Day of Thanks 2008

Started the day off with baking some yummy pies then participating in a very small (these were all the participants) neighborhood 5k. Marc gets the award for running it while pushing a toddler and a baby!!!
Spent the rest of the day enjoying yummy food, great people and fun times at Grandma Kay's house. My favorite part was Karen's cartwheel!

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! Marc and I took some time Monday night to share things we were thankful for. It was nice to take time to be grateful. Top on my list . . . My Savior, The Gospel, My Husband, My Family, My MANY Opportunities.

Last Thanksgiving . . .

It was my birthday. I had a 2 week old baby. I was still figuring out nursing. I didn't dare commit to be anywhere because I had no idea what my baby's schedule would be like so we had a cozy little Thanksgiving dinner at our home with our little family and a few good friends.
Also on that day . . . Heidi cooked her very first turkey. As she went to get the turkey out of the oven we heard a large bang followed by Heidi exclaiming, "Marc! Fire! Big Fire!" As we ran to see what had happened, Marc quickly took the turkey from Heidi and she looked right at me. She had the cutest little singed curls all around her face. I said, "Heidi, go get in the shower. Don't look in the mirror, just get in the shower".

She then grabbed her face and said "My eyelashes?!?" I continued to insist that she go get in the shower but she settled for the sink. She was wiping away the singed hair as Marc and I took turns consoling her. We had to take turns because we needed time to go laugh our face off at what just happened. Once one of us could pull it together we'd go back and talk to Heidi. She finally said, as she was pulling a chunk of singed hair out, "You can laugh, this is funny". At which point we roared with laughter! She actually made it out ok. The picture below is post-incident so you can see she was fine. But oh how many times we told that story!!!
It was a fabulous Thanksgiving full of many firsts and many great memories to treasure for a lifetime. Can't wait to see what Thanksgiving 2008 has in store!

My Love

I got the good old husband tag again. This is a bit different than the last one and I always enjoy a chance to talk about my love, so here goes:
What is your husband's name? Marc

How long have you been married? 27 months

How long did you date? 7 months

How old is he? 41

Who eats more sweets? Him

Who said "I love you" first? Me!!!

Who is taller? Marc

Who is a better singer? No question-him. I could listen to him sing to Lucy forever.

Who is smarter? If you're talking "Trivial Pursuit" smart, it is definitely Marc

Who does the laundry? Me.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Marc

Does he snore? Yes, but I can get him to stop pretty easily

What does he do in his spare time? Wikipedia, iMac, iPhone, and exercise

Who mows the lawn? Usually him.

What is his favorite candy? Reece's Peanutbutter Cups

Who cooks dinner? Me

Who drives? He does.

Who says they are wrong? Both, but he usually he says it first

Who kissed who first? He kissed me first ;)

Who asked who out first? He did, but I made it VERY obvious

Who wears the pants? When all is said and done-he does

Does he say he loves you every day? And then some

I tag Anyone who has been married for 18-31 months

Mommy Had a Birthday!

Mommy had a great birthday thanks to some great people! She started off her day by going to the temple with Heidi while Daddy and I stayed home and played. Then we all met up for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe.
Daddy did such a good job getting me ready for the big day! I love how pretty he makes my hair look and that he doesn't make me change out of my nightgown and just puts a pair of jeans on me with a "matching" bow.
Before my Mommy and Daddy even met, Heidi and my Mommy have been treating each other to breakfast on their birthdays at Mimi's Cafe. Such a yummy tradition!
After breakfast, I got to play with Heidi while my Dad took my Mom to get a pedicure (he got one too) they came back with big smiles on their faces. We played altogether and then Daddy took Mommy out for Indian Food. Mmmmm. Then all kinds of friends joined us for cake and ice-cream. Such a special day for Mommy.
Daddy really outdid himself on his gift for Mommy this year. She had mentioned to him that she really liked Anne Curry's necklace. She thought it was so simple and delicate. Daddy searched on the internet only to find out it was one of a kind and you couldn't buy it. This did not stop him, he had the jeweler make her one. Mommy LOVES it!!!
And the icing on the cake for Mommy's big day was filling up for only $17.39-ya-hoooooo!

At the end of the day, Daddy told me and Mommy how grateful he was to have Mommy as his wife. He said that every bit of effort was worth it for her to have a wonderful day, and that seeing her happy makes him happy. Horray for birthdays!

Post #300

We have hit post number 300 so let's have a giveaway! Leave a comment with something nice to say and the cute baby in the picture below will randomly select a winner from my boot.
What is the prize you ask? One of the following selections that represent a talent from a member of our family (your choice):
1) a delicious loaf of homemade bread and jam
2) an IQ test for any one age 3 or older
3) a lesson in the animal sounds for a sheep and a billy goat

I Bought One

I was able to buy a portable car seat on ebay. Thanks for your help and if any of you take a trip in the future-you know who to call. Happy to share.

Portable Car Seat?

We will be taking a trip to NYC over Christmas and will have a taxi ride from the airport to the place where we are staying (about 30 mins). The problem is that the taxis do not have car seats (you do not have to put your child in a car seat in a taxi). So instead of lugging Lucy's HUGE car seat for just that ride (and paying $25 more per bag thanks to the economy) , I am trying to buy a portable car seat on ebay, but I keep being outbid!!!

Which brings me to this post. I am hoping perhaps one of you have a portable car seat (the kind that fold up, weigh about 4 lbs and fit in your luggage) I could borrow. I would be more than happy to pay the shipping and handling fees. I would be so grateful if my little girl could have a car seat for this taxi ride. Please let me know.

What does the fuzzy duck say?

Something I Miss . . .

Lucy is a wonderful sleeper, for which I am very grateful, but you know what . . . I miss my little late night moments with her. Waking up half awake stumbling (literally) to her room as she cried then having her instantly stop once she knew I was there. Holding my little baby, feeding and rocking her with my feet awkwardly resting on the end table until she fell asleep again. Sometimes it was a brief moment and she was ready for bed again. Sometimes I was with her much longer, helping her to regain some peace. And sometimes I fell asleep right along with her. These were sacred moments of just me and my daughter that I feel so blessed to have had. I treasure these memories.

Good News . . .

This Baby weighs enough (just barely) and is old enough that we can turn her car-seat around! Ya-hoooo! Here's to being a part of the action!

We All Have To Do It . . .

Having fun at the baby's expense . . .

Did You Know . . .

when you get called to be in The Stake Primary Presidency you become a Unit Commissioner for The Scouts? (I sewed the patches on myself)
Maybe this means we've got boys in our future. (Although my friend, Jessica, who is all about scouting with 4 girls and no boys would probably tell me to keep dreaming).

Missed This In Mommy School . . .

Questions:

-When your 1 year-old switches to milk, do you warm it up first or just give it to them cold?

-How do you keep the milk fresh when you're out and about? I still give her a bottle a church.

-How often did/does your 1 year-old take a bottle? How much milk?

-What have you found to be good meals for a one-year-old? Good snacks?

Thanks!

One Year Older and Wiser Too . . .

The one-year-old!

The cake

The Party Dress (thanks Grandma Sampson)

The first time eating cake . . .

It was a hit (then I needed some down time in the tubby)

The presents. I particularly liked this one. Mom tells me it is a telephone, but it is unlike any telephone I have ever seen before.

The people!

It was so fun to celebrate such a wonderful year of joy with everyone!

Lucy, how can you be one???

Lucy, just looking at this picture of you from the day you were born makes me tear up. What an incredible blessing you are! Life has been completely transformed since you entered our world and I wouldn't want it in any other way.
I cannot believe all that you can do in just one year. Some of my favorites are: You are starting to say so many words ("ba" for balloon, "bu-bu" for bubbles, "do" for dog are some of my favorites, but nothing can trump hearing you call me "Mom"). You love to play with and investigate everything around you. You can sit and flip through a book for such a long time (often reading a book will comfort you more than anything else can). You enjoy feeding yourself and sharing an apple with me. You are staring to cuddle with me more when you are tired. You really enjoy being outside and love hiking with us.
Lucy, my love for you is endless. You need to always remember a few very important things:
1) Your Mommy loves you unconditionally and will always be your biggest fan.
2) Your Daddy is an amazing man who always wants what is best for our family. Trust him, follow him, stay close to him always.
3) You have a loving Heavenly Father you can turn to always. He loves you, he loves our family and he loves everyone in the world and so should we.

I love you Lucy girl! Happy 1st Birthday!!!

Hiking Stewart Falls

Getting one last good hike in before the snow hit (and we were just in time) . . .
We went with Bishop Sutherland from Marc's BYU Ward. He is so great! I have to laugh at this picture though because I think it is totally symbolic of what our Sundays are now like. Notice Marc being pulled toward the Bishop while I am doing my best to bring him towards me . . .

The Falls, always a welcome site!!! We love how much Lucy is beginning to love the outdoors as well.

My Thoughts on The State of The Nation (take it or leave it) . . .

-My heart is so grateful that Prop 8 appears to have passed in California. "The way we define ourselves as a nation today is how we will run ourselves as a nation tomorrow". -Gary Herbert

-I wasn't pleased with either candidate running for President, but I am not pleased with Obama's liberal views and I would have rather seen McCain in office. If Obama delivers half of what he has promised, I will be impressed.

-The "Republican Dynasty" that is running Utah Valley really needs to respect the people they represent more (especially educators).

-I was overcome with joy to see so many young people out voting yesterday. That act alone makes me grateful for the influence of Obama.

-Does, "Yes We Can" mean more than just getting Obama elected?

Vote

Woke up at 6:30am to go vote as a family (this picture is obviously from a previous voting day-you wouldn't want to see what we looked like today). It felt great to do our civic duty and we were in and out of there in about 20 minutes. I pray for our nation.

Halloween Re-cap

Halloween started out by my Mom and me heading to Baby Story Hour at the library. We go there most Fridays, but this time my Mom said her "pregnancy brain" got her all confused and we actually showed up just in time for the goodbye song. That's ok because Spanish Story Hour was just about to start so Mommy took me there and I LOVED it! We started out by singing this great song called, "La Bamba".
I dressed as a ballerina for my day time activities because Mommy said if anything happened to my witch costume, it would throw off everybody elses' outfits too. Below I am trick-or-treating in the downtown stores with my neighbors.
That night we had an activity at our church and I participated in my first cake walk with my trusty broom Dad carrying me all around. I LOVED my cupcake!
I trick-or-treated to a few of my neighbors' homes and then we passed out candy to all kinds of crazy kids that kept coming by. Mommy almost ran out of candy until she remembered about the lifesaver books she had from Christmas and there was just enough to go around!

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween. I've learned I really like suckers.

Our Little Peanut

We got a sneak peek and everything looks great! It was so wonderful to see this little one and to see its little heart just beating away. I got quite teary eyed I must say. I felt like, so there is a great reason for how yucky I have been feeling.

9 weeks along, still due: June 5th!