo

Kevin and Amy

The water wasn't very deep, so there were only a few sections where we could get out and swim without getting tangled up in slimy river gunk.

Pretty sure we almost tipped tons of times getting in and out!

Luckily, the train rolled by after we had gone under these bridges.

Can you see my bump? I'm 18 weeks here!

After the 6.5 mile journey, we were sunburnt and tired. But it was so worth it! We totally recommend Howell Canoe Livery for all your tubing, kayaking, and canoeing needs in Houston! They were awesome. They suggested we check out Columbus's claim to fame- they have the 2nd largest live oak tree in Texas! :) It was so impressive.

Thanks Kevin and Amy for a fun day!

2 years {and 6 days} ago

2011-08-14T20:24:00.001-06:00

we got married.

Best. day. ever.

I smiled the other day when we were at the Distribution Center and the cashier asked us if we had been married a few weeks. Maybe in part because we were buying garments and I probably looked like a newbie, but still! She said we look like newlyweds. Compliment? I think so! It felt pretty good. When we answered that we just celebrated our 2nd anniversary, she said, "Well, you must be doing something right then!" But really, the right-est thing I did was say YES. I love him more every day and am the luckiest girl in the entire world.

Um, hi.

2011-08-13T20:14:00.003-06:00

I've had some people tell me I haven't blogged in a long time... where did July go, anyway? I'm feeling the weirdness of time more and more these days. The combination of anticipating Peanut coming into our family and being busy with our families has made time feel slow AND fast!

Biggest events since I last wrote: Sister's Week, G&M leaving on their missions, and coming back to Utah! Hence the lack of posting... we've been busy. Steph and Kim both came down to Houston, and when Laura got back from school, we had 5/6 sisters. Not bad, but we missed having Linds there terribly. We had lots of fun swimming, working out in the mornings, and crafting. I'll have to get pictures from my mom and post them later, but we made some pretty cute stuff! It was way fun.

Garrett and Mitchell left for Utah on the 30th, so we spent lots of time with them during their last few days packing and playing games. We love them so much and miss them, but they're both doing great and will be such awesome missionaries!

We are back in Utah! We left to drive back on Tuesday and got here Friday. It was a fun drive, full of adventure- as all our road trips seem to be. I guess it really began with lunch at Taste of Texas with the Juergens fam... delish. If you ever go to Houston and want an amazing meal, try Taste of Texas. We left straight from there, full and happy and excited. Randall and Crystal moved to Dallas at the end of this last school year, so we stopped at their place for the night. They were so sweet to put us up and feed us and show us around their town!! I hadn't been there since my family lived there when I was 11... it'd changed so much. We left semi-early the next morning and drove all day. Then weird stuff started happening... the cruise control went off, we weren't able to accelerate, and the car was making a funny, high-pitched whine. Really? So instead of making it to Farmington, NM like we planned, we stopped in Albuquerque around 5 and took the car in to be checked out. Yep, the transmission was going out. No way to know how close we were to actual death, but the nice guy that helped us at the dealership said to bring it back in the next morning to be looked at in more detail. So we stayed the night in Albuquerque and watched the SYTYCD finale and read Harry Potter.

We took the car in again Thursday morning and, after a few hours, were told that we would probably make it home. So reassuring. But we went for it anyway, and left around noon. We made it to Moab and weren't sure how much further we could make it, but there were no rooms available in any of the hotels in Moab and we didn't have our camping stuff! So we went a bit further to Green River and found a room there. Our room even had a heart-shaped tub in it! We laughed and joked that something had finally gone right for us, but then we saw bugs crawling out of the drain in the tub. Guess not! We spent that night reading more HP. That's one of the reasons we love road trips- we get to read! We finished the 3rd book and are about halfway through the 4th now.

Friday morning we finally made it home! We spent the afternoon doing laundry, getting groceries, and relaxing. We even rode our bikes to the temple grounds to read in the shade- it's just so fun to be back here! I'm loving the weather. We left our window open last night and it felt so great. Today was spent doing some shopping, cleaning and organizing, and just enjoying being together! Tyler will start work again next week and I'll keep working on my Humanities class. Two weeks until school starts!

We will find out if Peanut is a boy or girl in about a week! We can't wait to know. I have finally started to feel Peanut move, which is so fun. It's crazy! We love our Peanut and can't wait to meet him. Or her. Who knows??

Farewelling and stuff

2011-07-18T10:31:00.001-06:00

I can't believe how quickly this summer is passing by... it's so crazy. In just a few short weeks we'll pack up and make the long drive back to Utah. I'm sad to leave because it's been a great summer, but I'm also really excited to begin my last semester of college!! Tyler and I will be taking a class together, and that'll be fun. I recently finished my anthropology class, and now I just have to take a humanities class before school starts. I'll get out of this tunnel after all!

We spent lots of time with both our families this week and had tons of fun. My sister Steph is here with her kids, so we did a lot of swimming and shopping. We watched "The Adjustment Bureau" and joked all night about adjusting people's lives.

This weekend was Garrett and Mitchell's mission farewell! They both did a wonderful job speaking and they sang a beautiful duet. Guess who was the other speaker? ME! Not sure why the bishop chose the new member of the Juergens clan, but oh well. The house was hopping last night as pretty much the whole city of Houston came over to say goodbye to G&M. :) They are two very loved guys and will be stellar missionaries.

I didn't last very long at the party last night. Despite taking a two-hour nap, I couldn't seem to get rid of this sore throat and constant headache. Still can't, so Peanut and I are takin' it easy today. But it's the perfect day for taking it easy... we're finally getting a classic Houston rainstorm! It's been a while since we had one of those. I think I'll keep the lights off and curl up on the couch with a movie. Sounds good.

crybaby

2011-07-11T12:35:00.000-06:00

Isn't that the saddest face you've ever seen?

I feel so blessed to have not been very sick so far during this pregnancy. I am pulling out of this now, but for a while I was having night sickness instead of morning. Other than that, the only times I've felt sick are when I need to eat! So I feel super lucky. One thing that both Tyler and I are both still adjusting to, however, is my range of unpredictable emotions. Holy moly, I cry so often! Poor Tyler doesn't quite know how to handle me when I'm bawling because the family playing on Family Feud just won $20,000. Seriously Camille??? But he is so sweet and understanding and rarely laughs at me. I'm sure it's all pretty entertaining for him.

The worst was the other day- I believe it was Saturday morning. I was having a dream (my dreams are the other funny thing- SO vivid and strange) that I was in the back of a van with my brother Jeff, who is serving a mission in Prague and is coming home in a few weeks. Jeff was always a pest growing up (fulfilling his duties as the first boy in the family) and I'm sure half of the words I've spoken to him in his life have consisted of "Stop!" Well, he was no different in my dream. He just would not get off of me-- hitting me, laying on me, I don't really remember. I just know I was so bothered. I started to yell at him in my dream, pretty mean stuff. *Please note: Tyler's arm was on my back at this point. Not unusual, as he is a sprawler in his sleep.* Finally, I wake up when I hear myself yell out loud, "Jeff, GET OFF OF ME!!!" Apparently I was bothered by Tyler's arm! Tyler didn't really wake up at this point, but I was shaken by my own outburst. I started crying uncontrollably- how could I yell at my brother like that? How could I yell at my husband like that? I am such a mean person, I need to be a better sister, I need to be more patient, etc. were all thoughts racing through my mind as my body was being racked with sobs. Oh my goodness. So Tyler, half asleep but knowing the drill, was sweet and comforting and trying not to laugh, I'm sure. I finally calm down after what I'm sure was a long time and the hilarity of the situation finally hits me. I imagined the whole scenario from Tyler's perspective- being yelled at while asleep at 6 in the morning, then hearing your crazy wife sobbing because of a dream that she was mean to her brother! So then I started laughing, almost as uncontrollably as I was crying. The rest of the day, thankfully, was tearless. But it was quite the roller coaster first thing in the morning- from anger to depression to laughter!! Poor Tyler.

Okay, I admit it.

2011-07-06T15:09:00.000-06:00

-While writing my last post, I had to look up the word hiatus to make sure that a) I was spelling it correctly and b) that it meant what I thought it meant. Maybe by the time I graduate college I won't have to do dumb stuff like that? Oh let's be real. I'll probably always have to do that.

-Though I struggled through the first book I had to read for my anthropology class, I'm totally eating up this second one. People are seriously fascinating! I was scared of the title- "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down." Come on- you would be too. But it's about a little Hmong girl with epilepsy (a disease the Hmong people call 'the spirit catches you and you fall down') and the struggle between the Hmong culture and western medicine. It's awesome!

-I have an itch to cut my hair. It has grown pretty long, but my bangs are not keepin' up. Sooo tempting just to chop it.

-It kinda bugs me how many people refer to their husbands in strange ways on their blogs... calling him "husband" or "Mr. 'X'" or whatever. Makes me feel bad that I just call my husband Tyler! Oh wait, no it doesn't. That's his name.

-Except for Sundays, I don't really wear makeup much anymore. Kinda love it.

-Can't really button my pants up these days. BUT, I have a fantastic reason for it... we are having a baby!!!! And we are thrilled! I'm about 14 weeks along and am feeling pretty good. Due date is January 7th! We refer to our baby as Peanut currently... I don't really know who started that, but I think that's better than saying "it." I really don't like that. We can't wait to find out if Peanut is a boy or girl, but my doc here in Houston won't do another ultrasound until 20 weeks and by that point we'll be back in Utah, so we're trying to be patient. I don't think I'll bother posting pics of the first ultrasound because no one really likes looking at those. Plus, those pictures are so outdated- Peanut has grown so much since they were taken over a month ago! That teeny tiny baby completely stole our hearts. We are sooo excited!!

A blogging groove...

2011-07-05T14:54:00.000-06:00

I need to find one. It's been pretty easy for me just to take a little internet hiatus! But things have calmed down a bit and here I am. The reunion was great- it was so fun to spend lots of time with our family! It was a blast. We've been spending lots of time with both our immediate families since then, which has been good. I hadn't seen Lindsay since Tyler and I got married, so it was about time! It was great to see her kiddos too... I miss them already. They just moved to Ohio- so far away! But I've never been to Ohio, and now I have a great reason to visit. I also spent a week with Steph and her kiddos in Vegas/San Diego. It was a great week and I took zero pictures because we were just so busy! Between Mikael's wedding, being a block away from the beach, a day at Sea World, and 16 kids runnin' around, cameras were the last things on our minds. So just know it was fun. And exhausting. I get why kids typically come one at a time, because me starting out with 3 would not be a great idea. Kudos to people who have multiples!

Since being back from Vegas/San Diego, we've been busy busy busy. Tyler had Friday and yesterday off of work for the 4th of July, so we spent some time on Friday and Saturday driving around Houston trying to figure out where we'd like to live when we come back after graduation next year! It's so crazy that we finally get to think realistically about that kind of stuff. Not that we have any idea still, but we're getting to know areas better and are finding great places. We've spent lots of time swimming and watching movies and playing ping pong with the fam and just enjoying time off together. I hated to see Tyler go to work this morning! But reality always comes around.

We had a good 4th of July. It felt a little weird because there's been a drought in Houston and they put a ban on all fireworks about a week beforehand. What's the 4th of July without fireworks?? So we went to a ward breakfast, had a fun game of softball with the Taylor fam, swam and had a barbeque, and watched True Grit. A very American day indeed.

Well, a pretty lame post after a month of absence. Maybe some pics will make it better? Here are some I took of the softball game yesterday:

Home run, baby!

Tyler and Kevin making sure Nathan's pitching was satisfactory

Wow. I may not have gone to Langham Creek, but I've got Lobo pride now!

The whole crew of softball players

The whole crew of supportive wives/mothers (and a sister)

And that's about it for our pics and our exciting stuff. Hopefully the rest of the summer will be mellow- not much travelling planned until the big trip back to Utah, so that's good. I'm still working on Independent Study classes and Tyler's internship is going great! He is blowing everyone away with his mad skills, as usual. He's the bomb. And I'm just trying to finish school as quickly as possible! Hooray for getting degrees and being done soon!

Buh-bye

2011-06-08T10:33:00.001-06:00

I'm off to the reunion! We're going to have a blast. Tyler will join on Friday evening, so I'm going to miss him. We'll try to save some fun for him. :) This week has been great, as lots of the fam has arrived. I really feel so lucky to have married into such a fun and wonderful family- I could not have hand-picked a better family to join! Tyler's internship started Monday, and despite still dealing with a little leftover flu-ish stuff, he's doing well and liking it.

I went rock climbing yesterday with my mom. Yeah, picture that. Have you ever been rock climbing with your mom? We had so much fun. Tim and Kenny were there with us after a little bit, and I decided it was more fun without strong boys showing off how high they could get- I enjoyed laughing and falling with my mom much more.

Anyway, I just think family is the greatest. I have THE 2 best ones, despite what you may think about yours. No rock.

p.s. not sure why the only picture I have from the last Andersen reunion with everyone in it is a silly picture... but I guess that represents us best anyway.

Houston=

2011-06-06T08:13:00.002-06:00

-family
-food
-hot
-wet
-swim
-tan
-sleeping in
-whataburger shakes
-blue bell ice cream
-zero need for lotion
-ice water
-movies

We are just having toooo much fun here! It makes me so excited to think that a year from now, we'll be moving here for good. Crazy. It's been a party for quite a few days now, as lots of Tyler's extended family has been trickling in for the reunion, which officially starts Wednesday! We stay up late playing games and talking and laughing our bums off and eating lots and lots of food. And taking pics like this... why do boys turn everything into a competition??

I have to say... hubby is pretty darn impressive. Check out that air! He did make the dunk, by the way :)

Hard core face, Mitch!

This picture's awesome too. They were dunking for hours! Tyler was f.r.i.e.d. The girls were content to give scores and catch some rays.

Gabby and Natty are to my right, keeping me company while the boys were maniacs! Those legs need some serious sun. Guess I'm in the right place!

Tyler woke up feeling sick yesterday, and spent the whole day feeling nauseous and gross and throwing up. I thought maybe it was something he ate, but when he spiked a fever of 102 that afternoon, I knew it couldn't have just been that. Thank goodness for sweet brothers who hold and honor the Priesthood who were able to give Tyler a blessing. He is feeling much better today and even ventured off to work for orientation. What a trooper. I'm so glad he had a week off to relax a bit before his internship started! He works so hard and I'm so proud of him. Plus, Tyler looks really really handsome in his work clothes... he makes business casual look good!

wii when toom owe ab ewe tah

2011-06-05T12:11:00.000-06:00

You just go ahead and figure out that title! We are finally in Houston! Not that it has taken us this long, we're just still happy about it. :) Even though we said we would take it slow getting here, once we got in the car we just wanted to get out! So when we left Moab on Saturday night, we made it to Farmington, NM and spent the night there, and then drove the rest of the way on Sunday. Yes, the REST of the way. 18 hours I believe. It was ridiculous. But it was so worth it to get here! We spent time with both our families on Memorial Day, and we were glad to be here for that. Anyway, here are some pics from our Moab adventures!

Above is our campsite. We got to Moab around 8 pm on Friday, but since it was Memorial Day weekend, Moab was absolutely packed with people. It was insane. Not one open space at any of the nearby campsites! We drove around forever trying to find something. After a brainstorming dinner at Wendy's, we decided to try going further out of town than Arches or Canyonlands. We went south of Moab to the national park that's pretty close to Ken's Lake and found a spot there a bit after 11. Yes, we were campsite hunting for over 3 hours! It was crazy. *Note: Ken's Lake was hilarious. It was dark when we were searching for a campsite so we didn't see it until the next morning... pretty sure Ken just decided he wanted something named after him so he dug a lame hole and filled it with water. It's so man-made and funny-looking. Poor Ken.*

About to begin our jeeping adventures on Fins 'n' Things.

Yeah, we drove down that. And made a white mark similar to the ones already there! Thank goodness for the hitch or that mark would have been made by the bumper.

Austin was a really good and cautious driver (possibly because that's their daily commuter and not a vehicle specifically for those trails)!

Check out the angle... stuff was flying from the back to the front of the car! It felt so funny.

A quick lunch of PB&Js before hitting the trail to Delicate Arch

Proud of our lunch-making skills! :)

That hike was a lot more difficult than I remembered... maybe it was in part because we went in the hottest hours of the day?!?

It was so fun to be there with Austin and Giselle! We had a great time. After we hiked, we drove back to our campsite. We decided it was much too hot to build a fire, and we were all exhausted, so we just kind of packed up and left! Our plan was to stay until Sunday, but I was glad we left when we did. The wind really picked up on our way out and I was glad not to be sleeping in a tent that night.

So that was our Moab trip! We had a blast. We've had a great week in Houston, but more about that later. I feel pretty accomplished just catching up this much!

In and then out

2011-05-26T11:29:00.000-06:00

Now that we're pretty settled in, we are going to be packing up and heading out! Good thing we found a place for everything, just to take stuff out of its place and put it in the car. But we are so excited to be in Houston, so it's all worth it. We're also taking our camping gear because we're stopping in Moab for the weekend with Austin and Giselle! That will be tons of fun. Our plan is to hike a bit, play tennis a bit, and even go jeeping (is that how you say that?), which I've never done. Austin calls it "the 2 mph ride that's more thrilling than sky-diving" so I'm thinkin' it'll be awesome. We played 3 sets of tennis with them last night... 3 SETS, the last of which ended in a tie-breaker! Let's just say we were all exhausted by the end. But it was great.

There's not really much going on besides leaving... it's weird the things you have to think about when you're leaving your house for 2+ months. Tomorrow morning I'll be throwing out all the food that would go bad in that time period, and making sure there's nothing lying around that would leave us with a nasty "welcome home" stench. If you'd like some oranges (cuties) or milk or strawberry jam, there's no way we'll be able to finish it by the time we leave, so come and get it!

Sometimes we are goofy.

2011-05-23T09:33:00.000-06:00

And I love it.

A little TLC never hurt anyone

2011-05-20T08:22:00.000-06:00

We've never had lots of TV channels, but in this new apartment we have more than ever before. There's only one that I really like though- TLC! I've watched a few episodes of Extreme Couponing and it's awesome.

We are only a week-ish away from Houston! Well, the long drive, then Houston. :) But I'm actually looking forward to that! Tyler and I love road trips together. We read books and just talk forever. Once we get there, Tyler will start his internship and I'll start my next online classes. We are just so excited to spend time with our families and have some warm weather! I've had enough of this cold rain.

Not much goin' on here other than that. Just need to say that Tyler is the best- I'm so grateful for an understanding husband who is so sweet to take care of me when I'm not feeling well!

2011-05-16T14:43:00.000-06:00

We are all moved out! Now the project is getting everything organized in the new place. We just love it so much though! So this is the fun part for us. We ran the dishwasher for the first time with our dishes in it the other day... such a beautiful sound! :)

I have been all about garlic and pasta lately... I'm trying this recipe tonight along with these, and I'm pretty sure it'll be delicious. I'm watching Fabulous Cakes as I work on organizing our movies and books- I love cake shows! They are so impressive. There's no way I could ever make cakes like that, but it's sure fun to watch! Makes me want to eat cake too.

Pictures of the new place to come... we love it!! I think I'll go find some more dishes to wash.

Happy happy birthday, Tyler dear!

2011-05-11T12:36:00.004-06:00

Today is Tyler's birthday!! Hooray! Our Primary sang to him, and they inserted the word "teacher" instead of "children." It was pretty funny. Even though he's 24, my hubby's a kid at heart! :)

24 reasons I love him on his 24th birthday:

1. insane good looks
2. he always sings, but never the right lyrics (his are way better)
3. he works so hard and is always doing something productive
4. he is super-strong, especially his legs
5. always has a good answer for everything
6. great laugh, especially when something funny happens unexpectedly
7. his first question whenever I drop something is, "Are you okay?" So much better than "What did you break?" :)
8. in the mornings when he's tired, he will brush his teeth while he's in the shower
9. he runs super-fast
10. he loves Cool Ranch Doritos just as much as me
11. he will eat anything I make and claims to love it even if it's nasty
12. he pushes me to do new and challenging things
13. he has great taste in home decor and actually wants a say in the things I put up
14. he is way better than I am at tennis (I only really love this when we're on the same team)
15. he loves his family
16. he's really good at responding with the right commend even when he's not listening :)
17. he gets really cuddly and lovey-dovey when he's half asleep
18. he rarely complains about the chick flicks I choose for us to watch
19. he is a gentleman
20. he is a great older brother and will be an amazing dad
21. except for on the basketball court, he lets me call him any cheesy pet name I want
22. he's always trying to be better
23. he is competitive but respectful
24. he loves me

Happy Birthday my love! Can't wait til you're 100 years old so I'm not so limited by listing just 24 reasons to love you. The plan for celebrating: PF Chang's (thanks to Tyler's parents for giving us a gift card), brownies and ice cream, and a movie. Probably not a chick flick tonight, since it is his birthday, not mine.

This was the sign I made him for his birthday 2 years ago. He doesn't say birth day, so the typo was planned :)

The good, the bad, and the ugly

2011-05-10T13:24:00.000-06:00

Good: talking to our two favorite missionaries on Sunday! Heidi and Jeff are both doing so great, and it made our day to talk with them.
Bad: we only got to talk for one hour. Booo.

Good: it rained all day yesterday! Not typical for Utah- reminded me of Houston and made me excited to go home.
Bad: we happened to be moving a lot of our stuff yesterday. In the rain.

Good: found an awesome ice cream cake recipe I'd like to try for Tyler's birthday- it's tomorrow!
Bad: since Tyler's not a big party person, we'll be forced to eat it all by ourselves. Oh darn. :)

Good: we moved lots of stuff over to the new place yesterday, including clothes!
Bad: we moved lots (but not all) of our stuff over to the new place yesterday, including clothes!
Ugly: my outfit today, thanks to our efficiency yesterday and my forgetting to bring clothes back with me for today! Luckily there was a (not matching) skirt and a shirt in my "needs mending" pile- hopefully no one has noticed that's where I grabbed them from!

2011-05-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

We've got lots happening at our place right now... couldn't even think of a comprehensive title to describe it all. I am almost done with my first Independent Study class! I'm just waiting for my instructor to grade some assignments and then I can take the final. I've loved learning about the current leaders of the Church... they're all just amazing!

We're also in the process of moving. Very slowly, but surely. Most of what we're doing right now is cleaning the new place in preparation for new carpet and paint coming in this weekend and next week. So exciting! We love the apartment we're moving to, and are excited to have a little more space (and a DISHWASHER)!

The car is finally totally done being fixed. After we got it back on Friday, we noticed a few things they had neglected or not completely finished. So I spent 3 hours with the good folks at Martin's Collision while they fixed the little scratches and rattles. It's so nice to have our own car! That was a long month of rental cars... not cool. We're glad to be back to normal, whatever that is. :)

Countdown to Houston: 28 days. YESSSSSS

May day! May day!

2011-05-01T08:51:00.000-06:00

Can't believe it's already May. Mostly because we still have snow here, but April did go by quickly. Yesterday was a funny day. We didn't really have lots to do! There was lots of stuff we could do if we were feeling super motivated and awesome, but it just wasn't that kind of day. On our way to the grocery store, I blurted out "We should go to Ikea!" So instead of turning left, we turned right and went up to Ikea. We wandered around for a couple of hours just imagining and planning and having fun. We found our dream kitchen and can't wait to build our own house and use those ideas! It was a blast. Then in the afternoon we were at a loss again, so we walked around the mall and window-shopped for a while. It was great just to be together.

One of my best friends has returned from Arizona! Aubrey and her husband went there for his internship during this last semester, and they got back about a week ago. We went over and Tuesday night to drop off some cookies and of course ended up staying for 2 hours catching up. Then last night Tyler played tennis with Adam and I hung out with Aubrey. We are so glad they are back!! I'm looking forward to doing road races with Aubrey again- that girl whips me into shape.

On second thought, maybe we'll wait to do the races until the snow leaves. That's a good compromise.

No lights=weird night

2011-04-28T08:00:00.001-06:00

I think our neighborhood had a sympathy power-outage for the people in the southeast having horrible tornadoes and stuff. I can't believe what's happening over there! But despite having perfect weather yesterday, our power went out at about 7:30 (I had just put chicken and potatoes in the oven... perfect) and didn't come on again until about 5 THIS MORNING. It's amazing how much we rely on electricity! But we had a fun night despite not being able to do anything we'd planned to do. I pulled the potatoes out after probably 20 minutes of being in the hot-but-cooling-fast oven and we ate those for dinner. They were supposed to be twice baked potatoes, but it was more like one and a half times baked. Oh well, they were still delicious. :) Definitely didn't touch the chicken... I'm a bit afraid of meat as it is. I took a bath in the candlelight while Tyler tried to figure out what was going on. My bath was super relaxing! I didn't mind having to use candles at all. Once Tyler was back (he only found out that the power was out in the whole neighborhood, so we assume it was because of the construction happening on the street) we put the Karate Kid in the laptop and went to bed early. It was nice.

Last night I tried out my new tennis racket for the first time! It was awesome- I love it so much. It's going to take some getting used to, but I think once I learn how to control it (let's just say my racket is a lot stronger than I am- most of my shots were long) it'll be amazing. We're hoping to play again tonight, if the weather cooperates.

So today, I'm thankful for electricity. And for candles to use when the electricity is out. What are you thankful for today, and why?

A love story

2011-04-24T18:29:00.001-06:00

9 years ago today, this super-awkward 13-yr old girl

met this super-handsome 15-yr old boy

He came to Utah for spring break, and visited his friend (her sister) in Orem. Her family invited him and his dad to stay for a little Easter devotional, in which she played the hymn "Christ the Lord is Risen Today". She remembers this because she played the left hand, and sister played the right. They played terribly and she and sister were super-embarrassed. She was secretly jealous that her sister had such a good-looking friend. He later went to BYU and on a mission to New York City. She went to BYU-I. They met in Houston over the summer and she finally got the man she had been dreaming of. This is them now, married and living happily ever after.

Thank goodness this isn't the end of the story. In fact, it's only the beginning!

"Is this a good activity??"

2011-04-24T17:56:00.000-06:00

Any Brian Regan fans out there? Then you know what I'm talkin' about. In thinking about Pres. Utchdorf's General Conference address, Tyler and I want to do better at using our hands to blog the gospel as he counseled. We've recently subscribed to the mormon channel on YouTube and have watched tons of profile videos about different members of the Church! It has been so fun. After almost every single one, we talk about how cool people are and how we can learn something from everyone. So we both made profiles on mormon.org and I put a button on my blog that will hopefully link to my profile soon so we can spread the word about who we are! We are proud to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and want everyone to know.

This weekend has been so great! It is amazing the pressure that we don't feel now that school is done for a little while. Kurt was here again to bring the boys home for the summer and it was fun to spend some time with him. We helped move G&M out of the dorms on Friday, watched Tangled and Prince of Persia, played Ticket to Ride, ate lots of yummy food (including Marley's- YUM), and had a great time just being together. We are so glad that we got to be here with G&M for their freshman year! We won't be here when they return from their missions, so it was good for us to have that experience and grow closer to them. We'll miss them tons when they leave in August. Last night after everyone left, we went out on a date- we went to check out a sale at Big 5 and ended up getting me a new tennis racket! I can't wait to try it out. We did some grocery shopping, grabbed some Cafe Rio for dinner, and had a relaxing night at home together. I love that school is done and we can spend more time together.

Some quotes from Primary today:
-"I think the Easter bunny is tall because he put an egg on top of the bookshelf!"
-When asked what his favorite Easter candy was, Wade answered, "Chocolate!" with a huge smile on his cute little face.
We will miss our class so much when we move!

Things I think on a Friday

2011-04-22T10:52:00.000-06:00

Okay, not every Friday. Just this one.

-I cannot wait to graduate. Yesterday I got to do the line marshal-ing thing for the commencement processional, and it was awesome! I saw all these cute couples graduating together, and I couldn't help but squeal thinking that we would be one of them at this time next year! Pretty awesome.

-This morning I finally finished Annie's bridal shower gift. I don't want to take pictures of it until all the pieces are together, but I gotta admit that I like it a lot! If she doesn't, I'm totally keeping it for myself. :)

-I believe that hot glue can do anything. I'm using it all the time these days!

-The other day, Tyler and I were in a really funny mood. We started calling each other by our full first names, which was SUPER weird and funny because we are big pet name/nickname users. Plus Tyler always jokes he doesn't know how to say my name right- he always goes, "Is it ku-mill? Or ku-meal?" He thinks he's so funny. And I think he is too. And by the way, it's ku-mill.

-Today I've been listening to the mix I made to run the half marathon to last year. Makes me want to run another one real bad.

-Last night we FINALLY saw Tangled! I laughed, I cried, it was wonderful. That's definitely a movie I want in our collection for the kiddos. It is so dang cute.

-Tyler has taught me how to navigate iMovie. It's awesome! I've made two movies so far and I'm learning so much. You can see them here and here. I can't wait to make more- it really is so fun!

Happy Earth Day and Good Friday!

Fortunes come true

2011-04-20T23:16:00.000-06:00

This was my fortune at P.F. Chang's 2 weeks ago. I'm pretty sure they were talking about finals. They're done! Thanks for the congrats, Phil. *Did you know that's what the P is for in P.F. Chang's?? Very un-Asian name. Anyway, I'm super-relieved to be done. And that will only increase times 20 when Tyler finishes tomorrow!

In my freedom this evening, I went to town on the apartment... it looked pretty bad! But it's much better now. :) After that, I attempted this craft. It did not turn out at all like her pictures. They look more like tulips than cute dainty flowers like Dana's! I'm not sure what I did wrong. Here they are, in all their gingham glory.

At first, I thought it was because I bought the thicker dowels

So I got the thinner ones and tried again... not much better! Now I have a dozen of these weird, not-quite-how-I-wanted-them-to-look flowers on our table. In a clear vase, no less! Exposing my two different sizes of dowels. I was in a picnic-y mood when I got the fabrics for this, but now I feel a little silly. Not sure how I feel about all the gingham. Hopefully the rest of the crafts I have planned for this summer will go better....

And then there was one!

2011-04-19T18:26:00.000-06:00

Only one final left, people. I think I can, I think I can... I'm really struggling to stay focused and motivated on this last one! But I'm encouraged by this:

My sister Steph put this on her blog yesterday, and her post made me cry. I feel foolish for complaining about little things, like finals, when there are people all around me who are dealing with for real hard things, like living without their spouses. So no more! Because my life is good, and I want to start seeing that good more. I am so lucky and blessed and happy. Not in spite of hard things, but because of hard things.

On a rainy day

2011-04-18T10:50:00.001-06:00

like today, videos like this make me happy. They've almost got me convinced I need this car! But I am an unusually suckered sucker for advertising. For the whole song, go here.

p.s. Sorry for the 10 second credits before. I couldn't find one without that.

JFJA {Junk Food Junkies Anonymous}

2011-04-17T22:27:00.002-06:00

Hi, I'm Camille, and I'm a junk food junkie. I think I've been a junkie for a long time, but I finally realized I was a severe junkie the day my spoon kept finding its way into the Heath Bits bag, leftover from this fruit dip I made for Annie's bridal shower. So maybe I was doing that today, I don't know. :) But now I know I've got a problem, and I'm going to change. I won't lie and say that I'm going to abstain from sugar for a year or anything crazy like that. That would just not be true! So, I'm going to start small and allow myself 3 treats during this week. Fair enough? I think so.

I need moral support! Who's with me?? We'll be one piece-ready in no time!

p.s. Check out the fruit and the dip. I put the dip into individual cups to cut down on the mess and hassle of scooping. I'm proud to say there wasn't any leftover!

The very best kind of pain

2011-04-15T21:54:00.000-06:00

I remember only one thing from my aunt Marci's wedding- she said "I'm smiling too much. My cheeks are killing me!" And that always stuck with me. I knew someday I would get married and maybe, if I was lucky, my cheeks would hurt just like Aunt Marci's. I found this picture today:

Taken maybe 5 minutes after walking out of the temple doors with my new hubby! My wish came true. I feel so blessed to have a husband that can make my cheeks hurt from happiness every day.

Crunch time

2011-04-13T09:10:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I hesitate to talk about or complain about school on this blog because I know that most of you (like, 2 of the 3 people who read this) are done with school. So for you 2 who are done, just let my complaints and comments make you that much more grateful you're not in my boat anymore. :) Good compromise. Today is the LAST day of classes! I was really happy about that yesterday, because my Tuesday/Thursday classes are my least favorite. But my MWF classes are my favorites, so I'll maybe be the teensiest bit sad when those are over.

Finals begin on Saturday... is that strange to anyone else? I don't study on Sundays, so putting a Sunday right in the thick of finals week is a little rude. However, that does mean we get two real reading days, which usually is not the case. Maybe I'll do my Mission Prep final on Sunday so I'm still using that time wisely but not breaking my own rule.

My FIL (everyone calls their mother-in-law MIL, so why can't dads be FILs?) was in town this last weekend. We love it when he's here. I always feel terrible when he stays with us though- sleeping on an air mattress on the floor (or on the couch, as this weekend turned out) cannot be comfortable! I can't wait for when we're in a bigger place with (hopefully) more than one bed so that people can stay with us and be able to walk the next day. Anyway, while he was here we ate lots of good food and went to the Blue vs. White football game. Garrett and Mitchell both got to play quite a bit! It was so fun to watch, despite the miserable weather. The poor Houstonians were shivering and saying things like "I've never been so cold in my life!" I shared their sentiments. But I say this crappy weather is a blessing. If it were nice outside, no way would I be studying as hard as I am for finals! Silver lining, people.

*Note: I have been re-located twice during the writing of this post- both times because of fire alarms! Either today is fire drill day, or we've got a pyromaniac loose on campus.

Also, I have many things on my list of stuff to make this summer. Thank you, DIY label on Pinterest. And thank you, Mom, for having more than one sewing machine and the patience of Job (I hope)! This, which I found on Pinterest, explains my current situation perfectly.

Improvise

2011-04-11T18:53:00.000-06:00

When life doesn't give you enough lasagna noodles,

try fettuccine. Or whatever you have in your pantry.

The eyes have it

2011-04-08T16:49:00.000-06:00

I don't usually wear a lot of makeup. When my family moved to Houston again in the middle of my junior year of high school, I took that as an opportunity to cut back without having people ask me if I was sick or something. I hate it when people ask that. Anyway, so since high school I just wear eye makeup: mascara, maybe a little eyeshadow for Sundays, and eyeliner for super-special occasions, like our wedding or something. The other day, I was feeling like I wanted a little change. Haircuts are usually drastic for me and more expensive, so I decided to go with the makeup route.

Do my eyes look blue-er to you? (It just looked weird to have two Es next to each other. Blueer... doesn't seem right.) Almay says their stuff is supposed to do the trick...

It's a little heavier makeup than I'm used to, but I suppose it's time that I grow up and wear makeup like a big girl. I am 22, after all.

I have a problem.

2011-04-07T20:48:00.000-06:00

If you know me well, you probably know this about me: I am an extremely impatient person. Particularly when it comes to myself. I only really like to do the things I'm really good at, or really bad at I suppose. If I'm somewhere in the middle and wanting to get better, then I automatically am frustrated by my lack of skill and just get so flustered that continuing to try is only making things worse.

Exhibit A: I am working on a new project. Maybe I won't tell you about it quite yet... until it's good enough that I feel comfortable sharing at least. My husband has much more knowledge in this area (or maybe just more patience to learn it... it's hard to tell the difference right now) and is trying to help me, but I am just not understanding anything! Maybe it makes me want to purchase a punching bag. Closer to probably.

Exhibit B: The piano. Some of you reading this have probably been my piano teachers. I really like to play the piano, but I've never really been any good at it. Well, I'm pretty good once I have learned a song, but I really really stink at sight-reading! So it's hard to learn new songs because it takes me so dumb long. Because of my impatience, you can probably guess that I don't play much anymore.

I thought maybe I should come up with an Exhibit C, but I really don't even have the patience to think of one right now. The point is, I need to change. How else am I supposed to get good at anything?

Called to Serve

2011-04-05T20:39:00.000-06:00

My two brothers-in-law received their mission calls last week!! We are SO excited for them. The whole fam and some of their friends gathered at Aunt Dana's house to share in the fun:

And then it was time. A pretty darn big moment.

Garrett will be serving in the Peru, Chiclayo Mission!!

And Mitchell will serve in the Mexico, Mexico City West Mission!

*Can you tell that Garrett and I read ahead a little bit? :)

They will both report to the Provo MTC on August 3rd, and they will both be speaking Spanish. Tyler is so excited to speak Spanish with them! Garrett and Mitchell will be fantastic missionaries, and we feel so lucky to have them in our family.

Other pics from the weekend... the D&C game! Garrett kept score and I took pictures.

And I'm pretty sure our street looked like it was leading to Hogwarts... the sun was shining but it was snowing the other day and this was the result:

Can you see the steam? I hope so.

Anyway, a great weekend.

Starting fresh

2011-04-04T12:36:00.001-06:00

Wasn't General Conference amazing? We had a great weekend. I have great memories of Conference, most of them involving food. Cinnamon rolls, scones and peaches, and lots of snack foods accompany my fond feelings for this weekend. So, on Sunday, I decided I'd better keep up with tradition, at least partly. I made a boat-load of scones for the afternoon session and we had Garrett, Mitchell, Austin, and Giselle over to help us eat all of it. G&M stayed for dinner (ugly chicken and rice) and later, after we took them home, we may or may not have baked a chocolate cake just because we wanted some. Go ahead and cue the pig snorting, because that's how we felt after the day was over. Good thing we got to play tennis on Saturday for a few minutes.

Anyway, back from that tangent. Conference was super-inspiring, and it made me think and evaluate myself a ton. My favorite talk was Richard G. Scott's, found here. His remarks made me want to be a better wife and person in general. As I've thought back on it more last night and today, I remembered that I haven't been setting monthly goals for myself. That stinks, because one of my few 2011 goals was to set monthly goals instead of trying to do something unrealistic for a whole year. So, I'm going to start right now. My goals for April are:

-Finish the semester (I know I will at least get one goal accomplished! haha)
-Work out 3x/week- I want to do the half marathon relay in May and need to work up to that
-Go yard sale-ing at least once, and, if successful,
-Re-vamp a piece of furniture for the new apartment (Kelly, you are my inspiration for this)
-Send Jeff and Heidi letters every week (I've been writing, then forgetting to send. So stupid)

So there they are. Is vamp even a word? Anyway, pictures from the weekend to come, featuring G&M opening their mission calls on Friday! So exciting!

Joke's on me

2011-04-01T08:18:00.001-06:00

I've never really been one to prank. I'm not really sure how to keep a straight face, let alone be a big prankster! I feel pranked, however, by my nail polish.

This picture doesn't do it justice at all- my nails are pretty much neon. I just wanted something bright and happy to match the sunshine! Looks like I got enough brightness to rival the sun. :)

p.s. Thank you, Blogger, for adding the picture where your cursor currently is. It was getting SUPER annoying to cut and paste it from the top.

Me, the marshal(L?)

2011-03-31T11:33:00.002-06:00

I am obsessed with watching the weather forecast on the news lately. I guess I'm just waiting for Marti Skold (my weatherwoman of choice) to say, "Oh look! Sudden shift in that storm. Looks like we'll be cloudless and 80 degrees for the next year." Wouldn't that be nice. I guess I shouldn't complain though- it's gorgeous outside today! Great excuse to skip classes and play tennis, right?? We'll call it a 2-hour sabbatical.

I've also noticed tons of fashion blogs as of late. This is a whole world that I had not even known was in existence until recently! Sure, I envy their seemingly endless shopping spree that is their collective lives, but sometimes I just think where are you going that you need to be so dressed up? Too much effort, I say. And that's coming from a girl who likes to dress up and shop. There are also some that I wish to send an e-mail to, asking them to stop. For their own sakes.

Side note: my job is awesome. I am on the commencement committee (which is so cool, by the way- makes me love this school so much more knowing the amazing people that run it) AND, I found out this week, I get to be a line marshal for the commencement processional! As though college graduates don't know how to walk in a straight line. Just kidding, it will be great. I get to stand pretty close to the dignitaries (I know who the visiting G.A. is too- don't you wish you were me?) so that'll be cool. Maybe I'll pretend to be a graduate and go through the line once or twice. Only downside is that there are 2 meetings during finals week. I guess that should motivate me to get started (and hopefully finished) earlier. Anyone know why this kind of marshal is only spelled with one L? Life is such a mystery.

You know you're ready for spring when...

2011-03-29T20:17:00.005-06:00

-Your jeans look more like jeggings

-You crave salad and fruit smoothies instead of hot chocolate and warm cookies

-The sight of snow makes you want to cry

-Running outside starts to look more appealing than on a treadmill at the gym (my gym membership has long expired, but even if I could go, I might not)

-You start reaching for bright colors instead of gray and black

-Something NEW sounds good. A new hobby, a new pair of shoes, whatever it might be. I'm going to do somethin' new myself! I'll tell you what it is when I know.

So here's to spring!

(This is the closest picture I could find that matched my memory of the tree we had in our backyard in France. We would shake the tree and dance under the falling blossoms, yelling, "It's snowing!" Great times in France. Probably some of my earliest springtime memories)

When it rains, it hails

2011-03-28T15:40:00.003-06:00

We are back from Vegas! It was a great weekend, til the end. We enjoyed the sunshine, celebrated Eva's birthday, ate tons of homemade ice cream, watched funny youtube videos, and laughed til we cried.

The drive home was where it got interesting. And by interesting, I mean life-threatening. We were making great time, and I was reading the very last page of the first Harry Potter book out loud when suddenly, neither of us can hear ourselves think- it seriously sounded like someone had thrown a tractor-full of pebbles at us! But no, it was just hail. Tons of it. We slowed way down and Tyler was being so cautious- we even thought about pulling over, but weren't sure about just stopping on the shoulder. Suddenly we were fish-tailing back and forth (luckily there were no cars in the lanes next to us) and Tyler was trying to get control of the car back when we veered off to the left, spinning. I closed my eyes just as we made contact with the median and were facing oncoming traffic, sure we were going to blow through the median and roll. We braced ourselves as we hit the median at the front, passenger side, and rear of the car and somehow did another 180 and magically stopped back on the right shoulder, facing the right way. It felt like a blink of an eye, but it kind of went in slow motion too. Not sure how to describe it. The next hour was something of a blur- two people pulled over and told us they had called 911, and then quickly left. We're so grateful they were behind us. A policeman came and called a tow for us, then got a statement going. I had the thought to take some pictures of the car, but when the policeman said "Be careful- if you guys slipped on the road, then someone else could also slip and hit you." I was brave enough to take one picture of the front, and then hopped back in to safety.

The tow truck came and lifted our poor car onto the bed, and then dropped us off at the nearest gas station. We were glad to be off of the road and away from the cop, who, frankly, was a jerk. Thankfully, we were able to get a hold of Aunt Dana, and she and Gabby came to rescue us from Payson. I felt so bad- I really thought we were closer, like in Springville or Provo! They were so sweet to come get us.

Once we got home, Tyler was on the phone with the insurance company, and everything's already being taken care of. We were able to get a rental car this afternoon, and our car is at a repair shop being estimated right now. Hopefully it isn't totaled and they can fix it relatively quickly.

There are just so many things I'm grateful for today. LIFE, for one thing. I saw on the news this morning that someone died in a similar, weather-related accident last night. I have no idea who the person was, but my heart and prayers go out to that person's family. I'm grateful for a wonderful husband who was able to handle the cop and everything else as I sat in the car crying like a basket-case. He is such a champ for handling me while also taking care of everything with insurance and repairs. I'm so grateful for another day with him. I'm grateful for insurance- if you don't have it, GET IT. I'm grateful for wonderful family- those who drop everything on a Sunday evening to drive all the way to Payson, and those who support us and are here for us every step of the way no matter what. I keep going over the accident in my mind- it is honestly a miracle that we didn't roll, and a miracle that Tyler and I both walked away from that accident without a single scratch. I know that we were being watched over and protected. We feel so loved, so blessed, and so grateful.

Outta here

2011-03-25T08:12:00.002-06:00

Goodbye Orem... hello Vegas! We're excited to get away for a weekend. 3:00, you should hurry and come. But only after I do the dishes, pack, study for my Articulation test, go to class, take my test, and get the oil changed in the car. So maybe just come like normal? K thanks bye.

Unconventional dayplanner and other stuff

2011-03-23T08:45:00.005-06:00

Every morning when I wake up, I roll over and look to see if Tyler's next to me. If he's there, I know it's Monday, Wednesday, or the weekend. If he's not, I know he's gone at work, which means it's either Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday. This morning, I rolled over and he wasn't there! So I rolled back and assumed it was Thursday. Then I quickly remembered that I had just been at devotional/work yesterday, so it couldn't possibly be Thursday, unless I had slept over 24 hours. Not likely. My suspicions that it is Wednesday were confirmed when I yelled "HONEY?? You there?" and he said, "Yeah, just studying." Whew- almost threw off my groove.

We loved having our family here last week! It was so great to spend time all together. My only regrets are that the week ended, and that I had lots of other stuff going on, making it so I couldn't spend all my time with them. Boo for real life. We ate lots of good food (Zupa's, Iggy's, and Pizza Factory- let's just say I got a little extra winter weight last week) and just had fun being together. Also, last weekend was Legacy Conference! I only got to go for a few hours total, but it was really fun. Pretty sure I qualify for a medical degree now, and I'm going to be the best gardener in the world (not really, but we had two classes on both subjects, and they were really good!). Plus, I got to see Tiffany. I fantasize about moving to Boise all the time to be closer to her and her Tyler! We'd have so much fun. Maybe someday. I interviewed Jaac for my language analysis project on Friday- holy fun. I can't wait to have a talkative 4 year old. He was so dang funny! Finished the analysis last night, so that was a huge weight off my shoulders.

Funny moments from Primary on Sunday: Our lesson was on the gift of the Holy Ghost. I was trying to get the kids to guess what we were talking about, so I asked them who doesn't have a body, who could come and comfort them when they're scared or sad, etc. And little Anna raises her hand and says, "Moroni??" Maybe if you're Joseph Smith, but otherwise, probably not. I told a story about a girl who was scared of moving to a new city and prayed for comfort from the Holy Ghost. It was quiet, and I thought the impact of the story was setting in on them. I realized I was SO wrong when Denmark says, very loudly, "I had mac 'n' cheese for lunch!" This caused an outbreak of talking, with each of the kids wanting to say what they had for lunch. Man, I wish we had a hidden camera in every lesson!

Also, I'm pretty sure the calendar said spring was supposed to start on Sunday. Maybe the whole world accidentally used last year's, because I don't call this spring! Spring is all about flowers and re-growth and sunshine. I'm not expecting anything crazy, right? Maybe just get rid of the snow, and we can call that spring. Thanks.

We're headed to Vegas on Friday!! Beaver's 4th birthday is today (Eva/Eva Beava/Beaver- funny how nicknames evolve) so we're going down to celebrate and to get some sun. Looking forward to doing some of this:

And maybe a little of this:

And we're going to start reading the Harry Potter books on the drive. I've never read any of them! It might be a little dangerous to begin a reportedly addictive book series just weeks before finals, but we're willing to take the risk. Wish us luck.

Mooooo Bars

2011-03-20T21:16:00.009-06:00

Here it is, as promised. It's really nothing special... just a twist on a classic. But it does solve one of my pet peeves! I hate it when you pick up what you think is a chocolate chip cookie, but that one happened to not get any chocolate chips in it! This is the first treat I've ever made that Tyler won't stop eating. I always feel so fat because I make a treat and Tyler doesn't have as big of a sweet tooth as I do, which means I end up eating most of the treats myself! Anyway, here it is.

Just take whatever chocolate chip cookie recipe you use, but make it without chocolate chips. I use the recipe that's on the back of the Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip bag, and it's great. Product placement, anyone? Once you've mixed the dough (for the recipe I use, just one batch works fine), spread the dough (all but a few spoonfuls) over the bottom of a large pan. I don't know what size mine is, but it's much bigger than a 9x13.

Once you've spread the dough, melt the chocolate chips and pour that over the dough. If you're using the Nestle recipe, I think it's about 2 cups. I usually use a little more though. :)

Oops- I forgot to take a picture before starting the next step. You can envision what it's like with just the chocolate right?? Next, use the cookie dough you've set aside and plop it on top of the chocolate in little clumps (I kind of smooth mine out so it's a little more flat) all over. Some big, some little, use as little or as many clumps as you want.

Throw it in the oven for 10-ish minutes at 375 degrees and you're good to go! Let them cool completely before you cut 'em up... unless you want to be scrubbing chocolate off of yourself and your kitchen for 2 days.

Tyler came up with the idea to call them Moo Bars, and for 2 reasons: 1) the cookie dough on top looks a little like cow spots, 2) they go perfectly with a glass of milk. Well, that's what Tyler says... I don't drink milk.

Sigh of relief

2011-03-13T23:07:00.005-06:00

These past two weeks have been cuh-razy. But guess what? This week is going to be fantastic!! Things are lookin' up.

Our weekend was full of fun plans and good intentions- didn't do a lot of the stuff we planned or intended, but it ended up being great. I took my test on Friday night, and afterwards we wanted to watch the BYU game, but couldn't find a place to watch it besides campus. Having eaten nothing but a grilled cheese sandwich all day, I really wanted to go home and have some real food, so we went home and listened to it on the internet. Giselle and I have been trying for weeks to finally make our surprise date happen, but something always comes up. We had planned it for Friday night, but couldn't because of my test and Tyler studying for his test. After pushing it to Saturday, something came up for Austin and Giselle! So we're going to try for April. :)

Because our date didn't work out, we wanted to play tennis on Saturday afternoon, while the weather was so gorgeous. Tyler took his test in the morning and finished around 2. We tried to hurry over to the courts to meet A&G, but it started to rain on the way there! Such a bummer. They left and we ended up running a few errands. By the time we were done, it had stopped raining, so Tyler and I went and hit around for a little while. I was having a weird pain in my forearm every time I hit- it felt like an electric shock- and Tyler had a headache, so we wimps didn't last very long. We went to FYE and bought the movie Enchanted, and I made stirfry for an early (really early- we were starving) dinner. We both wanted to get out and do something fun, but spent so long trying to decide what to do that we just stayed in! Which ended up being great- we watched Enchanted and just relaxed. Much-needed.

Sunday I made a new treat (see next post- I'll share it with you) and we went to church. I got my Ecclesiastical Endorsement renewed for next (my last!) school year after the block of meetings, and then made pizza rolls and caesar salad for dinner. We skyped with Kurt and Gretchen for a bit (I can't wait for them to come up here this week!!!!!) and then went over to A&G's place with some treats. We had planned to watch Amazing Race with them, but it didn't record on their TV, so we ended up watching Chopped. I love cooking shows! Can't wait to have the Food Network on our list of channels.

This week will include: tennis with A&G on Tuesday (for real this time- I hope), 2 tests, Legacy Conference, and the arrival of our family! We're so excited!

That's how excited we are!

Weird stuff happens

2011-03-11T08:28:00.004-07:00

when you're studying for a Speech Anatomy test. My friend Cami and I (and yes, I really do have a friend named Cami- not referring to myself as two people) spent a good 20 minutes doing this in the library yesterday:

"You have squiggly palatal rugae." "Can you see the posterior faucial pillars?" "No, just the anterior. Darn." And, "Wow, your uvula looks weird."

That's what happens when you get the two of us together! Good thing the semester's almost over- we should probably not be allowed to ever take anatomy classes again.

Proof of love

2011-03-08T20:34:00.003-07:00

Is it really only Tuesday? Feels a bit like a Thursday. I'm waiting for Tyler to be done with his test so I can go pick him up from campus! I'm so excited to see him. Yesterday we went to campus and spent an hour studying together before our classes started- but after that, I didn't see him until 10:00! Yes, that's PM! Such a bummer. He had to work late to help out with a project, and once he got home, he had to keep studying hard for the test he's taking right now! I tried to wait up for him, but fell asleep reading. Then he went to work early this morning again, and I barely woke up in time to kiss him goodbye. I miss my man! Today's devotional speaker (Pres. Osguthorpe, Sunday School General President- GO READ THAT TALK) was great. He spoke about love! But more specifically, he talked about being motivated by love. I couldn't stop thinking about Tyler, and how everything he does is motivated by his love for me, our future kids, and everyone around him. What a great man I married! I am so lucky.

On Sunday we went to a cousin party with some of my family! It was a blast. We love being with family, and right now there are so many cousins going to BYU! It's really fun to get together.

I went running today and it felt wonderful! I'm not sure it will feel so wonderful tomorrow when I'm hobbling around campus, but I'm glad I went anyway. Warmer weather is coming! I can feel it!! And I love it!!

Apparently,

2011-03-03T21:50:00.004-07:00

someone said something funny. Seriously, click on it- everyone behind us is laughing too!

I love the setting that changes my background picture every few minutes. Reminds me often of this, my greatest memory and favorite day. Ever.

A little free advertising

2011-03-02T08:49:00.004-07:00

One of the things I look forward to when we go home for the summer is having access to Blue Bell Ice Cream. I've been on 3 tours of the factory, and could tell you almost as much as the tour guides! :) Eating other ice cream just doesn't cut it anymore for me.

HOWEVER. There is one kind of ice cream that I can eat by itself that doesn't make me pine for Blue Bell:

*Yes, I was eating out of the carton. Sometimes you just gotta!

There are lots of wonderful things about this ice cream: cheap brand=cheap price, perfect amount of chocolate goodness in every bite, and there's little peanut butter surprises everywhere! Do I sound like a commercial yet? I love this stuff. Too bad I finished it off....

time March-es on

2011-03-01T14:57:00.003-07:00

In my Artic class today, I went to start a new section of notes by typing in the date. Usually I just start typing the month, and press enter because my computer fills in the date for me. I went to type in Feb- and nothing happened. Tried again, still nothing but February showed up. Then I realized- it's MARCH! I really can't believe it. February is usually my least favorite month as far as weather and school goes, but it has flown by, and hasn't been half bad either.

Professor James Brau gave the devotional today (I definitely recommend reading or watching it online, by the way- it was great) and he said some things that are making me think. He talked about the difference between being a student and being a learner, and how part of BYU's motto is, "Enter to LEARN," not study. I think this semester I haven't done as well at really studying and learning- I feel like I'm just walkin' around, putting out fires as they come up and not really absorbing. It's a hard habit to break while taking 17 credits and working, but I really want to do better. I want to feel that same excitement that I felt last semester about going to my classes and sharing what I learn.

Anyway, I'm SO glad it's March. The sun was so warm today, I sat outside while waiting for Tyler's class to get out and it felt amazing. I was craving fruit so badly- good thing we had leftover strawberries and bananas from crepe night! I made a delicious smoothie. Yum. In the winter (S.A.D. time) I just crave carbs and chocolates, but when the sun's out I want fruit and salad! Hooray for the healthier, happier me.

p.s. We're proud to be Cougs!

Oh crepe!

2011-02-27T22:38:00.005-07:00

Can't believe the weekend is already over! But luckily the weeks fly by- the weekend will be here again before we know it. Giselle and I crocheted flowers together on Friday, and ate our weight in grapes. :) I LOVE grapes. The boys lost their basketball game, but played really well and it was fun to watch. Tyler and I didn't do much that night- I really don't even remember if we did anything. Those nights are so nice sometimes, just to relax and do a little bit of nothing.

Saturday I made our meal plan for the next week and went to the grocery store, and we went to Kim and Nick's to watch the BYU game. Holy moly Cougars! Way to play! It was such a fun game to watch. We ate lots of pizza and chips and cookies. I did some cleaning in the afternoon and Tyler did lots of homework (he's got a big test week coming up) and I wrote my Mission Prep paper. We had Laura and Dan over for dinner- happy birthday to both of them! Laura's visiting for the weekend from Rexburg. We had enchiladas and they were yummy, if I may say so myself. :) Tyler and I watched Casino Royale after they left to go to a party. Poor guy was probably SO sick of chick flicks!

This morning was a pretty lazy one. I tried to start my Independent Study class (Living Prophets- so excited to take it) but then realized I hadn't kept the manual from last time I took it. By the way, shouldn't I only have had to take it once? Apparently the Church isn't as true in Idaho, according to BYU. Lame. Anyway, Laura went to Church with Dan and I didn't see her again before she left to go back up to Idaho. Tyler and I planned our lesson and I did some reading. The kids were good today- there were just 2 of them in class so it was really quiet. We talked about the priesthood and I thought they were both very interested and really learning, until I heard Anna report to her mom, "We played the statues game in class today!" No more games to get our wiggles out I guess. :) I took a much-needed bath and nap after church and then began making crepes for dinner! We had Randall and Crystal over for crepes, Amazing Race, and they brought a new game, Dixit. It was a very culturally-enriching evening with a French dinner and game. We had a great time.

This week will be a fairly calm one for me, but Tyler will be super-busy. Good time for me to show our apartment some love (the cleaning kind) and start prep for the 2 tests I have next week. Here's to getting ahead!

Because we're friends

2011-02-24T18:33:00.002-07:00

I really need to be studying right now. Tomorrow is my last day to take my Articulation Disorders test, and I have not done much studying. But when I have 2 overlapping tests and a quiz, whadaya expect?? There will be life after this week though... I'm 87% sure.

I should be honest. Part of the real reason I'm not studying right now is because it's my turn on Tyler's and my game of Words With Friends. Coolest iPod app ever. We play all day every day (when I remember to charge my iPod anyway...), and someday I'm going to win. For real. But for now, I have no idea what to do with the letters A-A-V-O-D-E-V. I'm S-T-U-C-K.

Tyler and I took a little much-needed break yesterday afternoon to play tennis. I wanted to because the sun was shining, and Tyler wanted to because he's trying to master a one-handed backhand. It felt so great to be outside! I'm really super ready for spring. Unfortunately, I can hear a big storm coming outside as I type. I have my Valentine's Day hearts still hanging on the door, and the wind is blowing them around like crazy. It sounds like someone's trying to get in my house when they scrape against the door! Maybe I will take them down.

Tomorrow the Dunkin' and Covenants have another game. I love watching them play! And Giselle and I have a fun secret date planned for this weekend too- surprises are so fun to plan! We'll be watching the BYU basketball game with Kim and Nick on Saturday, and we're way excited for that. Also, this weekend will be full of Church stuff. I have a paper to write for Mission Prep, a Living Prophets class to start (Independent Study), and almost 200 pages to read in the Book of Mormon before March 8. Heidi challenged us to read it from cover to cover in 60 days, and that clock is ticking fast!

We had an awesome guest lecturer in my Language Disorders in Kids class today, Silvia Allen. She really changed my whole perspective on speech therapy and what I'm trying to learn how to do and be. Anyway, she shared this quote with us, which I hadn't read/heard in a long time: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Just somethin' I've been thinking about today. Peace out, friends.

Fridays with Giselle

2011-02-23T08:48:00.003-07:00

My weekends begin a little sooner than they ever have this semester. I only have one class on Fridays, and it's at 10 in the morning. So, Giselle and I have made Friday girl time a weekly event! We craft together and watch movies, and talk each other's ears off. I taught her how to crochet last week, and she's going to teach me to cook soon! We've been having so much fun together. I lose track of time so easily on our Friday afternoon adventures. We lucked out- we are also related! Well, through marriage. :) I love all of the relatives I inherited when marrying Tyler. What would this world be without great friends and family?

Weekend adventures- the President's variety

2011-02-21T10:23:00.005-07:00

We (Austin, Giselle, Tyler, and I) really wanted to go out of town this weekend. Moab, St. George, Vegas, anywhere there would be nice weather. Unfortunately, the weather looked bad all over the country. So the boys planned an amazing surprise weekend, full of things to do around here. Saturday morning we went to the Draper Temple! One more down on our Utah Temples goal. Such a beautiful temple. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain/snow as we were walking in and out, so we couldn't get a picture with the whole temple in it. These will have to do.

We all went home and ate lunch and changed into winter gear. Keep in mind that everything was a surprise... I kept asking "Will I need this? Will I need these?" Which probably got annoying, but when you don't know what you're doing, it's hard to dress appropriately for it! Anyway, Audie and Giselle picked us up and we drove up Hobble Creek Canyon. Giselle and I kept throwing out ideas: snowmobiling? Hiking? Igloo-building? But never would have guessed SNOWSHOEING! There's a winter recreation center up the canyon somewhere (I don't know what it's called) that rents out snowshoes, sleds, and cross-country skis (which we're definitely going to try next time we go) for really cheap- snowshoeing was only $6/person! So we trekked out across the rugged mountainland (I guess it wasn't too rugged... we were passing playgrounds and barbeque pits) in the deep snow. We had a blast! I never knew snowshoeing could be so tiring though. The weather was perfect- it stopped raining right as we got there. I can't wait to go back!

Tyler and I went grocery-shopping and did some cleaning and had dinner after that, but then we went over to Austin and Giselle's place and watched "Despicable Me" and had hot chocolate and Oreos. Such a cute movie!! Definitely one we need to get.

Sunday night we had them over for dinner and Amazing Race. We all ate so much- pretty sure I ate my weight in chicken dumplings and pb/chocolate chip pazookies. We played Bananagrams and Austin schooled all of us! I want to practice now so it won't be so embarrassing next time.

Not sure what today will bring. Tyler has to work for a little bit, and I need to use his computer for few projects (who just makes a project that can't be done on Macs? Rude) but we'll hopefully find some time to do something President-y. Hope you're enjoying this day off too!

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-21T09:58:00.006-07:00

Our celebrating started on Saturday night! We are party animals! Just kidding. We had 3 of my best friends from high school over with their hubbies/hubbies-to-be/semi-random dates. :) I love these girls!

*Please excuse my face. Despite the way it looks, I don't have a lazy eye.

Sunday was the family party at Aunt Sheila's house. I spent all morning making sugar cookies, and they turned out okay, thankfully! We love being with family.

Cute Emily and Natty
Giselle and Austin
Giselle, Austin, Gabby, and Abby

That night, Tyler exclaimed, "Wait, Valentine's Day is TOMORROW?" So naturally, I thought he'd forgotten. Maybe he had? Anyway, so I wasn't expecting anything crazy. We both had classes and work all day, and Tyler picked me up from campus at 5:30. I walked out to the car to find a pot of red tulips on my seat! He said something silly, like "Well, I had to get you something for Valentine's Day." Again, making me think that was it. So we went home, and I was planning on heating up leftover spaghetti and meatballs, since Tyler said he had lots of homework to do. We walk in the door and I find our coffee table in the entryway. Weird. On it, there was a list: "Valentine's Day Agenda." He had it all planned out!! We went and grabbed Panda Express to go (one man's fast food is another man's romantic Valentine's Day dinner- I LOVE Panda) and ate it by candlelight in the kitchen.

We then changed into our comfies and hopped in bed, which Tyler had dragged out into the living room! We do that sometimes when we want to watch a movie late at night. I'm not really sure why, because we have a TV in our bedroom... oh well. :) We're funny. So we (and when I say we I mean I) bounced around on the mattress for a few minutes, and Tyler popped in our "surprise movie." He bought "The Time Traveler's Wife" for us! That movie makes me cry every time. I love that Tyler still surprises me- I can't seem to catch on to his tricky ways, even though he's been surprising me for a few years now. So lucky to have him for my valentine.

Jazz vs. Warriors

2011-02-21T09:52:00.003-07:00

We went to the Jazz game on Wednesday night! Thanks go to Austin and Giselle for the tickets. We love spending time with them. The weather was crazy that night- I seriously thought our car would flip over in the wind! Thankfully, we made it to Salt Lake and back safely. The Jazz lost, but we had a great time regardless. We were at the top of the first bowl, but I felt so close to the court! Go Jazz!

Our days in the sun

2011-02-14T08:05:00.004-07:00

The weather has been so wonderfully warm and sunny the past couple of days!! I'm pretty sure it's not going to stick around, but I appreciate every ray. Saturday we got to play tennis outside! We had to drive to 3 different courts before we found any without snow, but it was so worth it. I wish that day could have lasted forever. Saturday evening we had some of my bestest friends over with their valentines for a little partay. Pretty sure I love my friends, and I love that we're growing up and getting husbands and having babies (congrats to K&N, haha not me)! We had a great time catching up and eating pasta. Thanks again for the meatball recipe, Gretchen! It was a HUGE hit. We all went back for a second serving of just meatballs, sans noodles. :) Tyler asked me if we could have more fondue in our lives after Hillary and Kimmy dazzled us with their chocolate melting skills- yum. Also, I'm pretty sure I ate my weight in breadsticks, thanks to Annie. See you at the gym! Pictures of this lovely evening to come.

Sunday was another great and sunny day- in Primary, Anna said, "Of course it's sunny! It's SUNday!" She thought she was pretty funny. Our lesson was on having faith in Jesus Christ. I was trying to prove the point that even though we can't see Jesus, we know that He lives and that He loves us. So I asked the kids if they had ever seen Jesus. After shaking his head, Denmark said, "I'm pretty sure my friend Lexi has!" We were dying laughing. I don't think he understood why it was so funny. I spent all morning before church making sugar cookies. Do you know how long it takes to make heart-shaped sugar cookies when you don't have a heart-shaped cookie cutter???? I know I have one somewhere... just don't know where. So I cut a heart out of paper and then traced around that heart in the cookie dough with a knife. You can understand why I did half hearts and half circles. After church we came home and frosted the cookies before picking up Giselle and Austin and going to Aunt Sheila's for dinner! We LOVED celebrating LOVE with our family. It was a great night, and there were so many yummy desserts that there are plenty of leftovers to get us through the next month! Or at least the week. :) I took some pictures last night as well. We're trying to do better at documenting the things we do- it's so fun to look back on all the great memories!

Well, because today is Valentine's Day, and I'm pretty positive Tyler's not going to read my blog before I give him his present tonight, I will show you what I made. I haven't taken a picture of the final product yet, but just imagine this framed and with red pleated fabric in the border:

Happy Valentine's Day!

All things orange

2011-02-09T10:24:00.003-07:00

Sick day #3. I thought I was over the worst of it after yesterday, but I woke up this morning thinking surely I'd been hit by a truck or something. I haven't had a big appetite the past few days. In fact, I've only been eating two things:

Cuties and Goldfish. And of course, drinking TONS of water. It seems I have an aversion to anything not orange. But can you blame me? It's a...

A sick day

2011-02-08T08:36:00.004-07:00

I'm calling today a sick day. Yesterday, I woke up with a sore throat, which is not uncommon for me at all. My throat often is a little "ticklish" in the mornings. But it just kept getting worse as the day went on. I bought a little bag of cough drops at the Wilk, and had to have one in my mouth constantly the rest of the day. Boo for being sick! Hopefully it doesn't last too long... I have two tests this week and am having trouble studying with this cloudy head.

But before I was sick, our weekend was great. Papa Kurt was in town! He came Thursday night in time for the boys' basketball game (they won!), and was so sweet to take us all to Texas Roadhouse and bowling on Friday night. We were wishing the whole family was there! But we had so much fun. Saturday, Tyler had a test and we went to the BYU basketball game, and then to Aunt Dana's for dinner. Sunday we brought our new (to us) puzzle to our Primary class, to talk about how when the Church was restored, it was like putting a puzzle together and having no missing pieces. Great idea... except it turns out we were missing 3 pieces to the puzzle!! So that took a little bit of explaining. :) Guess we should have put it together before using it to prove a point. We spent the afternoon/evening at Austin and Giselle's, and ate SO much junk food. I'm thinking that was a big contributor to my sore throat. But it was really tasty, so you know.

Lots of things to look forward to this week: feeling better, getting 2 tests over with, Valentine's Day party, and playing tennis with Giselle in the *warmer* weather (40 degrees+sunshine). Can you tell I have spring fever??