"Starting Today, We're on Holiday"

Ski Sol

2012-01-27T22:45:00.002-07:00

Dave loves to ski. I knew from the time we were dating that the slopes would be his mistress. The one mistress I would allow. So little Sol has been programed from birth to love the mountains, the snow, and skis. Dave took him up skiing Thursday. This was Sol's 4th time skiing. We took him once when he was 1. And twice last year when he was 2. Previous ski sessions have been fun but not much in the way of Sol skiing. He's just been too small. However, this year he is a skiing fool! He went two times up the rope tow and twice up the main lift. Dave didn't have to hold him up or catch him. He fell a few times but really did it own his own.

Sol got his own pass! Just like dad. He was so thrilled that he had his very own ski pass with HIS picture on it. See!
And he's free till he's 6. Bonus for us!

Way to go buddy. You are a super skier Sol!!!

Christmas Morning 2011

2012-01-14T22:01:00.002-07:00

I didn't take a ton of pics Christmas morning or day. I caught a stomach flu Christmas eve that left me feeling pregnant all day Christmas. (I actually appreciated the reminder... so NOT ready to be pregnant again!) But these are a few of my faves that capture the essence of the morning. Magic.

In this video Sol had opened all his presents and while he was pretty happy with everything he still hadn't seen his Cars2 Geotrax. THE gift. The one he's fixated on since September. Santa had hidden it! Tricky Santa!

This is a video of Ruby saying Merry Christmas. I love her sleepy, happy look.

Merry Christmas All!

Big girl, about town...

2011-12-31T14:44:00.003-07:00

Little miss loves to accessorize. She spent all morning walking around like this. She loves to look cute and loves it when you tell her! She happily posed for this picture. However she wouldn't let me take another one with her eyes open. She wanted to see!

Santa.

2011-12-17T15:19:00.003-07:00

This picture makes me laugh. Nobody cried, which is good. Just their expressions make me laugh. I like this one even better...

Waiting to see santa, the kids were playing under a table covered in a white table cloth. I peeked under there and found them like this. Sol was patting her head and she was just chillin with her head on his lap. My mommy heart melted. This is the first time I've seen any spontaneous sibling love between them. Whoohoo!

Top 10 of 2011

2011-12-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

Put this in our Christmas Card this year....

Cook’s Top 10 of 2011

10. Sol says “Goodbye” to diapers, and “Hello” to Superkids Preschool!

9. Ruby learns to crawl, walk, run, and most recently, to run away!

8. Dave gets a new job at Adobe where he’s traveling a lot but home more when he’s home. Plus frequent flier miles…bonus!

7. Megan now teaches piano to six budding talents and loves it more than ever!

6. The family went on a two week get-a-way to exotic Idaho where we played, swam, skied, fished, farmed, and relaxed.

5. Solomon discovers Spiderman (circa 1968, thanks Netflix) and hones his bad guy fighting skills.

4. Ruby discovers Elmo, candy (especially chocolate), dancing, high fives, and the sand box. She reports that in her 1.5 years, life has never been better!

3. Dave learns new coping skills with the loss of his beloved “Jane” (his mountain bike) and reports that life does exist off the mountain.

2. Megan learns new coping skills as her toddler turns into a boy and her baby turns into a toddler. She reports “chaos is the new cool!”

1. The best part of 2011…. We have each other, thick and thin, good and bad, and for that we are grateful. We’re grateful for the Savior and His eternal gift to us. And most of all we are grateful for YOU!

2011

2011-12-06T22:46:00.006-07:00

Today I had one of those 30,000 foot view moments. I was writing "2011" on the back of an ornament that Sol made at preschool today. 2011. I put it on the tree and noticed another ornament that said 2010 and then 2008, Sol's 1st Christmas. I thought "next year I'll write 2012 on another ornament." Woah. I'm not ready for 2011 to be over! Its gone entirely too fast, as cliche as that is to say. Its contained some truly treasured memories. I'm kind of grasping on to 2011 with two hands. I can't tell you how many times I've thought "I want to write about this on my blog." or "I want to remember how great this was." or "I want to write these thoughts out for the world to read and make judgement on."

Alas. There are only 25 days left of golden little 2011 and I can't get anymore of it back. It goes on. All we have on this earth is time. And it keeps on a-tickin'. Its been a while since I've had one of these 30,000 foot view moments. And I'm grateful for it. But I'm going to miss 2011.

Okay, another rant. So for some reason I really like even numbered years. I decided when I was a kid that good things happen to me in even numbered years and odd numbered years were lame. I could go into detail about how I made this decision but I'll spare you. So I hadn't given much thought to 2011. Instead of setting goals for 2011 I set goals thinking, by 2012 I will...

Surprisingly I really like 2011. Its not because 2011 had many incredible memories, its because I started 2011 in a major funk. My health was in a funk, my mental state was in a funk, my emotional state was certainly funky, and I felt a long ways from healthy. After realizing and accepting my current state I made the decision that I wanted to by healthy. In every sense of the world. I figured by summer I'd be doing much better. However, that was not the case. It took me a few months to get healthy physically. Then I got to work on me. The inside. I say "got to" because it I seemed like stuff surfaced that had to be dealt with, and I didn't have a choice on the 'when' aspect. To make a long story short, in the last month things have finally clicked. I'm feeling strong. I feel "healthy." And I know I can get stronger. But I'm happy that I made the choice to be "healthy." I choose it still. I'm sad 2011 is over because it feels like I just showed up. And all that time I was working through stuff and over stuff is gone. And there were good little morsels in all those months of getting "healthy."

So I'm going to do my best to write down the best parts in the next 25 days while 2011 still exists... stay tuned...

Visit to the Fire Station

2011-10-30T21:33:00.004-06:00

Ruby and I went with Sol's preschool class to visit the Fire Station. It was pretty much awesome. Everything you'd want in a visit to the Fire Station, minus a slide down the fire pole (apparently they can't have those any more). We practiced stop, drop and roll:

We walked around the fire trucks and engines (there is a difference! thanks fireman Clark).

Ruby loved the hangin with the kids.

Sol got to hold the jaws of life, they were waaay heavy!
We got the "I look and sound scary but don't run away" lecture. Well received for the most part. I think a few kids were still skeptical.

Overall it was pretty awesome! Sol has great teachers, they are so fun, and so loving. Fireman Clark was cool. So glad we got to share this token preschool experience with Sol!

special.

2011-10-02T21:28:00.002-06:00

thanks for the visit michelle! it was special.

Baby Girls Party!!!

2011-09-21T22:29:00.005-06:00

In no particular order...

You are a star!

I did a post for Ruby's first birthday right? Aw crap.

2011-09-13T22:36:00.004-06:00

Okay, so I guess I've really been "on holiday" as of late. While I was driving home from Colorado yesterday I thought " I did a post for Ruby's first birthday right? Aw crap." So lame.

Ruby - some day in the future when you can read and your browsing through mommy's lovely hard bound books full of blog posts (gotta think positive, right?) and you notice the date of this post and calculate that it's a little late, you can be mad but when you have two little tikes of your own you might be less mad. I love you to pieces little turkey.

RUBY!

We've had you one whole year. You've changed our lives in so many ways and while life my be little more hectic and messy with two kids instead of one, the joy, happiness, laughs, giggles, growls (yes she growls), looks, smiles, and loves have made our lives so incredible. We didn't know what we were missing!

Ruby you are so expressive. You have been from when you were just a wee little bean. Your eyes tell your story, there's no hiding how you feel. Most of the time you express excitement, wonder, and a zest for life. The world is your oyster. You understand so well what we're up to. You can wait to be big like brother. You try to put his underwear on and like to brush your teeth now, just like him. You can tell me where it hurts. That's incredible girl, your still so young.

You love your blanket. You love blanket to go everywhere with you and give it random snuggles frequently. You love to chew the fringe and often fall asleep with part of blanket stuffed in your mouth. You like to say "Hi" but can also say "Hey!" and I'm starting to detect "Da" (yeah). Taking after brother, that's how he liked to say it.

You are perfectly plump. So perfectly chunked. You're beautiful, little darling.

Ruby Jane you have given Daddy and me so much joy. We love you to pieces and can't wait to watch you grow this next year.

Love,
Mommy

*tried to upload lots of photos from her birthday party but blogger is giving me fits. grrr.

2011-09-04T20:43:00.004-06:00

the girl loves cheetos.

happy boy.

little beauty.

I love it when...

2011-09-01T22:09:00.003-06:00

I love it when...

- While driving and trying to blindly reach back and hand a treat or bottle to a fussy little cherub and feel a hot sweet chubby little hand slowly and clumsily grab whatever your handing.

- Little boy yells from the bathroom "Mom! I pooped!! Come look at it! It looks like a banana!!!"

- I lay on the floor and little girl crawls back and forth over me breathing hard and sticking her chubby little bum in my face.

- Little boy says "My dad is my best friend!"

- When little tikes are in bed, asleep, the house is clean enough, and a new Project Runway is waiting for me on the DVR.

To be continued...

Pirated Post: Camping!

2011-08-11T22:13:00.003-06:00

Our long time friends(well long time considering "we" have been for 6 years and we've loved the Parkers for 5 years) the Parkers invited us to go camping with them a few weekends ago. Its the perfect set up for a comedy. Parkers would be played by Tom Hanks (1990 version) and Reese Witherspoon (current version) and we would be played by Gerard Butler and Kate Beckensale (for no other reason accept they're hot). Wackyness ensues!

You can read about our camping comedy here on Kristi's blog. Even though there was a lot of crap (at times, literally ;) it's definitely going to be a great memory for us. Thanks guys!!

P.S. Kristi forgot to mention her astounding timing in catching Logan's vomit in a grocery bag approximately 2.6 seconds after he said he didn't feel good. Dave and I still remark on how amazing in was. You've got skills Kris!

Idaho Part 2: Ketchum (who knew)

2011-08-09T07:49:00.005-06:00

Who'd have thought a trip to Idaho, our next door state, would have felt so rejuvenating, so relaxing, and just what our family needed. Especially because our trip started with my Grandpa's funeral. But alas, that's what we discovered. I grew up going to Idaho twice a year to visit family. I really enjoyed those trips to the farm. But I'd never spent much time outside of the farm country. After my Grandpa's funeral we went up to Ketchum (Sun Valley) with some friends, sans kids (thanks Michelle and Matthew!) for the weekend. We stayed in the most charming little cabin next to a creek. I spent the whole first day sleeping. I was so worn down emotionally and physically. It felt good to finally let go. Dave had about had it with me and my uptightness. I had gotten so uptight, who knew?! (besides Dave)

(The bunkhouse, where we stayed)

We did some amazing mountain biking at the Sun Valley resort. Epic. We rode through a burned forest full of charred black trees and bright green ground growth. It felt like we were riding through a screen saver. Who knew a 16 mile trip through the sawtooth mountains was just what a burnt out mama needed?! (besides Dave) It reminded me of the beauty of the earth, and that I'm so small.

We did a rafting trip through a section of the Salmon river. It was totally legit! I've been rafting a few times, nothing was quite like this. A member of our group was buddies with our guide so he took us straight through the class 4 rapids. It was awesome! We jumped off a bridge into the freezing water. Who knew this is just what a girl needed to feel so very alive and like super woman?! (besides Dave) Dave sported the GoPro and our friend made this little video from his footage.

Good company, good food, perfect accommodations. Sitting by the creek staring at rushing water for minutes that turn into hours. Biking or walking everywhere. Midnight bike rides to watch fireworks. Sleeping to the lullaby of rushing water. Who knew this is just what this girl needed? Thanks Dave.

Gratitude

2011-07-31T15:08:00.003-06:00

Since I posted my 'Help' post I've had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for all that I have. I received some great comments to that post that really helped me to know that I'm not alone and that I CAN do this. I thought I'd share some of the main points people shared with me:

Mom guilt - every mom constantly feels like she's falling short in one way or another. Its universal.
We need time doing our own thing. Not something for the kids, the house, or the hubby. Do something for just you and do it a few times a week. Make it a priority.
Spend extra one on one time with each kid (if and when you can) when they are feeling extra needy. This may mean ignoring your messy house, the computer, or something else you'd really like to do.
"This too shall pass"
Remember - they are little. They are learning. Appreciate their craziness.
Just do your best, and accept your best.
Draw help from heaven. Pray like crazy and trust Heavenly father.

I'm so grateful for your suggestions. I've tried most of these things over the last 3 weeks and have noticed a positive change in myself and in my kids. Thank you, thank you! I love you all!

Idaho Part I: Grandpa

2011-07-16T21:37:00.013-06:00

Contrary to my last post, today I'm feeling so grateful for my life. I love my sweet kids. I love my husband. And we have a pretty darn good life. Thanks for all the good advice. I'm working on it...and I know its going to get better. It already is!

Ready for the family vaca post? I'm going to do it in 3 posts actually to keep this post from taking me 2 hours to write and taking you 27 minutes to read.

PART I: Grandpa's Funeral

My sweet grandpa passed away on June 26. His funeral was held on July 1, in Declo Idaho, where he was born, raised, and lived out his good life. He was such a good man. He was filled with love for people and farming. You can read his obituary here.

I think funerals are a good thing. They provide closure and allow you to celebrate a life of someone you cared about. For me the funeral allowed me to see and connect with family that I hadn't seen in years. It helped me to know more about who my Grandpa was and how many people loved him. He was well loved by everyone he knew.

My Grandma asked my sister and I to sing at the funeral. I sang "Too Young" which was a song that was popular in the 50s. It was sang at their reception as my Grandpa was 19 and my Grandma was 16 when they got married. Despite being nervous and intimidated and quite rusty I was so grateful my Grandma asked me to sing. It gave me a chance to reconnect with something I used to love so much. Really, it was one of my passions. I had forgotten that. And it felt like a gift that I could give both my grandparents.

Here are some pictures:

They drove my Grandpa from the church to the cemetery (which is mostly fields) in the back of his pickup. He spent countless hours driving around in his pickup checking the crops. Several of my cousins rode with him.

Ruby and Auntie 'chelle

Madelyn and Sol getting some post funeral wiggles out.

This is the view from the cemetery to my Grandma's house. Her house is right by the grouping of silo's on the right of the picture. I think it so cool that she can look out her kitchen window and see my Grandpa's resting place. And he can watch over her (and the fields) from the peaceful hilltop.

Mason and cousins checking out a headstone.

Ruby and Auntie 'sissa

Grandpa's casket was remarkably beautiful.

At the dinner kids were running around. Grandpa would have enjoyed that.

To her thrill, Grandma helped Ruby get in on the action.

All of Grandpa's children, grandchildren, and great grand children. Amazing how one good couple make a difference for generations.

My cousin Cody
got a hold of my camera for like 5 minutes and proceeded to take all of these pics. Pretty awesome portraits:

Finally a family pic. Good thing the kids look great! They help the rest of us:

This part of our trip was easily the hardest, and most stressful however I feel it was a gift. I'm grateful for it.

Grandpa, we will miss you so much. But we know you're close and will keep you in our hearts till we see you again.

Help.

2011-07-13T23:33:00.004-06:00

Dear Blog readers (I'm sure I have a few...),
I miss the old me. The one who had clarity. The one who could lay down and think for twenty minutes and have all the world's problems solved, including my own. Picture old me:

Super cool huh.

I feel like someone put a whisk inside my head and mixed soundly. And then slapped 20 pounds on me, added some gray hairs and wrinkles and took half my energy.

Arggg. Its not supposed to be like this. Having a 3 year old is making me a little nuts. He is so constant. He talks non stop from the time he wakes up till he falls asleep at night. He doesn't like to do anything by himself, he wants my to be fully involved in whatever he's doing. And he asks "why" to EVERYTHING! Litterally everything.

"What are you doing Mom?"
"Watering plants",
"Why",
"Because they're thirsty,"
"Why are they thirsty?",
"because its sunny out"
"Why is it sunny out? Why does that make the plants thirsty?"
"Because the sun makes it hot and that dries out the plants"
"Why?"
"Because it does." (Can a 3 year old comprehend evaporation?)
"Why it does?"
"I don't know, it just does."
"Why 'i don't know'?"
"Cause I don't!"
"Why you don't?"
"Because."
"Why because."

I'm not exaggerating one bit. This was the exact conversation we had this morning. And we had conversations like this all. day. long.

Don't get me wrong. I love my Sol so much. On the scale of 3 year olds he's pretty mild. He rarely throws fits or is mean to other kids. So what is my deal?! I'm frustrated that I'm frustrated. I'm doing my best to stay calm. I'm trying to take breaks. I have a cute little neighbor girl that comes and watches the kids for me so I can clean or run errands. So what is my deal? Help. Anyone. I want to be a good mom. I want to love motherhood. But instead I'm turning into "grumpo" mom who snaps at her precious babies. Not what I EVER wanted.

And Ruby.
While she is as cute as a button and happy as ever, she is 'search and destroy' baby. She wants the world on a plate and she's going to get it now! She's generally happy but she is into everything. Today she climbed on a small stool to then climb onto a big stool to then climb on the cupboard to get a marker that I took from her. I sat and watched her, amazed. She's 11 months people. Not even 1! And if you're holding her and she wants you to go to the left or right she'll throw herself that direction or climbs on your face to get what she wants. Tonight she wanted to climb the banister. She literally climbed up my shoulder and stepped on my face to try to climb it.

I hate complaining. You're thinking "Uh-huh, sounds like it Meg." I really do. I just don't know how to make this better....and I want to be happy and calm and nice and sweet and patient and loving and perfect. Well I do! Who doesn't want to be perfect?!

Who sets out saying, "I'm going to be a mediocre mom and I'll expect the same of my kids." I know perfection isn't attainable so then what is there?

Help. Its late. I better wrap this up before the 'crazy' starts to come out. ;)

Too late. :)

-Megan

Family Pics

2011-07-11T23:35:00.002-06:00

Tiff is super talented, and she's completely self taught! Check out her photog blog. Thanks for making us looks so great Tiff!

http://reflectionsbytiffany.blogspot.com/2011/07/dave-megan.html

Grandpa, you will be missed.

2011-06-28T13:07:00.001-06:00

When I remember Grandpa I will remember his smile and his laugh. He loved to laugh. He loved his family. He loved to farm. I loved to watch him farm. I love you Grandpa. We'll miss you so much!

The Damn Cake.

2011-06-23T20:30:00.006-06:00

Okay. Today is a very special day to me. I can't figure out how to write this post without sounding like a bad greeting card. I got married to Dave 6 years ago today. Best darn decision of my life. When I think back on where I could have ended up...*thinking*....*shutter*....I want to jump in there air and do a toe touch. Cause Dave is awesome and he's my best friend. We love each other. And we crack each other up. And when I'm with Dave I'm home. It doesn't matter where that is, he's my home. Okay. I'm getting into the greeting card category.

So I was looking through pictures from our wedding day looking for one to post cause I love looking at how hot and skinny was. :) I mean I love looking at other peoples wedding photos so I thought you might like to look at mine. But I found all these more interesting pictures from the blessed event.

NOTE: I have NOT requested permission to post these pictures from the people who are in them. If that's you, lo siento.

I'm sure I'm saying "flowers"....

Okay, face shot of Mike.

Hmm...father and law and brother-in-law...cuddling?

Another face shot of Mike.

Dave getting ransacked with the "ball and chain." Not me. An actual ball and chain.

See.

Our posse. So cool to see that were still friends with these folks.

Cweepee.

Yet another face shot of Mike.

Baby Chase.

"Oh no you di-ent!"

"You best step off!"

Really Mike?

NOTE: Mike obviously had control of our camera during wedding day as we have like 7 other pictures just like this. Thanks for the wedding present Mike!

My favorite wedding day pic of me and Dave, cause its so real. We have that deliriously happy look in our eyes. Thanks for picking me babe!

Are you wondering about the title of this post? Well here it is:
Any guesses on the family drama that unfolded over this "damn cake"? (as it will always be remembered)

Really, I'd LOVE to hear your guesses...

Funny guy Sol

2011-06-11T17:07:00.004-06:00

Sol likes to be funny. But lately he's started saying a lot of things that we find amusing, without trying to be funny....

Riding in the car...Ruby babbling to herself...Sol says "No Ruby! No Gaa Gaa's!"

Today we went to the "carvable" (carnival), and Sol was so excited to ride the "Pen-is Wheel" (Ferris Wheel). Pronounced "Pehn-es". Nice.

In Ruby news, today I asked her if she wanted a bottle (she was sucking on a jar) and her head snapped around and looked at me with big bright eyes and she made a high pitched squeal. She was like YES!!!

A thought for myself...

2011-05-15T20:39:00.003-06:00

Wow. its 8:36pm. Both kids are asleep. The house is clean(well, clean enough) and I have nothing to do. And I'm not exhausted. This hasn't happened in sooooo long. Months. It's not that I'm super busy, I'm just at my capacity with what I can manage. I can barely keep up with all that falls under my realm of responsibility right now. That is kids (healthy, fed, dressed, clean, kind), house (relatively clean, organized, yard well kept), church (this doesn't require much), and relationships (being a good wife, friend, sister, daughter, etc.) This doesn't seem like much. Nevertheless, I'm at my max. Most days by this time kids are in bed but the house is a wreck. I spend an hour cleaning up. And then I have about an hour before I need to go to bed. I usually watch TV cause I'm tired and I need an mental escape. And then off to bed. And then it starts all over again....

I'm totally rambling. I don't really have a point to this post. I just wanted to remember tonight. Somehow it all came together the way it should. As a parent, there is nothing better than sleeping children. You can't have any mother guilt while your children are sleeping. You're not neglecting them in any form, you're currently meeting all their needs, and you didn't pawn them off on some poor friend or relative. You are free to have a thought for yourself. Ahhhh. I think my brain just sighed.

silence.

Okay I'm trying to think of what the thought for myself is...my brain automatically goes to kids, family, house, church, car, kids, cheetos, car, STOP! Okay, if I'm going to have a thought for myself what would it be....

I need more thoughts for myself.

You know how when something kind of bad or stressful happens it triggers other bad or stressful things in the universe. "When it rains it pours," that kind of thing. I think we're amidst the rain showers. Not with Dave and Me, luckily we've got one of the few umbrella's to be had, so to speak. But people all around us are facing significant, life changing events. Most have varying degrees of hardship attached to them. I find myself wondering why we're so blessed. I know its so that we can help others bare their burdens. I feel so humbled that Heavenly Father would trust us with that job. We take it willingly. Gosh, I hope this doesn't sound conceited. As I witness all the hurt and despair that so many experience I feel so very grateful for my Savior, that he can help us bare these seemingly unbearable burdens. He heals us. I know with every thing that I am that He will carry our burdens when they seem too heavy to carry, He will heal our hearts more completely and more quickly that we can comprehend. I know this because I have experienced it for myself. Its incredible, a miracle. All we have to do is ask, and be willing to let Him help us. He loves us, He knows us, He knows what we're going through. And He knows what's on the other side. And its good.

I'm grateful for that this Sunday evening. I'm grateful for the blessing of peace and quiet and a clean house so that I could reflect on this incredible gift. Thanks for sharing with me.

A few videos for the Grandparents...

2011-05-15T19:55:00.000-06:00

Sol Pulling Ruby

Sol's Floating Catastrophe

Super Sauce turns 3!

2011-04-26T11:41:00.006-06:00

Sol turned 3! Wahoo! When you ask him how old he is he says "I'm doing good!" So you have to ask him what number he is... "Free". I love it.

He's so much fun now too! He talks A Lot! He told his nursery leader that for his birthday he was getting a Helicopter cake. Hmmm...this was news to me. I thought he might forget - no such luck. So Dave and I had to figure out to make a Helicopter cake that "went round and round and round." In the end this is what we came up with...

We used an airplane cake pan and then chopped the wings off. Then bought a toy helicopter and used it's propeller. I made the white fondant from a recipe I found here. It went surprisingly well. I really had very low expectations for this cake, especially because we were using fondant, but it was surprisingly easy. Maybe it's because I've spent so many hours watching Ace of Cakes... Anyhow, back to the birthday...

We had a birthday party with just dave's family as they were all in town. Sol was thrilled with the cake, the presents (lots of trains and helicopters!), and the people. It was a lot of fun.

I made Sol a superhero cape from this tutorial. It was really easy. Dave's brother even designed a superhero logo for Sol. He's Super Sauce!!! His comment after putting it on and running around the house was, "Wook, I to da wescue!" Pretty awesome.

I'm loving this stage. He's really hard at times, but so often he's so much fun. He's so funny, he cracks us all up all the time. He loves to laugh and play. He's truly our Sol (sunshine).

Ruby looked so pretty, I thought she belonged on top of the cake. My sister in law took several awesome pictures of her. Here's a few:

I'm so lucky. I have such awesome kids. They give me so much love and joy. We have hard days, hard weeks sometimes. They've completely changed my life and I would never go back.

I don't know anyone more genuinely sweet, happy, funny, loving, or caring as my sweet Solomon. He loves everyone. And everyone loves him. :) Happy 3 buddy!

Grumpo

2011-03-29T16:32:00.004-06:00

"Are you grumpo?"

Sol currently say's grumpo instead of grumpy. Its pretty awesome. I love it when he says words wrong, is that bad?

Ruby has figured out the head nod just today. She shakes her head up and down kind of like she's bopping it to the beat. Love it. Poor thing has a cold. I just took this yesterday morning...

She's a trooper, as you can see. :)

Just a little update for today... that's all...

Acupunture

2011-03-25T14:28:00.002-06:00

So here's the truth about the last 3 months (I say that like I've been telling lies). I got the influenza just after Christmas. It was awful and I thought I was going to die. Well the flu kicked off a 3 month battle with sickness. I got cold after virus after cold from January through part of March. I was on 5 different antibiotics. I was so exhausted that I had to ask my mom to come help take care of me and the kids at one point. I started doing anything I could to get healthy again. This included taking handfuls of vitamins, eating pro-biotic shakes, sleeping in the basements so the kids don't wake me, putting essential oils on my feet, and finally trying acupuncture.

(Insert Hallelujah chorus here)

I heard about this place in SLC that did acupuncture for $15 a session (and yes they use clean needles:). Its a non-profit.
It's called Qiworks Community Acupuncture.
I was somewhat skeptical going in but I was willing to try anything. First off, it didn't hurt. And surprisingly it felt good! I felt relaxed and felt an energy flowing through my body that felt really good. I didn't notice an immediate change, but the acupuncturist talked to me about how more than anything I needed a month of good, uninterrupted sleep. He said I was suffering from "dead battery." My new focus needed to become REST. This shouldn't have been a surprise to me but something he said clicked. I hadn't been focused on rest in a long time. After having Ruby I was ready to get back to LIFE. I wanted to become me again. And in doing so I ran myself into the ground.

A day later I started to feel good. The following day I felt better than I'd felt in months. It works. But the acupuncture alone isn't healing me. A big part of it is my new outlook. I can't become me again overnight. I have to get healthy one step at a time. Right now that means getting rest.

Rest, to me, isn't productive. And being productive fills my love bucket. But feeling like a human fills my love bucket more. And I now know that in order to feel human I need rest. And acupuncture. Its seriously kind of addictive.

Ruby and Sol.

2011-03-06T15:55:00.008-07:00

P.S. We don't hate comments.

2011-02-16T22:40:00.003-07:00

Dear Sweet Little Miss Ruby Jane,

You are a delight. Six months ago you came to us on a very stormy night. The lightning was incredible. You're dad and I sat and watched it as long as I could stand. Your labor was very short. 3 hours start to finish. Ouch. That's kind of how you are. You decide what you want and you go for it... with intensity.

You're a beautiful little thing. You're stunning in fact. You're eyes are big and blue, and your cheeks are oh so yummy. You love getting kisses and snuggles. And you're pretty great at giving them too.

You are strong. Girl, you have incredible strength! I've received several distinct impressions of this from the time you were just a little embryo. Strong and silent. You watch and learn.

You don't give your sweet little smiles away for nothing. So when we get them it thrills us. You love your brother so much. You watch him and if you could you'd run around with him all day long. He can make you laugh better than anyone else. He's pretty awesome, you've got a great role model.

You LOVE water. Love. You turn into a little fish when you get in the water, a thrashy, splashy, happy little fish.

And you love food! You're new excitement in life. You want to eat and drink whatever we're eating or drinking. And you like to feed yourself. Independent.

You are a darling child. We love you so very much. You are the perfect complement to our family. Happiest six months!

Love,
Mommy

Solomon Skis

2011-02-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes we're naughty"

2011-02-03T21:17:00.002-07:00

I totally lost it with Sol this morning only because I was stressed and he was being difficult. We were in a hurry and I snapped at him. I immediately had one of those out of body experiences where I was watching myself be this grouchy mean mom and felt terrible.

And then Sol says "I"m sorry mommy," and then immediately tells himself "It's okay." Then I told him I was really sorry and that I would try to be nicer. He said "Its okay mommy, some times we're naughty." Gosh. He's so quick to forgive. I love that little guy. We're not perfect. We do our best. And lucky for us we have such amazing little treasures that love us no matter what.

(Marci, if you read this post and think it sounds familiar, I decided to post this little story after leaving the comment on your blog. Thanks for being so inspiring.)

1.11.11

2011-01-11T21:02:00.004-07:00

11 Things I Love about Dave cause it's his birthday.

1. He has a very sexy voice.
2. He's funny.
3. He thinks I'm funny.
4. He kills all spiders and other intruders for me.
5. He figures out computer and gadget stuff so I don't have to.
6. He takes care of our family, goes to work every day without complaint, and provides a very nice life for us.
7. He's an awesome dad. Builds forts, plays hide and seek, read's stories.
8. He has cute feet.
9. He's up for anything, he loves to play.
10. He's creative and artistic.
11. He is compassionate towards people I would typically judge or ignore.

Okay, now I'm on a roll...

12. He knows a lot about a lot of stuff and likes to tell me about it.
13. He was the first boy to tell me he 'loked' me.
14. We have the same sense of humor.
15. He likes to dance and he's got a great butt for it.
16. He doesn't tickle me much because I get violent, but he doesn't get violent when I tickle him.
17. He is a true yellow, he lives for fun.
18. He helps me to remember to have fun.
19. He's by best friend in the whole world.

11 Things I love about myself cause it's my birthday. (my sis helped me with these)

1. I'm left handed.
2. My elbows are double jointed.
3. I have 3 birthmarks.
4. I teach piano to cute little kids.
5. My favorite cd when I was 11 was Queen.
6. I'm pretty awesome...
7. I wore denim shirts in jr. high to 'dress up.'
8. I had triangle hair with large purple glasses in 3rd and 4th grade.
9. Stake dance limbo champ.
10. I can talk with a lisp pretty well.
11. My birthday is 1.11.11

Never convenient

2011-01-09T22:34:00.008-07:00

I wrote this about a week ago but didn't get it posted:

Last week Dave took me to an Instacare for a wicked sinus infection where I saw Dr. Abujabi (something like that). He was the most upbeat, chipper, positive doc I think I've ever seen. It probably would have been annoying but I felt miserable so I kind of liked it. I mentioned to Dr. Sunshine that being this sick was not 'convenient' while I had two small children. He stopped, looked at me, with a smile on his face, and said in so many words:

"It's never convenient. Nothing is ever convenient. When you have children nothing is convenient. Most days are hard, most days are bad. But you have each other and you have food on your table and so you have everything. You see people who have everything, big house, lots of things, and they're not happy because nothing is convenient. They never have everything they need. It's never convenient, but you have everything."

We both really needed to hear that. I keep thinking about him, I feel like he was an angel sent from God. I kind of wanted to ask him to be my therapist. Anyway, I thought I'd share...

Life has been inconvenient lately, we have all been in survival mode and so those less important things have fallen by the wayside. In some ways it has been nice to only focus on the basics.

Basically...

We had a great Christmas with my family in Wyoming. Sol and cousin Madelyn were inseparable little buddies. They play so well together, we love watching them. Ruby was kissed till her fat little cheeks were raw. She particularly took a liking to her Grandpa and at times preferred him over anyone else, even mom. I can relate, I was always a Daddy's girl. We had a great improve Nativity pageant complete with the three 'wise guys.' We enjoyed good food and great company. Once we got home we enjoyed trading gifts and partying with Dave's fam. So illness' aside we were reminded this Christmas how many gifts we've been given. Family. Friends. Children. Love. And of course the gift of our Savior. We have it all.

The Fam sans Monroe.

Monroe.
The Holy couple on the Holy Donkey. Joseph got to ride.
Our sheep.

The Nativity.

Surprise visit from Santa!

Upon seeing Santa, Sol immediately went to the tree, grabbed a present and started to open. I guess Santa=presents.

Christmas Morning! Ruby's haul.

Sol's haul.

I got Dave a very expensive little cable for his car. I knew he'd know exactly what it was so I wrapped it in what I call "The Love Bomb". I basically duct tapped all kinds of random junk to the outside of the box using nearly an entire roll of duct tape. I then wrapped the love bomb in several strands of broken Christmas lights.
It was awesome.

Sol got a train table! G&G know how to spoil.

SweetPea.
Ruby has decided she LOVEs to eat! She actually grabs the spoon and pulls it into her mouth all herself. She gets angry if you don't let her help or if you don't reload the spoon quick enough.

Grandpa's Girl.

Grandma Cook with the girls, Sarah and Ruby.

4 Months Old

2010-12-07T11:40:00.002-07:00

A few things we've learned about our Ruby:
- She loves people and hates to be left alone
- She's a happy girl who loves to watch her big brother, especially when he's eating.
- She gets so excited to see her dad at the end of each day. She wiggles and squirms with excitement.
- She gets a little angry at toys, they just don't cooperate like she'd like.
- She's not of huge fan of long car rides.
- She has her daddy's resonate voice. Lets hope she's a singer!
- Her cheeks are to die for.
- In the middle of her two yummy sweet cheeks is a tiny little chin. Its so adorable.
- She's the perfect addition to our little family!

Having a rough day?

2010-11-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

This will make you feel better...

sneak peak at tomorrow's action...

2010-10-29T23:05:00.000-06:00

Picture's only....well mostly.

2010-10-22T22:12:00.006-06:00

Can you guess where we've been the last two weeks?

And by the way, aren't my kids so darn adorable?

Dinner is always rather exciting these days. Ruby can't stand to miss out on the event so she's usually perched on the table in her bumbo, or on me or Dave's laps. Sol is all over the place. He stands on his char, he jumps in his chair. He tries to dish up more food. He tries to grab the salt, cries for the salt, tries to get the ice cubes out of my drink and then dad's drink. He slips ella some food, tries to feed us his food. And occasionally he'll take a few bites himself. Its crazy but fun. I like my family.

Oh, and we've been in Wyoming and Colorado visiting my parents and sister's fam. We had a ball!

guess who I ran into at TJ Maxx...

2010-10-22T10:42:00.003-06:00

Well it was acutally just the dude and his first wife. They got in line behind me. I did a double take.

They were super nice, very sweet and charismatic. I asked them about doing the Oprah show mainly. They were happy to share. They seemed very normal. I found myself thinking "Who cares that you have 4 wives. If that's how you all like it then go right ahead."

Okay, I still think its bizarre. But kudos to them for being so darn nice and approachable.

Sweating with the swiss, rocking with the band, hiking with goblins, whitey tighties, and Ruby

2010-09-27T22:54:00.008-06:00

I haven't been in blog mode lately, I guess I'm trying to get used to life with two kids. Not to mention life without auntie Michelle. She was here for the last 6 weeks doing a medical rotation for her Physician's Assistant schooling. She was such a huge help. Sol and Ruby were head over heals for her. So here are some highlights and pics from the last 6 weeks:

Swiss Days! So everyone rave's about Swiss Days in Midway Utah. We've missed it several times but this year we were able to go. "How was it," you ask?

This picture describes it well. It was HOT. And it was very crowded. Our kids nearly melted. And the lines for food were so long that we didn't get to try any of the food we'd heard so much about. The pie and ice cream were yummy.

The craft booths were amazing but again, they were SO crowded that we couldn't really look much.

We actually had to ride a shuttle to the event. Parking near the event was impossible to find.

We were able to cool down in the air conditioned basement while rocking as a band.

Sol sings...

And plays drums.

He's rather intense about the drumming.

Well, until he find something more fun to do with those sticks.

These are our groupies.

So on our way back from Lake Powell we stopped at Goblin Valley. We'd both heard about it but never been there. Its right off the road so we stopped to do some 'esploring.'

Dave got several awesome pics of Sol. He was in heaven here. Dirt, rocks, and lots of 'esplorin.'
I'm actually in this picture, can you find me?

I love his little hips in this pic. He's a boy on a mission.

Solomon the Giant.

Bliss

I haven't said much about Ruby. It's cause she's so awesome! She hardly ever cries. She's so happy and chill. I love this picture cause I have a picture of me at this age asleep on my dad's lap while he was also sleeping.

We also enjoyed a great day at the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point with friend Logan and his mom and bro.

Here are our white trash kids. :) We forgot swimies.

The huge sandbox ate up like an hour of time. We couldn't get the boys away from it!

And this last picture I took just today. Here's our sweet beautiful Ruby.

Sorry for the ultra long picture post. We're really enjoying life as four.

How to take a vacation if you only have 24 hours.

2010-09-12T23:41:00.005-06:00

1. Drive to Lake Powell one evening after work. Get there about midnight.

2. Board a beautiful 73' house boat and get a great nights sleep. You're kids have to be amazing sleepers like mine. And a little benadryl helps too.

3. First thing in the morning leave the marina to find a place to park the boat and play.

NOTICE: This next step is important, if it's excluded you'll fail to complete your vacation in 24 hours.

4. While attempting to park the boat, the driver should accidentally hit some large rocks that are hidden well beneath the surface of the water.

5. Damage to the lovely houseboat should be significant enough that you'll hear the words "Grab the buckets boys, we're bailing water!"

6. Quickly repack your bags while the boat is towed back to the marina. Be sure to get off the boat when its at the dock before the pull it out of the water. Otherwise you'll be passing your babies down and scaling the side of the boat while its trailored. It will be at least 10 feet above your head.

7. Load up the car with babies and all your stuff, and head home. You should get home about 24 hours from the time you left the day before.

Unfortunately you won't have any pictures to show for your vacation as the excitement and adventures will keep you too busy to have time to get your camera out. But the memories will last forever.

Sad. We would have had such a fun weekend. Maybe next year. :(

For Grandmas... and anyone else who wants to bask in Ruby's beauty.

2010-08-30T23:12:00.003-06:00

I got a CD full of pics from Tiffany (my good friend who took Ruby's newborn pics). I wanted Grandmas to be able to see them all so they could pick a few out they'd like to have printed. Here they are:

(you can click on the slideshow to view any of the pics up close)

Family.

2010-08-24T16:02:00.002-06:00

So things are going good. I'm still on a postpartum high. I really missed my energy, my appetite, my ability to bend over, my ability to chase Sol, to hold him normally, to read him stories with him on my lap. I missed feeling like myself. I really missed being able to sleep under the covers with my hubby instead of sprawled out on top of the sheets with the ac blaring and a fan blowing on me while I still sweat. I missed my girly figure. There are lots of other things too.

But she was definitely worth it. I'd do it all again to get her here. To get to meet her, get to know her (we're still working on that). To look in her intense alert little blue eyes. To hear her purr while she sleeps. To kiss her delicious little chubby cheeks. And she's such a good baby. Really. She's amazing.

Poor little Sol really struggled as an infant. He had pretty severe acid reflux. His medication made it so he didn't scream 24/7 but he still was in a lot of pain. He had to be held a certain way, he had to be bounced almost constantly. As soon as he got a little older, around 6-8 months, he turned into a different child. He's been the easiest, most delightful kid since. But those first 6 months were really hard. I did not enjoy his infant stage. I was ready for a repeat with this baby as reflux runs in families. But Ruby is a totally different baby. She's been sleeping 6 hours a night for the last 2 weeks. She only gets up once, eats, and then goes back to bed. Its awesome! She does have a touch a reflux which I spotted right away (once you've suffered through it with one baby you can spot it easily) and got a pX for her. With the prevacid she is seriously the easiest baby ever. Thanks for that one Heavenly Father. I appreciate it so much.

Sol is struggling with the changes. He's having a hard time sharing the attention. He's been naughty, on purpose, to get attention. It makes me so sad cause he's such a good kid normally. He's showing some signs of frustration, not toward Ruby but toward me. In the past I've told so many of my friends in the same situation "Don't worry, every first child goes through this. In a few months he'll be back to his normal self." But right now I'd really like someone else to tell me the same thing. I just don't want it to change him forever, for the worse. I'd love to hear some words of encouragement, or advice.

So that's where things are today. Day 2 with 2 kids by myself. Its not so bad.

Actually today started out pretty rough. I woke up with a pounding headache. I have hypoglycemia and sometimes nursing totally depletes me. I got up twice to eat a snack last night and still woke up ravenously hungry. So this morning I loaded up the kids and went to McDonalds where I ate 1.5 McGrilddles and a large glass of ice water. I know, thats a lot of calories, but whatever. After letting Sol play for about 45 min we left for the grocery store for my first solo trip with Sol and Ruby. On my way out of the parking lot I backed into a white dodge stratus that tried to squeeze between me and another car right as I looked over my opposite shoulder. I didn't even feel the car hit because I was going so slow. None the less there was white paint on my bumper. Dang it.

My head was still pounding. By the time we got home from the store Ruby was starving so once I got her fed, and Sol fed and down for a nap I felt wasted. I took one of those giant motrins left over from the hospital and laid down with Ruby. After a little nap we're all much better.

Okay, now for the real reason I sat down to write this post...Family! We had lots of family around for the 2 weeks after Ruby was born. Dave's family had a sort of reunion planned during that time and so we decided to bless Ruby then so everyone could be there. Here are some pics of Dave's fam (minus Lisa :() one night that we hung out at uncle Mikes farm. It was so much fun! The weather was awesome and the chickens provided awesome entertainment for the kidos. And then some pics from Ruby's blessing day.

So life with 2 kids is not so bad. Not as hard as I thought it might be, but I know I'm just at the beginning.

Ruby's Birth

2010-08-17T16:11:00.003-06:00

Ruby was born right on time- on her due date. She's a punctual gal. The day before she was born I was dilated to a 4. I woke up at 3:45 on Wednesday, the 4th, with contractions occuring every 3-4 minutes. It was time to go! As we got ready to go a storm was building outside. We could see flashes and hear thunder. As we went outside we were surprised to see crazy lightening all over the sky. We sat out side and watched it for about 15 minutes, until I was feeling to impatient to enjoy it. It was incredible. As we were driving to the hospital we could see big bolts of lightening hitting Mount Timpanogos. We could see the actual point of contact as it would flash bright red. Very cool.

When we got to the hospital I was dilated to a 7. I opted out of an epidural as I'd been planing a natural birth. The contractions were strong but manageable. They came in and broke my water which caused the contractions to get stronger (aka more painful). The next hour I had very intense contractions. Dave did a great job of coaching me. He was so encouraging.

The last 20 mintues were the hardest. It hurt bad and the contractions were so close that I hardly had a break between them. I was going through transition (the last stage of contractions before you get to push). I then started wanting to push. However the doctor was not available, he was doing a c-section. So they had to call in another doctor. It took her about 10 mintues to get there. Okay, that really sucked. It hurts to not be able to push when your body is basically doing it anyway. She finally showed up and I was able to push. Whew! She was out in about 10 minutes. She was big and beautiful.

They laid her on my tummy for just a minute as there was merconium in my fluid so they had to make sure she hadn't inhaled any of it. Then she was so pale from the cord being wrapped around her neck so I got to see her for another minute before they took her away again for about 2 hours. I hated not being able to see her for so long.

Finally they brought her in. She looked so good.

She's an incredible baby. So good. In fact she slept 6 hours last night - woohoo! She rarely cries. We actually didn't hear her cry till she was 5 days old. We love her so much. Here are so more pics...

Ruby

2010-08-13T13:03:00.002-06:00

My very talented friend Tiffany took some pics of our Ruby girl yesterday. Here's a sample. We took some in her nursery that are so colorful. Ruby was such the little model. She just chilled the whole time. Thanks so much Tiff!

Ruby Jane Cook

2010-08-07T17:36:00.002-06:00

Born August 4th at 7:33am
8lbs 12 oz
19.5 inches long
She's perfect.

You're still here?

2010-07-29T23:01:00.007-06:00

Yes. Still pregnant. I really thought she was going to come early. Guess not. I've been having consistent contractions on and off for days. Its like they get started for like an hour and then fizzle out. Its wearing me out emotionally and physically. So that's all I'm going to say about that. The rest of this post is going to be totally random bullet points.

IMPORTANT: Never say to anyone, pregnant or not "You look like you're ready to explode!" Just don't say it. How can that be a good thing? There are better ways to comment on the fact that your belly is sticking out so far that it's starting to sag and you're hands and legs are swelling sickening amounts. A lady at church actually said this to me. Dave later made me feel better by telling me I should have said "I could say the same about you and you're not even pregnant!" It made me feel better. Especially because she is quite overweight.

So this is how I look, right now as a write this. I'm kind of hot and sweaty even though it says its 70 degrees in here. I'm hot. I've got prego face. My belly is really big. I thought about retaking it but what's the point? Do I look like I'm 'ready to explode!'? Don't you dare say yes.

Sol is in a big boy bed! Thanks to his dad he now loves his new big bed. I realized that I was the one who was having a hard time with the transition. Sol moved over like it was no big deal. Dave had the great idea of showing Sol how to make a fort. They made this cool fort and were camped out in there for a while.

pretending to sleep...

Sol wanted to go night night in the fort. Dave told him instead that he should go night night in his big boy bed. He took him upstairs, laid on the bed with him and talked to him about how cool it was to sleep in a big boy bed. He then told him to go to sleep and then left. Sol did just that! He didn't try to come out once. My neighbor gave me a great suggestion. She said instead of getting one of those gates keep them from falling out of bed just roll up a blanket and put it up under the fitted sheet. You can kind of curl it around below them and it makes a sort of nest. It works great. Sol's never fallen out. And I think it makes him feel safe to be all nestled in like that.

Dave completed an Xterra triathlon in Vail, CO. He did awesome! He improved his overall time by 30 minutes from last year. Sol and I were bummed we couldn't go with him. We're hoping to make it a family vacation next summer. He said it was gorgeous. And I think he enjoyed the guys weekend with his buddy Corey.

Can you tell which one is Dave? ...me neither.

Here's a random picture of my fleshy swollen hand. They're particularly bad in the morning. And you can see my fleshy little foot in there too. Lovely.

Here's random pic of my adorable saucey pants.

Here's a self portrait:

Our bounteous harvest:

That was just one day! The garden has been a success so far. I've definitely learned somethings not to do next year (like don't plant your squash next to your watermelon or you'll have squashy watermelon, not so good). But it's so fun to actually be able to watch, pick and then eat the literal fruits of your labors. Everyone should grow a garden!

That's what's been going on for now. Hopefully the next post will bring more exciting news!

2010-07-22T22:42:00.002-06:00

I read this quote on Dr. Laura's blog. Pretty awesome coming from an extremely opinionated person...

"I’m convinced too much of the time it has become more natural to dislike the person whose message is counter to your preference than it is to simply agree to disagree, or congenially debate without hate. However, hate has become the current means of dealing with differences of opinion."

Crazy-train

2010-07-15T04:15:00.007-06:00

First off, sorry to leave the mushy post up there for so long. That post was really just for me and I realize it could have been a little nauseating for some. Thanks for indulging me.

So I've kind of been in my own world for the past few weeks. I'm definitely on the crazy train, the end of pregnancy horemone fest where I'm either a) really frustrated and angry with everyone around me and especially myself for no great reason. b) weepy and sad about my current condition (I just know I'll be pregnant forever!) c) bouncing off the walls with energy to get things done before this baby comes. And while the list of things to get done before baby comes does get smaller, I keep adding to it so it really won't ever be done. I'm kind of crazy and I know it. Sorry Dave.

I've kind of lost all my social skills as I often find myself staring at someone who's talking to me with a blank 'stupor of thought' look on my face, having no idea what they're saying and nothing in particular going on in my brain. I don't really feel like talking, especially small talk with strangers. I about decked the cute little hostess who sat Dave and me at Chili's the other night because she said "2 and a half?" with a cute little smirk on her face while she eyed my bulging belly. Not a reasonable reaction to someone who's kindly nodding to the fact that you're 9 months pregnant and look like you should have given birth yesterday. When she brought crayons and a kids menu to the table to really send the joke home I shot her a seriously dirty look. That's really not like me. But I'm afraid I've turned into prego-zilla. Rahhhrrrrr.

So a few weeks ago I started having contractions off and on, nothing consistent but real contractions none the less. These have basically carried on for the last 2 weeks, some days being worse than others. I'm getting tired. Baby girl keeps dropping and then dropping more, and then dropping more. She's really ready to come. Sometimes I'm afraid she's going to suddenly stick her head out and say "whats up mom?"

And I don't know if it's horemones but I'm freaked out about loving another baby. I know I'm going to love her as much as I love Sol and something about that scares me. I think it scares me how much I love Solomon because I know how vulnerable that makes me. When I think of having another, part of me somewhere in my head is going "WHAT? You're going to add another amazing cherub to your world?! You're nuts! They they have your heart, what if something happens and you get crushed forever?" And that little nagging fear really flares up when I start to have contractions. Is this normal? I've been pregnant for 9 months and now in the last few weeks the idea is starting to really freak me out. I know I can handle it. I know we'll be happier being a family. But it scares the whits out of me to think of loving another child as much as I love Sol. Maybe that's why I keep starting contractions and then stopping, my subconscience is screaming "SLOW DOWN!"

On the other hand I can't handle staying in the prego-zilla condition for much longer. I'll make myself and everyone around me crazy. She'll be here soon. In fact she's so close I can almost smell her. I'll see her and instantly fall in love with her and everything will be right in the world. For now, I'm on the crazy train. Be warned. :)

On a happier note, Sol is so much fun right now. He's really such a good boy and only goes to time out for roughing up Ella (the dog). He thinks its so funny to chuck something big at her or jump on her and watch her scramble to get out of the way. He's such a boy. Ella still loves him though she's a little nervous around him.

We spent some time with extended and immediate family up in Idaho this last week which was really great. Sol had a blast on the 'forver' (four wheeler) and swiming in Grandma's ditch. He loved playing with his cousins and riding in Grandpa's boat.

On the way home we had some drama with Mazdy car. The engine blew up. I guess you could call that drama. Luckily we were in Layton and made it to a Walmart parking lot where we could call Dave's sis that lives in the area. They rescued us and helped us tow Mazdy to the car hospital where they are still troubleshooting the problem. It's not looking good. Dave loves that car almost as much as he loves peanut butter bars so he's rather distraught over the whole thing. Especially because it doesn't yet have 100k miles on it and its just out of warranty.

Oh well, at least its a car and not one of us.

Well if you're still reading I'm impressed. This is one looong post. Here are some recent pics for the skimmers...

Fathers Day. While trying to get Sol to say 'Cheese,' Dave pulled the 3rd grade class picture smile out. Nice.

Sol's new skill: somersaults. He really just rolls around on the ground but he fully believes he's somersaulting like the big kids.

Swimming in the ditch.

My family had a lovely baby shower for me where I felt very loved and showered. I'm not thrilled with the pics as I realize I'm all boobs, belly, and elephant legs. Oh well. The shower was still great!

AF City parade!

Sol discovers they throw candy.

It was a long parade. Thankfully uncle Steve had his phone with the Helicopter video to keep Sol entertained.

ttfn! Hopefully the next post I write will be a little less crazy. However, I make no promises.

5 Years

2010-06-24T13:53:00.009-06:00

5 years ago yesterday I woke up at 5:00 am. I showered, shaved my legs, carefully put on my makeup, had my hair curled. I rode with my parents to the Salt Lake Temple where I met Dave and married him for forever. I was nervous, I was excited, I knew I loved Dave but I also knew that marriage was hard and life didn't make it easy. But I knew I loved Dave. I knew he was my very best friend above everything else. I knew he loved me and wanted me to be happy more than anything. I trusted him with everything. And so I decided that morning to never look back, to dive in with my everything, my whole heart, my whole head. He was mine and I was his forever. And with that decision came peace. Sweet peace. And that peace has been the biggest blessing of my life. It's never left. With Dave I'm home.

Yesterday marked our 5 year anniversary. With our current circumstances (just bought a house and a lawn mower and all those fun home owner things you get to buy when you have a house AND I'm 8.5 months pregnant) we didn't plan anything too grand to celebrate. We got a babysitter. A good one who loves sol and makes dinner and cleans up after herself. She's awesome. We drove up to Park City to our favorite restaurant, Ruths Chris, and ate on their back deck. The temperature was perfect. The view was beautiful. And the food, oh so good.

On the drive up to Park City Dave gave me my anniversary present. He'd been working on it late nights for the last few days at a friends house. I had no idea what it was, who he was working on it with or what it was. I kept joking he was getting a tattoo of my face on his hiney. I would have been okay with that. :)

He turned on a CD and it started to play. Guitar....okay...then the voice. It was him! He gave me my own song that he recorded professionally! My heart melted into a puddle on the floor. I was so in shock at the present and amazed at how good he sounded. This isn't something he's done before or even mentioned. I knew he played the guitar and sang but its totally just a hobby. And compared to his other hobbies it took a back seat. So my heart just melted. You can listen to the song here. And Dave played/sang every part you hear:

And then the next song came on. It's a song he recorded for Solomon. We love the lyrics to this song. If you have boys or just kids for that matter I think you'll understand. Notice he changes the lyrics at the end to make the song especially Sol's.

*sigh*
I'm so in love with this man.

Here's some of my favorite pics from the last 6 years (5+ dating).

2010-06-21T09:27:00.002-06:00

Last saturday, much to everyone's surprise, I announced I wanted to do something FUN instead of work all day. I've been in that crazy nesting stage where I feel the intense need to make sure everything is ready for the baby. This usually includes yard work, painting, organizing,etc. . All of Dave's favorite things. :) Maybe thats wearing off because I realized this week that we'll have just a few weekends where we could be having FUN as a family of 3 before baby makes us 4. And lets be honest, newborns aren't exactly FUN. Sweet, yummy smelling, and fuzzy, but not FUN.

So we headed off to the Lindon city pool. This pool was awesome. Sol, ready for pool FUN.

Sol enthusiastically marching toward the FUN. This pool is awesome. See the lazy river?
Daddy and Sol, both so good lookin!Love this pic...

I'm so glad we took a saturday to have FUN. We need to do this more often!

summer

2010-06-14T14:26:00.003-06:00

What's been going on, really.

2010-06-02T15:25:00.006-06:00

So instead of the fluffy post about what magical memories we've been creating I thought I'd write a post about what's really up. Besides all the magical memories. If you'd like to look through some pics of the last month you can click here. Otherwise, read on for the real update.
I think we've arrived at 2. Sol is changing so quickly, daily we are amazed/baffled/trying to keep up. Sometimes I think we have the 'deer in headlights' look (like this)

(Deb - do you think he gets it from me? :))

as sol whips out a new one for us to try to tackle.

Like running away from me in public. It's really cute. Really, I feel so cool as I waddle/run-waddle my 7 month prego booty around the store trying to catch my little turkey. I think its time to get the monkey leash out. Judge me all you want on-lookers. At least he's tethered.

Or yesterday for example when we had to run to the store and he insisted that "Solomon Drive!" I let him sit in the front seat for a minute to pretend. I even let him hold the keys. But he looked at me like, "Are you kidding mom? You hop in back." While he's throwing a fit as I strap his ridgid body into his car seat I'm thinking, "How do I explain this so he understands?"

"Sol - you're not of legal age."
"Sol- you wouldn't make it out of the garage"
"Sol- I know Grandma let you sit on her lap while she drove in circles around the cul-du-sac, but you weren't really driving"

I settled with "Hey buddy, want some chocolate?"

It did the trick.

Actually, I'm really loving having a 'little boy'. He's amazing and so much fun. He's recently discovered bugs and usually examines them to death, and then says "ouch! sleeping..." He loves to jump and bounce and is currently getting about an inch of air with both feet when he jumps. He's speaking really well and its so fun to learn what big thoughts are in his little head. The other day we had a discussion about the sky and why he couldn't reach it. He wanted to stand on my shoulders/face to try. Sorry buddy. When they say 'Reach for the Stars' they don't mean you'll actually be able to touch them. He's still as sweet as can be, loves to give hugs and kisses and pats on the back. He's our sunshine, what a great kid.

However, if any of you seasoned moms have advice for us as we take on this new challenge please pass it on!

As for baby girl, she's getting big and rolly. I think she kicks my actual organs more than Sol did. He was so high and this gal's much lower. She bounces on my bladder and pokes at other things that kind of make me sick. I'm already having lots of braxton hicks, and remembering how anoying/uncomfotable they can be. Sometimes I stand up to go to the bathroom, and as I do so a contraction starts making my uterus rock hard, which makes it really difficult to walk to the bathroom without 1. peeing my pants or 2. waddling like I'm saddle sore. Awkward.

But she's doing great, everything looks good. 2 months till she's here! I'm so excited to meet this little cherub. For now this is what she looks like:

And I can't leave off an update on my hot sexy beefcakes. Does this picture not just scream "hot sexy beefcake"?
He's loving all the warm weather and has already racked up several miles on both his bikes. Yay for summer!

I'll leave you with this video. Sol loves this song (and who can blame him?! its a classic!) and insists we all dance to it:

and yes, Dave is sporting a 'stache in the video.

tired.

2010-05-29T22:40:00.002-06:00

After a few weeks of mission home comings, visitors, dinners, laughing, shopping, gardening, painting, and seeing nearly every member of both Dave's and my families I am happy and exhausted. I hit a wall today. It took everything I had to shower. Dave was pretty surprised that I had no agenda of his Saturday at home.

So in short, we had a great couple of weeks with family and friends. We're so excited Dave's brother Steve is home from his mission and making a decent running for the position of Sol's favorite uncle. We're so excited to have him move into our basement for the summer. I'm thrilled to have had my mom here for a week to help me tackle all those projects that had to be done before the baby comes (in less than 2 months). We got a lot done.

Now to recoup. See you in a few days.

If you know anyone looking...

2010-05-11T23:16:00.001-06:00

...for a sweet pad in Provo, pass it on.

http://riversideduplex.blogspot.com/

One of our apartments is up for grabs available June 1st.

night time snack.

2010-05-04T21:37:00.001-06:00

merry christmas.

2010-05-01T09:32:00.002-06:00

Contrary to what Dave may tell you, we were asked to to portray Mary and Joseph for a primary activity in our new ward. Wanting to make a good impression in the ward and in my neighborhood (i'm surrounded by primary presidency on all sides) I agreed happily.

Dave wasn't as happy about it.

Based on several conversations I had with the presidency about the activity I had a feeling that my traditional nativity costume, involving towels, ties and bathrobes, wouldn't cut it. So I set out to make our costumes. No pattern. I simply studied some pictures online and start sewing. It was my first time freestyling a sewing project since I was probably 9. Granted I was only making a simply shapeless tunic, but I couldn't help feeling like one of those pretentious designers on Project Runway.

Based on reactions, I think we made the good impression I was looking for. Hopefully any future opportunities with the ward won't involve playing dress up.

Easter

2010-04-26T11:00:00.002-06:00

I'm still so behind on my blog and I'm ready to be caught up. Here's a little slide show of easter pics for your enjoyment.

2010-04-15T13:02:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking a lot today about how quickly the last two years has gone. How I strange it felt to call myself "mom," but how I can't imagine life without that title. Its amazing how life changing this last two years has been. I feel overwhelmed at how much love it has required but also given me in return. The thought of having so many more years of this and the thought of having another little one that completely captures my heart is unfathomable to me. I really don't know how my heart can get any bigger, but I don't doubt that it will.

Will I always have such an emotional reflection every time one of my children has a birthday? Its almost exhausting! But its mine and I love it.

a couple weeks ago...

2010-04-09T09:56:00.008-06:00

We looked like this. We were getting ready to move to move from Saratoga to our new home in AF. We didn't have much furniture as we'd used my cousins while living in her house. So our house looked like this:
As often happens when securing a mortgage we learned our move would be pushed back a week. So instead of waiting in our big empty home for a week, a week when Dave would be mostly gone at a conference, Sol and I decided to take a trip to Laramie to hang out with G&G for week.

While there we went to look at the trains:
It snowed while we were there (no big surprise) and Sol really wanted to put his feet in the snow. We kept telling him it was too cold for bare feet but he insisted. So...
Sol loves to eat snow. "Margon" (Grandma in Sol speak) would fill a little cup full of snow for sol to snack on in doors where it was warm. He ate cup after cup.

We had a great week in Laramie, very relaxing. My mom came back to Utah with us to help us move. My sister and her kids came to help as well. I needed muscle where I'm pregnant so they were a huge help. My dad came on the weekend when we actually moved all the big stuff. He was a really big help too!

We all enjoyed some Rock Band, kids included:

And then we moved.

(insert fun moving pics here)

I fully intended to document the big event but when it came down to it, taking pictures was never a priority. But we made it! We're all here and so is our stuff. Here's a picture of the view from our front window.

We're so glad to be home.

Solomon Skis.

2010-04-03T23:28:00.008-06:00

I'm thrilled to have a guest blogger on my blog today! Please welcome Skimoab from skimoab.net....

I'm funny. Do I sound like a crafty blog queen?

I copied this post verbatim from Dave's blog cause I loved his telling of the story. Thanks hun.

You thought I was going to talk about Salomon brand skis, didn't you? Nope, instead i'm looking to enthrall you with a post about Solomon's first day on skis. Sol will be turning 2 on April 15th so I thought it would be cool to get him on skis while he was still 1. Last Thursday morning posed the perfect opportunity with some fresh snowfall and a warm, spring day.

We took him to Nyman's Ski Shop on the way up to sundance where Scott was kind enough to hook us up with some 70cm skis.

There were several steps along the way where I figured he might decide this wasn't for him, the first being after trying out the boots.

He did tip over once, but caught on pretty quick. He's always liked shoes so to him this was just a cool new pair of boots.

Sol has watched skiing with me on TV and we talk about it a lot, but he was really fascinated once we got to watch some kids skiing at the base of the hill.

He kept saying "Ski?" and was urging us to get going.

Once we got the actual skis on him he was a little more hesitant. He definitely wanted to go but knew it was a little over his head.

We mostly pulled him along while he tried to balance himself, though he did get a couple of 4-5ft long slides in by himself.

After 20 minutes or so he decided he had learned enough for the first day.

So I took him up the ski lift. I knew it might make him a little nervous but he settled right in and had a blast.

He kept pointing out the trees, snow, and mountains.

We rode up to the midway stop on Ray's and I held him as we skied down. He loved skiing through the Magic Forest, the spot just under the lift before you get to the midway stop. He kept laughing and saying "fun?" I did set him down and let him ski a little more on his own, then I carried him the rest of the way down.

It turned out to be a beautiful day and a lot of fun. We figured at some point he would have lost it, but he had a great time.

Today I showed him a picture of the trip and he said, "Ski? Fun?" Yes Sol, ski fun.

girl. ...I mean GIRL!

2010-03-28T20:11:00.002-06:00

That's right! Baby is a girl! We're so very excited. I've felt very strongly all along that this baby is a girl but I knew it could just be hormones. I'd be just as excited about a little boy and probably a lot less nervous. Girl is uncharted territory for me. I love little boys, they are so much fun and in many ways they are so easy. So I know this little rose petal will be a new challenge for all of us. But we couldn't be happier!

Sol came to the ultra sound appointment. I expected him to be bored in after a few minutes of the fuzzy, grainy video but he was as mesmerized as we were by seeing our dear little peanut on the tv. She looked beautiful. Sol kept saying "Baby?" over and over and pointing to the screen. Once we learned she was a girl and told him it was his sister he kept saying "Sister? Sister?" and pointing to the screen. It was so awesome. Its incredible to make a family 'where there once was none.'

Alive.

2010-03-17T12:22:00.005-06:00

We've survived our 3rd and hopefully final move (for a long while at least). I love our new home! The neighborhood is amazing, everyone is so friendly already. We're still dealing with boxes and getting things in order, which I'm sure will take a while.

So amidst all the "excitement" (I'm tired of calling it craziness) of moving I've fallen behind on some blogging. I'm going to start with just a bit at a time.

A couple weeks ago Daddy sluffed work for a few hours and accompanied Sol and me to the aquarium in Sandy. Its no Sea World, but its great for a kids Sol's age. We made it through all the exibits about the time he was done. Perfect! Here are some pics. Enjoy!

Studying the Jellyfish

"Shish, shish, shish" (fish) Sol said over and over

The Octopus or "Oposus" and Sol calls it. Yuck.

Harassing the Sting rays

We all had fun!

Home!

2010-02-27T23:27:00.003-07:00

I've avoided blogging much about our home search so as not to jinx us or cause undue excitement. But I think I'm safe in announcing...that after much searching and 2 moves, and years of planning and saving, we got a house! Not just any house, OUR house. I took a little video with my iPod so show friends and family. (If you're neither of those then don't feel obligated to watch it)

Here it is!

Seriously, I'm a little jealous of myself. :)

What I mean is I never thought we could have gotten a home this nice. We feel so very blessed. It hasn't come without sacrifice. We lived in 1100 square ft for the last 4 years in our lovely little 1973 mushroom house. And I had to keep telling myself, "be grateful for what you have, you could be living in a grass hut with no running water!" We've loved our little home and have been so very grateful for the wonderful people we met and became such good friends with in our time there. In fact if we'd had more room we would have stayed longer. But this move has been a long time coming. It feels like we've been talking about it for years. Our patience paid off. We'll be moving in a couple weeks!

I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with Honey and Chair

2010-02-18T15:56:00.010-07:00

Can anyone guess who we're supposed to be?

Our good friend Kevin is an incredibly talented professional photographer. You can check out his work here (kevinwinzeler.com). He's used us in some shoots here and there and recently gave us some pics he's taken of us - including the one above that was taken at an Omniture Halloween party a few years ago.

Here are a few more that I had to post:

Ella and Dave bikin'

Frustrated Meg
Tired Dave

Sour face

Poor kid...we scared the poop out of him for this sequence...i feel bad...but it's kind of funny...

In other news -baby's heart is still beating! We heard it again today. 16 weeks down!

Christmas 2009!

2010-02-11T11:17:00.006-07:00

Hey, Better late than never, right?!

My kind mother in law sent me all her pictures so we had something to document the year end. Just a few highlights...enjoy!

Christmas Eve...

We tried to get pictures of the kids in their jamies by the tree. So many wiggles! This was the best we got.

Mike and Brandie
Nay Famiy
We opened presents...
...and were wowed by presents
We ate yummy food!
We (the guys) hung out in our "Max Hall Hates Me" t-shirts, thanks Lisa!

The next day, Christmas Morning we had a great time opening presents...very slowly. Sol wanted to sit and play with everything he opened. It took 2 hours to open presents!
Sol opened his new ornament for the year first, a little penguin. He LOVED it. He even danced with it. He got this little chair from G&GW. Its still a favorite!

Sol tried on mommy's new vest.

Daddy got a bunch of new back country gear.

Sol got a new puppy friend! A fake one- the best kind!!!

Our real puppy got a little jealous.

Thanks for a great Christmas to all those we were able to share it with!

Photo Booth

2010-02-04T11:25:00.001-07:00

Since we've been sans-camera I decided to use the Photo Booth program on our computer to take a few shots of our little man. Enjoy!

Heartbeat.

2010-01-25T14:45:00.009-07:00

Baby's got one!

We all got to hear it. What a sweet sound. Sol was squirming all over the place but as soon as the doctor came in he sat on Dave's lap, still as could be. What a good boy.

On another note... (pun intended)
Does this song not totally rock!? And I LOVE the video. It's so happy and sunny and warm and fun. All good things to take you away from a cloudy cold January day.

How can you not dance to it?! Watching this video totally makes me wish I was there in the street with the drummer guys, shaking my pregnant booty.

Happy Monday!

Haiti: What can YOU do?

2010-01-21T16:42:00.005-07:00

I'm astonished at the devastation in Haiti. I don't think I've personally witnessed such an incredible tragedy in my life time. The the amount of those who died is mind boggling. My dear friend Jean Marie sent me this email about what more we can do outside of a cash donation. I thought I'd pass it on to you.

Dear friends,

You know the need-you've seen the photos and most of us have already responded with a donation. Good.

Now, HOPE+ wants you to do something more than just give money.

We want three things 1) your time, 2) your friends and 3) your ideas.

1st Your Time - Below are some ways to take action right now, to help - both immediately and long term:

Drop the Debt Petition - Sponsored by ONE for immediate cancellation of Haiti's $1 billion debt and ensure that any emergency earthquake assistance is provided in the form of grants, not debt-incurring loans.

'Micro projects' - Led by The Extraordinaries, you can to help sort and tag disaster photos, match the missing to sorted images and search the image database for missing persons.

Volunteer in Your Community - Check out All For Good, search for the key word "Haiti" along with your zip code and find volunteer opportunities in your community.

These may seem like small things, but small things add up, and so much is needed in so many ways.

2nd Your Friends - In the next 24 hours, reach out to 10 of your friends and ask them to get involved with HOPE+, sign up and do what they can to help Haitian relief efforts. Click here to tell your friends about HOPE+ right now.

3rd Your Ideas - What special project do you think we as HOPE+ should do? You've seen other ideas and projects online, check out our blog and give us your best ideas.

HOPE+ is brand new and this is our first big opportunity to do something new and different. Even if it is a small project, what is something special that we could do? Once we hear from you, we'll turn your ideas into action and results on the ground in Haiti.

HOPE+ is about more than just giving money, it's about giving you the resources to get involved in a personal way, along with your friends and to turn the best ideas out there into real action.

Haiti needs YOUR action now.

This is what HOPE+ was made for, but we can't do it without you. I hope you'll step up to join us right now to take action. The real long term impact of this disaster is yet to be seen, and our fellow global citizens in Haiti urgently need our help.

Please do something NOW.

Thanks,
The HOPE+ Team

Also, see how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is sending aid in all forms here:

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/church-aid-continues-to-arrive-in-haiti

Your baby can read!

2010-01-20T20:35:00.005-07:00

Let me preface this post by saying, I really hope this doesn't come off as self-righteous.

You've seen those comercials, right? Where the 9 month old is reading words like "ambidextrous" and "antidisestablishmentarianism". Your baby can read by watching these videos! It kind of makes me sad for the poor kid that is expected to be reading before he can wipe himself. Most kids learn to read, why push it on them at such an early age....

I had kind of a surreal moment today as Sol and I were looking at books. This is easily one of Sol's favorite books. Its full of colorful fish and sea creatures. He loves to look at it and read it over and over. His favorite page is where the fish swim round and round. We all have to say it, "Round and Round" over and over.

The last page of the book says "Hello Mom! Hello Little Fish! Kiss Kiss Kiss, Horray for Fish!"

Tonight as we turned to this page Sol recited the whole thing by himself!

Its the first time he's ever 'read' or rather recited words on a page. I was thrilled, not that my baby could 'read' rather that he was learning to comprehend and remember a story.

I don't tell this story to brag (well maybe a little cause I'm his mom) but point out that there may be a little more to teaching your kids to read than planting them in front of the tv while they watch several hours of flash cards. Just a thought.

Solomon continued...

2010-01-14T00:16:00.003-07:00

New phrases to add to his vocabulary:

"Okay...Lets see" and

"Oh No! Watch Out! Watch Out"

Usually heard as he plays with trains and cars. He's so big. And he loves it.

Solomon

2010-01-07T10:51:00.003-07:00

I haven't written about Sol much in the last few months so I thought some of you may appreciate a post on our little sunshine. He is a delight!

He is a very happy and pleasant child. He loves people, loves to talk, loves to tease. He's a lot like his parents that way.
Sol LOVES Ella. He always greets her every morning with a "Hi Ella! Hello!" and tells her "night night" before he goes to bed. He gives her loves, throws her ball for her, and occasionally try's out some karate moves on her. When I tell him that's not nice he's quick to give her loves.
Sol loves books (finally!). He's starting reading to himself explaining what everything on the page is.
Sol has a pretty big vocabulary and its increasing daily. He constantly asks "Whats that?" and usually remembers the answer.
He loves cars, trucks, trains, tractors, anything with a motor really. He can make all the sound effects quite well.
Sol loves to say his alphabet and count to 10. He has to have help from mom and dad but we don't mind. Its amazing to see how quickly he is still developing.
Sol is very loving. He loves to give hugs and kisses and cuddles.
He loves his uncle Mike. He loves to sit on his lap and watch football and videos of Mike's cat on his phone. Whenever Sol sees anything red or with the University of Utah logo on it he says "Mike?" One time he even saw a picture of Jesus and asked "Mike?".
On the other hand he saw a picture of a wanted criminal on the news and asked "Daddy? Daddy?" I didn't really see the resemblance...sorry hun.
Sol still loves his 'baby' (blue stuffed elephant) and takes him everywhere. I have to sneak baby away to wash him as often as I can. When we recently traveled to Connecticut and Oregon baby didn't leave his side as we traveled through 7 airports. (yuck) He badly needed a washing then.
Sol loves his Daddy. He's tries to be just like him and I can get Sol to do about anything if I tell him Daddy would do it. He gets so excited to see him at night. It makes my heart so happy.

I know its kind of a 'brag about my kid' post but hey, I'm his mom. And like my dad once told me, "Everyone needs a mother" to praise and adore them their whole lives through.

Camera Gods, how have I offended thee???

2010-01-02T10:56:00.003-07:00

So you know my cute little red camera that I finally got after like 6 months with no camera? Well I can't find it...I won't say its lost, but its location is unknown. Ug! In fact I couldn't find it right before Christmas so no Christmas pics. :( I feel like I should be learning some lesson like "Don't be so materialistic" or "write in your journal more" or "Don't take so many dang pictures!" But I refuse to learn it. A camera is kind of essential in my book.

In other news:

We had a great Christmas at home. Dave's parents joined us, which was so fun. Opening presents took 2 hours cause Sol wanted to sit and play with everything. It was kind of funny.

We had a great New Years too! We've been able to have lots of family around just hanging out. Its been great to have company and to just chill.

Finally, I'm pregnant! I'm really happy and excited about it. However I'm not happy or excited about being dog sick most days. :( I've definitely been more sick that I was with Sol. Were getting through it though. The due date is August 4th so that makes me 9 weeks. 31 to go! Woohoo!

{Insert cute picture of Sol wearing an "I'm the big brother" tee here}

Hopefully we'll find the camera soon! Hopefully its not gone forever.

oh and

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Goodbye for now Grumpa

2009-12-16T20:02:00.003-07:00

Dave's sweet Grumpa passed away last week. We will miss him so much. We got these pictures the last time we saw him, this summer at his 80th birthday party. He was a perfect grandpa or "Grumpa" as they've always called him. He loved people. And people loved him, he was an instant friend. We love you Grumpa! And we'll miss you so much!

2009-12-02T14:39:00.003-07:00

We are all moved into our new home. Its actually really great! Its so big. I'm not bragging, its just the truth. Way bigger than we can fill. Its nice to have so much room. I'm afraid we'll be spoiled living here the next few months.

We got an early Christmas present, a camera! Thanks to Dave shopping the early sales on black friday we got a great little camera. I'm used to not having a camera so after uploading the pictures from the week I realized I've gotten out of the habit of taking them. I thought you might enjoy a few that I did get.

Christmas came a little early for Sol too. G&GW gave him a rocking horse. Sol LOVES his new 'see see'. I wanted them to see him get it so they gave it to him while they were here for Thanksgiving.

Christmas tree hunting at a local lot. Right after this he tripped and smacked his head on the pavement. So sad. Our hunt ended quickly after that.

We had a really nice thanksgiving here with my family. We got to see Dave's parents too as they were in town. Lots of great family!

"Life" to Megan and Dave - "I think I'll go with a curve ball!"

2009-11-18T12:58:00.004-07:00

I should be packing. "Packing?" you say. Yes packing. We are moving...again...I don't really want to go into the details...

Yes, it was unexpected.
No, were not mad. Life throws you a curve ball every now and then. Its an adventure.

We're basically trading houses with my cousin in Saratoga Springs which is about 20 min from where we live now. Its a nice area, good neighborhood. And it will keep us until we hopefully buy a house in the next few months. I'm freaking out just a little. I'm so sad to leave our little home near the "see see's" ('horses' if you don't speak Sol). We already love our little ward and community. But this will be an adventure, right? (insert nervous laugh here).

I better go pack...

Thank you.

2009-11-13T13:25:00.004-07:00

I wanted to make this post 2 days ago, on Veterans Day. But I'm a mom. Things just don't get done.

When I was in high school I was part of the Plainsmen Singers. It was kind of like Glee with out the pop numbers. And my teacher wasn't a Mr. Schuster, she was more of a Sue Sylvester. (if you watch Glee you'll understand) We did a lot of different types of performances from Native American to Jazz to Broadway to classical. It was a lot of work but well worth it. My all time favorite performance was one we did with several groups in the community, for the community. It was a Veterans Day celebration USO show with a variety of numbers highlighting songs and dances that were popular during the second world war. We did some really fun stuff including a swing number where I got thrown and flipped all over. The audience was really fun, probably because it was made up of more than our parents and peers. There were many Veterans in the audience that lived, and at one time loved, the stuff we were performing.

For one of the last numbers of the night we sang "Salute to the Armed Forces." We sang the song for each branch of the military: Army, Marine Corp, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force. As we sang each song veterans who served in that military branch came up to the front and stood by their flag. Many of the veterans proudly wore their pressed uniforms and shiny black shoes. Some men were very old and had to have help walking up to the front but they'd hobble up there, with tears in their eyes, proudly representing our country's finest.

That one song changed me. I don't know if I've ever felt truly patriotic before that moment but to see these brave men and women, some so old and crumpled that they could hardly walk, proudly wear their uniforms and salute the flag of the United States of America, with tears in their eyes, made me realize what it meant to pledge alligence to America. I know I don't appricate the freedoms I've always known. I know I don't understand the immense sacrifice that has been made on my behalf so that I could live in this incredibly unique and blessed country. But I know it is significant.

I thank you, all who've served our country, for the freedoms and opportunities I've always known.

We clean up pretty good

2009-11-02T17:34:00.001-07:00

Handsome little devil.

Partly Cloudy with a chance of Bubbles

2009-10-28T01:18:00.002-06:00

Sol and I had many errands to run this morning and while we were out and about it started snowing cats and dogs outside (if it can rain cats and dogs, can't it snow them too? they'd just be frozen....i digress). I opened Sol's car door to get him out and tote him inside. As I did the big white snow flakes rushed in the car and were falling all around us.

"Aaahhhhhh... Bubbles!" said Sol.

We watched, felt, ate, talked about and played in the 'bubbles' all day. Welcome snow!

If you live in Utah Valley...

2009-10-15T19:59:00.003-06:00

Two kid friendly attractions that get my enthusiastic thumbs up:

Pirate Island Pizza: In the old movie theater by the university mall. Its way way cooler than we thought it would be. And the food was much better than we expected. ChuckyCheese doesn't hold a candle to this place.

Cornbellys: At thanksgiving point. We just spent 3 hours having lots of fun. They have so much to do besides a corn maze. Bring jackets. I forgot them and poor Sol was shivering by the end.

I wish I had pictures to share but our awesome little camera we've had over 4 years didn't survive a mountain bike crash. Hope to have a replacement soon.

Happy Fall!!!

He's got ups!

2009-09-29T10:14:00.001-06:00

Check out Sol's new skill. Jumping! He's getting to be so big and turning into a little boy.

What I know...

2009-09-26T21:00:00.006-06:00

1. Being a mom is much harder than I thought it would be.
2. Sol is much more incredible than I could have dreamed.
3. Having some space to stretch out (like a slightly bigger house) can take a huge burden off your shoulders.
4. Having someone to stretch out with (Dave) can take a huge burden off your shoulders.
5. edited.
6. This little turkey is the apple of my eye. He loves his 'Mama' and 'Dagee' (daddy) so much.

7. Our future may be uncertain, but who's isn't really.
8. Heavenly Father will watch over and take care of our little family. We have been blessed more than we could have asked in our life together and I know if we put our faith him Him the blessings won't stop.

Peace.

Snow!!!!

2009-09-21T12:52:00.002-06:00

Its snowing in Wyoming! Kind of exciting, kind of bizzar, kind of freezing!

They always sing....

2009-09-18T12:13:00.003-06:00

Ragtime music to his cattle

as he swings

Back and forward in his saddle

On a horse - a pretty good horse -

With a syncopated gait, and

There is such a funny meter

To the roar of his repeater.

How they run

When they hear this fellow's gun

For those Western folks all know

"He's a high falootin',

rootin', tootin'

Son of a gun from old Wyoming.

He's some cowboy,

Talk about your cowboy,

Ragtime Cowboy Joe!

You can listen here

We are in Wyoming!

I can

2009-09-16T10:33:00.005-06:00

I'm learning a new skill to add to my homemaking quiver that I'm quite proud of. Mainly because this always seemed like something that was not really me, not something I would spend my time doing. See, this is my sister:
Well she could be. My sister, Melissa, has a natural ability to do anything homey related, cook, sew, grow, craft, etc. She's really much more talented than me. This is my sister:
(on the right)
She is teaching me the ways of provident living and surprisingly I'm loving it! She's taught me how to can! It feels so good to get so much food for so cheap and then preserve to last the year. We've made tomato soup, spaghetti sauce, stewed tomatoes, jam, and zucchini relish. She's shown me how to do some other cool thinks with garden foods. She did a bunch of peaches for me too just out of the kindness of her heart. This weekend we're making applesauce. Wish us luck!

Maybe someday I too can be a Martha... yeah, probably not. But I'm digging the canning!

Summers Last Hurrah!

2009-09-09T10:54:00.007-06:00

Dave and I took advantage of Labor Day weeked to take a trip for ourselves, our granola selves. We took off for Colorado, beautiful Colorado, dropped Sol off at auntie Melissa's, and headed for the Rockies. Ah-may-zing! We headed up I-70, turned off just after the Eisenhower Tunnel (a tunnel that goes right through a huge mountain) over to Keystone. There we took a 6 mile ride down Keystone mountain resort.

Such a fun trail! It was long and wore us out.

Then we headed down to Frisco area which is a lake town right next to Lake Dillon, a beautiful mountain reserviore. We camped right next to the lake. Asside from a sasquatch scare (which actually turned out to be two large elk) we had a peaceful night.

The next day we went up to Breckenridge. We LOVED Breckenridege. It was a beautiful mountain town. Dave and I ranked it higher than Jackson and Park City. We walked up and down mainstreet where they were having an art festival.

We then drove through the mountains to Aspen. The drive was incredible. They have over 50 "14er's" which I learned are mountain peaks that are higher than 14,000 feet. The road we drove summits between 2 "14er's". It was so high, and so intimidating, and so beautiful.

That night we found a cool little campsite in the mountains above Aspen. We were right next to this incredible little stream that had cut through the granite. See...

It look man made. It's not, its God made. Amazing.

We had such an incredible time getting back to nature, embracing our granola sides, mingling spirits with John Denver. We may move there some day. We hope so.

Thank goodness for Summer's Last Hurrah.

Back

2009-08-31T20:58:00.005-06:00

You know when it's been so long since you've seen an old friend that it's kind of akward, cause you should have kept in touch but you just didn't?

Hi, old friend.

I'M BACK!!!

I'm SO excited because I'm finally online again. Wahoo!!! After a painfully long month we got our internet hooked up tonight. Its a boring and long story so I'll spare you.... the point is, I'm back!!!

I feel like I just discovered electricity or indoor pluming, it feels GREAT!

So now for the explanation of where we are:
We moved, but just to American Fork, Utah which is like 15 minutes from my old house. We LOVE the house (my cousin's, we're renting) and have way more room (hallelujah!). I don't yet have pictures of the outside and its dark right now so I can't go take one, but I'll take some tomorrow and post 'em.

For now here are a few pics from our August adventures:

In our new house!

Sol's sweet new style

Sol unpacking...

Hike in the uintas

Sol practicing piano

We watch the Tour of Utah cycling race finish a top Nebo with Parker friends. Logie and Kristi above.Daddy and Sol cheering on the riders.

Buh-bye (as Sol would say). For now...

We are alive...

2009-08-03T17:42:00.002-06:00

We just moved, thats the reason for the silence. We're still without internet so I'm using Dave's computer at work to check email, etc.

We LOVE our new home. Story and picture to follow...

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to every one who has commented, texted, called, and even sent cards about my last post. I'm doing really well and writing that post really helped me to feel peace about the whole thing. Your kind thoughts and well wishes have made it even better. Thank you.

I know very well that I'm not the only one to feel heart ache, I know you all have your own challenges, some that make mine look easy. So thank you again.

We're doing great! We love our new house and neighborhood. :) If I had my camera I'd insert a picture of us all smiling with big cheesy grins right here.

Just picture it...

see.

Real

2009-07-17T10:54:00.007-06:00

I started a blog for several reasons. It's a great way to keep in touch, I wanted to write a family journal, I'm a little bit narcissistic (meaning I think the world is interested in what I ate for lunch, that kind of thing), but mostly I wanted a creative outlet. I'm not terribly crafty. I like to draw, but I'm not that good at it, I don't have time to be good at music anymore, but i can sit down and share a little bit of myself by writing about whats going on in my head. I think that's what makes a good blog or any piece of writing for that matter is that it's real.

Real can mean the difference between entertainment and an experience. I love people who are real, my best friends in the world are not fake and I LOVE that about them. I love reading books and watching movies that are real. By real I mean true raw emotion. No show, no exagerating, just what is real.

The reason for this tangent on 'what is real' is because that has been missing from this blog for quite some time. I've lost the whole reason I started writing it. I didn't intend to, but it happened. And suddenly I found myself not wanting to write...anything... at all. I didn't know what to write about so when I did write it was superficial and that kind of trigger's my gag reflex. I thought "maybe I'm just done with the whole blogging thing." No, I really used to enjoy it. I started worrying about those who were reading it and as soon as that happened I didn't know what to write or how to make it interesting.

Wow this is long winded...still reading?

So what triggered this failure? I got pregnant. I got pregnant the middle of may, didn't find out for a few weeks but I definately felt the mental slow down. So when you're pregnant, and in the early stages, there is an unwritten rule that you tell no one. Why is that? Usually because there's a chance you'll miscarry and then have to shamefully tell everyone you foolishly lost the baby. You silly mommy.

Thats dark, I know, but thats why I didn't saying anything. Pregnancy takes over your life, it affects EVERYTHING. So what else do you write about when you're trying to avoid the one subject that is rocking your world at the time? Nothing. And the result is superficial blog.

So I got pregnant and I was sick and really really tired. But worse than that I was completely overwhelmed. This little angel was not exactly planned and inside I was FREAKING OUT because I didn't know how I would take care of Sol and baby. I wasn't excited. I hate typing that but I wasn't. For 6 weeks I didn't feel human, I didn't feel like Sol's mom, and I didn't feel like Dave's wife, and I definitely didn't feel like me. But I put on a good face and we were getting through it.

And then I started to spot. The spotting turned to bleeding. All it takes is a threat to that sweet angel spirit inside of you to realize that you would do anything to keep that child. Even if he's only an inch big. But what can you do. Oh humility, how could I have been so begrudging. I wanted this baby. I wanted him for Sol. But he didn't stay. It wasn't his time and I felt him go.

This is what is real. I was pregnant for 10 weeks. I got the privileged of having one of God's sweet children with me for 10 short weeks. I miss him, he was mine and I loved him as deeply as I love Sol. Maybe not as much, I've known Sol much longer, but I definitely loved him as deeply. Will he come back to us? I hope so.

That is where I've been the past few months, that is the reason this blog has been annoyingly superficial and in the end I'm telling you all anyway. Why did I hide it? It seems silly now. Something as thrilling as a pregnancy should be shared because if it happens to be cut short you can't just paste on the happy face as if nothing happened because something did. Something amazing that you shouldn't hide. At least that's how I feel.

From here forward I make a promise to myself to be real. Because I love real and I want to be real. And sometimes hard things really happen, and that should be okay. Right? Right.

Road Trip!

2009-07-08T17:20:00.003-06:00

We just got back from a family reunion tour that took us to Oregon and Idaho. We put some miles on the family wagon. We had a great time seeing lots of family.

So while en route our sunroof exploded. Yep. Thats right. Exploded. Picture us driving peacefully along, all asleep except for Dave (the driver) when "BANG!!! jingle ...jingle... jingle." We don't know why, nothing hit us that we could tell. It just went kaboom!

Dave and Mike (lil bro) constructed an excellent patch at the Twin Falls Home Depot. While it took 3 hours to construct (I was the picture of patience as I chased sol around the Home Depot and Home Depot parking lot...for 3 hours... right) it was worth it because it held the entire 1500 miles we still had to drive. Rain and shine! Dad (an engineer himself) was so proud.

Que Sera Sera!

Father of the Year

2009-06-24T21:45:00.004-06:00

Fathers Day was going to be special this year complete with homemade cards, meatloaf dinner, and peanut butter bars (yes, Dave peanut butter bars). But instead I woke in the middle of the night to throw up and didn't stop till the next afternoon. So this year Fathers Day was not about our favorite pop. Instead he took care of Sol by himself all day and played nurse to me. I was so very sick- I'll spare you the details.

I was really bummed I didn't get to spoil Dave. I don't do it enough. Last night a had a little break down and was telling him how sorry I was and he said this, in so many words:

"Don't be! I really needed that day. It made me remember how much fun Sol is right now and how great it is to be his dad. I think it happened for a reason" (right hun? It was something like that)

Its so gratifying to see your husband and your children bond. Sunday they were so bonded. In the evening I came downstairs to say hi and Sol came over and told me Hi, in his little way and then toddled back over to Dave who was laying on the couch and Sol laid his head on his Dad. That is goodness so sweet you can taste it.

Thanks, love, for all you do. You are a wonderful and patient Dad and an even more wonderful and patient husband.

Is anyone still checking this blog?

2009-06-20T14:41:00.006-06:00

Hey team, the last time I posted was May... June has been a whirlwind. We've had fun and we're tired. A couple non-travel-log type updates.

Haircut:

Before

After

At first I didn't like the short hair but I think its cause it made him look older. I definitely prefer it now to the Beatles do.

Snakes:

They still live in my porch and terrorize us a little but I LOVE the lack of spiders around my house. We normally find a few beasts like this each year
(insert big scary picture of spider here, I couldn't find it)

but not this year. Thank you snakes! Please just stay hidden.

Ella:
We love a loopy sweet, anxiety ridden Ella girl. She loves us too. She especially loves our Sol. I found her laying next to him in the living room yesterday like this:

She just laid there while Sol draped toys all over her. What a good playmate.

Next post will be travel-log-esq...enjoy!

Why we love Wyoming

2009-05-31T11:28:00.017-06:00

When I was in elementary school all the children were taught to sing "We Are Wyoming," a song about Wyoming and why it's such a great state. It goes something like this...

"We are Wyoming, proud and freeeeee, we are what America is meant to be..."

Okay its a pretty cheesy song. But we all sang it and loved it. Any way, during our last trip to Wyoming over Memorial weekend, I kept thinking of all the reasons we love Wyoming. Here are just a few:

1. Beautiful - May is an incredible time to visit because the scenery is green and beautiful. The weather is nice, not summer yet but perfect cool spring weather. And they get great storms, usually in the afternoon. Some of you may remember my fascination with storms.

I took these pictures with my phone on the drive home.

2. Simple - People who live in Wyoming far less materialistic. Stuff is nice but just doesn't mean the same thing it does other places, especially in Utah. In fact if you are flashy with your money most people are pretty turned off. That simplicity is refreshing. Nobody cares what you're wearing, what you're driving, or where you spent your last fabulous vacation. Most are far more comfortable if you're in jeans and a t shirt, driving an old beater, sharing a beer. (Not at the same time, they don't encourage drinking and driving :))

3. Space - There is a lot of room to run around. Wyoming is the least populated state in the country, less than half a million people live in the state. But they like it that way. They don't want a big city with big box stores. Most people who live in Wyoming moved there because of this very reason. And its nice. The sky is huge and you can go for miles with out seeing any civilization. Antelope are another story, they are abundant. :) (The antelope factor doesn't contribute to my love of Wyoming, I could care less either way about them).

Dave took this picture when he rode from Laramie to Cheyenne on his road bike on Happy Jack road. You can read more about his ride here.

4. People - Especially these people.

We really enjoy visiting my parents home. Sol especially.

Thanks for a great weekend Mom, Dad, Michelle and Matthew! See you soon!

i heart gwen.

2009-05-26T21:18:00.010-06:00

The first non-country or oldies CD I ever owned was No Doubt Tragic Kingdom. I got it when I turned 15. I loved it! I listened to it in my room with the volume turned up as loud as a dared. It was loud, it was in your face, and I realized that even girls can rock it. Since then I've rocked out to No Doubt and Gwen and love everything they do. I had such a freaking cool night last night. Marcie (pal/aunt) and I went to No Doubt. We had awesome seats on the floor about 40' from the stage. Check it out...

She speaks to me. I wish I could be a punk girl singing in a band full of dudes and rock it!

Coolest part of the night? I caught her half full Fiji water bottle when she flung it out into the crowd. I know! That stuff never happens to me! But it did last night. sigh. I feel 15 again, and not the awkward part.

I wrote the post below in a blog I started a long time ago that was more of a personal journal. Its about their song "Simple Kind of Life" and she sang it last night dedicated it to her kids. I kind of teared up when she sang it. I wrote this the week I found out I was pregnant with Sol:

"Simple Kind Of Life"

-No Doubt

For a long time I was in love
Not only in love, I was obsessed
With a friendship that no one else could touch
It didn't work out, I'm covered in shells

And all I wanted was the simple things
A simple kind of life
And all I needed was a simple man
So I could be a wife

I'm so ashamed, I've been so mean
I don't know how it got to this point
I always was the one with all the love
You came along, I'm hunting you down

Like a sick domestic abuser looking for a fight
And all I wanted was the simple things
A simple kind of life

If we met tomorrow for the very first time
Would it start all over again?
Would I try to make you mine?

I always thought I'd be a mom
Sometimes I wish for a mistake
The longer that I wait the more selfish that I get
You seem like you'd be a good dad

Now all those simple things are simply too complicated for my life
How'd I get so faithful to my freedom?
A selfish kind of life
When all I ever wanted was the simple things
A simple kind of life

I love Gwen. I've heard this song a few times the last couple days and it's made me think a lot about how each of us really just wants 'a simple kind of life'. There are so many things the world tells us that we should want and go after to be a real person. To be 'AWESOME.' Often times its money, adventure, travel, fashion, lovers, etc. But when we look at our heart of hearts, don't we all want a simple kind of life.

True love and companionship, to be someone's everything, to be a mom or dad, to buy tiny baby socks, to have a 4th of July Barbeque with the neighbors, to sit on the porch and drink lemonade. I dare say everyone that walks this earth has a secret desire to have just a little bit of this life. For some reason this dream isn't worthy of our time any more. Specifically, I've felt embarassed that I want so badly to have a baby. It's not a worthy dream! A worthy dream would be to have a glamorous career, jetting around the country in tight sexy business suites with 7 different electronics strapped to my person. Now that is a dream worth going for! (said semi-sarcastically)

I've struggled to walk that line between a simple life and a sexy marketing career- and trust me, it can be sexy to me. I think I could get really excited for the next 5 years or so about pursuing a career, moving up the corporate ladder, and really enjoy myself. But I know, after 5 years or more went by, i'd be singing it with Gwen, pink hair and all, "I always thought, I'd be a mom..." I can't wait to buy some tiny socks. :)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=02Q9tJMjbec

Thanks for reading through all my ramblings. Afterall, I'm just a girl. Thanks for an awesome night Marcie and Gwen.

Starting Today, We're on Holiday

2009-05-21T09:40:00.010-06:00

I realize I haven't taken many pictures lately. I hit the 1 year mark with Sol and got lazy I guess. Luckily Ben and Kris have a super nice camera and took lots of great pictures when we went to Bear Lake this weekend. The boys completed the Bear Lake Classic again. Way to go guys! To hear more about the race click here.

Now for some pics!Boys getting ready, we stayed in that little cabin behind them, nice and cozy :)

Lining up...

Waiting at the finish...Go Dad!!!
Parkers at the finish. Dave finished 40 minutes faster than he did last year. What a stud.

At the beach, it was kind of cold so we just looked at the water.

Kris and I laying in the warm sand. Mmm... feels good!
Yes it was in our hair, we didn't care.
Sol.

Sauce (as Logan calls him).

The boys.

There was this really cool park in Garden city, and this really cool park had really cool stuff, including this giant swing. It was awesome. I think its for disabled adults to swing.

I love the pic above.

We all had to take turns.

Handsome boy.

Fun weekend

Interests Divided

2009-05-19T12:19:00.004-06:00

Check out our new blogs:

Dave: http://skimoab.net/

Megan: http://seasonthing.blogspot.com/

Daves pretty much freaken rocks. Mine still needs some work. But we both wanted an outlet to write about our individual passions (don't worry, not our passions for each other). I hope you enjoy!

Tired.

2009-05-07T05:02:00.004-06:00

This is the face my lil sis and I make to show we are tired without having to make the effort to actually say, "I'm tired." So there you go.

Another round of herpangina. This spring is seriously finding ways to torture me that I didn't know were possible, like Sol getting herpangina twice. This time its been worse. Poor little buddy.

Do any of you mommies get in the mode of not sleeping and then find it hard to sleep even when you can? Its like my body goes into 'awake' mode to listen for the little guy and I just never sleep. Its wearing me down. Is it too late to take an ambien at 5:00 am?

On the bright side the weather has been amazing and being outside has saved us both. Yesterday we took a nice bike ride down the lake. We stopped and threw the stick for ella. Sol loved saying "Ella!" and "Dood dirl" over and over. He even collected a few sticks himself. Thank goodness for spring.

Sol's Birthday Party

2009-04-25T20:57:00.002-06:00

I know, you're probably thinking "Okay Megan, we get it, Sol had a birthday." But I just had to share these pictures from his little party. We had so much fun! We all felt very loved. I was thrilled with how everything turned out. And my good friend Tiffany took these fabulous pictures. She is so talented!

Here comes trouble!

2009-04-24T19:37:00.002-06:00

He's awful cute! (sorry it's sideways)

Catching Up

2009-04-22T10:24:00.005-06:00

This spring has been a whirlwind it seems. Here's a recap:

February:
Megan working 10 hours a week from home
Sol crawling everywhere
Family comes to visit
Mom comes to babysit during Summit (Omniture conference)
Dave presents at Summit (and rocks it!)
Megan realizes its time to move on from work
Family leaves
Sol gets the flu :(

March:
Megan still working but can't go in a couple times a week like they asked.
Sol takes his first step! but still likes to crawl, crawl fast!
Megan and Sol spend a long weekend in Saint George with G&G W and GG&GG H: Beautiful!
Sol comes down with herpangina (blisters in mouth and throat), poor baby was miserable.
Grandma comes from Oregon!
Dave and Megan paint their bedroom.
Dave and Megan go to DISNEYLAND!! (first time away from Sol...)
Dave and Megan come home to more family visitors, we love it!
Spend time with G&G C, cousins from NY, G&G W, cousins from CO. busy busy busy, fun fun fun.

April:
Conference (didn't catch much sadly)
Megan stops working, turns in phone. Yep no phone. No land line either. Living in a cave.
Sol gets Croup. Two week recovery. Megan nearly loses her mind!
Easter, matching outfits - we've discussed this :)
Sol turns 1!
Sol has a birthday party, we're all so loved. Thank you friends!
Megan gets a phone! Horray! And its pink, thanks honey!

We're finally catching our breath, just in time for Summer to start. Bring it on! Life is good good good.

Pictures:

One

2009-04-15T22:40:00.011-06:00

How do you sum up the single most significant, life changing year of your life, represented by the single most incredible being ever created? It's not possible to do it justice.

A year ago today Solomon was born, in fact it was exactly at this moment...
I feel a gush of a emotion when I think about it.

He is amazing. curious. strong willed. sweet. loving. funny.
loves people. loves attention from people. loves ella. loves to say 'hi'. to everyone.
he's spunky. he's feisty. he's going to make an impact. he already has.

Here's to our Soli. I love you baby, forever and ever.
Now for some birthday humor:

Happy Easters!

2009-04-12T21:56:00.003-06:00

We had our own little Easter egg hunt with friend Logan. They both made off pretty well!

Buddies

Handsome boys

Yes we coordinated. I've been waiting for this my entire life. Easter is the best for Sunday outfits and my family will always coordinate on Easter. I can't really describe the joy it brings me. I'm a nerd, I know.

Love you!