life as we know it

We Wish you a Merry Christmas!

2012-01-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

Visiting Santa Claus

We had a (more than eventful) December full of family and friends! For us, Christmas wasn't just the long weekend, it seemed to have lasted the entire month! We were so spoiled by family, friends, and neighbors! I can't say enough how lucky we are to have such great people in our lives.

One thing that Travis and I both agree on is that the magic of Christmas is definitely more alive with a child! It was so fun to see how much more interactive Jackson was this year than he was last year-everything from helping decorate the tree, to opening his own (and everyone elses) presents, to visiting Santa Claus to decorating sugar cookies!

Jackson with Gma and Gpa A

Jackson with cousins Derek and Kyla

The week before Christmas we celebrated with Travis' family. That is always so much fun because Jackson has 3 (now 4) little cousins that are close (within a year a half) to him in age. It was so fun (and challenging) watching 3 toddlers experience Christmas together!

Dad, Mom, Trav, Jackson, Myself, Matt, Jana

Christmas weekend we went back to Iowa to celebrate with my family. We had Christmas Eve with my mom's side, Christmas day with my dad's side and our own little family Christmas celebration in between. We wondered how Jackson would react to all the unfamiliar faces that he would be surrounded by during the family parties...and let's just say it seemed as though he LOVED having a bigger audience! I think he must get that personality trait from his Dad ;)

Jackson dressed all snazzy for Christmas Eve

I feel like I blinked and December was gone, but we had a blast! I must admit that I am looking forward to life slowing down for a little while. I hope all of you had as great of a holiday as we did and from our family to yours, HAPPY 2012!!

Our Little Helper

2011-12-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Jackson LOVES to help us with Saturday morning chores. He will dust, vacuum, sweep, and push wet clothes into the dryer. This past Saturday I was reaching into the washer for some more clothes and when I stood up I no longer could see Jackson, but I could hear him...and he was echoing! ;)

Moving On

2011-11-18T14:47:00.001-07:00

About 7 and half years ago I got a job working for a local hot tub manufacturer by the Name of Bullfrog Spas. They needed a French speaker to help take care of dealerships in Montreal and Quebec, as well as their English speaking dealers in the US and in Europe. It was a good job to help put me through school and a good opportunity to be involved with a small company that was growing really quickly. They were willing to work with my school schedule and even help pay some of my tuition. It was a fantastic opportunity!

After doing dealer support for a few years, I moved upstairs to work with Bullfrog's marketing department as a marketing assistant. At the time, I still hadn't decided what I wanted to pursue in school but thought that marketing / advertising was worth looking into. After working in this department for 6 months or so, our graphic designer quit and my boss decided to give me a shot at a few design projects as we looked for a replacement. This was a great opportunity for me to do some actual design work! We never did end up bringing in somebody else and I soon found myself spending most of my day working on design projects.

My good friend Clay, our web designer at the time, took over as our senior designer and helped me along as I figured things out. I'd been studying design at school for a few semesters and as my skills improved, I started taking on larger projects. Before long, Clay moved on to another department and I was left to handle all of the design work. Everything from billboards, newspaper ads and websites, to brochures and promotional material and even trade show booths. Somewhere along the way, we also dumped our contract photographer and I was able to take over all of Bullfrog's photography work as well.

I thought my time at Bullfrog would come to an end when Sarah and I decided to move up to Logan, but Bullfrog wanted to keep me and allowed me to work from home. I set up an office in our spare bedroom and, with the exception of driving to Salt Lake for photo shoots or meetings, I've spent the last 2 and a half years working in my underwear (Ha, no not really). But seriously, It's been a great run and I'm very appreciative to those that gave me opportunities to pursue what started out as a job and has since become a passion!

After Thanksgiving, I'll be starting a new job as a graphic designer for a company up here in Logan called Icon Health & Fitness. My commute time will increase significantly from 30 seconds to about 3 minutes, but I think I'll survive. I'm looking forward to this new opportunity and for the chance to have some coworkers again.

Happy Halloweeen

2011-11-01T21:04:00.000-06:00

Travis has always loved Halloween, but I could take it or leave it (I'd take the candy part and leave all the scary part)...this year though was SO much fun with Jackson. Travis and I were both anxious to get off of work and get the party started. We made our rounds trick or treating first at my work place and then around our neighborhood.

Jackson started to get the hang of the trick or treating game towards the end of the evening. Each new house went something like this: mom or dad rings the doorbell... pause and wait..Jackson says "hello?" and proceeds to knock on the door...the door eventually opens, Jackson says "hello!?" and walks right into the house! So funny!

His little dinosaur costume was a hit, and kept him nice and toasty warm (I'm not sure we could have asked for better Halloween weather..fair and not really even a need for a jacket). The little paws got in the way a couple of times, but as long as they didn't hinder his holding onto a piece of candy 100% of the time we were out and about, he was a happy camper.

The evening was made complete when the "sugar high" hit right before bedtime and we got to experience an EXTRA silly little boy! We had a blast and are already looking forward to next year!

18 months

2011-10-30T14:21:00.001-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted lately...I guess we have just been too busy having SO much fun with our little BOY...I'm afraid that he has moved beyond the "baby" title...we have been around a couple of newborn babies lately, and just can't figure out when Jackson quadrupled his newborn size?! Jackson turned 18 months on the 9th of this month. It really is incredible to think about how much he has changed since the day he was born... He is such a fun, adventurous, silly, and dynamic little boy!

At his 18 month check-up we were surprised at how much he has grown since his 12 month check! He weighed 23 lb 3 oz (20% percentile and up 3 lbs), was 32.5 inches tall (60% percentile and up 3.5 inches), and his head was 18.75 inches in diameter (70% percentile) The doctor gave him a clean bill of health and told us to keep doing what we are doing...he also asked me how we managed to keep up with Jackson's activity level, and my response was that we just don't stop chasing until he is in bed!

Some of Jackson's favorite things right now include: being outside (anything involving dirt, sticks, and rocks), going to the park, feeding the ducks that live in the pond near our house, chasing with his daddy, building with blocks, talking on Skype with Grandma and Grandpa, riding his "bike" (3-wheeler), reading books, hide and seek, playing with his friends, and last but CERTAINLY not least watching "Elmo" (Sesame Street). We recently broke him of requiring his binky to sleep, so now he insists that he has his little bunny to cuddle with at bedtime and nap time.

Jackson continues to develop his cute personality! He is very affectionate and will give us, the dogs, or practically anyone/anything "love" (hugs) whenever we ask him too. He is also fairly strong willed/independent, and isn't afraid to let you know if he is unhappy...his "fits" are pretty far and few between and seem to be over just as fast as they start (thankfully!) He has gotten to be really talkative (I have no idea where he gets that from?!) and is saying/copying more words than what we can keep track of. He can identify several animals (cow, chicken, duck, horse, pig, turtle, bird, snake, monkey) and the noises that they make. He also is starting to pick out colors (his favorite for now is yellow) He loves to point out airplanes in the sky, every bus that drives by our house, and when he can hear the "choo choo" outside.

I don't know why we got so lucky to have such a great little boy in our lives, but I sure am glad that we did! Words can't adequately describe how much we love him and how we look forward to every single minute we get to spend making memories :)

That's a Big Fish!

2011-09-11T22:43:00.001-06:00

The first time I remember hearing about a Tiger Muskie was on "Outdoors with Doug Miller" when I was around 16 or 17 years old. Ever since, I've had dreams of catching one of these monster fish and this past Saturday proved to be the day! At a get-together on Thursday some of us were swapping fishing stories when somebody whips out a cell phone to show us all some pictures of a Muskie he'd recently caught over at Newton Reservoir. After seeing the pictures, my friend Nelson and I made plans to head over and try our luck. These fish are notoriously hard to find and catch (their nickname is the "fish of 1,000 casts") so we honestly weren't expecting much, but wanted to at least give it a try.

Saturday came and it was time to see what we could catch. We tried a few spots without luck and eventually ended up on the opposite end of the lake. I was fishing with a large spoon Sarah's grandpa had given me in Minnesota for catching Northern Pike and after about an hour of chucking this huge piece of metal out and reeling it back in, I was starting to have doubts...when suddenly, "WHAM!" something hit my lure and I had a fish on. It didn't fight hard in the beginning and I thought maybe I'd caught a medium sized bass. I brought it in close to the boat and as the fish came up out of the murky water, we got our first glimpse of what was actually on the other end of the line. At about the same time the fish saw us and took off...now the fight was on!

It tried going under the boat and then took off for the other end of the lake, ripping line off my reel as it swam away. I only had 8 lbs. test line on and I was horrified at the prospect of this monster snapping it as it fought. After what seemed like forever, we finally got it into the net and onto the boat. It was as long as the bottom of the boat was wide! After a series of high fives and a few lines that might make a sailor blush we figured we'd better calm ourselves down before we fell out of the boat!

We were both in shock at the site of what we'd caught, in fact my hands were shaking. We weighed it, measured it, snapped a few pictures and then put him back in the water to fight another day. I immediately sent off some pictures with my phone to a few people and then called my father-in-law and long time fishing buddy to tell him the good news. 35 inches long, 8.5 pounds. By far the biggest fish i'd ever caught and now we can't wait to go try again!

We {heart} Destin, FL

2011-08-28T13:29:00.000-06:00

Travis and I had SO much fun (despite missing our little guy) with our friends Alex and Tabitha down in Destin, FL. We have known these guys for forever (some of us longer than others since Trav and Alex went to school together since they were both about 12 years old) and we just had a blast! Alex found us a great place to stay in Destin Harbor that was close to everything! We spent lots of time on the beautiful beaches, went kayaking, saw movies in the afternoon hours when it was too hot to be outside (yes even at the beach!), ate good food, saw the sites, and just enjoyed having so much "adult only" time. It really was perfect. Here are a few photos...

Waiting to see Transformers 3 in 3D...aren't we tough looking?!

The biggest plate of nachos I had ever seen...this picture doesn't do it justice!

The biggest and tastiest strawberry shortcake dessert I've ever eaten

The biggest beach chair I've ever sat in...is there a pattern here?!

The white sand beach

The crystal blue water

I've always wondered what I will look like in 15 years...now I know. We saw this lady while we were eating lunch one day and we were wearing the same shirt and everything. The best part was that she noticed me about the same time that I noticed her and thought we looked alike as well...creepy right?!

BFF's

Thanks so much for such a great trip! We can't wait to come back down again!

We {heart} Iowa

2011-08-23T23:10:00.010-06:00

Vacations are the best! For those of you who aren't aware of what we did and where we went for our latest getaway, we took a 10 day trip and split it between Iowa and Florida. Jackson got to stay with Grandpa and Grandma in Iowa while we went to Destin for a few days to meet up with some old friends of ours that moved from Utah to Tallahassee a couple of years ago. It was definitely hard for us to leave him for a few days for the first time, but we survived and he (more then) survived! ;)

My parents were so excited to have Jackson all to themselves for a few days that I am 99% sure they didn't even realize that we weren't around...and when they did, they didn't really mind much ;) They made certain that Jackson would have everything that he needed to feel right at home and I know that he got plenty of love and attention.

Once we got back to Iowa from Florida we had a nice relaxing week catching up with family and friends that we don't get to see near often enough. We went boating, to the petting zoo, ate ice cream at my favorite local ice cream shop, had a campfire (and of course s'mores) and went to a REAL Iowa farm! We played outside almost every waking moment because the weather was unseasonably cool (mid-upper 70's) and not humid (relatively speaking) for August in Iowa.

I really did try, but simply couldn't choose a handful of pictures from that 350 that I previously mentioned. So here is a slide show of my favorite moments... (Hint: If you would like to view the slideshow slower or larger just click on it and a new screen will pop up)

Thanks again to everyone that made our trip so wonderful. We love you all!

P.S. I will post on the Destin portion of our trip within the next few days...it's past my bedtime!

Bad Timing

2011-08-14T12:20:00.000-06:00

We are home and well from our FABULOUS vacation! However, a couple of days before we left for vacation my computer crashed (with pictures on it that I planned to blog about) Then, I accidentally dropped our camera while on vacation and now the lenses won't go in/out. Needless to say, we need to address those technical difficulties before I get to really update our blog with our latest happenings! :( LUCKILY....my mom is more than good about taking pictures and she was our photographer while in Iowa. As soon as I have time to cypher through all those pictures (350 taken in 10 days!!) I will put some more up....in the meantime, here is a sneak peak...

The Pfeifferhorn

2011-08-02T11:25:00.005-06:00

The weather this past Saturday called for some afternoon thunderstorms so Brian and I decided to climb a shorter route so we could be down before the storms popped up. As it turns out, the weather was beautiful, cool, and thunderstorm free. Here's a few photos / videos from the trip:

Extreme Makeover: Storage Closet Edition

2011-07-23T22:34:00.000-06:00

Oh Saturday, how I love you...for lots of reasons, but especially for the "get things done" time that we have on the weekends that seems to not exist for us near as much on the weekdays. I have an awesomely talented, handy, and proactive husband who cares just as much (if not more) than I do when it comes to our house.

Today, we got up, took Jackson for a haircut, stopped by the farmers market for some fresh and local produce, and were back home by 10:30 a.m. to put Jackson down for a nap. I started going about my business with laundry and baking scrumptious Strawberry lemonade cupcakes when I noticed that Travis was also up to something...

He had decided that today he was going to do something about our storage area under the stairs that, despite being a closet that nobody but us usually sees, has been driving us both insane. He drew up some plans, went to the Home Depot for supplies, and a couple of hours later we had a small miracle! I LOVE the finished product...I maybe have been finding excuses to go open the closet door since it was finished.. Am I a weirdo for being so excited about something like this?!

BEFORE (south wall)

AFTER

BEFORE (east wall

AFTER

BEFORE (north wall)

AFTER

4th of July Snow!

2011-07-05T14:30:00.002-06:00

My friend Brian and I spent part of the day Monday climbing White Baldy (11,321'). In a normal year, there would be very little snow left on the peaks, but an awesome winter combined with a cooler than usual spring means there's still plenty up there. My camera batteries were dead from the start so I didn't get much in the way of photos, but I did manage to use my camera phone (Sorry for the poor quality) to get some video of the trip. Enjoy.

Yes, we are still alive

2011-06-26T14:39:00.002-06:00

I keep on waiting, but I am afraid that life is never going to slow down! Unfortunately for all our loyal readers that means that blogging takes a back seat. Luckily, most of you reading this also keep in touch with me other ways, so this is just going to be a recap and review. For those of you that I am less in touch with I apologize and can only hope that I will be better about updating more frequently!

So what have we been up to the last month? Well it seems that we have had SOMETHING going on every single day since the last post, but I can't for the life of me pinpoint every little thing that is keeping us so busy. Here are the highlights...

The first week of June we drove to Heber City once to watch Travis' youngest brother graduate and then again two days later to play in the mud at the Dirty Dash 5k.

BEFORE

AFTER

Grandma Haskin made impromptu plans to come and visit for a long weekend and we had a blast spending some quality time with her. We are so lucky that my parents come to visit us all the way from Iowa as frequently as they do!

We celebrated Travis' second Father's day. Complete with his favorite homemade buttermilk pancakes for breakfast (YUM!) and lots of playtime as a family...amazing how much BIGGER Jackson is this year!

Father's Day 2010

Father's Day 2011

We have been spending LOTS of time outside! Jackson would honestly live outside if we would let him. If the sun is shining and that boy is awake, that is where he wants to be.

Watering the flowers like he watches us do...SO CUTE!

Battle wound from the dive out of his wagon

A few weeks ago, we were out for our after dinner/before bedtime walk with Jackson. He had been going through a phase of wanting to stand up in his wagon while it was moving and we were having to CONSTANTLY tell him to sit down so that he didn't fall out. Well that particular night he was quite determined to stand up and grab the handle that I was pulling the wagon by. I had just sat him back down for the millionth time and had taken MAYBE 4 steps and as I turned around to check on him again all I see is Jackson going head first towards the cement...I think that both of mine and Travis' hearts skipped a beat in that split second! There was an instant bump, and of course an abrasion on his little forehead. Poor little guy cried his eyes out (and I'm pretty sure I also shed a tear or two), but when we got home he was good to let us clean it out as long as he got to eat a Popsicle in the meantime!

A snapshot of the mountain
biking trail in Green Canyon
that Travis has been riding
a few times per week.

Travis and I are both currently training for a half marathon that takes place at the end of August and so we are both trying to get out and run/bike/hike/etc 4-5x/week. We bought a hiking pack for Jackson to ride in so we also have been trying to throw that into the mix on a regular basis.

In the last month or two, I have come to the realization that I don't LIKE to cook I LOVE to cook and I do it every chance that I get!

Marinated shrimp skewers
with grilled vegetables

Most recently, I made a weeks worth of freezer dinners for us and some friends. I don't know what it is about cooking that I love so much... a lot of people think that I am crazy because it's time consuming and not convenient (especially for a working mom)...maybe it's just the satisfaction of making a yummy dinner and knowing that it is fresh and healthy for my family that I love the most?!

Cupcakes for Jackson's 1st Birthday

I also have been tampering with some amature cupcake baking and decorating. It's a lot of fun and I have had some good test runs. I even made as many as 6 dozen cupcakes at once for two different parties. Someday I think it would be a lot of fun to have a little cupcake shop that serves treats and has an espresso bar...I can dream right?!

Brushing his teeth before bedtime

Jackson is still growing and growing. It's hard to believe that in a couple of weeks he will be 15 months old! He is such a good and fun little boy, and words can't express how much we love him. He is very sociable (we don't think a shy bone exisits in his body), he eats and sleeps well, and loves playing with his little friends at daycare during the week. His vocabulary seems to be expanding daily...words that we hear most often are: uh-oh, ball (bah), dag (dog), dada, mama, nana (banana), tatuh (turtle), es (yes), uice (juice), cakca (cracker) ba-ba-bah (basketball). He is so smart and can understand SO much more than he is able to say quite yet.

Playing at the park Mother's Day weekend

He literally runs (not walks) everywhere and if you take your eyes off of him for a second he is gone. Just like any other kid he hates to be told "no" and has developed a rather dramatic reaction (almost) every time that it happens...especially if we are getting close to nap or bedtime. He loves us to sing to him and tries to sing along in his own little way. He is beginning to treat the dogs, his toys, and every piece of furniture in our house as a jungle gym, climbing on top of it or hiding underneath it. His absolute favorite game, hands down, is having his daddy "chase" him, and he now will "taunt" Travis to catch him...it's adorable! In some ways, it has been hard for me to realize that my "baby" is more of a "toddler" now. I am so excited for all the memories we have to look forward to, but there have been times at night after he is asleep that I will pick him up from his crib and rock him for a few minutes just to get in that cuddle time that I miss from his younger days.

So... in a (larger) nut shell, that is us for the last month or so. I really do need to try and be better about updating more regularly, because I feel like I am missing details that I don't want to forget... and since I don't really journal besides this, I need to keep it up for posterity sake if for nothing else! ;) Happy summer everyone!

Handsome

2011-05-21T12:01:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we took Jackson to the park to play and to take some pictures. I know I have said it before, but Travis never ceases to amaze me with his photography skills! I really feel that he captured not only the handsomeness of our little boy, but also his cute personality and I will treasure these photos forever! Here are just a few of my favorites...

Do You Believe in Magic?

2011-04-30T23:06:00.000-06:00

Today I was talking with my future sister-in-law Jana on the phone and she told me that if I wanted to know the gender of the next child I would be having someday (no I am NOT pregnant) that she knew how I could find out ahead of time...and even if I didn't want to know, she did, so I should do the test anyway! :-)

Curiosity got the best of me so I did what she said I should do...

Thread a needle, poke the needle through the eraser of a sharpened #2 pencil. Hold the thread so the pencil hangs like a pendulum. Hold the pencil steadily but loosely over your wrist (left or right, doesn't matter). The pencil will start to move. East/West=boy, North/South=girl. Between each child it will move in a circle then move on to the next child in one direction or the other. Once the pencil comes to a stop on it's own, you will know (or have confirmation in the case of already born children) what your future family will look like.

...Sounds like a load of bologna right?! Well let's just say that I performed the test SEVERAL times on each wrist and once on each foot (just for giggles), and EVERY time was the same result....boy (Jackson), girl, boy. SO CRAZY!! Just for fun I tested Travis too....his results=boy, girl, boy!!

Who knows if it's real?!...I guess for us time will tell. Jana learned of this test from a teacher in her nursing program (a nurse with 20+ years of experience in OB practice) She told me that she has tested many friends and family members of hers who have children already and so far the pencil has been correct 100% of the time. At any rate, it was definitely worth a couple of minutes time on a lazy Saturday afternoon!

You should give it a try, and if you do, be sure to comment and let me know if it worked!

.

Measuring Up

2011-04-22T20:15:00.000-06:00

Jackson had his 12 month checkup this week. He took his immunizations like a champ and impressed the doctor with his cute personality. The doctor was completely entertained by his high energy level and told me that he had seen "a lot of 1 year olds lately, but your little guy is seriously dynamic and funny!" Jackson weighed in at 20 pounds 2 oz (10th percentile) and 29 inches long (25th percentile)

He continues to be a VERY busy boy. He wakes up in the morning and basically only stops when he eats (because he is strapped in) and when he sleeps. He can crawl so fast and last night he took his first tentative steps! It is a test of true endurance keeping up with him, but SO much fun! His vocabulary is slowly expanding and we can tell that he understands so much more than what he is able to say. Words that we hear him say on a regular basis so far include "ma ma", "da da", "uice" (juice), and "up".

He has mastered going up the stairs and coming back down is getting better all the time. It is especially funny when he turns to come down too far away from the top stair so he is pushing himself backwards on his belly for a foot or two before he even begins his decent. He is into EVERYTHING! His favorites are the towel drawer in the kitchen, the drawer in our bathroom with all of my curling irons, the remote controls for the TV, and the xbox buttons.

Jackson loves to go for rides in his red wagon and swing on the playground outside. He loves to "surf" on his rocking donkey made my Grandpa Atwood, read/look at any book, chase balls, chase/be chased by anyone that will take the time, push trucks, build with blocks, and carry around the mardi gras beaded necklace that one of my coworkers brought back from a conference in New Orleans.

He is completely off of bottles which he decided to do on his own at about 10.5-11 months and so far we haven't found anything that he DOESN'T like to eat. He is still taking two naps, one in the morning and one in the afternoon totaling 3-4 hours in addition to sleeping from 7 p.m.-7 a.m.

Jackson's sweet smile and disposition are incredible to wake up to each morning and every new day proves to be an adventure, a learning experience, or both! We are so lucky to be his parents!

ONE!

2011-04-19T16:10:00.002-06:00

Our little baby boy turned ONE on April 9, 2011. We had SO much fun planning his party. The night before the main event Travis and I, with the help of my parents, were busy baking and decorating. We had decided on a dinosaur theme and were sure to have PLENTY of bright balloons (Jackson's latest obsession), streamers, and dinosaur paraphernalia.

As always, Travis did a PERFECT job capturing this special day for us. I really am spoiled to be married to a photographer, these pictures are PRICELESS!....

The birthday boy with his birthday crown. If he looks a little sleepy it's because he had just woke up from his nap and was greeted with a house full of guests and balloons when we came down stairs

The dinosaur cake we made ourselves!! A team effort between myself, Travis, and my parents.

Color Burst cupcakes that I am am QUITE proud of...YES, I actually make those babies!
(thanks for the idea Rachel!)

All guests were required to tattoo up with a dino tattoo....it was sort of like a meal ticket!

About to blow out his first candle (with mom's help)

A tentative start...

....getting the hang of things.....

...sugar is AWESOME!!

The party was fabulous and everything turned out just as we hoped it would! Thanks to all of our family and friends for making the trip to Logan for Jackson's special day and for all the wonderful food that you each contributed and special gifts that you gave to him. We will definitely be sure to show him all the pictures and videos we took in a few years so that he can fully appreciate how awesome it really was!

One Year Ago...

2011-04-03T11:53:00.000-06:00

April 2, 2010

I was just about ready to POP!!

It's so funny to see how I looked one week before I had Jackson. Now I can see that I definitely looked A LOT bigger than what I felt/thought I was! I still miss being pregnant sometimes and it is so crazy to me that our little bundle of joy is turning 1 this coming Saturday. Stay tuned for plenty of updates on all the birthday festivities! :)

Mt. Olympus

2011-03-28T10:27:00.013-06:00

This past Saturday I was finally able to get out and do some winter climbing! My ice ax has been sitting in my closet for well over a year collecting dust...needless to say, I was really exited to get out and enjoy the snow. Sarah, Jackson, and I drove down to SLC on Friday and stayed the night with Brian and Maggie. Early Saturday Brian and I got up, picked up my good friend and longtime climbing partner Ammon and headed up Mt. Olympus. It had snowed the previous day and there was a storm coming in late Saturday so we hoped to catch a break and summit in between storms. We couldn't have asked for a better day! We got some wind and clouds on the way back down, but other than that it was a beautiful day! Here are a few photos from the trip...

Ammon and Brian starting their way up the 3rd class section to the summit. Until this point the route follows a steep trail up the mountain. This is where the fun part starts.

Brian working his way up steep slope. The snow was nice and firm so ice ax's helped on the climb.

Brian and Ammon reaching the summit ridge.

It's a nice stroll along the ridge from here.

Climbing along the summit ridge. The Salt Lake valley is far below.

Dromedary, Sunrise, and Broads Fork Twin Peaks. I'm looking forward to a trip that traverses all three in the next few months.

Ammon and Brian on top of Mt. Olympus!

Brian and I on the summit.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T21:39:00.002-06:00

Wishing you a rainbow

For sunlight after showers--

Miles and miles of Irish smiles

For golden happy hours--

Shamrocks at your doorway

For luck and laughter too,

And a host of friends that never ends

Each day your whole life through!

Fun in the Sun

2011-03-15T15:32:00.000-06:00

A couple of weekends ago we decided that we had had enough of the Cache Valley overcast and were long overdue for some warmer temperatures and sunshine. So, we packed our bags and headed for St. George, UT! The forecast for the weekend was sunshine with mid-60's to low-70's for a high each day...JACKPOT! We shopped the outlet mall, ate good food, spent some time in Snow Canyon, and went for a walk along the Virgin River trail.

Saturday night we checked the forecast and were sad to find out that a big snow storm was headed our direction on Monday (which was the day we were headed for home). It was predicted to get pretty ugly, so we decided to come home Sunday night instead. Although we were disappointed to cut our trip short, we think we made the right choice... Monday afternoon we found out part of the interstate we would have been traveling on to come home had been shut down due to poor weather conditions right about the time we would have been traveling had we waited!

All in all, we ended up with a low-key and very relaxing weekend, which is just what we wanted/needed. Here are some photos...

Jackson's discovery.
I kick myself for forgetting to take a picture of the monster
pile of TP that he unrolled 5 minutes later

Sitting on the patio at Iggy's for lunch Saturday. We seriously sat there for about 2 hours!
The sun felt simply wonderful....we were even a little sunburned later that day

Dad and Jackson during our hike up the Cinder Cone Volcano in Snow Canyon.
This was Jackson's first hiking experience and he LOVED it!

Mom and Jackson on top of the volcano...such a pretty view behind us

He fell asleep on the way down...hiking is hard work!

Playing at the sand dunes in Snow Canyon

Reading books....they really are two peas in a pod <3

Mr. Personality

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

What do you get when you take a cute baby, a lazy Sunday afternoon, and a wonderful husband who just happens to have some awesome photography skills?...

I {heart} my boys!

Since I Last Posted

2011-03-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

Another month has come and gone! February always feels so short to me. Isn't it strange that 2-3 days makes such a big difference?

The weekend that we spent with Travis' family, we all went to the Kamas Pool This was Jackson's first experience with swimming (besides his bath time adventures) and he LOVED it! He had no fear, and he about gave me a heart attack on more than one occasion when he took a nose dive into the water!

First swimming experience...watch out Michael Phelps!

Jackson is still on the move and getting faster all the time. His latest thing is to start heading for something he isn't supposed to have (the dog's food, plants, remote control, etc), except it's not a "bee line "head for the object...it's more of start in the direction of the object, stop and look back to see if we are watching him, get our attention if he doesn't already have it to make sure we know he is on his way to being naughty, and THEN make a dash for whatever it may be. It is pretty hilarious!

He is now pulling up on anything he can get his hands on, cruising along furniture, walking behind toys, and crawling up the stairs (we are still teaching him the going down part). A few weeks ago he was playing on his jungle gym (i.e. the bar stool) and got high-centered on his belly and went face first into the floor. Of course, for me watching him it all happened in slow motion and I couldn't get to him soon enough to catch him. Well, he landed literally on his face and just sat there for a second not moving, not crying, nothing. Once I got to him and picked him up THEN he started to cry, but not because he was hurt, because I had interrupted his game! Heaven forbid if I make sure he's okay!

Playing in the "jungle gym"

Since my last update, he FINALLY cut his bottom two teeth! He had a bought of the stomach flu about a week ago and it was very sad. He wouldn't eat or drink anything, and what he did eat or drink, he puked right back up. All he wanted was to cuddle...which was the only nice part since when he is healthy he won't sit still for more than two seconds. The flu went away, but he was still acting irritable and not sleeping well, so I was convinced it must be another ear infection. We took him to the doctor and found out that it wasn't his ears....it was his teeth....again...but this time instead of two on bottom there are FOUR on top that are red and swollen and working their way down! Needless to say, we aren't getting much sleep around our house lately.

Jackson LOVES the vacuum cleaner, you would think it would scare him, but he chases it!

As for Travis and I, it's pretty much the daily/weekly grind of work and school. The light at the end of the school tunnel is getting brighter and brighter for Travis and he (and I) can't wait to move on to the next (schooless) chapter of our lives! It is going to be a big change since for the entire 8+ years that we have known each other one or both of us has always been in school. I am sure that we will have no problem filling our time!

At the beginning of February we both started doing the Insanity Program....and it may be cliche, but they are truly insane workouts! Each workout is approximately 40 minutes long and you do one 6 days a week. It is a 60-day program, so we are about half way through and I can already tell a difference which is encouraging! It feels really good to be getting back into shape again! I can't wait for spring to get here so that I can get out and start running again.

This weekend we decided to get out of town for a few days so we are heading to St George to enjoy the spring like 65-70 degree weather that is predicted for the next few days! I will be sure to take lots of pictures and post again when we get home :)

It Will Change Your Life

2011-02-03T21:56:00.001-07:00

Despite my parent's best efforts during my childhood I have kept an awful habit most of my life...I bite my nails. They tried so many things to get me to stop....bribery, anti-nail biting polish such as THIS, bribery, stories of all the gross germs that are under fingernails, and bribery. On several occasions I stopped biting my nails and became a nail picker instead. I know, it's gross.

Half of the problem was that on the small chance that I did get my nails to grow some, they were so thin and flimsy that they naturally wouldn't last long. I have tried vitamins, creams, hardening polish....you name it, I've tried it all...or so I thought!

This stuff is AMAZING!!

Now, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have been taking prenatal vitamins for over a year and a half now...but I kid you not, I could actually feel my nails getting harder and growing under this stuff! I wouldn't have believed someone if they told me it was going to work, but I have definitely seen results. A few days ago I actually had to TRIM and FILE my nails because they were getting too long...I am so proud! :)

9 (and a half) Months

2011-01-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

Jackson turned 9 months on the 9th of January. This month really has gotten away from me. We kept saying that we would take some good pictures "this weekend" or "tomorrow"....well here we are, January 25th, Jackson is 9.5 months old and I FINALLY got around to it!...

We had our 9 month check-up a couple of weeks ago. Jackson was very brave during the one shot that he needed this month and we were relieved to find out that his ears were clear (after 3 infections between October and December) He weighed 18 lbs 5 oz and was 27.25 inches tall...that is 2 lbs heavier and 2 inches taller then he was at his 6 month check-up! As far as percentiles go, he is still on the smaller end of things, but the doctor said that he is healthy and growing steadily so we have nothing to worry about.

Jackson has been acting like he was going to start crawling since a few weeks before Christmas. Last Wednesday he took off for real and hasn't stopped since. He also is starting to pull himself up on toys, furniture, the dogs...really anything that he can get a good grip on. He loves looking at books by himself as well as being read to. He has tunnel vision for cords and things that he is not supposed to have. He is a VERY busy boy and has even had a couple of bumps and bruises already to prove it!

We are so lucky that he continues to be a good sleeper. He takes 2 naps during the day and sleeps 10-12 hours at night. Still no teeth, but he has been acting like he is going to get one off and on for 2 months now! He has just about gotten the hang of his sippy cup, and so far he isn't a picky eater. However, within the last month he has decided that he needs to be involved in the feeding process so we have to give him finger foods to keep his hands busy so that he will let us get a couple of bites into his cute little mouth!

It is amazing to me how fast he is changing and growing! It seems like he learns to do something new every single day. He really is a smart little guy and has such a fun personality. His giggle is contagious and his smile warms my heart... I just can't get enough of our little man!

Christmas 2010 in a Nutshell

2011-01-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

So once again, I have not posted for a month! Nevertheless, I need to keep everyone updated on the latest happenings. We had a wonderful Christmas (all 3 times that we celebrated it!)

Christmas Eve at the Atwood's

We started off with Christmas Eve at Travis' parents house. Jackson had fun playing with his cousins, opening presents, and staying up way past his bedtime. Travis' Mom and Dad had an evening full of fun and crazy "minute to win it" games planned and we all enjoyed competing for the grand prize--a Kohl's gift card. Travis' youngest brother Parker was the winner (after a tie-breaker match with Travis' other brother Ben) I think that I came in dead last, or close to it!

Christmas at home

Next we had our own little Christmas at home. Even though we knew Jackson wouldn't know the difference between an empty box and one with a present in it (and would probably like the box more than the present) we still wanted to spoil him just a little bit. It was so fun to see him get excited about what he was opening just because we were excited!

Waiting to open presents at Grandpa and Grandma Haskin's

The week after Christmas, we were home for just a couple of days, (barely long enough to get some laundry done) before we left again to spend a week in Iowa. New Years Eve doubled as Christmas Eve with my family. We opened gifts to/from each other that night and then on New Years Day, Santa Claus had come!

We were not surprised that Jackson was spoiled rotten by his Grandpa and Grandmas, as well as his aunts and uncles. Thank you to everyone for all the gifts and memories! Our first Christmas as a family of three was magical!!

Brace Yourself....

2010-12-12T22:24:00.003-07:00

I was DETERMINED to get caught up on my blogging from the last month tonight...so you all have 4 posts to read! Make sure not to stop reading until you get through them all...I tried to be brief and I made sure to post them in order of occurrence, so sit back, relax and ENJOY! :)

We {heart} Grandma and Grandpa H

2010-12-12T22:11:00.004-07:00

My parents came to Utah again for a few days in mid-November. They claim it was to see all three of us...but if we are being honest with ourselves the main purpose was to get another "Jackson fix." No matter the motive, it was wonderful having them here, as always!

One of the highlights of this particular trip was Jackson's first snow/sledding experience! With just enough snow on the ground, my parents INSISTED that it was necessary that Jackson get a snowsuit. When we got home from shopping for the snowsuit, my Dad and Travis headed back to the store for the second necessary thing we had somehow managed to forget, Jackson's first sled! Of course we had to try out the new stuff....

Jackson LOVED sledding down our 3 ft hill in front of our house! Thanks Mom and Dad for the fun visit and we can't wait for you to come back again soon! :)

Thanksgiving

2010-12-12T21:56:00.003-07:00

Travis and I had the opportunity to host Thanksgiving with his family (minus his brother Ben and his family) at our house this year. I had never cooked a turkey before and so I was nervous to be doing it for the first time on such an important day. Everything turned out great with my cooking skills, and Travis also did the honors of carving the bird for his first time (with a little bit of instruction from his Dad) and we all had our share and then some of all the traditional fixins'. We played lots of scrabble and rock band and also made time for some good ol' R & R! Here's some pics...

Shallon and Heidi (Travis' mom and sister)

Jackson also had his version of turkey and sweet potatoes!

Our little family with my masterpiece turkey

Grandpa A and Jackson

Keith (Heidi's husband), Derek (our Nephew), and Parker (Travis' youngest brother)

Guardian Angel

2010-12-12T21:44:00.003-07:00

"Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy." ~Author Unknown

My sweet Grandma O. passed away a couple of weeks ago and Jackson and I were able to go back to Iowa for a couple of days to be there for her funeral services. I am so happy that she is no longer suffering and back with her sweetheart again! I know that she must be rejoicing to be free from the vascular dementia that she endured for far too long. I love you so much Grandma and I will miss you until we see each other again someday!

Meeting Santa

2010-12-12T21:40:00.002-07:00

A fairly momentous event in any child's life is meeting the one and only Santa Claus...

...Jackson took a long and hard look at the jolly ol' St Nicholas...

...and decided that he wasn't quite sure what to think!

I haven't forgotten...

2010-12-07T21:10:00.002-07:00

...that I have a blog! Although it may appear otherwise. I have the best intentions of updating this week...so hopefully I come through. In the meantime, please know that all is well in our household. Everyone is happy and healthy and REALLY busy....why isn't there more than 24 hours in a day?!

Jackson's First Haircut

2010-11-14T18:05:00.012-07:00

Last Saturday our little man reached another big milestone (well kind 0f) He got to have his first haircut! We love to spike his hair up with a little bit of gel and we hadn't been able to do that for some time since it had gotten too long.

BEFORE (looking a little shaggy):
DURING:

AFTER:

Isn't he a stud?!

He was such a good boy through the entire process. Thanks to our neighbor Analise for trimming him up so nice!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-29T22:52:00.003-06:00

This is NOT my favorite time of year. I hate anything scary...scary movies, scary costumes, haunted houses, haunted corn mazes...pretty much if it's going to make me jump, want to hide, or cry, or raise my blood pressure I avoid it like the plague. Travis on the other hand LOVES Halloween and all it's glory. He is a fan of AMC's Fear Fest and has been watching scary movies in what little spare time he has this past week....mostly because it's the only time of the year he can get away with it! (I refuse to sit through scary movies 99% of the time) Now there is ONE thing that we can agree on where Halloween is concerned...

...that Jackson makes the CUTEST little scarecrow we ever did see!! We hope that everyone has a wonderful Halloween weekend! Be safe and eat lots of candy (the ONLY other thing about Halloween that I love!)

6 months old already?!

2010-10-24T18:30:00.005-06:00

Time flies! I can't believe that Jackson is already 6 months old! Here are some DARLING pictures that Travis took of him a couple of weeks ago...

We had our 6 months check-up and I was surprised to find out that although he is a healthy and growing baby, he wasn't as big as I thought he would be comparatively speaking...16lbs 4 oz (30th percentile), 25.25 inches long (15th percentile) and 17.25 in head circumference (50 percentile)

The perfect description of him right now is PURE JOY! Jackson can bring a smile to anybody's face at anytime. He is such a happy baby. He is babbling up a storm, sitting up on his own, rolling over all directions (it's especially cute when he rolls over and over towards where one of us is sitting!) He is eating oatmeal cereal and trying lots of new fruits and vegetables. He loves the little Gerber puff snacks and if we show one to him he will grab our hand and pull it towards his mouth (he doesn't quite have the fine motor skills to feed himself one yet although he does try.) In the last week or so he has decided that he would rather sleep on his belly than his back and if we put him back onto his back he rolls back to his belly within moments. He loves to play with mommy and daddy, watch the dogs, giggle, talk to family on the webcam, jump in his doorway jumper, and even has a ticklish spot underneath his chin!

It is amazing watching his development and to think that it was only a little over 6 months ago that he came into this world. He has grown so fast and taught us both so much! I can't even say how much we love our little boy and we can't wait to continue to relish in each and every moment!

Better Late then Never

2010-10-17T18:16:00.003-06:00

I think that it is best if we all come to terms with the fact that my blogging abilities are sub-par lately...updating our blog has taken a backseat I am afraid...I mean have you seen how cute of a baby I have to entertain on a regular basis?!

A few weeks ago Travis and I ran the Dirty Dash 10K at Solider Hollow. It was SO much fun and we can both honestly say that we have NEVER been that dirty before.

Our team name was the "Mud Monkeys" and Travis even designed us the awesome shirts we are wearing! Here is a before shot....

...left to right: Kami, Heidi, Sarah, Travis, Chris

We ran up hill through mud, down hill through mud, over hay bails, through tunnels, through a swamp, over walls surrounded by mud, down a water slide, and waded in a gigantic mud pit and this was the result....

...left to right: Sarah, Kami, Hedi, then Travis and Chris behind us

Who knew that full grown men and women could have so much fun getting dirty?! Well we had such a blast that in May next year we are already signed up for the Dirty Dash 5k!! Can't wait :)

Are you Hungry?

2010-09-23T22:10:00.003-06:00

This is what happens when you delay feeding a growing boy his rice cereal...

Jackson Takes a Trip

2010-09-23T21:34:00.005-06:00

At the beginning of this month, Jackson got to do what many adults have never done....he took his first plane ride! As Jackson and I made our way through the SLC airport (Travis couldn't come with us for this trip due to school and work) he was fascinated with all there was to see around him. He just sat in his little stroller and took it all in. Since this WAS his first big trip, I knew that he probably wanted a picture with an official pilot....

...so we found one! (I love how Jackson is looking at him in this picture!)

Of course we needed a picture of the two of us with the airplane....

...and of Jackson sitting in the empty seat next to me like such a BIG boy!

I was nervous to fly with a baby because I had heard plenty of stories of why babies aren't the greatest travel companions from well meaning friends, coworkers, etc. I am SO PROUD to report that Jackson was an angel on all four of our flights (and the layovers in between). The only time he got a little fussy was going down on our first flight when his ears were popping (at least I am assuming that was the problem since mine were popping too) and even then it was very brief fussing.

We had a VERY busy few days in Iowa and Jackson was a trooper with all the new faces he met and passing from person to person that occurred. Some highlights of our trip included:

Meeting Great-Grandma and Grandpa H. (thanks again for surprising us at the airport!)

Meeting Great-Grandma O. (so glad we could make her smile!)

Meeting 5 week old Max (my BFF Stephanie's darling little guy)

Webcam with Daddy (Jackson was VERY excited to see Travis on webcam. He recognized him right away and I was so glad...I'm pretty sure it made Travis' day! We missed him and he missed us terribly)

Hanging out with Uncle Matthew and Aunt Jana (sorry again about the hair pulling Jana!)

Reading books and cuddling with Grandpa

Bath time and cuddling with Grandma

Thank you SO much to all of the family and friends that came over to meet Jackson while we were home! It was so great to be able to introduce our little guy to everyone! An extra special thank you to my parents for making our trip back so comfortable as always. I know it was a little extra effort getting ready to have a baby in the house again. :) We love our Iowa friends and family and can't wait for our next trip home this winter!

August...

2010-09-10T22:12:00.005-06:00

Does anyone else think that it is CRAZY that we are into September already?! August just snuck right away from me and I have been slacking big time on posting on a regular basis. I will try my best to be better...in the mean time, here is what we have been up to since my last post:

"Camping" at Tony Grove in Logan Canyon...and by camping I mean we drove up, enjoyed yummy dutch over dinner and s'mores with friends, and then came home and slept in our warm comfortable beds!

Jackson and his friend Sam (who is 5 weeks older) hanging out trying to stay warm and dry.

Jackson had his first official day of daycare, so we had to get the traditional picture with his diaper bag....because he has no backpack yet! :)
We discovered how cute it was (and how quickly he fell asleep) when Jackson had something to cuddle.

A new discovery...TOES!

Jackson (in the orange) with his friend Greyson during a playdate (thanks again Rachel!!)He is growing SO fast!! We can't wait to see what September brings :)

4 months

2010-08-19T21:45:00.003-06:00

It's hard to believe how fast time is going by! Jackson turned 4 months old on the 9th of this month. He is now giggling (inconsistently), smiling all the time, rolling from tummy to back, standing with support, sitting with support, raising up onto his arms during tummy time, and baby-talking up a storm! He is totally aware of his surroundings and loves to watch what's happening around him. He loves having a story read to him during his bath time each night. He is fascinated with the TV, the dogs, his hands, and his newest discovery...his feet! (he still can't quite figure out how to hold onto them for more than a second or two) He sleeps 8-10 hours at night most of the time which is fabulous, but I actually told Travis the other night that I sort of missed getting up with him at night. It is starting to feel like our little munchkin has always been a part of our family. We love him so much and he brings so much joy into our lives. Waking up at 6:30 or 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning isn't even bad when it's his cute little baby face we're waking up for!

At his checkup he was 14lb 4 oz (45th%), 24.5 inches (25%), and 16.5 inches head circumference (45%) The doctor said that he had a nicely shaped head, average weight gain, and was simply darling! Jackson was so brave during the two shots that he got and was excited when we were told that he could start introducing to rice cereal whenever we were ready. Last night we gave it a try for the first time and this was the result...

...Once it was all said and done, for his first time Jackson did great! I know that most of you are probably wondering if ANY cereal got into (and stayed in) his mouth. Quite frankly, I was wondering the same thing myself until I changed a dirty diaper today that was a little different than the last 4 months' worth. We still have a little bit of learning to do as far as moving food from the front to the back of his mouth without spitting it out goes before he is able to take cereal a little better, but you know what they say...practice makes perfect!

Today I received some very wise advice in an email from my Grandma ..."hold his hands until he is old enough to realize that he can't chew on his hands while his mouth is full"...I think that we will try that next time, but watching him make a mess this first round was priceless!

We're Gonna Get Dirty!

2010-08-14T15:51:00.002-06:00

Travis and I couldn't think of a better way to spend a fall morning in September than running, crawling, and jumping in the mud at Soldier Hollow (the location of the Cross Country Skiing Events for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games) and so we signed ourselves up for the 2010 Dirty Dash 10K! We are going to be on a team with Travis' brother, his wife, and her sister... it is going to be a blast! There really is no advantage to running the race as a team...it was the same price and we all still have to run the entire distance...so I guess the point of being on a team is to be there for physical and moral support through the obstacles...and for great photo opportunities! :) To learn more details about the race click HERE

We have been alternating days going for runs to prepare for the main event. It feels so great to be back into running again. Once I find my pace I could run for hours. Historically, when I have mapped out my routes I avoid incline like the plague. Seeing as this course has been described as "rolling" I decided I had probably train some hills so last week was my first attempt and I about died. I have a whole new respect for people who love to go trail running in the mountains (Travis is one of those people) So far I have done a 3.5 mile run with hills and a 4.5 mile run with hills and I must admit that although it is tough it feels great afterwards! I can't wait for September 25th to arrive! If anyone is interested come out and cheer us on! :)

Lately..

2010-07-28T16:52:00.006-06:00

We have had quite a bit going on these last couple of weeks...

For Pioneer Day (a July 24th Holiday here in Utah for all of my out of state friends and family) we were with Travis' family up in Heber City. Derek, Jackson's cousin turned 1 on July 23rd so we started the weekend with his birthday party Friday night. Saturday we had a picnic brunch and later made homemade snow cones...yum!

Derek, Jackson, and Kyla

Heidi A. and Keith

The rest of the Atwood clan (minus myself and Parker)

Last week we went up Logan Canyon with a few of our neighbors for a bonfire. Jackson was fascinated by the campfire! I LOVE the smell of a campfire...until you aren't around it anymore. We didn't get home until 10:30 that night (2 hours past Jackson's bedtime) and you better believe that he got a bath before going to bed!

Our neighbor Brooke and her little boy Ryder (she is due any day now with another little boy and I am so excited that Jackson will have little neighbor friends to play with when he is a little older)

Ryder and Jackson in the "big people" chairs

Troy and Travis building us a fire

A few weeks ago Jackson made an amazing discovery...the TELEVISION!! I told Travis that it is time to get out the Sesame Street and Baby Einstein shows. I came downstairs one night to this....

...are you wondering what he was watching? Don't worry...it was just a good old fashioned beauty pageant...Toddlers and Tiaras!! :)

In other news, Jackson is OFFICIALLY giggling. We have gotten it on video, but blogger doesn't like the file sizes that I have tried to upload so I will have to figure something else out. Let me just tell you, it is the CUTEST thing and melts my heart every time I hear it! I love my little boy SO much!

Grandpa and Grandma H came to visit!

2010-07-18T14:55:00.005-06:00

We were so lucky to have my parents come out to visit us from Iowa for 10 days at the beginning of this month. If you ask me it's pretty awesome that they have visited twice since Jackson was born and he is only 3 months old! :) The weather was absolutely beautiful the entire time they were here. Amongst the relaxation time, my dad helped Travis hang a couple of ceiling fans, we got to go on a couple of picnics, several nice walks, the park with the dogs, and fishing at several locations here in Cache Valley. Much to his baby sitter's dismay, Jackson got to spend lots of quality time with Grandpa and Grandma while Travis and I worked.

Jackson, Grandpa, and Grandma

Grandpa taught Jackson all about how to change the line on a fishing pole

Grandma made sure that Jackson's belly stay full while I was at work

Jackson showed Grandpa and Grandma how much fun he is now during bath time...

...and how much better he is getting at tummy time (even though it still isn't his favorite thing)

Thanks SO MUCH mom and dad for coming out to spend more time with us! We love you lots and look forward to when we get to see you again soon!

Our Latest Upgrade

2010-07-15T21:03:00.003-06:00

There was nothing wrong with our garage. It was actually really nice the way that it was...clean, organized, and free of cobwebs...

...but then we got a few supplies from the Home Depot...

...and one night after work while my parents were here, Travis and my Dad started building...

...and NOW our garage is REALLY AWESOME!! I couldn't believe it only took those two about 4 hours to put this beautiful workbench together! It truly finishes off the "look" of our garage. Thanks so much to my Dad for helping Travis put this together and to Travis' Dad for loaning them his saws! :)

My Personal Window Cleaning Service

2010-07-13T20:04:00.002-06:00

Last month our HOA sent out it's monthly newsletter. Within the neighborhood happenings, there was an offer for all those interested to have our home's windows cleaned. Should enough people express interest we were going to get a relatively low price. Now all of you who have been to our home know that we have about a million windows...and this chore would be no small task...so needless to say we were definitely willing to pay the $35. Unfortunately, there were not enough people who cared to have clean windows in our neighborhood so Travis took matters into his own hands....

...please don't tell our HOA that he was up on the roof!

With the assistance of an 8 foot ladder, and a 16 foot extendable window washer tool our windows are SQUEAKY CLEAN!! They were so much dirtier than what we even thought. Thanks hunny! You are the greatest!! :)

First Trip to the Zoo

2010-06-22T15:43:00.003-06:00

A couple of weekends ago we went to the Hogle Zoo with Travis' family. We had a good time despite the cold, the wind, and the rain. Travis and I had fun explaining to Jackson what he was looking at even though he slept most of the time and probably doesn't quite understand what the zoo or animals are yet. We can't wait until he is old enough to truly enjoy the zoo experience!

Gazing at the monkeys...or the sky light?

It may not look it...but he was really excited about the giraffes!

We decided that this would be a zoo photo tradition....it may be more difficult when he is 17 :)

2 months old!!

2010-06-15T16:44:00.005-06:00

It is so hard to believe that Jackson is already 2 months old! I understand now why people say "just wait until you have kids...then time REALLY flies!"...it's so true. We went to the doctor for his 2 month check-up and the dreaded shots...which turned out to be a BREEZE compared to having to suck out his nose with the nasal aspirator the week leading up to the appointment (he had caught his first stuffy nose) Anyway, we now have documented proof that our baby is growing....he weighed in at...

11 lbs 1.5 oz (45%)
22 inches (20%)
15.25 inch head circumference (25%)

...that was 1.5 lbs more than what Jackson's doctor was expecting him to gain! Don't worry...I am pretty sure that all that extra weight is going straight to either his cheeks or his thighs!

Every day is a new adventure with our little boy...he has become so much more interactive cooing, smiling, and squealing with delight. He has also found his little hands and they have become is new favorite thing to chew/suck on. He is sleeping for 6-7 hour stretches at night in his OWN room which translates to more sleep for Travis and I (yay!!)

Yesterday, I went back to work from my maternity leave. There were definitely tears shed, but once I got to work and got going it actually felt good to be back into the swing of things. I am so glad that I will still get to spend a couple of afternoons a week at home with Jackson.

We love this little guy SO much and look forward to each and every moment and memory! :)

Mmmmmmm black bananas!

2010-06-08T16:33:00.005-06:00

We had some over-ripe bananas that needed to not be in our kitchen anymore and so the logical solution was to make some bread. We weren't all that fond of the banana bread recipe that I have been using so I found a new one for us to try...and it was F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!...it only took us 12 hours to finish the loaf and we were sleeping for part of that time :) I honestly think that next time I am at the store I will buy some black bananas so that I don't have to wait for them to turn into bread making material! Here's the recipe for your baking pleasure...

Yummy Healthy Banana Bread
1½ hours 20 min prep
SERVES 6 -8

1/2 cup sweetened applesauce
1/2 cup white sugar
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
cinnamon and brown sugar (for sprinkling)

**i also sprinkled some chopped walnuts on top

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease 7X7" tin or a 9X5" bread tin. (7x7" cooks faster)
Mix applesauce and sugar in a bowl. If using unsweetened applesauce, add about 2 tablespoons of sugar extra.
Add bananas and mix. Add flour, salt, vanilla essence and baking soda. Mix quickly but thoroughly.
Pour into tin. Sprinkle with some brown sugar and cinnamon powder. Put into oven immediately.
Bake until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean (A little mashed banana on the knife is ok as there's so much fruit. If in doubt, taste to see it doesn't taste of raw flour). *The pan I used was a darker metal 9x5" loaf pan and it took approximately 55 minutes to bake*

Auntie Meg comes to visit

2010-06-07T15:47:00.004-06:00

We had another eventful weekend at our house! One of my BFFs from childhood, Megan, came to visit us from Seattle. It was so great having her here with us for a few days! Jackson took an immediate liking to Megan and loved every last minute of his cuddle time with her. It was great of the weather to cooperate with us over the weekend and we were able to spend lots of time outside. We took Jackson up one of the canyons for his first picnic, went for walks, and of course a trip to the ice cream parlor that has become customary whenever we have company. The evenings we spent hours chatting, watching movies, and playing Scrabble. Here are some pictures...

Jackson (8 weeks) and Megan

Our little family during Jackson's first picnic

Megan and I...BFF's for over 20 years and counting!

Thank you so much Megan for coming to spend some time with us! We had a blast and can't wait to see you again soon! :)

An Interview with our 7 week old Munchkin

2010-05-28T16:11:00.011-06:00

I sat down with Jackson this afternoon to get his thoughts on life around our house the last several weeks.

So little man, what are your thoughts on our weather lately?...

Yes, I agree. I think that the snowing, sleeting, and 40 something degree temperatures are getting a little ridiculous for the end of May.

Despite the poor weather conditions how is everything else going in your opinion?...

You have loved meeting all sorts of new people? Oh good! I am glad that you have enjoyed all of our company as much as we have these past couple of weeks! Let me just tell everyone a little bit about who we have gotten to spend some time with...

Two weeks ago, one of my BFF's, Stephanie and her husband Brett, came to spend a few days with us. I was SO happy that she was able to travel with her MD's permission (she is going to have a baby at the end of July and some MD's don't like their patients to travel in the 3rd trimester) It was a short but sweet visit! We were able to go to a JJ Cole warehouse sale where Steph got stocked up with baby gear at clearance prices. We also actually had a nice sunny afternoon for a walk. Jackson got lots of quality bonding time Steph and she got a sneak peek at what she will be in for in a couple of months. We can't wait to meet her little bundle of joy!

This past week, my brother Matthew and his girlfriend Jana came to spend some time with our little family. We LOVED having them here!

One of the nights they were here my cousin Chris and his girlfriend Beth came to have dinner with us. They are living here in Logan for the summer working at a local theater. We had a great meal and great fun playing rockband!

The rest of the week, Matthew proved his skills as the "grill master" on several occasions and Jana proved that she was the "baby whisperer" when it came to helping Jackson fall asleep for his daytime naps. We got to spend lots of time hanging out and eating large amounts of sugar in the form of ice cream, cookies and doughnuts. The only thing that would have made their time here better is if the weather would have cooperated with us. The only sunny day was the day before and morning of their departure. We made sure to take full advantage of the sunshine on those days!

Between the rainstorms, we were able to take Matthew and Jana up to Bear Lake. Here is our little family after enjoying the famous raspberry shakes and curly fries from the Hometown Drive-Inn...Jackson could hardly contain his excitement!

We truely appreciate that these special people took time out of their busy schedules to come and visit us. We love having company and want to make sure that all of our friends and family know that if you come to see us you will have a cozy bed and a bathroom all to yourself! :)

On that note....Jackson, did you know that my one of my other BFFs Megan is coming to see us next week? I am so excited for you to meet her...what do you think about that?...

Tingey's Terror LCC

2010-05-18T16:56:00.007-06:00

I spent this past Saturday down in Salt Lake with a couple of my climbing friends. Our initial plan was to climb Lone Peak via the Big Willow route, but after those plans fell through, Jason and I decided to head up Little Cottonwood Canyon to climb a route called Tingey's Terror. Here are a few videos from our trip...

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Mother's Day

2010-05-17T17:05:00.002-06:00

Not only did I get to honor all the lovely women (via web cam) who are positive influences in my life, I got to spend time with OUR little boy. It's funny how BEING a mom makes you look at mother's day (and all those other women in your life) in a whole new light. I have a whole new, deeper, appreciation of the sleepless nights, hours of rocking and comforting, and endless laundry that my own mother, mother in law, grandmother, etc have gone through over the years...and I wouldn't trade this role for ANYTHING! Thank you so much especially to my own Mom, Shallon, and Grandmothers for always being there for me through all my ups and downs. You each are TRULY an inspiration to me (and Travis) and our lives would not be complete without each one of you in it!

Travis and Jackson worked hard to make my first mother's day a special one. Jackson let us give him a bath WITHOUT crying, Travis made me breakfast, lunch, AND dinner, we went back to church for the first time since Jackson's arrival, and ended our day with a nice long walk with the dogs. The weather was B-E-A-UTIFUL for the first time in weeks! Jackson (with some help from his dad) got me a darling necklace with charms including his name, birth date, and birthstone.

It was a perfect day!

This one's for you Dad

2010-05-10T20:23:00.004-06:00

I just wanted everyone to know that it is a VERY special man's birthday today. My dad is the greatest dad there is, and I just want him (and everyone else) to know how much I love him!

To this very day, and for as long as I can remember, I have considered myself a "daddy's girl." Growing up I loved spending time with this wonderful man. Some of my favorite memories include:

Helping him work on cars in the garage. I thought it was so cool when he would let me hand him the spark plugs or roll around on the creeper
When he taught me how to slow pitch a softball (not to brag, but I was one of the best in my league back in the day!) :)
Helping him wash his truck on a number of occasions (even though he would get mad at me for doing a mediocre job sometimes...he always made it better by buying me ice cream afterwards)
When he taught me how to shoot a basketball "the right way and not like a girl" which he did by holding one of my hands behind my back (even though I was in tears I really appreciate that skill now!)
How he would never let my brother or I go to bed hungry. If we got our bedtime snack taken away as punishment by my mom, he would sneak a snack into our room after we were in bed
The countless "daddy/daughter" dates that we went on. I LOVED having his attention all to myself
How no matter how bad of a day I was having he could (and still can) make me laugh

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. I am so lucky to have such a positive example of a man in my life. Not only is he good to me, he also is a wonderful father-in-law to Travis and awesome Grandpa to Jackson. Dad...thanks SO much for all that you do for each one of us. It is appreciated more than you know and we all hope that your day was a fabulous as you are! ;)

SO over it!

2010-05-06T14:46:00.006-06:00

The entire time I was pregnant I was looking forward to my maternity leave. There were the obvious reasons of getting to spend so much time with my new baby (and Travis too since he works from home), not having to worry about going to work, and getting to actually ENJOY springtime weather instead of having to look at it from indoors at work...well so far I am 4 weeks into my maternity leave and I can count on ONE hand the number of times I have been able to enjoy warmer weather...not because I haven't felt up to it, but because it HASN'T happened...today it actually SNOWED for a few minutes...UGH! The next few weeks had better shape up or I am not going to be a happy camper.

(okay now that we have THAT out of my system)

...

...isn't he a doll? He loved this new toy I brought out for him today! He enjoyed it so much in fact that I am afraid he was a little overstimulated and completely missed one of his midday naps..oops! :)

This melts my heart...

2010-05-02T18:09:00.003-06:00

...Travis is SUCH a great dad... I love these boys SO much!!

Check out my kicks!

2010-05-02T17:44:00.002-06:00

To celebrate his 3 week birthday Jackson wore shoes for the first time!

Isn't it incredible how FAST he is growing? He officially is too big for his preemie outfits now and moving into his newborn size wardrobe! :)

2 Weeks!

2010-04-23T11:22:00.004-06:00

Our little man had his two week check-up today and our suspicions were confirmed...he has grown!! As of today, Jackson is...
6 lbs 15.5 oz (10th percentile)
19.5 inches (15th percentile)
13.75 inch head circumference (10th percentile)
...so I suppose that comparatively he is still a little peanut. :)

It's hard to believe that 2 weeks has gone by already since Jackson arrived. He continues to be SUCH a good baby. He eats every 3-4 hours (in 30 minutes or less), is awake for 30-45 minutes (during the day, not at night), then falls asleep until the cycle starts all over again. It is so fun when he is awake watching him look all around. He is so alert and loves to listen to the sound of our voices. When he gets fussy (which isn't often at all) he settles right down when I sing to him (maybe I should try out for American Idol?!) or when Travis talks to him and lets him grip onto his finger. He is discovering how fun it is to wiggle his arms and legs all over the place now that he is not cooped up in my tummy. He loves to be swaddled tight when he sleeps as long as his arms are still free. He also makes lots of cute little (and sometimes big) noises.

It is amazing to me how we all are settling into a routine of sorts without much effort at all (knock on wood) Today the pediatrician told us that as long as he is getting 7 feedings in a 24 hr period we are good to go...which means that we may be saying goodbye to one of the two times being up with him during the night very soon!

In the next few weeks amongst lots of loving and cuddling our baby boy we are looking forward to starting active tummy time for Jackson, more sleep (hopefully) for everyone, warmer weather so we can take daily afternoon walks with the dogs, and Travis finishing up his spring semester at school. We of course will keep you all posted on the latest :)

Our First Week Home

2010-04-17T10:39:00.003-06:00

I dare you to look at this picture and TRY not to smile....

...isn't he the cutest little guy?! I think that it is safe to say that we are COMPLETELY smitten and in love with our newest addition! Jackson has officially been part of our world for a week now. Tomorrow will mark the infamous "first week home" We really couldn't have asked for a more cooperative baby. He is SO mellow! When he is hungry he "squawks" (not cries) to let us know that his little belly is empty. He gets a little more upset when we are changing his diaper, but as soon as we finish and pick him up again he is right back to his content little self.

What made me most nervous about bringing a baby home is the sleep deprivation that we were bound to experience...and even that hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Jackson started off eating every 3 hours and is now eating about every 3.5 to 4.

Jackson's bilirubin level got a little too high and so he had to spend the majority of Monday through Thursday this past week in his little bilibed. It was really hard not being able to hold and cuddle him.

Travis got to feed Jackson his first bottle this week! Our pediatrician said that introducing a bottle this early on will make the transition easier down the road. It's really nice that I can pump and Travis can have a chance to bond with him this way.

My parents got here from Iowa just a few hours after we got home from the hospital on Sunday. They have been a TREMENDOUS help with everything. They cook, clean, do laundry, and my dad even washed and waxed both of our vehicles! I think that it is safe to say that they too are totally in love with our little boy as well.

Jackson truly is a miracle and I just love being a mommy. It's amazing to me how long I am content to just sit and admire him. Watching Travis with him just melts my heart. He loves this little guy SO much and it is so neat to watch the way that Jackson responds when he hears his daddy's voice. I can already tell that he is growing so fast and has changed so much just in the first week. I look forward to all there is to come!

Our Baby is Here!

2010-04-13T17:17:00.005-06:00

Jackson James Atwood
April 9, 2010
2:40 p.m.
6 lbs. 6 oz. 18 inches

Our little bundle of joy decided to make his debut 12 days early! We couldn't be happier to have this little one in our lives. Everyone is doing exceptionally well...more to come soon!!

Easter in Heber

2010-04-08T18:46:00.002-06:00

Over Easter we made the trip to Heber City to spend the holiday with Travis' family. Here are some highlights of the weekend's festivities...

Travis and I with some of our masterpieces (Travis didn't need to smile for this picture because the egg was smiling for him)

Finished products (I think between all of us we dyed 4 dozen eggs!)

Kyla (10 months) and Derek (9 months) on Easter morning...aren't they so stinking cute?!

Trav and I on Easter morning (we didn't even mean to match!)

Most of the family participating in peeling eggs to devil them

It was great as always to get together with family for food, fun, and plenty of laughs! Thanks everyone for another memorable trip :)

SLC Baby Shower

2010-04-08T18:27:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago my friends in Salt Lake threw me another fabulous baby shower. It was SO great to see so many of my old coworkers and friends that I haven't seen since moving to Logan last July! I was lucky enough to have one of my BFF's Maggie photojournalize the event for me. Here is a sampling of the day...

Yummy appetizers and finger foods

Delicious cupcakes (I had 2 and easily could have ate a 3rd)

Darelene, Myself, and Karen (the hostess' with the mostess')

Maggie (the photographer), Myself, and Angela

It was a great party with a great turnout! These ladies worked so hard to make it a super special event for me. As with my other showers everyone was SO generous and I got SO many great things that will come in handy when junior decides to make his debut! Thanks gals...you are the best! :)

37 weeks 3 days

2010-04-04T18:02:00.002-06:00

We officially have a FULL TERM baby! I am still feeling good all things considered, but I have noticed in the last week or so that my energy levels are running a little lower. Mentally I think that I should be able to do more than what my body physically feels like doing. The bursts of "nesting" energy have been great for getting some last minute cleaning and baby preparations finished. It's hard to believe that my due date is just around the corner and I really could have this baby anytime now!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

2010-03-28T12:04:00.002-06:00

I made these cookies last night and they are QUITE delightful so I thought that I had better share the love with all of you. Give them a try they are DEFINITELY worth the time they take to make!

Ingredients:
1 12-oz. pkg. miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
2 Tbsp. milk
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Filling recipie (step 3 below)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside 1/4 cup chocolate pieces to sprinkle on cookies. In microwave-safe bowl combine 1 cup of the chocolate pieces and 2 tablespoons milk. Microwave on 50 percent power (medium) 1 minute or until melted; stir once. Set aside.

2. In bowl beat butter and peanut butter with electric mixer until combine. Add sugar, soda, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; beat to combine. Add eggs, 1/2 cup milk, vanilla, and melted chocolate; beat until combined. Beat in cocoa powder and flour until combined. Stir in remaining chocolate pieces. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with reserved chocolate. Bake 9 minutes or until tops are set. Cool on sheets 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely. To assemble, spread flat sides of half the cookies with Filling; top with remaining cookies.

3. Filling: In bowl beat 1 cup softened butter, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 cup marshmallow creme, and 2 cups powdered sugar with electric mixer until combined. If needed, beat in 2 tablespoons milk until spreading consistency. Makes 30 servings.

35 weeks

2010-03-17T20:31:00.004-06:00

Really?! This belly keeps growing and growing and despite my expanding circumference I am afraid our little guy is running out of room in there. The last couple of weeks he has taken quite a liking to jabbing me in the ribs whenever I sit for too long and it seems like I can feel every single wiggle (no matter how big or small) throughout the day...but I am still not complaining :)

In the last couple of weeks, I am being asked more and more if I am tired of being pregnant yet...and I can honestly say that although I am SO ecstatic to meet our son and to have my thinner figure back and to be able to go for runs in this beautiful spring weather...I can't honestly say that I am not completely tired of being pregnant yet. I love that I am so close to our baby all of the time. I love that I can feel his movement and that I get to hear his heartbeat at the doctor every couple of weeks.

Last week at our doctor's appointment everything was still right on track...my BP was good, baby's HR was in the normal range , and he was measuring right at 34 weeks. Next week we start the "fun" appointments of checking to see if I am progressing towards labor at all...I guess this really is going to happen!

Atwood Baby Shower

2010-03-17T20:04:00.004-06:00

Last weekend my mother in law and sisters in law threw me a baby shower with Travis' side of the family. They truly went all out to make it a special event just for me! We had a....

...custom made diaper cake complete with teddy bear topper...

...a drink fountain with floating rubber duckies...

...a spread of delicious food...

...and a DARLING way of displaying some of my gifts!

Heidi A (brother in law's wife) , little Kyla, Me, Heidi L (Travis' sister), little Derek, Shallon (mother in law)

I was showered with LOTS of fun things to get me ready for our little man's arrival including baby outfits, diapers and wipes, homemade burp clothes, receiving blankets, and hooded towels, and a beautiful homemade quilt from Grandma Atwood (my mother in law). Thank you to all of Travis' aunts and cousins who traveled to Heber for the party and thank you to my two favorite Heidi's and Shallon for a GREAT shower...you ladies are fabulous! :)

A little taste...

2010-03-01T19:26:00.013-07:00

Many of our family and friends have been anxiously awaiting pictures of our nursery/guest bedroom progress. Although I am not ready for the FINAL reveal just yet, I thought that I might let everyone in on a piece of the bedroom...the wall decor! I finished ordering everything over the weekend. Originally I didn't want to do anything to "matchy" but I fell in love with and ordered the prints off of my new favorite website, ETSY.COM. I love this artist's style and the colors will go great with what we have going in our room. The frames for all those prints are on the way from kohls.com (7 frames (all 8x10 or 11x14 size) for $80 bucks!) Lastly, the vinyl tree is a custom ordered piece also from etsy.com. We will be hanging that on our dark brown wall behind the baby's crib. I can't wait to get all my pieces so I can continue putting the puzzle together! :)

(you should be able to click on each picture to see it larger)

Already in my 8th Month?!

2010-02-25T17:57:00.002-07:00

I know I have said this nearly every time I have posted a new photo of myself, but I SERIOUSLY can not believe that we are starting into the second to last month of this pregnancy!! Time is flying by! Yesterday I was 32 weeks. Today, I had my doctors appointment and everything is still looking great. My blood pressure is good, baby's heart beat is regular and strong and I am measuring at 32 weeks exactly. We have chosen a pediatrician (on recommendation from my OB), continued our decorating projects in the baby's room, and I have two baby showers coming up in the next month that I am SUPER excited for! :)

My doctor told me at my 30 week appointment that these last 10 weeks are typically the hardest part of a women's pregnancy...you have to pee more, breathing gets harder, sleepless nights become more regular and your back starts to hurt from the extra weight in front. So far I am so lucky to say that the only symptom I have experienced is the increasing visits to the restroom. I haven't had a terrible time sleeping..just a couple of rough nights while I was still figuring out that it actually takes 3.5 pillows instead of 1 to keep me comfortable! I still have been working out 3-4 times a week (although I have been getting more and more sideways looks from people lately like they may be worried I might send myself into labor.) My appetite has actually leveled off the last couple of weeks. I have an occasional day that I feel more hungry than usual, but I think that my stomach is getting more and more squished so frequent snacking is more comfortable than larger meals. As far as weight gain goes, I have gained "just the right amount" according to my doctor...and those of you that know me well know that I am excited to be able to get back to my normal workout intensity to say goodbye to these extra pounds! I am LOVING all the baby movement that I feel throughout the day and we both are getting more and more excited to meet our little man!

All in all, this pregnancy thing isn't AT ALL bad. I have been so lucky to have such a smooth ride. I am so lucky to have a great husband that picks up the slack on my more lazy days (this weekend for example, I WATCHED him clean the kitchen and mop the floor because I just "didn't feel like helping" and he was TOTALLY okay with that. In fact he told me to just "take it easy and he'd take care of it!) A women's body is an amazing thing and I am so glad that I have had the chance to experience first hand what it's like to bring a new life into this world!

i {heart} my co-workers!

2010-02-21T15:15:00.002-07:00

From bottom left: Katie, Rachel, Me, Erin, Karina, Jana, Genessa, Maggie, Audrey (not pictured Dawn, Richard, Lyle)

I really lucked out when I took my job here in Logan. I have a wonderful group of people that I get to spend day in and day out with. We all get along great despite the amount of estrogen flying around (there are 9 women and only 2 men!) A couple of weeks ago the girls threw a joint baby shower for myself and two other girls that I work with (all of our due dates are approximately one month apart starting in February). We had a wonderful lunch and everyone pooled together their cash for the three of us to spend on baby essentials. Thanks for the party everyone! You guys are the best!

Rock Stars!

2010-02-05T17:14:00.004-07:00

Last weekend Travis' parents decided to make the trip from their home in Heber City to our home in Logan just for fun and to take us to dinner. They wanted to try out the famous local cuisine of Angie's (a diner style restaurant) and so that is where we took them. Angie's, as usual, did not disappoint us or our guests.

When we got back to our place we suggested playing a few songs on Rock Band before they made the two hour trek back home. They LOVED it! Bryan played a mean bass guitar and Shallon kept her vocals hot with her amazing singing. I think that they both wished that they would have packed their PJs and toothbrush so that we could have kept on playing!

I must admit that Travis and I were quite impressed with the talent and we can't wait for our next rock session. Thanks for a fun night you guys! :)

3rd Trimester is Here!

2010-01-29T22:22:00.003-07:00

It's hard for me to believe that my FINAL trimester has arrived! I can't believe how quickly our little guy's birth date is approaching. We have started making a dent in all that there is to prepare for, and although there is still PLENTY to do we are getting SO excited. We have enjoyed the increase in our baby's activity lately. He has been kicking a lot more (and A LOT harder) We can even watch my belly change shapes as he wiggles around each night. The whole pregnant experience TRULY is a miracle and it really has made me appreciate and marvel at how amazing a women's body really is! Here are a couple photos for all of our far off friends and family...

That belly really has popped out in the last week! I still am feeling great and have enough energy for my normal work day, chores, and the gym 3 or 4 times a week. Some days I have the appetite of an elephant and other days not so much. I have had more heartburn in the last few weeks, and am keeping my fingers crossed that this means we will have a little baby with a head full of hair! :)

Who needs Burger King's Cini-Minis?

2010-01-24T18:05:00.005-07:00

Tonight I was in the mood for something sweet. We haven't been to the grocery store for a couple of weeks and so I had to be creative. I found a can of crescents in the refrigerator and got an idea...what if I made some cinnamon rolls?! With a little help from cooks.com I found an easy recipe that turned out PERFECTLY! These little bits of goodness were DELICIOUS! Travis and I give this treat two thumbs way up and would highly recommend giving this simple treat a try!

MINI CINNAMON CRESCENTS
1 (8 oz.) can crescent rolls
1/4 c. butter, softened
4 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. raisins (we used craisins)

GLAZE:
1 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. apple juice or milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Separate crescent dough into 4 rectangles; firmly press perforations to seal. Spread with butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon; generously sprinkle over rectangles. Sprinkle with raisins (or craisins). Starting at shorter side, roll up each rectangle. Cut each roll into 5 slices, forming 20 rolls. Place cut side down in ungreased 8" or 9" square pan. Bake 17 to 23 minutes or until golden brown. In small bowl, combine glaze ingredients. Drizzle over warm rolls. ENJOY!

Thank You...I'll take that as a Compliment!

2010-01-21T19:16:00.009-07:00

Tonight at the gym I was in the locker room getting my bag and jacket after a great workout. A relatively- fit looking lady (probably mid-30s) came up to me and asked how far along pregnant I was. I told her 27 weeks and her jaw dropped.
"You're kidding right?" she said.
"Uh no...." I replied. (thinking to myself does she really think I would lie about this?)
She justified her comment by replying,
"I NEVER looked that great at 6 months pregnant...Heck, I didn't look that good at 3 or 4 months pregnant either!!"
I am pretty sure I was a million shades of red at that point as she had gotten the attention of about four other women who all were STARING at me now. After thanking the women I hurried out of the locker room. So far, I haven't had any experiences with random strangers and their comments on my pregnancy. It's flattering and all...I just hope that they don't start touching my belly now too!

26 weeks ALREADY?!

2010-01-12T20:23:00.002-07:00

Here is a photo from last week at 25 weeks prego...that belly keeps on coming!

This week marks the 26 week mark! Seriously, where is the time going? We are going to have a little bundle of joy here before we even know it! We still have lots to get ready and if I think too much about EVERYTHING at once it gets overwhelming and stressful so I have chosen to take it one day at a time and get a LITTLE something done each week. Today we had our monthly appointment with the doctor and got to here baby's heartbeat again. It was holding steady between 145 and 150 beats per minute. Everything is still looking good and progressing as expected which is always a relief to hear :)

Iowa Christmas 2009

2010-01-07T18:46:00.013-07:00

Travis and I had a fabulous time in Iowa over the Christmas holiday. It was so great to spend lots of quality time with my family and to get some well earned relaxation time. Every night we got a minimum of eight hours of sleep and every morning we woke up on our own instead of to the alarm clock blaring.

Here are my sweet parents on Christmas Eve. They are the most wonderful Mom and Dad and I appreciate everything that they do for Travis and I. My Dad is a goofball 95% of the time and keeps everyone laughing with all his witty comments. I just love that his sweet tooth can keep up with (and surpass' my own!) My mom is definitely a "hostess with the mostest" and goes out of her way keeping us comfortable. We practically have to fight her to help with the dishes or cleaning up after dinner! We love you both SO much!! Thanks for such a wonderful time!!

Travis, myself, and Matthew on Christmas Eve. We were so grateful for the time that Matthew took off of work to spend with us during this trip. Matthew's girlfriend Jana also was able to spend some time with us earlier on in the week before going back to Illinois to spend Christmas with her own family. I wish that we lived closer so that the four of us could hang out more...we had a BLAST!!

With a combined effort from the six of us we were able to put together a 1000 piece puzzle in only a day and a half! Who knew old fashioned fun could be so addicting?? Seriously, Travis and I were up until 2 a.m. the one night!!

Our last night there, we dug out Matthew's collection of K'Nex to build the big Ferris wheel. It was a bit easier building this masterpiece as an adult than it was when I was a kid, however it was still surprisingly challenging making sure that each piece was in place correctly to make the wheel go 'round. Travis has decided that our little guy will definitely have some K'Nex in his toy collection someday!

On our way to the MSP airport on Monday morning we decided to make a pit-stop at the Mall of America. That place is HUGE!! I have been through the entire mall before, but Travis never has. Our main purpose for stopping was to show Travis the Lego Land inside the mall. It is incredible all these massive sculptures that all were constructed by normal sized legos. They have dinosaurs, aliens, construction works, a pilot, and even a functioning clock tower!

There is just so much to see in the 4 floors and over 500 stores that they have in the Mall of America. Not to mention the indoor theme park complete with 4 roller coasters as well as an aquarium!! We decided on our next trip through MSP we are going to take a day or two to do some exploring in the area.

As always, all good things must come to and end. After nine days of vacation it was back to reality. Roxy and Noobie were very excited to have us home and it was nice sleeping in our own bed. Thanks again to my AWESOME family for making this another memorable trip!

Iowa Baby Shower

2010-01-07T18:18:00.010-07:00

While we were in Iowa over the Christmas holiday Travis and I were spoiled by my mom and dad's families at our first baby shower. Despite the poor weather and driving conditions we had a great turn out and got a lot of great stuff for our little man.

Jana (aka Event Photographer), Matthew (aka Event Gift Scribe), myself, Travis, Mom, and Dad

Here is a close up of the CUTE table decorations that my dad's sister Donna made for the the shower. She is so creative! My mom took her a package of diapers, ribbon, socks, and teething toys and this is what she came up with! BRILLIANT! :)

A New Year...

2010-01-04T18:54:00.004-07:00

...definitely calls for a new blog post!! Sorry about the drought lately to all my loyal reader's out there. I do have pictures to post and stories to tell. However, I only have my husband's undivided attention for a limited time more before he gets engrossed in the throws of another school semester so I am savoring every last second we get to spend together! :) Stay tuned for pictures from our Christmas in Iowa, our first baby shower, recent updates to our home, as well as my growing pregnant belly profile!

Can't Hardly Wait!

2009-12-20T09:36:00.002-07:00

I can't believe that our Christmas vacation is finally here! It seems like we started planning it so long ago and it snuck up on us so fast!

The thought of not having to return to work until December 29th is a dream come true! I always look forward to going back to Iowa, but it is especially exciting over the Holiday's. I love being with my family, both immediate and extended, and Christmas time makes it that much more fun. I look forward to giggling with all my cousins and my Grandma's Christmas candy. It is also wonderful to wake up on Christmas morning in the house that I grew up in because it brings back lots of fond memories! Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope that you all have an enjoyable and safe holiday!

Half Way Already?!

2009-12-06T11:27:00.004-07:00

Here I am at 20 weeks pregnant...

...time is FLYING by! I can't believe that we have made it to the half way point already. This little guy is going to be here before we know it :) I finally am starting to look pregnant instead of like I have eaten too many cheeseburgers! Last Saturday night Travis and I were relaxing watching a movie when I felt him move FOR SURE. It was 3 distinct kicks that felt like someone was flicking me from the inside of my belly. The next night about the same time I felt 2 more of the same sensation. Now I love when about 7 pm rolls around because I know at anytime our little guy is going to wake up and move around for a little while. It is the COOLEST sensation (a little weird), but simply incredible.

As far as how I have been feeling...just GREAT! As if running around exercising with patients all day isn't enough, I have continued to manage to go to the gym 3-4 times a week for an hour or so each time. I feel so much better after I have exercised! So far I have still been sleeping sweet and sound. The last couple of nights it has gotten more comfortable to sleep with a pillow between my knees. I don't really get cravings lately, I just tend to go from not hungry to starving in 10 minutes flat! At our last doctors appointment we were told that everything looks great and our little one is growing right on schedule and measuring to the day.

We are looking forward to Travis finishing up with finals this week so that he can have a break from the school grind and we can get going on the baby's room/guest room. I haven't decided on a theme or exactly how I want to do our little guy's room other than that I have picked out/purchased the crib (more on that in a later post...it's quite the story!)

Each day the fact that we will be welcoming a baby into our lives in a few short months becomes more and more real. We are excited and nervous all at the same time. We hope that we can be good parents and that our baby will be happy and healthy.

This week we plan on getting all registered at Babies R' Us and Target...on that note I would love for everyone to leave a comment or drop me an email (sarahatwood02@gmail.com) and let me know the "can't live without" items for a new baby. Thanks! :)

Happy 28th Birthday Travis!

2009-11-29T12:39:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday to the love of my life! I don't know what I would do without you. You are such an AMAZING husband. Thank you for being the rock in my life. I love you more than anything and hope that you have a wonderful day! :)

Our Little Man

2009-11-28T18:47:00.005-07:00

As many of you know we found out earlier this week that our little one due in April is a BOY!! We are both super excited! The ultrasound was simply amazing. Today's technology is incredible! We were able to see his heart (all 4 chambers), his brain (all the different lobes), his stomach, kidneys, and spine. My favorite part was watching the 3D portion of the ultrasound and especially seeing him give the ultrasound tech a hard time when he kept wiggling around! Here are the pictures...

Since finding out that we are having a boy, Trav and I have had such a fun time thinking of all the things we will get to experience with our son...potty training aiming at fruit loops (Travs' department for sure), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Football, Hot Wheels, and a Spiderman bike on Christmas morning just to name a few :)

We also have been brainstorming names. So far the list includes Cesar, Brutus, Corneilius, Reinhold, and Octavious. We figure if we name him after a Roman warrior there is NO WAY he will get mocked or beat up on the playground!...Just Kidding :) We would never be that cruel!

My Latest Project

2009-11-22T18:15:00.003-07:00

With the winter months closing in on us I decided that I had better think of something to keep my hands and mind busy. So I decided to crochet a blanket for our little one on the way...problem is it only took me a couple days so what am I going to do now??

JUST KIDDING! :) This is actually a picture that I stole from the Internet...I WISH I were that good! In all seriousness, I really have decided that I am going to crochet our baby a blanket, and I am SURE that it will take me AT LEAST until April when the baby gets here!

I have never actually crocheted anything before. I learned HOW to crochet once, and didn't have the time and patience to practice and get good since I was still in school. So that poor spool of yarn and crochet hook got stuck in a box and forgotten...until now.

Those of you that know me well, know that I don't do crafty. I don't sew, I don't quilt, I don't scrapbook. I don't have a problem with any of these things...they just simply don't interest me enough to spend the time doing them. However, with the baby on the way what a PERFECT motivation to make something. And I figured if I posted it on my blog I would have to follow through since all of you reading this are holding me accountable and I am sure expect updates on the progress.

Therefore, with the help of you tube videos I, Sarah Atwood plan to crochet our first born a cute little blanket...wish me luck! :)

What Happens in Vegas...

2009-11-15T17:28:00.007-07:00

So remember how I told everyone I was so excited that my Dad surprised my Mom for her birthday with a Vegas vacation? Well the other part of that story, and why I was so excited for them, was that Travis and I, as well as my brother and his girlfriend were ALSO in on the surprise...in fact, we WERE the other half of the surprise. We showed up at my parents hotel Friday morning as the "shuttle"they were waiting for and gave my mom the surprise of her life. Needless to say she was shocked and even shed a few happy tears :)

We had a great weekend as a family! We spent lots of time exploring Vegas, walking for miles, eating great food, watching interesting people, and sharing plenty of laughs. The end of the weekend came much to fast, and I was sad to see us all part ways on Sunday morning. The only thing that made it easier was knowing that Travis and I will be back in Iowa for Christmas in a few short weeks. Here are some pictures of all the festivities...

Matthew, Jana, Dad, Mom, Travis and I in front of Ethel's Chocolate factory. We got to watch how the little Dove chocolate hearts were made and even got a few samples...YUM!

Hoover Dam from the parking garage...this was REALLY amazing to see in person. It makes you feel so small! Unfortunately, we did not see any Transformers while we were there :)

The bridge that they are constructing that will be a new route over the dam..it is MASSIVE!

The Wynn and the Encore...VERY classy hotels, some of my brother's favorites. I also think he said that these are where the show "Las Vegas" take place?

Trav and I in front of the Excalibur. I just think this is the NEATEST building all lit up at night...it made me feel like I was in a cartoon or something.

This talking animated tree was part of the conservatory display inside of the Belagio Hotel. I took lots of pictures in this place, none of which does it justice! B-E-A-UTIFUL!

View of the Paris hotel from the stairs at the Belagio.

My mom would have had no idea that this "statue" inside of the Vinitian was a real person if we hadn't pointed it out to her...it is INCREDIBLE how these people can stand so still for so long!

The Stratosphere. We all decided that we would rather NOT fork over $16 a person to take the elevator ride to the top...so we just admired it from the ground :)

The Trump Tower...no significance, other than that I think I took an awesome picture of this building as the sun went down!

Coincidentally, one of my lifelong BFF's and her husband were in Vegas at the same time as we were! Our trips only overlapped by a day, but they were able to join our family for dinner on Saturday night.

Such a fun trip! I have the BEST family and I really wish that we would have had more time to explore, see a show, and spend more quality time together. Love you guys and let's for sure do it again sometime!

My Knight in Shining Armor...

2009-11-12T22:03:00.005-07:00

Here he is and some other guy up on a pedestal sporting a metal suit...

10 reasons why my husband is the best husband in the world:
1. He loves me unconditionally, through all my bad days and crazy hormonal moments
2. He INITIATES cleaning 80% of the time or more. I am a good housekeeper, but he has to jump start me most of the time
3. He helps me clean our 3 bathrooms, even when he has plenty of homework to do of his own...because he knows how much I LOATHE that chore
4. He compliments me daily and tells me he loves me multiple times a day
5. He makes an effort each day to make me smile and laugh
6. He makes me feel beautiful
7. He tells me that I am an amazing wife and that I will be an amazing mom (I hope he is right!)
8. He is a gentleman..pulls out my chair, opens doors, etc
9. He is kind to others (he is never afraid to help someone in public that looks like they need it)
10. He usually has my lunch ready and waiting when I come home for lunch hour each day

Please take note that this is only a small list of reasons why Travis is the best ever! I would keep going, but I may make him blush. I wish that all women in the world could be as lucky as me, and I am not sure what I did to deserve him. Thanks for all you do babe! I love you mucho grande!

Isn't she lovely?

2009-11-01T19:27:00.003-07:00

Can you believe that this lady is turning the big 5-0 tomorrow?

...I can't either! I don't think that she looks a day over 25! :) I just wanted to give a shout out to my fabulous mom and tell her how much I love her and that I hope she has an awesome birthday! My dad threw her a birthday party tonight and can you believe that it was the first birthday party that she has ever had in her adult life? Trav and I wished so much that we could have been there with them to celebrate (but since we are flying back for Christmas this year there was just no way we could afford it) She also got the very first BIG surprise of her life for this momentous occasion. My dad planned a Vegas getaway for the 2 of them! With temporary loans from my brother and I (in order to keep the purchases from appearing on his bank statements and such) he was able to keep this a secret from my mom. He arranged her time off from work and everything! My parents have never been to Vegas and they are SO excited! I am so lucky to have such great parents! Have a great trip you guys! I can't wait to hear all about it!!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T19:00:00.003-07:00

We had our traditional Atwood Halloween party last weekend, and as usual we all got decked out in costumes! We had a delicious dinner of soup, bread sticks, pasta salad, homemade root beer, and pistachio pudding with oreos on top for dessert. After dinner we carved pumpkins and played cards. As always it was a great time had by all!

Trav and I as pirates..ARRGH!

Bryan and Shallon as Shrek and Fiona (Bryan was relieved that the green paint washed off!)

Heidi, Keith, and Derek as Jasmine, Aladdin, and Abu (Heidi MADE the costumes=Impressive!)

Ben, Heidi, and Kyla as the Three Blind Mice...too cute!

Parker as a Mad Scientist...CREEPY!

Kyla and Derek with their favorite auntie :)

Hard at work carving pumpkins

Travis' final product...LOVE the teeth and hair!

Sarah's final product. Scraping the pumpkin thin enough to make sure the candle would glow through ACTUALLY gave me a small bruise on my wrist!

Halloween morning Travis and I made and frosted 4.5 dozen sugar cookies! We took some plates of cookies to a few neighbors, ate some ourselves, and intended on taking the rest to a Halloween party later that night. We ended up deciding not to go to the Halloween party since it was clear in Salt Lake and didn't feel like driving. Instead we decided to stay home to hand out candy to trick or treaters....that NEVER SHOWED UP! That's right, we didn't have one person ring our doorbell! Which meant we had lots of candy and lots of sugar cookies left over! It's a good thing that a girl I worked with brought her kids by later on. We loaded them up with over half the candy that we bought and sent them home with 2 plates of cookies!

Thanks to Melissa for the yummy sugar cookie/frosting recipes that she posted on her blog last week! They turned out great!

One Down, Two to Go!

2009-10-20T20:06:00.007-06:00

My doctor tells me that only 25% of women have NO morning sickness during their first trimester...well folks, I have somehow managed to be part of the slim statistic! That's right, I officially am into my 2nd trimester! I can't believe how fast time is already going. At this rate April 21st is going to be here before we know it! Here's a picture of me at 14 weeks...my belly may still look small to some, but to me there is QUITE a difference from the flat stomach that I have always been used to:

Some highlights from the first trimester...cravings for food that I haven't wanted in YEARS (i.e. cheeseburgers), feeling hungry all the time, eating more than Travis some of the time (he will tell you MORE than some of the time!), random crying for no particular reason, laughing hysterically at Travis' jokes for minutes at a time, hearing our baby's heartbeat and seeing the first ultrasound, having to pee constantly, bed time being my favorite time of day, and feeling so lucky that I had enough energy to continue with my workouts 3-4 times per week.

So far this pregnancy stuff hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. The toughest part for me has been the weight gain/figure changing aspect of it all. Trust me, I KNOW it's for all the right reasons and I have even come to terms with despite my healthy eating and exercising I WILL gain weight gradually. I guess since I haven't had to worry about sickness I have just had time to worry about that instead.

Today we had my 14 week appointment. Doctor says that everything sounds great. We heard our baby's heartbeat for a second time and I recorded it on my cell phone so that I could listen to it over and over again. It's simply incredible! If you want to hear for yourself click HERE (Hint: The page may take a little time to load and you may need to have Quick Time installed on your computer for it to play for you)

Another GREAT weekend!

2009-10-20T19:45:00.003-06:00

This past weekend was Travis' fall break from school. Originally, we were supposed to take a trip with John and Angela either south toMoab, UT or north to Jackson Hole, WY. Unfortunately, neither direction worked out for us, so we decided rather than cancel our highly anticipated vacation that we would have a trip right here in Logan.

John and Angela got here Friday night. We went to dinner then came home and played a couple of rounds of Seinfeld Scene It...the Atwood's kicked butt!

Saturday we slept in, ate a yummy breakfast of whole wheat blueberry pancakes, took the dogs (all 4 of them) for a nice long walk, watched the USC play Notre Dame, then had delicious Mexican food for dinner. After dinner we went to a corn maze that took us nearly 45 minutes to find our way through! It wasn't haunted, but I thought it was creepy enough just as it was!

John and Angela left for home Sunday morning. Since we moved to Logan we don't get to see the Barlow's as much as any of us would like. It was SUCH a great weekend with our friends and even though we didn't go anywhere out of the ordinary we all just had a good time hanging out again!

Best Grandpa and Grandma EVER!

2009-10-18T20:42:00.008-06:00

Last weekend we were so excited to have Grandpa and Grandma Haskin here with us as house guests. We have been trying to get them out to see us for some time now and we LOVED having them here. It was so nice to have so much quality time to spend with them.

After they arrived on Friday night we took them to dinner (or rather they took us to dinner) at a local family style diner. After dinner we came back to the house, visited for a while, and then Grandpa and Grandma went to bed early since they had been up early and on the road all day.

Saturday morning I got up early and made everyone blueberry waffles, bacon, and sausage for breakfast. I also got some yummy chicken noodle soup going in the crock pot so that lunch would be ready when we returned from our adventure. We decided that we were going to take them for a ride up Blacksmith Fork Canyon to Hardware Ranch.

In the winter time herds of elk migrate to Hardware Ranch where they are fed throughout the winter months. They come back each winter due to limited vegetation for them to feed on naturally at the higher elevations. Although the elk weren't at the ranch yet, we still had a wonderful time looking at the beautiful fall colors in the canyon and visiting with a real life mountain man at the festival that was going on up at the ranch.

Next we went to the Raspberry farm not far from our house in hopes that we weren't too late for some fresh raspberries. Unfortunately, the only raspberries we found were in the decomp pile. Good thing we had much better luck at the pumpkin patch! Grandpa and Grandma helped Travis and I pick out the perfect pumpkins and we also got some fresh apple cider that had been made only a few hours earlier that morning.

We got home later than we planned and had a late lunch. So by dinner time we weren't that hungry. Grandma and I decided that we would make her famous homemade chocolate pudding for dinner with some bread and butter. It was delicious and I am thrilled to know how to make this childhood favorite of mine! Saturday night we stayed up late (until 11:30) watching CSI repeats. Who knew that Grandma loved that show so much?!

Sunday the weather was dreary. We had hoped to take Grandpa and Grandma up another canyon, but seeing as it was SNOWING in the mountains that wasn't going to work. We took it easy most of the day. Grandpa enjoyed watching Animal Planet and Discovery Channel and Grandma helped me with my massive amount of laundry. For lunch we made homemade pizza...YUM!

It cleared off just enough in the afternoon for us to take the dogs across the street to run out some of their energy. Grandpa and Grandma both got a kick out of watching them run after the tennis ball time and time again. They even took some turns throwing the ball with our Chuck-it toy

Grandma and Roxy

Grandpa and Noobie (funny how the ball is on the ground

Funniest quote of the weekend came on the way back from the school. Roxy was visibly exhausted and stopped to take a poo. Grandma says "Well look at that, you ran the crap right out of her!" We all cracked up! :)

Dinner Sunday night was grilled hamburgers, chips, and snickers salad...Grandpa's favorite!

"I might as well polish off the rest of that salad"

After dinner, Travis and Grandma continued the CSI marathon while Grandpa helped me hang some decor in our bathroom. I was QUITE impressed with the agility of this naerly 78-year old!

It was such a GREAT weekend and the only part that I didn't enjoy was telling them good-bye on Monday morning. My grandparents have always been so special to me and I cherish every minute I get to spend with them and every conversation that we have. I have made it part of my weekly routine to call and chat with them to keep up on the latest happenings in all of our lives. I look forward to each time we chat and now I look forward to the next visit!

Our "practice children"

2009-10-07T12:34:00.005-06:00

I just don't understand how people can NOT like dogs. We love ours. They are our source of entertainment a lot of the time. I love watching them run and play at the park or going on walks/runs with them. They are just great companions and I am glad that I have them, especially when I am home alone. I am not as good at disciplining our dogs as Travis is. In fact, sometimes he gets upset with me because I laugh when he is trying to discipline them. He tells me that I have to learn not to do that or else our child is going to manipulate us someday! Both of our dogs we rescued from the shelter and we had such great experiences with the two we have that we will DEFINITELY save another dog from the shelter someday.

Roxy REFUSES to look at the camera!

How can you not smile at that face?

They are trying to look sweet and innocent...

Travis and I are hoping that since we had dogs first that our transition into parenthood will be an easy one! :)

Yes...we are SERIOUS!

2009-09-30T21:15:00.006-06:00

So IT all started the day we got back from our wonderful vacation to Antigua. We were sure that IT had to have something to do with the stress from the last month...living away from Travis, moving into a new house, starting a new job...so to put our minds "at ease" I decided to take a test to determine that IT couldn't be happening....

...and according to test #1 IT definately was happening! So...I took a couple more tests (of a different brand because somehow I thought that it would make a difference in the outcome)....

...and IT still was happening...I AM PREGNANT!!! I am 11 weeks along and feeling great! This was QUITE the shock to us AND everyone else...in fact EVERYONE that we have told so far has said (without fail) "Are you serious??" Yes, we are serious. This is REALLY happening people! :) The shock is wearing off now and the excitement is moving in. I have felt great all along. No morning sickness...just feeling tired and having cravings for things that I haven't had cravings for in years (cheeseburgers, tator tot casserole, goolash, etc) In fact, it all has been like a dream that I should wake up from at any time. It hadn't really hit me until last Thursday that there really was something going on inside of me. We had our first appointment with the doctor and she did an ultrasound and we got to hear the heartbeat! What an AMAZING sound! It was so fast, so perfect, and so REAL! It all hit home when this came up on the screen...

...isn't IT just the cutest little peanut you have ever seen?? I for one think so! I have heard so many others before me say that you don't realize how the love for your own child is so much different than any other kind of love out there...and that you have to experience it before you can fully understand what it's like...I am beginning to understand. I can't believe how much love I have already for this little peanut, and how happy it made me to see it wiggle during that ultrasound! This is really happening.

Since this new venture was completely unplanned we have had to step back and rethink what our plan will be. And believe me, it is definately still in the planning stages. Good thing that babies take awhile to get here. There is so much to think about and so much to do with a baby on the way. Sometimes so much to think about and do that I just don't think about it at all because I get overwhelmed. (which will totally solve everything right?) Those of you that know me well, know that I like to have a plan...or rather I NEED to have a plan.

Although this is a different path than what we were thinking we would be on at this point, we feel very blessed and we know that it will work out...because it always does. The day we found out Travis was so great. I was a mess. He was calm and collected like he always is in stressful situations and all I could do is cry and say "it wasn't supposed to happen like this, it wasn't supposed to be a surprsie!" Since then I have come full circle. I am excited for all there is to look forward to. I can't wait to find out what we are having, to get all the baby gear, and see what he or she is going to look like. HOLY COW! We are going to be parents! :)

I never thought I would be so excited about GRASS!

2009-09-20T16:39:00.004-06:00

So who would have thought that the day would come that we would be SO excited about getting grass around our house? Has our life really gotten that uneventful or are we just getting old? Either way, it is SO nice to finally have our grass and landscaping in and to have more to look at then the stupid dirt. Here are some pictures...

Side of house from the back

Side of house from the front

A playground that they built instead of the pavilion that was supposed to be here according to the developer's renderings...not sure what happened there...

View of our front patio...we are still waiting for our pillars to be painted...hopefully tomorrow!

View of the front lawn from the mailboxes

View of the front lawn from our house

Blog Drought

2009-09-18T13:21:00.001-06:00

I have been lazy these last couple weeks and haven't put up a new post! Shame on me...I will try to put up one worth reading this weekend. Not a ton of exciting happeneings going on in our world...except that we got grass finally and they are finishing painting our patio posts as we speak. Travis is busy with school and work, and I am busy with work and... who knows what else takes up my time?! I always find something to do and before I know it it's bedtime. Anyway, I will take some pictures this weekend and hopefully post them before another 2 weeks has gone by! :)

Sandals Grande Antigua 2009

2009-08-30T12:22:00.004-06:00

I am so sorry that it took so long to post pictures of our AMAZING vacation. I wanted to wait for our pictures from the underwater camera to come back so that I could include those as well. We had such a great time on our tropical getaway and can't wait to take our next trip. I won't bore everyone with a narrative of what we did each day since I know what everyone REALLY cares about are the pictures :)

Basically each day started with breakfast, ended with dinner, and between we were either relaxing on the beach, relaxing at the pool, playing games around the resort, kayaking in the ocean, snorkeling, scuba diving, sailing the Hobie Cats, eating at one of the 9 restaurants on the resort, laying out in the sun, or sleeping. We had a fantastic time and are SO glad that our friends John and Angela invited us to join them on this dream vacation. We are happy to report that we are STILL friends after spending a week straight with them and would even do it again sometime!

You may have noticed that their were no underwater photos of Travis and John scuba diving :( That is because we got separated due to some technical difficulties that Angela and I had with our gear at the start of the dive. Travis and John ended up going with the main group and Angela and I had our own personal guide for just the two of us. He was extremely patient and attentive to us both.

I would HIGHLY recommend a Sandals vacation to anyone interested in visiting paradise! All-inclusive is definitely the way to go and we were treated like gold the ENTIRE time we were there. The hardest thing now is deciding WHICH island to go to next!

Break Time...

2009-08-07T22:22:00.002-06:00

4 cans of continuous spray sunscreen $26.00
2 new swimming suits for each of us $70.00
1 tube of 45 SPF lip balm $4.00
A vacation to the beautiful island of ANTIGUA...PRICELESS!!

Sandals Grande Antigua Resort (aka our HOME for the next week)

Honestly...can anyone think of a better way to unwind and relax? After everything that we have done in the last couple of months, I TRULY feel like we have earned this trip! Who knows, maybe we will decide not to come back?! :)

As Promised, our Home Sweet Home!

2009-08-05T19:59:00.007-06:00

I know it took a LONG time to get these up, so now here are LOTS of pictures of our new place! Keep in mind it is TOTALLY a WORK IN PROGRESS...we have all sorts of ideas of what we want it to look like eventually...we just haven't been able to find a money tree to make it happen all at once! I think we have a good start anyway...it's just funny that we go into our guest bedroom the LEAST and it has the MOST hanging on the walls! We are really enjoying our new place and each day we are here it feels more and more like HOME. Last night we gained a whole new appreciation for our garage/driveway when we were able to wash and vacuum our cars without having to find a car wash nearby!

Office...set up just enough for Trav to work from home

Master bedroom...nothing special yet

Master Bathroom..here's a little color

Master Bathroom again...

...and again

Main level from dining room angle...still a lot of clutter and nothing on the walls

Living room...our blinds match PERFECTLY and we were happy to get them after a week without anything on the windows!

Living room from above

Laundry room...it is SO nice to have a place to hang wet clothes!

Kitchen...we LOVE our bar stools...we eat every meal there!

Half Bath...look close at my cute hand towel!

Half bath again..this picture doesn't do the rugs justice..they are this cool brownish grayish color

Guest bedroom...thanks to Julie for helping us come up with the picture arrangement and to Travis and my Dad for having the patience to hang it up! Our guest bedroom, like everything else, is a work in progress. It is going to be a "Vintage Paris" theme

Guest bedroom again

Guest Bathroom. These rugs are SUPER soft on your bare feet. No guest of ours is going to have to stand on a cold, hard floor to wash their hands! :)

The COOLEST garage in the community. Travis (and I) are quite proud of our first garage. This thing is 100% finished. When my parents were here, Travis and my Dad would open the garage first thing in the morning just so all the workers (and anyone else that happened to walk by) would see how COOL it was! :)

Patience is a Virtue

2009-08-02T21:25:00.004-06:00

I just wanted to take a moment to apologize to our far off friends and family that have been patiently waiting for me to post some pictures of our new place. I WILL POST PICTURES THIS WEEK...I just have to take some first :) As you can imagine we have had a crazy week since we moved in. We had the BEST moving crew on Friday and TRULY appreciate all of our friends and family that spent some of their holiday moving us up north. Things went quickly and we were only left with a couple minor dents and scratches in the walls...nothing a little touch up spackle and paint won't fix. :) My parents were here until last Wednesday to help us get more settled and to break in the guest bedroom. They were a tremendous help to us and I KNOW we wouldn't be as far along as we are in the settling process without all of their help. Unfortunately they only got to relax for about a day and a half of their 5 day vacation! I think that we officially have the COOLEST garage in the neighborhood thanks to a 12 hour day my dad and Travis spent on it last Saturday (my mom and I helped paint, but they did the rest) BOTTOM LINE: Rest assured that pictures WILL be posted before we leave for our week in paradise on Saturday :)

it's here!

2009-07-19T16:12:00.003-06:00

sorry this is going to be pretty short and sweet. travis and i have been busy packing boxes all weekend because we FINALLY got the go ahead...we will be moving into our new home this friday! i can't think of a more perfect way to be spending a scorching 24th of july! :) we basically have everything packed up into boxes that are beginning to take over the living room. we will close on our mortgage some time between now and thursday and i will pick up our keys thursday over my lunch break! we are VERY excited to see this day finally come and i am especially excited that my parents will be here to help with the whole process (although i do feel bad that i am putting them to work when it is supposed to be a vacation for them!) wish us luck that all goes as planned and i PROMISE to take lots of pictures and post them later on!

So Close!

2009-07-11T08:27:00.008-06:00

It's official. We are guaranteed to be moving in before the end of the month! We got our letter yesterday in the mail so we have it in writing. The only problem is that the letter says our guaranteed date is July 30 BUT verbally they say that "we will probably be in before that"...so really we have no clue of the exact date that we are moving! (Sorry everyone that is planning on helping us move...we will let you all know AS SOON as we find anything out for sure) All we know is that things are getting SO CLOSE! We were so surprised to see counter tops in the kitchen and appliances in place when we went to the house on Wednesday night. Notice I said we? That's right...Travis came to Logan to spend the night Wednesday so it worked out so well that there had been so much done earlier that day! (Disclaimer...LOTS of photos to below!)

Master bathtub

Sinks and Counter tops finished in all the bathrooms

Living Room Baseboards completed

Mirrors are up :)

Granite counter tops and appliances installed (done a WEEK before we were expecting them!)

Closer look at the granite...the bronze faucet really picks up the bronze flecks in the counter top

Another angle of the kitchen

Best part about that refrigerator is that it's already paid for! :)

Insulated garage door installed

I surprised Travis with a picnic! It was our FIRST meal in our new place!

Exterior siding is FINALLY done...backside view

Traditional street view of the finished exterior

Even though I know that no one that reads this blog works for IMMACULATE HOMES, our builder, I just wanted to give a shout out to them and thank them for all their hard work. We really feel like they have gone out of their way to make this long process go as quickly as possible for us. They have done a beautiful job and we can't wait to finally be settled in our new home within the next couple of weeks!

The Obelisk

2009-07-05T11:01:00.010-06:00

I was lucky to have this Friday off work to celebrate the 4th of July so I decided to go bag another peak. The forecast called for some afternoon thunderstorms so we needed to make it a shorter trip to avoid being caught in some bad weather. The Obelisk has been on my list for a while and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to climb it. The Obelisk (10,516 ft.) sits right in the middle of the Wasatch Mountains and has some spectacular views of the surrounding peaks from its summit. Here are a few photos from the trip.

The Pfeifferhorn as seen from the Maybird drainage.

Standing up in the clouds on the top of the Obelisk.

John enjoying the views from atop the Obelisk. White Baldy can be seen directly behind him.

Brian standing on top of the Obelisk.

Looking west from the summit towards the Lightning Ridge.

John and I traversing a snow slope on the way back down.

A nice little glissade sure beats walking.

I see light at the end of the Tunnel!

2009-06-30T20:49:00.013-06:00

I apologize if you all are getting tired of all the pictures of our house...BUT I am just so excited about it and so I must share with all of you :) There has been A LOT done since I posted last Saturday...

Vinyl Flooring found in the bathrooms, laundry room, and storage area under the stairs

Guest Bathroom (I was so excited that the fan was working in here that I had to have Travis listen to it over the phone!)

Master bathroom (the cabinets are the same color in the other 2 bathrooms)

View of the Living Room from the top of the stairs

View of the Kitchen from the Living Room

View of the kitchen from the Dining area

Recessed lighting in the kitchen/dining areas

It is really starting to feel like we are nearing the end of this whole process. As fun as it has been, I think we both will be relieved once they hand over the keys to our new place! :)