12/30 Typical Day

12/30- Describe a typical day in your current life

I know you all have been looking forward to this one!! (jokes)

7:30-8 Wake up to O talking in his crib. Grab him and "snuggle" on the couch. By "snuggle" I mean, me with a blanket.. While Owen is running around destroying the room. (I just read this other mommy blogger's post  and she described her little boy as a terrorist.. that's the word I have searching for. Not a human tornado, that's doesn't quite cover it. But a terrorist, now that's honest.)

Morning ritual: Eat breakfast while starting a blog post. 

Change a diaper.

Go back downstairs, get O in the tub; his favorite part of the day.

Get Owen dressed, get myself ready (if I have some where to go, otherwise, it's a yoga pant day for me!) 

Turn the tunes on and have a dance party. 

Change a diaper.

11-12:00 On sunny days we go outside and garden, run, ride bikes, roll in the grass, run, slip n slide or go on an adventure with Susan. (She is a nanny of two kids) So we do the Zoo, parks, aquarium, Thanksgiving Point, etc. 

We run errands with my mom, lots of grocery shopping. 

On crappy days we read books, do a little more dancing, color, play dodge ball, dance a little more.  

2:00 Now he's ready for a nap. Sometimes it's a 3 hour nap, sometimes it's 30 min. 

Change a diaper.

We like music and dancing around here.. so a little more of that. 

5:30-6ish Help get dinner started.  Pray that the men get home soon.. Maybe this is all kids, but Owen does especially well when there are men around. Whether that's my dad, Jeff or Chris. By this time, Jeff and Bec are home to help wrangle him. (SO grateful for help) 

Then from 7 to 10:00 he is wide awake and happy. Another tub, yes he needs one. Little boys get so dirty.

Just a few examples..  

That would be brownie and paper..

Around 9:30-10 Put him down.

* I know you're thinking this is WAY too late for him to being going to bed. Just let me clarify. Before he hit 10 months, he wouldn't sleep until the clock struck midnight. And then he'd be up 3 hours later-EVERY night until he was about 10 months old and that's with a couple 15 min naps a day. Then all of the sudden he started started to get tired around 11pm, a few months later 10ish and that's where we're at. This kid doesn't need to much sleep to function; like his momma. 

I put Owen to bed and about an hour later (around 10:30-11pm) Chris gets home from Fire Academy. 

11:30ish We go to bed. 

3:00 am Owen is up with night terrors again, which means I'm up. Back to sleep until 6am.. crying for some reason. (This is most nights, not all.. depends on how much Benadryl we give him) JK

He sleeps til 7:30- 8ish and we start all over again. 

LONGEST DAYS OF MY LIFE!!! 

And you ask me why I'm not ready for another one? Basically because I'm selfish.

Halloween 2013

This Halloween was a lot more fun than I thought it'd be. I wasn't sure how well O would do..He loved it. He got the hang of the whole trick or treating thing after a couple houses. He then would knock and walk right in when they opened the door. We had a great time.

Carving pumpkins

Chris- Batman O-Lion

It's my goal to match next year..

11/30- Pet Peeves

11/30- Describe 10 of your pet peeves 

1- Empty toilet paper

Come on. Is it really that hard to change it?

2-  Spitting 

Old men, baseball players, tough guys.. so gross. 

3-  Outwardly comparing

Go ahead, do it in your head. But as soon as you start talking about our kids, 

our hair, our weight.. let's just stop. 

4- Other people singing to music in my car

This is so annoying to me for some stupid reason. Only I'm allowed okay?!

5-Utah drivers 

Everyone says "there's bad drivers everywhere". No. No, there isn't. Just Utah. So entitled and they think they OWN the street. Just be considerate and move outta my way. ha (see it's rubbing off on me)

6- Solicitors
Leave me alone dang-it!!

7- Cyber Bullying
It's just plain embarrassing and annoying. You really think you're that tough?! It seriously ticks me off. I want to jump in and say something but then I find that that might make me a hypocrite. Just be kind to one another!!

8- Lady Gaga
Her dumb songs are so catchy.

9- Chewing gum open mouthed
Gotta shut it.

10- Owen trying to pick at my moles
 Let's just say I have one less today than I did yesterday. (Yes, it is possible)

Finished product!

 Remember these beauties? The chairs I found on the side of the road?  Hey at least I'm dumpster diving..

Well, I took them apart, stained them, cut new wood for the seat and got new fabric.

I asked "What sound does a lion make?"

 And the finished product-

10/30 Embarassing

10/30- Describe your most embarrassing moment

I think I am just naturally clumsy/silly/embarrassing. There are so many embarrassing moments that I don't think I could narrow it down to one. So I will list my top three.

1- My Freshman year of high school (I think I could just stop here).. I tried out for the softball team. We were doing running/sliding drills. I started at home and sprinted to first.. I started WAY too late into the slide and hit the base with my head, my feet caught up to me and went over my head. Everyone was laughing to hard. All I could do was laugh to not look like a complete fool. I think I even said "I meant to do that". Oh man, what great times.

It may or may not have looked something like this.. in front of both the JV and varsity teams.. and the baseball team. 

2- I think most of my embarrassing moments come from high school (who's don't?) I was a Junior driving in the parking lot by the baseball field where all of the "hot" senior baseball boys were talking. I think I was trying to impress someone or show off and hit the gas. As I sped off I hit the curb so hard it popped the tire.  In the rear view, they were all laughing and pointing at me. Humiliating. My life (as I knew it) was over.  My poor little Ford Escort barely made it up the hill out of the parking lot. I pulled over and laughed (because I was trying not to cry). One of them came up and helped me. He laughed and told me that I should be embarrassed but he helped me fix the tire. (There will always be a special place in my heart you friend.)

3- Chris and I were walking around BYU- checking out the Erying Science Center. I went upstairs to look at something and on my way down.. let's just say I came down a lot faster than I planned. My boot caught on the iron stair rail and I flew- Like down six or seven granite steps. Everyone there just stared.. none asked if I needed help or if I was okay. Owen started screaming as if he just fell down the hard staircase. Chris picked me up and tried not to laugh. I picked Owen up and we all laughed. Then I limped out of there as fast as I could..


Stay tuned for the next post 11/30- Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

9/30 Influence

9/30 List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how. 

(In no specific order)

1. My husband- Chris has been my rock. He is always supportive and loving but that's not what has influenced me the most (although they are great things). He is calm. He is patient; I am not. He can take a step back and look at the big picture, no matter the circumstance. I don't. I am in the fight to win it, I get so caught up in the moment. I am getting better but he has a huge affect on me. He is silently teaching me to be still. To listen-to be calm. I love that about him.

2. Natalie- Although I cannot say we are close friends she has made me stop and think about life and motherhood in a way I didn't know existed. I met her out in Hawaii through mutual friends. Since then I have listened to her words and they have made a huge impact in my life. She is truly inspiring. She speaks truth and she isn't afraid to be honest. To me, that is huge. She has no fear of it. I think the majority of people are afraid to be honest because of the response they may get. Natalie doesn't. She is always trying to live life to the fullest.  Her baby boy went to Heaven early and she chose to be happy and spread love. She has shown me that you can graciously endure trials. She makes me want to be better and not look at trials like the end but more like a mountain to climb. I also believe that she is not perfect, just because I probably made it sound like she is. :) Check out her blog here.

3. Amanda-  My little sister and I are close-not just in age. It definitely hasn't always been this way, in fact, we used to fight ALL of the time. Mom used to tie our wrists together when we did so our fighting soon ended. But then we grew up and realized that we liked each other. Amanda has never cared a whole lot what other people think of her or what she's doing. Wow, I admire that. I have always loved that about her. She has had an impact on me in that way. A lot of my self esteem comes from what other's think of me. Stupid I know. I'm working on it and Susan is helping.

4. Jill- My mother in law. Now, let's be honest having another family join yours isn't always easy. But Chris' family welcomed me with open arms. I am not saying they are perfect, but they are very loving and sincere. Since I met Jill, I've noticed a very strong testimony in her. It shows through her actions and her words. She always thinks to say a prayer first, I just curse. She thinks to give the temple a name, I just cry. I have never met a woman with more faith.

5. Owen- My one year old has opened my eyes to see the world in a way I never thought possible. He see's the kindness, the honesty, the trust and the love in others. He makes me want to be better, to be great, to be fantastic. He is not always my favorite and sometimes my my absolute favorite. He gives me a whole lot of strength. Even though he is so little, I feel this inspiration from him. I feel like I could conquer the world because he believes in me. Just the way he looks at me and runs to me. I am beyond blessed to have this crazy, sweet boy in my life.

6. Stephen Waite- Growing up I hated to read; like.. cry when I had to for homework. It wasn't because I wasn't good. I just thought there was so much more I could be doing than staring at a dumb book. Every test I took based off of a book was only passed thanks to SparkNotes. I swear to you I did not read a book until my Junior year of high school. That's where Mr. Waite comes in.. He was my English Lit. teacher and a great one at that. He helped me think about reading in a whole new light. I truly am grateful for his influence in my life. I can't say I love to read, but I like to.

7. Chris Garner-  my Seminary teacher. I had Bro Garner all four years of high school and this man helped me strengthen my testimony. (I don't think he know's this). He knew his stuff. He was fun. He made learning the gospel an action, not just a lecture you would normally get in Sunday School. I remember thinking that he made me want to know more about the gospel and share it with others. (I think just that sentence is pretty outstanding for a teenager). ha I always thought being a missionary would be so boring.. remember I'm just being honest.? :) I did. Who would want to talk about baptism and fasting all the time? Yuck. Bro Garner made it so much more than that. He helped me change my perspective. It was more than just talking about fasting and baptism. Missionary work and this gospel is a life changing experience. It can quite literally turn someone's life around in the right direction. That is where my testimony begins. And he sparked it.

8. My ancestors- I don't have one particular person in mind but I know of their stories. My grandma has worked her whole life to figure out who these people were. Every time we go to her house, we are told of the great things my ancestors have accomplished. At first I was so bored and could care less. But growing up helps you realize you actually aren't the smartest person in the room. Since then I have asked for stories and names. And I've got to admit, I've got some pretty BA people in my family. :) Some of them crossed the United States during winter without their husbands, some sailed from India while their children died, one was Abraham Lincoln's brother. (That's pretty BA right?) This is where I came from. I came from strong, brave and righteous men and women. Just knowing where I came from influences me. I somehow feel like I can't let them down. I need to be just as strong and righteous, if not more.

9. My parents- I finally am beginning to understand what they have been talking about the last ten years of my life. The "you'll understand someday" and "just wait til you have a kid". I honestly have so much respect for them now. (I can't believe they didn't try to sell me) They have influenced my every move; doesn't always mean I've made the best ones. They taught me right from wrong, common sense principals and all about the gospel. I think this could turn into a whole other blog post.. so I will just say they have influenced me more in my life than anyone else.

10.This may sound funny, but Ellen. Not because she's gay or because she is wealthy. But because she can make people laugh. She is constantly giving money, laughter and love. Of course I don't know her personally but I do watch her show and every time, without a doubt, she makes someone laugh. During postpartum I would always try to catch her show just because she made me laugh. It sincerely made my day. This simple and silly influence reminds me that life is short. There are people that need uplifting and  love. "Be kind to one another".