So anyway...

What is a Mom's Work Worth?

2011-05-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Why hello there, it's me Mike, the husband. I don't often blog, but I thought the occasion was appropriate. I designed an infographic at work for Mother's Day and I thought some of Lydia's readership would appreciate it.

So to all you Mothers, and especially to you Lydia, thanks for everything!

[click to view full size]

Is that fun?

2010-12-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

Pretty Girl

2010-07-12T10:11:00.001-07:00

I know I'm biased as her mother, but sometimes Kate's beauty just takes my breath away.

Love those big brown eyes.

Handsome Devil

2010-07-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Little Owen is already 3 1/2 months old. Wha? How does that happen?

He loves face time and gives the best smiles and giggles. He is a great baby, almost always happy; eats well, sleeps well, travels well. Doesn't care for baths or loud noises though.

Smiley Guy

Laughing at Mama

He rolled over yesterday for the first time, but we missed it! After months of sucking on his knuckles, he finally found his thumb a couple days ago and seems to enjoy it. Loves Pat-a-Cake.

Finding his thumb

He seems to be growing well. Last time I had him on the scale he was just shy of 14 lbs, so he's nearly doubled his birth weight. He likes to stand and jump like his big sister. More updates on both kids after their doctor appointments in a couple of weeks.

This one's older (Owen was about 6 weeks) but it's fun to compare to the next one of Kate when she was about 3 months old. They look so much alike! Do you think so?

Awfully Quiet

2010-07-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Kate: Can we go to Nana's house?

Me: Let me go talk to Daddy about it. (Proceeds upstairs for said talk.)

....about 5 minutes pass....

Me: Hmm, I wonder what Kate is up to.
Mike: She has been awfully quiet.

...come downstairs to find this....It's pretty hard to discipline your child when you're laughing hysterically.
Yup Nutella.

Kinda gives new meaning to, "The proof is in the pudding."

And of course, this conversation from Baby Mama comes to mind:

Is that poop or chocolate? (tastes some). Chocolate!

What if that had been poop?

Like I said, kids are messy.

Pulling the Plug

2010-05-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

After nearly three years, Kate is BINKY FREE!

That's right folks, we finally pulled the plug on this incessant sucker. We've been telling her for a couple of weeks that she's a big girl now and doesn't need it any more. Then on Friday night we told her that it was her very last night for the binky and that tomorrow we would be sending them to the cloud babies that need them.

Come Saturday morning, Mike went to the store and got some balloons while Kate and I watched the Pixar Short Partly Cloudy a couple of times so that she knew where her binkies were headed. We tried to make it a really memorable ceremony. Here are the pictures...

Oh yes, and that is the half-eaten balloon cookie she got as a consolation prize.

So it's been 4+ days and she's done amazingly well. Only asked for her binky a couple of times and has gone to bed at night without much fuss. That first night she asked for her blankie and when I gave it to her she said, "Please don't ever send my blankie away." So sad and so sweet at the same time.
I did say "at night" right? Oh, that's because since the flight of the binkies Kate hasn't had a nap. Previously she would skip her nap once a week or so, and last week she had a couple of WAY late nights after having had a nap, so we wondered if she was transitioning out of naps. I guess without a binkie, naptime just isn't worth it anymore. ;) Easier transition for her than for me BY FAR.

Kate is an amazing nearly 3-year-old. She is really into names and relationships, and she remembers names so well too. She tells us who is a daughter and who is a son and who has a mama. She loves to make-believe play with just about any pair of animals or dinosaurs or mermaids or dragons or whatever! She just has to have a toy for each hand and she's golden.

She comes up with the funniest things to say, too. She copies our words and intonations just perfectly. The other night when Mike got home she asked him, "How's your day, Daddy?" It was the way she said it--like an adult--that made it so memorable.
Yesterday as she was putting chapstick on my back (yep, my back) she was telling me, "Don't worry, Mama, it's just pressure. I'm making you beautiful." I tell her not to worry it's just pressure when I'm clipping her fingernails.

Another funny Kate story while we're on the subject:

The other night after having one of the biggest #2's on the potty Kate took a look and said, "Mama, I made some magic!"

We love you so much, Miss Kate.

First smile?

2010-03-20T14:08:00.001-07:00

Owen Michael, the man, the myth, the legend

2010-03-20T14:00:00.001-07:00

7lbs 2 ounces, 19 inches long, healthy and strong. Welcome to the world little buddy :)

13:27 - The end is nigh!

2010-03-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

1:27 Lydia has now dilated to a 7.5! She's chomping on ice chips and grimacing pleasantly. We have 7 visitors present in the room, and we're very happy they could all join us for Owen's debut. More updates coming soon...

1:45 8.5, Owen's in a tight spot. Everyone's getting excited.

2:00 Over a 9 now. Mama's feelin some pain now. Jed (Dr.) came in to check her out. Baby is looking good, and almost ready to meet the world!

Progress

2010-03-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

11:30 We're dilated to a 5 and moving to 6! Well, Lydia is anyway. I'm not dilated at all yet.

URGENT UPDATE

2010-03-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

9:43 Popsicle Given

That is all.

Bring on the pain!

2010-03-20T08:59:00.001-07:00

Water broke!

2010-03-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

9:15 Water is broken, and we're on our way! A nurse came in and just poked her with some little blue rod. TMI?? Get used to it.

She's getting a catheter placed now. We're waiting to increase the Pitocin for another few minutes so we don't stress him out with all of the sudden changes. Little does he know the worst is yet to come. Passing through the canal and learning how to breathe will seem like a walk in the park compared to circumcision. *wince* Poor little guy...

Pre-game show

2010-03-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Good morning folks and welcome to the the second ever triennial baby pre-game show! I'm Mike Metcalf, and I'll be calling the plays today.

8:30 We're checked in, and ready to go.

8:50 Nurse got Lydia hooked up to an IV in her wrist (not the funnest place for an IV according to the patient).

9:00 Pitocin is going, and so are the contractions.

9:10 Epidural is in!

Click the picture to see that needle in it's full glory.

made the decision

2010-03-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

So at my dr appt yesterday, Jed said, "now why didn't we have you scheduled for induction today?"

He was serious, and said that baby looks good and we can be started anytime. So funny that I want him out so much, but it seemed so hard to say, "ok, let's go!"

So after a little thought and talk, we decided to just go ahead and schedule the induction for our due date of March 23rd. The reason? Overwhelmingly the date. Call me silly, but Kate was born on 6/26 and he would be 3/23, making their birthdays easy to remember. PLUS both on a Tuesday, and from the looks of it, they'll be really close to the same size, and maybe even born around the same time. All those questions will be so easy to answer when I am old and senile. Just planning for the future, folks.

So stay tuned...a week from now I suspect Mike will be giving the play-by-play like he did with Kate.

thoughts on the eve of 39 weeks

2010-03-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

This is the 3rd post I have started in the last 2 weeks and I am determined to get it published!

If you had asked me 6 weeks ago if I would still be pregnant today, 1 week before my due date, I would have told you there was no way I would make it. While I am glad Baby didn't come early for his developmental sake, I truly can't believe I've made it this long. As of right now, I am thinking I will likely get started on my due date like I did with Kate. 8 days and counting...

There are so many ways that this feels like I am pregnant for the first time. I don't know if I am super forgetful, or if it is just different this time. I don't remember having so many contractions, or being SO uncomfortable all the time. I don't miss the swelling that was enormously present with my first pregnancy though; THAT I can remember.

It's amazing to me that our family will be changing again. Just like any life change--getting married, having your first child--I am in that state of wonderment when you think, "what IS it going to be like?" And you really don't know until you're there for yourself.

Kate is doing awesome with the whole thing, although I do secretly suspect she thinks that "Baby Brother" is just the name we gave my big belly! We've been talking about it so long that in kid years, it must seem like I've always been pregnant. Heck-I feel like I have always been pregnant!!

More than anything, I am just anxious to get on with this next phase of life. The waiting is beginning to feel like I am watching water waiting for it to boil....

Can't wait to meet you, Little Guy. Come out soon!

A following?

2010-01-25T14:27:00.000-08:00

So I am, as you can imagine, a little baffled by the rapid increase in traffic to my blog. Not that I mind so much, just curious. Anyone care to share where you are coming to my blog from?

the picture just doesn't do it justice, but here's the story

2010-01-07T15:32:00.001-08:00

So I just opened the front door and there were several people standing in the street looking at up at the house to the east of ours and some were even taking pictures. So I asked what was going on and they told me there was a BALD EAGLE in my neighbor's tree. I had to see for myself, and I did. IT WAS HUGE! And beautiful. I went back in and got Kate's boots on so she see it too. We went back out and had another look. The others that were there said it had been in the tree for a while. I ran back in again to get my camera and when I got back out this time he was flying over the house to our south. This is the picture I got (zoomed in as best I could):

He bite my finger a 'dil bit.

2010-01-06T09:22:00.000-08:00

Kate has been totally into dinosaurs lately. She got some great ones for Christmas and has been playing with them everyday.
Last night she woke us up screaming and it took me a minute to calm her down enough to see what the matter was, though I suspected a bad dream. Once she was calm she told me there was a dinosaur under her bed. At first, I thought she just wanted one of her toy dinosaurs and it fell under the bed. But no, what she meant was there was a REAL dinosaur under her bed. So I told her I would check, and tucked her in telling her there aren't any dinosaurs under her bed.
After about 3 rounds of this, I pulled her into our bed in order to get some sleep.
Right when Kate woke up this morning she went into her room without saying anything. She came back a few minutes later saying "I can't find 'em, mama."
"Find who?"

"The dinosaurs under my bed." That was all I heard of it for the next two hours, and then just now we had this conversation:
Kate: "I need to go check on 'em."
Me: "Check on who?"

Kate: 'The dinosaurs under my bed." And off she went. Upon her return:
Me: "Is he scary, sweetie?"
Kate: "No, he's nice. I check on him and he's nice. I'm not worried about him. He bite me a 'dil bit. He's nice and bite me a 'dil bit. On my finger a 'dil bit." Then she went back upstairs again, this time with her binkie and her blankie.
"I give him my binkie and my blankie. He's nice. I'm not worried about him."

I seriously wouldn't think anything of this wad of blankie by her bed if I didn't know the story behind it.

And binkie a little further under the bed.

SUCCESS!!!

2009-08-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hooray for Miss Kate! She has been doing AWESOME on the potty for the last couple of weeks, but this week has had several accident/diaper free days. Today she woke up dry and held it for another hour before we finally remembered to get her to the potty.

Good Job, Kate. We sure are proud of you.

To all my MJ fans out there

2009-08-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

Have you see this clip? It's taken from a Larry King episode where they toured Michael Jackson's house after his death. It's kind of freaky, but cool too.

Seeing Kidney Beans

2009-08-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

I had my first prenatal appointment this morning. What a relief it is to see that little growing embryo and hear its quick little heartbeat. I also found out that I am only 8 1/2 weeks along (not 9 1/2 like I thought I might be) making my due date March 26th.

Just thought you might like to know. :D

Oh, and until my next post (heaven knows when that will be) enjoy this hilarious clip :

http://www.pampers.co.uk/en_GB/video/babyseyes.jsp

2-year-old moments

2009-08-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

Kate turned two in June, and we had her party at my dad's pool again. Here she is blowing out her candles. We practiced singing Happy Birthday and blowing out candles for several weeks prior to her party. Just look at that honed in focus!

Kate got a kitten for her birthday. She loves her "Mittens" dearly, and tortures her daily. :)

In the month of July, Kate's cousin Eli was in town from Ohio and they went on lots of adventures together. This is them at the Dinosaur Park in Ogden.

Kate thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks, and I was lucky enough to get this awesome reaction in a picture. One of Kate's favorite activities is playing in water in the backyard, be it sprinklers, the hose, or this bucket. One day she was wanting to play in the sink while I was doing dishes, so I added dish soap to her bucket. She had the time of her life!

On a recent visit to Orem, we went up to Bridalveil Falls in Provo Canyon. The lighting was absolutely perfect that evening, and I took about a hundred pictures. These two are my favorites! The two loves of my life.
I found out I am pregnant (yay!) a couple of weeks ago, and this weekend we announced it to Mike's family. I printed about 25 pictures that I had taken over the last month or so and put this one at the end. It was so fun to see the delayed reactions as each person read the sign Kate was holding. It was a fun and memorable way to announce.

Body-for-LIFE

2009-07-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I stepped onto the scale to see a whopping 170 glare back at me. I have only been this weight (not pregnant, that is) one other time in my life--right after high school. It hit me hard that I am at my heaviest weight ever and something's GOT TO CHANGE.

In January of 2000 I rang in not only a new year but a new millennium and kicked it off with a diet/workout plan I had been reading about: Body-for-LIFE. If you haven't heard of it, you should check it out. Anyway, at that time, I didn't participate in the 12 week challenge but I did incorporate the priciples the plan is founded upon into my life. I lost 33 lbs over the next several months and more or less kept it off until I got pregnant almost 3 years ago. I let everything go, and I haven't gotten it back yet.

Until today that is. Not only have I recommitted to getting back the health and confidence I once enjoyed, I have entered the 12 week challenge and I have dragged Mike into it with me. He's a good sport, and a great ally to have on my team. Together I want to lose those 35 lbs again and Mike wants to add some muscle tone and definition.

I just took my before pictures... not a pretty sight. I will consider posting them once the challenge is done, but for now they're just to keep me motivated. I letting you all in on the loop so that you know I am 100% committed to this and any support or encouragement you want to throw my way will be received with gratitude. Oh, and don't be offended if I decline dessert or alter any food you have prepared. it's not personal, it's business.

Valium goes Viral

2009-02-12T14:00:00.001-08:00

I can't get enough of David. Not sure if you've seen this yet, but the first time I saw it was Feb. 2nd and I was amazed that 3 days after it's posting it had been viewed over 200,000 times. Right now (13 days after it's posting) it's at 8,230,724 and it already has a ton of spin-off videos. Enjoy!

Mike and I quote this daily... "Is this real life?", "Why is this happening to me?", "You have four eyes.", "Is this going to be forEVER?" Such classic lines. Makes me want to get to know this kid when he's not completely wasted.

It's go time!

2009-01-15T20:30:00.000-08:00

I started my marathon training again last week. I am shocked at how quickly I got out of the habit of training (and out of shape). I decided it was time to get my butt back in gear when I got winded going up three flights of stairs.

Right now I am registered to run the Ogden Marathon on May 16th, but I am thinking of running the Rock n Roll San Diego marathon on May 31st as well... and maybe the Avenue of the Giants half marathon on May 3rd because I've always wanted to visit the Redwoods and to run a race through them would be epic.

I have been invited to join Team in Training. It's part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and basically as a runner you fund raise and run for an honored patient. Mike's aunt Kathy (who Kate is named after) died of Leukemia when she was a teenager, and I am sure we all know someone who has a similar story, unfortunately. Anyway, I was impressed by this organization and I am going to a meeting to learn more on the 31st.

Anyway, the purpose of this post was to let you know that you can keep up with my training now at www.dailymile.com/people/lydiametcalf instead of on my running blog.

Thanks for all your support!

twilight gno UPDATE

2008-11-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

So I bought 12 tickets to the Thursday night at 12:10 showing. Here's who I have going, let me know if I missed anyone.

1- Lydia
2- Mindy
3- Jenny
4- Shanna
5- Lacey
6- friend of Lacey
7- Angie
8- Ximen
9- Ashlee
10- Vanessa??
11-
12-

So yes, if I haven't missed anyone there are still two tickets. If I somehow missed you, first of all, I APOLOGIZE! But secondly, get a hold of me asap so I don't give your ticket to someone else.

Can't wait! Love you all!

Twilight GNO

2008-11-05T13:20:00.000-08:00

Tickets are available so its time to start planning.

Looks like both Thursday night at Midnight and all times on Friday night still have tickets available. What works for people? I good either way, but I definitely want to go with YOU! (yes that means anyone reading this that is interested in going)

We talked about this long ago and now its time to get our plans in order.

Really, its the least I could do

2008-11-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

Picture time!

I know you have all been dying to see some pictures of Kate. She is SO GROWN UP, you'll just die! (That sounded just like my mother...)

As far as updates go, she's now 16 months old, about 25 lbs and 32 inches tall. She is extremely active (as you will see in the pics) and athletic; jumping, running, and climbing on EVERYTHING. She is a darling copycat and learning new words everyday. It seems like she understands so much of what we say.

She still loves (did I say loves? I meant LOVES) dogs, but she has branched out to include all of God's creepers and critters.

We just bought her an Elmo potty and her first "big girl panties" but we aren't pushing it...just want to be ready when she is. She loves to help me do everything I do, including cleaning up and cooking.

And with no further adieu...

Our little trick-or-treating puppy!

I told you she likes to jump, right? She could spend hours on the trampoline, and gets some pretty impressive air. (See slideshow below, for more evidence)

I love this picture for the face she is making. Can you hear the "OooO" sound now? I must see this face a hundred times everyday and she explores and discovers all the exciting things the world has to delight her.

Oh man, how could anyone resist those puppy-dog eyes?

Now, because I know you want to what it's like to spend a half hour with Kate, I invite you to Nana's house.

Oh, heck yeah baby!

2008-09-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I ran a marathon. The end.

I'm not dead, if that's what you're thinking

2008-09-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

AND this is actually the 4th post I've written in the past four months, but I just thought they were all so boring so I never posted them. I know. Lame, right? Well I guess I'll post one of them for you, as it was the most comprehensive and you can decide for yourself.

Before that, I thought I would pick up where "something awesome" left of...the Top of Utah marathon. Yeah, it's this Saturday, and yes I'm still planning on running it. As you can see I have only run about half of the miles I was supposed to by this point, but I have done a couple of "long" runs (17 or 18 miles) and only one of them killed me. :D Getting that first one under my belt was an amazing psychological boost and I feel more confident than ever that I can finish a marathon! Four more days....

Anyway, here's that other post. It was aptly titled "you should blog about that"

I've heard that a lot lately. Must be because I have had a very eventful summer. Can I use this as an excuse for my absence in the blogging scene for the last three months?

Highlights since May include:

Wasatch Back Relay. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this race, teams of 12 relay 180 miles from Logan to Park City. Mike and I were part of a team put together by one of his coworkers called Command-R. It's a mac command that "runs" a program. So Command R=RUN, get it? Anyway, the race was a blast! Each person runs 3 legs of an average 5 miles each. I ran 17 miles total. My last leg--6 miles, slightly uphill most the way, at 1:30 in the afternoon which made it 95ish degrees, oh, and most significantly my third time running in about 18 hours--was by far the most difficult. Overall though, an experience I hope to have again in the future.

Kate's first birthday. We celebrated Kate's first birthday in June. We had a swimming party at my dad's house. I made her a "Woof" cake, which she picked at but never dug into. Kate loves swimming, and is not afraid of the water. I think it may be time to get her into swimming lessons. I think she would do quite well.

The whole week before Kate's birthday she was sick. When I took her to the doctor they said there were several stomach bugs going around and she most likely just had one of those and to keep her hydrated. Then the day after her birthday, she had her well child visit and got 4 vaccines. A couple of days after her party she started having a super high fever (104 degrees) so I took her to the doctor again (third time in a week) and because all her normal checks were fine with the exception of the fever and fussiness and lack of appetite, the doc decided to take some blood and urine samples. So within a 5 day period she got poked 7 times and had a nasty experience with a catheter. The urine test showed she had a bladder infection and she needed further testing to determine the cause. Poor girl. Seriously no fun for anyone.

Following the latter tests we found out that she has a grade 3 reflux, which is where the urine backs up into her kidney on one side. It may not be serious enough for surgery, and in most cases corrects itself by the time they reach age 5. But as is, we have to see a pediatric urologist and most likely have her checked out yearly for changes. Sure explains her uncharacteristically bad mood for almost the entire month of June.

School. Yuck. Summer school is never fun, but this semester seemed especially burdensome. Mike and I finally took a class together and it was a bit of a beast. Not looking forward to starting again in a couple of weeks.

Fourth of July. Due to a massive load of homework, we didn't celebrate all too heartily. The highlight for me was a run I took that night right at dusk. I got to see a couple of firework finales from a few nearby cities and ran past several neighborhood celebrations. When I was telling Mike how much fun it was, he said, "sounds like the Sandlot." Yes, very much so.

This is boring...I'm outta here.

something awesome

2008-05-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Team "something awesome" completed the marathon in 4 hours 5o minutes!!!

On Friday afternoon Mike and I were IMing and he was saying how jealous he was that I would be running on Saturday without him. Well, here. Read it yourself:

2:00 PM Mike: i wish i could run it with you

starting to feel really jealous

2:01 PM Lydia: yeah, that would be so awesome

Mike: do you think i could?

i'd be tempted to try

i really felt like i could have gone a lot further when we ran that 5

but i know i'd really be pushing my limits

Lydia:.I think you could try

and we did 6 on Saturday, not 5

Mike: oh yeah

2:13 PM Lydia: well, I'll go pick up our registration and stuff and you can think about it

Mike: ok

Lydia: I think you could finish, yes.

it just might take you a while

2:14 PM and you would probably be in pain for a week!

So, that lead to this:

That's right! We did it! Mike's dad, Rick (pictured above) ran the marathon as well. Mike ran the first half and did GREAT! He was pooped out when he got to me though, but I was SO SO proud of him.

Then it was my turn, and I was pumped. Not nervous at all. I ran with Rick for my first 7 or 8 miles and I was grateful to have someone so experienced to run with. That was Rick's 20th Marathon. Anyway, he made sure we didn't overdo it on the hills, and he gave me salt tablets to help me avoid cramps. But when it came to those last few miles I just had a bit more energy and decided to take it in solo.

I actually really liked running alone, not better than with someone, just differently. I really paid attention to my body and the beautiful scenery around me. I liked talking to strangers along the way and taking in the camaraderie associated with sharing in that challenging experience. I liked pushing myself when I thought I had nothing left; it was exhilarating!

After Mike finished his half, he went to pick up Kate from my sister's (Thanks SO MUCH again, Jenny!) and then he came down to the finish to see me in. He and Kate were waiting in some shade about two blocks from the finish line. I was so excited to see them! They jumped up and ran to the finish with me. I can tell Mike had had some rest, his pace wore me out to the point that I walked for the first time in miles! But then the crowd kept telling me, "Oh! You're so close! Keep going!" And Mike asked me if I was going to sprint it to the end. I did! Well, the last 25 feet or so. Finished strong.

I sense an addict in the making. I already registered Mike and me for the Top of Utah Marathon held in Logan on Sept. 20th. The FULL marathon this time. Oh, and I want to send out a warm welcome to anyone who wants to join in the training. It's in 4 months and you would have the perfect amount of time to train and I guarantee it will be one of the better experiences in you life. Here's a map so as you can see, it's almost ALL downhill....a great race to begin with. If you just want to do the half marathon, I still recommend it. Come join in the fun!

Wrong Place at the Right Time

2008-05-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Katers and I had an interesting experience. Seeing as it was laundry day and I had about 5 loads to fold while she was napping, I decided to go get a movie from Redbox. The Redbox we frequent at our local Maverick has several parking spaces within 10 feet, so I felt okay about leaving her in the car, especially considering I wasn't going to have to wait in line and I knew what movie I was getting.

When I got back to the car I was quite surprised to find it locked....with the keys in the ignition. I panicked, of course, and then paced back and forth in front of the car thinking about my options. I could call someone in my neighborhood and have them bring a key, but my cell phone is also in the car and I don't have anyone's number memorized. I could ask a complete stranger to stay with her while I drive their car home, but I think the spare key to the house is inside, and could I really do that?? So the only thing I can do, I decided, is to call a locksmith. Oh, and Kate is crying hysterically by this point.

I walked inside Maverick to ask to use a phone and a phone book, and while I'm looking up the locksmith a man I had seen outside asks me, "Did you lock your keys in your car with a child inside?"

"Yes." I say rather frantically.

"You know if you call the police they'll come and unlock it for you."

"Really? I had no idea! Do I just dial 911?"

And then a lady in line at the register just spits out this number, 688-whatever-it-was, and said that was the number for the Weber County Dispatch. An officer was there within 5 minutes, and about 5 minutes after that I was unlocked! I couldn't believe it! And they didn't say a word in reprimand about leaving her in the car, which I was really relieved for. Blessings!

Twilight update

2008-05-08T13:36:00.000-07:00

I saw this on another friend's blog and decided to share it, given my last post.

So Summit has a trailer out for Twilight apparently. I'll let you watch it first, as to not bias you with my opinion, but I am curious as to what everyone thinks after seeing the teaser. I'll add my thoughts as a comment later.

http://www.myspace.com/trailerpark

Twi-hards, breathe easy

2008-04-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

I think I've had the "I'm really worried about the Twilight movie" conversation with about everyone I know, so I thought I would share with all of you that I now feel a little more at ease about it. Why this change in feelings, you ask? Well, I guess I have to go back to why I was so worried in the first place.

#1-Summit Entertainment? Excuse me, who? That's right. No one had ever heard of them.
#2-Robert Pattinson. He's a cute guy and all, but what got me worried were his teeth. He just lacks that dashing, can-get-his-way-in-any-situation smile that is a prominent Edward characteristic.
#3-Up to this point I was still hopeful, but then they released these pictures and all my fears were realized.Fear #1 was proven worthy by the obvious cheapness of this photo shoot, and fear #2 was realized by the fact that Rob is not smiling in any of the pictures. Well there's no way he can keep his mouth closed for the entire movie, so they must be hiding it, hoping we won't think of that. On top of that, all of the Cullens-the most beautiful people on the earth-just look a little, well, off. Bad wigs, wrinkly clothes... I could go on.

Well, I was lucky enough to be shown a little bit of light today. MTV has released some behind the scene footage that revived a shred of hope that this movie won't be the laughing stock of 2008. No, it might actually be good.

With no further ado, please click on the link and watch all of the clips.

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1585900&vid=226476

So there you go! Even though I don't think they did anything with Robert's teeth, they're not that distracting. The rest of the Cullens look much more beautiful (especially Jasper, woo woo) than in that horrific photo shoot, and from what they showed, they seem to be staying pretty close to the books, which is always a plus.

This may be jumping the gun a bit, but ladies keep your calendars open on 12-12 for a girls night out. (Also Jenny's birthday, quite appropriately.)

Brain Bumblings

2008-04-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

You know it's time to update your blog when you start "thinking in blog." That's where everything that happens in your day gets a title and you start thinking clever thoughts about it.

I have had several of these moments lately, but since I haven't done anything about it I thought I would just sort of randomly list all of them so that I can get them OUT OF MY HEAD!

Here goes....

We took Kate swimming for the first time this week. She was nervous in the water for the first couple of minutes but then had a GREAT time. I even took her down the waterslide! (little scary for me.)

I finally got us registered for the marathon. Mike and I will be doing the 2 man relay and running with Mike's dad. I will be volunteering at the start line like I have the past couple of years and then bidding the boys good luck and heading down to the halfway point. I am getting really excited!

Kate waves bye-bye now. Oh! and she has figured out the oh and oo sounds. So she says "whoa" all the time. It's so cute. She also shakes her head "no" when we ask her certain questions. She doesn't know that she is saying "no" though, we don't think anyway. It's fun to ask her really silly questions like, "Kate. Do you have eyes?" And she'll just shake her head. She's not very good at doing this in front of an audience, but we got it on tape so I'll have to show you sometime.

I went to one of the best concerts ever a couple of weeks ago. It was called the HotelCafe Tour, so if it comes to a town near you I DEFINITELY recommend it. I went because Ingrid Michaelson (one of my fav artists at the moment) was playing but I ended up buying all of the other artist's albums as well. All 5 singer/songwritter type artists used the same band and the same equipment so there was none of the annoying setup time in between artists. PLUS, they had each artist only play 3 or 4 songs at a time and went through two rounds. So it was like 4 hours of continuous GREAT music, great audience involvement/participation, great comedy....just great all around. SOOO worth $15. Remember it... you won't regret going.

Speaking of music, I need some suggestions for my running playlist. So far I just listen to whatever I'm in the mood for, but I get burned by slow songs so I need to make a good "pump me up" playlist. PLEASE tell me what you like so I can get some ideas!!!

Hmm, I'm sure there were more blogs bumbling around, but I can't think of them right now. Stay tuned for part 2, I guess. ;D

And may your dreams be realized.

2008-04-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

This morning Mike asked me, "What are the words to that song you sing to Kate?" I proceeded to sing,

"Sleep, sleep tonight.
And may your dreams
Be realized.
If the thundercloud passes rain,
so let it rain, let it rain,
rain down on me.

So let it be."

I then said, "the words are by Martin Luther King, did you know that?" He asked me how I knew the song and I told him it was on U2's Unforgettable Fire album. I haven't actually listened to the album in years, but when I was a teenager I used to put that track on repeat and go to sleep to it. I loved it. It is such a peaceful song with very meaningful lyrics.

Sometime when Kate was very new I began to sing it to her, and it stuck. I hope it is meaningful to her as she grows, and that it gives her an even deeper appreciation for Martin Luther King, Jr. and all he did for our country in his short time behind the microphone.

While discussing this song with Mike, we came across two things I would like to share with you.

First is a video tribute to Dr. King, to the tune of U2's Pride (In the Name of Love) which was written about him. (I am ashamed to say that I didn't know that this song was a tribute to MLK, even though I could sing along to every word.)

Second is a link to another blog that I found particularly insightful on the subject of prejudice and it's remedy.
http://www.xjsb125.com/wordpress/index.php?p=7

I try to be as just and unprejudiced as possible, but I know I have room for improvement as I show true love and charity with those around me. The way Martin Luther King taught. The way the Savior taught him.

And so it begins

2008-04-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned in a post that registering for the Ogden Half Marathon was on my list of things to do that day. (Shhh, it still is on the list!) Well this week, just 7 short weeks from the race, I have finally started to train.

Mike's boss--a seasoned marathoner--lent us the book, "The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer" and I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone thinking of running a marathon. It is written by a psychologist, a gym teacher, and a non-runner and includes all three of their respective aspects on marathoning in each chapter.

One of the things they recommend is logging the miles you run, your rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and any comments about the run. They have a nice table to fill out, but I decided to blog it all instead, so with that I introduce my new blog, See Lydia Run.

The moment you've all been waiting for...

2008-03-26T14:58:00.001-07:00

Last week I took Kate to her very first (official, anyway) photo shoot. Wow! Those are a lot of work to get a few smiles out of your kid. She did really good, all things considered, and we got some really great shots.

The one to the left here was my absolute favorite. I know it's a little early for bathing suits but she just looks so cute in hers and I 'm afraid it won't fit her much longer. I had it blown up and framed and I hung it right inside the door as a surprise for Daddy. Mike didn't know we were doing a photo shoot, so he was truly surprised.

Oh! Today Kate is 9 months old. We had her well child visit last week and she is still just doing awesome. 19 lbs (70th%), and 29 inches tall (95th%). I had been worried about a lingering cough but the doc said her heart and lungs sound great. Always a relief.

She is a REAL little person these days. She has so much personality already! I know I don't have too much to compare to, but she is just an awesome, pleasant, EASY baby! She is crawling now, pulling herself up on everything (which, of course, comes with bumps and bruises, unfortunately), and making fun sounds with her mouth--except still no Ma Ma's. :( She is sleeping through the night again, and longer than ever. She is sleeping a lot the last couple of days--perhaps a growth spurt? She loves to eat our food. She's very aware of the fact that what she gets from the jar is truly disgusting in comparison to what she gets from our plates! But she still only has two little bottom teeth, so that desire goes unfulfilled for the most part.

Her little laughs and smiles and facial expressions make us so happy!

Here is a slideshow with a few of the other pictures from the shoot. This place we went to had really bunnies to take pictures with. The look on Kate's face for those shots is well deserved, as the bunny bit her! Not until after it bit her did the photographer mention, "yeah, the bunnies are kind of at their wits end." Thanks, for the warning.

tagged: the second

2008-03-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

What were you doing 10 years ago?

Let's see...I was 17 years old, a Junior at Layton High School. I was in Laytones, and like Shann, getting ready for California, hoping for a CTR, no doubt. Who would I have liked then?? Hmm, I'm not sure. Dustin Hall and I kinda had an on again off again thing all through high school, and I think we may have been on around this time. I was working at Blockbuster Music and already suffering from Senioritis.

5 things on my "to-do" list today.

1-Make an appointment for Kate's 9 month Well Child Visit.
2-Register for the Ogden Half-Marathon.
3-Watch Survivor.
4-Clean up, make dinner, and all the other usual chores.
5-Play with Kate!

6 Snacks that I enjoy.

1- Anything Chocolate, but especially Chocolate covered cinnamon bears. Shanna introduced these to me right after I had Kate and I'm totally hooked!
2-Mrs. Call's licorice flavored caramels.
3-String Cheese.
4-Edamame's.
5-Fresh Fruit, especially pears and peaches.
6-Fresh Veggies, especially straight from the garden. (Which I am planning to try my black thumb at this year.)

3 bad habits. (Only three?)

1-I'm a picker. Pimples, ingrown hairs, scabs....anything that has topography doesn't last long on my body! I realized it was a major problem when I started picking at Kate...
2-I am not very punctual, and especially late for church. It's something I know there is no excuse for, but try as I may I just can't be on time!
3-Blog Stalking. Need I say more on this one? I love it, but man! The time sucking effects it has are out of this world! :)

If I were suddenly a billionaire I would...

First of all, I'm glad it says billionaire instead of millionaire because sadly there's not much room for creativity with only a million dollars! So if I were a billionaire I would definitely try not to broadcast it so I can share the funds with family and friends as anonymously as possible. I think that Mike and I would both LOVE to finish up school, including our Masters', without having to worry about making ends meet. I would put enough into a high yield savings account for a comfortable retirement including a couple of missions, college savings funds for 5 kids. Then the rest will probably go to gasoline.

5 Places I've lived. (why not all 7?)

Kearns, UT (1980-1983)
Layton UT (1983-1999), Layton (2003-2006)
Chagrin Falls, OH (1999, 6 weeks)
Suffield, CT and Plainville, CT (1999-2001)
Provo, UT (2002, 10 weeks)
Thailand (2002-2003)
Roy, UT (2006-present)

5 Jobs I've had.
Happijac: packager, assembler, manager (too many years of my life!)
Blockbuster Music
Claire's Boutique (for like 1 week!)
Nanny
America West Bank: New Accounts, Draw Department

5 Things people don't know about me

I want to be a carpenter! I took a woodworking class a couple of years ago, but unfortunately the timing was bad (work and school full time) so I only made a shelf. I hope to get back into it one day.

I am content with my body to the extent that I haven't ever thought (seriously, anyway) about plastic surgery. The only thing that I plan to change someday is to get laser hair removal in a few areas. The sooner the better!

I'm kind of the "jack of all trade, ruler of none" type. I am ok at a lot of things, but I don't feel like I have any truly mastered and impressive skills.

While I was in Thailand (as a missionary) I held a very large, very live, very venomous King Cobra around my neck. It was "trained" but seriously, what was I THINKING??

Most of you know this already, but I used to have a significant gap between my two front teeth. Also while in Thailand. my companion lost her retainers and while we were at the orthodontist I saw that to get my teeth bonded was only going to cost like $25! I figured for that price it was worth the risk and I could just get it taken off if it was terrible.

Are you bored yet? There are a couple more to come....unless you're bored. Don't be afraid to say so; I respect straight forwardness!

Middle (Maiden) Name Tag

2008-03-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

I’ve been tagged! Here are the rules. You must post the rules before you give your answers. You must list something about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name. At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details).

I was not given a middle name at birth, however I was given several in high school--pretty much any "H" name (Helen, Helena, Helga, etc.) so that my initials would be LHS. But, for the sake of the post, I'll just use Scothern-it's more official.

S-Spring Fever! I've got it bad! I have loved going outside to get the mail or put something in the trash with no shoes on! I never thought that a year and a half in a hot humid climate would change my feelings on winter, but it had a lasting effect and now I get Seasonal Affect Disorder!

C-Cheap. As in frugal, not easy. (Maybe it depends on who you ask :) ) I keep a pretty tight budget and things that I consider non-essential--new clothes, salon haircuts, etc--tend to get neglected.

O-Outgoing. This is a funny thing about me. I consider myself an Extroverted Introvert. I don't get nervous meeting new people and I can hold my own around people I don't know. I think most people would consider me outgoing, but really I am quite satisfied just spending time on my own.

T-Thinker. I kind of over-think things sometimes, and I analyze everything! I consider myself a good free thinker and open-minded.

H-Hard Worker. I have always been proud of my work ethic, and I am happiest after I know I have worked my hardest for a desired goal. I feel I am reliable and dependable as an employee, wife, mother, and friend.

E-Envious. I tend to get "green" more than I like. I try to keep things in proper perspective, but I do get envious at times. It usually only lasts a few minutes and then I realize how good I have it!

R-Rambler. I can't tell a story without it going into WAY too many details and taking about 10 times longer than it should. Many times I don't even get around to finishing the story without some reminders and prodding from the recipient.

N-Nocturnal. Try as I may, I RARELY get to sleep before 1 am. I am getting better at this, and I know that my days would be much more productive if I got a good night's sleep, but there's just something about those nighttime hours...

As far as tagging 8 people goes, (one for each letter of my name) I don't think I could come even close, so if any of you who are reading this post haven't done this tag yet, consider yourself tagged!

Coming at me from all sides!

2008-03-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

So I have been tagged a number of times over the last couple of weeks and I guess I better do something about it. So I will be posting one tag a day for the next, let's see...at least four days. By the time I am done I will officially have no secrets! Enjoy....

But first, can I just brag about how I have the absolute BEST baby in the whole world? Of course I can.

On Friday night, Mike's brother Shawn and his girlfriend Jordan came up from Provo for a double date. We decided to go bowling at Sparetime in Roy. We left the house about 7:45--Kate's bedtime--thinking she would fall asleep on the way and, knowing what a great baby she is, probably stay asleep for most of the time. When we arrived she surprised us by still being awake. No biggie, I thought. She'll fall asleep before too long.

We had to wait over an hour to get a lane and the whole time she stayed awake! She didn't make a sound, just looked around sleepily. Shortly after we got our lane they morphed the place into a disco--black lights, disco balls, LOUD hip-hop, etc. Kate was more visually stimulated than ever, so I decided to take her out of her carseat and let her enjoy it all for a bit. To say she enjoyed dancing with Mommy and Daddy, Shawn and Jordan to the likes of Justin Timberlake, Outkast, and other "well-known" hip-hop/rap artists would be a class A understatement!! We all had a blast dancing together for about a half hour, trading Kate off to someone else when it was our turn to bowl. She really was the life of the party!

Now, by this point it was about 10 pm, over 2 hours past bedtime. The only sounds out of Kate all night were giggles and squeals of delight, but I knew she must be tired. I decided to try putting her back in her carseat and just rocking her 'til she fell asleep. To my amazement, she was out within minutes, don't believe me? Look at the picture I took with Mike's phone!

p.s. I bowled a career high 156.

Does everything happen for a reason?

2008-02-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

With all that has gone on with Zeus over the last three weeks, I am left pondering this popular cliche.

Recap: Just over three weeks ago, Mike and I decided it was time to find Zeus a new home. Posted the add on KSL which produced about 800 page views, about 15 phone calls/messages, and five interviews in less than 24 hours. We were stunned by the interest and had a tough decision on our hands.

Following the interviews there were really only two families we were having a hard time deciding between. Leslie's family had a 7 yr. old boxer named Dexter, two older children, and someone was almost always home. Negatives at this home were that they didn't have a fenced yard, and with both Zeus and Dex being male, it took them a little bit of time to get used to each other. Oh, that and they lived in a brand new house in Saratoga Springs (which is on the west side of Utah Lake).

Patrick and Kristi also had a boxer named Xena. She is two and looks like she could be from Zeus' same litter. They got along great from the get go, as they didn't have to compete for Alpha. Patrick and Kristi don't have any children, and you can tell they just love Xena. And they live in Clinton...less than 10 minutes drive. The only thing we were concerned with here was that they kenneled Xena for 5-6 hours a day while they were at work, and we were worried Zeus would have a hard time with that.

After a LOT of thought, we chose Leslie's family. We missed Zeus instantly, though within the week we could see that this really was the best decision for our family.

Then on Sunday, Leslie called. "I'm sad to be having to make this call," she said. Things weren't working out. Zeus was having accidents all the time, running off when they let him out to go to the bathroom (to the extent that one time Aaron, the dad, had chased him for over a half hour but had to leave or he'd miss a flight. Luckily, Zeus was on the back porch when Leslie got home over two hours later.) I think the straw that broke the camel's back was when Zeus, jealous that he was locked in the bedroom during a social event, chewed at the baseboards in the bedroom. I apologized, and said that we would come and pick him up.

As we were making the drive down south, we gave Patrick and Kristi a call. Our hopes that they hadn't already found a friend for Xena were realized, but they said that they would think about it and call us back. So we brought Zeus home. It was actually kind of nice to have him back, as weird as that sounds, but the idea of going through the whole ordeal again was making us anxious. Patrick called yesterday afternoon and said that they would like to give it a trial run for a week or two. We packed up Zeus' things and headed over there last night.

So last night as I was getting ready for bed, I was thinking, maybe Zeus was meant to be with Xena all along but he just needed this other trial run first. Maybe Leslie's house wasn't a
"wrong" or a "bad" choice, just a preparatory state. Although I feel terrible that Leslie's family had to go through that, maybe it was just what had to be, and that everyone was better off because of it. I guess we'll see how it goes at Patrick and Kristi's this week, and then, maybe we'll know for sure.

Mike just sent me this picture he took with his phone of Zeus and Xena. See what we mean about how they look alike?

Colbie Caillat next Friday

2008-02-08T13:43:00.000-08:00

Thats right, she'll be in concert next Friday night (the 15th) at in the venue for $20.50 a pop.

Wondering if any of you ladies (and gents too, if there are any of you that read my blog other than my husband) would like to go with me.

Blackest of black

2008-02-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

My thumb, that is. I seriously can't keep a plant alive for a week! All you green thumbs out there...HELP!

Marylin, I swear I watered it and gave it indirect sunlight and everything else just like the little tag said. The only thing I didn't do was take it out of the decorative wrap and put it into another pot. Is that what killed it???

More importantly, is it beyond hope? I sure hope not, because it was one of the most thoughtful gifts and I was so looking forward to thinking of Zeus every time I saw it. But you can't think of the pet you miss while looking at a dead plant. It's just plain morbid.

My Prophet

2008-01-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

At the news that President Hinckley passed away, I have become quite introspective. I love that man so much. He has taught so many valuable lessons, most meaningfully to me were those on how to live happily. He practiced what he preached, and he preached what he practiced.

Before President Hinckley I don't know if I can say I had a testimony of living prophets. This may be partly to do with the fact that I was 14 years old when he was called as prophet and president of the church, but for me it was more than that. I struggled for most of my teenage years knowing, not only whether or not the church was true, but even if I really had a Heavenly Father who loved me and a true Savior in Jesus Christ. This all came together for me when I was 19 years old, and living away from home as a nanny.

Being away from home was what it took for me. To be honest, at first I reveled in the freedom of not having to "pretend" to be an active member, and for a short while, I all but left the church in the dust. Then, seemingly out of no where I was completely miserable! Completely. I remember writing in my journal that I felt like I had no soul. I came to the realization that I was feeling guilty because I wasn't living up to the standards I had been taught were correct, but at the same time I didn't even know if I believed all of that stuff anyway! I was faced with a challenge; I had to know for myself whether or not the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were, in fact, true. If they were, then living the teachings would bring me the happiness they promised, and if not, I didn't need to feel guilty for not living them.

I started with the Book of Mormon and prayer, two things that had been gathering dust on the shelves and in my heart for a very long time. I started the Book of Mormon at Words of Mormon because I had read First and Second Nephi countless times, and I wanted this time to be different. As I read through King Benjamin's addresses to his people, and on in to the conversions of Alma, Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah, and so many others, I knew that the words I was reading were true, that these men were in fact prophets of God.

Shortly afterward I had the opportunity to visit Palmyra, New York, where Joseph Smith talked with God the Father, and Jesus Christ. Although I don't think it is necessary to visit the Sacred Grove to gain a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet, for me, with the timing of my visit and the current state of my seeking for truth, the reality of his vision became an undeniable part of my life as I felt a truly unique spiritual presence in that otherwise ordinary grove of trees.

I can say that I felt a love for and respect for President Hinckley before I actually had a testimony of his prophetic calling...what's not to love about a charismatic, witty, downright hilarious old man?? But it was during the April session of General Conference in 2000 that again, I sought for truth, and again I found it. I can't tell you a single thing that was said at that conference, but I can say that from that moment on I knew that a prophet of God was on the earth, and that President Gordon B. Hinckley was that prophet. My prophet.

Have I had doubts over the last nine years, you betcha. Have I sinned, and faltered, and lost my way from time to time? So, so much. But I have a redeemer, I have a savior, and He has saved me time, after time, after time, and for the last nine years I have never doubted that I have a soul, a valuable soul.

Behold 7-month-old Kate!

2008-01-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

Well, almost seven months...in three days. Hold on to your hats, a LOT of pictures are coming your way at the respective speed of your browser.

So since it has been far too long since I last posted pictures, we'll start with a recap.

Kate has been eating solids--and anything else she can get her hands on, for that matter--for about 2 months now. And growing as a result. (I know, whoda thunk it??) She now weighs just over 19 lbs and is about 27 1/2 inches tall/long.

Our ward Christmas party was right during nap time, but this candy cane was all she needed to be content. Santa was an hour late, and we never made it to a mall, so no Santa pictures for her first Christmas. I'm not too broken up about it.

Oh, this may be the first picture of my short, dark hair. But I guarantee it won't be my last weird face picture. Let's just focus on Kate here, people.

Ahh, you've gotta love the camera timer pictures. This one turned out ok; It was about our 5th attempt. I love how Kate and Zeus are staring at each other.

First Christmas morning shots! Mike's family has a tradition that they have to wait on the stairs until 7 am and they have to get a picture in their Santa hats. Kate looks awesome in hers.

Ryan and Kate were working on her balancing blocks skill. We heard it's a nine month skill, so obviously she's very advanced here folks. ;)

Zeus is, by far, Kate's favorite toy. Makes finding him a new home all the more difficult, but also makes doing it before she can remember all the more important. We'll get you a dog when you're older, Sweetheart.

How can you not fall in love with that face??

Other new skills Kate has acquired include sitting up, rolling from back to front, supporting herself while standing, grabbing at everything, speaking sonnets...at least, that's what I think she's saying. Mostly it just sound like "da, da, da" which we all know in baby means, "Mama, Mama, Mama."

I couldn't decide which of the following shots to include, because I love them all...so you get all three!

Kate loves to stand and kneel at this mirror/stage she got for Christmas from her great-grandparents. That's "great" as in wonderful, of course. I especially love her messy morning faux hawk.

Kate seems to be teething, although I can't see anything yet. She is constantly feeling her bottom gums with her tongue and has been sucking her binkie like this...can you see the bottom edge on the inside of her lip? Another give away was the screaming in the middle of the night that was only soothed with baby Orajel.

Kate is such a joy in our lives. We don't even know how we comprehended happiness before there was Kate. She is growing and changing every single day. I feel so blessed to be at home with her so I don't have to miss a second of it...and so that I can excitedly tell Mike about all of her new tricks when he gets home from work or school. "Tanks, Papa" for working so hard to give us such a great life.

So there's the update you've all been salivating for. You can get back to your normal lives now. Go on.

A new home for Zeus Magoose

2008-01-19T22:21:00.001-08:00

We have decided it is time to find a new home for Zeus. We love him so much, and Kate loves him, we just can't give him all the attention and exercise that boxers need. He has been a great dog and we will miss him terribly. We have shed tears together a few times this week at the thought of not having him in our family, but feel we are just postponing the inevitable at this point and that's not really fair to Zeus or us.

Ideally, we would love for Zeus to be with a family that we know so that we can visit him from time to time, so if anyone is interested or know someone who may be, please contact me! He LOVES kids, and so we think he would be best in a family with school aged children. We have posted an ad on KSL's Classifieds (http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=2518247&cat=) and we will be taking the adoption process very seriously.

This has got to be one of the hardest things we have had to do! We're going to miss you, Zeus Magoose!

Here are some pictures...

delighted and disgusted

2008-01-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

The other day I was sent a very cute video via email forwarding. For the record, although I rarely forward things on, I always look at the ones that are sent to me. Anyway, before the video began it said something like "This media proudly posted by: ____.net" Blank was just four letters, an acronym I assume. They also had their website in the bottom corner of the entire video. Why am I going on about this, you ask? Well first, watch the video. (Compliments of YouTube)

Wasn't that the cutest thing!?! Well after watching that video about three times I decided to go to the sponsoring website ____.net, to see if it was their family site, or if there were more videos like this one. Innocent enough, right? BIG MISTAKE! To my shock and utter disgust, it was a porn site. Not only am I disgusted that they lead me there completely unknowingly, but more so that they were using this awesome home video of this adorable little boy to sell their smut! I had to wonder if the family knows and if there is really anything they can do about it. Makes me sick.

But, I hope you enjoyed that video! Who needs expensive toys when you have an old newspaper near by. :) And yes, we tried it with Kate...not sure yet if she doesn't have a sense of humor, or if she has a far superior one, but she didn't crack a smile, just looked at us like, "So...what's this, now? What am I supposed to do with this? Can I eat it?"

Last the best?

2008-01-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

So I am officially the last of my bloggin' buddies to update my blog in the new year. I'm not sure why, exactly, as I have been "thinking in blog" almost non-stop. It's mostly that I am just lazy...well, that and I realized how much time I spent reading blogs for a while there that I have kind of avoided them. Granted, I check my homepage for updates almost everyday, but I have all but given up blog stalking.

I don't know about anyone else, but when I read about other people's seemingly perfect lives I just end up feeling sorry for myself. Not that I have a bad life, quite on the contrary, in fact. I remember one day of blogstalking I visited half a dozen or more blogs of people I knew from HS. One girl had just competed in a triathlon, another had just started her own business, another had just bought a really nice brand new SUV, and so forth. Later that day I noticed I felt fat, under motivated, and broke! Another day I came across a blog of someone I haven't seen or talked to in years and noticed my name in her linked blogs list. Has anyone else noticed a bit of a popularity contest in the blogging world? Needless to say, I was a bit bugged that someone would link my blog just to have a longer list without even stopping by it to say Hi.

Don't get me wrong, I love (love love) hearing the good news of people I really care about, but maybe that's because I also know you all have days that aren't all perfect and cheery and that's what makes you all so darn lovable and admirable!

Not sure where I'm going with this, or why. Maybe it's just that time of the month. :-) Anyway, stay tuned...I've got some great blogs up my sleeve, including the AMAZING book I finished today, the weight loss battle, and many more, Oh, yes. There will be pictures of Kate, don't you fret!

Laundry Peek-a-Boo

2007-12-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

So these pictures are probably a month or so old now... but then I haven't blogged in a month so I guess, there you go. I call this series Laundry Peek-a-Boo.

Wow! That's a lot of laundry to fold! But what's that right in the middle of the pile?

It's me, Kate, Mommy!

Oh, I am just so funny!

Ya wanna play again?

I'm hiding. You can't see me!

This is me, just being cute. I pull it of nicely, I think.

Achmed the Dead Terrorist

2007-11-09T10:57:00.001-08:00

I don't know where Mike found this, but I got a good laugh and decided to share....

up to date...finally

2007-11-05T16:33:00.001-08:00

I thought I would throw the most recent pictures of Kate up here and be completely up to date. I know, I know. Four posts in 24 hours? I blame the new computer. :-)

We love to take walks. For the last two months we have let the stroller collect dust as Kate really prefers the Snuglie. And she always wears her cute fisherman hat.

Kate is getting really good at sitting up...with some support, granted. She is also getting really into her toys and this bear is one of her favorite things to drool on.

She tolerates tummy time now and is rolling over more often. Getting cuter every day.

These next couple showcase her cute hair which is really starting to grow! Dark like mommy.

My two favorite people in the world.

All 14 lbs. 9 oz. of babeliciousness!

So there you have it! Does life get any better than this??

Halloween

2007-11-05T16:21:00.001-08:00

We had a great Halloween this year...it's decidedly more fun when you have kids. Even though Kate won't remember it, we took her Trick or Treating for her first Halloween. I got her this cute Lady Bug costume a couple of months ago and modified it so that I could put it on over the Snuglie. Since I was going to be carrying her on my chest all night I decided to be a flower last minute.

Mike's costume was also last minute, but he was the grossest pirate we saw all night. And Zeus was "Super Dog" as all the kids called him. I think he was the most popular kid on the block that night.

Fluke?

2007-11-04T23:37:00.001-08:00

Kate slept 9 hours straight last night!!!!! Here's hoping thats a milestone and not a fluke.

Moving in...

2007-11-04T23:24:00.000-08:00

Mike bought me a new computer for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I guess he was tired of me asking when he was going to get a new one so that I could inherit his current one. In fact, he bought me essentially the same computer with a few hardware/software differences. So tonight I have been moving in, so to speak, and can I just say (or sing) "I love technology"? Moving all of my files off of the old laptop to a portable hard drive took about an hour and a half. Moving them on to this new one took less than 10 minutes!!!

Well, while I was in the process of unpacking I decided to upload a slide show for you of our Nauvoo trip in September. My sister Mindy and her family, and the three of us went out to visit my mom and her husband who were on a mission there. But first, here's my favorite picture of Kate!

Now on to the slide show!

Milestones

2007-10-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

Kate is nearly four months now. Here we go with that time thing again. She is as beautiful as ever. (I will steal some pics from my sisters blog until I get some uploaded.) I think her third month has been by far my favorite! She is so full of personality, so sweet and lovable. She has really discovered her voice and "ha, ha, haaa" can be heard coming from her direction several times a day.
She melts me with her smiles; I really feel like the most important person in the world to her and let me tell you, that is an incredible feeling. Her laugh is very distinctive, very different from her other sounds. I was lucky enough to get it on video, and if I ever find the right cable, I will upload that as well.
She has always hated tummy time, so although she is very strong I thought she might fall "behind" (that silly notion that at really matters how old she is when she first rolls, crawls, and walks) in rolling and crawling. I had her on her tummy the other night, and she was really pushing up on her arms, more than usual. I called Mike in from the office to see and when he saw her he noticed a resemblance to one of his baby pictures, so he rushed into the office to grab the camera. Then, all of a sudden she just rolled over onto her back! It was so quick, and I wasn't prepared for it, and unfortunately the photo-op was over as she bonked her head on the wooden bottom of the ottoman! Poor girl. We worried she might not want to roll again, but that worry was in vain.

Things I miss already? She doesn't really cuddle right now. She is so preoccupied with whatever is going on in the room (read WORLD) around her. We worked so hard at helping her fall asleep on her own, in her bead, that she now prefers it. Don't get me wrong, this is the desired goal. It makes those times she falls asleep in my arms sweet treats. She has phased out of the newborn cry and has a bigger cry now. Still sweet, though; not annoying in the least. She grew out of the sink for bath time and we are still looking for a good new fit.

She has her four month well child visit on the 29th, so I am sure I will have more updates then. For now, enjoy some pictures from Nauvoo. (Thanks Mindy!)

And all of a sudden, I'm twenty-seven.

2007-10-21T19:47:00.001-07:00

Would someone like to explain to me how time works? I know all the rules, but I can't fathom how it all really works. I was talking to Mike and Jenny and Sean over Sushi the other night about how old they feel, and we all agreed that there comes a point in life that you really don't feel much older. I still feel, oh, maybe 20. Although I was in better shape at 20 than I am right now, so for that I guess I feel older just because I always feel more attractive when I am in shape and our society links beauty and age. But as far as my personal development goes, I don't feel like I've got it all together like the 27 year olds who have come before me...and at the same time, I look at those young 20'sish kids and think, man they have a lot to learn.

So I am 27 now. I now realize that those that are older than me (namely my older siblings, all of whom I look up to and aspire to be like for one reason or another) will always seem like pros at their current respective ages, and when I get to be that age I will still feel like I am scrambling to figure it all out. Does that make sense? Ramblings...forgive me.

All the Kate pics you can handle

2007-08-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

Kate is two months old already, can you believe it? We went to her 2 month well child visit yesterday and she is doing so great! She is 11 lbs. 7 oz. now and 23 1/2 inches long. That's big, as in 90th percentile for weight and 100th percentile for height. She and I shed a few tears together as she got her first shots (two in each thigh).

Kate is all smiles these days (as you will see in some of the pictures) and she is starting to coo which is a lot of fun. She likes to sit on our laps and look into our faces to have conversations. She loves her swing as of last week--hated it before that! Go figure. She likes to explore her surroundings--the window, the wall hangings, her clothes, toys, etc. She still loves to take baths, and hates to get out of them. She likes walks and hates tummy time. She had her first non-milk taste of food the other day...a lick of mommy's red Popsicle, and seemed to like it.

So I saw a slide show on another blog and decided to give it a go. I included pictures of Kate from birth through 2 months, so there may be some repeats. I chose a "gallery" format so that if you don't want to view all the repeats you can skip ahead. It's fun to see how much she has changed already! Enjoy!

Blessings

2007-08-21T12:11:00.001-07:00

The following pictures were taken on August 5th at our house following Kate's blessing. Thank you to all of you who were able to make it out and support our little family! Special thanks to Natalie, Rhett, and Shanna for taking copious notes of the blessing so that Kate will be able to know how special this day was. Thank you also to all of those who brought food for all of us to feast on.

With that...Kate, Mommy, and Daddy. Kate's amazing dress was a gift from her Nana. The bottom of the dress--unfortunately not visible in any of the pictures--had about a three inch satin trim.

Kate hardly fussed through the blessing and then slept most of the rest of the meeting and gathering at home.

With most of the men who assisted in the blessing.

Kate with some of her most adoring fans...her older cousins Seth, Rachel, Julia, and Cameron.

I posted this one just for you Rachel!! I think Kate looks like a porcelain doll and seems perfectly content having you watch her!

Bath time: Who doesn't love a good bum scrubbin'?

2007-08-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

Bath time has become one of Kate's favorite activities. And it's one of our favorite photo opps, and you will soon see why...

Emily gave us this spongy foam bath pad and I don't know what we would do without it! (Thanks, Em!) The first time we used it-at about 2 weeks old or less-we got to see how strong Kate is. When I flip her over to wash her backside she props herself up like this, holding her head up and standing in the sink! It's quite a sight...and then there's her adorable face. This is easily one of my favorite pictures to date!

The view from behind is equal in it's cuteness! I love the rim of bubbles around her bum and that amazing baby belly hanging out over her pelvis. "Oh my gosh, so CUTE." (Thanks to Maddie for the phrase that best describes Kate.)

Looks like she got her moms muscly arms and shoulders.

Family Pictures

2007-08-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

I was looking through all of the pictures on the camera a couple of weeks ago and noticed that there weren't any pictures of me and Kate or of all of us since the day we got home from the hospital. I guess it makes sense, though, as most of the time that I am holding Kate I either look like I haven't showered all day (simply because I haven't) or I am nursing, and no one wants to see that. And we don't have pictures of the three of us because try as he may, Zeus still can't take a picture without having his ear flop down in the image.

Natalie helped us solve this problem, and Zeus was happy to be included in the picture.I think that working with babies AND animals is listed as a photographers worst nightmare. Lucky for us, they both did quite well.

I love this picture of Kate and me just chillin' in Mike's office. I love the way her little arm wraps around my not so little arm. ;)

Mike and Kate are naturals for the camera.

Can we be done now?? Please???Even when she's upset, she's just a doll.

What's your favorite childhood book?

2007-07-16T14:29:00.001-07:00

So Mike and I really enjoy reading to Kate, and she seems to like it, too. But we have one small problem... We only have 2 books! We bought "Are You My Mother?" and "I Love You, Stinky Face" the last time we were at BabiesRUs, and then Mike just ordered "Harold and the Purple Crayon" and "Where the Wild Things Are" from Amazon, but I wanted to hear from all of you as to what your favorite (or your kids favorites) childhood books are, so that we can get all of the classics in our library. Thanks!

Pacifiers and Panic Attacks

2007-07-14T20:56:00.001-07:00

No. Pacifiers , in general, do not cause panic attacks. Sorry to have misled any of you who may have been planning to cause mischief and mayhem using pacifiers.

The following is a tale of a beloved pacifier...the only pacifier to reach that status, in fact. You see, when you register for baby stuff at babies-r-us they give you this nice little box of "stuff" --mostly junk and coupons, of course--but in the case of the below pacifier this box held a treasure indeed. I'm not sure exactly why Kate doesn't seem to like the less free pacifiers. I do have a couple of theories, but am yet to prove anything. I hear you questioning, "now why would a free pacifier merit a blog post?" Ah, an excellent question. Let's just say I only managed to get this one precious picture of the beloved item before it fell into the hands, or should I say paws, of the jealous older brother of this fairytale.
Now another question surfaces, "was this jealous older brother, punished? Or exiled?" Unfortunately, punishment was not the order of the day. You see, right as I approached the sliding glass door Zeus had the binkie in his mouth as though it was rightfully his all along, and all I could do amidst my laughter was run and grab the camera. I am sorry to report I never saw him sucking on a pacifier again, and the above image was the best I could do.

So what does the above story have to do with panic attacks, anyway? Absolutely nothing. But I did have my first panic attack the other night, when I went in to check on our sleeping beauty who had not made a single grunt, squeak, or squawk for almost 3 hours. As I approached her crib, she had one arm free from her burrito, so naturally, I lifted it slightly. I wish I could fully explain the feeling that came over me at that moment, but suffice it to say the limp, cold arm was straight out of a nightmare and I scooped her up to my chest as quickly as my stopped heart dropped to the floor. This sudden flurry of action was followed by a quiet breathy sigh from Kate, and a gaping, gasping sigh from a relieved mom.

At last

2007-07-11T22:45:00.001-07:00

I know, I know. Many of you skeptics out there said this day would never come, in spite of all my promises. But Ha!

While I am here, I may as well add a couple more cute pictures of our cute baby, Kate.

A few pictures during "tummy time". Jenny made this awesome purple tie-died onsie and Kate loves it. You just don't find purples like that for babies. Thanks, Jen!

Zeus and Kate enjoying Tummy time together. (Don't worry, Moms. Mike has a good hold on Zeus.)

Mike and I saw this onsie on sale at Old Navy a couple of days before Kate was born and just couldn't resist. And as you can see, Kate pretty much only wears onsies, so it works out well for everyone!I just asked Mike who he thinks Kate looks like in this picture and he said "an alien". I must admit, I can see where he is coming from, but not really fair to her adorableness.