The McEwen's

2010-06-07T18:39:00.005-06:00

Readers Digest Recap of the Past 6 Months...

December: We went to California for Christmas. It was kind of crazy having everyone at home, but we all survived and had a really nice Christmas. We took some family photos, here's a cute one of my favorite boy and my mom!

January...Nothing to report about January!

February: My sister had her little girl! So we now have 2 grandkids on my side of the family. She's already so big, and now that she's moving to California I won't get to see her only a couple of times a year :( I turned 29--one more year--nothing much else about it. This is seriously my least favorite month of the year here in Utah. I am just so sick of the cold, wet, and snow by this point. It's all I can do to make it through the month and hope for a couple of nicer days in March to tease me into thinking it's going to be spring.

March: Decided that yes we were going to go to Hawaii for my brother's graduation!! My mom came to visit at the end of the month which was fun for the baby cakes. He loves "Mamaw" so much! Thankfully there were a couple of nice days mixed in with the ugly to help me get by until Hawaii.

April: Hawaii! I spent the month, or two, before we left worrying about how it would be going to Hawaii with the baby. How would he do on the plane? How would he adjust to the time change? What would he be like at the beach/parks? The plane ride there was more difficult that we would have liked--Creighton was more surprised at how hard he was, but since he's never flown with him before he had no idea what to expect. The ride home however was great because there were some extra seats and we could put his car seat on the plane--oh what a life saver!! And I don't know how he did it, but he adjusted to the time change really well and loved the beach and sand more than anything. He is always so happy when he is outside, playing, and running around :)

So I looked through the pictures we have loaded on the computer (which I think is all of them) and only found about 3 days where we took pictures of something else besides the scenery. Which is fine and all, but when you are there for 14 days, it would be nice to have something to prove it with. Plus one of the days is some pictures of us out moped riding, and unfortunately for me, I look awful! Nothing like a picture to tell me that the 6 days a week I put into the gym just isn't making much difference!!! Anyway, we had a nice time and got to see a lot while we were there. Of course, it went by too quickly, but it was so beautiful, and the perfect time to get away from the awful weather in Utah. I've decided that if I could afford it, I would take a nice, warm vacation every winter.

May: We planted a garden this year. I hope I don't kill everything after all of the money we put into it starting it up. It will be worth it for sure, if things grow!! I also made a valance for the little guy's room and some pillows for him (with the cute fabric I got from Hawaii). I also took an extra entertainment center that we had and painted it a fun bright color to use as a storage shelf for books and baskets of toys. We moved furniture around so we are now using the extra bedroom as a little playroom for cutie pie. When the pictures are all off of the memory card I will take some pictures of some of our projects and post them up. It seems like there are always a million things for me to do, and slowly I am getting things done.

Also during May our little guy started climbing out of his crib everytime we tried putting him to bed, so we changed his bed to a toddler bed, and after about a week he was doing pretty good, and after two weeks he was back to normal. It was much earlier than I wanted--I had been hoping to keep him in his crib, until we needed the bed--which isn't for at least a year--so I was bummed when we were forced to change his bed (or worry about him hurting himself everytime). But we survived that transition, of course, and are (not) looking forward to the next one--potty training! AHH!!

2010-06-03T12:13:00.002-06:00

I am honestly amazed...

That people still checked my blog. Thank you. Here's a sneak peek at an up and coming post--hopefully by Sunday. Guess where we went this April for my brother's graduation??? Yes, ok, one fun thing has happened in the last little while.

2010-05-30T21:14:00.002-06:00

T0 post or not to post...that really is the question...I still check people's blogs, but no one checks mine (I know, because I NEVER post)...life is boring, so there's no real point...people who want to know what's going on with us find out what's going on one way or another...it's just one more thing for me to put on my list to do, and then not do it and hate that I don't get it done...so is it worth it???I don't know...

2009-11-01T18:55:00.004-07:00

Here are some new things my 14 month old can do...

Now that my little "baby cakes" is really no longer a baby I should add some of the new things that he can do.

-He started walking at about 13 months, and now alternates between that and running.
-He can crawl backwards down the stairs.
-He can take off his own pants (only sweatpants or others that are loose like that).
-He can take lids off of containers and put them back on.
-He knows what the mouse is for the computer and will put an old one that we store in a cupboard up by the good one whenever he finds it.
-He loves to rearrange my kitchen drawers. I often find the tv remotes and toys in there, while my Tupperware and utensils are constantly being found in his toy basket.
-He is finally starting to cuddle more.
-Still loves all people and isn't afraid of anyone.
-He loves to play outside with the kids.
-Goes down the slide--his favorite is to go down backwards.
-He closes his eyes tight when you tell him to close them.
-He gets to ride in his big boy car seat and will fake cough to get attention, and then the minute we turn back around he coughs again!!
-He can reach anything on the table or counter that isn't at least 6 inches in, and has therefore broken a plate already :)
-He loves to talk on the phone and will turn ours on and off a thousand times a day pretending to talk to people.
-He babbles constantly, but unfortunately is not the best talker. At least we can understand him with the signs that he knows.

Signs he knows (I'm numbering them because I want to know how many he knows, and it's just easier for me this way):
1. food
2. more
3. milk
4. please
5. all done
6. banana
7. apple
8. bye-bye
9. blows kisses (this one took forever for him to get down)
10. claps for yeah
11. water
12. bath
13. love you
14. frog
15. monkey
16. phone
17. fish
18. yes
19. no--shakes head
20. book
21. wash hands
22. song
23. prayer
24. all gone
25. brush teeth
Words he knows (most of these are just sounds that he makes to refer to the word):
1. "de"--dog
2. "kiee"--kitty
3. "chee"--cheese
4. "hee"--horse, what it says
5. "jes"--Jesus
6. "sh"--shoe
7. "s"--sock

Hopefully he'll get some real words in there soon--most importantly MOM!! :)

2009-10-12T22:00:00.002-06:00

So I've been trying to post some family pictures that we had taken a month or so ago, but I can't get my internet to upload any of my pictures. I tried twice yesterday and twice today, but nothing is working. So, I'm not going to post any pictures for the time being--this is why I never post, because I can never get it to work and something that should take 20 min. or so, ends up taking over an hour. Do you seriously think I have an hour of free time with my wild little monkey??? NO!
I am going to make this quick and catch you up on what's been going on (until I can get pictures and show you).
My little boy turned one, and is now such a big boy!!
He started walking here and there around then, but just recently has really taken off.
With a little bit of work, he is finally drinking milk better, and by 13 months, I was finally done nursing him. I miss so many parts of it, but am grateful for the freedom in so many other ways. I just feel lucky that he did so well breastfeeding for as long as he did, and that I got the opportunity to do so.
I get to work for the District Office a couple hours a week. So between the baby, tutoring, and that I am keeping pretty busy.
My tile still has not been cleaned (I sweep it regularly, but don't hand wash it regularly enough)--I won't tell you how long it's been.
I canned peaches, apricots, peach and apricot jam, salsa, and tomatoes...which is part of the reason that I never mopped my floor--it just kept on getting dirty :)
I am going to be an aunt (on my own side of the family). My sister is having a little girl in Feb.!!! Now I get to be the one that keeps her baby from taking her naps on time so I can spend time with her--just you wait Hayley!
We went to Texas and visited Creighton's brother and my dear, dear friend Megan and her family!!

That's about all of the major stuff. Hopefully I will get this dumb picture problem figured out and I will post some family pix and some pix of the baby's b-day.

2009-08-30T20:30:00.002-06:00

Quick question...

How do you/did you wean your baby? Any suggestions or pointers? He doesn't take a bottle, but does drink from a sippy cup, and so we are trying to give him whole milk from that, but he doesn't seem to like the milk too much. I have dropped 1 of the 4 feedings he was having, but I'm not sure how to go about dropping the other 3, especially if he is drinking less than an 1/8 cup of milk a day...help please!

2009-08-24T21:24:00.002-06:00

Quick Post-I finally did it...

Yes, it is true, I have finally joined the throngs of others who are apart of the Facebook community. I have held out for quite some time now, even with my sister threatening to start one for me herself, but after a few of my friends connecting up with my husband to be able to connect with me, I figured it was time to get my own account. I've been trying to send invites to people I know, but it's a little overwhelming, plus I forget who I have searched, or already sent an invite too. So, if you would like to be my Facebook friend, and I haven't contacted you yet about it, send me an invite and we can be pals! (It all is a little cheesy for me, which is part of the reason I didn't sign up at first, it just seemed like everyone was doing it because everyone else was...and now so am I)!! But I would love to be your friend--I've got to beat my sister friend count which is in the high 700's (just kidding, I could never keep track of that many people).
More pictures will be coming, hopefully by the weekend, as we celebrate little guy's first birthday! They should be entertaining, as always!

2009-08-16T22:24:00.008-06:00

It's been over two months...AAHHH!!!!!

(I am pretty sure that most people no longer check my blog because I have been a slacker blogger lately, so I guess this post is for my dedicated readers--mom, Hayley, Mandy and anyone else out there who is interested. I am going to try and be better at blogging, but our computer has literally been the beast from H..L and I am soo sick and tired of it, but not quite willing to fork out the money for the Mac I want (especially since we just got new brakes on my car, and my husband's job is a job-which we are grateful for-but a little on the low end of the "income" pole). Plus I was basically out of town for all of July, so that makes it hard to post too. But enough of the excuses, I will try harder.
And now for your viewing pleasure...

My baby is (almost) no longer a baby! It's sad but true. He is the sweetest thing ever, but growing and developing so quickly. Here are some things he can do (although some of them he does more consistently than others):

(new items updated in red)
sign-more
sign-fish
sign-mom (although he's only done this for one day)
sign-eat
sign-milk
wave
he has invented his own sign for food and yes
get into everything (literally, he even climbs the stove--while I'm cooking)
has 7 teeth
gives kisses
can say "ch" for a train, "k" for kitty, "s" for snake
clap his hands
raise his hands for "up in the oven," from pat-a-cake
feed himself (finger foods)
drink from a cup regularly
hold a spoon, and tries to feed himself but usually ends up gagging
open the top drawers in the kitchen
walk around furniture while holding on
speed crawl everywhere
climb onto the couches and ottoman by himself
make tons of silly faces
climb his chair to look out the window
dance
he loves to be chased around the house
play peek-a-boo
he loves to read books, alone and with others
behave in the car while driving from CA to UT (even while having the flu and throwing up on me at Carl's Jr.) and while driving from UT to TX and back...

He is truly the most enjoyable baby there is. He is a good sport about everything and is generally happy and content as long as he is fed and gets his regular sleep. He continually makes us laugh and enjoys laughing with us. This past year has been a whirlwind, but we are loving every moment of it. If only I could make the time go by more slowly so he could always be my baby.

2009-06-15T21:56:00.000-06:00

Two great weeks of deals...

Since the beginning of the year I have become more and more aware of our grocery budget and have been trying to find different ways to cut our monthly bill down. One of the best things I have found since I started this was http://theobsessiveshopper.net/. I follow her system and use the grocery smart page to find out what the best deals are at the different stores and what coupons to use to go along with them. Albertsons is WAY over priced for me on a regular basis, but their sales are AMAZING!! So here is last weeks' finds (pictured first) and this weeks' finds. The best thing I have found is their weekly double coupons they have been printing, they are such a blessing :) Oh and last week I really needed some good deals because I accidently left the refrigerator cracked open on Sat. night and woke up to a fridge full of bad food--including $25.00 in chicken I had purchased on sale and was going to split up and put in the freezer the next morning. It was about $50.00 in food I had to throw away, so I definitely needed to replace some items and Albertsons sale helped some!

Kraft Special--I bought:
1 Miracle Whip
1 Mayo
9 Jello's
3 bags of Kraft Cheese
2 pkg. of Oscar Mayer Lunch Meat
4 CPK pizzas
4 DiGiorno Flatbread Pizzas
1 McCormick Grinder

The orginal prices on these items would have cost me $80.35, but I paid........ $6.67!! (Which is about 92% savings!!!!--one of my best shopping trips yet!)

This week it was a GM deal:
2 boxes of Golden Grahams @ $.70 each
6 boxes of BC pasta mix @ $.45 each
4 jars of Ragu @ $.45 each
2 jars peanut butter @ $.40 each
3 Wishbone dressings FREE
1 Wishbond dressing @ $1.00
1 KEN's salad dressing FREE
1 KEN's sald dressing $ 1.00
1 BC Cake mix @ $.75
1 BC Frosting @ $.40
2 Skintimate shave gels @ $.75 each
3 Old Spice deodorants @ $1.50 each
1 Secret deodorant @ $2.79
2 Bertolli pasta sauces @ $.45 each
2 Breyers ice creams FREE
4 bottles of ALL detergent @ $1.70 each

For a grand total of....$28.39, which would have originally cost me $136.57 (Which is about 80% savings)

Pretty crazy huh?! Now I just have to find room for it all in my pantry or under my stairs (my new food storage room :) )

2009-06-03T21:12:00.000-06:00

Swimming lessons have begun...

On Monday we started swim lessons, and to say that he enjoys them is quite the understatement. He is the youngest in the class, but doesn't even flinch in the water. He has always loved being in the bath and shower, but a huge pool is something totally different. I was so relieved to see how much he enjoyed it. He really isn't learning too much, like some of the older kids are. But I'm learning how to help him, and he's getting comfortable with the water which is what I wanted most of all. I am so glad that I have the opportunity to do this with him. It's so much fun for both of us, and definitely worth it. Here's to many more days of fun in the sun!

2009-06-03T21:05:00.000-06:00

A quick check on the sleeping babe...

Monday night I went in to check on the baby while he was sleeping and this is what I found--

How on earth do you sleep like that with your legs all caught up in the crib bars??? After the 3rd picture he just pulled his legs out and turned over in his sleep. It was pretty cute :) (Oh, and can you see the lovely teeth marks all over the rail? They are horrible, it makes me so sad to think that we spent so much money on something and he is just destroying it--even though I knew that would happen, I still hate it).

2009-05-24T21:11:00.000-06:00

Where Does the Time Go????

I seriously have no clue as to where the time goes each day. I feel like I have just woken up for the morning, and the next thing I know I am putting my baby back down for bed. It honestly tears at me each night when I have to put him down for bed. It's just another day that has come and gone. Another day that I won't get back. Another day where my baby is growing up way too quickly. Another day that I don't want to see go. But of course I love to see him change and develop each day. I love all of his discoveries and new adventures. I love absolutely everything about him. I just wish I could enjoy each day longer, and I wish I could remember everyday perfectly so I wouldn't feel like his life was rushing past me at full speed. I know this will sound stupid (and obviously I will have more kids one day but) but there are so many times when I can't even fathom the idea of having more children, because I am so afraid of what I'll miss in his life. Plus, I know that I will never be able to dedicate as much time and attention to any of my other kids, like I have to him. And if my time with him seems too short already, I don't even want to think about how much shorter it will be with the ones to come...I know, I know-that sounds stupid. Oh the joys of motherhood-literally :)

Now on to a happier note. So I finally completed one of the many sewing projects I have been working on for about 6 months now. I had everything done on it, except for the quilting and binding. I am not dedicated enough to hand quilt, but however had no skills on machine quilting--hence the 6 months of nothing. Finally in Feb. I got a machine quilting book, and this last week I did some practicing (still need soooo much more) and decided to just go for it and try quilting a Halloween table runner I made. It definitely could be much better, but it could also be much worse. So, I'd have to say it's not too bad for my first time. I learned a few things from doing the quilting and the binding, so hopefully my next ones will get better each time. I am going to try a different type of free hand pattern on the next one I do, and see if that one flows more easily for me. Hoepfully one day I'll feel like I can do it well enough to make a nice blanket or something--we'll see!

Also, my friend Julie had a baby girl on Friday and I got to go see her at the hospital Saturday. It was so fun to hold a newborn baby again. I haven't held one so little since it was my own I was holding. She is such a sweet and cute little thing! Congrats Julie! Oh, and her labor was approx. 3 1/2-4 hours long. She was in the hospital less than an hour before the baby came. AND the baby was about 1/2 way out, while she's telling the Dr. the baby was coming out, before the Dr. looked under the drape and was like, oh she is here! Julie delivered naturally--she's super mom!

Next week I start my "Mom and Tot" swim class. It should be fun. He absolutely loves bath and shower time, so I am hoping the pool isn't too much of a transition. I need to find out if we are suppose to bring a flotation device of some sort for him...I'll have to call on that one. I'll be sure to post some pictures, and maybe even some video (if Creighton gets the computer updated and uploads some video-hint hint :) ).

I guess I will end with some fun pictures--enjoy! Happy Memorial Day!!

This is a constant expression on his face--yes, and the drool is a constant too (just look for the drenched shirt or glistening spots on his chest in the following pictures!!).

Just a cute overall outfit picture.

Do you like the mohawk?? Can you even see it? :) Yeah, he doesn't have much hair, and what he does have is pretty light.

On Thurs. we attempted to go on the Stewart Falls hike out of Sundance, but that starting point was closed off, and we didn't want to have to pay to go on the hike (plus a storm was coming in). So he got to enjoy about 10 minutes of the carrier--but he loved every minute of it!!

He loves how the grass feels in his fingers and is always picking it (and putting it in his mouth of course!)

Here he is trying to call Grandma :) He actually does listen to people when they are on the phone, but after a minute or too, he tries to push buttons and eat the phone!

(I have no idea if that is water or slobber on his neck)

Please ignore the make-up(less) mom in this picture, but I just love how he looks at me sometimes.

Enjoying a picnic and a day out at the park.

(Told you so).

"Oh Mom, I'm so parched after all of my delightful snacks, may I have a please have a drink of water?"

BYE!!

2009-05-03T22:28:00.000-06:00

Yeah!! Finally!!!

(Lots of pictures and a little note at the end)

So here's a quick run down of what's been going on with us, well the baby mostly :)

7 month picture with Snoopy (notice the Snoopy shirt he's wearing!)

First time in his new high chair! He loves every type of baby food, which is soooo nice. He's not picky at all, as long as you keep it coming. He even slaps his hand on the tray to remind you he needs more :)

Easter Sunday! We celebrated Easter on Friday since my mom and two brothers were in town. So my sister and her husband came down after work and we had a nice Easter dinner together. It was fun. But we were very sad to see them leave. We spiked his hair for the first time on Sunday. It's hard to tell though in the picture because he doesn't have a lot of it, and his hair is lighter so it doesn't show up as well. He looks so grown up in this outfit. Where's my baby gone??? I love every new stage of life for him, but I miss all of the old ones too...

He now pulls himself up into the standing position and walks around the ottoman. Just about every time he wakes up from his naps or first thing in the morning, we find him standing up in his crib (chewing on the rail with his new bottom teeth) waiting for us to come and get him.

8 month picture. I told him to get Snoopy, and this is what he did. I wish I had video taped it too, so you could hear him growling at Snoopy while he slobbered all over him. I was laughing sooo hard!!!

Getting to enjoy some sun, finally. He absolutely loves to be outside, and I am trying to let him enjoy it every chance I get. We tried out the swings by our house a week or so ago and he just squealed the whole time with delight. He had so much fun, in case you couldn't tell :)

He wouldn't leave his sunglasses on very long, but we are trying to get him used to them since he looks so studly in them. What a handsome guy! He's one cool dude!!

The last couple of weeks have been a little busier for me because I am now the Treasurer of our HOA, and since we are taking over the HOA from the builders that means a lot of work for us. I've also been helping out the district with some math stuff, which keeps me busy, but I get paid for it, so I can't complain.

I signed up for a mom and tot swim class at the AF rec center, for the first week of June. I'm excited to have something to look forward too, plus the baby loves taking baths and showers so I think/hope it will be a lot of fun for him. I want him to be used to the water so we can go swimming frequently this summer (gotta enjoy the summer since I spent last summer pregnant and afraid of seeing my old students in a bathing suit-he he!) and every future summer.

This Friday I met up with some old college roommates and we went to dinner and a movie. It was so much fun to catch up and see them again. We were just missing one roommate, missed ya Erin! Dinner was delicious--you can never go wrong with CPK, but the movie was awful. Heads up, don't go see, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" we ended up walking out of it (along with about 15-20+ people) it was just really trashy, but luckily they gave us a refund on our money. So we went and got some yummy ice cream and talked some more till it was getting late and we had to get back to families. I really hope this is a tradition we can continue in the years to come. I loved living with those girls and it is so much fun to get together and reminiss about the old times, and learn about the new and upcoming things in each others lives as well.

So overall it's been a busy, but fun week. I just hope it doesn't rain too much this week, so I can get outside some more.

2009-04-22T08:47:00.000-06:00

I know, I know...
It's been a while since my last post. Things were busy and fun a couple of weeks ago, and now...I don't know. I don't seem to have a lot to say right now. Who knows, maybe tomorrow:) I do, of course, have some pictures that need to be uploaded, but our crappy (and that's putting it mildly) computer is so here and there, that it isn't worth the effort right now to try and get them uploaded, only to have them deleted or something to that extent. So, yes, I know I need to update my blog, but at this moment, I'm just not in the mood.

2009-03-22T22:00:00.000-06:00

A finished product for Hayley...

Here's what I worked one day last week. I took these two cute fabrics my sister picked out, and then...after a little bit of cutting, pressing, and sewing...

I got this. I think it turned out pretty cute actually. The sewing isn't perfect, but it is still cute, it was easy to make, and all it cost was the price of the fabric, so hopefully she likes it. Now my sister just has to come over and try it on to make sure the length is right, and then it's hers :) Hope you like it Hayley!

2009-03-15T15:47:00.000-06:00

Playing Catch Up...

Obviously it has been a while since I have posted. I was in CA again for about 2 weeks, and then our internet was down for about a week, and after that...I don't have an excuse :( But I will try and catch you all up on what we've been doing.
In the middle of Feb. the baby and I went to CA to see my brother who returned home from his mission. It was fun to get to see him again and here him speak in Tagalic (sp??). It was hard to leave Creighton here in UT all alone for such a long time without getting to see the baby. We also had our first flight together, it was a little hard at the airport all by myself, but we made it. He was a really good baby too. All in all, it was definitely a success.

Here's a picture of him on an airplane for the first time. This was the second leg of our flight, we had our own row--heavenly.

Creighton ended up surprising me with flowers on Valentine's day. They were delivered to my parent's house. They were absolutely beautiful. It was so sweet of him. Then 2 days later the best surprise came when Creighton showed up at my parent's house to visit for about 5 days. We had a great time and got to go visit some fun areas in San Diego.

Here's a picture of my brother Logan with the baby!!

He had his 6 month check-up at the end of the month and is now 30% in weight (16 lb. 8 oz), 75% for height (26.75 in) and 30% for head circumference. He is growing quickly! The best part of the visit was when he got his shots. He let out the slightest whimper and then smiled at the nurse!! What a tough guy! We had to take a picture of him with his soccer band aids to commemorate the day.

And as you can see below, he now can sit-up all by himself, and as of yesterday, he can pull himself up into sitting position. He is scooting all around, but isn't quite crawling yet.

He also started eating cereal last month, and he loved it. He has done so well with it, not a single problem. In fact, as far as he is concerned, the only problem is that there is never enough for him :)

On the 5th of March we went to the Draper Temple Open House. It is such a beautiful temple. And I absolutely loved the fact that the three of us were able to go there together. It is not very often that parents and children get to be in the special areas of the temple together, and so it was a very memorable day for us. We look forward to going to the next Temple Open House when the other new one opens in a couple of months.

Other than that, not too much else is going on. I am going to be making an apron on Tuesday for my sister, so when I get that done (and as long as it looks ok) I will post some pictures of the process. I still need to quilt my table runners together--anyone know how to machine quilt and want to give me some pointers???? But other than really needing to do some heavy spring cleaning, not much is going on. Oh, but I am loving the weather. The baby and I got to go on our first long walk with a friend of mine the other day. It sure is finally starting to feel like spring!! I can't wait for it, and for summer!!!

2009-02-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

One Year Older and Wiser (Hopefully) Too...

On Thursday, I gained another year in age...28 now!! (I'm getting way too close to 30-AHHH!!) The scary thing about it, is that I told Creighton the other day how I worry about losing some of my brain power, since I'm not teaching kids anymore. I know I only taught 3rd grade, but I did train teachers in how to teach math, plus you really do use your brain a lot more when you are working with students and adults, and not just singing nursery rhymes to your baby. So that is why I added the word hopefully to my title.

Overall my birthday went pretty well. When Creighton had asked me if I had any plans for my birthday, I told him I was going to spend the day with my students. (That's what I've done for the last 5 birthdays, so it was kind of a downer to not have students around, excited for me to have my birthday). I did however to a couple of fun things. I got to go to breakfast at Kneaders' with some friends--love their all you can eat french toast. I did some tutoring, then later went and got a free ice cream from Cold Stone--free for me, but not for Creighton! After that we also got my free birthday movie from Hollywood video. (Oh, and to top it all off, on Friday we went out with some friends, who had a birthday on Friday, to Tucanos for my free birthday meal!) Yes, I get in every free thing that I can! Don't you???

For my birthday Creighton (or I should say the baby) got me another figurine for my Willow Tree collection :) and he also got me these beautiful roses!! Thanks hon!

For some reason, this year I have been a little bit more reflective about my birthdays in the past. So while I am not going to share things about all the ones I remember, I thought it would be fun to jot down some of the most memorable birthdays I have had!

~On my 7th or 8th... I can't remember, birthday my mom had the "cake lady" from our local grocery store make purple roses for my mom to put on my birthday cake. I got to carry my cake out of the house (we were eating it outside--only in CA can you do that in Feb.) and I dropped the cake on the ground. I was so sad and embarrassed!

~On my 10th birthday I got to have my first sleepover party. Well, we ended up staying up and talking too much so my parents separated us and made us sleep in different rooms-yeah, that's all I can say about that one!

~On my 16th birthday my parents threw me a surprise birthday party. I was totally surprised (which doesn't happen often to me) and it was a lot of fun!

~On my 19th birthday I was a Freshman in college, and I had a crazy friend hide ice cream sundae ingredients in trees around the dorms, and made me climb them to get all of the stuff so we could have sundaes--it was a lot of fun--totally a college birthday!

~On my 23rd birthday I was teaching school for the first time and brought treats to my class. A boy in my class was highly allergic to practically everything, but said the treat should be safe--then had an attack in class!!!!!

Those are the best and the worst of my birthdays, that I can remember.

Copy Cat...
Now, for a confession--I am a total copy cat. I am always looking for projects to do, and copy whatever I can find. Whether it is copying a scrapbooking idea from someone (Mandy and Becca, that's you) or copying a craft. So these two crafts I'm posting pictures of, originate from my friend Sharla's blog, but the letters can also be seen at Jessica's and Michelle's blog!! (I guess that's how you know it's a good idea, everyone copies it from you).

These were both easy, and inexpensive--two of my favorite things. Oh, and fun too!

Now for a quick catch up on the little guy! He's still growing like a weed, and as fun as ever. We love it when he does this (sucks on his lower lip). A) We think it's cute. B) We hope it stops some of the constant drooling!!

I just like the next picture of me and him! I think it's sweet!

Since he has been rolling over so much, he now sleeps on his tummy. Actually, it is more his knees, since he is a stink bug sleeper. The picture below doesn't really do the "stink bug" position justice, but let's just say that he wakes up every morning with red marks on his knees from moving around on them all night. Too cute! Oh, and do you notice his blanket tucked under his arm? He loves to have stuff near his face to cuddle with!

2009-02-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Tag...

Write down six things that make you happy. Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did it. Then tell the person when your entry is complete.

Six Things That Make Me Happy:
1- Being a mom
2- The sound of water (ocean waves, or from a creek)
3- Doing fun and cute crafts/projects
4- Knowing my workout is done for the day
5- Reading
6- When my husband comes home early from work (and goes to bed a decent time)

Thanks Jessica!

Oh, I tag...Megan, Brittnee, Julie, Hayley, Shandi, and Mandy!

2009-01-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

A recap of the holidays and some pictures...

For Christmas this year we were in UT, because Creighton had to work :( But on the day before New Year's Eve we got to drive out to CA to visit with my family. While we were there, the little guy got to meet my brother Evan, who is going to BYU Hawaii--lucky dog!!, for the first time. He was great again in the car on the way there and back, but had a little bit of trouble sleeping while we were there. Not sure if he was going through a growth spurt or what, but he has been better ever since we have been home.

Here he is with Evan.

While in CA we went to the beach again, and this time got some better weather. We went to Dana Point which is right by my grandparents house, so we got to visit with them afterwards.

I look silly in this picture, but I love how you can barely see the baby with the blanket wrapped all around him--it was very breezy that day, but clear!

I love that we actually have a good picture of us, besides the fact that we really aren't in focus that well--bummer.

Now that we are back, I am really missing the warm weather--of course. I guess I can at least be grateful that it hasn't snowed since we've been back, knock on wood. I'm sure though, that that won't last for much longer. Oh well, at least Jan. is coming to an end, which means one more winter month will be gone! Yahoo!!

Before I get to some pictures of the little one, I just have to say Welcome Home to my brother Logan. He just returned home from his mission in the Philippines today. Hopefully I'll get to see him one day soon...I'm so proud of him, and am sad to see this journey be over for him. But I'm very excited to see him too. I've missed him so very much. Plus, he will finally get to meet the newest member of my family! How fun!!

Love you Elder Young!

He loves to grab things and put them in his mouth!

Look at those big blue eyes.

Mom and baby!

He is seriously such a cutie pie!!!!

He's always got his fingers in his mouth.

He looks like an angel here, all glowing--photography props to my husband!

2009-01-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

I need some ideas...

On how to keep a baby from rolling over in his sleep, and waking himself up (3-4 times a night)? He rolls over from back to tummy all of the time, but doesn't roll over from tummy to back a whole lot. And every time he rolls over his arm gets stuck and he wakes himself up crying. I have tried rolling up blankets (and rubberbanding them so they won't come undone) and putting those next to him, but he kicks and moves about until they are out of his way enough to roll over. What have you guys done to help solve this problem? I'll take whatever suggestions anyone has. THANKS!!

Oh, and new pictures are on their way soon :)

2008-12-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

He did it!!!

In the last 2 weeks, my little guy has conquered two milestones. He giggled for the first time last week (he squeaks at things and squeals at things, but this was a real giggle). Then today I put him down on his back and went to the bathroom, and when I came back he was on his stomach!! (And this was a real roll, not a fake one like Creighton tried to pull on me yesterday, when he switched the baby over on his opposite side while I was out of the room). I was totally shocked, excited, and sad at the same time. Sad because I had missed it, excited that he had learned something new, and shocked that it had come so quickly. I immediately called Creighton and told him about it, then my mom, then got out the video camera to try and capture another one. It took some patience, but I finally got it on tape. Then later this evening he rolled from his stomach to his back once, and back to stomach a few more times. I couldn't believe it. Although it's a couple of days late, I say it's the best Christmas present I got. It is absolutely amazing to watch him grown and develop, literally, on a daily basis. And it all happened the day after he turned 4 months--way to stay on schedule babe!

2008-12-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas Tag...

(I got this cute tag from my friend Becca's blog--thanks Becca!)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love to see presents wrapped all nicely under the tree, but I do appreciate gift bags and their ease during the holiday time.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real tree. We always had a real tree growing up, and I love the smell of them. Since we've been married we've only had a tree twice, and both times it was real.

3. When do you put up the tree? I like the idea of doing it the Fri. after Thanksgiving, but sometimes it just depeneds on our schedule and what works that year.

4. When do you take the tree down? After New Years. However this year we will be in CA before New Years, and so it's coming down before we leave.

5. Do you like eggnog? No. I think as a kid I might have at least tried it (and maybe liked it, I can't remember), but I don't like it now. Just the word "eggnog" makes me sick.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? The barbie doll house my sister and I got.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My mom. She always says she doesn't need anything.

8. Easiest person to buy for? My dad. He's always up for a good book :)

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, just a small one a visiting teacher gave me a few years back.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I was hoping to mail one out for the first time this year, but we obviously didn't get quite that far. Hopefully next year.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Is there really such a thing as a bad Christmas gift? Nothing comes to mind.

12. Favorite Christmas movie? Home Alone!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually in Oct. or Nov, since no one ever tells me what they want before then.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My grandma's Christmas cookies, especially lemon bars.

16. Lights on the tree? For sure--bubble lights!

17. Favorite Christmas Song? I love all Christmas songs really, but Silent Night is an old time favorite, and Where are You Christmas is a newer favorite (my students from last year sang it at Christmas time, and so it melts my heart every time I hear it).

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel usually, but this year we stayed at home since Creighton had to work--miss you mom and family!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Definitely.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? I'm not really sure yet, we don't have a tree topper yet...

21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? I like the idea of one on Christmas eve, and the rest on Christmas.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The fact that it goes by in a blink of an eye, and of course the traffic and busy stores.

23. Favorite ornament, theme or color? The ornaments my grandma made for us one year for the 12 days of Christmas.

24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Prime Rib

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A piece for my Willow Tree collection.

Merry Christmas everyone!

2008-12-12T17:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you Mandy!!!!

I have been trying all week to get these pictures up on blogger, but to no avail. Finally Creighton suggested that the pictures might be too big, since all of the pictures are from our new camera and 10 times the size of the old camera's pictures, rather than being a Windows Vista problem (boy oh boy, do I miss my Apple laptop from school!) So I asked my friend Mandy if she has to resize her pictures from her SLR camera and she said yes. And she taught me how to use a very useful tool on Photoshop--actions!! It was so fast and easy, I loved it. Thanks again Mandy! Now on to pictures (yeah, don't you just love pictures!)

Happy 3 month birthday!

My little munchkin turned 3 months at the end of last month. It's amazing to watch him grow. He is growing up so much, and so quickly! (Can you believe that he is bigger than Snoopy now!!!) Another great thing is that he has been sleeping through the night now for the last few weeks. Since he was about six weeks or so he would sleep from 7-4/5, with a late feeding at around 10 in there. Now he sleeps from 7/7:30-7:30 in the morning, still with a late night feeding. He is just amazing. Maybe that's normal, I don't know, but whatever it is, I love it!

My family came up for Thanksgiving and for the baby's blessing. One of my family's Thanksgiving traditions is to go see a movie and go see the lights at Temple Square. This year we went to see the James Bond movie, and I had a lot of reservations about it since we had never taken the little guy to see a movie (especially a loud, explosive one), but he did wonderful. He slept through most of it, and then when he woke up, I just held him and he went back to sleep. He as a great sport too at the temple, but it was freezing cold and he and I were both starting to get sick, so Creighton didn't get to stay as long as he would have liked too (trying out the new camera and all), but we did enjoy the lights, and he still got some pretty good pictures.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, we had his baby blessing. We had some family there, and some great friends there too. It was so nice to see everyone there to support us. This is one of the pictures that I like of the 3 of us. Creighton's cousin took our pictures for us, which was super nice of her. If I didn't hate the way I look in them, I would love them even more. I need to learn how to use Photoshop better so I can make some improvements on myself, and then maybe I can post some more of them that have all of us in them. Luckily my little boy is so cute, and so photogenic. He definitely didn't get that from his mom :)

Only in California...can you get sun ripened tomatoes on Dec. 1st (and later). We went to CA for just a few days after Thanksgiving and I just couldn't believe the weather. I sure do miss it. I got to wear shorts and sandals while I was there, and eat breakfast out on the back patio--that's one of my favorite things to do at my parents house--sit on the back patio and read, catch some rays, eat a meal, just about about anything will do.

Here's a picture showing just how strong my cutie is!! He learns new "tricks" as we like to call them, all of the time.

One of the special things we got to do while in Cali was go to the beach. Unfortunately it wasn't the sunniest day, but as you can see, it was warm enough that I could wear shorts and get wet, and still not be freezing. In fact, the cold water didn't even make the baby cry. I was the one who squealed, and not him (only because the wave came up a lot higher than I was expecting, and still had my sandals on!!!)

His first, but definitely not last, time at the beach. What a trouper he is. Do you want to know the best part of the whole trip-he slept all the way there and back. I only had to wake him up to feed him (we went during the night, to make it easier for him). He's an angel, I feel so blessed.

Here's my little gangster, as my brother would say. I just love putting his hood on him whenever he is wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

One last thing. For the last few weeks now, he has been exploring his yummy hand. He has gone from thumb, to a finger here or there, to the back of his fist, and now, he currently likes to suck 3-4 fingers at a time. I really don't want him to be a thumb/finger sucker. But the real problem is, that his fingers are so long, he ends up gagging himself and spitting up half of the time. And whenever he sucks on them, it's like he's turned on a faucet in his mouth and it just starts leaking out saliva everywhere!! It makes us laugh all of the time. Gotta love him--and we do--a lot!!!!!!

2008-12-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

So Frustrated...

I have tried to upload pictures twice now and blogger just isn't working for me. I have so much to catch up on over the last 2-3 weeks too, so it was going to be a fun post. But I guess it will just have to wait another day. I hope I can get some pictures up, and share what we've been up to, but until tomorrow here's a thought/question: How long will my hair be falling out for (with the hormones adjusting since I had the baby)? I am honestly afraid that I am going to be bald soon. I have never, ever, ever, in my life, pulled out so much hair daily. AND...Will it grow back in? Luckily, I have always had thicker hair, but I kind of wanted it to stay that way, so I need it to grow back in. I know this is pretty normal, but please, fill me in on your experiences, and help me get a better idea of what's going on, and how long it is going to keep on going. THANKS!!

PS Why is December the fastest month of the year? (I mean, I know why...I just wish it wasn't)

2008-11-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Not sure what to post about...

For the last couple of weeks, I haven't been quite sure what I should post about. I mean of course I can always post about the baby, but I've been trying to figure out what else there is to post--unfortunately, not much! I have been working on a couple of different projects, but most of them aren't done, so they aren't worth posting about yet. I do have one thing done though, so I will show you that first.

No, I did not make the quilt, that was a gift from one of my old students and her mom. It is all M.E. fabric--my favorite, isn't it great though. What I did do was recover the cushions on the chair. Some friends of ours so nicely gave us the chair, since they are done having kids, and all I had to do was recover it. I am not the best seamstress by any means, but it really wasn't too hard. My mom did help me finish off the bottom cushion--thanks mom. Now the only thing left to do on it, if we do it, is to stain the wood so it matches the other furniture.

Now for some fun pictures of the little (big guy--oh yeah, he was 90% for height, 75% for weight, and 50% for head circumference).

Bath Time...

He really does enjoy bath time, which is such a nice thing. He never cries when he is getting a bath, even when he gets sprayed with water and he is getting rinsed off. Which, by the way, is Creighton's favorite thing about bath time. (He doesn't want him to be afraid of water, so he says that if we get him used to the sensation of having water on his head, he won't be afraid to dunk his head in the water when it comes time to swim).

So here are some fun bath pictures, in order. And although his face is all scrunched up, he never cries or gets upset. He just has to adjust to the water all over his face :)

The End!

2008-11-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Late Halloween!!!

I know I am late on posting a Halloween picture. But my parents were here this weekend, and so it was a busy one. And since they were only here for 2 1/2 short days, I had to take advantage of my time with them. Here is a picture of my little guy in his Halloween outfit. (We didn't get him a real costume because we didn't take him out trick-or-treating, but we did get him an outfit to wear for the day). The sad thing about Halloween was that we only had trick-or-treaters from 4-5:30 or so. I think we maybe passed out 30-40 pieces of candy :( It wasn't even dark before we had our bulk of kids come by. Trick-or-treating here is so much different than it was for me growing up in CA. I don't know if it's the area, or the times, but it's sooo different. Oh well.

What a cutie he is, although, I'm not sure that orange is his color :)

And here's another picture just because it is soooo adorable and I want everyone to see it!! (I'm not a proud and biased mother or anything! JK!) I could just kiss him and hold him all day.

2008-10-26T18:00:00.000-06:00

Happy 2 month birthday to my big boy!!

Here is his 2 month picture. I can't believe how big he is getting. We go to the Dr.'s on Tuesday where we will find out exactly how much he weighs and how long he is. He weighs somewhere around 12 pounds or more, and is 24 inches or longer from what we can tell, but we'll get the true stats soon!!

The rest of the pictures are just some cute ones that we have snapped of him over the last couple of weeks. It is so much fun since he has started smiling. It was hard a first to get a picture of him smiling, but now he does it all of the time, so we can usually get at least one smiling picture a day. Oh, I just love him to death!

We just love this picture because he looks like he is frowning--he just sucking in his bottom lip. It's too cute!

My youngest brother came in to town last weekend and got to see the baby for the first time. It was fun to get to visit with him, but it went by way too quickly. We are lucky because this weekend my parents are coming back in to town, for just 2 1/2 days (they decided they couldn't wait until Thanksgiving to see him!) So we are really excited about that!!!

2008-10-25T14:26:00.000-06:00

Deal Alert...

I just thought that I would let those of you who are interested know that at Albertsons you can get 10 2-liters of soda for $10, and then at the register you get a $10.00 mail in rebate. Which means you get the soda for 30 cents (just the tax). There is no limit to the number of sodas you can get, you just have to ring them up separately, and mail in the rebates separately. So if you are a parent who helps out with class parties, or if you will be needing drinks for upcoming holiday parties/events, or if you just want some soda, this is a super good deal. It's FREE, you can't pass it up!! (It's only good for 7-UP, A&W Rootbeer, and Sunkist sodas).

2008-10-19T21:55:00.000-06:00

A Tag...

I haven't been tagged, or done a tag in quite some time, but my friend Mandy tagged me, so I figured it would give me something new and different to post about, so here I go. Anyone who wants to do this tag, feel free, but I tag...Kendra, Megan, Becca, Bethany, Julie, and Hayley.

I am: now a mother
I know: that families are eternal
I want: to feel in control of my life again and have a schedule
I have: a club foot
I dislike: the snow after Christmas
I miss: my parents and California
I feel: lazy sometimes
I hear: a baby breathing on the monitor
I smell: nothing
I crave: water, I am thirsty all the time
I cry: when I think about how fast my baby is growing up
I search: for free scrapbooking stuff on ikeagoddess.blogspot.com
I wonder: if we will ever move from Utah
I regret: not participating in study abroad programs while at BYU
I love: my son
I care: about my family
I worry: about my weight
I remember: camping every year at Dinkey Creek
I believe: we have a true prophet on earth today
I dance: with my son
I don't: like having a messy/cluttered house
I argue: when I feel like I am right
I write: in my daily calendar with the weeks' "To Do List"
I win: at things that I put my mind to
I lose: at bowling--not my sport
I wish: my husband worked at normal times of the day
I listen: to 103.9 fm most of the time in the car
I can usually be found: at home--sad huh :(
I am scared: that something will happen to my baby
I need: new clothes
I forget: to read my scriptures as often as I would like
I am happy: when I am doing what is right

Hope everyone has a good week!

2008-10-16T09:55:00.000-06:00

Warning: Bouncing while running may be hazardous to your health...

Throughout my pregnancy I walked at an incline for 40-50 minutes 5-6 times a week, because I was worried about running while being pregnant. Since I've had the baby I've tried to go a few times a week, but am lucky to get 2-3 times in (and it's with the baby, so it's always just walking). Well, this morning I decided I was going to make sure to leave the baby so I could try and run a little with the walking. So I fed the baby and then about an hour and half later, when he was asleep, left for a walk/jog. Have any of you tried running with DD boobs that are fairly full of milk???? (I HATE having such a big chest since being pregnant) Let's just say it is horrible. It's fairly painful, and completely uncomfortable. I could only run for a little bit at a time, and everytime I did run, I had my arms holding/supporting my chest as I ran. I'm sure that everyone who drove past me thought that I was retarded and didn't know how to run. I tried switching it up and only used one arm to support at times, but then it just looked like my other arm was lame. What am I suppose to do (I will definitely make sure that I go right after I feed next time, but what else?), how am I suppose to be able to do more than walk while I am nursing? This seriously sucks. I knew that nursing would take sacrafices, but I never thought that running would have to be one of them. Any suggestions or ideas? Anyone out there ever have to deal with this besides me? Please help!!!

2008-10-13T14:37:00.000-06:00

Something to cheer about...

So last week, and the week before, Albertsons was running some great deals. Oh, even the week before that too. I have to say how excited I am for their super 10 for $10 or less deals. The first week I got Campbell's Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom soups for 50 cents a piece. You can't even get Wal-mart's brand of the cream soups for that price. My mom and sister thought it was such a great deal, I had to pick them up some too. (I think I got close to 100 cans of soup :) Then the next week they had Duncan Hines cake mixes and Hershey's baking chips for 70 cents a piece (but they ran out so I had to get a rain check). Last week they had Pillsbury rolls, crescent rolls, and cinnamon rolls for $1.00 a piece and I had 30-50 cent coupons off each one. Plus they had general mills cereal $1.50 a box. Well they ran out of cereal so I had another rain check with that (not to mention the coupons I had for those too 50-75 cents off a box--all thanks to bettycrocker.com).

This morning I ran to Albertsons in hopes that they would have all of the items in that I had rain checks for and tada!!!!

10 boxes of cereal (Lucky Charms, Plain/Honey Nut/Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, and Total Cinnamon Crunch) plus 10 boxes of Duncan Hines cake mixes, and 10 bags of a variety of Hershey's baking chips all for a grand total of...$24.67!!! Now, maybe you don't think that's a great price, but I was sure happy with it all. I think that if I had bought all of these items at Albertsons at regular price (not the cheapest on a daily basis I know, but still) I would have spent about: $100.00.

Soooo cool huh?!!

2008-10-12T17:13:00.000-06:00

A few things to post about...

First of all, a big hooray because Creighton got his car back last Monday. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited we were to get it back. The first thing we had to do was get it registered, since that expired in August. But you can't register a car you don't have can you?? The next thing we realized was how filthy it was. So Wednesday morning, we gave it a good old scrub--inside and out, and now Creighton doesn't feel so dirty driving it. But here's the best part of all. Creighton told me today that the check engine light came on yesterday, and so far has stayed on--not a good thing. Let's just hope we can figure this all out quickly and painlessly. Creighton is already talking about getting rid of it, and getting a new one for him...two cars in 1 year is a little much for me, so let's hope it doesn't really get that far. We still have to take my car in to get the side fixed, but that should be much quicker--cross your fingers!

Last weekend some friends gave me a good size bag of hand picked peaches, and I decided to make some raspberry-peach freezer jam. My good friend Julie makes it, and always gives me some, and since it never lasts long at all, I thought I would make my own batch of it. Well the peaches I had made enough for about 8 batches of jam, so I went to Mitchell's to get some raspberries. I bought a whole flat, and it was only enough to make 6 batches (so I used the rest of the peaches for oatmeal and waffles), but boy oh boy is that a lot of jam. I used almost my whole 25 pound bag of sugar!! It took some time, but I think it was worth it. So far two people have told me how good it was, so I guess my first freezer jam experience can be called a success. Here are the results...

(I think that the color of the jam is so pretty, Creighton said it looked like blood :) )

Here is a peak into the baby's room. We are still finishing up the wall on the opposite side; adding some pictures and his name. So I don't have anything to post of that side. The bead board goes all the way around the room, except for that it is only 1/2 way up on the other walls. Doing the bead board this high, and with a shelf, was our friends' idea, and we just love how it turned out.

Now for a quick "quote of the day." I have to quote Bella Swan (yes I am a HUGE Twilight fan for those of you who don't know. Maybe one day I'll have a confessional on my blog where I admit just how HUGE of a fan I really am).

"EW. SNOW," Bella Swan

This is the horrible view from my back window, from this morning, after it had already started to melt. Luckily this afternoon, things look quite a bit different. I'm just so glad I didn't have to drive in it last night like Creighton did!!!!! Where oh where has fall gone? Please don't say it is gone for good. We never really had spring this year, so please don't take fall away too. Haven't we had enough winter????? I miss CA...

2008-10-04T21:57:00.000-06:00

One month has come and gone...

Last Friday, Sept. 26th, my little guy turned 1 month old :) I can't believe that it has been over a month now since he was born. He is growing so much too. He weighs about 10 1/2 pounds and is about 22 inches long. I can't believe he weighs that much because he only eats every 3-4 hours, and I am lucky if I can get him to eat for a total of 20 minutes. I guess he is just a really efficient eater, and maybe I have really good milk...who knows! The poor boy is slowly losing his hair on the top of his head, and he is just about finished with a good old case of baby acne--ha ha! But things are clearing up, and he is still just as cute as ever. I truly believe that I fall more in love with him everyday. I am just waiting for his first real smile. Hopefully it will be coming sometime soon, and I better be the first person he smiles for, considering that I am the person he spends the most time with, plus I am his #1 care giver :)

Here is his 1 month old picture.

This is a picture of him after a bath. Can you tell how much he loves having his head covered by the towel?? It was driving him crazy, but my sister and I just laughed the whole time I was taking the pictures of him. He is just too cute!!!

This is Creighton's favorite past time with him. This is how I found them when I got home from getting my hair cut a couple of weeks ago. Too funny!

I have some projects that I have been working on, so as soon as I get them completed, and get some pictures taken of them, I will put up some more posts about them all.

2008-10-03T09:44:00.000-06:00

Two new recipes and an old favorite...

Over the last couple of weeks I tried two new recipes that I got from allrecipes.com and I really liked them, so I thought I would share them with everyone. If you haven't been to allrecipes, you should definitely go try it out. They have every recipe imaginable, and each recipe is rated and reviewed by people who have tried it out, so after reading the reviews you can pretty much find the necessary changes to have the perfect recipe!! I love it.

I tried this one a couple of weeks ago, and we really liked the pretzels. We made all different flavors, and they were all delicious. The only thing I have to say is that they need to be eaten that day, and the sooner the better. Pretzels just don't keep very long. So either make sure you have enough people to eat them all, or make 1/2 a batch :)

Mall Pretzels

INGREDIENTS

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar and salt in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Stir in flour, and knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover, and let rise for one hour.
Combine 2 cups warm water and baking soda in an 8 inch square pan.
After dough has risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 3 foot rope, pencil thin or thinner. Twist into a pretzel shape, and dip into the baking soda solution. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets, and let rise 15 to 20 minutes.
Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic salt or cinnamon sugar.
Editor's Note
When forming the ropes, roll each one to about half the length you want, then set it aside while you roll the rest. By the time you get back to the first rope, it will have rested enough to roll further.

This carrot cake recipe I made last week. I only made 1/2 of the cake because Creighton doesn't like carrot cake as much as I do, plus with only 2 people, we don't need a whole cake :) I made a couple of modifications to this cake after reading the reviews, plus I like to make cake, muffins, and breads healthier by substituting apple sauce for oil, and cutting down the amount of whole eggs. (I actually usually just use apple sauce and egg whites, no oil or whole eggs, but the reviews said that this way was the best, so I didn't take out as much fat/calories as I normally do).

Carrot Cake

INGREDIENTS
4 eggs (2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites)
3/4 cups vegetable oil

1/2 cup apple sauce
1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg
3 cups grated carrots (grated with the cheese grater side)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, apple sauce white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

This recipe for taco soup, I got from a student 2 years ago. It is one of the easiest soups to make, it's super healthy, and absolutely delicious. So if you are looking for a super easy, delicious, taco soup, you have to try this one.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cubed
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chile powder
6 C. water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
16 oz. Jar of chunky salsa
15 oz. Can of corn, drained
15 oz. Can of beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro (I have never actually put the cilantro in, because I never have it on hand, and it tastes great without it too, so I guess it's optional)

Optional Toppings:

Tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream

Directions:

Place all ingredients except for toppings into crock pot and cook on low for 5-7 hours.

Well, I hope everyone enjoys the recipes. If you have anything extra special good to share, please pass it along to me. I just love to try new recipes, especially ones that are already tested by others :)

2008-09-22T08:18:00.000-06:00

A quick update on the baby...

Things are still going well. He's really been a great baby. The amazing thing is how much more awake he is now. He will just stare at things forever. I miss the sweet "sleep all the time" stage, but I do love getting to see his eyes more, and watch him notice things as he can see better. The way he looks seems to change all the time too. It's so true that time just goes by. He will be a month old at the end of the week and I can hardly believe that. It seems that it took forever for him to get here. Each month, especially at the beginning, just dragged on. But now that he is here every second and every day just flies by. I guess that is how it always is though. I'm still trying to figure out a routine for him. He eats every 3-4 hours, which is great, but just not super consistent. Hopefully one of these days I will figure out what I am doing :) But for now, I am just enjoying every minute of him, and trying not to be too sad about how fast he is growing and changing. Creighton says that he is suppose to be growing and changing, so I shouldn't be sad about it. He's just ready for him to be smiling and talking already, and I am on the opposite end of the spectrum, and want him to be a cuddly newborn forever. No, it really is exciting to think about what the future holds for him, but it doesn't mean I won't miss this newborn stage!!

So here is a picture of him in his crib. Sorry it is crooked. I realized it after it was put on, and I don't want to go back and redo all of the pictures. Getting a post up takes enough time :) Anyway, he doesn't sleep in his crib right now, but it is so darn cute, I had to get a picture of him in it.
Just a picture of me with him. I decided that since I had actually fully done my hair, and put on make-up, I should probably take a picture with him.
Eyes wide open.
Getting his nap in after he ate. This is my favorite way to cuddle with him, but he has to be sleepy to let me do it!!

2008-09-20T07:51:00.000-06:00

All Good Things Must Come to an End...

So Thursday started out as a nice day. I got my hair cut in the afternoon and Creighton got to try his hand at baby-sitting (which got him to change another diaper...woo hoo!!). My hair turned out good, and the baby was pretty good for Creighton. Things were going well. Later that day we were going to go to Smoothie King-a new smoothie place to Utah, but a old time favorite of Creighton's from Texas-and then go and walk around BYU. We hadn't been there in a while, and we thought that it would be a nice way to get out and see how the campus has changed too. By the time we got to BYU it was a little later than we had planned, but we thought we'd get out for as long as we could. We were parking in the Museum of Art parking lot, and there weren't many spots available. We finally found one and as we were going to pull in, a car on the other side of the aisle started to back out. I told Creighton and so he started honking--at least 10 times. Well the car never stopped, luckily though she was backing out slowly. Our car was positioned so that if we went forward or backward we would have hit her, so Creighton pulled into the spot, and she kept backing out, hitting us, and scratching the back drivier side of our car!!!!! Now this is the second time we have been hit in a parking lot within the last year...and last time we didn't call the police, and the guy who hit us denied that it was his fault to his insurance and so we had to pay for everything to get our car fixed. I couldn't believe that this was happening to us again! So when this happened I was SOOO upset, I immediately started crying (hormones don't help any either) and got out of the car to check on the damage, and to get the people who were right by us when it happened to be wittnesses for us. The girl also got out of her car where she proceeded to aske me if she hit us??? Are you kidding me? I told her that YES she had hit us, and why didn't she stop when she heard us honking multiple times at her. She was surprised to hear that we had honked!! Seriously, how can some people be so blind/deaf/irresponsible?? Anyway, I called the campus police (learned my lesson from last time) and they came and took a report and got all of the information. The police officer agreed that it was in no way our fault and almost gave her a ticket, but since the damage was too bad, decided not too. Turns out, she didn't have her registration either-so he definitely should have given her a ticket for that. The police officer asked her what she was doing when she backed out and she said that she looked left and right. Um, if you are backing out, shouldn't you look behind you? I guess some people see their rearview mirrors as optional??? Whatever! So, hopefully everything will work out, we will get the car fixed, and not have to pay anything this time. The other bummer about all of this, is that Creighton's car has been in the shop for 5, yes 5 weeks, and so it was my new car that got hit, and as soon as we get his car back then we will have to take my car in. Which means I will be carless still. Luckily I was 9 months pregnant, and at home with a new baby the whole time his car has been in the shop and so I haven't necessarily needed a car. But I am going to want to get out more and more as time progresses. So I hope this process doesn't take too long! Oh, and the funny thing about this all is that a girl who was driving in the parking lot, in a perpendicular aisle to us, drove by the scene and said, "I heard you honking, how could she have not heard you?" What a way to end Creighton's last day off for the week huh?!

2008-09-09T17:22:00.000-06:00

Two Weeks Old...

So here are just a few pictures of the little guy, that I've taken over the last week. It's so hard to believe that it was 2 weeks to the day that he was born. What's even crazier is that it was just about this time that I started pushing!! He is still such an angel and we are loving him lots. Life definitely isn't easy, but oh so worth it :)

This first picture is to show his growth over the year!

This is a picture of him sleeping on me, after he burped :) I think he looks like an angel laying on his arms like that.

Just a random cute picture.

2008-09-09T16:50:00.000-06:00

My Mom...

Friday after the baby was born, my mom and dad came to stay with us and help out with the baby. My dad, unfortunately could only stay until Monday, and then had to go back to work. But my mom got to stay until last Sunday morning. I knew ahead of time that it was going to be nice to have my mom around, to help out and spend time with, but I didn't realize just how wonderful it was going to be to have her here. My mom is my best friend, and we talk all the time on the phone-even if it's just telling each other about our days. And so it was great to have her here to be a lending hand and listening ear.
The Saturday after we got home Creighton and I had a little scare with the baby because he wasn't eating, and seemed to be having breathing problems still. Well my mom and dad took turns watching him sleep through the night so Creighton and I could finally get some sleep ( I think that put my total up to 14 hours for the whole week! I know, that's to be expected. But I was a wreck and so worried.) Having her and my dad there was such a comfort to both me and Creighton.
Every morning after I would feed the baby my mom would take him and let me catch an hour or two more of sleep, which was just wonderful. Plus she got to spend some extra time with the baby and cuddle with him. I absolutely love to see how much she loves him, it makes me feel so good inside. I know how hard it was for her to leave him, and me. And it was equally hard for me to have her leave. It's good for me to start adjusting to life as a stay at home mom, without the extra help. But it was definitely nice to have a friend and an extra hand. I miss my mom so much already.
I just want my mom to know how much I love and appreciate her. She tries so hard to do so much and be a good mom. And I want to thank her for just being her. I love her with all of my heart, and I couldn't ask for a better mother and better friend. Love ya mom!!

2008-09-05T23:05:00.000-06:00

A random realization before I go to bed...

So this will be quick, but I realized something as I was putting baby McEwen down for bed. I have been writing his birth weight as 7.5 lbs. which is incorrect. It is suppose to be 7 lbs. 5 oz. I guess the whole pregnancy, lack of sleep, lack of concentration, memory blank thing has caught up with me. You would think that I would be better at decimals since we learn about the basic ones in 3rd grade. I blame it on the lack of sleep :) Ok, well that's all for my quick randomness. Oh, and I am still loving being a mom. It's wonderful...but where does the day go? He's already growing and changing too quickly. He is the love of my life for sure!

2008-09-03T08:30:00.000-06:00

Introducing...

Yeah!! He is here!! Baby McEwen (we are going to come up with a nickname for the blog for him, so sorry, his real name won't be posted on here-but I will email everyone that I have email addresses for and tell you his name. So for now he is baby McEwen) Baby McEwen was born on Tues. Aug. 26th at 9:04 pm. He weighed 7.5 pounds and was 19.5 inches long. He is just cutest thing ever and we love him to death!!!!!!
Here's a synopsis of the delivery. My water broke on Tues. morning at 1 am, without any real signs of labor leading up to it (I did have some funny feeling that something was going to happen soon though...it was weird). I had to go to the hospital though, because you must deliver within 24 hrs. of your water breaking. We got to the hospital at about 2 am and I was at 2 cm, but not really contracting so we started walking the halls over and over again. At 6 am I was still at a 2 and the Dr. said I was probably going to have to go on pitocin to help labor start if I wasn't progressing soon. So we walked some more and at around 9:30 I was at a 3, so he said I could keep walking and see how it was. By 12 I was almost at a 4 and was told that if by 2 I wasn't closer to a 5 they were going to start pitocin. I guess it wasn't my day and my "birthing plan" was way out the window, so I got started on pitocin and my contractions really started intensifying and coming on quicker. By 4 pm I was in the worst pain ever and when they checked me I was only at a 5...I just about died!! I was finally thinking an epidural might be in the near future for me because I hadn't slept or eaten in over 24 hours and I still had so much farther to go and push and it all had to happen within my 24 hour time frame or else it was going to be a c-section--AHHH! I didn't know how much strength I was going to have. I got through a few more contractions and Creighton and I talked about it, and decided that an epidural was the right path for me at that point. I got the epidural and my left side started to feel better...but not the right side. I was in excrutiating pain on my right side and it never actually went numb. They told me to wait it out, give myself another boost of the medicine, the Dr. gave me more medicine, but nothing was working. Finally at about 7:30 a different anesthesiologist came in and said I should have my epidural redone--I was not excited about that, because I was so weak and sick and was going to have to sit still to have them redo it through the contractions, but I made it and then life was great. I of course was at 9 1/2 cm by now, but I got to relax for the first time that day. They let me rest for about an hour or so and then the nurse came and checked me and said I was ready to do a few practice pushes. I was ready to go so she went and go the Dr. I started pushing at about 5 to 9 pm. After 3 pushes his head was crowning, but his heart rate dropped drastically so they got some forceps and on the next push his head was out, and then one more and he was here at 9:04 pm (only 11 days early). Nurses from respiratory were there, and so he was taken straight to them and his lungs got cleaned out, but he wasn't breathing well so I got to kiss him for a second and he was taken downstairs. Creighton went with him and they did some more suction from his lungs and put him on a c-pap. After we were in our new room on the mother/baby floor he was finally brought to us at about 11:30--9 months to get here, and then we still had to wait for our little guy, it was so hard. And that's the gist of it.
He is such a good baby, so calm and peaceful. I couldn't ask for anything more. I never knew how much I was going to love him, and worried about it sometimes, but it is so true what everyone says about how you just fall in love with them and as a mom there isn't anything you wouldn't do for them. He is everything to me and he makes me so happy. I am just so glad that I have the ability to stay home with him, because I hate how quickly time is going by already and I couldn't imagine missing a second of it. We take pictures of him everyday :) My mom and dad came up on Friday to help and I am so grateful for them. I am a worrier and my mom has been such a comfort to me and a big help. My dad went home on Monday, but my mom is here till Sunday morning and she is having the time of her life too, since he is the first grandchild. Motherhood is great, life is great, and I am as happy as can be.
Sorry it took me so long to get this up, but I hope you enjoy the pictures and the update.

(Creighton went to the BYU game on Saturday and got him these little sockies from the bookstore. He just loved being able to get him some BYU gear and is already planning out the next purchase!) Don't you just love his super cute smile?

2008-08-10T22:19:00.000-06:00

Another baby shower!!!

So my sister Hayley, with two of my good friends Shandi and Julie got together and threw me a wonderful baby shower here in Utah! I had such a wonderful time and everything turned out absolutely fabulous. I couldn't believe how cute everything was and how great all of the food tasted! It was so nice to get to visit with friends and catch up with people after the summer break too.

Shandi made me this adorable diaper cake--so cute! And Julie made all of the favors for everyone, the boxes said "It's a boy" and they had a little duck on top :)

One of the apetizers we had was this fabulous baby carriage that my sister made. She has never made one before, but got the idea somewhere and decided to make it--I think it turned out great Hayley!
Here's me-duh! I got so many nice gifts, everyone was so kind and generous! I definitely don't have to worry about our baby being dressed badly--he's going to be a stud!!!

Here are some friends filling out their guesses for the games. One game was a guess what the baby food was--no tasting, just looking (lucky for them), and the other one was an estimation game to see how many candies were in the bottles. Of course, one of my old students got the estimation one correct--I must have been a great teacher :) JK!!!

It was a great party, and it was so sweet of Hayley, Shandi and Julie to put it all together, and I'm so grateful so many people came to stop by and see me, it made me feel so special! Thanks again everyone, you are all amazing!!!!!!

2008-08-10T22:01:00.000-06:00

Less than 4 weeks to go, or so we hope :)

So here is hopefully my last update on pregnancy pictures. Unless of course I make it all the way to 40 weeks--which is definitely a possibility and then I will try to post some final pictures. But if I am lucky and go a little early, then I probably won't get any more pictures, at least not posed.
I had to laugh when I first saw this picture below because I really don't look 9 months pregnant in this shirt from the front!!! But just wait until you see the side pictures. Then you get the full view. Luckily I'm still not too big, but oh so tight, and getting tighter all of the time.

There is definitely a nice prego bump in the next two pictures! It's amazing how your body adapts to the baby. I was meaning to have my Dr. give me an estimate on how big the baby might be when I saw him this last week, but I forgot to ask. So that is on my list of questions for this week--since I get to see him every week now until the lucky day :)

Right now my feelings toward this whole pregnancy thing is mixed. #1-I can't wait to be done being pregnant, but #2-Am I really ready for my life to be completely different and to be taking care of a baby of my own for the rest of my life? Are these normal feelings? Am I just going crazy? I am so excited, and so scared, and so overwhelmed at the same time. It's a lot to take in at times. You would think that 40 weeks of preparation would make it a little bit easier, but I don't think so. I'm still just as nervous as I was then.

2008-07-20T17:18:00.000-06:00

Out with the old and in with the new...

If this comes as a big surprise to anyone, don't worry, it was to us too. I should probably explain. We have had my car for the last 6 1/2 years. I bought it from my grandparents a couple of months before Creighton and I got married, and it has been a great car. However it is an older car, with 230,00 miles on it and we knew it wouldn't last forever, but we'd decided to drive it into the ground for the most part. And over the last two years we have put some money into it. Not too much, but it was getting close--we wanted to be able to use the car and then sell it before we started losing too much on it. (Sorry, this is a long explanation). Over the winter the heater wasn't working great, and so I would take a blanket with me when I went to the gym at the crack of dawn, and Creighton did let me start parking in the garage (his card had a nicer paint job and was newer so he had the garage before), so it wasn't too bad. Then at the end of May when it finally started to warm up I went to use the air conditioning and discovered that it wasn't working. I was pretty bugged because we had payed last summer to get a valve ring fixed and get it recharged. So we took it in to see what was up and they told us that the air conditiong compressor had gone out and it was going to cost $1100.00. Now this was after we had just spent a chunk of money getting the muffler replaced so it could pass inspection.
Well after looking into other shops (learning that we had been paying too much money the last 2-3 years) and finding that it could be done for about $1000.00 instead (yeah so much cheaper), we realized we had two options. Fix it and keep using it, or get a new car. So we have debated for the last 2 months almost and came to the conclusion that we were going to get a new car. Now what we didn't know was how fast it was going to be.
I talked with a friend of mine whose husband sells used cars and he told us to come on down and he would give us a deal if he could get us what we wanted. We also spent a few weeks looking on the Internet to see what deals we could get there. When we went in to see the guy, he showed us a car and told us to look around. Creighton and I instantly thought that the car would be too much and so we looked at others. When we went back in to talk to him and he told us the price we were so excited. So we took it for a test drive, I called my dad and he looked up some stuff on the internet to help us compare the prices better and we realized that it was a definite deal--plus he was going to take our car as is and give us a little for it--not much, but really not too bad of a offer, especially when considering all of the work we were going to have to put into the car to get it ready.
Well we went home that night and talked about it and did some more looking and decided that it was a great deal and that we really wanted the car. So the next morning I called him up, and that night we brought home a new car!!! Well, 2006, but new to us. Now the only problem is that Creighton wants to drive my car everywhere, and has even taken it to work!! Oh well, I'm glad he likes it. And I am so excited to know that I don't have to drive the rest of the summer without air conditioning, and our poor baby won't have to suffer either in the heat, or cold :)

Here is the old car. I have to say, and maybe it's because I'm pregnant and hormonal, but it was a little sad giving this car away. We have had it during our entire marriage, and I've driven it for so long. We just have a lot of memories involving this car, but I'm sure we'll make many more in the new one.

Here are some pictures of the new car--all taken by Creighton. He's Mr. photographer, and so he kept trying out all of these different shots!! Anyway, it's a 2006 Honda Accord, with great miles, tan leather seats, and it is soooo clean. We love it, I'm just afraid to drive it and do something to ruin it. I'm one of those people who likes to leave Christmas gifts unused and unwashed for a while so they still feel like a gift, I know I'm a weirdo!!

2008-07-06T21:55:00.000-06:00

7 Month Update, and a couple of pictures of the view from my house in Cali...

This is a picture of the patio my parents put in before my wedding reception. It is my favorite thing to go sit out there and eat breakfast and read--when it's not 100 + degrees outside :)

Here is a picture of the view from the back patio. Isn't it great. It's really beautiful at night when the lights are on in the city. I just love it, love it, love it!

Ok, now the the 7 month pictures. Please ignore the ugly smile, I promise I really was smiling, but I don't know what happened. Anyway, as of today I am 31 weeks and 2 days--which is just a smidge over 7 months. So I have less than 2 months to go now. And I promise I really am growing. I feel tighter and tighter everyday. And no, it's not unbearable, but really, just not enjoyable. All and all, I am feeling pretty good. I have noticed that my feet have started to swell a little by the end of the day here, I'm sure it doesn't help that it is so stinkin' hot! But I can still wear shoes, so I know I haven't got it too bad yet, give me another month, and then maybe it'll be there :)

I guess that's it for now. When I get back home I am going to post some pictures of the great travel system (stroller/car seat) that my parents bought us, and hopefully the bedding we ordered will have come (and be the right thing) and I can put some pictures of that up too. We are going to be looking at getting the furniture for the nursery and getting the room ready in the next few weeks too. When that is done, then I will have some more fun pictures to post--yeah! Hope you all had a good 4th of July!!

2008-07-06T21:22:00.000-06:00

My Week in California!!!

So last Monday I left Utah to go home for a visit! My mom had planned a great shower for me that was going to be on Tuesday. Here are just a couple of pictures from the shower. I got to see so many great friends and family members. It was so nice and tons of fun :) I got some wonderful gifts too. Everyone was so kind and generous, it was amazing!!

Then later on in the week for the 4th of July my mom and I canned blackberry jam, from the berries grown in my parents' garden. We made 4 batches which made about 24 pints of jam!! I can't wait for them to come up this September and bring me some :) (The pictures of the jam are farther down because we hadn't showered and gotten ready for the day yet, so my mom said no to the pictures until later!!
After making jam we made homemade ice cream and then drove to the beach to visit my grandma and grandpa. The live on a hill that over looks 3-4 other cities and their fireworks, so we get to see a great show whenever we go there. It wasn't foggy at all and so we saw tons of fireworks and they were beautiful. I tried to take a couple of pictures with my mom's camera, but we were too far away, and I'm not the best photographer, so here is what you get. Sorry if all you see is black--I promise, it really was beautiful!

Here are the pictures of the jam. You can't quite see all of the jars, but you get the idea. My mom is with me in the bottom picture. It took quite a lot of convincing to get her to be in the picture with me, but I think it turned out cute:) I love you mom!!!!!

So that's been my week in a nut shell. I've been helping my dad on little projects here and there, but mostly just really enjoying my parents. They are so great to me and it just amazes me how much they love me. I don't know what I'd do without them. Thanks for the great week mom and dad!!

2008-06-08T17:09:00.000-06:00

Pictures at last!!!

I know that many of you have been checking our blog to see the wonderful pregnancy pictures. Well, since I don't think they are that wonderful, and I personally don't enjoy getting bigger, they aren't something I want the world to see. But since I don't get to see most of you too often, I figure I better get a couple in. I haven't really taken very many, so please don't be disappointed by the lack of pictures, just be happy with what you get :)

Here is me at about 5 months...

These next ones are from today, and I am just a tad over 6 months. I can't believe how fast it is going some days, and then other days I wish it was the end already!

It is honestly like I have a 1/2 basketball in front of me, and it's just growing. Ha! Ha!

2008-05-19T15:14:00.000-06:00

A finished product...

Here's a quickie on the blanket I had mentioned earlier. I said I would post pictures of the blanket I made for a friend, and here they finally are. It's a rag quilt made with flannel material.

An up close shot.

Here's a shot of the back.

Anyway, it was a fun project! Always a little time consuming, but I think that it turned out cute in the end. If you couldn't tell by the back, I was inspired by Strawberry Shortcake :)

2008-05-07T14:02:00.000-06:00

What I've been reading lately...
So I finally have a few things to post, but a few of them require me finding the cord for the camera to hook it up to the computer. And since that hasn't happened yet I've been slow blogging. But I will give you a heads up, I have a pregnancy picture to post--for those of you who don't get to see me, you will probably a kick out it more than others. I also just finished making a baby blanket for a friend at work who is having a baby girl soon. (I actually remembered this morning that I couldn't take it to her yet since I hadn't taken a picture of it yet).
We went to a friend's house the other night and she told me she was tired of reading about BLUE, since I haven't posted anything new. She suggested I share what I am reading since I am usually reading something. So this post is going to be about what I've been reading over the last few months--here you go Jessica!
For most of you who know me this will probably come as a surprise, but I have read a few adult books in the last few months--shocker, I know. I read "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Suns" (I think that's the name of the second one). I really liked both of them! I definitely feel like I learned something about life somewhere else. Another adult book I read was "Water for Elephants"--I liked the story, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone because of the very descriptive and graphic in a few parts. And I'm not talking graphic as in gruesome, I'm saying inappropriate graphic. I only read it because it was for a book club. I did enjoy the book, but it was hard to get over some parts, and I would have rather not read those scenes (hope that makes sense).
Now on to kids books. I have always been a huge fan of Andrew Clements and have recently read 3 of his books: "No Talking," "Things Not Seen," and "Things Hoped For." I liked all 3 of them. "No Talking" was very similar to all of his books, funny entertaining, and it teaches kids something. The other two were different than most of his books. They were written for a little bit older audience (7th grade) and the stories were very detailed and creative. I especially liked those two a lot. "Things not Seen" is the first one, and "Things Hoped For" is the second. They are not based on the same story, but the first story is interwoven into the second, so I suggest reading the 1st one first.
I am currently reading "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer. I got it yesterday at Costco for $15. Not bad! So far the story has been a little confusing at first because it jumps around a lot. But that was only the first 30-40 pages, and we all know it takes a little while to get introduced to characters and get into the story. And so this morning as I was reading a little I was definitely getting into the story more. I'll have to keep you updated on how the story is coming.
Besides pregnancy books, which I'm sure all of you have already read, that's about all of the books so far. I've been trying to read Shannon Hale's new book, but our library can't find it in the library anywhere. So if she finds it, I'll read it and let you know what I think.
I guess that's it for now! Hope I didn't bore you too badly :)

2008-04-06T18:54:00.000-06:00

I'm seeing a lot of BLUE in the future!!!

Hopefully you can tell by the title and the picture, but just in case you can't...we're having a boy! I had a friend who got me in for an ultrasound early, and so we actually found out a few weeks ago that it's a HE. We are both very excited. I'm a little scared, since I don't have an older brother, and I really don't know how to teach him to be a good big brother, but I guess I will figure it out as I go. Everything was perfect and he was very healthy and strong. According to the ultrasound he is measuring 1 week ahead actually. But I have another ultrasound through my Dr.'s office a week from Tuesday, and I'm hoping that they'll either confirm that I am a week ahead, and officially move my due date up, or leave it the same. We have not decided on a name yet, boys names are something we have never been able to agree on unfortunately. But I'm sure by the time August rolls around we should have it narrowed down!! It was really funny because while my friend was doing the ultrasound Creighton all of a sudden said, "Oh, it's a boy!" Right when the technician found it. So it was pretty obvious that we were having a boy. He wasn't hiding anything from us.

I actually started feeling him kicking last Sunday, and now he is moving around more and more. Creighton keeps asking how I know for sure that it's him kicking, or hitting me some how. And I tell him that the only thing in that area of my abdomen is my uterus and the baby. Plus I've never felt anything like it before. Maybe when he feels it for himself, he'll finally start to believe me :)

I hope my little boy never feels humiliated that I posted a picture of him in all his glory on the internet for everyone to see!! We are just so excited to have him and wanted you all to see too!

2008-04-01T14:26:00.001-06:00

7 Interesting things about me tag...

So my friend tagged me the other day and I decided, finally, that I should do it. Now, I don't know if theses will be considered interesting, but they might be unknown to most people. I hope you enjoy!

1. I enjoy art a lot. My favorite area is sketching. I love the black and white, and all the shadows. I even drew a picture of my nephew and gave it to my sister-in-law for Christmas a couple of years ago--hope she liked it :)

2. I was one of the valedictorians of my high school class.

3. I lived in the same city my whole life, until I moved to Utah to go to school. In fact all of my brothers and sister have had the same wonderful elementary school teacher--Ms. Kramer!!

4. I got to go on an African safari during my junior year of high school.

5. I went to Forks and La Push, Washington last summer (the setting for the best selling Twilight series).

6. I am deathly afraid of needles, and most often pass out when I get shots.

7. I am not a big chocolate fan, and would prefer some sort of sour candy any day :)

Those were the most interesting/unknown facts about me that I could come up with. Thanks for reading.

PS: We are going to be putting up a new baby post soon, so keep checking back.

2008-03-09T09:21:00.000-06:00

Are You Sitting Down...

Well, here it is, the news you have all been waiting for. I am pregnant! We found out right after Christmas, and have just been waiting for the 1st trimester to be over so we could tell everyone. I am due on September 5th! I told my school class this last week and they were so excited, so I figured it was about time to tell everyone else who doesn't already know. We should be finding out in about a month what we are having, and hopefully we'll have a picture to post then. But as of right now, that is the big news. Probably the biggest news of our lives so far. We are really excited about it all and so is everyone else! So, finally our lives are about to get a little bit more intersting. I'm sure that neither of us really grasps how interesting that will be though :)

2008-02-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is Creighton. So I noticed Sarah has been blogging lately. I also noticed that in her last blog she included some details of our relationship. Most are true, some I'd like to argue. So I've edited her "tag" blog to include my responses to each of her responses, my responses in parentheses.

2008-01-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

Tag...

So I was tagged ages ago, but wasn't really doing the whole blog thing yet. But now that I am, I guess this gives me something to post about!

1. What is your husband's name? Creighton Alan McEwen (1 for 1, off to a good start)
2. How long have you been married? 5 years and 9 months--a long time huh?! (Not that long, honey, but true)
3. How long did you date? 5 months (we dated for five months before we got engaged, another four months before we were married. So, 9 months total)
4. How old is he? 28 (what, no "that's old, huh? Why aren't we asking how old she is?)
5. Who eats more? Creighton can chow down in one sitting and eat a lot more than I do. But he often only eats 1 or 2 meals a day. I eat smaller meals more frequently. (I can put it down, yes)
6. Who said I love you first? We argue over this whenever it is brought up. I KNOW that it was me, he thinks that it was him. I have the better memory so I don't know how it is even questionable. So we say that we’ll have to wait till the afterlife to find out for sure ☺ (Sarah, I love you, but you are wrong. I KNOW that is was me. Here's how it went down... we were hangin' out. I said I had something I wanted to say. She said she had something she wanted to say. I said I wanted to say mine first. I said "I love you.")
7. Who is taller? Creighton by a lot. (It hurts her neck to crane up at me)
8. Who sings better? I’m not that great of a singer, but I’m better. Creighton doesn’t really ever sing, so maybe he has some hidden talent I don’t know about. (She is a better singer)
9. Who is smarter? I think that we are both pretty smart actually. We each have our own strengths in different areas. (No way am I going to say I'm smarter)
10. Whose temper is worse? Mine for sure. (No comment)
11. Who does the laundry? Me (I do some of my own stuff)
12. Who does the dishes? Mostly Creighton, I help sometimes. (I try to make up for not participating in another activity. See #16)
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me (I'm confused. Which right? Facing the headboard? I don't like the question)
14. Who pays the bills? All done on-line automatically! (I set that up, thank you)
15. Who mows the lawn? That’s what we pay our HOA fees for baby!! (That's what I'm talkin' about! Who's your daddy?! I'm not sure why there's so much energy in response to this question. I never knew lawn mowing and snow removal was so exciting, but I dig it)
16. Who cooks dinner? Always me, not that I choose it to be that way. (I do)
17. Who drives when you are together? Creighton (I can drive for hours and hours, one of my joys)
18. Who is more stubborn? Tie. (Again, no comment)
19. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Creighton, if he sees that he was wrong. (Thanks... I think)
20. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine (Isn't that always the case with the girl's parents?)
21. Who proposed? Creighton (And did I mention I said "I love you" first, too?)
22. Who is more sensitive? Me definitely (I have feelings, too)
23. Who has more friends? Me (What is this, high school?)
24. Who has more siblings? Me, 1 sister and 3 brothers. (Cancer prevented my mom from having more kids)
25. Who wears the pants in the family? We both think we do. (And again, no comment)
26. Where did you meet your husband? Good old Brick Oven! (Where she gave me my tip money at the end of each night. Indeed, the good ol' days. Never again will she hand over so much cash to me)
27. What was the first thing you said to your husband? I was probably telling him what delivery he was taking. (Springdell by 7 Peaks, right Sarah? something like that... nevermind)
28. Where was your first date? Movies and Sonic for slushies (America's Sweethearts, thumbs down, and lemon-berry, thumbs up)
29. Where was your first kiss? In Creighton’s apartment. (good thing my pot-smoking roommates weren't there)
30. Where did you get engaged? At the Visitor Center on BYU campus—the old one, not the new one. (and way past our bedtimes. don't tell)
31. Where were you married? San Diego Temple (enveloped by fog when we entered, drenched in sunlight when we came out holding hands)
32. Where was the honeymoon? Big Bear, CA (360 days of sun per year)
33. If you could have changed anything about it what would it have been? Longer, and gone somewhere where we could have done a little bit more. It was pretty good though. (We realized it wasn't the best idea when the local Denny's shuts down at 8:00)

Tag you're it: I’m not really sure whom to tag. Most people I know have done these things a thousand times already…anyone who wants to, go for it!
Now you just have to copy the questions, answer them, post it, then tag 3 more people.

2008-01-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

I am in trouble now...

As of right now, I have just been posting very infrequently, as you can see, trying to get this whole blogging thing going. But I guess I have been found out, and people are starting, slowly but surely, to check my blog. So I guess that means I have to come up with something to post a little more often. I was hoping to get this wonderful page design, great header, some nice music blah, blah, blah, before I actually informed anyone about this blog page, but oh well. I guess it will make me get moving a little faster and try to get some work done on it now. It's good motivation! Coming up with what to post will be the tricky thing. I don't even take pictures of anything besides my students and classroom...I don't know, maybe I could take pictures of my kitchen before it's cleaned and after ha ha! I'm sure I'll come up with something. Until next time!

2007-12-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

Christmas break is finally here and I am actually in California now. Creighton is joining me on Monday after he works this weekend. It's fun to be home with all of my brothers and sister--minus Logan who's on his mission. Hopefully now that I am home, and not worrying about school, it will finally start to feel like Christmas--just in time huh?!

Believe it or not, but this week I received a nice pie in the face from one of my students!! They did a food drive at school and if the students brought in enough cans they got to pick a teacher from each grade level to get a pie in the face. And I was the lucky winner. It really wasn't too bad, and the kids loved getting to see it. They were quite hyper afterwards, but it was the last day before Christmas break, and I'm sure they'll remember it forever. Creighton video taped it, but I don't have that with me here in Cali, so here are some pictures for your enjoyment :)

Thi is one of the girls in my class. She was picked randomly from the kids in my class who have never gotten in trouble this year so far!!

This is one of the teachers from my grade who helped "guide" the students into picking me for the pie"ing." He didn't think I can handle. I am mean seriously--it's just whip cream guys!!

There's the pie!!

What a beauty queen huh?!! The kids all asked me if it tasted good. I told them that I didn't eat any of it, but it sure made my skin feel nice and creamy :)

2007-08-30T11:25:00.000-06:00

The Start of Something New...

I've been checking blogs for the last 2 years now, but never felt that I had anything worth while to post, and so I've been content with checking others. I figured that once we had kids, life would be more interesting and I would have pictures to show--things like that. So, I actually subscribed to this blog page over a year ago, figuring I would start it up officially when I was ready. Well, we don't have any kids yet, nor am I pregnant, but I decided that this would be a good way to document what goes on in our lives, whether it is exciting or not. I don't want to forget the things that happen in our lives, no matter how small they may be. With that said, I won't update daily like many people do, but I will try and update weekly, to let you know what's been going on with us. I want this to be a way to stay in touch with others as much as I can. Let me know what you think!