These Are The Good Times

Growing Too Fast!

2011-09-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

Kohen is now 15 months and I am amazed at the things that he can say, do and understand already!

*His favorite toy is still any ball he sees. He even sees just a basketball hoop, like during sacrament, and will say "ball ball ball" over and over again and point to the hoop.

*He loves the slide at the park and will stare out our back door at the school playground and point to it. He laughs when he goes down, when mom or dad go down and especially laughs when Koda goes down!

*If he sees a hat of any kind he will point to it and then pat his head. He loves wearing them too.

*He loves to cuddle blankets or his stuffed animals

*When he sees flowers he leans forward to "smell" them and says "mmmmm". We stop to smell the flowers in the grocery store, when we are on walks or our center piece on our table. We even had to smell the flowers that were on my birthday cards... funny boy!

*At bed time he loves to tease us with kisses. He will stand up and pretend he will give us a kiss and the second we go to kiss him he falls down in his crib and hides his face laughing! So we pretend to walk out and he does it all over again.

*He LOVES books! He will crawl behind his rocker in his room and will look at all of his books. He would sit there all day if I let him. His favorite book right now is his Jesus book and the book about bubbles.

*He is just starting to walk. He is getting pretty good at it and I must say I am excited he is walking now. I love having him come up behind me when I'm cooking or something and he just wraps his arms around my legs. That's my new favorite thing. Our new thing is helping mom push the cart while grocery shopping.

*He loves to tease Koda and laughs so hard when Koda chases him or licks his face.

*Words he can say are: Banana, Balloon, Ball, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Bath, Shoes (boos), Book, Bubble, moon, Watermelon (its hard to describe in words how he says this but it actually really sounds like watermelon), Koda, Drum (sounds a lot like "mum"). He loves drums. Anything he can hit his hands on and it makes noise is a drum. We had a jam session on the table during lunch yesterday.

*Words he knows in sign language: More, Please, Milk, Shoes

*Sounds he can make: Horse, tiger, cow, firetruck, duck, motorcycle (voom), crashing noise. He will take his Mickey Mouse toy with wheels and ram it into the couch and say "crash" or make a crashing noise (that I'm not really sure how to describe) and then just laugh and do it all over again.

*Pictures he can recognize: He can pick out balls, flowers, fish, mom and dad, and drums in books or in pictures around the house.

*When we ask him to show his muscles he raises his fists in the air and tenses up. Its really something you have to see because his facial expression is priceless!

*He can be Tarzan, on demand, by patting his chest and saying "AAAHHHH"

*His new thing is when you ask him a yes or no question he nods his head yes. Cutest thing ever.

*I have been trying to get him to blow kisses for a few months and last night he finally did it! I must say it completely melted my heart!

*He can make a fish face... hard to explain again, but super funny and cute!

*His newest thing is being cute. If you ask him if he is cute, or to be cute, he puts his hands on his cheeks and tilts his head to the side and smiles. Soooooo funny! (and cute!)

We haven't had a camera for the last month because it broke and we had to send it in. Of course it has to be the time when Kohen starts walking and doing all this new stuff, so once I get some of this recorded I will post a video. I'm sure there are probably things I'm leaving out especially because it seems like he learns something new every day.

I love watching him growing up and learning new things! He has the cutest personality and is the happiest little guy I know!

Bon Voyage!

2011-08-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and I started our tradition of a cruise by ourselves every 5 years on our anniversary. And so this past month we took a cruise to Key West and Nassau, Bahamas. It was so much fun to just go and be with just Jeremy 24/7! (Every couple needs that time for just them!) I was super excited as the trip got closer but also very worried about how I would be without my little man! But, surprisingly, I thoroughly enjoyed my "mommy free" week. I missed him A LOT but I was so glad to just be with Jeremy. Apparently he was going to miss us too...

Since we booked a 5 day cruise, we were able to qualify for a free hotel stay which worked perfectly because we had to fly in the day before the cruise. So we left for Jacksonville, FL early Sunday morning. After a long day of flying (we decided that Southwest was not exactly the airline we would choose to fly again) we finally landed in Jacksonville. We checked into our hotel and were ready for dinner. Side note: When Jer was on his mission he loved to eat at Zaxby's and they are all over in Florida, and lucky for me (: there was one within walking distance from our hotel. (I don't necessarily think its that great). I have this issue with strange bugs and rodents that exist in the south so walking around at dusk I was skiddish. We saw lizards and the skin of something on the side of the road. I still think it was an armadillo but Jer thinks it was a cotton mouth (aka: extremely deadly snake). I'll stick with the armadillo idea thank you! Luckily no roaches came out while we were on our walk... So we ate and headed back to the hotel and just relaxed after a long day of traveling and noticed on the news they were tracking a tropical storm, potential to become a hurricane, that was going to go right on our path of the cruise. I was a little nervous just because I didn't want to come all this way to not be able to go to where we planned and what cruise is fun in the rain? You go on a tropical vacation to bask in the sun! So I really just wanted good weather. Jer called the cruise line but they weren't worried about it so we slept a little easier that night.

We got to the port right around 12:00 and got on the ship well before 1:00. We were surprised at how short the process was. One thing that we learned was pack a swim suit in your carry on so if your luggage takes until 6 or later to get to your room, you will still be able to swim or lay out... so we just wandered and explored the ship.

So, we found our cabin and we walked in and this is what I found...

My sweet hubby had it decorated and it was a surprise to me...and to him! They weren't supposed to decorate it until the day of our anniversary. But it was actually nice that they messed up because then we could have it decorated the whole week and it was a surprise to Jeremy too. But it was a very sweet surprise!

We loved our cabin! The first cruise we went on we had an interior room so we opted for an ocean view room this time and that is the way to go! The window was a lot bigger than we thought it would be and it was nice to be able to see out when we were in there.

Our dinner table was pretty fun. All of the couples were around our age. It was a little funny though as we were introducing ourselves one couple said they had just gotten married that saturday and then two more of the couples said they did too! So there were 3 newlyweds, one couple that weren't married yet and then Jer and me... celebrating our 5 year anniversary! We felt like the old married couple! But all of the photographers kept calling us newlyweds so I guess that makes up for it. (:

Our first stop was Key West Florida. We went snorkeling when we took our trip to Hawaii a couple years ago and we loved it so we decided to do that in Key West.

The reef we snorkeled around is the 3rd largest reef in the world so there was quite a lot of life on it... including lots of jelly fish. Once I heard that and then saw them from the ship I was a little nervous (yes, I'm a sissy). Jer's brother, Jed, let us borrow his waterproof camera (thanks Fred!) so we were able to take pics of what we saw and some video of a little turtle that we found.

These fish were so friendly. They weren't skiddish at all. And they were loud. We could hear them nibbling on the coral and rocks.

And just before this picture was taken Jer was stung on his arm by a jellyfish!

There was a storm headed our way, as you can see in the pics and luckily it waited until we were back on land and didn't last very long.

After snorkeling we wandered around Key West finding our traditional treasures and such. We came across a replica of a shark they caught off of Key West's shores. I'm really glad that I saw that AFTER we were in the water...

We woke up early to watch the sunrise the next day and it was so beautiful! A great way to start our 5th anniversary!

Next stop, Nassau, Bahamas!

We had a lot of fun in Nassau but we are definitely going to have to return. We did enjoy ourselves but we didn't feel like we got the experience the Bahamas as we had imagined we would. We went the the Atlantis resort, and the Dolphin Encounter. The resort was fun, huge and exciting.

This is a view of the resort. It is 171 acres... it could easily take a good week to fully enjoy it!

We went down one water slide that took you through their shark tank so that was pretty cool. They also have an aquarium there that we briefly walked through at the end of the day. They have an 11' manta ray! It was huge!

So the resort took up a lot of our time and then it was off to the Dolphins!

The dolphins were very fun to be around and touch and, yes, even kiss! We learned a lot about them and thoroughly enjoyed being in the water. The dolphin we swam with was named Palmer. She was only 3 years old and super active and cute.

The day was nearly over by this point so we wandered over to the beach for just a few minutes but not very long then headed back to the dock. By this time all the shops had pretty much closed and this place is not really a place I wanted to be in at night... we hit the end of the street where the straw market was and it was pretty much over so all the stands were covered with tarps. That made me a little nervous. I felt like I was going to go in this sea of tarps and disappear!

Jer likes to collect street signs or license plates from the places we visit (not real ones of course but the touristy ones, like in Hawaii he got one that said "I got Lei'd") So, this lady was really adamant about us buying something and was trying to sell us little trinkets (I don't do trinkets). So Jer said he really wanted to find a license plate or street sign. So, the lady reaches, without looking, behind the tarp and pulls out a license plate! Not a fake one, this one is the real thing!!! Is that even legal? I dunno if it is but Jer bought it anyway! We just thought it was funny that she actually had one. So we headed back to the ship exhausted from the non-stop day!

The ship was a welcome sight after the long, adventurous day!

The last day of our cruise we were at sea so we just enjoyed the sunshine and relaxing one last day. I was so glad that the storm bypassed us completely and it was perfect weather to sun bathe and just relax!

I love watching the sunset on the ocean. You just feel like you are on the edge of the world!

Hopefully I really don't have to wait another 5 years for a cruise! We had too much fun! But it was the perfect way to celebrate my life with my sweet husband!

Party Animal!

2011-07-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

What's a birthday without a party?? I love planning parties and i'm not really sure why because they just stress me out! But, I am so happy that Kohen's party turned out so well! First off, I just wanted Kohen to enjoy the day so I made sure he got his morning nap, which he slept for 3 hours!! Just enough time for us to get everything prepared and decorated. And with the help of Aunt Heather, he was dressed and fed so he could be ready to go!
The biggest thing that stressed me out was the cake. I had a really cute idea for a monkey & banana cake but original plans fell through and I needed to simplify if I had any chance of making it on my own. So, I tried my had at making a fondant monkey for a cake topper. I did a practice run with Play dough first... (a brown monkey is much cuter than a neon orange and green one!)

I was satisfied with the way it turned out, however, I failed to store it in a cool enough place and he melted a little by the time Kohen's party came around.

Jeremy was such a big help with decorating the cupcakes and Kohens cake that morning. I still hadn't quite figured out what I was going to do with his cake. I really wanted to put the bananas all over the cake so it looked like a pile of bananas the monkey was on but they are hard candies and Kohen couldn't eat them so I didn't really know what to do with it. I had gone back and forth with so many ideas in my head I just didn't care any more. Luckily, I have a husband who is frighteningly good at everything he does so he did Kohens cake while I worked on the cupcakes.
Finally....
Decorations were up, cakes and drinks were in place.... Let the fun begin!

My friend at work is amazing at making any thing to do with scrapbook paper so I asked her to make me a banner. I love how it turned out!!!!

This was Kohen in his Born To Be Wild shirt while we were finishing setting things up...

We started with presents and boy did he make a haul! He's so lucky to have so many friends and family that came.

These were the first 3 presents he opened: the chair, bubbles and some books. Obviously he was content with just those but we were just getting started...

He loves this chair, given to him by his cousins, he opened almost all of his presents sitting in it while cousin, Dawson supplied the presents and mom assisted in opening them... talk about spoiled!

Does this picture show the excitement or what!? I think he was satisfied. (I didn't have time to photoshop so his arm looks like its broken or something. I promise it's not!)
There was just one thing that was slightly unplanned, the cupcakes started melting before we ate them but hey, frosting is frosting and it tastes good in any form! (especially the rainbow chip kind... mmm.)
But ofcourse, nothing will stand in the way of a 1 year old and their cake. Kohen just dug right in.

And we couldn't let a hot sunny day go to waste without going swimming!

It was a great 1st birthday (I'm sure Kohen would agree) and thank you to everyone who came to make it great!

A Bundle of Joy... Our Sweet Baby Boy!

2011-07-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our bundle of joy isn't exactly a little bundle or a baby but he is still sweet and brings so much joy!! My little baby has turned 1. I have to say it was bittersweet but this last year has been so much fun with him! We have no recollection of what our lives were like without him! He has learned so much and it has been fun watching him grow up and I'm excited to continue to watch him grow. I just wish the years to come would go a lot slower!
My sister in law has this really cute tradition that we have adopted (well, stolen really) where she decorates her kids doors for holidays and birthdays. So we decided to start that with Kohen as well.
We had breakfast in the morning and gave him a couple of presents to open. His favorite of course were the balloons, which became a new word for him that day. He calls them "boons". So funny.

After Kohen's nap we took him to the Zoo and he loved it! It was a perfect day, the temp was great, and Kohen was so excited to see everything. Since it was a little cooler that day the animals were so active so it was fun to be able to actually see them move. Kohen loved the monkeys, I'm pretty sure right now it's his favorite animal so I'm glad he could see them so active.

We wanted to let him get something from the gift shop since it was his birthday/first time at the Zoo so we were looking around and there wasn't really anything little kid friendly besides stuffed animals or books. So we kept showing him stuffed elephants or tigers and nothing really struck his fancy and then I found this huge monkey and it was on sale! So I brought it over to him and this was his reaction...

So that was it!

Then we headed home and had dinner and then grandparents came over for presents and cake and ice cream.
He was definitely spoiled.

It was such a fun day! We are so blessed to have this little guy in our family!

Kohen weighs in at 16lbs 6oz at 12 months. The things he can do are:
Make a monkey sound
Make a cow sound
Make a firetruck sound
Make a dinosaur sound (which was new after the zoo since they have dinosaurs there)
Make a tiger sound (also new since the zoo and sounds very similar to the dinosaur)
Make a horse sound
Says the word ball
Says Koda ("Doda")
Says the word balloon ("boon")
Says the word Banana ("Nana")
Knows who Jesus is and can say his name when he sees His picture
Knows and can say the color blue ("boo")
Says the word book ("boo" occasionally with the k on the end)
Can crawl up and down the stairs
Can walk on his own if he is pushing something
Loves to swim and will kick his legs to move

Even though he is a little on the small side, the doctor was very impressed at his vocabulary and says he is beyond what kids normally are at his age. He is a very fast learner and its so fun to see!

I'm Proud to be an American!

2011-07-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

We had quite a lot of celebrating this 4th of July. Lots of fireworks, snowies and late nights! We went to Taylorsville dayzz and let Kohen go on the Carousel. Jeremy said he didn't like it too much just because it was a little jerky but he got used to it.

He was pretty intrigued by all the rides and lights. One ride he looked very concerned for the welfare of everyone on the ride.
Kohen loves firetrucks and so of course we had to go look at it. It was a little crowded and so we were patiently waiting to let Kohen look inside and some kid comes up to us and says "you guys can come around to the other side" so we walked around to the other side to the open door the kid so nicely opened for us and set Kohen inside... We took pictures and said thank you to the boy and said, "oh, no problem, I don't work here." uuuuuuhhhhhh..... okay.

Here is Kohen sporting his first homemade shirt... not the greatest picture of it.

This is how we roll...

We went to a couple of parades and lots of fireworks which Kohen really liked. His favorite thing in the parade were the police men on their motorcycles and of course the firetrucks.

Priceless...

2011-07-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

1 Fish 2 Fish Red Fish...Blow fish??

2011-07-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

We took Kohen too the aquarium a few weeks ago and just as I suspected he LOVED it! Although, I thought for sure he would be fascinated with the sharks or something but his favorite fish was the blow fish. We put Kohen right up to the glass and the fish just kept bumping against the glass right in front of his face and he thought it was hilarious. We took him back a couple of different times and it was the same game! He loved it.

He did enjoy the sting rays as well.

Its nice that kids are easily entertained because everytime we go back he has just as much fun as he did this time.

He Did It!!!

2011-05-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

Jeremy is officially a private pilot! We drove up to Caldwell, Idaho so Jer could test for his license. We were both crossing our fingers that he would pass so we didn't have to make that drive again. We drove up the night before and then Jer had his test the next afternoon. He wasn't feeling the greatest so I was hoping he would still be able to concentrate even though he was sick. So he left and me and Kohen just hung out at the hotel. His first test was the ground test or oral test. He had told me if he didn't pass that then he wouldn't do the flying test. Each test was about 2 hours long. So, 2 hours goes by and I kept crossing my fingers that my phone wouldn't ring. Finally, there is a knock at the door and it was Jer. I said, "So?...." and he said "I don't know how but I passed!" I was so PROUD of him and excited for him. I was ecstatic but he felt like he could have done better so he was a little disappointed. He had some type of flu bug so I had to keep reminding him that he did his absolute best under the circumstances and to give himself a break! It was all worth it. We went out to eat and then he came back and went straight to bed so we didn't really get to celebrate but I am extremely proud of him. He worked so hard at studying and going to school long hours he definitely deserved this license! Way to go Sweetie!!

This is an older picture of Jer but its the only one I have. This is actually a picture of his first solo flight.

Kohen I think enjoyed his first hotel stay. His favorite thing was the complimentary cups.

Kohen and I went to the pool too. It was his first time at a pool where he could be in a floaty.
He seemed to enjoy it the more he got used to it. He didn't absolutely hate it so I'm glad it gave us something else to do. (Caldwell isn't exactly a vacationing spot if you know what I mean). After the pool it was the disney channel and some relaxation. I made Kohen a little chair out of his floaty and a blanket. That kept him occupied oh about 10 seconds...

Kohen was a trooper for the trip. He did so good in his car seat for the 6 hour drive. He had a little bit of trouble sleeping at night since he could see mom and dad. He didn't want to ever go to sleep but other than that he was such a good little traveler! Although, while Jeremy was gone, he did throw his very first tantrum.... I laid him down for a nap in his pack n play and he did not want to sleep. He screamed and cried and screamed.... for about an hour. Then finally... silence. This is what silence looks like...

All in all it was a good trip, especially since Jeremy passed which means we wouldn't have to go up there for a second try! Now the rest of schooling begins. One license down, 2 to go!

Good Intentions...

2011-05-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

I promise I had good intentions of keeping up on my blogging but now with May almost half way over that didn't last long! So here is a little bit of a longer update...

EASTER
We had so much fun with Kohen this Easter. This Easter was especially exciting for me because I was able to wear a bright yellow shirt without looking like and Easter Egg this year! (It's funny how when you are prego in the summer your stomach gets compared to a lot of things such as Easter eggs, watermelons, you get the picture, Especially when you wear bright colors). So, this year I had my stomach to myself, and Kohen was able to do the fun stuff! He had a lot of fun at the family Easter egg hunt with Jer's family. Other than it was way too cold, he had a lot of fun and got some good stuff too.We dyed Easter eggs with my brother and his family and our cousin. I was a little nervous to let Kohen actually touch the dye, especially since he was using a high chair that wasn't his and it wasn't our house he could potentially dye... so I let him squish the egg in some dye that came with a "marble" kit and that seemed to entertain him enough.

I decorated my "Little Egg". It was fun until I had to take them off...

those stickers are good quality stickers!!! He was not very happy after that...

The Easter bunny came of course and brought us all great stuff. Then off to the families for another Easter egg hunt for Jeremy... I mean.... Kohen. :)

But, aside from all the fun, this Easter was actually pretty spiritual. Once we had Kohen we have tried to think of different traditions or just things that we want our kids to remember when they are older. So, a week before easter, I was trying to think of a way we could make easter a little more spiritual. I found a talk on the week before christ's crucifixion and resurrection. So, every day for the week before Easter, we would read the corresponding part of the talk and the scriptures that went with it. I have to say, I learned a lot about what Christ went through even before his trial and crucifixion that I honestly didn't know. It made me gain a much greater respect for what he did for all of us. We decided that it will be our new tradition every easter.

Another thing that made Easter a little more spiritual, and grateful, was the experience we got to share with our neighbors. They are not members of our church and her mother's health was failing fast. It was a long couple of weeks and then she finally passed. They asked us a lot to pray for her to be able to let go even though it was hard. But when she passed we had so many opportunities to share the knowledge that we have because of the gospel. It was so neat to be able to share that with them. She even asked us for a Book of Mormon. They aren't even close to being converted or interested but I'm pretty sure we have a seed planted! But the joy that can come out of so much sorrow.... that's what I was so glad we could share with them especially around Easter! There isn't a more perfect time to rejoice in the resurrection!

BABY BULLET
So, if you ask me the number one most stressful thing about being a mom is not the sleepless nights, (cuz my baby let me sleep. Thanks Kohen!), and not the breastfeeding, not the sicknesses but the feeding. When it came time to start Kohen on solid foods, I totally stressed out! I am not really sure why but I was so afraid he wasn't getting enough, or eating too much. You can ask my sister in law. I bothered her (still do) about every little thing!! (Thanks Sarah!). So, I saw the baby bullet on TV and the thing that sold me was really the free steamer that comes with it but we bought it to try it and I actually enjoy it a lot! Now that Kohen is eating more than a baby just starting solids, it's only saved me about $12 the first month I did it. But $12 saved is $12 in my pocket! But it definitely will be nice for the next child. But I like that I can make different combinations with it. Like, oatmeal and apples one day and oatmeal and pears or bananas the next. And rice with peas or carrots or green beans. So this was my first experience making it and my freezer door is chuck full of homemade baby food! It's kind of a satisfying thing!

And here is proof that kids don't care where the food comes from, as long as they can put it in their mouth, it doesn't matter! But at least this food was made with love! That's gotta count for something.

MOMMA'S DAY!

Mother's day was good of course! There is nothing greater than being a mom! I have the greatest husband and the best little boy any mom/wife could ask for!

My Baby's Funnies

2011-04-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

So, I decided that I need to blog more because I am terrible and journaling... so, if I'm going to record my child's doings I might as well share it with all of YOU! So, I was cleaning up Kohen's breakfast and he was just crawling around the living room. Jer had fixed our baby gate and had left it on the living room floor. I picked it up and leaned it up against the couch and as I was in the kitchen I could hear Kohen playing with it. So, of course I told him not to and then I hear nothing... still nothing.... still nothing. We all know, as mothers, that when kids are quiet there is usually something going on. So I went to go check on him and this is what I found.

I have to admit, I laughed. Then I made sure he was ok, then told him not to move so I could get the camera. How could I not??!! He had the most confused look on his face. He couldn't figure out how it got on top of him and he looked like he was scared to move. So funny.

This is him glaring at the gate after...

I have been teaching Kohen sign language (at least the little bit I remember from High School) and he finally picked up on the word "more" and I was so excited to see him do it on his own!

And he has picked up on crawling and I think that my baby crawling in his pajamas is just adorable! He's like a little baby doll that moves. He sure knows how to get around!

My oh my, how time flies!

2011-04-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

Our Little Man is nine months old already! I can't believe it! He has finally picked up on the crawling thing the last couple of weeks and is ALL over the place. I don't know if most people are overwhelmed with it at first but I actually enjoy that I don't have to carry him from room to room now! He just crawls on in right behind me, along with his best bud Koda. Him and Koda have so much fun now that Kohen can move around on his own. Koda wasn't sure how to handle it at first but now Kohen is interacting and they play fetch and tug-a-war all the time. Cutest thing to watch ever! He is a healthy little bugger, which we are so very grateful for! The doc was very impressed at how strong he is for his age. He weighed in at a little over 16 lbs and is 27.5 in. long at his 9 month appointment. He is full of life and excitement and we couldn't love anything more than we love him!! He loves the camera, which you can totally tell by all these pictures...

PS. For those that read our previous blog, Jeremy's finger is back to normal. He has full function of it so we are grateful for that. He has a pretty sweet scar to show for it. It was just a little bump in our road, thankfully we can just get back up and dust ourselves off and life is good!

Table Saw VS. Hand

2011-03-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is never a good thing and probably makes most people cringe just at the thought of it (myself included). The hand never wins...ever, but sometimes it doesn't lose too bad, some injuries are worse than others. LUCKILY, Jeremy was one of the LUCKY ones. LUCKY as in he still has his finger attached to his hand! Somehow, and the doctor was very amazed, that he cut his tendon but didn't rupture it. So he still had full movement of his finger LUCKILY! So, all day in the emergency room, a bottle of antibiotics and a few kisses from his wife (: and we were finally home feeling a little bit better since it wasn't as bad as it could have been and wasn't as bad as the doc had initially thought it to be!
I know it wasn't just LUCK that saved his finger. He was definitely being watched over and while we still can't understand why things like this have to happen when times are a little more stressful and trying than normal anyway, we are just blessed that it isn't worse. (LUCKILY!) (:

What a good "Doctor Wife" he has... He is doing a heck of a job preparing me to be a "Doctor Mom"!

This is proof that a finger is very important. This is all the stuff we use for his finger and the nice slice he did on his thumb. It's quite the process.

Where oh where did your smiles go? Oh where oh where could they be?

2011-02-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

My poor baby boy is sick... it's so sad. It's 8:30am and I have not seen a single smile. That is HIGHLY unusual! He is definitely not the same little guy when he doesn't feel good.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JER!

2011-01-07T20:26:00.000-08:00

Jeremy's irthday was the last day of December and I always feel like he gets jipped out of celebrating his birthday. No one can ever get together because it's New Year's eve and everyone else has parties to go to or what not. So, I wanted to do something for him this year that was just about him and not New Years. We had some friends and neighbors over for dinner and cake. And like a worry wart that I am, I was too worried about people getting enough soup to eat or whatever that I didn't even take a single picture! However, it was fun to get together to celebrate my awesome hubby!
I got Jer a new Tempurpedic pillow. (I know, sounds lame, but his is so old and he loves it.) And since Jeremy is still such a kid at heart, Kohen got him a remote control helicopter. I'm not really sure why he enjoys flying them around when he can actually fly a real one.... but what ever makes him happy!

As you can see, Kohen looks pretty excited about it as well. Like father like son.
Kohen and I are very lucky to have such a WONDERFUL daddy and husband! He works so hard for both of us we LOVE him more than anything! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!

Happy Holidays!

2011-01-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

We definitely had a great Christmas at our house. It was fun with Kohen even though he had no idea what was going on. It was still fun to see him open his presents and then totally ignore the actual toy and just go to town on eating the wrapping paper! But, what is the Holidays without any drama or excitement right??? Well, our "excitement" was on Christmas eve...

Jer and I were loading up the car to go to my parents house for dinner. We had everything in the car, Kid -- check, Dog -- check, Soup -- check, Diaper bag -- check, keys -- check. We shut both doors once we loaded up the last of everything and were walking around the car to get in and we hear .... click. The doors locked. Jeremy looked at me and asked if I had the keys and I sure didn't. Now, just as a side note, our dog has this amazing ability to find buttons on things like phones, or remotes and can somehow push them at the absolute worst times. Like when we are watching a movie and its at the intense part and then - click - the channel changes. Don't ask me how he does it but it's quite the talent. Well, in this case, he had managed to find the button on the keyless remote and locked the doors. Locking him and our child, who was crying at the time, inside the car.
Now, any responsible parent would say, "oh, no big deal, I'll just go and get the spare key." Right? Wrong. We have no clue where our spare key is. It's been missing for quite some time now. So, we are already running late for dinner and now have to find a way to break into our car. To make a 45 minute story into about 45 seconds we ended up with neighbors, neighbors kids, neighbors dogs, and the fire department in our garage. Needless to say, our nephew Dawson thought it was pretty cool to see a fire truck at our house and thought it was nice of the firemen to "rescue baby Kohen" as he tells the story. Yes, we will not forget Kohen's first christmas eve any time soon. And I would have gladly documented it with pictures and all but of course the camera was in the diaper bag... locked in the car. But a big thanks to everyone who came over to help, especially our neighbor with the Slim Jim who was the big hero and got the door open!!
Anyway, after that, christmas went off without a hitch! Kohen got some great gifts from grandparents and of course Santa!

It was a really great Christmas but what made it great wasn't the presents. I loved spending Christmas with just me and my boys. As long as I have them, I don't need anything else!

The day after christmas, we made a drive up to Boise to spend some time with Jer's brother and his family. They were in town visiting Julie's family and we couldn't pass up the chance to see them when they were so close. Kohen actually did very well for his first road trip. As long as we kept him fed he still got his naps in, we were golden!

We stopped for a quick dinner and then we were on our way again to Julie's family's cabin a couple of hours away. The two little guys were bundled up and were ready to go. We got to the cabin and unpacked and got a surprise visit from SANTA!

We all got presents from Santa and exchanged our family gifts. We gave the babies their presents the next day and I love the sequence of these two pics on our camera...
Ignore the foot and look at Kohen's face as he looks in his bag at his present...

And then decides the present he gave his cousin Oliver was, apparently, cooler.
He actually really likes the toy he received from his cousin. I'm guessing it was the shiny polka dots that he really wanted to get his hands on!
We had to cut our trip a day short due to bad weather, which was a bummer, but it was really fun to be able to spend some time with family, especially being able to have Kohen and Oliver together.

Blogging?.... What's that?

2010-12-10T06:46:00.000-08:00

So obviously I have neglected my blogging duty but for good reason! Being a new mom has been my #1 favorite thing to do and when I have had spare time I would think to myself....play with my handsome little boy.... or blog. Um, not a hard decision for me. However, he is growing so fast I would regret it if I didn't update this at least once before the end of the year!

So here is what we have been up to the past 5 months, yes, our baby is already 5 months old! I can't believe it!

Jeremy's cousin Levi came and did some newborn pics for us. Here are some of my favorites

Jer's brother and his wife had a baby just before us and they were able to come out this summer. We took some family pics while they were here. This is Kohen and Oliver.

We were also able to bless Kohen and Oliver together while they were out here. It was such a neat day being able to have the whole family together for it. Jer and Jake gave very nice blessings, it was a very special day.

Kohen was a cute little shark for halloween. We went trunk or treating, trick or treating at Macey's with Kohen's cousins and pumpkin carving with Jer's fam.

And of course we could not let the giant amount of snow keep us from playing outside! I'm not sure how much fun Kohen had for his first experience with snow since he could exactly move... but he sure looked cute!

I'm so excited for our first christmas as a little family and start our own traditions!

Kohen with the absolute worst Santa ever! Oh well, Kohen doesn't know any better right?!

Don't judge us, Yes I know he is wearing Halloween pajamas in a Christmas picture...

And here are just some of my favorite pictures we have taken over the last 5 months.

My all time FAVORITE picture of him!

Kohen and his best bud Koda

Kohen and his new favorite toy... his feet.

A LITTLE LATE BUT WORTH THE WAIT!

2010-07-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

Kohen Jeremy Atkinson finally arrived June 29th @ 10:39am. He was 7 lbs 4 oz and 20 inches long. He was due June 22nd so I ended up being induced. I was a nervous wreck the night we went in, they kept putting us off telling us to keep calling. Finally we were able to go in around 10pm. Everything got started around midnight, I got my epidural around 3:30 so I was able to sleep through the whole night. I woke up to my doc coming in around 8am and she said it was time to go! I pushed for about 2 hours and little Kohen was in my arms!! What and AMAZING feeling! There are absolutely no words to describe the delivery! There is no other experience like it in the world! And to top it off, after he was weighed and wiped up, he was placed on my chest and greeted me and Jeremy with the biggest smile! I would go through those two hours all over again just to experience those moments! Kohen is now 5 weeks old and has been a great baby! He is totally easy going and greets me with smiles almost every morning!
This is a terrible picture but it is right before I was about to start pushing. I was exhausted even after being able to sleep. I had no idea how exhausted I was about to become... :)

Enough jibber jabber.... here are some pics.

This was one of Kohen's first smiles for mom and dad... His smiles melt my heart!

We were wondering how Koda would react to a new baby... I think he approves.

Our new little family! We love our little guy and can't imagine our lives without him!

Getting Closer...and Rounder

2010-05-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

So here are some more pics of my ever so round belly!

We were in Disneyland this week so I had to improvise without a paper...

I was laughing in this pic because we had tried to get a good picture and then realized after about 3 tries I had the paper backwards. I don't know what was funnier, the fact I had it backwards or the fact that Jeremy didn't even notice when he was the one looking right at me through the camera...

Oh, and here is Jer at 36 weeks... Doesn't he just look miserable?!

And here is a picture that we got at our last ultrasound. Sorry its kinda small. But it's a cute picture of his little mouth, cheeks and nose... can't wait to see them in the flesh!

4 Weeks and counting...Sorta

2010-05-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

So, I am slowly coming to terms with myself that I cannot keep my baby in my tummy forever. One day, which is fast approaching, he will have to come out! While I am soooooo excited to finally meet the little guy, I don't know if I'm totally ready to give up my special time with him yet! For those of you who have been pregnant, or are pregnant, even if you didn't enjoy being pregnant, cannot deny that you have a special bond between you and your baby. For 9 whole months, your baby is all yours. You get him/her all to yourself. Granted people can feel the movements on the outside but there is no words to explain the true joy of a mother to be feeling those movements. Right now, I can take my baby where ever I go. We are obviously inseperable. And I hate the thought of not being with him constantly once he is born. And sharing him?!! How do you share something that has been yours for 9 months? I know everyone is just going to love him :) so I will definitely have to get used to that idea! So, since my special 9 month window is slowly closing, I try to treasure and remember every moment I still can while I have the time!! It flies by so fast and once he is born I know time will go even faster!
People stop me in the stores all the time and ask me if I am just absolutely miserable and with a smile on my face I tell them that I'm not and I would stay pregnant longer if I could! Jeremy informed me the other day that I should probably stop saying that to people because they are going to think I'm crazy! Who would want to be pregnant longer than 9 months?! I told him that I reserve the right to be crazy because I was pregnant so I didn't care if they thought I was nuts! Maybe I am!
I am definitely going to miss being pregnant. You are only pregnant for the first time once and it has been so much fun. The last few months have been the most exciting yet and I'm sure that the next few will bring just as many, if not more, joy and excitement!
(I do have more pictures to post of the baby belly and showers but the camera is upstairs and I am currently stuck on the couch quite comfortable and comfort is hard to come by sometimes with a belly so I'm just going to sit here and enjoy it!)

You might be 6 months pregnant if...

2010-04-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

If you are eating a symphony bar and cool ranch dorrito chips at the same time.... you might be 6 months pregnant.

If you are wearing flip flops even when there is 5" of snow on the ground because they are just far more comfortable than normal shoes...you might be 6 months pregnant.

If you feel like your stomach has turrets because you can't control bouncing from the constant punches and kicks and wiggles that are very visible on the outside... you might be 6 months pregnant.

If you are sleeping with a pillow under your feet... and between your knees... and behind your back and... under your tummy... you might be 6 months pregnant.

If you go to the bathroom and have to go again before you even finish washing your hands... you might be 6 months pregnant.

If you sit down and your stomach can rest on your lap (and its never done that before)... you might be 6 months pregnant.

If you rest your hands on your stomach and your baby moves against it and it puts a huge smile on your face.... you ARE 6 months pregnant and loving every second of it!

These were inspired by Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck". If he can joke about his own kind why can't I? (:

Here are some more pics...

Being 6 months pregnant has been so much fun. My stomach has officially become a playground for our crazy little child. He definitely has his little quarks already! His favorite spot to curl up is on my far right side and he will just sit there. You can actually see the bulge from his body. And he loves to push really hard against my sides and then kick and then he disappears for a second then does it again... and again... and again. He is definitely enjoying his time in there while he still
has room to move around. I love feeling his little moves. I only wish I new what part of his body I was so briefly coming in contact with! I can't wait to play with his little hands and feet! I am very excited for our little guy to get here but I will really miss this experience of being pregnant.

I was thinking today how fast it has gone by. It seems like just last month when I was sitting on the edge of the bed with Jeremy next to me and the unopened pregnancy test in my hand deciding how much I really wanted to know. I was so scared to take that freakin test! And it seems like just weeks ago that we told our families, and found out we were having a boy... everything has been so exciting and just going so fast!

I definitely love being pregnant. It has been such a fun adventure for both of us!

Our Little One

2010-03-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

We know our little guy will be here before we know it so I am trying to enjoy every moment I can before our new journey begins. I have had my maternity pictures already! I wanted to do them before I was uncomfortably...large. And they turned out so cute! The day we took these pictures, it was freezing cold!! And the wind is not a girls best friend when trying to pose for the camera! But we toughed it out and our Photographer was great! Here are just a few of them... What I Love Most About Being Pregnant...

I absolutely LOVE feeling our little guy kick and squirm. He is definitely a wiggle worm. I'm pretty convinced that he will come out doing acrobatics! But one thing is for sure, he can already put a smile on my face!

I LOVE that Jeremy tells me every day how beautiful I am. Anyone who has been pregnant knows how you can have days where you feel, lets face it, fat. I love knowing that he sees right past my big belly, and it makes a world of difference!

I LOVE that I have the chance to be a MOMMY! I know it will be a challenge but such a blessing at the same time. Being able to care for such a special little guy is the greatest feeling in the world. Especially knowing he will have the BEST DAD in the world!

Needless to say, we are eager for our little guy to come. I am excited to see what he will look like and what type of personality he will have. He has a very loving and excited family waiting for him!

Belated Mele Kalikimaka!

2010-03-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

I know I am way late at posting our Hawaii trip but better late than never! Obviously it was an exciting trip announcing our new baby and all but that was just part of it. We absolutely loved our trip to Hawaii. We saw beautiful scenery and experienced new things that were just amazing!

This was one of our first views of Hawaii from the plane. Its so beautiful even from the air!We first went to Maui. We stayed in a condo complex that was right on the beach where we saw whales and this beautiful rainbow that we woke up to one day. It was so pretty to see it just disappear into the ocean.

The day after we arrived, we made our way to a couple of beaches that were very pretty and I must say, a nice break from the winter storms back home!This video cracks me up! The waves were starting to get bigger and bigger as the day went on and I think the boys were starting to underestimate the strength of them... Watch this video and keep your eye on Jordan who is standing on the left...

I promise there were no camera tricks in that disappearing act!! By the way, Terry, was this
BEFORE or AFTER you belly flopped onto the sand??? :) Let's just say, the boys keep things very entertaining!

We took a drive around the island one evening and here are some of the pics we took. It started getting dark so they aren't the greatest quality and they definitely don't do the island justice. It was absolutely gorgeous.
Jeremy and I had decided before hand we wanted to spend a day just the two of us. We drove around the island a little bit and we went to a blowhole. It was a long walk for my prego belly but it was really pretty once we got to it.
We stopped by a little local town tucked away in the mountains and Jeremy got himself an iced coconut.
We walked down this little trail that led us to a very pretty secluded beach.We went down to Lahaina later. They have a street full of shops, a lot like Main Street in Park City. We stopped at an information booth and decided at the last minute to go on a Sunset Cruise. It was a fun little getaway for us. It was so pretty to be out on the ocean and watch the sunset. But the coolest thing was to watch all the whales that we saw. This is one of the videos that we took of the whales. There is a good tail flip at the very beginning and then its a little shaky and takes a little bit to get to the other good parts but its cool to watch.

Our very favorite part of our trip in Maui was our snorkelin g excursion. We took a boat out to a couple different islands and we snorkeled. On our way out to the first island, we saw a couple more whales that got really close to the boat. It was really neat. We saw a baby whale on the back of its mom. So that was exciting. The first island was really pretty. There were fish all over and the coral was really pretty. The second island was so much fun. We were just kind of snorkeling around and there was really pretty coral to look at. We stopped for a second to see if everyone was still with us and Jeremy stuck his head back in the water to just look around and there was a sea turtle swimming right under us! So we all put our masks back on and followed it for a while. It was so neat to see it in real life. It was a perfect day for me and Jer. We saw more whales, swam with a couple of turtles, on the way back in the really shallow parts there were turtles all over and they even put up the sails on the boat, which Jeremy was really hoping for. So it was really fun for both of us!

Our next stop was Oahu.
We had a lot planned for Oahu and it was a lot of fun. We went to Pearl Harbor first.Pearl Harbor was cool. We have a plethora of pictures, courtesy of Jake and Julie, so if you want to see more of Pearl Harbor, we have the whole museum on our camera! There were so many interesting things there. I can't believe having to live on that submarine the way that they did. It was pretty cool.

Our next stop... The Polynesian Cultural Center. But, you can't go to the Cultural Center without a ride on the Pineapple Train! Yes, we went to the Pinapple farm so Becky could ride on the train since we never boarded the Sugar Cane train in Maui... I mean, we went to the Pineapple farm because we all really wanted to (wink wink).

Pinapple Picking 101: Pinapples don't grow on trees. To pick a good pineapple the eyes should all be the same size, color doesn't matter and you twist the top and it comes right off! Who'd a thought we would learn the most on our trip at the Pineapple farm?!

Now on to the Cultural Center...
We spent the rest of the day at the Cultural Center. It was fun to go around and learn the different things of the different islands. I was actually quite surprised to learn that a lot of the islands still live the same way they did years and years ago. We got ourselves some pretty sweet tatts...don't we look just like a tough couple. Yes, that's my mean face. I think I need to work on that a bit but Jer on the other hand...he's pretty much got it down!So at each little village, they do presentations. This particular village, they did dancing. And it just so happened to be Jeremy's birthday... what a coincidence! So of course we didn't let him go the whole day without embarassing himself... take a look for yourself.

We ended the night with a luau... Jeremy and I were sitting across from his dad. We decided that this picture of him should go in the Websters Dictionary under Tourist. This picture says it all...
This is the famous Waikiki Beach.
This was the view from the roof of the condo we stayed in. The view was great! We were just a house away from the ocean and then these beautiful trees and mountains on the other side. Its a shame the house had cocroaches, ants, spiders, and who knows what in the couch bed.... ugh. Those who know what its like to have to go to the bathroom multiple times in the night when you are pregnant may sympathize with me when I did not want to get up in the dark and go into the bathroom just to find cocroaches... so I woke up Jeremy everytime I had to go so he could check it out. What a sweet man I've got!

And this was our last day at the beach before our arrival back home to the bitter cold, which I must say is lasting way too long. This beach was beautiful! So relaxing and so quiet. Even with hotels all around it, no one seemed to know about it or we just went on a really good day. We did a little bit mostly just relaxed and hung out. I do remember something about Jake's swimming suit revealing a little too much skin while doing the chicken fights with his brothers while we were in the water...and as a result my mother in law laughed so hard she....well I won't say. But I'll tell ya, we sure laughed hard about it!

Well, that was our trip in a nut shell. Looking at all the pictures sure makes me miss it even more!

My Sweet Valentine

2010-02-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

My sweet hubby took me out for a nice romantic evening for Valentine's day. He booked a room for us at the Anniversary Inn.For those who don't know, I love Italy, even though I've never been, that is my dream vacation one day. He got us the Venice Suite.
It was very sweet and very romantic! I definitely have the best husband ever! And, I think we had a better Valentines than the couple who stayed in the room above us because when we went to bed all of a sudden you could hear them yelling at each other. And I mean full blown yelling! Jeremy fell asleep, but I couldn't. But don't worry, they made up.... don't ask me how I know!!

It was a very nice relaxing weekend with just the two of us and it was needed. Thanks Honey, you are the greatest!

The Baby Bump

2010-02-09T19:34:00.000-08:00

We found out a couple of weeks ago that we are having a little baby BOY! We are so very excited to be having a boy. I think that boys are just the magic gene for Jeremy's family (Apparently you can't have enough of them in one family). But the rumor is boys are typically easier to have for your first so I'm just banking on that! I'm sure in the future he will be one great big brother! (Hopefully to a little sister...)

I thought that it was about time I posted some belly pics. I have missed a couple of weeks and a couple have gotten deleted accidentally :(

I must say I have been very lucky this pregnancy. I was never really sick. I had a little nausea but that only lasted a few weeks and for a while there I was overly exhausted but that has all past months ago and I have felt great which I love because I have been able to have a real positive outlook and really enjoy being pregnant.

I absolutely LOVE feeling him move! And let me tell you, this kid is a wiggle worm but nothing else has put a smile on my face like his little cartwheels I feel like he does. We are both healthy and doing well so far and I am already half way through so hopefully all stays well!

The only complaint that I have had so far, and just recently, is that I cannot for the life of me find maternity clothes that fit! I wish it would just hurry up and get warm so I can where my comfortable capris and skirts! No more tight pants!! But hey, if that is my only complaint for this pregnancy, I'll take it!

Ready or not...

2010-01-06T20:17:00.000-08:00

Parenthood here we come! Yes, we are pregnant with our first! Don't let our title fool you, this baby was very much planned but no matter how much you plan for it, I don't think you ever feel like you are ready. However, we are very excited to have a little bundle of joy on the way! I am due June 22 and will find out what we are having in just a few weeks! Our families were very much surprised since we had told them we were still going to wait another 2 years or so. We found out we were pregnant in October but of course wanted to wait a few weeks to tell people just to be on the safe side. So, we thought that since it was so close to Christmas we would just tell our parents with a christmas gift. So we bought a baby ornament and a baby book for them. I made them christmas cards and wrote a little poem about having the baby. We spent christmas time in Hawaii with Jeremy's family so before we left, we told my parents. They are very excited!! For those who have seen me lately know it hasn't been the easiest thing to hide physically. I started showing at 10 weeks so by the time we went to Hawaii, I was really showing a little belly! We got off the plane and I was trying so hard to hide it by holding my purse and some magazines in front of me... I told Jeremy I couldn't hide it much longer, so on our way to the condo we pulled over to watch the sun set into the ocean and Jer told his parents we would just give them our present then. She asked if we were pregnant and we played dumb. But I wanted to post the video that we took of his parents opening the present. It is priceless. BUT before I do, I have to give some background information. So after we found out we were pregnant we called Jer's brother because they had been trying as well and to our surprise and excitement they were pregnant too! We are due a week apart! They had all arrived in Hawaii a couple of days before us, so they had already told his parents by the time we got there. So, with that said, here is the video.

I think my mother in law was in complete shock, or she thought it was a joke at first. She wanted to be a grandma really bad and now she is getting two babies in one month!! Lucky her! Needless to say, our families are very excited and it will be great to have a little cousin for our baby to grow up with!

Instant Replay!

2009-12-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, so for the record, we have not fallen off the face of the earth. We are still very alive and well! So, we obviously have a lot to catch up on, so I am going to do an "instant replay" of the past few months! These are in no particular order, just whatever order they were on the camera! Here we go, I'll make it quick!

So, Halloween morning I woke up and made pancakes. I flipped over the first pancake and this is what I found...

Now, maybe I'm on crack, but does it not look like Count Dracula???!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

and MERRY CHRISTMAS!... This was Jer's handy work at pumpkin carving this year.

Jer's little brother and his friends had a Masquerade Ball. It was fun to get all dressed up. Yes, I wore my wedding dress, and it was way too tight to wear for very long! But atleast I got two uses out of it!

And ofcourse, who can forget our CUTE little niece that was born in July?!! She is now 5 months and she absolutely ADORES her uncle! He just walks into her view and she smiles so big! He can make her smile more than I can which makes him happy I'm sure!! He is really cute with her though. He always says he doesn't want a girl cuz he knows he will be wrapped around her little finger!!

We did a couple of camping trips this summer. This picture is of us after a 2+ hour ride on the four wheelers. Can we say DIRTY?

So, before our ride, we told Koda we were going to go on a ride and he ran out the camper door. We came out a few minutes later to find him sitting on the four wheeler just waiting for us. So we hooked a crate up and he came too.

He looks like a shaggy monster in this picture. The one thing that I learned this camping trip was.... shave your shaggy dog before you go camping or you will be cutting burrs out of his fur the whole time. I had to completely chop off his ears and big chunks of fur on his legs. It was awful!

My birthday! The big 25!!!

My wonderful, amazing, most awesome husband gave me what I have wanted for YEARS! I finally got an electric guitar! I LOVE IT! And ofcourse, since I have gotten it, I have had absolutely no time to play it or learn any thing cool. Thats my New Year's Resolution!

We celebrated our 3 year anniversary this summer. We didn't really have time to do any thing on for it but we went to Park City a couple weekends later on a whim so we decided it was a late celebration. No matter how we spent it, we are just glad we are together for another year and for all eternity!

Looks like another camping trip.... this is what happens when you mix rain/snow with dirt and four wheeling...

Look a deer!

We even went shooting. This is me not wanting to shoot.... But I did and don't care if I do it again. If I do, I want earplugs.

We went mini golfing a couple of times as well, Jer and I both got a "hole in 1" this particular time. I'm not sure what angle this picture was taken at so I wasn't sure if I should bother rotating it or not.... Its a strange picture any way...

Well, that's our recap. We have done some remodeling but I'll save that for another post...it might be after Christmas. "Mele Kalikimaka" everyone! I'll be sending my warm tropical wishes across the ocean to you all here in the cold bitter weather!!!

What Matters Most

2009-09-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

"What matters most in my life right now?" I have asked myself that question a lot since Tuesday morning. We, (as in those in my office at work) had quite an interesting start to the work week. We learned that a coworker, who some of us were closer to than others, had unexpectedly...passed away. I was not one of the people who knew him very well but had a few laughs and conversations with him. I have come to realize that no matter how well you know someone, the decisions and events in their life can affect you personally. His passing has made me think about what I have in my life that maybe he didn't. Well, maybe he did but didn't know it. What do I have in my life that I look past every day? Probably a lot. I wake up, go to work, come home, go to bed, wake up and do it all over again. Is it too late for a new years resolution??? Cuz mine is to recognize, everyday, something or someone that makes my life GREAT! I thought of 5 things, just off the top of my head, that make my life great! Not necessarily in this order either except the first one of course!!
1. My husband. He is the greatest. The other morning I was running late, he was sound asleep in bed and I went to put my deoderant on and the top of it got stuck in my lid! I tried to get it out so I didnt have to wake him up but I couldn't get it. So I quietly walked over to the bed and gently said "Jer....my deorderant is broken. Will you fix it??" Instead of rolling his eyes and complaining (like I probably would have done) he opened his eyes, looked at me, then the deoderant and just laughed. And of course one try and he got it. So I went back to the bathroom and a few minutes later was attacked by some huge mosquito bug!! It came out of nowhere! So I once again went to Jer, not so gently this time, and asked him to kill it for me. Without complaining, but with some laughter, he got up and killed it while I hid in the bathroom. There are lots of other reasons he is great but it's the little things that he does for me like these that really matter to me!! I love you honey!!!
2. My Furry Friend! There is nothing better than a fuzzy little furball greeting you everyday! Any bad day can be erased by a slobbery kiss or a nice cozy cuddle with Koda!!
3. My Family. It is so great to be able to be with a group of people who love you no matter what! (even when you are camping and playing QUELF at 1:00 in the morning and doing a hula dance humming a hawaiian song!!) My best memories are with mine and Jer's family. I love being able to turn to our parents for ANYTHING! They are always so willing to give what ever we need. Whether it's advice or a good laugh. It's always a good feeling when we can be of help to our family too. Especially our Brothers and Sister (and sister in laws).
4. Living close to my brother & sister in law. I know his is kinda a break off from the last one but I love having my brother and his family so close. I can literally run to their house. And I can't run very far! We have had some GOOD times! Their home is our second home. We especially love being close to our HILARIOUS nephew, Dawson. That kid cannot fail at making you smile! And cute little baby Emmy. She doesn't know us very well yet, but she will get used to us. Hopefully she will be cool like me and her mom. Then we can all pick on the boys!!
5. Church/Temple. This is a given. I would not have joy in my life without the gospel! I don't know how people live without it! I am not a strong person and I coudn't rely on myself to get through this life! There is no way. Jer and I have been good to go at least once a month to the temple but I missed last month because something came up at work and I couldn't get off. I have definitely felt the difference from not going just that one time. It's influence is AMAZING! I am so glad I can share it with my husband and family.

There really are so many other things that make me glad to be alive, in the place that I am and with the people I am with. I feel so sorry for those who can't see everything they have. These experiences are saddening but it is a reminder to never take anything you have for granted and enjoy everyday you have!

The Vegas!!

2009-05-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

I love little vacations but at the same time I hate them. I LOVE them for obvious reasons...its a break from everyday life, they are never dull (when you travel with my husband) and I could go on and on. I HATE them because it means that I have to return home to the hum-drum of everyday life way too soon. Little vacations are way too short! We went to Vegas last Tuesday and I am having the HARDEST time adjusting back to working (cuz that's all I do). Yes, working is my hum-drum life. Maybe because it was about 100 degrees in Vegas and it's only 70 degrees here...Anyway, life is life and we are back. So here is our vacation in a nutshell...

Tuesday 2:00 pm:

I am leaving work excited to get on the road earlier than expected. We are all packed and ready to go. We head over to my brothers house and all pile in their van and we are off!!! So we decide to hit Burger King for a quick dinner...

3:30 pm:

About to Burger King and my wonderful, wonderful husband realizes he has left all of our spending cash....AT HOME!!!!!

4:00 pm:

We are once again leaving our home.... this time on the road for good!!!

We got to Vegas later that night and checked in to our hotel room at Excalibur. Tired from the anticipation and being in the car. Not to mention being misled by Chris' GPS (aka Carmen). She wanted to take us on a tour of the back-end-dark-alley part of Vegas. That was fun!!

Wednesday

We woke up early so we could go get in line for our All Day Buffet! Chris and Jeremy were in HEAVEN! Holy cow! They got their money's worth for all of us! So we ate breakfast and headed out to the pool.

Dawson love his little green "boat" well, until he found the waterslide...

Later that night, we just hung out. We walked the strip a little bit. We went down to M&M world and Coca Cola.

Me, Jer and Missy decided to continue walking the strip for a little bit longer. We went down to the Bellagio and watched the fountain show and then went back. I was quite exhausted from the heat and walking but thoroughly enjoyed the day!

THURSDAY

We all pitched in and rented a Cabana by the pool! It was so nice and a perfect day to do so. That day it broke 100 degrees. So it worked out wonderfully. We spent a good portion of the day at the pool soaking in the sun we have been missing out on here in Utah!

Jer and I left the pool early because we had a HOT date that night. Jer bought me tickets to go see Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian!!! I was so excited for this night I could hardly stand it! So, we got ready and headed down to the Venetian. I have always wanted to go to Italy and me and Jer always joke that the venetian is as close as I'll probably ever get. Hopefully one day it won't be a joke anymore... So we decided to do a gondola ride. (Again, it's probably nothing like the real thing but probably as close as I'll get). It was fun though. This is us and our Gondola guy...or is a considered a captain? I dunno. He sang for us and he did have a very wonderful Italian voice...Ooh La La!! (His family moved from Italy to..... TOOELE! Who in their right mind would do that???!!!!

After our ROMANTIC sale down the hotel canal :) we grabbed some dinner at a pizza place and headed to the show.

They wouldn't let us take any pictures inside the theater. I was pretty bummed cuz it was AMAZING! So this is us with the Venetian in the background. I absolutely LOVED the play. It was just what I was hoping for. I have always loved the Phantom of the Opera ever since I was little so to see it like this was AWESOME! Thank you Honey!!!! After Phantom we walked around a bit at the other hotels around there and then headed back to the hotel after another funfilled day!

FRIDAY

So we went to the pool this morning for one last refreshing swim. We all went to the MGM to see the lions and then Dawson went down for a nap so me, Jer and Missy decided to go explore the surrounding hotels. We wanted to go in the Luxor and ride on the inclinator (I don't know how to spell that) but basically the elevator. So we walk in and some other people came in and we pushed the 28th floor. So we get up there and walked around for a minute trying to sneak a peak in one of the rooms. We decide to go down to another floor we get to the elevator, walk in and push the button for the 22nd floor....nothing happens. Then we notice that we need a room key to work the elevator.

This is us outside the elevator waiting for someone with a room key to come a long. Finally someone did and we casually walked in the elevator after them and they used their key and we made it down! It was kind of funny. I wasn't about to go down 28 flights of stairs!

We went to Planet Hollywood for dinner that night. It was good. Sarah's date was a little stiff and lifeless though... yep, Johnathan Taylor Thomas joined us for dinner. I'm not really sure why they would have him in Planet Hollywood...So there was this "magician" that was trying to entertain people as they waited for our food. He came over to our table and he tried to be all friendly with Dawson but he just hid his face. I know exactly what he was thinking....STRANGER DANGER!! So this was Sarah's message to him...luckily our dinner came and he left before he could torture us any more!

After dinner we watched the water show at the Bellagio again and headed back to the hotel.

SATURDAY

We headed home kind of against our will. I didn't want to go but I really missed my puppy and I wanted to see him so at least I had something to look forward to when I got there. We stopped at In-n-Out burger in St. George on our way home. I think we ended up heading the opposite direction about 3 times before we finally found it (thanks chris!).

It was a fun trip and now I just have to wait 7 months until our next vacation... Aloha Hawaii!!! (yes I am already counting down!)

Busy Busy Busy

2009-04-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

It seems we have been so busy since the beginning of this month that I can't even believe April has pretty much come and gone. So here is a quick update since we have had no time to blog. March 31st Jer's brother Jordan came home from his mission. He served in Philadelphia. He says he loved it so we will just take his word for it! (: He was a great missionary but we are glad to have him home to hang out with again! Here he is with his very PROUD parents!

Being at the airport for a missionary brought back so many memories of the last time I was at the airport for a missionary. That was when Jeremy came home. Being there again reminded me how excited I was and all the aniticipation of seeing him at the top of the stairs. Of course that was the best day ever and the longest day at the same time. Jer got home around noon and was supposed to be released around 4 that evening. Well I thought 4 hours was going to be a long time to wait to hug him but he actually didn't get released until about 8 that night due to some confusion....very long day but a whole other story...

Jeremy's brother and his wife, Jake and Julie, were planning on coming in from Alaska to be here when Jordan got home but they were stuck there for another week or so because of the volcano eruptions. So, they were able to come down for Easter instead which was really fun. We actually don't have any pictures of when they were here but we did have fun. Their dog, Nora and Koda really got along after Koda decided she wasn't as big as she seemed. He wasn't quite sure if he was afraid of her or not for a day or so at first. But he loosened up and had lots of fun teasing her and then running for his life when she chased him.

Easter was fun to be with the whole family. Once again, we forgot our camera but we were busy with all the family and Jordan's friends for his homecoming that we probably wouldn't have used it anyway.

Jer and I had a good Easter. I got some summer clothes and shoes and Jer got a movie and some tools! Man that Easter Bunny sure loves us!!

More recently....

These are some flowers that my husband suprised me with the other day just to make me smile, which of course they did! And they are my favorite because they stay alive so much longer than any other flowers so I can actually enjoy them for longer than a week... Unless.... you have a little puppy named Koda who wanted to see if they tasted as good as they smell....Jer and I left to go do some shopping last weekend and we came home to this....

Flowers don't last long with dogs get to them. Thankfully, he only demolished a couple instead of the whole thing. Apparently they don't taste as good as they smell. The funnier thing is that I stuck Koda in the corner and told him "Bad dog!" and he sat there with his head hung the whole time we cleaned up the mess. He didn't even move!! He doesn't like to be a bad dog. Of course I couldn't be mad at him for long. He is just too cute!!

How Grateful I Am!

2009-04-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot the past couple of days of how blessed I am for the life I have and for the people in it. Jeremy and I have made it a goal again this year to go to the temple at least once a month if not more. So far, we are 100%! Actually a little bit more because there was a month or two we went more than once. It's actually gotten to the point where people at work know I'm going to the Temple when I am dressed up. I'm glad that people know I love to go to the Temple. My mother in law sent a powerpoint to me and I enjoyed it a lot. (I can not figure out a way to put it on here because it is a powerpoint but if you want me to email it to you I can. Just send me your email address in a comment or something and I'll be more than happy to. It's worth watching. )

It basically talks about how the world is becoming more and more chaotic and dark. The pictures of the temples on it are absolutely stunning and the message is powerful. Our temples will be and are now a refuge from the outside world. They are a safe haven and a place to go to forget about all the darkness and evil around us. I have definately noticed a huge difference in my life, my marriage and my happiness as I have made it a point to attend the temple. Not that my life was not happy before because it was, but regularly attending the temple has some how made a wonderful life and marriage....amazing.

I know that dark and terrible things are happening in the world today and how grateful am I to be able to have somewhere to go for complete protection from that awful dirty world. The temple has been my source of happiness in this time when Satan has taken hold of so many people. He is so very real and is trying so hard to tear families apart. But I know that going to the temple is the one place he will not be. And everytime I go, I feel that a little bit of it comes home with me which makes it so much easier to live the gospel and stay away from the temptations of everyday life.

I am so very grateful for the wonderful husband that I have. He is my rock that I lean on for everything. How wonderful it is to know that I can be with him for ETERNITY! (Which isn't even long enough if you ask me!) Going to the temple with him is my most favorite thing to do. There is nothing better in the world and I am so glad that he has the strong desire to go to the temple as well.

And there is nothing better than being married to a man who has and honors his priesthood. It has been a huge blessing in our life together. I can not imagine my life without that wonderful blessing and power.

And of course, we are so grateful for our families. I love living so close to both mine and Jeremy's families. We are able to do so much with both of them and I love doing that. Their love, support and advice are priceless to us. We love them and are grateful to be sealed to them FOREVER!

What Kind of Dog are You??

2009-03-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am blogging about my dog. I don't have any kids to take up my time or attention when my husband isn't home, so something has to! Anyway, we took Koda to get a haircut since the weather is starting to warm up. (Or was until today) With him being a mix, I always find it interesting that he looks like a totally different dog when he gets groomed. Koda is a Shih-poo (shihtzu-poodle). He looks like a shihtzu, with slightly curly hair, when his hair is long. And I love his long hair because he is just a big ball of fur! But it is such a pain to take care of when you have to fight him to brush all his snarls out everyday.

So this is Koda before his haircut. I have come to the conclusion that he has the body build of the shihtzu but the height of the poodle. He is a lot taller than all his shihtzu friends.

This is koda after his haircut. Does he look like the same dog to you? Not to me! This is when the poodle in him comes out. (He almost looks like a schnauzer in this picture.) It must be hiding somewhere under all that fur! The first time we got him groomed I was completely shocked because he looks so different. (Plus Petsmart was the one to groom him the first time and they basically skinned the poor thing! We have since found a much better groomer!)

I wish I could post his fur on the computer becuase it is soooooooo SOFT! He is like a little cuddly teddy bear you don't want to let go! I guess in a way I have 2 dogs in 1!

5 Year Check Up

2009-03-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

So, most people go the the dentist every 6 months right?!! Unless you have a TRAUMATIC experience like myself and become downright TERRIFIED of going! Well, I think that the last time I went to the dentist was the year that Jeremy left on his mission....2004. Yeah, that's right. Let me tell you why it has taken me 5 years to go back....
So I arrive at the dentist and I am greeted by a cute little oriental lady. I hadn't been to this dentist since I had my own insurance and they had also switched locations, so they had me fill out all of the paperwork all over, ya know the kind that ask if you have any allergies or health conditions that are IMPORTANT to know. So, it is the end of the day so this little lady was anxious to close up shop and go home. She handed me the papers, I sat down, then she said, "Just fill out no on everything." I thought..."shouldn't I answer it accurately so you know if I have any serious problems???" which I don't, luckily so I marked no on everything and she took me back. Oh how I wish I had never gone to the dentist that day!!!! I don't know how many of you have had your teeth "sand blasted" instead of polished with the little machine they normally use. I know they have a different name for it other than "sand blasting" but that is basically what it is. This cute little lady wasn't so cute anymore!! She got that thing in her hand and she went WILD!! She was sand blasting my tounge, my face, the air! It was out of control. She would occasionally hit my teeth and then I would hear "oh...uh oh..." and then more blasting.... Now, this little blaster doesnt feel good at all when it is blasting something other than TEETH! I felt like I had walked through a sand storm hurricane. My face hurt so bad because she had totally missed my mouth. I did not return to that dentist after that. I was a bit shaken up as you can imagine. So, my lovely husband made me a dentist appointment a month ago for today. I have been dreading it because I hadn't been for so long. Well, I am glad to say that after 5 years of keeping my distance, I only have 2 very small cavities that the hygienist said would fill back up if I would floss everyday. So, if I am good, I won't even have to have them filled! You can even ask Jeremy, he had an appointment before me and I made him stay with me cause I was so nervous. He so willingly told the hygienist my story and she promised me that she would never use it on me because she hates using them as much as I hated it. So here's to hoping that bad days at the dentist are over.

My Valentine

2009-02-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

So it has been quite some time since we posted anything on our blog. It seems that January and February are very uneventful months in the Atkinson household. But since I did take pictures on Valentine's day, I figured I could put them on here just so I had a reason to post a new blog...

So, we did go and see The Confessions of a Shopaholic with Chris, Sarah, Dawson and Missy. Very funny movie. We went out to dinner the night before because we figured that everyone else would go out on Valentine's day so we just decided to beat the crowds. We went to Wingers...Mmm Sticky fingers... anyway, we all got together again for dinner. Heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphey's. You really had to use your imagination to see the heart shape...but it tasted great anyway. We all sat at the table for a candle light dinner. The funniest thing was when Jer lit the candles, dawson started saying "Birthday? Birthday?" Then Chris turned off the light to "set the mood" and dawson started singing Happy Birthday and then he was trying to blow out the candles. It was pretty funny.

After dinner we made some cupcakes which were delicious!! And played some games.

This is me and my Valentine!! He is the best Valentine a girl could ask for! Not just on Valentine's Day but everyday! He is the biggest SWEETHEART and the GREATEST husband and my BEST FRIEND! And I wouldn't trade having him in my life for anything in the world! I Love You Honey!!!

2008-12-26T09:11:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We definately did! I love sleeping out by the tree on Christmas eve so we slept on the couch. It was so windy and snowy that when we woke up the power was out. I wished for a white christmas, which we got, but the consequences of it meant that we didn't have christmas tree lights or christmas music while we opened our presents. But, it was ok. I love the snow!! So we opened our gifts after we woke up. We both got some good stuff. Even little Koda had a good christmas. Jer's mom made him a little blanket for christmas because he chews on the corners of ours.

We got him some bacon bones and chew toys. He chewed through one of his bacon flavored bones within two hours!! He loved it. And he played with his new toys all day. This is Koda and his presents. He looks really funny in this picture...but it's the best I could do. He doesn't hold still for very long.
This mirror hanging in my dining room was my christmas present to myself. Jer also got a big took chest to put in the garage.

After we opened presents our power decided it would come on, which was good so I could actually get ready. So we went to Jer's parents to talk to his little brother who is on a mission in Philly right now (he gets home in march). So we ate breakfast and then decided to go play in the snow. Jer's parents had so much in their back yard so we thought it would be fun. We bundled up and headed out... We made a snowmand that was really tall, at least 10 feet if not more...
This was the bottom...

This was the middle....

Thats how tall it was without the head...

This is the head that me and my Mother in law, Becky was trying to push. It was pretty heavy but we are tough!!
And this is Jeremy...I apparently didn't get a pic of the whole snowman after it was finished but by the time we were eating dinner, the whole face had pretty much fallen off and then went the head which took out an arm on the way down. So he is now a decapitated amputee snowman.

My poor puppy had snowballs just stuck to him EVERYWHERE! It took forever to get them off of him. He could hardley even walk but he didn't want to stay inside. He absolutely loved the snow.

We went to Jer's grandparents house as usual to see the whole fam which is always fun.

We had a very good christmas. We made the best of the snow and bad weather and it was a blast!

Lights Lights and more Lights

2008-12-21T09:47:00.000-08:00

So we have been really busy this whole month. Christmas always seems to be that way. We had our Atkinson cousin party at our house (every year the married cousins on the Atkinson side get together for a party) and this year it was at our house. It was a blast and to my suprise everything went as planned. All the food turned out great, there was plenty for everyone and everyone walked away with a lovely white elephant gift. Mine and Jer's gift was a bright red sparkely man thong...(you would have to know his side of the family...) which we gladly handed over to the newly weds of the group! (Your welcome Sadi and Travis!). So that turned out to be a success and a really fun time!

We have been down to Temple Square to see the lights twice now. We went down to see the Mormon Tabernacle choir concert with tickets I got from my boss. It was a good concert. Then we stayed to look at the lights. The moon was so big that night so Jer took lots of pics of it by the temple.

It was absolutely gorgeous. The picture doesn't do it justice. But Jer turns into some photo fanatic when he gets behind the camera. I must say his pics are pretty good for not being a photographer and having a simple camera like ours. But here are some of the pics he took...

It is definately beautiful at Christmas time. A little chilly but we all bundled up close for a snapshot....I can't wait til Christmas day so I can finally get my coat I have been waiting for all winter (and the last few winters...)

(Tyler, Heather, Missy, Sarah, Dawson, Chris, Jer and Me.)

So that is the most recent excitement of our life...how exciting, I know. But I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

Tagged...

2008-11-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

So I was tagged by Sarah to go to the 4th picture file on my computer and pick the 4th picture in that file and tell about it. So this is it...

This is a picture of hockey jerseys that are hanging in a very stinky very dirty locker room... For those of you who don't know, my husband plays hockey. His jersey is the #22 on the right. Our first year we were married, Jeremy tried out for the UVSC hockey team and made it! It was fun and challenging at the same time. While going to school almost full time, working full time and playing hockey full time, I never got to see him. Jeremy would wake up at 7:00 am go to work get off about 4-ish drive down to UVSC right after and go to classes then right after class go straight to hockey practice which wouldn't get over until 11:00pm or so. I was long gone asleep by the time he got home so as you can see I never saw him!

This is him in gear. I think he's pretty hot when he's all geared up! Sorry, lost my train of thought there for a sec.... I did have fun watching him play and LOVED going to the games to cheer him and his team on. It's a lot more fun to watch a team when you know them personally. Although, I am a big ball of nerves the whole time he is on the ice. I'm not the biggest fan of my husband being checked into the boards or on the bottom of a dog pile. He took a few hard hits. Some of the guys on his team told him once that I was their entertainment in the stands when they were on the bench because they loved watching my face whenever he got checked. It was "priceless" apparently... I will admit. I do freak out when I think he will get hurt. There were also a lot of really good fights that were pretty much the highlight of the games for me. Those are always fun. I do remember a funny thing. Jeremy really isn't the type to pick fights and he usually walks away from them. Well being fresh from his mission and being 1 out of 3 RM's on the team he was pretty much known as the "peacemaker" type on the ice. Well there was one time when Jer got a little fed up with someone and kinda got in his face. His coach was like "Is that Jeremy? What is he doing?" and one of the guys said "Don't worry coach. He's just preachin the gospel". It was funny.

I had a lot of fun with his team though. I went on a few road trips with them when they traveled to play other schools. We went to Washington, who by the way has the COLDEST ice rink ever! It was the middle of winter and they had their AIR CONDITIONING on right where we sat!! Who does that? Any way, we got to stop in Yellowstone National Park, which I had never been so that was fun. Then I also went with them to Las Vegas, which was my first time as well. I'll tell ya what... you want an adventure? Go on a 15 hour bus ride with a bus load of hockey players....I'll just leave it at that!

Well Jer doesn't play for UVSC any more. He just plays on a local league here now. After that first season we decided it was just too hard not ever seeing eachother. And he got to play atleast one season. He made a lot of friends and really really enjoyed playing in a competitive league.

One more thing and then I'm done I promise!! Before UVSC had a team, Jer's coach coached BYU. To make a long story short, there was a boy on that team named Logan Jackson. He was about to leave on his mission I believe and one night in a hockey game he slid across the ice to block the puck from going in his team's goal. At the rate the puck was going and the rythm of his heart...the puck hit him in his heart and he died there on the ice. From that time forward, they would give out awards at the end of the season and they named an award after him. It's called the Logan Jackson award and it's given to someone who plays as a team member and tries to bring the team together by encouragement and optimism. Well, I am so proud of Jeremy because he got that award. I was so glad he did because he truly deserves it!

Anyway, that's the story behind that pic, I didn't think I would have that much to say about it!!

I tag Sadi, Ryley, Julie, Kristie.

WARNING!!!!! DO NOT EAT THE MEAT AT ARCTIC CIRCLE!

2008-10-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

You have heard the expression "Don't drink the water in Mexico", well I am here to tell you do NOT eat the meat at arctic circle. Just for a brief history, when I was in middle school, I had a hamburger at Arctic Circle. My meat was not cooked and I got sick. I have not had a hamburger or anything with their hamburger meat ever since then. I am however, addicted to their Butterfinger shakes. So, yesterday, I was craving a shake. So I get to Arctic Circle and I told myself, "Self, a shake is not a good thing to have for lunch. You must have something else." Well some of the girls in the office had ordered some tacos or something from some Mexican restaraunt and it smelled really good. So, I ordered a taco wrap as well. In the back of my mind I just KNEW it was a bad idea...so, I go back to work with my food and I start eating. To my suprise the taco wrap is decent (just for the record, Taco Bell is much better). Anyway, I am pretty busy at work taking a bite of my taco here and there not really paying attention. I was just about done with my taco and it's hard to eat and do paperwork at the same time so I decide to just hurry and finish my taco so I can focus better. So, I pick up my taco, and for the first time I look at it.....PINK MEAT!!!!!!! Yeah, I just about threw up!!!! So I emptied my full mouth into the sack and threw it away! And here I am, a day later with a very upset stomach! So, I for one am never going to eat meat from arctic circle again. I gave it a chance a long time ago and apparently, they didn't deserve the second chance!!! And I have learned my lesson!

Home Sweet Home

2008-10-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

So we have been slackers at taking pics of our new place so people could see it. I figured this would be a good way to do it so everyone can see. Just keep in mind, since we have the house, I have no money to decorate the house...funny how that works. So all the bare walls will one day have something on them...

First on the "virtual tour" is our porch...

This is the entry way. The door on the left if our half bath...

From the entry way, it leads to our living room... It's a little small but it's cozy. Especially with our new couches. In our last apartment all we had was a love sac! So couches are very well appreciated in our house!

The dining room is right off the living room. In between is a sliding glass door that leads to our little back porch.

Next is the kitchen. This is one thing I miss about our last apartment. I had a nice kitchen with lots of counter space. There is little counter space here but I only complain when I cook. And if you know me well, you know how often that is...

This is our laundry room/dog pen. We put a baby gate up during the day so Koda doesn't roam all over.

These are our stairs...I know, interesting huh...

This is the first room upstairs, it's "Jeremy's room". He even decorated it by himself. Can ya tell?

This is our hall way bathroom. Suprisingly, this bathtub is Koda's favorite place. He loves to get in there except for when he is getting a bath. Go figure!

This is our Office/scrapbook room. It is so nice to finally have a room for all my crap! And yet, I still have no room for it all!!!
Next is our bedroom...

Around the corner is a little hallway with our closet...

And our master bath at the end (the highlight being the garden tub. Hey, I work at a plumbing place. What can I say?)

And last but not least, our balcony off of our bedroom...

This isn't a good picture but we have a very pretty view from our balcony. It's great on the 4th of July to watch fireworks!

So that is our humble abode!!!

Now, while I was wandering around my house preparing these pictures to bore you all to death...my little dog had his own fun. This is what he did. He got into my sewing bag and grabbed a ball of string and strung it around my house. It starts upstairs in the closet and is all the way down the stairs, wrapped around the island in the kitchen and ends in a tangled knot. Koda got fixed last weekend but as you can see, he is feeling much much better.

But how can you be mad at this poofy little face???

Weekend Fun!

2008-09-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to a wedding dinner at Tanner Flats in Cottonwood Canyon. The whole fam was there and the food was great! It was a little chilly so we were all cuddled around the campfire. Then, from out of no where a cheerleader appeared!!! (aka Jeremy's mom). This cheer was for the bride and groom (Jer's cousin and his Fiance). This is a video of her cheering for those of you who were not present to witness the entertainment...

Lets just say that our family get togethers are always exciting one way or another...

Last weekend, we decided to go to Antelope Island. It has been years and years since any of us had been out there. So Chris, Sarah, Dawson, Me, Jer and of course Heather all piled into the van. So we are driving along and we spot a bison. So we pull over to take a pic with Jeremy and the buffalo. Well, to get a good picture, He had to get out of the car. Right as I am about to take a picture Sarah freaks out because there were HUGE spiders all over in the bushes right where Jeremy was standing. Now, spiders in general are completely disgusting. These ones were so BIG and it didn't help matters that we had watched Arachnaphobia the night before...so Jeremy jumps in the van and off we went. But now we were all too paranoid about the spiders to even get out of the car. So if you go to the island BEWARE OF THE BUSHES!!

So we headed down the "Utah Beach". It was hot hot hot and I do not remember the LONG walk from the parking lot to the water but it felt like forever. So as we are walking and trying not to complain too much, our favorite little sister says, "Man, they sure put a lot of sand out here." We couldn't help but laugh! We love having her with us. So I took a pic of her and all that sand!!!

On top of being hot and smelly, as you get closer to the lake there are tons and tons of little tiny flies. Needless to say, with all of the big spiders and the hot sun the bugs were not what we wanted. Jeremy was walking toward the water and there were so many bugs that it looked like the ground was moving! It was quite gross. As you can tell by the looks on our faces...we won't be returning to Antelope Island any time soon...

The Great Outdoors

2008-09-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

So for Labor Day we went camping. On Friday night we went up to the ward campout in Wallsburg. We had alot of fun. There were big black cows that roamed the campground all night which pretty much kept me awake because I thought it was a bear. It must have loved our tent because it walked around it a few times during the night and at times decided it tasted good too because it was licking it. And there was also a very loud cricket chirping right by my head outside the tent and it didn't move ALL night!! That was quite annoying. Other than trying to sleep, it was pretty fun. And I just realized we didn't take any pictures of anything...

We went from one campsite straight to another on Saturday morning. Jers family has property in Indian Canyon and they were all up there for the long weekend. It was nice to just have a lazy, relaxing weekend. We just hung out and played card games and rode 4 wheelers. We took our dog, Koda, with us. He LOVED the 4 wheeler ride.

King of the 4 Wheeler...Sorry Jer, it looks like you have been dethroned...

This is us on the 4 wheeler...obviously. The weather was great on Saturday, which made for some long drives on the wheeler and a nice drive at midnight to go look at the stars from the top of the mountain, which is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I know we could out run a bear on the 4 wheeler but being out in the middle of the night, on the top of the mountain, in the pitch black...was a little nerve racking just because I always fear the worst!! But, I am glad to say we are alive and in one piece!! (Yes, I know, I am a little paranoid!!)

Happy Happy Birthday!

2008-08-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

I turned 24 last Friday! My birthday was great! I took the day off work so I could have a 3 day weekend. Me and Sarah went to a scrapbook store because they were having a sale. Then we met up with Chris, Dawson and Jer to go to lunch. After that, me and Jer just spent the day together. We went to the mall and spent more money than we probably should have but it was my birthday so it's ok right? Well, I'll just keep telling myself that anyway! Jer got me a few presents. I didn't ask for a lot or for anything special. But got me what I had asked for which was great!

To celebrate, we went out on Saturday with the fam. We went to Hard Rock Cafe. That was Chris and Sarah's suggestion. I'd never been there before and I love music and electrical guitars and stuff so they thought I would like it. It was pretty cool.

Mine and Jer's parents were there, along with Chris, Sarah and Dawson and of course my little sister, Heather! As you can see we are quite the goofy bunch!

My little nephew Dawson, who was pretty much the coolest person there...

Me and Jer...I'm not really sure exactly what he was doing in this picture...

Since it was my birthday, they had me stand on a chair in the middle of the restaraunt and everyone yelled happy birthday to me. A little embarrassing yes, but they did give me chocolate ice cream so it wasn't all that bad!

A little about us

2008-08-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

Me and Jeremy just celebrated our 2nd year anniversary on August 4th. I can't believe how time flies! It has been the best two years too!

We just moved into a townhome in West Jordan last month and it is so much better than an apartment! Its nothing brand new or way exciting but we've made it our home and that's what matters! Plus, we are basically down the street from Chris and Sarah and Dawson. Which is great because it's convenient to do stuff with them all the time! (Plus, Sarah is really good at feeding us dinner when I don't cook! (: ).

We bought ourselves a little puppy a couple of months ago. His name is Koda who is 4 months old. We aren't quite ready for kids yet so we figured a puppy would be a good compromise! I do, however, have a hard time remembering to keep my flip flops and clothes and stuff out of his reach because he thinks everything is a toy. My glasses were his latest victim. I still don't really know how he got them but he manages to do stuff like that.

Well, that's pretty much our life in a nut shell.