Jen's Show and Tell

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2009-06-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!

2009-05-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

Here's your fair warning...This is a birth story. If that's not your thing, just look at the pic of my beautiful baby girl and I'll see you next post. :-)

The week of May 17th was an interesting one for me. I couldn't go to sleep Monday night and at 11:00 pm I started having contractions every eight minutes like clockwork for an hour straight. I won't say they were painful because I knew I needed to reserve the word "pain" for something more substantial than that. I could feel them, but that's about it--they weren't just Braxton-Hicks fakies playing with my emotions. So after some debate in my head, I woke Adam up and told him. Wouldn't you know the dang things stopped! I had Adam's attention though..he NEVER wakes up that easily, at least without incoherent responses. So we both lay there in bed waiting..and waiting. Nothing happens any more. He finally falls back asleep. They start up again..eight minutes apart, for at least an hour. By then, I figure getting in a panic about it just causes them to go away so I fall back asleep.

The next morning, I continue to have them off and on. In the afternoon, I go in to see Bonnie, my midwife and I tell her about our false alarm. She strips my membranes hoping to help labor along. We also do a non-stress test to make sure the baby is still healthy. This was really just for me because I was worried there would be a repeat from when Ben was born and his heart rate would go down each time I had a contraction. But this time all was good. I was still having constant contractions, but I was only dilated to 1 cm. From the non-stress test though we were able to observe how she would handle the contractions. She passed her test with flying colors..That's my girl! The position I was laying in for the NST caused me pain each time I would have a contraction where she stripped my membranes so when Bonnie came in, she thought for sure that I was in labor since my face was kind of red.

But we go home and Bonnie fully expects me to be back in that night or the next day in full labor. No such luck. The contractions did keep coming though, but I went on about Wednesday and Thursday as normal. I lost my mucous plug on Thursday. Then Friday at 6:30am, a contraction woke me up. It was just uncomfortable, not painful really. I noted the time and went back to sleep. Ten minutes later, another one woke me up. So I got up and told Adam before he left for work. Neither of us was too anxious about it. I kept having them throughout the day. Adam called at lunch just to make sure he hadn't missed anything, you know, like a baby being born or something..

After lunch, my good friend Melinda called asking how I was doing and if there was a baby yet. I filled her in on the latest and she suggested that I just go in and get checked before the three-day weekend for Memorial Day began. I figure I might as well. I wasn't going to be able to sleep any way with the contractions coming the way they were. I was also curious if all these contractions had caused any changes.

So Adam came home early to get Ben and I go in to see Bonnie at about 3:30pm on Friday. She checks me and there is very little change. I'm 90% effaced, -2 position, and dilated 1-2 cm. I was really surprised that all those contractions hadn't done a little more than that. Bonnie tells me that I am in "latent labor" and that I have chosen the harder way by going VBAC. I could likely be in this kind of labor for days and that I can take a unisom or benadryl to go to sleep if I need to, although it will probably stop the contractions. She also mentions that the least VBAC-supportive doctor is on call that weekend so if I made it through to Monday, life would be easier for everyone. I should have taken that as a positive thing that labor wasn't starting yet since I really had my heart set on NOT having another c-section, but instead I was almost in tears wondering how I was going to get any sleep (I wasn't about to take unisom, benadryl or anything else if it was going to stop labor, unless it got A LOT worse than it was now, not to mention the paranoia it would cause me that it would hurt the baby) and thinking how bad it sucks that my Memorial Day weekend was likely going to be spent having contractions that aren't doing a dang thing besides keeping me from sleeping. So what's a bummed-out prego to do? Rip it up on some Guitar Hero of course!

I get some good playing in before Ben wakes up from his nap and insists that it's his turn to play. I'm having contractions continually while I play and sometimes I pause the game to let it pass and sometimes not. Either way, sadly, it didn't affect my average much at all. Adam goes to grab some food and makes me the most delicious-smelling burger to be followed by some candy-loaded ice cream. Although I'm tempted, I just wasn't really up for food. I must have had some hope too because I kept thinking that if I am in labor, I didn't want to screw any anesthesia up by eating. Whatever..

So I sit in the recliner smelling the burgers as Adam and Ben munch down and the contractions are steady coming. I was generally timing them like I had been all day. They'd be eight minutes apart, then three minutes, then four, seven, etc. so they weren't consistent. They weren't even long. I was only in real pain for about 30 seconds each time, if that. Finally I just gave up and would yell to Adam that another was coming. I should have known that this baby is soon coming when I was on the phone with my mom for twenty minutes (one of the many times I called her that night)and I had four of five contractions within that time.

Finally, Adam insisted that I call Bonnie and ask her if this was normal. She doesn't sound worried at all, but says she'll call in about an hour to check on me since she was just leaving Jennings and for me to call her if anything else changed. The contractions started being consistent when they were three to four minutes apart, but still didn't last very long. By then, Adam had already packed the car and called to make sure that Ben's sitters were still up for keeping a two-year-old very dependent on his mom for getting (and staying) asleep. (Yep, he's still in the bed with us. Another post, another time...) Adam called Bonnie to let her know we were on our way to the hospital.

It was at about 9:30pm, maybe a little later when Joan arrived here to keep Ben. I told her that we'd probably be sent home, but, after she saw me go through a contraction, she said she'd be very surprised if they sent me home. It was just time for Ben to go to sleep and I was filled with a lot of emotion as I kissed him bye and tried to help him understand that we were going to the hospital to hopefully to get our baby. He wasn't crying and was glad that Nuw-nuw-nuw (Sister Newton) was there, but he was also uncomfortable too because he was tapping his left and right fingertips together as I tried to help him understand.

He was doing better than me at least. I mourned for him that things would never be the same for him again--in some ways better, but in some ways worse. Specifically, I mourned that his and my relationship would never be quite the same. We had always been what I felt like good friends. He always listened pretty well to me and seemed to still like enjoying playing with his mom and such. I was also sad thinking he would feel kind of cheated on when he saw me and Adam with the new baby, despite all the reassurances we gave him. Lastly, I worried how he would sleep without his normal routine and his mom's (or even dad's) shoulder to sleep on. Not a thing I could do about any of my concerns, but it didn't stop me from feeling them.

Finally we got out the door (thankfully we had packed our bags completely earlier in the week after Monday's little excitement). Contractions kept coming and I was feeling every bump we hit despite Adam's efforts to drive as "gently" as an anxious husband and dad could. We got to the patient drop-off and one comes just as I'm getting out of the car. (They seemed to come any time I tried to walk even if I had just had one a second before.) I brace myself on the car door as Adam rushed around to help brace me. A hospital maintenance worker (I think) had been sitting in his truck and saw what must have been a familiar sight. He was an elderly man, but he snatched up a wheelchair and had me back to pre-labor before I could exhale. Adam looked like he had a hard time keeping up since he had to stop and answer questions from someone at a desk I think.

Once we got back to pre-labor, they didn't have my file (even though Bonnie had called to give them a heads up that I was coming in) so they are asking me all kinds of questions. I remember being handed the phone to talk to some lady I didn't know to answer more questions. I also remember talking to Bonnie. She said she would be there in about 20 minutes. The nurse checked me (thank goodness for that nurse with small cold hands..lol) and I was dilated 4-5 cm. That kind of surprised me. I had expected to be in a lot more pain to be dilated that far.

Finally the nurses leave me and Adam alone for a minute while they are preparing my room. That's when those painful contractions I had been expecting started coming. One minute I told Adam that I *think* I might need an epidural. The next I'm telling him to get the nurse to get me an epidural NOW! He goes and gets her, a new one this time. This nurse looks to be fresh out of nursing school, maybe even high school from the looks of her. She came in and she said this, (I will never forget it), "I don't have orders for you to get an epidural". That's when I say as nicely as I can while still being in some intense pain something like, "That is what this is. Your orders are to GET ME AN EPIDURAL!" My attempts at being nice obviously didn't work because she kind of eased backwards out the door while watching me and saying okay. (I mean, really though..If "orders" for an epidural don't originate with the patient, then where do they originate???)

A second later, Miss Teenage Nurse comes back in again and says they have my room ready. They wheeled me over and got me settled. By then, I was roasting hot and I asked if I can have some water. They say I can have some ice chips. I have yet to see those blasted chips. I have yet to see that epidural either because after they got me in my room and got the IV going, I tell the nurse with the tiny hands that I think I might have pushed a little on that last contraction. She tells me not to push yet and then she checks me. She says I'm full and that on my next contraction, I can push. Bonnie still wasn't there and I was surprised to hear that they'd let me push without her being there, not that I could have kept myself from pushing any way. I didn't have time to have another contraction before Bonnie walked in the door, smiled at me, washed up, slapped on her gloves just in time to be there while I pushed. It was literally that fast. Just before I started pushing though, I remember asking if I should labor a different way to avoid tearing. Dumb question considering nothing that size has ever come out of that space. She tells me to listen and push when she says as hard as she says to avoid tearing.

I got through several pushes and ask her about how many more I have. She said she figured about four more pushes till the baby is out. I get through a couple more and she told me that she knows the situation is intense but that she needed me to hurry and get the baby out of there because her heart rate had dropped. I had no idea how much it had dropped but it was just the catalyst I needed to up my game since Ben's drop in heart rate was the very reason (fetal distress) that I had had to have a c-section before and since I knew it was too late for that this time, I was worried. I pushed as hard as I could and often as I could. I ended up pushing through four contractions with about four pushes in each contraction. So total I pushed about 16 time or so the nurse estimated. It felt like a little less to me.

In between one, I remember looking over at Adam who was standing by my head. His eyes are red and he was obviously concerned. I ask him how he is holding up. I can't remember what he said. I try to reassure him that I'm okay and that I'm just working. Then another contraction came and I pushed. I felt first her head come out and then slightly more painful was her shoulders and then the rest of her little body. I could feel each inch of our precious baby coming into the world.

I heard Bonnie say that the baby was thick meconium so they didn't let Adam cut the cord. They just take her straight over to the warmer and check her and syringe her. They tell me she is fine and Bonnie looks at me and says I needed to push the afterbirth out. I look right back at her and say, "I'm finished, see? Baby's over there." She and the nurse with tiny hands laugh. After that's all done, she takes about 15 minutes to stitch me up. So much for listening to her and not tearing. Then again, a healthy baby was obviously the higher priority.

Stella Lucile was born at 10:40am about 40 minutes after we got to the hospital. 7 lbs, 7 oz, 20 3/4 inches long with dark hair. She nurses well and sleeps pretty well so far too. (Knock on wood..) Ten days later now, Ben is still adjusting but doing better. He still tells me "back" as in put her back in her bed, especially when he's ready to go to sleep, but he also rubs her head, gives her kisses and likes to hold her. Thanks for all the prayers, meals, well wishes, baby sitting, and good intentions on our behalf.

Here's an Update

2009-05-09T01:11:00.000-07:00

I'm tired as heck, my body hurts and is tired of being pregnant, but I need to make it through next week because I have way too much to do with finals and getting last minute things ready for her arrival. My midwife thinks that I'll be pregnant at least through the 11th, probably longer, which is fine because I'm not even due until the 20th.

I lost a week last week of getting things because our AC went out..OUR AC WENT OUT ON AN 8 1/2 MONTH ALONG PREGO! Let me say--ankles the size of softballs! At least it wasn't July..But they did take their sweet time fixing it. Actually Adam ended up fixing it after they changed a part and said they'd come back tomorrow to fix the rest. My husband never looked so good as when that cool air started coming out of those vents! So the AC people showed up 8:30 the next morning to finish fixing it (or just root around and cause my bad mood and swollen ankles to get even worse) but I was sleeping and it was MY turn to be in no hurry. I don't feel one bit bad about punting them either..actually, call me spiteful, but I kind of feel good about it. muhahaha :-) Thanks to those who offered us a cool haven and other help during that time.

I think Ben's Little Sister Would LOVE this!

2009-02-23T01:40:00.000-08:00

Grosgrain: Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!! What do you think? I know I have to wait till May to get to foo-foo her up, but I'm getting started early, at least in spirit!

Thinking Pink!

2009-02-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

Although we found out about a month or so ago, I was reminded that I never posted whether we're having a girl or boy. Well, it's a GIRL! The ultrasound tech said she was 100% sure. I like those kind of percentages. Looks like I need to get a part-time job to pay for all the clothes, shoes, and prom dresses that are sure to come! Adam is thrilled that he going to get to torment her dates one day. He wants to buy a gun just so he can clean it when boys start coming around.

Not Letting Laura Have All the Fun!

2009-02-05T11:12:00.001-08:00

(I'd knew you'd like that title, Laura :-) I've been trying to get better deals at the grocery store and, in my attempts, have been clipping coupons like my life depended on it. I don't think I did too bad today at Kroger, for a newb.

My receipt says that my total savings is $28.99. I paid $9.11 out of pocket and got:
Gushers--2 boxes
Simply Orange with Mango
Dannon Yogurt La Creme 4-pk
Yo-Plus Yogurt 4-pk
Grands bisquits--8 cans
Multi-grain Cheerios--2 boxes
Colgate Maxfresh toothpaste

Go me..it's my birthday..not really..but go any way..
(BTW, seriously Laura, thanks for the help in figuring out the tricks!)

December

2009-01-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

What a crazy month December was! The first part of it was spent engulfed in writing papers and taking finals and once I had that out of the way, I could actually start to get into Christmas. We were able to get the tree up and decorated just in time for me to get sick...twice. That's pregnancy for ya!

The Christmas tree was an adventure in and of itself. When we first pulled out the ornaments, Ben took one of the balls and threw it (isn't that what every boy does with a ball??) directly at the tile the first throw. It shattered every where of course. We spent the rest of the month trying to keep him from repeating it and at the very least not grabbing one of the nicer ornaments. Can you see the mischief on his face? He is wondering whether he should grab an ornament and run or play with the outlet that is screaming his name.

Early in the month, we went to the local Christmas festival. It was pretty neat, especially for the small size of our town. They had Santa Claus, fake snow, and a little carnival with games and rides.

Can you see the specs of snow?

Less than a week later, we got REAL snow! Ok, real for Louisiana.. I snatched Ben out of bed so he could see it. We weren't brave enough to go out in it though. It didn't take long before it all melted away (the rain didn't help) and afterwards I was missing Utah snow pretty bad. Throughout the day, I found myself daydreaming about pushing Ben in a sled, making a big snowman, having a snowball fight..I even missed when Adam used to come home when we lived in student housing at the University of Utah and he'd throw a snowball at the window to scare me!

Within just a couple of days, we had hot weather. Then cold, then hot...Here's a cute pic of Ben all bundled up for a cold day.

At the church Christmas party, we got to experience Christmas dinner cajun-style! The menu was gumbo, potato salad, and more sweets than Santa could eat in a year. I learned after that that to really experience it cajun-style, I was supposed to put my potato salad IN my gumbo..is that right??? Any way, it was good nonetheless. Primary (the kids of our church)put on a nativity that no one heard (although Ty did a great job reading from Luke 2) because the mic crapped out. The kids were pretty cute all dressed up like shepherds, sheep, a star, wisemen (and a wisewoman), Mary and Joseph.

At the party, Ben watched Santa Claus from a distance and reached to give him a kiss at one point (from like 10 feet away), but when we got closer, it was all over with. I could have handed him over to Santa, but I already have that picture from last year!

Last year's photos..I've got to get an ornament made of these or frame them or something..hilarious!

Speaking of Primary, I was released from serving as Primary president. I should have seen the release coming since I was actually feeling like I was coming into my own in the calling, but I didn't..Nonetheless, it will be good. I was asked to be the enrichment counselor in Relief Society. I will miss miss miss those kids! I really learned a lot from my counselors and the teachers I served with, but I'm excited to be in Relief Society again too. And just like the kids are so incredible in Primary, their moms and other women in there are equally amazing in my experience thus far. But it will be harder to think of reasons to break out my talent of catching cheerios with my mouth in there!

With everything so crazy, I didn't get to make all the goodies I wanted to. I got some done and delivered which was fun, but there's a lot of friends I just didn't get to. Please know that you are loved and appreciated nonetheless! Here's Ben enjoying the spoils of my treat-making.

I canned a couple jars of spiced apples (a little for food storage) which I was pretty proud of. I couldn't find red hots anywhere so I settled for hot tamales candies which was kind of a bummer since the gummy part didn't break down as much as I would have liked. But they were pretty and yummy and for my first stab at it, I was happy.

Thanksgiving

2009-01-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving, we went to Florida where my family lives. My dad and stepmom came up to visit as well as my cousin Amber who I don't get to see very much. She had her little boy Zac a couple of weeks after I had Ben, both were our firsts, both of us had c-sections and she and I are pretty close in age. It was nice to visit with everyone, although we missed my sister Jessica who lives in Utah and couldn't be there.

Ben got one of his Christmas presents early--a John Deere tractor bicycle. It is too big for his legs right now, but that will only be the case for a little bit. He had (is having) fun getting pushed around on it and pushing it himself. We got some pretty funny looks on the way home with it strapped to the car roof!

Thanksgiving dinner was at my uncle's house. He has a horse, a donkey, chickens, a rooster, and probably critters I don't even know about. His donkey would he-haw every now and then and Ben LOVED it. He is still making the noise to this day. Actually, he knows the difference when we ask him, but he is making an association between deer (with all the reindeer he's seen in Christmas movies, etc.), donkeys and Paw-Paw since his Paw-Paw was the one showing him the donkey. He is also associating Paw-Paw with M&Ms for some reason I just can't imagine. (It COULDN'T be the never-ending supply of M&Ms Paw-Paw would put on his knee one at a time for Ben to grab!)

Thanksgiving night, we got together at my brother's place just the immediate family (less my dad and step-mom) again for more Thanksgiving eating! I can't believe I didn't get one single picture there, but then again, a pregnant woman with that much food around is more likely to be carrying a piece of cake or roll around than a camera.

We also got to spend some time at the beach. One of my sisters lives right on the water and, although it was cloudy, we had such a nice time walking the dog, playing in the sand, and taking pictures. Ben especially liked the birds and the waves. He tried to jump in the water a couple of times!

Look at that water! Tell me again why I live in Louisiana???

Ben gives the best (albeit sometimes drooly and/or snotty)kisses spontaneously or if he is asked. He doesn't really discriminate either. He gives them to everyone.

English Toffee Giveaway

2008-12-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

Like I even had a choice whether to post this or not. In my current state, my appetite does the driving. :-) (Thanks, Andrea for the hot tip!) To the two people who still read my poor, abandoned blog, go check this out: http://englishtoffeeanytime.com/index.php

My Two Cents on Twilight, the Movie

2008-11-24T09:13:00.000-08:00

Ignore this post if you're not a fan, mostly bc you'll see how much of a dork I am..haha.
Going into this and any book made into a movie, I look for two things: Does is stay fairly true to the original story? Does it incite in me the same feelings as the book? If I can say yes to both of those things, then it's been a successful movie and anything else is icing on the cake. That was indeed the case with Twilight.
I was able to see things on screen that I had only imagined when reading the book or that I just wasn't able to visualize come to life before me on the big screen. Going in knowing that the movie would never be as good as the book (they never are), it was good for different reasons. Here's some things that I wasn't crazy about:

Bella--I didn't understand her character as much here. I never understood why she loved Edward so much even though this was from her perspective. From the book, I could see that his beauty and that he was perfect in everything were what did it for her..didn't get that from the movie though. I didn't mind that she never smiled. I didn't think she ever smiled much any way so I felt like that was true to character. I would have loved to hear them say they love one another at some point though.

Edward--nice beautiful face and I think he really transformed from Cedrick Diggory to be this character well, but, man, someone needs to tell him to stand up straight and hit the gym! Book Edward was PERFECT for goodness sake!

I really really hoped to see the "stupid shiny Volvo owner" scene. Deleted scenes maybe..

Meadow scene--I could what they were trying to do with his skin like diamonds, but to me "sparkly Edward" came across as "blurry Edward". It was weird. Maybe it was the screen and it will look better when on DVD. (Oh yes, gotta have the DVD.) Other than that (major) detail, this scene was better on screen than I had visualized from the book.

One of my favorite things was the addition of a new character: Charlie's mustache! That thing was awesome! It should have had it's own lines or something. Team Charlie's Mustache over here!

2008-11-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd try something new for a change and, hey, actually post something. Madness, I know! I'm not feeling too philosophical or creative at the moment (and you know my blog is known for in depth philosophical matters and creativity) so I'll brag on my cute kid instead. Here's some pics of him in October.

The cutest puppy ever!

Jailhouse rock Elvis..bc I just couldn't decide on one costume

Walking up to his very first trick-or-treat house.

At the pumpkin patch..even though it wasn't really a patch bc everything was pre-picked. So pumpkin store maybe?? It was also my *gasp* 28th birthday.

Ben with pumpkins. We got him a Halloween book ("Happy Halloween, Biscuit!")to learn about pumpkins and Halloween and boy did he ever..he won't quit asking to read that book and point out the pumpkins. Aye..I'm going to have to buy a Thanksgiving book now so he'll move on. (Wouldn't you know all the Thanksgiving books for his age group are all checked out at the library.)

NOT a different Ben costume. But it was just too cool of a handmade one to not post. He could see out of black mesh that the eyes were made out of. Too bad all the other kids could easily run past him and get all the candy first. That's the price to pay for looking good though.

Elvis and his hound dog Boomer at the church trunk-or-treat.

Back to High School, More Like

2008-08-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was pushing Ben in his stroller at McNeese taking care of some last minute school stuff. We are coming out of the handicap ramp in Kaufman Hall. It's like a two-lane ramp with a rail in the middle dividing the "lanes". Three police officers, pretty young, were walking towards the ramp and the middle spotted Ben and started talking to him, not paying a lot of attention to where he was going. Can you see where this going? He walked right smack into the middle rail! He bowed over in pain, holding his groin and his co-worker buddies started howling laughing at him! I felt like I was in high school for minute there. It was the funniest thing I've seen in while.

Funny Stories..true stories

2008-08-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

My little boy, Ben, cracks me up! It is amazing to watch him take the things he learns and use them himself. Here a couple of examples. He has learned to make all kinds of animal sounds (cow, pig, sheep, elephant, dog, bear, lion, etc.). He also makes sounds for his dear parents. He likes to imitate us snoring. Now I'm not sure where he gets MY sound from because I am confident that I don't snore! :-D Adam on the other hand, well...Funny enough, he makes the same snoring sound for his dog, Boomer, a pug. So we are in church the other day and there is a family with a newborn. I had noticed Ben watching and had explained that it was a baby. Shortly after we got there, the cute little newborn did what all newborns do when there parents are awake--he went to sleep. Ben, using the new sounds he learned, saw the baby sleeping, pointed and started snoring!

Another funny Ben story..We are riding in the car and asking him what a cow says, what a dog says etc. He responds with the appropriate sounds. Then we ask him what sound Ben makes. He doesn't know so he just makes one up. We tell him that Ben says "waaaa" but we could never get him to do it. The other night we are about to go to bed and we ask him sound he makes. I thought he would have forgotten since we only told him that one time. He starts whining and waa-ing with a big grin on his face! so cute!

From Shaggy to Shorn

2008-07-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

I finally broke down and cut Ben's hair. This is his second haircut. I like it long, but it just got of control. I missed it though the minute I cut it. Adam was probably tempted to roll his eyes at me when I cried over it..lol. I don't think I cried as much as Ben, but he just didn't like sitting there. I don't guess I blame him. It turned out cute I think although I'm kind of partial to the kid it's on. :-)

What a Deal!

2008-07-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like getting a good deal to put me in a good mood. The other day, my neighbor stopped by asking if I wanted to walk with her down the street. She had seen some lamps that someone had put out by the road for trash pick up and she wanted to get them. So I went with her. We get there, she's checking out her lamps and I start rummaging through the boxes and stuff. Now this isn't the kind of thing I EVER do, but having someone with you always makes you a little braver for some reason. It's mostly moth-ball old lady stuff. Then I open this one box that has an entire set of comforter, shams, bed skirt, and curtains. It had never even been used. The receipt was still in there from 2001 and it's like a $500 set. Would you believe they were actually the right size for our king-size bed?! When does THAT ever happen? So there's my FREE find! And the only thing better than a good deal is a free one! (Don't worry, I washed it all before I ever used it, just in case.) And to my neighbor, if you're reading this, whose comforter set this was--If you didn't mean to throw it out, I'm really sorry, but I'm attached now. You can have my old one.

More Vacation Pics

2008-07-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

Right now, I'm bored in the middle of summer trying to survive the heat, I'm kind of trying to relish in our Florida vacation memories a bit. Here's some pics I haven't posted yet.

We went to the zoo in Gulf Breeze. It isn't the fanciest, that's for sure, but it has animals and that's really all ya need for a zoo. Although, paved sidewalks instead of the gravel ones would have been good, especially trying to push a stroller through it..not so fun.

Here's Ben and me in the train that takes you around the zoo. (A MUCH better way to see the animals than pushing a stroller through gravel.)

On the train ride, we caught a view of the reindeer who must have been vacationing in FL too waiting for Christmas to get here.

At the petting zoo..Ben did NOT like those aggressive, hungry goats and sheep. I really think they could have jumped that fence with proper motivation.

Adam had already gone back to work when we went to the zoo, but came back the weekend just in time for the beach! These pics are in Destin. I'm from about an hour from there. I really really miss it this time of year. There's just a feeling on the beach there that I don't get anywhere else I've been. Sure did used to tempt me to ditch a lot of class back in the day though!

Here I am doing a little body surfing.

A couple of family pics

Here's Ben and me watching the waves roll in. Just beautiful.

What a view..

Here is one sleepy kid.

He fell asleep in the car in the couple minutes we drove to the restaurant. (PF Changs..my favorite!) I ate most of my lunch with him asleep on my shoulder. He did wake up finally though..kind of.

Alright, I'm ready to go back now!

A Sad Day

2008-07-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

We planted a garden in the spring time. It was perfect--just enough plants to produce just enough food for our little family. It was growing fine until one afternoon it started to rain. And the next afternoon, it rained. And the next. And the next. Until our cute little garden that Adam worked so hard (with the neighbor's gas-powered tiller) to put in was drowning to death. We dug trenches around it. Didn't work. They filled in with rainwater and became motes like to protect our plants from invaders or something.

Then one night I lay in bed awoken by a noise. Actually, it was a lot of noises--frogs, really loud croaky ones. And guess where they were..Yep, in our used-to-be-cute little garden. I almost bought dirt to fill in the whole lot the next day, but I didn't. I was patient. The rain stopped. The garden dried except for the "motes". They didn't. And how could they? They were now home to lots of babies..that's right. Tadpoles were in our garden!! We were trying to grow vegetables and we grew frogs instead. Where did we go wrong? Adam fixed our frog problem though. Froglegs, any one?

Just kidding about the froglegs part. Actually, he just filled it in with sand and we're going to move our best plants into planters until next year when we start the garden anew in a different, higher part of the yard. It was a pretty sad day for the tadpoles though.

An Eternal Teenager

2008-07-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

Takin' Lisa up on her question, here's what year I apparently belong to..Does this mean that I don't belong in '08?? In '98, I was a junior in high school, so I guess I'll always be a teenager in my head!

You Belong in 1998

With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

http://www.blogthings.com/whatyeardoyoubelonginquiz/">What Year Do You Belong In?

Vacation Part 3

2008-06-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

After the Castillo de San Marcos fort, we headed out to Anastasia Island State Park for some fun in the sun! It was beautiful there.

Ben is getting is toes in the sand with help from his Paw-Paw and Granny Cheri

Does it get any cuter than little kid footprints?!

Adam is in search of the perfect wave. I don't think he found it there. The waves were pretty mild.

Nonetheless, we weren't taking any chances!

Ben loved it when the waves crashed up on them! He'd lick the salt off his lips just afterwards.

Some quality father-son time building a castle. Adam kept saying that he was building it for Ben, but he was having way too much fun for it to have just been for Ben!

Yes, he made us take pictures afterwards!

I didn't do anything cool like build a sand castle or play in the waves with Ben (although I COULD have made a sand castle with all the sand that was in places it shouldn't be after we left..)

The coolest part of being at Anastasia Island was when we saw the satellite after it had just been launched. What a neat thing to see and to be there on the beach seeing such a sight.

Vacation Part 2

2008-06-10T05:31:00.000-07:00

While we were down in Williston, we went swimming at a couple of the many natural springs in that area. The temperature is 70 degrees, but it feels more like 40 to me! It is soooo cold! But Ben loved it after he got over the initial shock. Me, on the other hand..Here's Ben swimming at Manatee Springs. We also swam at Fanning Springs which feeds into the Suwanee River.

We also visited Cedar Key, FL which is one of the oldest ports in the state. I had the best fish sandwich at a little cafe there! Here's some highlights of the town.

Ben on a manatee.

Here's my dad at an old homestead there that we toured.

A view of downtown from a distance.

We saw a couple of dolphins swimming out a little ways too, but every time I tried to snap their picture, all I got was the splash they left behind!

On Saturday, May 31st, we took a daytrip to St. Augustine. It is about two hours from my dad and stepmom's place. If you have never been there, if you ever get the chance, go! There is so much history there and so much to do and see. We visited the Castillo de San Marcos, a really old fort. We got there just in time to see them shoot off a cannon.

There was a parasailer out in the distance that we watched nervously. We weren't too scared for him though since they only shot a blank. :-)

Here we are with one of the volunteers. I'm sure they love when tourists such as we were bug them to be in their pictures.

Here comes a litte tourist! Man, we've got to do something about his hair! One of the watchtowers overlooking the Atlantic.

Sometimes I've Got to Get Away (Vacation Part 1)

2008-06-10T04:27:00.000-07:00

...which I did with my family these past couple of weeks. (Adam came back a week earlier than myself and Ben.) We had such a good time visiting family, sightseeing, and enjoying the beautiful weather. On Saturday, May 24th, we attended the 50-something annual Chessher Reunion held in Baker, FL (in the panhandle area). My paternal grandmother is a Chessher. She celebrated her 92nd birthday just a few days after the reunion. She gets honored every year at the reunion for being the oldest living member of the family. What an amazing lady she is! She had 10 kids, raised 13 kids, took care of my Aunt Mary who had Downs Syndrome who passed away last year, and has just been such a strong example to me and my family. Ben also got the award the second year running for being the youngest member of the Chessher family in attendance. (It would have gone to his cousin Zac, born three weeks after Ben, if he had been there.)

On Memorial Day, we were in Williston, FL just south of Gainesville with my dad and stepmom. My cousin came up from Orlando with her little boy Zac. This was the best picture I could manage of those two little busy bees together: (Zac is on the left, Ben is on the right.)

The next day, we went to the University of Florida's butterfly atrium where they breed butterflies and then release them in the atrium and let you walk through, sit on benches or whatever. It was crazy..butterflies where EVERYwhere! You had to be careful where you walked or moved your hands.

My stepmom Cheri and my dad. See the butterfly flying by there?

Ben had to take a breather.

Beauty begets beauty.The result of that begetting..a line of cocoons.

If you stayed in one place for very long, butterflies would take up residence on you. Here's one on Adam's wrist and Ben's shoulder.

Just as Cheri is taking the picture, one lands on her hand.

Celebrating Could-be Celebrities

2008-05-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

Have you ever dreamed that you were best buds with someone famous? I have them every now and then. I don't think I want to be friends with them BECAUSE they're famous, but more because they seem fun to be around and they'd have plenty to talk about that I wouldn't know anything about. Usually I wake up really disappointed..haha..Lame, huh?

You want to know who, don't you?? K, fine..most recently Stephenie Meyer who wrote the Twilight series..I don't remember before that though. Or at least that's all giving you. ;-)

But I was thinking about it and I already know some really amazing people who are incredibly talented at something specific. Some people I know can write something that I can experience through their words so much that it seems like I'm there, some can just make me pee my pants laughing at them (in their writing or otherwise), some are amazing musicians, some are very creative and could whip up the cutest scrapbook page in a matter of minutes, some can make a masterpiece of a meal, and those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. So here's to the amazingly talented people in my life. (By the way, that's all of you in some way or the other.) Love around! group hug, group hug..

Park and Personality

2008-05-09T06:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday for playgroup, Ben and I went down to play in the fountains . I think he liked the attention from Lily and Sarah much more than he liked the water! It was such a nice day out--a little warm, but I stayed close to the water trying to coerce Ben in to notice the heat too much. When I finally just put him over a fountain, he wasn't too crazy about it, and at that point, neither was I..we were both ready to go and get dry. Afterwards, we fed the ducks and pigeons our cold french fries.

Then last night for enrichment meeting at church, everything was "purse"onal. We all took a personality test which I've taken before and thought I just did something wrong (I mean, those questions depend on who you're dealing with, your mood, etc. etc.), but I got the same results this time as before. I think if there was a Miscellaneous or Indeterminate category, that would be the one I'd fall into. Total, I got 9 points for Sanguine (or yellow or whatever), 9 for Choleric (or Red), 11 for Melancholy (Blue), 11 for Phlegmatic (White). My strengths were very slightly more Melancholy than the others, weaknesses were even across the board give or take a point, probably because I have plenty of weaknesses to choose from..hehe.

I, personally (no pun intended), like the simplicity of the Disney princess personality test that I took. (The questions were a lot easier!)

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

(compliments of http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=16354)

So there you go, now you know all about me!

Our Little Garden

2008-05-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

Our garden is finally planted. Thanks to our neighbors, we didn't have to turn the soil over by hand, but we were able to use their tiller. By "we", of course I mean Adam while I attempt to keep Ben out of the mud..I mostly succeeded.

So now we have tomato plants, squash, zucchini, hot peppers, jalepeno peppers, cucumbers, bell peppers, and even a little bit of rosemary. With a little bit of tlc, hopefully we'll have some good, fresh vegetables soon!

Here's Ben with a front row seat of the action!

Tagged

2008-04-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

10 Years Ago:
I was a junior in high school, working, schooling, trying to stay out of trouble.

5 Things On My To-Do List:
1. Clean house
2. Fold and put away laundry
3. Work out
4. Finish preparing sharing time lesson
5. Balance budget

5 Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Peanut M&Ms or Reese's
2. Chips and salsa
3. Cookies and cream ice cream
4. Granola bars
5. New favorite is Snow Cones (Strawberry cheesecake flavor..mmmm!)

5 Foods I Love:
1. Anything Mexican
2. Carino's Fire Stix
3. Baked spaghetti
4. PF Chang's orange peel beef or lettuce wraps or spicy eggplant
5. Green or red curry chicken

What Would I Do If I Were Suddenly A Billionaire: Buy every kid I know an education, pay for missions, go on family vacations with immediate and extended family and friends, pay off bills, buy a radio station for Adam to play whatever music he wanted, build a house with all the upgrades, hire a maid and a hair stylist..okay, im getting carried away! As if this would ever happen any way..

5 Places I Have Lived:
1. Baker/Escambia Farms and Paxton, FL
2. Nashville, TN
3. Salt Lake City, UT
4. Tuscaloosa, AL
5. Sulphur, LA

Favorite Quote: don't have one

I'm tagging:
1. Laura (back!)
2. Cheyenne
3. Valerie
4. Erin
5. Katie G

BUT..choose 5 of THESE questions to answer and remember to elaborate on your answers!:

what do you see yourself doing in 10 years?
most embarrassing moment?
biggest crush?
favorite tv show?
best day you've ever had?
favorite celebrity and why?
if you could do any job (other than parenthood), what would you do?
favorite place to be?
what do you hate the very most?
favorite book or genre of books?
cats or dogs?
what are you most grateful for?
most frivilous thing you've ever bought?

YOUR choice

I'm anxious to hear your answers! :-)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2008-04-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

...and the Very Tired Mom. We had a blast over the weekend celebrating Ben's 1st birthday. One of his favorite books to have us read to him is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle so that is what we had to have as our theme. I had a 24-serving cake made at the bakery not too far from here (Jo's Party House) and then made a caterpillar cake myself. And of course Ben had his very own cake to demolish/eat. I think he ate pretty much the whole thing even after he ate all of his dinner!

For the caterpillar cake, I took a king-size cupcake pan and made about 12 cupcakes, arranged them into the crawling caterpillar shape on a sturdy styrofoam poster board, then cut a little bit of the side off each one so that it would fit snug next to the next cupcake.

For the frosting, I made buttercream, put about 1/2 cup or so to the side and colored the rest with green and yellow. (Just plain green looked too St. Patrick's Day-ish.) I frosted every other cupcake with the green/yellow, then added to the frosting quite a bit of blue food coloring to frost the remaining cupcakes. For the antennae and eyes, I just used construction paper although if I would have had time, I would have used rolled out cookie dough to make the antennae and letters to stick on top that say "Ben's 1st" or something like that. I also couldn't get a pretty color of purple using food coloring (red and blue) so I might would have gotten some purple icing coloring just for things like this. I used Hershey's Kisses for the feet.

Games that I had *intended* to play but just never got around to were:
1. Pin the Food on the Caterpillar
2. A scavenger hunt to find foods with a hole them (black dot from construction paper) that the caterpillar ate through
3. See how many "holes" (Cheerios) the kids can toss in the air and catch in their mouths

Party favors were sugar-filled plastic fruit, plastic caterpillars, butterfly stickers for the girls, and some odds and ends like bouncy balls, pencils, etc.

For the invitations, I put an apple on the front and hole-punched a hole out of it and used pom-poms to make the caterpillar.

But most importantly, we had fun bbq'ing with good friends and family! Thanks for all who could come and all who were here in spirit!

Here's a couple of shots of the birthday boy:

The Easter Bunny

2008-03-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

We took Ben to the mall to see the Easter Bunny this week. At Christmas, he wailed the second Santa Claus looked at him. This time, we expected the same, but he didn't cry...immediately. He looked around and it didn't seem like he realized that the Easter Bunny was a living, breathing thing...until he moved and tried to give Ben a high five. It was all over with then. Thank goodness, Ben's super-dad was there to save him from the evil paws of the Easter Bunny!

Afterwards, we are paying for our pictures and the cashier is this early 20-year-old carni-looking chick (carni as in runs the rides at the fair, never bathes, not to be confused with Carni Wilson, ex-Wilson Phillips, although I'm not sure which is worse). She starts to hand Ben a dum-dum and I tell her, "no, thanks". She asks how old he is and I tell her that he is 11 months. She says with a *toothless* grin, "Oh. I have an 11-month-old too and I give him suckers all the time!"

Ben's Birthday

2008-03-19T10:36:00.001-07:00

I really need to get crackin' on what to do for his birthday. He isn't going to remember it, but he will get older and see the pictures from it so I want to do *something* nice. I have playgroup that day. Any ideas? What did you do for your kid's first birthday? Thanks!!!

An Interesting Letter

2008-03-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

I was recently looking through some old documents on our computer. Some were *really* old, you know for a document on a computer. I found a letter that Adam had written to a missionary friend the summer we met. It is dated 7/17/1999, a couple of months AFTER we met, mind you. Here is a portion of it (typos and all):
"Well I am doing pretty well. I am going to back Vol. State for a semester and then in the spring I am going to BYU. [which never happened] So I might accidental [again, his typos, not mine] run into you in Salt Lake when I am visiting Shawn Cecie. I was going to go to Atlanta and go to school down there. Things fell through and tuition was going to be quite expensive so I decided to follow the sheep to the slaughter(you know RM's to the marriage capital). A big reason for this is because there is NO One around here to date or even to hang out with. But I learning to manage with that I got."
Again, boys and girls, this is AFTER we met! AND he asked ME out and came to MY work to talk to ME..not the other way around. So I'm so glad he was able to "manage with what he's got" and all!
So I printed this little letter of his out and underlined the interesting stuff and left it on the desk. I just now pulled up the document to just copy and paste it here onto this post and it reads differently now. The last two lines are crossed out and this has been added:
"I change that I have met a beautiful fun girl from Florida. I don't know what is she doing with a guy like me. I think this is the one. I can not stop thinking about her and wish she was with me all the time. I will keep you posted on the results."
How sweet is that?! Oh the power a bloggin' chic holds! hehehe

Something New

2008-03-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

I don't really have a lot to talk about any one topic, but I, like some of you (cough-cough, Laura) am bored of going to my page and seeing the same old thing so maybe I can just talk a LITTLE about a couple of things on my mind. At least I'll have something new to look when I go to my blog!

--CALLINGS IN CHURCH. Sometimes people are called to a position that, knowing them, you know they are perfect for that calling. Other times, someone is called to a position and you think, "I don't get that one, but maybe they'll do a good job. They probably need to learn a lot of things from it." I am the latter of those two when I was called as the Ward Primary President this past Sunday. I have one kid's-worth of expereience and he's not even a year old yet (almost though). I hope I can serve the kids well there though and I am excited to try. Besides, Primary is the most fun place to be on Sunday any way! So that's one thing on my brain.

--LOSS OF A FRIEND. I dated a guy in high school for a few years. We were even engaged for a bit. But I realized he would never be what I wanted (even though he got baptized) so we broke up, I met Adam shortly after and he was (is) everything I wanted and more, and we got married after dating for a year or so. A couple of years later, I learned that my ex-boyfriend had cancer. The doctors were able to get what they thought was all of it. A couple years later though, it came back again and it was there to stay one way or the other. He died Feb. 22, 2008. He has a wife who supported him the whole way and a little boy who is only a few months older than mine. I talked to him a couple of weeks before he died and he told me that he always had a testimony of the Gospel (see http://www.lds.org/), but he always questioned whether he had it because it was true or because he wanted it so bad so he could be with me..I can remember being a teenager and thinking about what I thought life would be like and then life happens and its sooo not like what you think, sometimes better, sometimes worse, but NEVER what you think.

Tagged AGAIN!

2008-02-20T11:54:00.000-08:00

7 Things You Don't Know about Me..see my previous "Tag" post for the first five. Here's more:

#6 I hate fixing my hair. I DO fix my hair occasionally (usually never turns out how right though). I don't mind putting make-up on or putting together cute outfits or shopping or any other "girly" stuff, but if I could hire someone to assume one of my daily tasks, I wouldn't pick laundry or dishes or dirty diapers..it would be to have my very own hairstylist. How lame is that??

#7 I can hula hoop decently well.

#8 Mine and Adam's birthdays are only two days apart. Mine is Oct. 22, his Oct. 24 (different yrs) so it's like another anniversary or Christmas!

#9 If I would have had my way completely, Ben's name might very well have been Teagan or Gatlin. Glad I didn't though..he's a Ben all the way now.

#10 Speaking of names, I was named after Lonnie Anderson's character on WKRP.

#11 I can cross my eyes. Very lady-like, I know.

Alright, I'm out of stuff..at least that I'm owning up to any way! :-) (So Laura, does this earn my spot back on your blog? lol.)

Tag, I'm It!

2008-02-18T09:56:00.000-08:00

Meghan tagged me so here ya go...

10 years ago...
I was in my junior year of high school. I was dually enrolled in college as well, but I can't remember what I taking. I was probably sucking it up in Nutrition. I hated that class, the teacher was horrible and mean and I had no interest whatsoever. I didn't know at the time, but it was my last year at Paxton School, where I had gone during all of my high school years. I think I was working at Big R that year too..podunk restaurant that some people called "Snortsy's" because the owner would come in a blow her nose really loud..LOL..good times. (Remember that, Amy Jo?)

Things on my To Do list:
1. Unpack my house
2. Clean house
3. Exercise
4. Start reading a new book
5. Finish sewing pillows and curtains for bedroom
6. Write in my journal and Ben's baby book

If I were suddenly a billionaire...
Vacation with my little family and my side of family to Hawaii, pay off bills for us and mine and Adam's family, start a college fund for Ben and kids in my family, find Adam a part-time job (bc I seriously doubt if I could get him to quite altogether), look into some charities and get involved, or start one of my own, buy all the recommended food storage for us and our families, then I'd probably need another vacation or two.

3 Bad Habits
1. Letting housework get behind for no good reason
2. Hitting snooze more than once on the alarm clock (although I don't even remember the last time I used one..I've got a crawling, jabbering one in the form of Ben
3. Procrastinating

3 Places I have lived
1. Escambia Farms, FL
2. Nashville, TN
3. Salt Lake City, UT

5 Jobs I have had
1. Pharmacy tech at CVS & Rite Aid
2. Project manager & dpt assistant for music dpt at Deseret Book
3. Receptionist and Customer Service Rep at Excel Entertainment (distributors for God's Army, Other Side of Heaven, etc.)
4. Server at O'Charley's, Cracker Barrel, and a couple of local restaurants
5. Full-time mom and Homemaker

5 things people don't know about me
1. I have worked on a Grammy-award winning album. (Gladys Knight's One Voice CD)
2. I have secret dreams of being a writer, editor, marathon runner, and photographer.
3. I would probably be in pharmacy school right now if I didn't have Ben. I've taken all of the prerequisite classes. (But being his mom is SOO much better!)
4. I have trouble in the check out line at the grocery store bc I'm too busy reading the covers of magazines.
5. I was engaged to someone else before I married Adam. (Those who know me WELL will know that one though.)

I tag...
Karen, Noel, and Jamie...let's hear it!

No Pain, No Gain

2008-02-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

By "gain", of course I mean "lose" but that doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it? In my attempts to lose some poundage, I got a membership to the rec center nearby. I start with 20 min or so of cardio on the treadmill then try to keep up my heart rate by hitting the machines in a circuit. So the second day I'm working out, I get on the last available treadmill which happens to be next to this jock-looking guy. I get my pace going and notice that it is the same speed as Mr. Jock (so he's obviously not that much of a jock if he's running at the same speed as my out-of-shape self). So what am I to do but step it up a couple of notches?? I get going and into a groove so I stay at that pace for a few minutes when I see my treadmill neighbor casually glance over at my settings like he's cheating off my paper in grade school or something..so what is HE to do when he sees that he's being outrun by Ms. Mommy Frump, but step up HIS game, which he does...for a couple minutes and then he wimps out on me. All the time, I'm staying at my same speed, a feat I'm pretty proud of since it was only my second workout in a long while. Pretty soon, Jock Jack does his cool down for a couple of minutes. But I'm still trucking faithful at 5.0. Once he leaves, I get back in touch with reality (not to mention the fact that I can't breathe and probably about to kill over with a heart attack or something) and slow down to a fast walk. But I was able to stay at that speed for 9 whole minutes! And I wiped the floor with my next-door pal! Or so thought till I woke up the next morning...It's been a week now and my knee joints STILL hurt really bad. Man, I'm old..

Why Stay on the Healthy Wagon?

2008-01-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

Alright..here's my *start* to a list that is supposed to motivate me. Maybe it can do the same for someone else too. Dedicated to my friend, Jeni..good luck, Jeni!
This is not formatting right and can't figure outwhy, but the idea is to list all the reasons why to stay on the healthy wagon and take those reasons as far as possible. If you want the cleaner list, just email me.

1. Starting back is so hard
2. Healthy
Keep Word of Wisdom
Lord said so
Feel good
Be happier
Live longer and in a condition I want to be in
Have peace of mind
Able to have fun with kids
Make more good memories
Have well to draw from in hard times
Easier labor/delivery/recovery
Less pain
Set good example for Ben
3. Good posture
Look better
Feel more confident
So won’t walk humped over when older
Breathe in more air
Be healthy
4. High energy level
Keep house clean and in order
Nurturing place for Ben to grow up in
Set good example for Ben
Welcome the Spirit
Take care of Ben
Because I love him soooo much!
Read/pray personally daily
Strengthen relationship with the Lord
Lord said so
Set good example
Read/pray as family
Strengthen relationship with the Lord
Lord said so
Set good example
Have FHE
Strengthen relationship with the Lord
Lord said so
Set good example
Increase relationship as a family
Perform callings
To serve others
Lord said so
Makes us feel good

Talk to family/friends
Continue and strengthen relationship with them
Show my love and gratitude for them
Blog
Record my life
Let others learn from my life
Get more done in a day
The more I get done now, the easier life will be
5. Better skin (fewer breakouts and less wrinkles)
Look better
Feel more confident
6. Gets me out of the house each day
Good for my mental wellbeing
7. Gets endorphins going
Makes me happier
8. Makes me a more rounded person
More interesting
Have more friends
More people to love and support me
Can set even more goals and become an even better person
Can learn more from them and their experiences and examples
Makes me more rounded person
More people to serve
Lord said so
Makes us feed good
More experiences to draw on
Learn more in life
Only thing besides relationships can take with us when we die
Help me get through hard times
Can be happier sooner
Able to contribute to the Lord’s kingdom better
Lord said so
Get blessings
Fire insurance
Makes me happier
9. Increase strength and stamina
Able to do more work (or at least have the option to)
Keep house clean and in order
Nurturing place for Ben to grow up in
Set good example for Ben
Welcome the Spirit
Take care of Ben
Because I love him soooo much!

Increases my ability to fight off something or someone trying to cause harm
Protects me better
Live longer and in a condition I want to be in
Have peace of mind
Able to have fun with kids
Make more good memories
Have well to draw from in hard times
Protect those I love better
10. Reduce the risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, colon cancer and breast cancer (by up to 60%), diabetes, osteporosis
Less heartache for myself
Less heartache for family and friends
Unnecessary physical pain
Take pills rest of life
Expensive
Reduced quality of life
Annoying
Cost of heathcare
Expensive
Reduced quality of life
Annoying
Reduced mental wellbeing
Reduced physical wellbeing
Painful
Reduced mental wellbeing
Reduced physical wellbeing
Reduced physical wellbeing
11. Reduce the risk of developing
12. It’s fun to listen to music and get exercise..can get a really good stride going after about 30 minutes where it just flows
13. Enhanced sports performance
14. Improved balance
Won’t fall
Can hurt like heck
Makes people stare
Embarrassing
15. Better sleep

Seven Years Good Luck!

2008-01-11T12:22:00.000-08:00

And here's to many, many more! Nope, I'm not talking about breaking or not breaking a mirror. (Although, I probably could break a mirror in my current state..lol) Today is mine and Adam's 7th Anniversary! And even though we are in a crummy hotel with no babysitters to keep Ben, we're having a nice one so far. With the prospect of a new house on the way, I'd say that's a pretty big anniversary gift! Here's a lookback.

Summer 2004, Bountiful, Utah

December 2004, Disneyland

Summer 2005, The Gateway, Salt Lake City, UT

December 2005, Disneyworld

May 2006, Adam's Graduation, University of Utah, Salt Lake City

January 2006, 5th Anniversary, Salt Lake City, UT

Dixie Stampede, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, October 2006

The day our lives changed forever, Ben's Birth Day, April 3, 2007, Northport, AL (Actually, this is the day AFTER our lives changed forever..lol. This is 4/4, day after Ben was born. Here we are in NICU with him.)

Before church, Crestview, FL, December 2007

I love you, Adam!

Me Using My "New Media"

2007-12-21T05:49:00.000-08:00

Check out this article: http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/apostle-urges-students-to-use-new-media

In light of it, I'm going to sound off! I do not listen to the Rick and Bubba Morning Show on the radio, mostly because they are annoying. But Adam, however, likes to listen to them--that is, he DID like to. So as if I needed one more reason to not listen, here it is and SHAME ON THEM!

It all started one morning (or so I hear) when Adam is on his way to work. He, as usual, is listening to the show and hoping his boss is in a good mood today and that no machines are going to go haywire. The show reaches the topic of the presidential election and potentional president-elect Mitt Romney and thus the church that we and Mitt Romney belong to, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'm not sure what all was said exactly, but I don't have to. I know that a lot of it was false and that something was said about us not being Christians. Well, we are. Rick, Bubba, Christian World, we too are Christians! We love the Lord and know that His suffering and death was for all of us. So there, now you've heard. Also refer to the NAME of our church as it bears the very name of Jesus Christ. And please remember--you wouldn't go to your P.E. teacher to learn how to write a research paper so please, don't go to the member of another religion (friend, website, preacher, morning show, etc.) to find out about Mormons. Go to the website www.lds.org or www.mormon.org or ask your Mormon friend. Lesson #1--"Mormon" is just a nickname probably from someone who isn't. We prefer to be called "LDS" for Latter-Day Saint.

So I'm hopping down from my soapbox now and hope we've all learned something. ;-)

Lake Charles, Here We Come!

2007-12-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

Adam got a job in Lake Charles, LA that will be a lot better for our family in a lot of ways. Although we will miss our Tuscaloosa friends, there is a lot about his job that we won't miss. He is scheduled to start with Basell/Lyondell on January 7th which means we have to sell a house and find, then buy a house realy really soon and amidst the holidays at that! Yikes!

All About Ben

2007-12-17T08:26:00.000-08:00

I put Ben in his crib the other day. It's more appropriately known to him as his playpen since I can count the number of hours he’s ever slept in there on one hand..Any way, I was cleaning his room and he PULLED UP on the side of his crib.

He was soo proud of himself! It was the cutest thing ever! After probably 5 minutes, he fell down and now he hates being left in there. He keeps looking at this one toy scared of it, like it was the toy’s fault he fell..hehe.

We also went to see Santa Claus at the mall. While we were waiting, Ben is happy as a lark, but Santa changed that! I plop Ben down in his lap and out comes “the lip”. Santa looks at Adam and says “You better hurry and take that picture” lol. Before we could though, Ben had gone into a full blown wail! Lol. I felt bad, but dang it was funny! What a classic picture!

And because ONE picture of Ben crying in Santa's lap just isn't enough, here's one more and the church Christmas party over the weekend. (BTW, email me from here if you want the pictures I took of your kids. I've got some of the kids of Caroline, Megan, Greg and Amy Thompson, Amy Tew, Noel and Brad, and Cheyenne. )

Church Talk

2007-12-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

Adam and I were asked to speak in church this last Sunday on Christmas. Here are some my remarks:

This year I received one of the best gifts that I could have gotten. Benjamin Cade Morris was born to us on April 3 at 10:54am. Early that morning, I got into my safe and comfortable car, had my bag packed and prepared, arrived in a nice, clean room made just for the occasion and had a planned induction. After he was born, Ben was put into a bassinette where a team of professionals stood ready to attend to his every need. He received many visitors and gifts as well, although I don’t recall any myrrh, frankincense, or gold. I would definitely remember the gold. :-)

Another mother, Mary, lived many years ago. She conceived the Son of God, though she was a virgin. She was espoused to Joseph, a carpenter. King Augustus had ordered everyone to return to their ancestral homes in order to be taxed. Since Joseph was a descendent of David, he had to return to the city of David otherwise known as Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph were on this errand when she went into labor. She did not have a team of professionals ready to help her deliver nor a ready-made room. In fact, there wasn’t even an inn she could use. She didn’t even have a nice, comfortable place to lay her babe, the Son of God and the Savior of all mankind and Creator of the World. He was born in a stable amongst animals, maybe donkeys, sheep and cattle. Mary wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a trough that would normally hold food for animals, this sweet little baby who would grow up to do more miraculous things than has ever occurred or will ever occur in the history of mankind.

During His life, He would heal sick people, raise some from the dead, walk on water, feed thousands with very little food, resist Satan’s temptations, teach us the truths of the gospel and show by example how to live it, and ultimately allow his perfect body to bleed from every pore as He suffered for our sins in the garden of Gethsemane and He laid down the very life that Mary begat him which we celebrate at Christmas time. But He did overcome death and He did rise on the third day, just like He said He would.

I am so grateful for Jesus. He is my Savior and my King. He has healed my heart many times either from my own sin or the choices of others. He pleads with the Father on my behalf and forgives me each and every time I mess up. He loves me unconditionally and wants me to be happy and return to live with Heavenly Father. He gives me so very much and asks so little of me. I just have to love Him and keep His commandments.

Thirty Things That Change When You Have a Baby

2007-11-27T16:15:00.000-08:00

This isn't an original list, but I found it and liked it.

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.

2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.

3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.

4. You respect your body ... finally.

5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.

6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.

7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.

8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.

9. Your heart breaks much more easily.

10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.

11. Every day is a surprise.

12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)

13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

14. You become a morning person.

15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

16. You discover how much there is to say about one tooth.

17. You finally realize that true joy doesn't come from material wealth.

18. You now know where the sun comes from.

19. You'd rather buy a plastic tricycle than those shoes that you've been dying to have.

20. You realize that although sticky, lollipops have magical powers.

21. You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night.

22. Silence? What's that?

23. You realize that the 15 pounds you can't seem to get rid of are totally worth having.

24. You discover an inner strength you never thought you had.

25. You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule.

26. You give parents with a screaming child an 'I-know-the-feeling' look instead of a 'Can't-they-shut-him-up?' one.

27. Your dog — who used to be your 'baby' — becomes just a dog.

28. You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late.

29. You learn that taking a shower is a luxury.

30. You realize that you can love a complete stranger.

babycenter.com

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

"Gobble, gobble"..dying last words of turkey! I roasted my very first turkey this year. I'm usually not a big fan of turkey because it's usually dry, but I brined mine this year, tucked butter under the turkey breast skin, and used one of those roasting bags and mmmwha! yummy!, if I do say so myself! My dad and stepmom came and celebrated the holiday with us, even though we know Ben is the real reason they came..hehe. Even though I had worked a couple of hours each day leading up to Thursday, my stepmom Cheri and I worked right up until lunch time. But we were eating before 1pm so I think it was all a success! We had turkey with stuffing, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, dressing, cranberry sauce, squash casserole, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, yeast rolls, apple butter, apple butter pumpkin pie, and pecan pie. Ok, so maybe I went a little overboard, ok, ok, maybe a lot overboard, but we had great time enjoying one other's company, watching Ben play with his toy turkey, and it was so nice to be able to cook a nice dinner for a few of the people I love! I'm so grateful for all of my family and friends, for my baby boy and husband, and for my Savior and am looking forward to Christmas and watching Ben experience a little magic in the form of a red suit and beard. Being the mom of a kid is ALMOST as fun as being a kid again myself! (More so in a lot of ways..)Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some leftovers to go eat!

The doting grandparents

Adam fell asleep (remote in hand) watching the game and waiting for the turkey. (He's going to KILL me for posting this picture!)

A banquet fit for a king! (Too bad all he got was cereal and prunes..hehe!)

The man of the house carving the turkey! Doesn't it make you want to do the Tim Allen growl?!

Hours and hours of preparation...snarfed down in 20 minutes.

Halloween 2007

2007-11-02T01:18:00.000-07:00

Ok! I'm finally getting around to posting about our Halloween this year. (Here it is after Thanksgiving!) I ended up carving our jack-o-latern on Halloween day while Adam was at work. We meant to do it as a family but just never had gotten around to it. Ben had fun avoiding touching the pumpkin guts at all costs. I don't think he liked the texture too much. Boomer made up for it though by sniffing and eating anything that got near his shoved-in pug nose. Paybacks are heck though when Boomer was Adam's prisoner at the church trunk-or-treat. Adam was animal control, I was a cat, and Ben was a puppy. I had the cutest bear costume for Ben, but I just couldnt make him wear it since it was so hot. So we took pictures in it the next day. If you look closely at the last picture, you can kind of see Ben's first two teeth!

No sleep!

2007-11-01T03:06:00.000-07:00

It's five in the morning, I've been up for an hour and can't sleep! So I'm blogging because I can hear if Ben wakes up from in here where the computer is. Ben is still in the bed with us and has woken me up three times in the last two hours, each time juuust after I managed to fall back asleep. I've laid in every position a few times and STILL can't get back to sleep! Some days, I want him in the bed with us because I don't want to have to miss him in the other room and I'm not ready to admit that he's plenty old enough for it (not to mention I don't look forward to the fight to get him in there), but nights like tonight (or mornings) really make me scream!

A Fresh Rain

2007-10-09T05:19:00.001-07:00

The other day, we got a little bit of rain. Adam got home from work shortly after it stopped. We were outside enjoying the clean fresh air and found a butterfly with a broken wing that had not faired the rain so well. So I, being always in search of the perfect picture, wanted to snap some. At first, we had a hard time keeping Ben's eyes on the butterfly. Finally we let it crawl on his finger which got his attention because he tried to squeeze it! So I took it back, but this time, his eyes were on the colorful wings. So Adam was able to snap a couple of pictures before Ben lost interest again.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

2007-10-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE this time of year! The cooler weather, leaves beginning to change, all the fun fall festivals and events, not to mention Halloween and the search for the "great pumpkin". On Saturday, we took a little day trip to Calera, AL (between Birmingham and Montgomery) where we rode a 97-year-old train complete with red caboose out to a pumpkin patch and hay ride.

Ben wasn't even scared of the whistles and screeching; he was just really curious about what was going on. He even got to meet the conductor and wear his hat! (Naturally, the conductor's pocket watch went straight into Ben's mouth just after the picture was taken!)

When we arrived to the patch, there were lots of people waving and welcoming us. We had a great time searching for the pumpkin that was the most round and smooth for carving and had the longest stem. It didn't take us long to find the perfect one.

Ben had fun seeing all the bright orange everywhere. Adam would say that is to be expected from the littlest Vols fan though! :-) He took a little taste of some hay and met a scarecrow in the patch too!

While at the patch, we also rode the hay ride around a field and got a nice view of the grapevines.

Then it was time to go! On the way back to the station, we rode in an outside cab of the train. Ben took in all the sights and sounds and just seemed to thoroughly enjoy the ride. It was so cute to watch him with the wind on his face swing his little bare feet while his Daddy held him tight!

The ride took us through some pretty scenery, including a pond and a golf course where we saw a bunch of turkeys. They ran as soon as the train went by. They must know what other holiday is coming up!

Fall has just got to be the best time of year!

Camping at Moundville Archaeological Park

2007-10-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a nice little adventure at Moundville Archaelogical Park. We enjoyed the beautiful fall weather by going camping with our good friends and neighbors, the Holleys. It was all "firsts" for little Ben and he seemed to love the outdoors, especially the fire, but none of us enjoyed the train that came about every hour less the a 1/2 mile away. We did all the normal camping stuff--made smores (Ben watched), fought the raccoons and bugs off, etc.

Saturday morning we hiked up one of the mounds for a beautiful view of the other mounds. Unbeknownst to us, Moundville got its name from these mounds which were built by southeast Native Americans around A.D. 1000-1500. Apparently, the mounds were used for civic and ceremonial structures and homes of nobles. If you'd like to know more, check out their website at moundville.ua.edu.

After that, we took a hike to the Black Warrior River
and even saw a couple of deer. (They were too fast to snap their picture!)

This past week, Ben also experienced solids for the first time. He loved it and kept trying to grab the spoon out of my hands!