WE ARE A HAPPY FAMILY

Henrys Commentary on Frogs

2010-10-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

You may have seen this on my facebook page or on a mass email that Joe sent out but I couldn't resist, it's too cute not to share.

We went on a walk this evening and while out we discovered that the frogs are indeed still out (we were wondering just yesterday if frogs hibernate). Anyway, we decided to hunt frogs. Henry spend at least an hour chasing several different frogs. When they got tired enough they let him catch them. This is his commentary upon catching one that his gleefully named "Silly Billy". I hope you enjoy the video as much as we do!

We Have Teeth

2010-10-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Henry told me he saw a tooth in Amelia's mouth. I checked and sure enough there was a small tooth protruding through her gum on the bottom. She's getting to be such a big girl!!

Personality

2010-09-28T18:30:00.000-07:00

As many of you are keenly aware, I am seriously disappointed in the preschool options available where we now live. I shouldn't be shocked, I guess. Everything is inferior after you have learned the "Challenger way". Everyday when I pick up Henry from preschool I have to tell myself, this is better for him then sitting at home with Amelia and I and it's better for me to have a short break each day. Then we go home and do a few minutes of accelerated learning on our own.

Henry can read whole Step1 books with some help and lots of pushing (his attention span is really where we struggle with reading). Henry can do basic math (addition and subtraction). Henry loves, loves, loves science projects.

Anyway... I digress.

I am shocked at what he is learning by going to preschool in a more socially enabled environment. Henry is learning how to role play and for the first time in his life he actually plays with his toys - something he has never done without prompting from a friend. Because he is encouraged to play with a purpose at school (part of the curriculum is learning through play or other interaction) he is excited about playing with his toys in a meaningful way.

Why am I excited about this?

His personality is beginning to shine more than ever. I am excited to see him assign character to his toys or to take on a character of his own each day when he plays. His voices are hilarious. His animation is adorable. I can see that this experience, while it is frustrating for a mom who wants a brilliant son, is perfect for Henry. It is helping him to develop into a more independent child. It is encouraging him to be more social (if that's possible) and establishing his perfect little personality.

So, here's to an imperfect preschool program that is encouraging my son to develop more wholly.

Friendly Visit

2010-09-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

Our friends came to visit. Here are some of the fun things we did while they were here.

Joe and Henry playing with the shark Joe and Kevin caught on a fishing trip.


Joe and Kevin caught this shark on their fishing trip.

Muscle man!

On a small hike at the natural springs.

The boys at the natural springs.

Isn't she gorgeous?!!

Kevin and Tori have an amazing camera. This alligator picture was taken at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. A very cool place to visit if you want to see and learn about American alligators and other similar creatures.

Henry watching alligators at the farm, which is actually a zoo, not a farm.

Henry at the Alligator Farm.

Joe and the kids at the St. Augustine lighthouse, unfortunately the kids weren't allowed to go to the top which was a huge disappointment.

Outside River Grille, one of our favorite restaurants, located on the Tomoka River, down the street from our house.

Joe and Henry floating the spring river.

@ the spring.

The gang at Magic Kingdom.

Minnie lovin' Amelia. Henry and Pluto, his favorite non-planet.

My fabulous family.

Beach bums.

Joe and Henry boogie boarding.

Drip castles.

I wonder if I can fit my foot and my fist in my mouth at the same time?

the girls. Not proud of how old I look, I'll be honest.

August & September in Picture

2010-09-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

Amelia @ the beach. She is growing and changing very quickly now. She is no longer content to sleep in her car seat while we play, instead, she joins us in the water and in the sand.

On the Halifax River, down the street from our house.

Sunset on the river.


Playing on the underside of the bridge over the river.

Several weeks ago we took away Amelia's binki because it had become a nuisance in the night. She now soothes herself with two fingers... just like I did when I was young.

First day of school.

Henry LOVES Amelia, but remains unable to be gentle with her.

Amelia eating carrots for the first time. She was not impressed.


Isn't she beautiful?!!

Amelia loves jumping! She will jump in this until she falls asleep, waking up for moments at a time to jump some more.

Utah!

2010-08-24T19:28:00.007-07:00

After two months of living in Florida I needed a break. So Joe insisted, without any resistance from me, that I return to Utah with the kids.

I will admit, I was too busy having fun and catching up with people... I forgot to take many pictures until the last day. Oops. Here are the few that I did capture:

Amelia sitting for the first time in my sister's Bumbo chair. What a great invention!

Henry and his Uncle Peter who he adores, at the Tree House Museum in Ogden, a fabulous children's museum. I wish I had taken a picture of Henry and Grandpa later that day at the park. Grandpa is a great storyteller and Henry was his captive audience and apprentice in the art of storytelling.

Grandma and Amelia on our last day in Utah.

My mom wanted pictures of the Grandkids while we were in Utah. Pictures of seven kids under the age of six is impossible. In this picture someone had just declared that fruit snacks would be awarded to the willing participants. Henry doesn't like fruit snacks.

Another of my favorite pictures. Sadly, I didn't take any good ones of the group. Hopefully someone else did.

Henry's birthday was soon after returning to Florida so we had a family birthday party in Utah before leaving town.

Henry trying out his new Superman/Batman cape.

After an extremely busy visit, Henry passed out before we even got through the security line. He woke up to walk through the metal detector, went back to sleep, woke up to board the plane and went back to sleep. Then we waited on the tarmac for an hour and half so he woke up minutes before we were in the air.

The plane ride home.

This might not mean anything to the rest of you, but this is the reason why going home often is important to me; my kids bonding with extended family. Most of my childhood my cousins were my best friends, the same is currently true for Henry. I hope that my children can maintain friendships with family even in our absence. This is an impromptu dance session between Henry and his 16 month old cousin after the adults finished watching Fame.

Gorgeous Baby Girl

2010-08-06T18:40:00.001-07:00

FISH

2010-07-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

One of the first times we went to our community pool Henry floated off the bottom step and sunk to the bottom like a brick. Joe jumped in, fully clothed and pulled him out. He then exclaimed, "Mom, I drowned!" For the next couple weeks Henry wore a life jacket every time he got in the pool. Then we bought him goggles and he didn't want to wear the life jacket anymore. Now, see for yourself his amazing progress. I'm wondering now why I enrolled him in the swim lessons for non-swimmers which started yesterday.

Missing Home

2010-07-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

Henry has told me several times now that he's ready to move back to Utah. He misses his family and friends. I think he's longing for something familiar. He wants to play with his cousins. Have a play date with his friends. Eat dinner at his Grandma an Grandpa's. Play the Wii with his aunts and uncles.

Can't say I disagree.

I was sitting in church today pitying myself... thinking how sad it is that I haven't had five minutes to myself in the past six weeks. Thinking how much we left behind and how long it will be before we get to see people again. I was feeling sorry for Henry and his lack of a little best buddy to play with. I was thinking how weird our ward is and how smelly the building is. I was sad that Joe was at work again and sad that we can't have a date night because we don't have a babysitter. And frustrated that I'm not wealthy enough to furnish and decorate our house.

And then the talks were about the pioneers and the sacrifices they made to come to Utah to establish Zion. One of the speakers told stories about a pioneer woman who began to cross the plains with a large family. She was forced to leave one of her children in a shallow grave somewhere along the way. Every time she heard a coyote she retched at the thought of what might happen to her son's remains. She lost two other children to mountain fever and her husband grew weary from the condition as well. She prayed every night that he would not die and leave her alone.

Theses same pioneers were likely feeling similar to Henry and I at the outset of their journey. Sad to have left the comforts of home. Missing their families. Missing their friends. Missing the familiarity of the place they called home. I can tell you that this alone feels a bit depressing at times. But this was the least of their worries. The pioneers continued to endure through physical hardship as they crossed treacherous terrain often while attempting to manage untreatable medical maladies. And for those who arrived at their destination safely, they did not unpack in a beautiful home, sleep on a comfortable bed and take a warm shower. Instead they endured continuous hardship.

Today I am more grateful for the sacrifices of the Mormon Pioneers than I ever have been because now I understand a minuscule portion of the loneliness they must have felt along the way.

The pioneer anthem, Come Come ye Saints beautifully portrays the pioneer spirit of enduring hardship with vigor.

Come, come, ye saints, no toil nor labor fear;
But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
Tis better far for us to strive our useless cares from us to drive;
Do this, and joy your hearts will swell -
All is well! All is well!
Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
'Tis not so; all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward if we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we'll have this tale to tell-
All is well! All is well!
We'll find the place which God for us prepared,
Far away, in the West,
Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid;
There the saints, will be blessed.
We'll make the air, with music ring, Shout praises to our God and King;
Above the rest these words we'll tell -
All is well! All is well!
And should we die before our journey's through,
Happy day! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;
With the just we shall dwell!
But if our lives are spared again to see the Saints their rest obtain,
Oh, how we'll make this chorus swell-
All is well! All is well!

I don't pitty myself. I have arrived in beautiful, fun, sunny Florida with my healthy beautiful family and I am more than happy to be here and more than grateful that my journey did not include any real hardship to speak of.

I am grateful for the pioneers and grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the foundation of my nearly perfect life.

I still miss you all terribly.

In Pictures

2010-07-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

Here's what we've been up to lately:

ART PROJECTS:

Can you guess the article from Henry's wardrobe that inspired the color for his toy room?

Amelia's art project. Henry has one to match from when he was this age.

BEACH TIME:

DAYTONA SPEEDWAY:

@ Victory Lane

THE SWIMMING POOL:

THE GREAT OUTDOORS:

Henry wanted to see a swamp, so we found one.

Amelia usually looks out that window but for the sake of the picture I turned her around.

NERDS:

Henry loves to play PBS Kids on the computer.

Help Me Hide my TV

2010-07-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

Just before we moved here Joe purchased a giant television. I'll be honest, I mostly hate it. It's gigantic. But, alas, it's here. Now I need to make it inconspicuous. I have yet to find anything that will hide this behemoth when we are not watching it. Please tell me that someone out there is aware of something. The TV is 46" - I welcome your suggestions.

Beautiful Baby Girl

2010-07-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

Amelia is two months old now. She is such a fabulous baby. In her short two months we have done everything with her that you should never do with a newborn.

We carted her across the country

We have taken her to many germ infested tourist destinations, including: DisneyWorld, NASA, Blizzard Beach, and the Alligator Zoo (among others).

@ DisneyWorld

We regularly ignore her at the beach and the swimming pool. We occasionally take her swimming at the beach and the swimming pool (not sure which is worse for a newborn).

In response, Amelia sleeps well (almost all night long). Amelia eats like a champion (Henry calls her Chunky Monkey). Amelia smiles and coo's. She cooperates and hangs out in the car seat whenever we're playing in the water.

Amelia is such a fabulously complacent baby. We love this beautiful baby girl.

Pure Torture

2010-07-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

Some things are not meant to go together. Though I suspected it at the outset, when you combine this:

And, this:

It results in Hell on Earth.

A month after moving to Florida we are still partially in boxes; we are still unsure of how we will finish putting our house together. We are still in a state of chaos and until yesterday I was nearly certain we would live that way for eternity. But last week I started to get antsy. It's been bugging me to be so unsettled so long after moving here. To remedy the problem I decided to buck up and make the trek to Ikea (because it's affordable) all by myself with two kids. *bad idea*

2:15pm - - Ikea is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from my house. Henry and Amelia both slept the entire drive. *success*

3:30 - - We arrived at Ikea and sat in the car for fifteen minutes while I fed Amelia so we would have some uninterrupted shopping time. *success*

3:45 - - My strategy was to put Amelia in the Snuggli (baby carrier on my chest) and Henry in the shopping cart with his Leapster game. So, after feeding Amelia, I stepped out of the car and proceeded to put her in her Snuggli. While I was occupied, Henry proceeded to lock and shut all the car doors. Everything (except the people) was inside. No keys. No wallet. No binki. No glucometer or insulin. Nothing. *serious failure*

3:50 - - Go inside and find nice stranger with iPhone to lookup and call locksmith to my rescue.

4:05 - - Go outside to wait for locksmith. Henry informs me he must pee now. I cannot go inside or I risk missing the locksmith, so instead I make Henry pee on a tree. Thirty minutes, $120 and one indecent exposure later, I again have access to my car. *sigh*

4:35 - - Proceed inside to begin shopping trip. Henry spots the kids care center and decides it looks fun and insists on staying. *success*

4:45 - - Henry and I learn that he is too short to stay. Henry cries. No, Henry wails. *failure*

5:00 - - Get Henry ice cream. Begin shopping (three hours after the beginning of our journey). Tired already. *sigh*

5:45 - - Spend 30 minutes in the family bathroom. Feeding Amelia. Changing her diaper twice. Really grossed out by the bathroom. *yuck*

6:15 - - Tired of shopping (actually, just looking) we stop at the cafe for dinner. Amelia is crying and getting sick of being ignored. Henry is running amok. I am one of THOSE mothers now. (You know, the crazy frazzled one at the store with multiple children.) *embarrassed*

7:15 - - Begin making a list of the things that need to be picked up. Realize I cannot possibly do all this alone with two kids. Consider leaving with nothing. *depressed*

7:20 - - Henry pinches his bottom while playing in the shopping cart. Commence wailing yet again. *careful not to get frustrated, why did I come to Ikea with two kids!?!*

7:30 - - Find nice worker who tells me how to make the list and have the Ikea workers pick it up for me and deliver it to my house, for a fee of course. *finally success*

Finally, at 8:00 we get in the check out line. Wait for a half hour in one line and Twenty minutes in the home delivery line. Too many lines! *serious stress*

After finalizing everything we go back to the car where I again feed Amelia. On the road again. It is now at least 9:00pm.

After driving for 3 minutes Henry informs me he must go pee, even though I had just minutes earlier instructed him to go pee before we left and he didn't have to go. We have to pull over at a gas station. *frustration*

By now Amelia is very upset at being ignored and carted around all day. She cries most of the way home. *sad* *failure*

After thirty minutes we pull over and lay on the grass together. I can't wait to get home but the kids need some down time right now. *undecided*

While I am occupied with Amelia Henry proceeds to lock and shut all doors. *mad*

Luckily I'm brilliant and kept the keys with me this time. *success*

11:00pm arrive home. Joe puts Henry to sleep and Amelia refuses. She is not tired. *sigh*

12:30am restless sleep.

I definitely won't be doing that again.

The English Language is Impossible

2010-07-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

Henry and I play scrabble. I spell a word and he reads the word and then he spells a word I read it. Typically I spell words that he can read like car, dog, pig, hat, dad, etc. Typically he spells words I can't read like jrzq, abif, tygh, etc. It's a fun way for him to learn to put the sounds together and a fun way for me to attempt to figure out how to teach him the many various sounds letters make when they are placed together.

The other day Henry and I were finishing our game of scrabble and just for fun I spelled:

Henry asked me to tell him what it said and when I told him that was how to spell Amelia he insisted that I was wrong. U says "uh" and A says "ah" so of course, he insisted Amelia is spelled like this:

Sometimes I think he is too smart.

Silver Alert

2010-06-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

It seems to me like every time we get on the freeway here (which, to be fair is not very often) there is a Silver Alert flashing on the overhead signage. The alert looks something like this:

SILVER ALERT
Blue Toyota Corolla
License Plate 345 YRK

After seeing the alert several times I began to wonder, did Florida rename the Amber Alert Silver Alert? And, if they did, are there really that many child abductions in my area? Should I be worried about where I have chosen to live?

I don't mean to trivialize a seriously dangerous event, but I think the very existence of a Silver Alert is indicative of the age of Florida's residents. A Silver Alert is meant to alert people to missing senior citizens who are believed to be affected by dementia.

Florida is truly a unique place!

Living in Florida

2010-06-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

"It's like a vacation every day here mom!"

That's what Henry said to me the other day. And, so far, for Henry, Amelia and I that has been the truth. Our days are spent at the ocean, pool or splash park. We have annual passes to Disney (all the parks), NASA, and the Alligator Zoo. Tonight we are going to a medical dinner at the Daytona speedway and Henry can't wait to drive on the track, something we apparently get to do.

Moving to Florida is probably not everyone's dream come true. But, we're not those people. We have loved it here so far.

Our ward is fabulous. There are lots of old people but there is also vibrant group of young families who all spend a lot of time together. In Utah wards have the obligatory play date once a week or once a month, events rarely attended in wards I've been in. Here it's like torture for the moms if they don't hang out three times a week. I have loved spending time with these women. In addition Family Home Evening here is like a Utah singles ward, everyone congregates at someone's house for a group FHE.

Joe's co-residents are, thus far, fabulous. There are eight of them. Several of them have children, some Henry's ago. And, regardless, we have very much enjoyed getting to know them all. They all seem to be very social, happy people. Both qualities we adore in our friends.

Our neighborhood is great. I think we live on the senior citizen street. That said, people still come over to say hello and make sure we are adapting well. And, every time we go to the pool (we have a community pool) we make new friends. Henry has a buddies named Garret, Cody and Libby and several still who I couldn't name. The neighborhood here feels different from any neighborhood I've ever been in. It's not okay to be private, you are expected to make friends and be friends with the people around you... people here are ridiculously friendly.

Our banker, grocer, real estate agent and others have offered their hands in friendship and their knowledge of the area.

I still think Daytona is ghetto. It's smaller, more spread out and less clean looking. But, the people here are fabulous which is making it feel a lot more like home.

Road Trip!

2010-06-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

I dreaded the road trip. Thought it would be torturous. It wasn't. It was a lot of driving (nearly four days) and not a lot of anything else but thanks to Grandpa, Joe, Grandma, Callie and the BIG yellow Penske truck the road trip was a piece of cake! Hallelujah!

What a fat baby you have!

2010-06-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

Amelia 6.5 weeks

Henry 6 weeks

Amelia's existence has thus far been marked by two things - crying to let us know that she wants something and eating to make it all better. Don't get me wrong Amelia doesn't cry more frequently than she should, but she does let us know when something is amiss in her little world; something foreign to me because Henry never cared much about anything. Henry didn't cry once his first two weeks home from the hospital. Henry rarely ate anything and rarely slept without a serious amount of insistence from me. Amelia on the other hand cries when something is wrong, eats voraciously and sleeps in abnormally long stretches (I assume this is because she knows I love to sleep). She's also loves to suck on a binki, something that never even remotely interested Henry.

Amelia's eating habits have become banter among strangers who I meet when we are out and about. People love babies and when you walk around with a baby everyone stops you to coo at the baby. Then the conversation goes something like this:

Them: "How old is your baby?"

Me: "Six weeks."

Them: "Six weeks?!! She is so fat!"

I don't know for certain how much Amelia weighs today, but at her 4 week checkup she was 9.5 lbs, or 2 lbs over birth weight. Henry was born smaller than Amelia, but he was more than three months old before he weighed 9.5 lbs.

We love our chubby baby Amelia! She's beautiful and perfect in every way. I am excited to see how her personality today correlates with her childhood personality, if it carries through I imagine I will have a lot of adjusting to figure out how to raise an independent little child with an obvious desire to have her needs known. Though I expect mealtimes should be easier.

Labor and Delivery of Amelia Ruth

2010-05-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

AMELIA RUTH
born May 10, 2010 at 5:13pm
7lbs 5oz 19" long

Amelia was scheduled to be delivered due to my diabetes. She was induced at 38 weeks and 5 days.

Joe likes to tell people that labor was easy; what does he know!! I prefer to say that it was relatively uneventful. I went into the hospital at about 10:30 in the morning on Monday. Went through about an hour and a half of paper work then a bit of time fighting with the nurse over the birthing plan (she insisted that it was important to break my water prior to an epidural and I refused, again, what does she know?). Finally around noon-ish I got an epidural which created some trouble because it dropped my blood pressure to sickening levels several times. While going through the ups and downs caused by my epidural I remember thinking several times, I think I'm going to die and if I have another baby I will NOT get another epidural. After the problem was finally fixed the resident broke my water and contractions began. About 45 minutes later I was having lots of contractions but they weren't consistent - some were 2 minutes apart some were 8 minutes apart. So, the nurse administered enough Pitocin to normalize my contractions. Just before I was going to start pushing my bolus dose of my epidural wore off and the real pain of delivering a baby began to set in - this is when I realized that I will get another epidural if I have another baby. Thank goodness I could push the button to deliver a bit more pain medicine before I began pushing. At about 5pm my doctor arrived and I pushed several times. Amelia's head poked through and my contraction ended at which point everyone except me was ready to take a break - her head was half out for goodness sakes. So, I pushed her head the rest of the way out to ease the pressure sans a contraction. After the head the body and placenta basically birthed themselves. I walked away with only a small tear - one which I attribute to the beautiful round shape of Amelia's head.

My hospital stay was much better than I was expecting. Fortunately, the nursing staff at Salt Lake Regional is far superior now to my previous stay there. After leaving the hospital, however, I was unprepared for the pain of recovery. I never really felt any pain recovering from birthing Henry so I was shocked at the amount of pain I felt for several days. Mind you, I'm sure my pain was certainly not more than any other new mother experiences, I was just unprepared because of my previous experience.

Today Amelia weighs 6lbs 15oz. At 95% of her birth weight she is nearly perfect. She eats like a champion which is a wonderful blessing. She will probably outweigh Henry any day now, since he still never really eats.

To Blog or Not to Blog?

2010-05-04T14:09:00.002-07:00

My sister Katie said it's imperative that I start blogging again now that I'm having another baby and moving to Florida. Is there anyone else out there who agrees?

Gainesville our Temporary Home

2009-09-02T06:07:00.006-07:00

Before heading out on our journey, Joe and I decided that we don't have enough money to fund our travels and keep our house on a students negative income. So, we decided to see if we could sell our house because we will have little use for it over the next few months and when we do need a place in Salt Lake it won't be for very long since we don't intend to stay for residency which begins in July, 2010. Three days after we put our house on the market we had a buyer! So, in the week before leaving for Gainesville, Joe had to take a national board exam and we had to move out of our house and Henry had a birthday! It was nothing less than exhausting! By the time it was all over we were SOOO excited to get away from it all!

Long road trip ensues.

Joe, Henry and Heidi arrive at their new home in Gainesville, Florida. We are staying in a single student housing complex because it is the only furnished place we could find that would rent to us for only one month. We have two swimming pools in the apartment complex and lots of recreational facilities. We stick out like a sore thumb here because no one else here is married nor do they have children, but what can you do.

Our Apartment for one month.

Turns out there's actually a lot of self segregation in Gainesville. When we first arrived I immediately did not like Gainesville. It's a college town, much like Logan but on a much larger scale. The only people I encountered were approximately 19 years old and had absolutely nothing in common with me! And, if all the residents are 19, what would there be for a family in Gainesville? This is where the self segregation comes in. We assumed that all of the action would be right by the University of Florida. And, it is if you're 19. All of the families, however, live about twenty minutes West of the University in Haile Plantation. An absolutely beautiful development much like Day Break in Utah but way cooler because all of the houses are nearly encased in mature trees. And, it's way more affordable. The giant homes with indoor swimming pools cost $500,000 the three bedroom two bathroom homes cost $180,000!

The view from our car window on our way to Haile Plantation.
"Mommy are we in the jungle," asked Henry.
"Where are the monkeys and the elephants?"

On day four, after learning more about Gainesville, I have changed my mind. I really like Gainesville. I could live here! We are even going to a Gators game on Saturday (because everyone tells us we would be stupid not to).

At the mall down the street from our apartment.
This was one of the first times we encountered children
and where I learned that they do exist in Gainesville!

ROAD TRIP

2009-09-02T05:21:00.023-07:00

There's a pretty good chance you will think that we are crazy when you read this post. But before you make any judgments you should know that we had a fabulous time exploring a part of the country that we have never really seen before. I am not a big fan of road trips, or at least I wasn't before our most recent road trip, but this was a seriously good time!!

Joe had an "away rotation" or as I like to call them, extended interview, scheduled in Gainesville, Florida for the month of September. Flying was almost never an option for Joe because he needs a car in order to get to and from work and to rent a car for a whole month is $700+ which might be bearable (gasp!) for one month but he has an away rotation scheduled in Omaha for the month of October and there's no chance that we could afford $1400+ just for a dumpy rental car. So, Joe decided to drive.

Henry and I were on the fence for a while about whether or not it would be smart for us to join Joe on his away rotations because we knew he would be expected to work far more than normal; all this in order to make a good impression. Ultimately, however, we decided that we would rather sleep in the same house than not for two months. When Henry and I decided to join Joe the long road trip became somewhat concerning. What should we do? The solution: take a whole week to drive to Florida and stop frequently. Then somehow this plan morphed into Joe and Heidi wanting to stop in lots of different cities we have never been to and suddenly our semi-straightforward route became something a little more convoluted.

View Larger Map

Our original plan included stopping in Denver but we scratched that because our planned activity was closed. It turned out to be a fabulous idea to scrap Denver because it gave us more time in the South East. Instead we drove straight through (mostly anyway) from Salt Lake to St Louis, MO. Henry did a really good job driving for that long without much stopping to play. It helped that he had a box full of new toys from his birthday celebration the day before.

Stop #1: Kansas City, MO
We were really just driving through but by the time we got to Kansas City we were sick of driving so we stopped at a community pool to play.

Stop #2: St Louis, MO
St. Louis was my favorite stop. We saw the Gateway Arch, took a helicopter ride over the city and went to City Museum. City Museum is the coolest museum I have EVER been to. It's technically a childrens museum but it puts the childrens museum in Salt Lake to serious shame! I used to think that the childrens museum in Salt Lake was cool, now I know that it's just GHETTO!! City Museum is a labyrinth of wire mazes connected to cool structures, slides and climbing structures. It has an indoor train, a ferris wheel on the roof, a giant ball pit, an aquarium and lots of other fabulous activity based areas. I have never been to a place that encourages so much creativity. There are at least three ways to get to every destination within the museum - a wire tube, a windy stair case or through the airplane in the sky. If you have a child and you visit St Louis, do not miss this museum. If you do not have a child and you visit St Louis, do not miss this museum. Joe and I played so hard that we were seriously sweating when the museum staff kicked us out because they were closed. I never play at the childrens museum in Salt Lake because it's not fun for me, this museum was fun for me and more fun for Henry because I was far more interactive.

Gateway Arch
Helicopter Tour

City Museum
City Museum Rooftop slide
Super fun!

Stop #3: Nashville, TN
We went on a riverboat cruise and to Parthenon park. The Riverboat cruise was a good time - it was food and entertainment on a paddle wheel boat. After the boat cruise were kind of at a loss for things to do in Nashville. Joe really resisted the country music hall of fame which we hear is really cool and by the time he agreed to go I didn't want to anymore because Henry was tired and not very pleasant.

Cpt. Henry

Stop #4: Atlanta, GA I have been wanting to go to Atlanta ever since I saw a special on the History Channel about their aquarium. Did you know that the Atlanta Aquarium is the only place in the US you can see a whale shark in captivity? (There are also whale sharks in captivity in Taiwan). The Atlanta aquarium was a serious good time. Again puts Salt Lake to serious shame - but I expected that! We love aquariums!!

Henry, Heidi and a beluga whale.
We lost our camera battery so this is the best we could do!

On a whim, and because I'm a dork, we took a tour of CNN's headquarters. This was more touristy than I had hoped but at least we got to see the studios. I should work for CNN someday I think. :)

CNN HQ

Stop #5: Savannah, GA
If you didn't notice while looking at the map, this is the place where our trip diverged from a logical course and into the - oh we should go there, it's not that far - trip. I'm glad we took this divergence. Joe has wanted to go to Savannah ever since he read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Apparently, he's not the only one, this book is a major part of the tourist industry in Savannah. Anyway, Savannah was established in 1733 and has many fabulous homes and businesses that date that far back that are still in great condition. Savannah is also thought to be one of the most haunted places in the US. We took a haunted Savannah tour the night we arrived and didn't see any ghosts but the tour guide did spend a lot of time pointing out "orbs" in photos people took with their digital cameras. Joe and I appreciated the stories behind the ghost stories and the architectural marvels where the ghosts were housed. The next day we mostly walked around the city checking out the cool, beautiful old places before heading to Tybee Island for a bit of ocean fun (which Henry had been begging for since we got in the car in Salt Lake). I bought Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and will be reading it while in Gainesville!

Cemetery. The large thing on the right is a crypt.

Tybee, Island

Stop #6: Orlando, FL
Disneyworld. Need I say more?

Stop #7: Clearwater, FL
Ocean fun!

Stop #7: Gainesville, FL
Home for one month!

I had so much fun on our journey that I'm doing it again. My sister and my Mom are flying to Atlanta to help me drive to Omaha (Joe will be flying because he only has a few hours to get there before starting his next rotation). We will be stopping in Birmingham, Memphis, St Louis, Little Rock, Nauvoo and Omaha (and maybe Chicago???). You know you're jealous!

Mommy I'm Stuck!

2009-08-16T12:38:00.002-07:00

Every morning when Henry wakes up he grabs his blanket and climbs the stairs to my room where he joins me in my bed for a few minutes. I love this ritual.

This morning Henry did not climb the stairs. Instead, when he woke up Joe and I heard him call "Mommy, I'm stuck!" Joe ran downstairs to help Henry only to find him laying on the floor underneath his mattress.

Investment Portfolio

2009-08-05T22:28:00.007-07:00

Item #1:
Little Tykes swing set.
Price New: $700 (approx.)
Price Used: $250 (1.5 years ago)
Sold: $300 (yesterday)
Hours and hours of backyard fun (for Henry and friends)!
Rating: Great Investment

Item #2:
Portable DVD Player
Price New: Honestly don't remember $150 I'm guessing
Price Used: Bought it new.
Sold: $0
It's a piece of crap. It never works. It discourages interactive fun.
Rating: Waste of money. Use your laptop instead (though that won't fix the interactive problem).
Item #3:
House.
Price New: Probably less than $10. We have the original Warranty Deed signed by Ulysses S. Grant.
Price Used: $183,900
Sold: It's on the market if you want it!
We love our house and we love our neighborhood but we decided now is the best time for us to do something more temporary (since we're going to be gone for a while and leave again in a few months).
Rating: Hopefully a good investment. Only time will tell!

Introducing...

2009-07-14T14:14:00.002-07:00

Our new car.

For a long time we have struggled with multiple cars that were not reliable so finally we got one that will (cross your fingers) start every time we turn the key. Now Joe knows how he will get to work/school every day for a long, long time!

Square Foot Gardening

2009-07-14T13:58:00.004-07:00

Because of prompting and help from my Dad I started square foot gardning this year. Honestly, it is out of controll... Square foot gardening is the perfect gardening method because it's more organized, it's simplified and it takes up way less space (not to mention the soil is far superior).

I have never had an amazing garden, never, until this year. For weeks we have been eating: lettuce, peas, squash, greed beans, bell peppers, strawberries and we have tons of jalepenos, parsle, tomatoes, edamame (though it's been taken over by the squash because I planted the wrong variety), onions, carrots, blackberries and soon tomatoes (they're still a bit green). I'm uber excited about my garden.

Life after this.

2009-07-14T13:34:00.003-07:00

After a long, hard deliberation process Joe has finally decided to apply to ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) residency programs for his post-medical school training. ENT, also called Otolaryngology or head and neck surgery is a surgery subspecialty that you guessed it -obviously focuses on the head and neck. Joe has worked very hard to get to this point and we are seriously proud of his accomplishments thus far in medical school and his finally making a decision for the next step of his medical career.

ENT is a very competitive residency track so Joe will be working very hard during the next few months to hopefully secure a position in a residency program. In August he will take a licensing exam and apply to residencies. In September and October Joe will be in Gainsville, Florida and Omaha, Nebraska for away rotations (extended interviews). Hopefully in November, December and January he will be doing lots of interviews (cross your fingers) and in March he will find out if he matched and where. Assuming all goes as planned we will move in June 2010.

I am seriously grateful to have such a wonderful husband. In choosing his career path Joe was very careful to consider the needs of both Henry and I. He wavered between a lot of fields that he assumed would give him plenty of opportunity to interact with his family in a meaningful way. Choosing ENT was a difficult decision for Joe because of the rigors and length (5 years) of the residency program. After considering many other fields (family practice and emergency medicine among the many) Joe made th decision to become an ENT not only because he feels like he will be fulfilled in his career and help a needy population but so that he can continue to be a fabulous husband and father. Henry and I couldn't be more lucky!!

Aruba

2009-07-14T13:08:00.005-07:00

Here are some of our pictures from our trip to Aruba in no logical order whatsoever:

So sad for the boys that their wives carelessly applied spray on sunblock. Our friend Jeremy on the left has a small unburned streak while Joe, on the right, has experienced severe neglect. Sorry!

After a long day of ocean kayaking Joe and I swam to this and jumped off.

Aruba's landscape is this: sand and cactus except on the coast where it's perfect white sand beaches or rocky cliffs as below.

The rocky coast.

A frog at the national park.

Different frog, same national park.

Caves.

Our favorite day was snorkeling on the Mi Dushi boat. Mi Dushi means My Sweetheart. Here is the sail of the boat.

Joe on the Mi Dushi

At our resort.

Horseback riding.

One of many pools at our resort.

Deep sea fishing.

On our fishing boat.

We're playing anyway.

2009-02-05T15:35:00.004-07:00

Henry is potty training quite well. For me the hardest part about potty training was staying home for a couple days to make sure that he got it down. Now, I don't really even think about it much. That's probably why he peed his pants at the park. Good thing it was warm enough for him to play without pants on (I had clean under ware in my bag). I know, I'm a great mom!

Saint George is warmer than Salt Lake and that makes me happy

2009-01-26T10:00:00.005-07:00

I'm loving Saint George! It is wonderful this time of year when Salt Lake is nearly unbearable and even more so unbearable with an active two year old.

Yesterday after church we went to Zions and hiked around the emerald pools. Because it has been raining this weekend, there was plenty of water, we saw five, or six, waterfalls. It was beautiful. And, like I said, the weather is wonderful (unless you ask our friends who live here, they think it's cold). True, it has been raining, but the sun is out for most of the day which is far more than I can say for Salt Lake where the sun hides behind the inversion.

I'm glad to be here for a few weeks and am even considering staying longer, unless someone rents the house we're staying in, or convinces me otherwise. Why would I come back to Salt Lake to huddle in my house when I can be here playing outside? We went on a bike ride the other day, outside, without coats. That's incredible people.

Standing on top of a waterfall

If you look closely there are probably 9 deer in this picture.

This was on or around New Years when we came to check out the house. Henry is a fantastic golfer!

Clearly Irresistable

2009-01-12T14:30:00.005-07:00

Henry likes baths lately. If I would let him, he would stay in the bathtub for hours. This morning he took a bath and being a lazy mom I didn't drain the tub immediately after he got out. Instead I started doing laundry and then I realized I needed to take out the garbage and when I returned to the bathroom I found Henry like this -

Compelling Indeed

2009-01-09T11:48:00.003-07:00

If you had a tent over your potty, would you go potty? Henry reached a lull in his potty training and after 30 minutes on the potty with no completed business we decided to get creative. Not too long after the tent was erected potty training resumed, officially. Now he can't wait to sit on the potty or go stand under the tent.

ABC's

2009-01-07T15:54:00.004-07:00

Nevermind my poor video skills - I was paying far more attention to Henry than I was to the camera. Oops. At least you get a close up of Henry's "l,m,n,o,p" rendition.

Haircut.

2009-01-05T14:14:00.005-07:00

Henry has never had a professional haircut. I have always cut his hair with a buzzer at home. Since the past few haircuts have been a chore and the finished product has looked awful, I decided to give the professionals a try. Henry did a great job; I realize the picture makes him look unhappy but he was mostly cooperative which is very unusual for Henry at hair cutting time. The environment was great; an airplane to sit in, Madagascar on the television, a balloon and sucker as a reward.

I feel good about my choice, even if it was significantly more expensive then our free in home sessions.

As a side note, after the cut the stylist asked if I wanted her to style Henry's hair. I usually just leave his hair alone, but I thought since we're doing new things with his hair, it wouldn't hurt to see what it looks like when it's "done". Honestly, I think he looks ridiculous with all of his hair standing up like that, but gel washes out, right?

Stock Market Gamble

2008-12-18T14:38:00.003-07:00

Disclaimer: I am not a gambler nor do I intend to be. That said...

Five years ago I started buying shares of stock in the company where I worked. It was easy, the company I worked for deducted the allotted amount from my paycheck and bought the stock for me. At the time I was buying one share for anywhere from $40-$50. I quit working for that company nearly a year later and held on to the stock in a separate brokerage account.

In August 2007 I had to sell that stock because Joe and I are poor. I sold the stock at $105 per share. A really good return if you ask me.

Today the company that I used to work for has been absorbed by another company and stockholders were given approximately .94 shares of the new company stock for each 1 share of the old company stock, which makes the original stock (which I fortunately don't own) worth approximately $14.50 a share now.

With all the news of stock market woes, I'm having a hard time differentiating between gambling with dice, for example, and gambling in the stock market.

Why is it considered smart and reasonable to put all of your money in a market that may or may not give you decent returns but a sin to put your money down on cards?

Is it in the definition? I've been reading a bit online and a USA Today Columnist suggests that the definition is the key: that gambling is a game meant for entertainment. But, it's possible that people go to Vegas seeking a return on their "investment"? In fact they go in droves hoping to return home with more money.

Ultimately, the action remains the same. Risking money on a hunch or potential luck of the investor; knowing when to get in and knowing when to get out.

Everything that I have read explaining the sinful nature of gambling can also be easily attributed to investing in the stock market. Help me. What's the difference?

24 Hour Fitness

2008-12-01T08:38:00.006-07:00

I work out at 24 Hour Fitness. If you are a stay at home mom and not a member of a gym, any gym, you're crazy (or a better mom than I am). Going to the gym during the day makes me feel good, but it does more that.

Going to the gym with Henry teaches him to interact with other kids his age, because he spends time in the Kids Care, which he likes very much.

Going to the gym levels my emotions. Ever had a bad day and been kind of mean to your kids as a result? Ever felt like you really need a break? Need to get out of the house? All of those emotions are easily leveled by a good cardio workout at the gym.

Too often I hear mothers complain that they just need a break. Or, that their house is too confining in the winter months. I hear mothers who are unhappy about the little things in life, but I think, too often it's because they don't take time to take care of themselves. It's too easy to neglect yourself when you have kids who need your attention.

Going to the gym gives me the opportunity, every day if I want, to do something for myself. Give yourself a treat, go to the gym!

That said... if you don't know where to start, I love 24 Hour Fitness. There are two very close to my house. I love going to the classes, they make my workout intense, fun and motivating (can those words actually fit well together in the same sentence?). I like that I know the sitters and some of the kids in the Kids Care and that Henry actually looks forward to playing with his friends in the Jungle Jim.

Costco has a great deal right now on memberships if you're thinking about joining a gym. I bought mine from Costco last year and have been tremendously pleased. The deal disappears sometime before Christmas - you won't find a better deal out there. It's two years for $289.99 (I called the 24 Hours Fitness at Trolley and they said they would honor this package for current members as well). That adds up to a little more than $12 a month. Upfront, I know it's hard to swallow. But I'm sure your sanity is worth $12 a month. Here's the link.

Some Clarification

2008-11-17T21:41:00.004-07:00

I am nearly a month shy of my 5th anniversary with Type I diabetes. I think I should be proud to say that diabetes has hardly changed my life. Nevertheless, it remains a constant in my life.

Every day, as most of you know, I check my blood sugar levels by pricking my finger and squeezing a small amount of blood onto a test strip; I do this 5-10 times. At night, before I go to bed, I give myself a shot of Lantus. Every time I eat any food, I give myself a shot of Humalog. And, any time I mess up, I either eat to make up for too much insulin or I take more insulin.

The downside to this routine is not the shots anymore. The downside is the moments when my blood sugar levels are too low. The moments when I'm refusing sugar, telling Joe I hate him for forcing me to eat when I don't feel like it, even though I know I need it, all while laying on the floor crying uncontrolably. It's impossible to explain the feeling of knowing you need to do something, yet the inability to do anything; the fear of what might happen if no one notices.

Then there's the long term complications that aren't even worth talking about because I'm trying to avoid them altogether.

Am I happy? Yes.
Do I require a cure to diabetes in order to live a full and happy life? No.
Would it be convenient if I were cured? Yes.
Less scary to live without diabetes? Yes.

Nearly three years ago I wrote an opinion piece for the Deseret News about diabetes and stem cell research. It, amazingly, is still floating around on the web. I think it's appropriate that I link to it here, so you understand where I'm coming from when I say, More Hope.

So, when my Dad called me and told me to watch this video about a potential cure for diabetes, I couldn't resist. When I watched it the first time, I cried. True, this is not the first potential cure, but it is yet another reason to hope that a cure is possible. If the most recent news doesn't produce a cure, there will be more research and more opportunity for cures.

There is still room for hope.

More Hope

2008-11-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Winner, winner and a funny side note

2008-11-10T22:01:00.003-07:00

Thanks for entertaining me and playing my election contest. Missouri still has not declared a victor but regardless of Missouri's vote, Jamie won. Obama received 364 electoral votes and McCain received 162. Missouri's 11 electoral votes are still in limbo.

I was at Toys 'R Us this evening entertaining Henry when I was passed by some serious hoodlums (picture: baggy, sagging black pants. White oversized t-shirt. Skater shoes. Greasy hair.) probably 15 years old, running down the isles chanting O-bama, O-bama. I know that I'm stereotyping those kids, but I think that the interest from kids this young and niaeve, is a sign that Obama has really touched Americans in a way that no other politician in recent history has. That's invigorating!

Henry, to my dismay, was clearly not as interested in Obama as those kids at Toys 'R Us. Today we received the most recent copy of Newsweek, a magazine to which we subscribe. Here's the cover:

Henry looked at the cover and said, John McCain. Clearly he's been listening in on our conversations at home, but why did he pick up John McCain? Don't worry, all is well, now, he also says President Barack Obama.

Election Day Contest Anyone?

2008-11-04T13:54:00.003-07:00

In the spirit of election day, I thought I would offer a contest.

If you want to play, pick your presidential winner, and then respond with a comment on how many electoral votes that candidate will receive. The person with the closest number of electoral votes will win homemade chocolate cookie sandwiches, which I will personally deliver to you.

If no one votes I reserve the right to eat all the chocolate cookie sandwiches all by myself while lying in bed tonight. :)

You have to vote before 8pm tonight, when Utah's polls close, which gives you almost three hours of watching results come in to make your decision.

NPR has an interactive map that allows you to predict the results of the 2008 presidential election. If that sounds useful, you can find it here: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/election2008/2008-election-map.html#/president?view=predict.

Nostalgia of Food

2008-11-04T13:37:00.005-07:00

For me the perfect cure for a cold, crappy, day like today is tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. I realize that this is not gourmet food, but it's the only food I want when I'm cold or sick or otherwise unhappy. This type of food does not spark any vivid memories, it's more an ingrained sense of comfort. I guess you could say it is nostalgic; you know those songs that take you back to a different time in your life, this food has the same effect for me. My mom always made this for us when we were sick or otherwise unhappy. Now, when I need a cure, need to feel like it's still summer, I choose the grilled cheese and tomato soup to, mentally, take me to the beach. What cures your cold day blues?

Today, while it rained and kind of snowed, I made grilled cheese and tomato soup for Henry and I to eat for lunch. I made it on the homemade bread that I baked yesterday, which is delicious. It's soft, fluffy and has a mildly sweet taste. Here's the link to the recipe I used, it's delicious!! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fabulous-Homemade-Bread/Detail.aspx

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T12:08:00.003-07:00

The Power of Stem Cells

2008-10-28T20:48:00.001-07:00

Check out http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=boozers to read about how Carlos Boozers son was cured of Sickle Cell Anemia using stem cells from his brother.

This article replaces the video which was great, but is no longer available.

Trendy T's

2008-10-06T20:19:00.009-07:00

I'm watching the news right now and I just saw a teaser that mentioned childhood obesity. Fortunately, that's a problem I'll never have. At two Henry weighs a whopping 25 pounds. His pediatrician recommended that I add extra butter to his veggies, cheese to his sandwich and syrup to his pancakes (a recommendation which I hesitate to follow). I never really think of him as exceptionally small, since he's all I know, and that must be why after buying him a few winter outfits I had to return everything in exchange for smaller sizes, he's small and I forgot. Oops.

Which brings me to the cutest winter appropriate t-shirt that I got for Henry, the only one that fit on the first try too. A Japanese inspired Koi t-shirt from a cute online t-shirt shop for kids; The Trendy Tadpole. The shirt is adorable and unique in it's design. I have considered also getting him the frog design because it says "Oh Snap." on it. Sometimes, Joe says "Oh Snap." and it makes me laugh because, who says that? Anyway, cute t-shirts from American Apparel with adorable designs printed on them. Love it. Love it.

Register to Vote TODAY!

2008-10-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

www.maps.google.com/vote

No matter who you're voting for, this has got to make you laugh, right?

2008-10-01T10:29:00.002-07:00

Poor, poor Sarah Palin. She's getting slammed by the media now. She is funny though.

Already Mrs. Palin is being compared to another of our favorite comedians. Maybe next time Palin should use another of her interview methods - find the answer and get back to us later.

Remaking the Great Outdoors

2008-09-29T21:25:00.003-07:00

After a recent hike, Henry decided that he would make his own forest. Using rocks for the base and flowers and pine cones as "trees," he created his masterpiece. I'm surprised by his imagination - no one taught him this, or really event told him what a forest is.

Cake Wrecks

2008-09-22T21:55:00.006-07:00

This evening Joe was laughing hysterically for quite a while. Finally, I gave up on what I was doing, because laughter is totally distracting if you're not participating, to find out what was so funny and hopefully join in on some of the fun. Someone suggested the blog: Cake Wrecks to Joe and some of it's posts are hilarious, check out the favorites link on the right hand side of the page for some funny ones - my favorites are The Cake That Started At All and Cupcake Cakes: Always Wrecktastic. Always.

The cake I made for Henry's 2nd Birthday

Feeding the Fire

2008-09-20T20:38:00.005-07:00

Henry and I went to the air show in Wendover today. I almost didn't go but I'm SO glad we went. Not only did Henry have a great time but I surprisingly enjoyed myself as well. Some of the highlights of the show:

Seeing the helicopters

Going for a ride in the helicopter, Henry and I got a 20 minute ride around East Wendover. The view wasn't specacular, but the ride was phenomenal, especially for Henry. He didn't hold his breath, like he did at the Kids Fair when he saw the helicopter fly close by, or scream like he does when they fly over our house, instead, he seemed calm, relaxed, like he was just taking it all in. When he called his Dad afterwards and saw his grandma later that day he excitedly talked all about it. We both enjoyed the ride!

Did I mention that there were helicopters?

Seeing all the airplanes with propellers that look kind of like helicopters

Getting a picture of a helicopter from Life Flight

Getting a picture in the helicopter, there are many picture from our ride, but this is my favorite. He really does have the same cheesy smile that Joe has.

Oh, and there was a cool air show (in all honesty, Henry loved the air show, even though it was airplanes and not helicopters). If you listen carefully in the video below you can hear him narrating (he even suggests that the airplane is "cooking"). He loved the show - ooo ing and ahhh ing through out the entire thing.

Even after all of the fantastic stunts by the airmen in the show, when Henry and I were leaving, a bit before the show was over because it was way past nap time and he was clearly not surviving well, Henry cried because he could see a helicopter on it's landing pad and didn't want to leave without seeing it up close.

We will definately go to another air show. This was a small air show and we had a blast!

Straddling the Border

2008-09-20T20:22:00.006-07:00

This weekend, Joe's little brother Spencer got married. The wedding was fantastic and seemingly very mellow compared to many weddings Joe and I have been to. It was a nice change of pace. Here are a couple cute pics from the day.

Josef and Lasse, Aliza's boys; McKenzie and Austin, Dan's kids and Henry. This is the best picture I have ever seen with all five of them - it's impossible to get 5 toddlers to cooperate at the same time.

Joe's cute parents right before the Reception

Eww gross.

2008-09-17T12:33:00.003-07:00

While at the gym this morning I encountered two disgusting men:

First guy was a trainer who works at the gym. I was waiting to drop Henry it the Kids Care when I saw this trainer, probably 30 or so, go stand in front of the glass door that leads into the classroom where a large group of women were doing step aerobics. He stood there, just out of sight, watching them step from the back. He is gross.
Second guy was probably 50 plus, he was resting on a weight machine watching the girl a few feet away who was bending over repeatedly. He was really gross.

Why do disgusting guys have to prey on innocent, unknowing females? I'm seriously disappointed in males today.

JoE

2008-09-14T12:49:00.003-07:00

Joe started rotations the first week of July this year. This is an exciting time in his medical education because it's the first time he has really been able to step out of the classroom and into a patient oriented setting. Joe very much enjoys working with patients and the staff in the hospitals where he has done rotations so far. He has tons of exciting stories, things that would make you choose to steer clear from "learning hospitals," which is excitedly shares at every opportunity. He still has another year before he needs to decide what Residency programs he wants to apply to, but for right now he hopes to try and potentially choose from: radiology, radiation oncology, neurology, anesthesiology and emergency medicine.

Any patient who has Joe as a doctor should consider themselves quite lucky. Joe is an extraordinary person with a great deal of compassion for the people he currently serves and the people he hopes to serve in the future. Medicine was the perfect choice for Joes profession because of his awesome personality. I hope, we hope, that he continues to be served with many incredible opportunities throughout his life!

Curious George

2008-09-14T12:45:00.004-07:00

Henry loves curious George so we went to see him recently at the Kids' Fair. Henry excitedly waited his turn to see the monkey (Henry actually thinks that the Man in the Yellow Hat is named George and the monkey is just called Monkey). His excitement, however, quickly wavered when he approached the larger than life monkey and he couldn't wait until the picture was done and we could escape. We can't wait to meet Santa Claus in a couple months.

Helicopter

2008-09-14T12:27:00.004-07:00

Henry with all the items he now requires prior to going to sleep:
at least one helicopter toy and at least one helicopter book.

I am not sure when Henry's obsession with helicopters began, sometime after his birthday, I suppose. Whenever it began, it only increases in intensity every day - Henry is addicted, obsessed, over-excited, whatever adjective you choose - Henry loves helicopters!

We live near the flight path for the University and Primary Childrens helicopter transportation for patients. Every day now he begs to go outside where we wait for a helicopter to fly by. The fly near our home frequently, but nevertheless, it's a frustrating thing for Henry to stand outside, excitedly waiting for the sound which you can always hear before you see the helicopter. The sound which he always recognizes far before me, the sound of the helicopter flying overhead.

At the end of the movie "Cars" Mader rides in the blue Dinoco helicopter, one like Henry is holding in the above picture. The scene is probably 30 seconds long and if you wait a minute or two you get another 10 second clip of Mader riding in the helicopter. When we watch "Cars," that is what we watch, over, and over, and over.

Henry has a white board on an easel that he loves to draw on. That white board is never without at least one helicopter drawing on it, usually three or four because Henry insists on having someone help him draw helicopters.

Before bed, day and night, we read at least one book about helicopters (or with an airplane that has a rotor). Henry sleeps with at least one helicopter toy and at least one helicopter book. When he wakes up, he panics until we have recovered his helicopters from the blankets.

Finally, Henry can name several helicopter parts: main rotor (the twirly blades on top), tail rotor (the twirly blades on the tail), tail boom (the tail), the landing skids and the cockpit.

Pundits Double Speak on Palin

2008-09-06T12:33:00.006-07:00

I thought this was funny, not because it makes Palin look bad, for some strange reason, I kind of like her, but because it makes the pundits look ridiculous.

Testing

2008-09-04T13:54:00.003-07:00

I've been trying to figure out how to post to my blog using my new iPhone, that's why some of you saw that silly picture of homemade card bags the other day. I think I've finally figured it out and it's SOOOO easy (no thanks to the iPhone, it's blogger, or should I say, Google's, innovation.) And, if it works, this will be the first time it wasn't because of my friend Joey's voluntary Google marketing skills that I started using a new Google product.

If you're interesting in blogging directly from your iPhone, or another mobile device or email account, and you're using Blogger, find out how here for email: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=41452 and here for phone: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=42448

Happy blogging!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2008-08-26T21:02:00.003-07:00

I'll be honest, I don't remember where this recipe came from, I've been making it for a few years, and it's not my original recipe. If it's yours, by all means, take credit for it; it's always a winner!

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1/2 Cup mayonnaise

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 7x11 inch baking dish

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Mix in the artichoke hearts, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Season with garlic and lemon juice. Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.

3. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and let the dish bake uncovered for 5 more minutes.

I always serve it with sliced crusty bread.

Enjoy!

MY BOYS

2008-08-25T13:05:00.003-07:00

Henry & Joe are so much alike it's ridiculous (and that's a good thing). When Henry was born and everyone thought he looked just like Joe I couldn't help but feel a little defeated, after all, I was the one who carried him for 9+ months and I was the one who would care for him every day, why does Joe get the "you look like him," award? Now, the looks have evened a bit and there doesn't seem to be a clear winner, but I'm SO glad that Henry has inherited his Dad's personality. Don't get me wrong, I like myself just fine, but I am so pleased that Joe and Henry share some extremely positive personality traits. I'm blessed to be eternally connected to my two favorite guys!

Some things I love:

They're both cuddlers
They're both people pleasers, I always get what I want :)
They're both friendly, peaceful, and happy
They both make friends with anyone and everyone
They have the same, cheesy, irresistible, smile
They're smart (who knew two year olds were only supposed to know 20 words?)
They're energetic and cheerful (except at church where they're both grumpy)
They both make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world

I love my boys!

Impressive

2008-08-19T21:15:00.004-07:00

About six months ago we introduced Henry to his very own potty and he has loved it ever since, sitting on it occasionally to mimic mom and dad or watch a movie; however the potty has, for the most part, never been a practical addition to our home until tonight.

Tonight while I was out I got a text message from Joe that read: Henry just went potty in the toilet.

When I got home, Joe was telling me all about Henry's first "pee pee in the potty" when Henry chimed in excitedly wanting to show Mommy and he immediately went potty in the toilet again.

Movies!

2008-08-18T07:12:00.003-07:00

If you're not shy about signing up for trial offers, go to blockbuster.com and register for a free trial. In return you get:

$10 off the purchase of movies costing $10 or more
Free shipping on used movies

Today I got Shark Tale and Ice Age for $6.50 total. There are tons of movies for kids and adults. Use the promo code augappreciation when purchasing the movies.

I think Joe will probably have to sign up later so we can acquire some movies for Henry that aren't Cars, which by the way you could get for $1.99 using this promo.

Sleepy Pictures

2008-08-12T12:48:00.002-07:00

Henry & Brooklyn in Midway (watching cartoons, not sleeping)

Henry & Easton napping on the floor in Henry's room

Henry the morning after Dad got him ready for bed; two legs in one hole, shirt on inside out.

Henry, yesterday when he insited on wearing his lifejacket and refused to take it off before his nap.

UPDATES

2008-08-01T10:20:00.003-07:00

JOE

Started rotations the first week of July, he is now more than 1/2 way done with his first rotation - internal medicine at IMC Hospital in Murray. His next rotation is Pediatrics which begins in two weeks. He's been busy, extremely busy, but he seems to really enjoy working in the hospital, it is why he went to medical school after all.

HENRY

Has fallen in love with the movie "Cars". It's a blessing and a curse for his parents, a blessing because if we need a few minutes Cars provides that opportunity; a curse because it's nearly always on and getting really annoying.

In a couple weeks Henry will be 2, can you believe it?? He's beginning to act the part too, he's exerting some independence, talking tons, and generally just enjoying life.

If you remember my rants about his sleeping habits it's getting better, but still not fully resolved. Thanks to a return to "Ferber," the cry it out method which suddenly stopped working months ago, Henry is now putting himself to sleep at night again. He is now a much lighter sleeper in the morning, but that's pretty easily resolved too (since Joe leaves early Henry and I usually just sleep together for a couple hours in the morning). I can't be sure exactly what happened a few months ago but I'm glad it's waning.

HEIDI

Hm. Well, it seems like nothing really ever changes that much for me. I'm enjoying the gym again now that Henry's crazy streak has ended. Since returning my legs and arms feel like they're sore all the time, guess the muscles degenerated quickly during my hiatus.

I've spent some time in our garden trying to make it look nice. The patio that Joe created last summer is now encased in flowers (all except the ones that were destroyed during the wind storm last week). I think it looks beautiful - I love colorful flowers!

Lately I've had a lot of people mention that I "get to be a doctor's wife," as if that's some glorious thing. I often think to myself, yeah, that means sharing my husband with lots of sick people when he should be at home with me... which is selfish, I know, but still not glamorous like people seem to think it is. On the other hand, other wives of soon to be doctors, have made it clear to me that there is one important job a doctor's wife must take on - the ego deflater. Joe, I am sure, will need this service far less than most people, but nevertheless on the rare occasion it's necessary I'm here waiting with my proverbial screw driver... now that's glamorous. :)

We hope you're enjoying your summer. We've had a great streak of mini vacations which we (Henry and I) hope to continue over the next few weeks. We're also taking swimming lessons and then soccer lessons (sounds crazy for a 2 year old, but it'll be cute!) in the next couple months. If you have kids, you should join us for any or all of these events, we'd love to see you!

Pic's will follow shortly. I'd love for everyone to see how doctorly Joe looks when he heads out every day and how grown up Henry is. I have a beautiful family.

We are so lame

2008-07-28T13:07:00.004-07:00

We got new phones last week and we've wasted away the past week of our lives playing with them. I'll be honest, they're great little contraptions. They make computers nearly useless for our purposes and they're super handy. Here's what Joe and I have been doing with ours:

Surfing the web, checking email, reading news, etc.
Joe downloaded epocrates Rx a program that allows him to look up drugs (he says that the phone saves him tons of time at the hospital because all the information he needs is already at his fingertips)
I have a shopping list program that is awesome (I feel so organized about shopping now)
Henry draws on the scribble program -- there are tons of games and other downloads, if that's what you're into
GPS, not the awesome turn here go there type GPS, but it shows you where you are on a map and if you're looking up directions it shows you where you are in relation to the route you're taking
Music, music, music
Scriptures
To do lists, calendars, and all that other boring stuff, the pics on the camera are actually decent quality too

Seriously, if you ever wanted to have an external brain, I recommend one.

Jib Jab

2008-07-16T13:21:00.001-07:00

THANKS TO ZAC FOR SENDING ME THIS VIDEO!

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

Picture of the Day

2008-07-06T18:37:00.006-07:00

@ Dinosaur Land in Vernal, Utah

The Gateway is Surprisingly Fun

2008-06-16T22:28:00.005-07:00

Henry loves the water at the Gateway. Usually he'll sit by the edge of any of the pools or waterfalls and throw rocks and sticks and things into the water. Today, there were TONS of kids running around in the fountain enjoying the warm summer evening. Henry was a bit timid at first, interested in the fountain, but only from a distance, instead he was content in the usual rock and stick throwing. After some time alone with his inanimate objects, Henry built up enough courage to try the more interactive fountain and he loved it! It was really fun to watch him run in and out of the fountain swatting at the water, splashing it on himself and enjoying the water that surprisingly fell on his head from above.

For my part - I've always looked at those kids running through the fountain fully clothed and thought that it was white trash, irresponsible and annoying for parents to just let their kids go wild in a public place that was not designed for swimming... guess it's fun to be white trash.

After getting soaked by the fountain, Henry got new clothes from one of the stores at The Gateway, since we hadn't planned on getting wet, and a scoop of ice cream.

Sleep

2008-06-16T22:22:00.005-07:00

At some point last week I decided that Henry's sleep troubles may be caused by a hatred for his crib. In an attempt to rectify his horrible sleeping habits I removed the front of the crib and got him a better blanket and pillow - making a toddler bed.

For the most part, my theory was a failure, but he sure looks cute in his bed.

Sometimes when Henry's having a hard time sleeping, I'll lay on the floor next to his bed. Tonight after I left his room, I heard him say "Mommy," a couple times so I went back in his room and found him asleep where I would have been laying had I been in there. He really is cute!

Joe is definately going crazy

2008-06-10T16:12:00.005-07:00

Joe is currently studying to take step one of his medical board exam, which is scheduled for next Thursday, June 19. This test is one of the major factors that determines what residency programs he will be competitive for and thus what type of doctor he will ultimately become. Passing this test is necessary to continue with his medical training and doing really well is equally important to Joe. To prepare for the test, Joe studies nearly 12-14 hours every day, which, it seems, is beginning to take a toll on him. Every day after studying he comes home with an Einstein hairdo- he clearly takes his stress out on his hair- eats dinner and resumes studying. I think he needs a break!

Here are some of his latest chat and email comments and their corresponding pics sent to me (yes he sends me pic's of himself all the time):

"I am just studying too hard."

"This is tough."

"Serious, my brain is melting"

"Look out!"

Siiiiiiiiiiick!

2008-05-27T22:06:00.003-07:00

I know you all love reading sick blog posts, so here's mine.

Henry is sick; he's really sick.

We went camping in Goblin Valley with some folks from the ward- on the way down he thew up. It's gross, but no big deal, he usually throws up on long car rides.

On Saturday, as we left Green River I noticed Henry had a fever so we gave him some Motrin. Just as we got off I-15 in Salt Lake, Henry threw up again. We thought it was another dose of car sickness, until he threw up again and again and again.

Sunday was on and off with the fever and the vomit and the coughing. So finally, I called the on call pediatrician who said it sounded like pneumonia, so off to the Kids Care we went for a chest x-ray and check up.

The diagnosis: adenovirus which casued Henry to have a high fever, weezing and pneumonia. The treatment: rest, albuterol and ibuprofin.

Monday was also on and off with a ridiculously high uncontrollable fever, minimal vomit and a TON of coughing. By 7pm on Monday night Henry was coughing so much I was nervous that he couldn't breathe so I took him back to the Kids Care.

The diagnosis: adenovirus which casued Henry to have a high uncontrollable fever, pneumonia, and the worst tonsilitis seen in a long time along with the high volume unstoppable coughing.

The treatment: Tylenol combined with a steroid to bring down the fever. Alternating tylenol and ibuprofen every 3 hours to maintain a lower body temperature. Albuterol for less weezing. Codene to relieve the coughing and put him to sleep.

Tuesday was awful. Henry's fever was nearly gone. The coughing remained and the whining was never ending. His whining was so bad that it nearly brought me to tears. On Tuesday, late morning, Henry was whining that he wanted a bike ride. I couldn't take him for various logistical reasons, so I offered a walk in the jogging stroller instead. I, unknowingly, didn't put the stroller together properly and after I put him in it he fell straight back onto the pavement. It was so sad and so awful, I dropped him right on his head! After he calmed down and the coughing and gagging ended we went on a short walk and came home and fell right asleep. I got nervous that I gave him a concussion so I called the doctor and made yet another appointment.

The diagnosis: his head is fine, no concussion. Severe ear infections in both ears.

The treatment: Antibiotics for 10 days.

I hope the worst is over and that Henry will be well again soon. I'm annoyed that doctors are so afraid to give antibiotics that it took three appointments for someone to say, hey maybe we should try them afterall. I'm sad that Henry has been feeling awful for so long. I'm upset with myself for being so impatient with him today, but don't really know how to be more patient with him in the future. I am hopeful that tomorrow will be a better day!

Calling all Nap Tips

2008-05-15T13:44:00.005-07:00

Henry, sleeping in the hiking backpack in Moab.

Photo by: Jenny Spilker

Saturday marked the beginning of a ridiculous downward spiral for Henry's sleeping habits. For quite some time now Henry has been a happy sleeper- easily laying down and falling asleep when placed in his crib. Now, I'm having flashbacks to the days when he was an infant and wouldn't fall asleep anywhere except my arms.

Now, when I lay him in his crib at nap time, he screams and reaches for me, acting like I'm about to commit some heinous crime by placing him in his crib. In the past, if Henry cried when we put him in his crib, he would console himself and fall asleep within minutes. Now, even an hour later, he's still screaming, SCREAMING!!

Inevitably, I give up and go pick him up. And nearly as soon as he's in my arms, he falls asleep. And, even asleep, if I put him in his crib he wakes up and begins crying again. If I put him in my bed and lay next to him for 10 minutes he'll remain asleep.

In the evening the routine is the same, except after some time, even as short as 10 minutes, of screaming, he falls asleep on his own.

I can't decide, was it the vacation that caused this horrible melodrama or is it the separation anxiety which I've learned is normal at his age?

I've chatted with a couple people and done some research online and came up with a few ideas. Joe and I have tried creating a better sleep time routine, which is fun, but it doesn't remove the crib hatred. Today, at nap time, I placed a couple books and a couple toys and a picture of him and I in his crib, to see if that would placate him while he fell asleep and to potentially avert the separation anxiety (if that's what it is). After 45 minutes of screaming I went up to get him (so he could fall asleep in my arms of course) and he was standing at the rail, covered in tears, holding the picture, with all other toys tossed aside.

What should I do?

Hawaii

2008-05-07T13:10:00.004-07:00

Joe's sister Aliza lives in Laie, Hawaii (on Oahu) with her family, so last week we went with Joe's Brother Dan and his Wife Becky, to visit Aliza.

Our week went something like this:

Day One - Pearl Harbor and the Sea Life Park
Day Two - Swimming at Turtle Bay and the Polynesian Cultural Center
Day Three - Hiking ManuaWili falls, Swimming at Lanikai, Learning to Surf in Waikiki
Day Four - Snorkelling at Hanuamu Bay, hanging out at Chinatown and Temple Beach
Day Five - Boogie Boarding at some random East Coast beach, Swimming at Turtle Bay, Waimea Valley Audobon Center and night swimming
Day Six - Snorkelling at Sunset beach, Eating delcious shaved ice in Haleweia, Hiking Diamond Head, Visitng the Iolani Palace Grounds

We saw as much as possible during our stay. Henry loved the beach and the ocean, as did Joe and I. Henry was so excited about throwing rocks and sand into the water and running in and our of the waves. At Hanuamu Bay he could sit on the rocks and watch the fish swimming in the water below. Even when we were in the car and Henry could see the ocean and he begged (and sometimes cried) to get in the water.

Honolulu is honestly an ugly city just like every other city, but we stayed at Turtle Bay on the North Shore which is more green and lush than the other side of the island.

My favorite thing about Hawaii was the sunshine. Even when it was raining it was fun to be outside because it's always warm. We could, and mostly did, spend the whole day outside without worrying about the weather. I also really enjoyed learning to surf. I was surprised how easy surfing is. Granted I didn't ride any awesome waves, but it was so easy to stand up and ride into shore on the wave. The hardest part about surfing is the strength endurance necessary to paddle the board out far enough to catch a wave.

The Polynesian Cultural Center was also awesome. We spent the entire day there. Joe particiapted in a drum show, which was hilarious. We watched the rivier pagent, the night show, went to the Luau, got tatoo'ed, and enjoyed the sunshine. I was disappointed we missed making the coconut bread, so I guess we'll have to go back some other time!

Hawaii is great.

Moab

2008-05-07T12:55:00.008-07:00

A couple weeks ago we went on my family's annual Moab trip. The plan for the trip was to spend all day Saturday out on slickrock in Jeeps, but Joe and I didn't really think that sounded like fun. So when everyone went out on the "Fins and Things" trail in their Jeeps, Joe and I went out to a bike trail near the Chuckwagon. The bike trail was a good ride for my skill level, and it was good for Joe because he had to pull the bike trailer for Henry. Later in the day we left Henry with my family and attempted to ride the slickrock trail. I got about 20 feet into the trail before I decided that it was too hard and went home. Joe and Rob, my brother in law, tried for another hour or so.

We did go out in the Jeeps for about an hour or two. I'll be honest, it's not much fun, but everyone else enjoyed it.

We also went back to Negro Bill's Canyon which is a hike we did in March. It's great hike. This time when

we hit the top where the bridge is located there were people repelling down the arch. Maybe next time we'll try the trail that way.

Spring Visitors

2008-04-24T22:06:00.006-07:00

As the weather begins to warm and things begin to look alive outside, I have noticed that we have some visitors in our home - ANTS. I suppose it's inevitable that they would come, considering the availability of entrances (since our house is ridiculously old) and the food which is constantly being thrown on the ground. There are not a ton, just enough to excite Henry. Whenever Henry spots one of these creatures he squeals (happily), lays on his belly on the floor and gets as close as he can get thus allowing him to have a good look at the ant on the floor. Henry loves to watch the ants! Several ants have taken up residence in the back doorway so now, when we leave, Henry will usually, unprompted, say goodbye to the ants before we close the door - "bye, bye ants".

Hawaii

2008-04-23T00:10:00.005-07:00

Thanks to:

Joe's sister Aliza for moving to Hawaii with her two boys and her husband Tobi, who is studying at BYU Hawaii.

Joe's Mom for for being spontaneous and generous in including us in her plan to visit Aliza and her family; a plan which we subsequently ruined.

Joe's Mom for again being spontaneous and generous and letting us plan a trip to visit Aliza and her family on our terms (with her financial backing).

We're going to Hawaii next week and we're ridiculously excited!

Race for the Cure

2008-04-04T12:15:00.004-07:00

Last year I ran in the Race for the Cure, an annual 5k (3.1 miles) organized to raise money for breast cancer research, with a group of girls. Of all the races I've done in the past year, this was the best organized and the most envigorating race. Since I had such a great time last year, I plan to do it again this year. Joe said he's going to run with me this year too, right Joe? Anyway, the race is on May 10 at 8:30 in the morning. It starts and ends at the Gateway. Anyone want to run?

Role Reversal

2008-04-01T13:13:00.007-07:00

This morning, Henry and I had the following conversation.

Henry (pointing at a flower on a pillow on our couch): What's that?
Heidi: That's a flower.
Henry (clapping): Good job!

Green It Is, Then

2008-03-31T20:59:00.003-07:00

I'm bored. The boys (Joe & Henry) are asleep and I'm not tired, usually when this is the case, I read, but I'm in between books and I don't have a fresh magazine, so I've been playing online. It's a silly waste of time, really.

Anyway, so I was reading a friends blog and she took a quiz to determine her color. I also took the quiz. I'm not sure what the other colors on the spectrum are and what they mean, but I'm green. Is it right? You decide.

Heidi, your true color is Green!

You're green, the color of growth and vigor. Good-hearted and giving, you have a knack for finding and bringing out the best in people. Green is the most down-to-earth color in the spectrum — reliable and trustworthy. People know they can count on you to be around in times of need, since your concern for people is genuine and sincere. You take pride in being a good friend. For you, success is measured in terms of personal achievement and growth, not by status or position. Rare as emeralds, greens are wonderful, natural people. It truly is your color!

Long Beach

2008-03-26T12:21:00.015-07:00

I mentioned in my last post that Joe and I were headed back to Moab. I lied. We decided, at the last minute, to head to a slightly warmer climate. We went to Long Beach for a few days... Joe, Henry & I all needed a change of pace and what we got was the fastest possible pace. You know those vacations that, when their done, you have to go home and recover - it was that kind of vacation. We had a great time!!

Highlights from the trip:

We went to the Aquarium of the Pacific the first day in Long Beach. The aquarium was by far the thing Henry liked the most. He literally ran from tank to tank or display to display to see all the new fish or touch the sting rays, sharks or whatever else was available. I've never seen him so excited. It helps that the Aquarium of the Pacific is awesome. It's nothing like Salt Lake's notoriously crappy aquarium - it has hundreds of huge tanks, fish bigger than me, seals, sharks, and lots of other cool things.

Next day we went to Mexico, TWICE. I'll save my soap box for another post, but let's just say I HATE THE BORDER. Joe and I, due to poor judgement, mostly on my part, missed the last USA exit on the freeway. No big deal except we don't have Mexican car insurance and we were in a rental and I signed away my life swearing not to cross the border. So, as soon as we discovered our malady, we turned around to cross the border again this time back into the USA. We ended up in a special lane reserved for busses and "sentry" guests who were pre-approved to cross the border. Because of this we were treated like enemy combatants, made to wait in stupid lines so they could search our car and treat us like discarded trash, only to push us back into the USA with a warning that they'll confiscate our car if we're in the wrong lane again. I love America. We did end up going back, this time by foot, and had a great time wandering around in Tiajuana.

Disneyland was okay. Henry's still too little to care and we hated the lines which were really long. Once we figured out how to enjoy the park, we had a great time. The Tower of Terror in Calfornia Adventure is by far the best theme park ride ever built.

And, of course, Henry loved the airport. He loved to watch the planes.

Why we love Moab and why we're going back next week

2008-03-10T12:27:00.007-07:00

A list of the reasons why we loved Moab this weekend:

1. The swimming pool. We stayed at the Moab Valley Inn which is a decent hotel, nothing special. We just loved hanging out in the indoor/outdoor swimming pool and sitting in the hot tub (which was typically packed with sore runners).

2. The hiking trails. We hiked two awesome trails this weekend. Negro Bills Canyon and Hunter Canyon. Both trails run along streams - the scenery is beautiful. Hunter Canyon was really cool, it's at the bottom of what I thought to be a scary drive down into a large canyon. There's tons of soft sand all along the hike that Henry really liked to play in. Plus the trail has tons of huge boulders and crevasses to play in. I highly recommend this hike (which unfortunately, we didn't get to finish because of nap time).

Hiking in Negro Bill's Canyon

Playing in the sand in Hunters Canyon

Hunters Canyon

3. The weather. A cool but seemingly warm 50+ every day was perfect for the adventures we chose.

4. The company and the change of pace.

Negro Bill's Canyon

Since Joe's on Spring break soon we're going to go back sometime either late this week or early next week if anyone else is interested.

The race and more

2008-03-10T12:02:00.004-07:00

My race results:

Overall Rank 1186 of 2899

Class Rank 118 of 368

Pace 00:09:13

Chip Final 01:59:30

Sex Rank 474

Final 02:00:56

What does all this mean? Well it certainly means that I'm not a good candidate for competitive road running - that's for sure. I feel pretty good about it though. It took me 2 hours to run the 13.1 miles which comes out to about 9 minutes per mile. The chip time is the exact time from the start line to the finish line. The final time is the time from the gun to the finish line (and since I lined up about mid way it took me a minute to get to the starting line).

My goal was to finish and I expected it to take me 2 hours. I'm proud of myself, even if it's not a competitive finish time.

I'm glad that this was the race I chose to run because it was perfect weather, beautiful course and a relatively easy course too - lots of downhill running. I would recommend this race to anyone, especially first time racers. My favorite part of the whole run was at the 10 mile marker where a group of about 10 women were playing huge Native American drums along the river - it was invigorating. My least favorite part was downing an energy shot about half way - those things are DISGUSTING!!

Photos aren't available yet, when they are I'll try to post some so you can all see the painful look in my eyes. You can also check for yourself here I was bib number 648.

Mischief

2008-02-26T10:11:00.006-07:00

If you have kids, you recognize that ominous silence that occurrs while your child (or children) is doing something he shouldn't. I heard that lack of sound this morning while in the shower. Here's the result:

Henry found an old bottle of mascara in the garbage can and decided to use it. He was really pleased with himself. Unfortunately, this paticular mascara was waterproof so we had to do some serious scrubbing with soap to get it off of his face.

The Presidential Candidates, What I Love & Hate

2008-02-20T10:38:00.006-07:00

This post might be boring if you decide to watch all of these videos at once. I created the post more for my own benefit. I couldn't (and to some extent still can't) pinpoint the exact reason why I do and do not like certain candidates so I tried to do some research. I really like John McCain, but I cannot vote for him because of his position on the war in Iraq. I'll likely vote for Obama, assuming he's the party's nominee. I guess you could say, I'm hopeful. Enjoy!

WHAT I HATE:

CLINTON

Ridiculous political tactics.

MCCAIN

ps - He's wrong. The Japanese people have been trying to get rid of the American base since at least 1995 when a 12 year old was gang rapped by American soldiers.

OBAMA

I don't hate the honesty part, obviously, it's the topic that bugs me. And,

WHAT I LOVE:

CLINTON

Ha, Ha. I don't think she's going to get the nomination, so I decided not to take her seriously. Honestly though, as a woman, I do have to say that it's about time we had a representative in the highest office.

MCCAIN

Plus he supports stem cell research. Thank you!!

OBAMA

Obama motivates people to love America.

AS A SIDE NOTE, THIS WAS FUNNY

Blog Update

2008-02-19T12:50:00.004-07:00

I'm working on updating our blog. As many of you have likely noticed, the basic look has changed several times because I've been relatively indecissive about what to do with our bland blog. When I started this blog in 2005 there weren't cool tools embedded in the blogspot program. Nor were there pre-written codes to make the pages look cute, and I'm no genius on web design. But now I don't have to be. Over the next few days I hope to update this blog to a point where I don't feel like it must be changed every few months, but then again, who knows. Enjoy the new look.

Shin Splints Suck!

2008-02-02T20:35:00.002-07:00

I have had shin splints on my right leg since before Thanksgiving. I have never had shin splints before so at first I had no idea what it was. Joe tried to tell me it was shin splints, but I didn't listen. After chatting with a neighbor who is a runner I finally came to terms with my "injury". Wanting the pain to subside, I went out and got new running shoes, I massaged my leg with ice, I took a week off of running, I started shin exercises, and I ice for more than an hour every day. And, after all of that, what do I have to show for it? New shin splints on my left leg and a ridiculous amount of pain in my right leg.

My 1/2 marathon is still about 5 - 6 weeks away, so I guess I'll take some more time off, but, I hate it. I already feel like I've been loosing my endurance because I've been slowing down so much lately to nurse these silly shin splints. I wish there was a cure, something that would guarantee their demise, other than rest, that is. I wish I never got shin splints. I hate shins.

Yes he can

2008-01-30T09:46:00.001-07:00

Henry is smart! We already knew that, but now we have proof. I thought it was going to take a while to teach him 1 - 2 - 3. It just seems like a concept that kids learn later. With a little persistence, though, Henry has accomplished this task - minus the one. If I say one, he'll finish up with two and three. Smart indeed! Now if I could only convince him to say please!

As a side note, I MISS THE SUN!!!! I can't wait for spring.

Learning.

2008-01-29T21:28:00.001-07:00

Some days I feel like I'm not teaching Henry enough. Don't get me wrong, he gets smarter every day, but on his own terms. I realize that at 17 months there's not much formal teaching that can occur, but I believe that with some guidance he will pick up on simple lessons that are important for him to learn. The current tasks are:

1. Say "please". We've been stressing this for two days. He said it once tonight, "plees," really quite and high pitched. For the most part, however, it goes like this: Henry points at something he wants. Response: say "please. Henry, say, "please". Crying. Henry, "please". Pulling on me and pointing. "Please" & then I quit and give him what he wants. Soon. He will say please everytime.

My neighbor has a son who says please when he wants something. He was being babysat recently and didn't want to be babysat anymore. So, he spent 45 minutes standing by his coat saying please. How sad.

2. Point to his ear. He's got his nose down. He can do his eye, but usually won't. He really seems to like his ears though. Since we started practicing this one he has started grabbing both ears when I ask where they are. It's cute.

3. Clean up toys. This one is impossible. First, it begins with that annoying clean up song, "Clean up, clean up everybody everywhere, clean up, clean up everybody do your share," because he responds to it. It continues through a partial clean up straight to throwing all the cleaned up items back on the floor. Then I clean them up while he naps. Just great!

4. 1 - 2 - 3. I originally thought this would be the hardest, but perhaps not. After just one day he's started pointing his index finger when I say one. Hopefully it'll catch on. We're teaching him this through games. One, two, three and then something exciting happens. Or, we show him items, one shoe, two shoes, three shoes. Do something, one kiss, two kisses, three kisses. And, pointing fingers. He responds to all of them and hopefully will begin to understand 1 -2 - 3.

As a side note, Henry gets to start going to nursery in one month. Hopefully, it'll stick. I think the structure to nursery will be a shock for Henry - usually he makes the rules.

Horrible Photos Indeed

2008-01-22T10:19:00.001-07:00

All I can say is, we tried! In December Henry and his cousins did a horrible job of getting their photo's taken. First, his cousins Madison & Easton (my brother Josh & his wife Jenny's kids) went to a studio to get photo's taken. I don't have a copy to show you here, but you would cry or laugh if you saw the photo. Imagine, two crusty one year old boys sandwiching a three year old. Easton has a tear, Henry has a scowl and Madison a cute little smile.

Next, later in December, we attempted a homemade shot of all of the cousins on Joe's side (plus a second cousin for good measure). Also horrible, but I have 9 beautiful renditions for you to enjoy! Should I display one in my home?

McKenzie, Austin (Joe's brother Dan & Becky's kids), Lasse, Josef (Joe's sister Aliza & Tobi's kids), Hailey (Joe's cousins daughter) and of course Henry.

Where's Your Nose?

2007-12-05T15:39:00.001-07:00

Henry's newest trick. Yep, he's smart. On a whim, I asked him to point to his nose. He didn't the first time, but after a couple tries, he was a pro at finding his nose. Now he even says nose when he points to his nose. He is SMART!

Long Overdue.

2007-12-03T14:33:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to update this blog for quite a while. For my absence the past few weeks, I apologize.

A few of the things we did in November:

The first ten days of November Joe, Henry & I watched our Bishop's two children, Isaac (6) and Eve (3). They were well behaved children and for the most part, fun to be around, however, the challenges of caring for three children for a mere 10 days were enough to deter me from including plans for an addition to our family for a long time. Between trips to school, feedings, naps and entertaining the three kids (Isaac, Eve & Henry) I had zero time for myself until after the sun went down. We do plan to have more kids, just not any time soon.

For Thanksgiving we traveled to Clifton, Idaho, where Joe's parents live. Joe was excited to spend his first ever Thanksgiving with his Mom's parents, Grandma & Grandpa Price, who moved from Paradise, California, to Clifton, Idaho, presumably to be close to the Atkin clan. He was soon corrected, apparantely he has had at least two Thanksgivings with his Grandma & Grandpa Price, but we're grateful to have spent the weekend with them anyway.

Most recently we ventured to Moab, so that I could run the Winter Sun 10k. I decided that I want to run the Canyonlands 1/2 Marathon in March, so, since late October I have been training to get myself to place where running 13.1 miles isn't torture. I do most of my training on a treadmill, because I'm a coward and I don't enjoy running in cold weather much, but I know there are huge differences in machine running vs. road running. So, I also participate in as many group outdoor runs as possible, the group aspect is incentive enough to get me running outside. Plus, running in a race is fun, and good motivation to keep training (I also ran a Cold Turkey 6k on Thanksgiving morning with my Sister Callie & my Cousin Kristin.) The bad news is that the Canyonlands 1/2 Marathon is a popular race, so you have to enter a lottery, I may or may not get a spot. I'm just hoping I do.

I think Joe has become jealous with my newfound obsession. He now wants to go to the gym with me everynight. Honestly, I've never felt better. It's such a good way to decompress after a long day.

Back to Moab... after running the 10k we spent the day just being lazy. We went to a fun light parade on Main Street in Moab and on our way home we stopped at Dead Horse Point, where Joe & I enjoyed the amazing scenerey while Henry slept in the car. I was a little relieved that Henry stayed in the car because I had a ridiculous picture in my head of Henry running off the edge and falling the 2,000 feet to the Colorado Rivier. Do Mom's ever stop worrying?

The Slide @ McGillis is Henry's Fav.

2007-10-15T08:52:00.001-07:00

Just before going down the slide.

Isn't he CUTE?!

Up the slide?

Judging from the video, you might think that Henry doesn't actually like the slide. I couldn't catch him on video going down the slide... However, the first time I ever took him to McGillis, which is a private school by our house, he ran up the stairs and straight down the slide. It's really cute to watch. Rest assured, that Henry loves the slide! This video does, however display his timid side.

Gardner Village

2007-10-09T09:48:00.001-07:00

You're shocked, I know. Multiple posts in one week, WOW! Joe, Henry & I went to Gardner Village yesterday because they have a petting zoo. It was really fun.

Conference Weekend

2007-10-08T14:04:00.001-07:00

Conference weekend is always a lazy one. Joe, Henry & I were all going a little bit stir crazy from sitting around doing nothing all weekend by the time the Sunday afternoon session ended. Despite not really understanding what was going on and why his parents were such awful couch potatoes, I'd say Henry was a pretty good boy. Some cute pictures of the weekend spent mostly inside doing nothing active.

How Henry spent his conference weekend:

1- Watching television from his perch.

2- Trying to stay warm despite the cold weather.

3- Eating some delicious yogurt, which is really messy now that he insists on feeding himself.

4- I admit this was today, Monday, not this weekend, but he has been enjoying his new toy, a rocking Elephant that Frosty gave him.

It's great fun to be a one year old!

I AM A UTAH MAN SIR

2007-10-05T09:45:00.001-07:00

We've taken Henry to a couple football games this season. He loves to be outside, which makes the games relatively enjoyable, but more than anything he loves to run around, which makes the games hard. In the past I have taken him to a 1/4 or 1/2 of the game and that seems to work just fine. My tolerance wears out similarly as quickly as Henry's especially this season when the games aren't very exciting.

I have been replaced by a serving of yogurt

2007-09-10T09:15:00.002-07:00

Last week I decided to stop nursing Henry. Actually, since mid-June he's only nursed once a day, usually around 5:30 or 6:00am. The routine was typically - Henry cries, either Joe or I would go get him, put him in bed with us and I would nurse him while everyone fell back asleep. In my niavete I thought I was doing this to earn myself a couple extra hours of sleep. But all I really got was a lot less room in which to sleep (since Henry typically laid perpindicular to Joe & I thus taking up most of the space in the bed), less sleep, and a lot of cuddling from a 1 year old.

So, I decided to wean him off this morning ritual. It was the most heartbreaking thing I have had to do as a mother. Henry's protests were relentless. He cried for two days straight. And, while crying he would pull at my shirt trying to expose my breasts so that he could satisfy his craving. The mornings were especially bad, I assume since that is when he was used to nursing. For several days he woke up at 5:30am, refused to go back to sleep and refused to stop crying. So we went on walks to calm him.

The biggest change came through two decisions: Joe & I decided to sleep in the living room on an air mattress so Joe's morning routine wouldn't wake Henry while he was trying to overcome his addiction and I replaced his morning feeding with a serving of yogurt. Sleeping in the living room was a brilliant idea of Joe's because it gave Henry the opportunity to learn to sleep longer without intervention from Joe or I.

Then there's the yogurt... Henry's new comfort object. First thing in the morning Henry wants yogurt. If he gets upset, Henry wants yogurt. If you open the fridge when he's around Henry darts towards the fridge and grabs, yogurt. I am so glad we discovered yogurt.

Now, Henry's day ends at 8:30pm when he goes to bed and begins at 8:00am when he wakes up. No early morning feedings, two happy parents, one happy baby.

#1

2007-08-24T10:53:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been a whole year already. One year ago, this little guy was a mere 5:15 pounds of lathargy and now it feels like he's so grown up! If you had explained to me how quickly he would grow, how much he would change, one year ago, even six months ago, I may have questioned your knowledge of the development of babies. But here we are with a miniature adult - one with favorites things, with desires, with a strong personality. I couldn't be happier to be a mom!! Parenthood is an exciting adventure and, even as I type this I feel emotional from the love that I feel for Henry and of course for his Dad, Joe.

So, here we are one year later. Some of Henry's most recent milestones include:

Walking!! He typically takes about 10 steps before he gets nervous and sits down or falls or finds someones hand to hold.

Speaking!! "Da" means Dad. "Du" means Duck. All toys are "du". He also makes raspberry noises every time he playes with his yellow fire truck.

Expressing his desires!! Henry now screams like a girl whenever he isn't getting exactly what he wants. Like in Sacrament meeting when he's sitting on someone's lap instead of roaming the halls. Or, at his birthday party when he wants his mom to hold him instead of eat dinner.

Demonstrating his desire for knowledge (or so I hope)!! Henry's an explorer and a climber. He loves new things. He loves to climb on new things - or old things. Lately, he's been intrigued with his ability to put things together. He loves to put toys inside of oneanother, take them apart and do it all over again.

Henry's birthday was a wonderful celebration for Joe, Henry and I. I am grateful that we have such a tremendous amount of support from our families and friends. It is awesome that one little boy can elicit so much love from a crowd of so many. I know the joy that he brings to my life and I sense and hope that he also brings similar feelings to your lives. We can expect great things from a boy who has the support of so many wonderful people. Thank you for being a part of our lives and thank you for helping us to raise our son - HENRY!

Katie's Married!

2007-08-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

"Out of My League"
by Stephen Speaks

It's her hair and her eyes today
That just simply take me away
and the feeling that I'm falling further in love
makes me shiver but in a good way
All the times I have sat and stared
as she thoughtfully thumbs through her hair
and she purses her lips, bat her eyes as she plays,
with me sitting there slack-jawed and nothing to say
'cause I love her with all that I am
and my voice shakes along with my hands
'cause she's all that I see
and she's all that I need
and I'm out of my league once again.

For more pictures click on the Katie's Married link above.

Henry Pic's

2007-07-29T18:41:00.001-07:00

Henry at the Children's Museum. He loved the various different vehicles with steering wheels. He also had a good time sorting vegetables with the other kids. He's still quite young to really enjoy the children's museum, but it was fun anyway.

Henry and his cousins McKenzie and Austin in the playground at the Zoo.

Henry loves water!

Are you diseased too?

2007-07-27T08:23:00.001-07:00

I went to my regular check up with my endocrinologist earlier this week. Typically these appointments are good ego boosters for me. Most of the time I spend at the appointment is consumed with the doctors and residents telling me that I'm the ideal diabetic (if there is such a thing). I've been told that I'm the most controlled diabetic probably every time I have ever been to the doctor - including the one this week. However, now my doctor (and especially his nervous resident) are concerned that it's too good to be true. I regularly have "lows," or low blood sugar levels. My target blood sugar level is between 85 and 110 mg/dL and I drop into the 30's on a regular basis. I am always fine, but the problem is that I have an inability to sense that my blood sugar level is low, which means that I don't always fix it quickly, which ultimately can end up to be dangerous. The good news is that I or someone else has always caught the low and there haven't been any real problems. Long story short (or not so short) I now get to change my insulin regime, see if I can get rid of some of the lows. I have nine months to fix it or the doctor is going to make me undergo screening for Addison's disease which, for numerous reasons, I'm almost positive I don't have.

Addison's disease is another autoimmune disease of the endocrine system. Basically, the body of a person with Addison's doesn't produce enough steroids (there are various kinds depending on which type of Addison's you have). It can be treated pretty easily, I think, with the addition of those steroids through pills.

http://www.endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/addison/addison.htm

The most depressing thing is that diabetes and Addison's don't get along well because the treatment for Addison's causes blood sugar levels to be really hard to control.

Even though I don't think I have Addison's, I wish I wouldn't have told the doctor to wait. Now that he's concerned that I have it - the more I think about it the more I'm concerned that I have it. It's the hypochondriac in me. And, if I knew for sure, then I wouldn't be worrying for no reason! Hopefully this new insluin regime works and I can be certain it's the diabetes and not Addison's causing my lows!

On a whim, as usual.

2007-07-12T08:05:00.001-07:00

We are fixing our patio. Joe's brother Dan got some flagstone from a job he was doing and, knowing how crappy our patio is, he offered to give it to us. Joe and I were so excited that we tore out the old patio that same night. Now, suddenly, we're neck deep in a massive project. It will be wonderful when it's done, but for now, our driveway is full of piles: a pile of flagstone rocks, a pile of gravel and a pile of sand. We got rid of the pile of bricks a couple of days ago. Nevertheless, hopefully soon you can all come over and enjoy our wonderful new vision turned reality. Here's the vision (minus the lame advertisement):

Are All Contractors Lame?

2007-06-22T16:38:00.001-07:00

It has been approximately one month since I started a fire in my kitchen. Since that time the contractors who have been working in my home have stolen (food) from me. They have lied to me and attempted to cheat me out of money. The latest fiasco involves my living room, which had minor smoke damage that was supposed to be cleaned. But, the soot wouldn't come off entirely so the contractor opted to paint the entire room instead.

First they took the liberty of deciding that brown was a good color for my ceiling even though white was my instruction. My guess, the white paint can was empty, the brown was full. Another run to the paint store or a brown ceiling? They didn't think I'd care.

Second, the color we originally painted our walls is unavailable so we picked the closest possible match which is only slightly different. The contractor promised on three different occassions that the walls had received TWO COATS. Our walls have never received an entire coat and that's obvious because flaws that we left in our original paint job remain and color changes between the original and the new paint (where they did touch up work to cover soot) also remain. They must think I'm really stupid!

And, now to top it off, I called the contractor's buff. Told him that I didn't want him working in my house anymore since he's trying to shortcut this job and leave my house in disrepair. He told me that I'm trying to cheat him out of money that he's earned!! Is it possible to earn money by doing a half fast job? Should I let him back in my house to paint the living room and fix the other mistakes that remain? Should I pay him for the work that he has so clearly done poorly? Why do I have to work with morons?

Wish I was still on vacation! I'll post some cute pictures of that soon... Henry LOVED the ocean.