4 Tall Towers ;)

Doula

2012-01-22T20:06:00.000-08:00

So I've been talking about being a Doula for a while now and I am happy to say I am making progress on the goal. I am currently enrolled in a Doula course through SLCC with 2 amazing teachers who have both been in the field for 20+ years! I love my class (except the assignments... didn't I finish school?) When I finish I will have a lot of things crossed off the DONA (Doulas of North America) certification list. Ryan has also thrown a little website together for me and I have been adding content and things. All the interesting things I find about pregnancy, labor and delivery, postpartum, etc, I have been posting on the blog section of my site. There is still pages and things to be added but It's still fun to have. You can check it out at DoulaUtah.com

Let me know what you think and also if you catch my typos or have idea for added content please let me know!

365 Pictures

2012-01-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

So I'm doing a picture a day for a whole year challenge. I don't think anyone who reads my blog is not on facebook but just in case here you go.
Click Here
click on that link periodically to keep up with my day to day :) It's been fun so far!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-20T16:30:00.000-08:00

Here is our 2011 Christmas Card. Hope you have a very merry Christmas this year!

A little rant...

2011-12-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

Ok, so whether or not you choose to vaccinate your kids is irrelevant when it comes to the flu vaccine right? I think everyone knows that getting a flu shot is certainly no guarantee against getting sick. I think it is also pretty common knowledge that sleeping and washing your hands and all that is helpful in preventing and fighting illness right? Amazingly enough the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is angry will Delta Airlines for airing this video...

Apparently this video contains "harmful messages".... MMMMMM kay
Why are they so upset? Because they want you to believe that getting a flu shot is the only solution... In reality it is the only solution that has monetary value for the companies that fund their organization.
This is America where people have a right to freedom of speech and choice right?

To read more about the CBS report on the payouts to AAP by the pharmaceutical companies and the letter the AAP wrote to Delta click here.

Personality types

2011-12-18T14:54:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but I gain so much understanding and appreciation for a person when I know their personality type. I really like Myers Briggs/ Kiersey Temperment (same thing I think) It sounds silly but I'm obsessed with reading about my personality type and Ryan's and other close people and how they relate to each other.
I am a "Guardian Inspector" or an ISTJ
This cracks me up...

The Guardian Inspector’s Learning Style
 Inspectors learn by critical listening to factual details and taking notes.
 Inspectors take a systematic approach to learning.
 Inspectors learn by relating knowledge to job skills and core knowledge.
 Inspectors learn by asking questions until they are sure they understand.
 Inspectors need time to fulfill their commitments to their standard of excellence

This is so TRUE! I always felt guilty that I never ever read any text books despite paying so much for them. There is a reason online courses did not appeal to me AT ALL. I learn from listening and taking notes.

Ryan is an "Idealist Teacher" or ENFJ
Pretty opposite but it works out well.

So do you know your type? Tell me in a comment if you do I love knowing.

I'm me.

2011-12-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

So, here's the thing. My BMI is within the healthy range for my height. I exercise regularly and eat mostly home cooked, reasonably healthy things. I could be healthier and control portions better. I have no control over my sugar intake when it is available so I don't buy sweets as a general rule. I've had 2 kids. I gained 10 pounds with each one and had relatively little success losing any of it. I have completely plateaued. No matter what I've tried, every time I've stepped on the scale post Kevin's birth I see the same number plus or minus 2 pounds. This can be upsetting because I remember the smaller me, I see her in pictures and she still has a lot of clothes in my closet! I still will continue to do things to improve me but I kind of don't care any more. Does it make clothing shopping frustrating? Yeah. But does it really matter? I'm starting to think no. I dunno...

Oh the 50's...

My Epic Life :)

2011-12-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

Oh man alive, I wasn't planning on blogging this but Ryan thought it was funny and I should... Ryan and I made Muddy Buddies and put them in bags I decorated to share with neighbors.

We attached this silly poem to the back

We thought it would be a good way to see who lives around us... Not so much
Our immediate next door neighbors weren't there but no biggie, we know them well and just left the bag.
The person right above us was in her PJ's I think and embarrassed but still nice. The ones next to her locked their door when we knocked... what? So we left theirs too.
We went downstairs and one unit downstairs fiddled with their door for about 5 minutes before finally saying our door is broke did you need something? So we left them one.
Then the people directly below us had family over and didn't hear our knock but while waiting for them to answer the broken door peoples lock fell right off the door. So we stood there watching that happen when the other door opened and we introduced ourselves to the neighbor who was surprised to see us standing at her door.

So silly :)

Thanksgiving Day 2011

2011-11-30T14:23:00.000-08:00

So this year we started our Thanksgiving off with a 5k that benefited the Utah Food Bank. It was a lot of fun. Neither Ryan or I had ever run one.

Kaylee was pretty excited about this turkey

This is me after the race.

This was our entire group before the race.

Ryan is naturally a lot faster than me so he stayed with me and tried to push me to run we finished in about 37 minutes.

We had dinner with my family that evening and it was delicious.

Go check out all the pictures from our evening here
I love Thanksgiving... I love life :)

PS My mom has a tradition of buying PJs for the grandkids each year and giving them to the kids on Thanksgiving... It's fun

Is there any way not to love this picture?

Tribute to my Mr. Right

2011-11-28T22:26:00.001-08:00

Mushy? Yeah. Deal with it! Honestly I'm not exactly sure how I got so lucky and I mean that.

(Ryan reading with the kids in Kaylee's bed.)
Ryan is such a good dad. Our kids adore him. He's so good at teaching them to reach further and letting them learn. He's way more patient than me at bed time. He's so good at playing with them and making them laugh.

(our impromptu trip to temple square to see the lights)
His parenting skills are not all he has to offer! The man has no problems washing dishes, mopping floors, scrubbing toilets, etc.
Ryan is about as smart as they come. I generally think of myself as an intelligent person but there are very few things I know more about than he does. I'm not alone in noticing this trait in him. Most people who know him quickly learn what a valuable consultant he can be on many subjects. You should see how good he is with numbers. The man gets giddy over theoretical financial ideas. Go ahead ask him for financial advice. He'll love it. He also really keeps up to date with technology... there's so much to keep up on I have no idea how he does it.
Along with his intelligence comes many talents and hobbies. He's an amazing musician. He can learn just about anything you want him to on the guitar in no time. Heck the man can even juggle. Who actually juggles?
He's spiritual and enjoys teaching others the simple truths of the gospel.

He cares about what he looks like and always puts his best foot forward. I could blab on about how attractive he is (and he is, I mean look at that hair!) but it's funny how once you really know someone it's hard to notice their exterior looks without also seeing what you know them to be on the inside. Does that make sense?
Above all Ryan is not afraid of working hard. He earned his masters while raising Kaylee often times alone. He earns enough to keep us going every day inside his corporate job yet never loses site of the dreamer inside of him who always aspires for more.

Play Time

2011-11-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

So thanks to pinterest I've seen some clever ideas on how to entertain small children. I actually haven't done many things I've found on there but I have been inspired to put a greater effort into playing with my children. Kaylee adores every moment she gets. When we sing together she never wants to stop.

The other day we played
Candyland
"touch the door" (I made her touch a door then run back to me for a high five)

"hanger pick up" (I threw a bunch of hangers into the air and Kaylee and Kevin loved bringing them all back multiple times)

and a bead game

So what are your games? I'd love to hear the things you do that help your children feel happy and in control of their lives. Also any ideas for easy ways to keep them entertained without needing of constant supervision would be awesome.

Wingers Sauce

2011-11-15T11:44:00.000-08:00

For the record I didn't come up with this on my own but we have tweaked it to get it just right (and when I say we I mean Ryan because making the sauce just right is his job.)

We love making Wingers sticky finger salad here. You need good buttermilk ranch and not nasty bottled ranch.

Other than that you need lettuce, cheese, dried cranberries, and anything else you want (I like goldfish and chopped pecans.

For the chicken we have found the frozen breaded popcorn chicken cooked in the oven is best.

And then of course there is the famous sauce... All this time it was just 2 ingredients!...

Franks hot sauce and brown sugar!

The ratio that's best 1 part hot sauce to 4 parts brown sugar. They can be mixed in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave. If they don't mix well add 1/2 part water.

Put the cooked popcorn chicken in a tupperware with some sauce and shake it up. They are yummy alone or in a salad.

So there you have it. If you've never tried it, DO!

Protecting Our Children

2011-11-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Remember my post on teaching chastity? Yeah it's scary to think about but at least I'm a girl and I'd like to think that this fact will help me figure out how to teach my daughters. As far as teaching boys goes, I'm clueless. I realize these fears are premature because I've got a good ten years to go before I have to cross that bridge but I still think about it.

My friend Kristin posted an article on facebook yesterday about how pornography effects adolescents. It kind of scared me. Terror aside I still think all you parents out there should read it here. (there are 4 pages of the article so don't stop after page 1) The better we understand the beast the better we can protect against it right? Knowledge is power I think.

A few things that stood out...

The article talks about how the escalating need for intensity leads to real women becoming unexciting. When I worked at FYE we sold Japanese anime that had plot lines more dirty than you could possibly imagine. One of my co workers pointed it out to me and it made me ill. Not coincidentally 36% of young Japanese men have no interest in real women. Society destruction at it's finest.

Also the point was made that unlike other addictions this one is based on a natural impulse. If someone develops bad eating habits as a teenager, do they grow out of it as adults not usually. Same can be said for bad sexual habits.

The thing that makes me sad is that even if I do a fabulous job of teaching my children and they do as I ask both in the house and when they are out on their own. This doesn't change the deterioration that is still happening all around us. It can get discouraging. Maybe we can educate and improve the future!

M203

2011-11-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

We are mostly settled here in M203!

Here's a little look (sorry all cell phone pics so the window light destroyed the pics)

Living room

The Dining Room

The Kitchen

Kaylee's room

Kevin's Room (we bought a toddler bed because he's never actually liked the crib so we will be taking down that crib.)

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Sorry no picture of the second bath. I haven't done anything with it yet but it is bigger than the master bath.
I also didn't show the hall/laundry closet didn't think you cared :)

Still left to do...
pick up end table

Head board in our room
get our microwave stand from Springville
curtains for all rooms but Kaylee's
art in my dining room
buy washer and dryer

We are excited to be here and have been enjoying it so far!

Race Day Race Day RaRaRa

2011-11-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

Well folks I did it! I completed The Halloween Half Marathon on October 29th. It was total insanity! Not sure what I was thinking but I'm still glad I did it... check it off the list of things I never thought I would do.

(This is me at 5 am all dressed and ready to go. There were a lot of ladybug costumes.)

Now before I tell you my official time I need to give some background details...

I randomly decided to train for this thing about 11.5 weeks before the race. Prior to starting a 12 week training program I was active to the extent of walking (slowly I might add) on the treadmill 3-5 times per week for 20-50 minutes. With a training schedule in hand I jumped into trying to move faster, for longer times, more often. The schedule gradually increased the length of my runs until I was readyish for the big time. I did well for a while until things went crazy in my life. My long runs were supposed to happen on Saturday mornings but it just so happened that out of my 12 training Saturdays the last 5ish of them were insanely busy! I had family pictures, Kevin's party, moving, Kaylee's party... something prevented me from getting my long runs in so I ran 7 miles one weekend then didn't run another long run again for about 5 weeks until the actual race. (In total I ran something like 113 miles prior to the race) I hate to admit it, but I wasn't getting faster... Even when I felt I was trying my best, my runs brought me in at about 15 minute miles. I'm pathetic I know.

If you ever decide to run a half marathon avoid the Halloween Half, it's very disorganized and you may end up waiting three hours to pick up your race packet or you may end up standing outside in light weight race clothes for an hour at 5 am in below freezing temperatures!

(Freezing to death outside and needing to pee from of the powerade we were trying to drink pre race)

(bus ride up provo canyon to the starting line.)

So race time arrived and I thought whatever, let's just finish this thing!

So I start out all pumped going down the crazy steep hill and after about 3.5 miles my phone battery is shot thanks to a number of issues and I am forced to turn the thing off and run the rest of the race w/o tunes :( SADNESS.

At about mile 7 I think I started having major pain in the arch of my foot that made it impossible to do more than just force myself to keep moving.

Still, all this aside I accomplished the one thing I set out to do which was finish! My official time was 2:52:22 . This was a nice jump from my usual 15 minute miles to 13 minute miles!

Ryan was running late (SURPRISE!) and didn't make it to the race but my mom, brother, and sister in law came to support Shauna and me.

(Kristi got this lovely shot... Still smiling and moving after 13 miles!)

(Putting food in my body after crossing the finish line. Shauna ran the last little bit with me)

I was beyond sore for a few days but I'm fine now and it's easy to forget pain once it's gone :)

Will I do it again? Probably not but you never know. I still really suck at running. But I do think I view my threshold for physical activity in a new light.

My sister compares running to making children. Training is the 9 months of super annoying pregnancy. Racing is the labor. Finishing is the delivery.
I'd rather have a baby though. The rush of oxytocin after delivering a baby is so much more magical than the adrenaline of crossing a finish line but that's just my opinion. ;)

The Greater Good

2011-11-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

So for those who expressed appreciation for my candid post on some of my more controversial views, I've decided to share this with you...

I said that I've changed my mind on the vaccine issue but I didn't say much about why. I recently watched a documentary that explained things in a much clearer way than I ever could. I think everyone should know the whole story. (Please notice all the awards it's won.)

I promise this is not just a bunch of lunatic fanatical people trying to stir the pot. Please please please everyone visit this link http://vimeo.com/31036452 and watch this documentary. It is very well done! It explores the many sides of the vaccine issue and does NOT simply try to demonize vaccines. Truth be told I would love for more research to be done on vaccines so that I could confidently have them administered to my children.

I love this description of the movie and I've highlighted my favorite part.

The Greater Good looks behind the fear, hype and politics that polarize people into emotionally charged pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine camps with no room for middle ground. Exploring the cultural intersection where parenting meets modern medicine and individual rights collide with politics, this character driven documentary weaves together the stories of three families whose lives have been forever changed by vaccination. By reframing the vaccine debate and offering, for the first time, the opportunity to have a rational and scientific discussion on how to create a safer and more effective vaccine program in America today, The Greater Good challenges viewers to think again.

Update: It appears the time to view the film for free has passed :( I still think people should watch it though even if you have to rent it. Here is at least the trailer if you missed seeing the whole film.

Kaylee is 3!

2011-10-25T13:58:00.001-07:00

We had a fun family princess party at my sisters house for Kaylee on her Birthday. She is really loving her presents and we've been eating lots of leftover cake :) Here's some pictures...

Here is the little invite I made to send to our immediate family members.

Invitation customized with Smilebox

Cornbelly's

2011-10-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

So Oozle was doing a booth/ promotional thing at Cornbelly's last night. I thought the place was just a maze but it's a huge place with a TON of activities. I want to take Kaylee back there this weekend. If we go back I'll take some good pics of the cuteness.

We only took one picture and I'll post it once I get from Ryan's phone...

Ryan's boss bought passes to the haunted area for all of us so Ryan and I experienced our first haunted house type thing. I thought we would be scared but I couldn't believe how completely lame it was. It was fun though just to be hanging out and being silly.

The one thing that got us all was this scarecrow on stilts that was huge and hiding well. When he jumped in out path that got us all. Hilarious.

This and That

2011-10-13T22:05:00.001-07:00

So we made an impromptu trip to the park that is right by my moms house today. This is the first time I've taken Kevin since he's been walking... Did I mention he walks. He's been standing forever and he'd even take a step or two for a while now but once he decided he was ready he just skipped straight to running. He loves to walk now!

This is just proof that he is a professional walker now...

He loved the park but he made it stressful for me. He loved climbing on the equipment but had no comprehension of how dangerous some things were. He attempted going down the huge twirly slide with large drop off at the end with out me. He almost crawled off the edge of the bridge thing every time he crossed it. He thought he could climb the big green bars that his sister climbed...

Being a boy...

In other news, Kaylee loves to talk with an accent. LOVES. This video has too much of my voice (sorry) and Kaylee's hair is bed time crazy but you get the point. She's such a little dramatic actress.

And she is a singer too... ish. This video makes her sound like a howling dog but I had to record it because this is not the first time that she felt compelled to sing when Josh Groban came on the radio. Oh and don't worry she feels it necessary to sing in a similar fashion when Hymns are being sung in Sacrament Meeting! (It's sideways because I was still driving and just pointing my phone in her general direction.)

And lastly (for now) I'm giving a sneak peak of a blog to come...

Pretty soon I will have our new place put together and I can post a blog with pictures of more than just the door! We are hoping to move out all the big stuff on Saturday!
Today our next door neighbors had their door open so we said hi. The Stocks (not sure how it's spelled) have 2 little boys that are probably about 3 and 1 like our kids. The dad was wearing a nice big blue Y and they said they are big BYU fans which sounds like a good sign to me!
The playground is right outside our front door pretty much so I may have to lock Kaylee in sometimes... she would totally go without me- miss independent!

Off to get some sleep before tomorrow smacks me upside the head :-/

Kevin (and Ryan's) Birthday Party

2011-10-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Well, Ryan turned the big 3-0 just days before Kevin turned 1! I was trying to combine their party but there was nothing about it that was for Ryan really. He didn't mind too much though. It was nice of our families to come and celebrate with us and I couldn't have done any of it without my big sister Melissa!

To see all the pictures I took click here.

Family Pictures

2011-10-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

This year my sister was nice enough to take our family pictures for us. She's not a photographer she just enjoys taking pictures. We got some really cute ones! Since Kevin had surgery right before his birthday I didn't get a chance to take his one year pictures so thankfully she got some cute pictures of Kevin as well!

To view the entire album of my favorites click here.

Hair Cut

2011-10-04T13:08:00.001-07:00

I wanted to get Kevin's hair cut before our family pictures so I decided to take him to cookie cutters since they are used to dealing with kids. It was a cute place!
I thought the little truck he was buckled in was adorable! You can see from the blur of his hair cutter that she worked quickly :)

Kaylee was having a great time with a sucker, balloon, and slide to keep her entertained.

He looks like such a big boy now with his new hair cut!

The Gift of Sight

2011-09-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

Today is Kevin's first Birthday. My baby isn't a baby any more! For his Birthday we are hoping that he was given the gift of sight!

After losing or not being able to use over $1000 worth of contact lens' (4 different brands something like 12 different lens') we finally threw in the towel on the contact lens nonsense. Kevin has a very severe astigmatism which makes finding the right lens for him virtually impossible.

Yesterday Kevin's ophthalmologist (Dr. Larson) preformed one last surgery with the assistance of a world renowned cataract doctor named Dr. Crandall. Together they gave Kavin a fake lens called an IOL. This lens differs from the one Dr. Larson attempted to put in during the last surgery in that it is sewn into place so that the lens can not become displaced like it did last time. From my understanding this technique is much more unique and one that Dr. Crandall knows well (Hence his assistance was needed.)

The lens strength is a bit stronger than what he needs right now and eventually it will be too weak. To compensate for these differences, Kevin will probably wear glasses for the rest of his life.

Kevin is mostly back to normal today aside from a very red eye, being tired, and needing a whole lot of drops again.

Pictures!
Getting his blood pressure taken pre op.

Being super Annoyed with the identifier they put on his ankle.

The tracking system at the Moran Eye Center...The top pink square is kevin and pink mean he is in the OR.
What he looked like just before waking up . He was still in such a drugged state that he was kind of funy when he woke up.

Church History

2011-09-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

So I was wanting to tell a dear friend about our religious history but then decided this was more exciting. So today I'm rewatching it because it's been a while. If you've never seen it or if you haven't seen it in a while, watch it :)

Here's a little secret I learned from a BYU teacher of mine who worked on the audio for this movie (remember how I used to be a sound recording technology major?) This movie originally ended with Joseph and his brothers together in heaven but that didn't sit right with the general authorities for some reason.

The first time I saw this movie was actually on a date with a guy in my BYU ward. I'd never spoken to him before but he just basically picked up the ward directory and said her hahaha.

Saturday's project

2011-09-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

I wish I had thought to take pictures of the original product before cutting in but I kept forgetting to take pictures.

I wanted to buy Kaylee some BYU clothes but didn't really want to pay for them. I had some old BYU workout clothes that I didn't wear anymore so I decided to convert them. I have a few other things I'm planning to convert for the kids as well.

my home made pattern

I cut the waistband off and made the skirt from one short leg. I re used the draw string because it says Brigham Young on it :)

All finished and so easy!

She was very grumpy and not wanting to take a picture in it so this is what you get.

sleep cures everything

2011-09-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

So Ryan and I don't do mornings... Like seriously don't. Ask our mothers, they will both tell you that we were the worst of all our siblings at being decent human beings before 10:00 am.

Despite my equal hatred for mornings somehow the responsibility of getting Ryan out the door falls on me. He wouldn't ever get out of bed on time if I didn't get up first and make him feel guilty for staying in bed. So 6:30am and I have become reacquainted. Some of you morning people might be thinking but now you have all this extra time to yourself to get things done but that is false. After I make Ryan's lunch I sit around feeling ill and being completely worthless. (If you notice a rough edge in this post it's because I'm writing it in the morning hours that I'm so hateful towards.) The biggest problem is that getting up earlier seriously shortens my fuse for the rest of the day and a short fuse plus a sensitive and curious 11 month old is rough.

Two days ago I was trying to get out the door and Kevin just kept doing dumb things. It started with somehow finding some mushy #2 in the toilet and eating it (I was gagging) then once cleaned and dressed he climbed into another toilet and got all wet. He also pulled just about everything on the bathroom sink onto the floor and spilled bobby pins everywhere. Once his new clothes were on he took his shorts off while I was trying to get kaylee ready. Not to mention he would not take his morning nap so he was following me around whining at my feet all morning.
Yesterday he was sick (I was sick Sunday.) Rather than be a nurturing mother who felt compassion for my son who was suffering from something I had recently experienced, I was just annoyed. I just wanted the whining to stop so bad. The throw up clean up was getting really old but having him whining and tugging at me while I did it didn't help.

Pray for me to find some patience!

Not my will but thine...

2011-08-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

On June 10th Ryan put on this snazzy little ensemble and went to an interview. They loved him. He walked away feeling quite certain they would offer him a position.

Then when he followed up with them they said they loved him but that they weren't ready to hire so we continued to look.
Fast forward a month and he called them again... same story. I was over it and them. And another job was looking very hopeful. To my surprise he was not offered any positions and I had pretty much given up.
Out of nowhere the original job called and wanted him to meet the other partner. So on August 19th more than 2 months later he went back and was offered the position he originally applied for and wanted.
Ryan is the newest Project Manager for Oozle Media in Sandy UT (no relocation required!)

Wish him luck!

Happiness can be a choice

2011-08-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

So things have gone all sorts of stupid in our attempts to find Ryan a job. He basically had one in his hands and then they just changed their mind and went with a guy who wasn't as technically smart as Ryan but had more management experience. The job in Sandy keeps telling him that they love him and want to hire him but the timing isn't right. Not sure they'll ever pull the trigger and a company that can't get their act together doesn't sound like a great one to work for. ABC Family had him come all the way to CA to interview for 3 hours and then dropped off the face of the earth. Won't tell us anything. Obviously we've decided that's a no but seriously why not just tell us!

So I've decided to stop living my life just waiting for the right job to happen. Maybe it's not supposed to. Ryan has owned his own business for a while now and it pays the bills. Through trial and error he is learning how to increase his worth to customers and work more efficiently. So I'm just going to be happy with that.

I'm done living in anticipation of a potential move and I'm just going to start living in the right now and enjoying all the great things I have...

Ryan being self employed means he can work around when I want him to help me with something or watch the kids or something.

We can sleep in some days and he has no commute.
I get to hang out with someone who is over the age of two (my mom) even when Ryan is working a ton.

As part of my effort to just keep living life I wanted some sort of purpose so I decided to train for the Halloween Half Marothon that my sister is running. (If you have any awesome running friendly costume ideas throw them my way.) This is a big deal because I am not a runner. I never have been. I was the kid in PE who dreaded the 2 times a year we ran the mile. I hate the way running makes me taste blood and makes my lungs hurt for a week. Still something about this just seemed right to me and so here I am. I "ran" four miles this morning (depending on what you consider running) and I really am excited to keep pushing myself to get better.
After one outdoor run I realized that I really needed some new things to make this work. I finally got my first nice tennis shoes ever (the ones I was wearing were heavy and old and gave me a blister. Shauna says cotton free socks also help prevent blisters so if anyone knows where to get those cheap let me know.)

I also just ordered this

I hope my phone fits in it.
Also I am borrowing a camelback from my sister because the water situation was a joke today!

Wish me luck! If you are a runner feel free to give me tips or inspiration!

Apartment hunting

2011-07-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

For starters this is not an announcement that we are moving... Ryan has some good looking prospects but no official job offers on the table YET.

Still I like to look at what's available in the areas he is interviewing [cough** San Luis Obispo** cough] (something I've been reassured is semi normal.)

I find myself at times overwhelmed by the factors which we will need to take into consideration when deciding where to live...

-price

-proximity to work

-laundry options

-square footage

-storage

-how modern it looks inside

-floor plan

-neighborhood

-what appliances are included

-bedrooms

-amenities

-utilities included

and more!

So my question is what are your priorities and how have you decided on a place if you've ever had to move to a city you've never been to?

We've pretty much decided that if the time comes we are going to stick with a cheaper 2 br place in a cheaper neighboring city until we've made a nice dent in paying off student loans.

Today I like this one -click to view- but that could change by tomorrow ;)

Oh so discouraging!

2011-07-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

Warning: Whining!

So I'll start by acknowledging the good before rambling about the bad. If your child is going to born with a birth defect their are much worse options than congenital cataracts. The fact is, Kevin has one good eye and not having one eye work is not life threatening or anything of the sort. Also I am so glad we had insurance to cover his 2 surgeries and that Primary Children's also did approve us for some financial assistance on what insurance didn't cover. Also I know lots of children rack up way more medical expenses than Kevin has even though it feels like he has cost us so much.

Kevin's 90 days post op appointments (included in the cost of the surgery) are now over which means we get to pay for all his appts. Ryan is still applying and interviewing for jobs regularly but as of yet there are still no official job offers on the table which means no insurance and not nearly enough cash to make up the difference.

Kevin has tried several different kinds of lens' but they all cost a lot of money and get lost all the time. I have reached my breaking point and can not bring myself to order a new one to replace the latest one which was last seen on Tuesday. He is very mobile now so it could be anywhere including down the shower drain or toilet.

When the lens' are not lost and are in his eye they spend 80% of their time hiding in the top of his eye doing him absolutely NO GOOD. It is nearly impossible to get them down and he hates it when you try... makes you feel so awful.

To top it off I'm supposed to not only magically get the lens' to stay in his eye and in place but also patch his good eye to force him to use the bad one for a couple hours a day... Let me just tell you that this is MUCH easier said than done.

When he has a patch on he freaks out. Literally does not stop screaming until he forces himself to sleep as a defense against having to try. Also he is pretty strong and smart now so he is very skilled at getting off all kinds of said patches. It feels so pointless to spend time holding and attempting to console him while forcing him not to rip the patch off if he is just going to close his eyes 15 minutes later anyway.

Everyone asks why not make him wear goggles so the lens can't get lost and the doctor who does the lens fitting said that he would just take it off the same way he takes off patches.

People ask why not glasses... For one he wouldn't leave them on either but more importantly I don't think they would do the trick because they wouldn't be strong enough.

Dr. Larson told me after Kevin's failed IOL implant that he could possibly stitch a lens to the inside of Kevin's eye. I'm at the point where I am ready for this option but then we are back to the money issue. No money and no insurance would make for a very interesting surgical situation.

I feel so trapped. I used to be positive about the whole thing but as he's getting older and things are getting harder I just get so discouraged. I feel like so much pressure is just weighing on my shoulders to make this work but I have no idea how. Kevin and his doctors are depending on me to get him to see and I feel like I've failed.

My Kids

2011-07-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

Called me biased but I think my kids are pretty dang cute... hahaha. Ok so in reality in most of these videos they look totally white trash but they still make me laugh!

One of Kaylee's latest hobbies is trying to make Kevin laugh. It's so cute.

She also likes to get him his bottle or pacifier and tell him "I know it's all right sweetie" and things of that nature. She likes to share her food with him and whether or not I approve he LOVES IT!

Kevin is real crawling now and no longer scoots all over on his stomach!

He says mama all the time but I'm not sure he's saying it in reference to me yet.

He is kind of stubborn about sleeping sometimes so he won't go to sleep until he just can't go any longer...

He's hilarious!
I have to admit I was all about sleep training via crying it out the moment Kaylee reached the recommended age. Kevin has been a different story. For one thing I read an article that said us people in the west are the only ones who expect babies to sleep like adults and that their developing brains need to be nourished even at night. While that may be true, I have to admit the real problem is just that he doesn't have his own room to cry in.
He slept in a mini pack n play in our room and sometimes in our bed for most of his life so far and I finally put the pack n play away forever and am making slow progress on getting him to sleep in his crib in Kaylee's room. Last night was one of our best.

This might be sacrilegious to put on the internet but the first time she did this I could barely contain my laughter so I had to record it the next time she did it.

I posted Kaylee singing the ABC's a long time ago. It's still her favorite song and she often sings it and twinkle twinkle one after the other ad nauseam. These days she has added a few other songs to her song list and is always singing. Contrary to what this video shows she can actually carry a tune quite well. She just likes to make up her own melodies to things hence you will only recognize the words this song...

Update from Anonymous

2011-07-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

To be fair, anonymous has reached out and apologized and from where I stand the whole thing is in the past.

Dear Annonymous

2011-07-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

(I had an anonymous comment on some of my previous blogs and since she was not willing to reveal her identity to me then I am responding in a blog and hoping she for some reason still reads my blogs even though she didn't like what I had to say.)

Dear Anonymous,

I feel like you completely misunderstood me. As I read your comments I kept wondering is it my blog she is commenting on? It's as though you feel like my blog is a personal attack on you and based on what you said, it appears I don't even know you.

I said almost the same thing as you regarding labor options... Know your options and do what is best for you. I'm really happy you enjoyed all your labors and i don't see how my comments diminished that fact in any way.

I have no problem with you deciding that vaccinating is what is best for your children. I'm curious though as to why you think not vaccinating my children is a religious decision? I didn't mention anything about religion. For your information I do actually know how many vaccines the church sends over seas. I've considered this fact in my personal decision not to vaccinate. You asked if I thought the church would do this if vaccines were bad and my answer is yes. They are very well meaning in doing so. The church is full of many wonderful people who want to help others and based on the most popularly held ideas on vaccines the people over the philanthropic branches of the church would think this a great use of their funds.

I know it's hard to watch your children be administered vaccines because I've done it but trust me if watching them cry and dealing with their fussiness was the only reason I didn't like vaccines I'd buck up and deal with it. I like any parent am terrified of my children catching a bad disease and if I believed that simply giving them a vaccine was the solution I would do it in a heart beat. I suppose I wasn't clear enough in my message so let me restate it clearly now: I do not give my children vaccines because I believe them to be unsafe and ineffective in doing what they claim to do.

As for your comments regarding my post on teaching chastity I feel you misunderstood my message. I suppose my word choice in saying that "the church's teachings fall short" is not exactly what I should have put. When I said that what I meant is thatwhat the leaders often teach falls short. I am well aware of the churches stance on the subject because I majored in Home and Family Living at BYU and had to take many marriage courses surrounding the subject. Hence I can clearly see the disconnect between the churches actual stance on the subject and what is in reality often taught. I feel as though maybe you didn't actually read the article I posted a link to because I think that had you read it you would have better understood the message I was trying to convey. Again this is not a personal attack on your teaching. For all I know you could be wonderful at teaching chastity to your young women. The point is that as a whole we still have a large amount of problems with promiscuity even within the church.

I am confused by your comment about people feeling guilt for their sins. I have re read the blog to try and figure out where on earth this came from and I am at a loss. I never once said anything about people not needing to feel guilt for their sins. You are attacking me on a point I never tried to make. Realizing that what you've done is wrong is part of repentance and I never said anything contrary. My only guess is that you are referring to my quote from the article itself but if you would read the quote carefully it says "Some might say" in reference to other people who are looking on the sinner and is not talking about the sinner them self.

And lastly your comment on having ugly children (which is not what I said I wanted) was completely and totally uncalled for! In the words of Elder Joseph B Wirthlin, "Kindness is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others."

I'm sorry if I said things that offended you but I have to say that it is my blog and I didn't ask you to read it. I even said in my post that if you didn't want to read about my minority opinions then you did not have to keep reading.

Consider the golden rule.

Sincerely,

Stacey

Funny Story

2011-07-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

So today when I was getting in the shower in an attempt to prevent Kevin from getting into trouble and falling down stairs (since he only knows how to go up them) I stuck him in his high chair with gold fish and cheerios.

When I came downstairs this is what I found...

He had crawled out of the chair across the GAPING HOLE between the table and high chair then all the way down the table and had devoured the entire banana that had been sitting on the table.

Let me just tell you he thought he was HOT STUFF!

Disneyland and California Adventure

2011-07-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

We had a little drama with our original Disneyland plans. We were going to buy our tickets from costco and were shocked to find they were gone. Thanks to an over nighted package from one of Ryan's good friends things worked out for the better since it turned out the day we went was a black out day on the costco tickets.

It was a busy day at the park but we planned things well and did a lot of shows since Kaylee isn't a big ride fan anyway. Ryan got to experience a lot of things he never had before since having all those brothers doesn't usually lead to watching parades or Aladin on stage. (I LOVE the Aladin show!)

We waited to see the princesses but Kaylee really wanted to see Cinderella (She's never seen the movie but insists she is her favorite.) So after seeing Tiona, Ariel, and Jasmine we went and watched Story telling with Cinderella

Shortly after that was the "Coronation Ceremony" with Cinderella, Snow White, and Aurora. Somehow of all the kids there Cinderella decided to grab Kaylee by the hand and walk with her. Then she gave her a kiss on the cheek! 2 year olds dream come true.

We went out of our way to make sure we saw Disney Junior live on stage. You have to understand that Disney Junior is Kaylee's life! If it weren't for renting hour long Little Einsteins from the library I probably would not have graduated.

She was MESMERIZED!

We wanted good seats tot the parade so my mom sat and waited with the kids while Ryan and I went on the new Star Tours (which did still make me sick dang it) The standby time was 2 hours! Our fast passes still took a long time.
Since my mom was alone with 2 kids she had a lot of workers come stop and make friends with Kaylee. (I've decided they are trained to just be helpful like that.) Ryan found a balloon and gave it to Kaylee and the black ink on it got all over her so she looks very white trash in this video.

She was cute waving to every character with excitement.

It was a long day but a really fun one. Ryan was so good with Kaylee as usual. It was a great reminder of how lucky I got with him. Having my mom there was a huge help as well. Thanks to both of you!

Las Vegas

2011-07-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

On our way to CA we stopped in and stayed with Ryan's grandparents for a few days. Kaylee made lots of friends at the pool and loved being with her great grandparents.

Getting a little sun to try and prepare for Lake Powell later this month.