Johnson Family Blog

First Words

2009-10-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

I've been so bad about blogging lately. Oops! :)

I thought I should get on and record Max first words. Shortly after he turned one, he started saying "Go". It is on one of his baby signing videos and he loves to do the sign with it when he says it. Now he's asks me to "go" all of the time and runs to the front door. It is so fitting with his personality that this would be his first word. He's very active and loves to be out-and-about!

On our trip to Japan, he surprised me by trying a few other words. He was very interested in the trains and buses we used to get around Japan. He knows the sign for both, but now when he signs "bus" he also tries to say it aloud.

I try to get him to say "Mama" to me all the time. He says "mamamama" often, but not applying it to me. Well, the other day, he patted my leg and said "Mama". Something must have clicked because now he says "Mama" pretty often. It's confusing, though, because he also still likes to say "mamamama" when he chatters.

He has also gotten pretty good at saying "banana" and is trying to say "water".

I know he'll be talking up a storm before I know it, but right now it amazes me to watch him learn. He's gone from a little ball of mush to a walking, talking little person in a year!

I Have a One-Year Old!

2009-08-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

Max with his very first birthday card from Great Grandma Dempewolf. He's so excited!

I know all moms talk about how fast their kids have grown up, but I still wasn't prepared for how fast Max's first year would go by. Goodness!

Max learned a lot in the last month:

He now walks everywhere. He's pretty fast, too!

He learned to drink from a straw.

He gives really great hugs.

He loves to play with balls and will "fetch" (I told Nic he has to call that game "Go get it" instead of fetch).

He learned a ton of new signs and even made up some of his own. He now knows:

Eat

Drink

Milk

Banana

Cracker

All Done

Ball

Book

Shoes
Hat

Dad

Grandpa (or Grandboy---my dad taught him this)

Baby

Dog

Car

Wash hands

Brush teeth

Brush hair

Phone

That's over 20 words! I just never thought he understood that much of what I said, and then all of the sudden he's signing everything.

For his birthday, he got to have cake for the very first time. He smashed it up pretty well, but he didn't really eat very much!

Then we took him to the San Diego Zoo. Max loves to look at animals, but kind of freaks out when they get too close. So, while most kids would love the petting zoo the most, Max loved everything else and found the petting zoo pretty intimidating.

Cayucos Vacation 2009

2009-08-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

I love the central coast of California. We vacationed there when I was a kid. I went to college there. I met and fell in love with Nic there. So many great memories! This summer my whole family (except my brother, David, who now lives in Texas) got together to rent a beach house in Cayucos, a quaint little beach town 15 minutes north of San Luis Obispo.

After a long day of driving, we arrived and found the house to be just as cute as it looked on the internet. It was only a block from the beach. It was nice and open, and accommodated all 13 of us quite well except that one "bedroom" was actually a loft (Poor Danny, Shannon, and Connor!). The rest of the night was spent settling in and eating birthday cake for all the recent birthdays.

On Monday morning, we went to check out the elephant seals. They are so huge that when they are out in the water they look like giant rocks. When they are on land, it is really neat to see them fight.

Afterward, Nic, Max, and I enjoyed a nice lunch and fudge in Cambria. Then we took Max to the beach. He was crazy! As soon as he got there, he was screeching with delight and wanted to run straight into the water, which he later did. At one point, he fell on his face right in the water, but after a few minutes he was ready to run right back in (with close parental supervision, of course!).

We spent the next morning exploring Morro Bay. We got there pretty early in the morning. None of the tourists were there yet, and we took a long walk and watched all of the businesses getting ready for the day. Then, we rented a surrey to ride out to Morro Rock. I always wondered what the baskets on the front are for (because they aren't good for holding stuff!). Turns out, they are made as a seat for little children. Max pretty much only got to be in the basket for a picture because it freaked me out to have him riding up there. He rode along in the Baby Bjorn instead. On our ride, we saw lots of sea lions and otters. It is such a beautiful place with lots of wildlife.

In the evening, we walked from our beach house down to the pier in Cayucos. The tide was coming up and at one point we ran out of beach! We had to time our crossing to prevent getting too wet.

In the morning, we kayaked out to the sand spit in Morro Bay. In the middle of the bay, there is a large bank of sand. It connects to the land miles away and has a narrow peninsula that extends out. It is a really easy little paddle across the calm bay. We also got to see the sea lions up close, as they were swimming near our kayak. Max didn't like his life jacket, but he did love exploring the strangely soft sand on the sand spit.

While Max and I were taking a nap, Nic and the others went down to the beach. They found a giant hole (no one was around) and used it to bury each other. After awhile, a 13-year-old kid comes down and really rips into them for ruining his hole that he'd been working on for two days. Oops!

The next morning, Max woke up early. So, we headed to San Luis Obispo to hike to the cement 'P' that is on the mountain above Cal Poly. The trail was much steeper than I remembered. The views were beautiful, but the P was hideous close up. Years and years of paint were built up on it. We followed our hike with a yummy breakfast at one of our favorite SLO restaurants, Big Sky.

In the afternoon, we took a drive through See Canyon. First we stopped at the Avila Barn and checked out their cute animals. Then we were on our way. The views were beautiful, as always. Some day, Nic and I want to have a house out there!

We came back around to San Luis Obispo just in time to meet everyone for dinner at Woodstock's Pizza and a stroll through the World Famous Farmer's Market. The farmer's market in SLO isn't just fruit and veggie stands. All the local restaurants have booths. There are musicians, puppet shows, booths for causes, balloons, and lots of people. I love the fun atmosphere.

We had to stop off at the Gum Wall (aka Bubble Gum Alley) . On our second anniversary, Nic and I made a heart on the gum wall with our initials in it. Now, for each anniversary we add another heart (the collage below shows the progression). This year was a lot easier because we had helpers. Usually we're about to puke from chewing so much sugary gum!

We spent Friday morning at beautiful Montana De Oro.

In the evening, my parents watched the kids while we headed out for date night! Nic went all out. He brought me flowers, took me to a beautiful restaurant with amazing food and views, and we followed it up with sparkling cider, cherries, and gummy bears while watching the sunset. So romantic!

Saturday was the Walk to the Rock. It is about 5 miles from Cayucos to Morro Rock. We used to do it as kids, and I think it was easier then. This time, it was so foggy we couldn't see Morro Rock at all. Without a landmark, it seemed like we might never get there. But we made it!

We spent our last night having a bonfire on the beach. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and even saw dolphins. It was a great end to a great trip!

4th Anniversary

2009-07-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a little late in blogging about this, but we had such a great anniversary! In years past, we've always taken a long weekend to go on a little trip, but I knew that wouldn't be possible this year because of our little guy. We settled for an overnight trip, and it ended up being so much fun!

We drove up near Tehachapi to Rankin Ranch. I would highly recommend it, especially for a family vacation. I thought we'd go on a horse ride, and then just kind of hang out. I bought a new book thinking that I'd finish it while we were there, but there was so much to do.
We relaxed in their lovely pool,

Played shuffleboard,

Had a fantastic "steak fry" dinner,

Participated in their evening "horse race" (the kids at the ranch made stick horses, the adults got to bet fake money, and the horse that gets to move forward is determined by the roll of the dice. Nic won the most money and got a tee shirt),

And looked at the beautiful night sky in the hot tub, until we had a bunch of kids come join us :)

In the morning, we headed out on our horse ride. I was nervous because I hadn't been on a horse in a long time. I had fun, and it wasn't scary, but my butt was sore afterwards!

I impressed Nic with my archery skills. I got a few bulls eyes. It blew his mind.

We had to head home after lunch, but even the driving was fun. We realized on the way home that we hadn't turned on the radio at all on the way there or the way home. We were just having a great time talking.
I am so lucky to be married to such a wonderful man. It was so great to spend some time relaxing with just him. It always reminds me that he is totally my best friend. Even though it was only one night, I felt so refreshed, but by the time we got home I was definitely missing my little Max!

11 Months Old

2009-07-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

Today, Max is 11 months old.

It is really hard to get a good picture of Max now because he's so mobile. The minute I get the camera out, he's on my lap. It makes for lots of pictures like this:

He can now walk all the way across a room. He still prefers to crawl for long distances, though.

He stayed overnight without his us for the first time this month, and he didn't even cry the whole time. My parents said he was pretty cheery. :)

He enjoys trying to climb on everything. He uses anything he can find as a step stool.

I've been trying to teach him more baby signs, but he finds that "eat" and "more" seem to get him what he wants.

He is very playful, loving, active, and curious.

I love this kid!

First Steps and Cute Videos

2009-07-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

Max took his first steps on the Fourth of July. He'd become an expert on standing on his own, and was experimenting with taking steps. He was only ever able to get one step in before falling. Nic, Max, and I were all playing together in Max's room, and Max took about five steps. It was so nice that Nic got to be there to witness it. It was so cool, and he's been practicing ever since then. He's not a full-fledged walker yet, but that's just around the corner. I tried to get a video of him trying to walk today, but we were having a rough day so all I could get was a lot of whining.

So, I thought I'd share a couple of other cute videos, instead.

Max seriously loves to wrestle me. He is such a good body slammer. :)

Here is Max demonstrating some of his baby sign language. He loved the cherries and kept asking for "more".

Fourth of July

2009-07-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

I love holiday weekends when I have more time to hang out with my sweetie! It is always nice to have an extra Saturday. On Friday, we went down to visit Nic's dad who just got back from a fabulous trip to Switzerland and Croatia. Max loved playing in the jets at the pool with his Grandpa.

Then, on Saturday, Max was so excited about the fourth of July that he woke up really early and during the night, too. So, while we planned on going to the pancake breakfast at church, we ended up all taking a nap around that time. We did get some yummy doughnuts before we conked out, though.
Once we were refreshed, we headed out to the Corona Fourth of July Parade. I am just so delighted that our town has a parade. There were a lot of people there, and it is really cute. I was afraid that Max wouldn't like the noise (there were a lot of sirens and honking). He didn't cry, but he wasn't impressed by the parade either. We couldn't get him to crack a smile for any of the pictures.

In the afternoon, my parents came over and we had a rousing game of Bocce Ball. I'd never played before, and it was really fun. I think if we'd played according to the regulations, I would be terrible, but on a smaller backyard court, I did alright. Nic was especially impressed with my overhand throwing technique.

Afterwards, we had a great barbeque--- at Wood Ranch Grill. No work or clean up! Then my parents headed home. We put our little guy in bed and resigned ourselves to missing the fireworks, but when we could hear them going off we checked to see if we could see any of them. It wasn't a great view, but we could see them. It was so nice to enjoy them together without even having to leave the house!

10 months old

2009-06-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

Little Max is 10 months old!

This month he started doing a few signs. I've been trying to teach him sign language since he was 4 months old (I think I started too early). He will copy my signs for "all done" and "more". He will give me the sign for "milk" and "eat". Eat is his favorite. He tells me he wants to eat all the time! He also started waving hello and goodbye pretty consistently.

Max has been eating a lot more solids and has started on some table foods. We shared our first dinner with him the other day. It was messy, but he loved it!

On his ten month birthday, he started standing up on his own without pulling up on something, and once he's up he can stand for quite a while! Walking is just around the corner.

As I was writing this, I looked over and found him standing up on TOP of one of our footstools. Aack!

He loves rough housing with his mama, being outside, riding in his stroller, swinging in his swing, and looking for trouble wherever he can find it.

Nic's First Father's Day

2009-06-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

iv>

Nic made my first Mother's Day super special, so the pressure was on for Father's Day! Max and I worked on a secret craft project the day before, and it was much messier than I anticipated--- it was not exactly covert when we are both covered with red paint.

>div>

Nic awoke to a sign on his door that Max left, explaining that he'd snuck out of bed in the night to leave Nic a Father's Day message. There were footsteps leading out of his bedroom into the hallway, and the halls were covered in ties with Father's Day songs on them. Too bad I decided on red paint at the store, it looked a little bit like a murder scene!

We had cinnamon rolls and opened presents. Nic got a tangelo tree, which will be fun because it will grow like little Max. One day we'll look back at our big tree and think of Nic's first Father's Day.

I wanted to make a special dinner, but that's hard when you aren't a great cook. I found a great recipe, though, and it turned out really nice. We had grilled steak with fruit salsa, and for dessert we had mud pie. Yum!

I can't say enough how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband. He's a great dad to our little boy, and he's my best friend. I hope he felt appreciated on Father's Day because we couldn't live without him!

World's First Conjoined Triplet Separation

2009-06-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

This is my first year ever having a garden, and I am really liking it. Nic lovingly built me a few raised beds. We filled them with really nice soil, so growing has been easy. I've enjoyed spending the time outdoors, and it has been fun to watch all my plants grow from tiny seeds. I've been so excited every step of the way. Now, we can eat some of our veggies, and that is the best part. We've had snap peas, carrots, green onions, and zucchini. We have tomatoes, corn, peppers, and onions on the way. I'm definitely not a gardening expert, and when it came to thinning my vegetables I probably didn't thin as much as I should have. It just seemed a shame to pluck up perfectly good plants. Well, here's what happens when you let your carrots remain crowded. You get a Siamese triplet carrot.

We successfully separated the carrots, and they came out kind of cool and swirled. We, of course, ate them anyway, and it got us thinking how nice it is to know where your food comes from. We never would have bought such crazy carrots from the store, but we grew them ourselves and knew that there was nothing wrong with them . I'm hoping to add another bed to our garden next spring, so that we can produce more of our produce. :)

9 Months old

2009-05-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

Camera is still broken. This is the most recent picture I have of Max. It is obviously cropped from a huge family picture. I'll probably post the whole picture soon in another blog.

It just seems so crazy that my little boy is 9 months old now. He learned how to do a lot this month, and he is getting in to trouble all the time. We had to bring out the big guns with childproofing, and now it's hard getting around my house with all the gates (there are really only two, but it feels like a lot!).

This past month Max:

-Started sleeping through the night!!! It took a couple rough nights of letting him get used to falling back to sleep on his own, but now he always goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes up around 6 or 6:30.

-Cruised around the room using furniture before he started to crawl. I thought he might go straight to walking.

-Started to crawl with his belly off the ground. He's so fast!

-Cut FIVE teeth. He now has a total of seven.

-Learned to climb up the stairs.

- Started standing on his own for a few seconds.

- Made lots of cute noises. He finally makes "mama" sounds, but I don't think he applies them to me. He also loves to yell while covering and uncovering his mouth because it makes a funny noise.

- Took swimming lessons and loved the water. It was so cute to watch him splash around, and he really looks like he's about to swim away when he's in the pool.

- Started initiating peek-a-boo. One day, he took off his bib, covered his face, then uncovered it really fast, and laughed. Now he plays peek-a-boo all the time.

- Developed a talent for finding any cupboard that isn't locked.

He is such a wonderful little guy, and I just love seeing his personality develop every day.

My first Mother's Day

2009-05-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

I had such a wonderful Mother's Day! Nic really went all out to make it a nice day. It made me feel so appreciated. The day started with Nic making yummy cinnamon rolls and showing me my gift, which was gorgeous urns filled with flowers for our porch. They look great! Max was sweet enough to take a long morning nap, so I also got a long morning nap. Nic cooked up an awesome dinner and dessert. I wish my camera wasn't broken because his presentation was so beautiful.

Having my first Mother's Day made me really reflect on how grateful I am to be a mother. Having Max has changed my life in so many wonderful ways that I never would have imagined. He makes me laugh every day, and watching him grow is such a privilege. It just amazes and humbles me that I've been entrusted me to take care of this precious little gift. I'm so glad that I had such a wonderful mom to show me how it's done. I hope that one day I can be half as good as my mom!

A Tribute to Nic

2009-05-06T14:02:00.001-07:00

So, Nic was looking at my blog the other day, and was disappointed at how little he was featured. He went on to point out that he only had one picture in the last month. I certainly do not want rivalry between my two favorite guys for space on my blog, so this blog is dedicated to my sweet husband.

I am so lucky to be married to such a great guy. I thought I would list some of the things he has done for me over the years.

When we first started dating:

- We'd only been dating a couple months, but Nic planned an elaborate surprise picnic on the beach for my birthday. I thought he had to go study, but he asked me to walk with him. We got out to the parking lot, and he had somehow packed everything up into my car (he didn't have one) without me knowing it!

- At the dorms, there is a list for packages. I would check it every day, but I NEVER got anything. One day I was surprised to see my name on the list. Inside the package was everything Nic had ever heard me mention that I liked. He'd been keeping a list!

When Nic moved to Chicago:

- When we found out that Nic got into grad school in Chicago, I thought we should just break up. I didn't want to do a long distance relationship because I thought we'd never see each other. Nic promised that he would come to see me every three weeks, and he did!

- When his program was almost over, and he was searching for a job he restricted his search to California so that we wouldn't have to be so far apart. A lot of his friends got much higher paying jobs in NY and elsewhere, but Nic didn't even consider any of those jobs.

When Nic moved back to California:

- I was still in school in San Luis Obispo, and Nic was working in Newport Beach. He drove up to see me every weekend. He HATES to drive. (I would drive down sometimes, but less often).

- We were engaged at this point, and knew that we were going to get married in Southern California. Nic totally took the lead in checking out all of our prospective wedding venues!

- For Easter, my parents were adamant that they would not be hiding eggs for me that year, as I was all grown up and about to be married. I was a little bit bummed that it would be my first year with no egg hunt, so Nic made sure I had one!

From the time we got married to now:

- Nic is the entertainer of children. Whenever we have family get-togethers, he is always outside making up a game for the kids. It is so cute.

- He gives really sweet and thoughtful gifts. Nic is known for his frugality, but when it comes to buying me presents, it all goes out the window. He will only buy me the best, which is so funny because I would never buy such nice things for myself. My birthdays and Christmas are awesome.

- When I was pregnant, there were a lot of foods that I didn't like. For Valentine's Day, he made me grilled cheese sandwiches because they were the only thing I ever wanted to eat!

- He is absolutely the best daddy, but takes no credit for it. He is always telling people that I do everything, and that my job is so hard. You'll notice, though, that he's always helping. On Sundays, he is always the one out in the hall with him. As soon as he gets home during the week, he's playing with Max and changing diapers!

This is just a small sampling of the nice things Nic does for me every day, but the main point is: Nic is the best!

8 months old

2009-04-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Max is now 8 months old.

He now "army crawls" all over the place.

He has pulled himself up to standing on our coffee table, and loves if we will let him hold our hands so that he can stand and walk.

He can go from a crawling position to sitting.

He pushes up on his hands and feet like a little stink bug.

He eats BIG meals. He must be a growing boy!

He loves being outside.

He follows me around and holds on to my legs.

He is so snuggly. He always wants to be as close as possible. Just like his dad!

LA Trip

2009-04-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

So, my sister is a super terrific mom, and decided that over spring break she would take her kids on a cultural excursion to Los Angeles. Cool, huh? Well, it gets even cooler because Max and I were invited along.

Day one was spent appreciating the art and the views at the Getty Center. I'd never really gotten a chance to look through the gardens before. They are magnificent. Then, we cruised over to the Santa Monica Pier. It was really windy and cold, but we had fun riding the carousel and enjoying the atmosphere.

On day two, our Mom met us at Union Station. It was so glamorous that I've decided that train travel is the way to go! We took the Metro to Chinatown, which is a great place for souvenirs that don't cost a fortune. Afterwards, we headed to historic Olvera Street for some yummy food and a visit to the oldest house in LA.

Thanks for including us in the fun, sis!

Easter

2009-04-28T12:08:00.001-07:00

Max had a great first Easter. On Saturday night, we had a wonderful dinner at Nic's dad's house. The food was, of course, wonderful as was the company. We got a chance to visit with Nic's aunt and uncle, who hadn't seen Max since he was a newborn. We also got to talk with Nic's cousin and his new fiance and dispense all of our wedding advice.

Dale sent us home with some Easter presents, which we opened on Easter morning. Max loved his gifts and the paper that they were wrapped in.

There was a beautiful program put on by the choir at church. Afterwards, my parents joined us for Easter dinner at our house.

New York

2009-04-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

I HATE when Nic goes on business trips. The day is just too long when you are a stay-at-home mom and your sweetie doesn't come home in the evening. So, when Nic told me that he had to go to New York. I decided to come along. Tagging along on business trips is the best because Nic's hotel was paid for from Sunday to Wednesday, so basically we just had to buy me a plane ticket and one extra night at the hotel. Nic bought my ticket with his frequent flier miles, and it turned out to be a better deal to fly business class. I never want to fly coach again! The seats were so big and comfy. They reclined. There was even room to put Max on the ground by our feet to play. They bring yummy food on nice trays with real dishes. Seriously, it was awesome. Enough about the flight... the trip was also great.

We decided to leave the weekend before Nic had to be there, so we'd have a couple days together. Our first stop was the American Museum of Natural History. This is one of the best museums I have ever been to. I loved checking out the dinosaur bones. Also, if you've ever seen "Night at the Museum" it is really fun to look around for things from the movie.

The next day we took the subway out to Coney Island. Coney Island is interesting because it is kind of run down, but there is such a fun, lively spirit. nice boardwalk by the beach. Nic and I also had a lot of fun taking turns riding the historic Cyclone roller coaster. Then, we waited for an hour in line for Franks Famous Hot Dogs. After an hour, we still hadn't moved, so we called it quits. We got a corn dog at some little place on the boardwalk. It wasn't great, but it was better than standing in line for another hour.

After our lunch, we walked down the boardwalk to Brighton Beach, which is a Russian area of New York. It was pretty cool to walk down the street and hear only Russian. A little lady even came up to us and started talking to us in Russian. I guess that we were smiling and nodding so well that she didn't notice that we didn't speak Russian. Nic said something in English, and then she realized that we hadn't understood a word she said. Then, in English, she told us how beautiful Max was and that we should have lots more babies.

On Monday, Nic had to work. Max had been up all night, so he and I slept in. Then, I had to decide what the two of us would do. I opted for a walk in Central Park, but first I had to get there. The subways in New York are not all handicap accessible, which means that they aren't really stroller accessible either. I had to get Max out of the stroller, put him in his Baby Bjorn and then carry the stroller and all of our stuff down the stairs. We must have been quite a site because people were offering to help us all the time. It was so nice!

When we finally got to Central Park, there was a slight drizzle, but it was so beautiful and peaceful. I was having such a nice time walking around, and so was Max! As we got into the middle of the park on the curving pathways it started to rain a bit harder, and just as I was thinking that I should probably head back it started to pour. Central Park is huge, and we quickly wanted to find the nearest subway station. Even though we took a pretty direct route, we were still walking in the pouring rain for about 15 minutes. We were soaked, and it was still quite an adventure getting home, especially because we apparently didn't know exactly where our hotel was. I'm just so proud that I did it. We had a fun day all by ourselves in New York City.

On Tuesday, I decided that I would take Max to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I had no idea how long the lines would be. First, you wait in line to get a ticket. Then, you wait in a huge line that wraps all around Battery Park to get on the ferry. Then you have to go through airport-style security, which is really a pain with a stroller. Finally, we got on the boat. The Statue of Liberty is beautiful, but I really enjoyed going to Ellis Island. My great-grandmother came through Ellis Island when she emigrated from Holland. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to look her up while I was there because I spent so much time wandering around the museum. It is amazing to think about all the people that came to our country from all over the world, and very sad to think of few people that came all the way here by ship and then weren't admitted. You get to walk through all the rooms that were a part of the examination process, and the audio tour has voice recordings of people who actually came through Ellis Island.

Overall, we loved coming along to New York. Spending time on our own there was much more fun than spending it here, and we still got to see Nic in the evenings. I don't think Nic is going to be able to get us to stay at home anymore. :)

First Haircut

2009-04-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Max was born with a ton of hair. I love his hair, but lately his long silky hair was getting a bit unmanageable (but it would have been perfect for putting bows in if he was a girl!). I'd been wanting to give him a haircut, but I was too scared. Nic was the brave one, and we took some clippers to his hair. He didn't like it much, but he looks like such a little grown up guy now!

Ireland, Part 5

2009-04-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Ireland, we drove out the the Cliffs of Moher. It was a very cold day already, but up on the cliffs it was so windy that we thought we might be blown over. However, the views were worth it.

Then we headed to the Burren. The Burren is very interesting. Most of Ireland is so green, but the Burren is completely rocky. People say it is kind of like a "lunar landscape". However, some of the most diverse plant life in Ireland grows between the rocks. Also located in the Burren are several megalithic tombs. We saw the Poulnabrone tomb, which is thought to be from between 3800 and 3200 B.C. !

Ireland is such a beautiful place with so many things to see. We only got to explore the south-western part. I would love to go back some day!

Ireland, Part 4

2009-04-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

In the morning, we headed out to Limerick to see King John's castle. They had a very nice audio-visual presentation about the castle's history, which really about how Ireland has so many castles because it has such a violent history.

We hadn't had much of a chance to explore Adare and the manor grounds yet, so we headed back to our apartment. Nic and I went on a tour of the grounds of Adare Manor led by the manor's head arborist. It was so cool. The estate is huge and has such beautiful gardens.

That evening, my parents were so sweet and agreed to watch Max while Nic and I had a fabulous dinner at the manor's restaurant. It was very elegant and romantic. The tables were all lit by candlelight, and the food was so good! We splurged and had the eight course tasting menu. It was our best meal in Ireland, which is quite an accomplishment because we had some great food.

Ireland, Part 3

2009-04-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

The next morning, we packed up and took off for Cork and Blarney Castle. This was supposed to be one of our longest day trips, but after being so lost the night before it felt like we got to Blarney in no time!

I wasn't sure if I even wanted to go to Blarney Castle. I just thought it would be a stupid tourist trap because everyone goes there to kiss the Blarney Stone. I am so glad we went! It is a beautiful castle on amazing grounds, and it's no wonder everyone kisses the Blarney Stone. It is very exhilarating!

First, we wandered around the gardens, which were very cool. They had signs that explained the magical things that were thought to happen in the garden.

All of the clovers that we saw in the garden had four leaves. Must be a lucky place!

This stone looks like a profile of a witch.

Then it was on to the castle. What remains of the castle is mostly just the keep, which was built in 1446. There are places that you can explore if you are more adventurous than me, like tiny tunnels that go through the castle wall, but just getting to the top is quite an adventure. The winding stair case is so steep, I wasn't sure I was going to make it! When we finally made it to the top, it was time to kiss the Blarney Stone. To reach the stone, you have to bend over backwards because the stone is lower than the floor you lay down on. You are up really high, and even though there are a couple of bars and a man to hold you, I was so nervous!
Then we drove just a few minutes to Cork. Cork is a really neat city. I thought it was really interesting that it is the second largest city in Ireland, but its population is smaller than Corona! We started out by cruising through the English Market, which is an indoor market with local vendors that sell fresh meats, cheeses, fruits, and bread. We bought enough to have a yummy picnic in the park.

Mom and Dad decided to take a bus tour, while Nic, Max, and I opted for a walking tour. The city is very walkable, and we got to talk to quite a few friendly locals. On our tour we stopped at St. Finbarre' s Cathedral, which has been a religious site since St. Finbarre established his monastery here in 606 A.D. The current building was built in the 1865 and has beautiful stained glass depicting bible scenes. Then we headed to the university, which had beautiful grounds and a lively feel. Once we met back up with my parents, we were looking for a place to eat when one of the local college students suggested one of his favorite restaurants. It was casual and delicious. A perfect ending to the day. I loved Cork.I think I could definitely live there.

Ireland, Part 2

2009-04-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

We were very tired from our journey around the Ring of Kerry, so we slept in a bit the next day. The Ring of Kerry was so much driving that we decided it would be nice to do something closer to home. The Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle are only about an hour drive from Adare, so we felt we picked the perfect destination. The boys identified the most direct route on the map, and we headed out. We were enjoying the scenery so much, that it took us awhile to realize that we weren't where we thought we should be on the map. Luckily, there are a lot of signs even on the back roads in Ireland, so we made it to Cahir but it took a little bit longer than we thought.

Cahir Castle was one of my favorite places we visited. It is a huge castle that is very well preserved. There weren't very many people there, and it was fun to wander around the castle pretty much on our own. It was interesting to see all of the effort that went into making a castle defensible.

After we'd had some lunch we continued on to the Rock of Cashel, which was only a few miles away. The Rock of Cashel was a fortress at least from the 5th Century, when it is said that St. Patrick baptized the King of Munster there. The castle was given to the Catholic Church and most of what remains today was built in the 12th and 13th centuries. It is situated way up on a windy hill. It is very dramatic looking!

Our journey home was quite an adventure. Once again, we thought we'd located ourselves on the map, and started on our way. We soon realized that we had no idea where we were and started following the signs. Well, the signs weren't as reliable as they had been on the way there. We'd see a sign for the town we were heading toward saying it was 7km away, and the next sign we'd see would say it was 16km away. We were all getting restless, but there was nothing to do but keep following the signs. After looking at several maps on the computer when we got back, we think that we must have been zig-zagging back and forth. Our hour long trip home took almost two hours!

Ireland, Part 1

2009-04-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

My camera has been broken, so I'm just getting around to blogging about our wonderful trip to Ireland. It may be boring, but I'm going to be fairly detailed because I'll forget all the details if I don't record them while they are fresh in my memory!

We had a great time! I was so worried about flying that far with Max, but even with a full day of travelling he was a very good boy.

Max relaxing with Daddy on our 7 hour layover in NY.

We finally arrived in Shannon, Ireland in the morning on Sunday. We picked up our totally sweet mini-van and brave Nic drove us to our apartment in Adare on the left side of the road.

We arrived in Adare exhausted, but were pleased with our place. It was a 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom apartment situated on the grounds of the beautiful Adare Manor. Our apartment was bigger than our house!

Max hanging with Grandpa in our apartment.

The Manor House

We all took a big nap and woke up in time for dinner. We decided to take a look around the village of Adare. Adare Manor was built by the Earl of Dunraven in 1832. He also designed the servants houses surrounding his manor to look like little thatched roof English cottages. It is one of the most picturesque villages in Ireland. We had dinner in a cute little place called the Blue Door. The food was fabulous, and it was warm and cozy. Max was a little bit restless, but he loved to go outside and look in the window at his family.

The next morning we got an early start to drive the Ring of Kerry. It is a beautiful drive around the coast and countryside. There were lots of cute little towns to take a look at, too.

At lunch, Max got his first taste of potatoes. We thought it was fitting because they serve them with everything in Ireland. He was not a fan.

My favorite stop of the day was Staigue Fort. It is an old ring fort probably built between 300 and 400 AD. It is off the road a bit, and you can just walk in and climb around. The walls are 18 ft high and 13 ft thick in places.

It was a very full day. Driving the Ring of Kerry takes 4 hours if you don't stop at all, and we had to drive an hour and a half to get there!

To be continued....

7 months old

2009-04-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

At 7 months months old Max took his first trip out of the country. He turned 7 months while we were on our trip to Ireland. He was such a good boy.

Max has been scooting around and trying to push up on his hands and knees.

He babbles a little bit more. His favorite sound is "ga".

He can sit for as long as he wants without falling over.

He loves to clap his hands.

He eats three little meals and drinks juice and water from a sippy cup.

He is getting so big!

6 months old

2009-03-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

Max is now 6 months old. I can't believe it!

At 6 months, his favorite food is carrots. His least favorite is peas.

He's a very happy little guy.

He loves to play with his toys.

He rolls around really well, and loves to look at the underside of furniture.

He is getting so big! He can sit up on his own for a few seconds.

He can even put his binky in his mouth all on his own.

Seriously, I just love this little guy!

Thankful Thursday

2009-02-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

1) I know I've said it before, but I have to say it again. I am super thankful for this guy. I am totally prone to bragging about my husband, but that is only because he is totally awesome. This is the night that he proposed to me (a cheesy reinactment), which was a super romantic day. It was May 15, 2004 and Nic came out to visit me in San Luis Obispo from Chicago. I knew he'd bought the ring because he was so excited about it that he couldn't keep himself from telling me. He planned a day full of my favorite things. We had a picnic by the creek, rode on the trolley, got a manicure for me (so that my fingers would look pretty when I showed everyone the ring), and then we went out to wonderful dinner. Afterward, he took me to the beach where we had one of our first dates. On this date, he told me that I was how he always pictured his wife. Slightly creepy for a first date, but still cute. :) Anyway, we went back there and he got down on TWO knees in the sand in a suit. He said that he did it for emphasis, but I think he just forgot how people usually proposed. Then he asked me to be his wife. Now, almost 5 years after that night, we're still as happy as can be.

Now, Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and I want to do something really sweet for him...but I can't think of ANYTHING! He'll be gone the night of Valentine's Day helping out with youth baptisms at the temple, so I need to come up with a romantic activity or gift to give him during the day. Any ideas?

2) I am thankful for infant amnesia because being a new mom isn't easy, and sometimes you have to experiment to get things right. Max is almost 6 monthts old now, and he wakes up every two to three hours durng the night. I have been trying to do sleep training with him where I basically come to check on him every 15 minutes, but don't get him out of bed. I stuck to it for over a week, and it was working sometimes but other nights he'd cry for a really long time! Then last night I was going in to soothe him, and he caught my hand and was sucking it a ton. I suddenly had this aching regret that my baby had been hungry and I didn't feed him right away. I wasn't trying to make him go 10 hours without food or anything. I just wanted him to sleep for 5 or 6 hours. I thought he was just in the habit of eating in the middle of the night, but if he's actually hungry I'm going to feed my baby! I'll just have to be a zombie until he's ready to do it.

Oh, and all of our pictures recently are of him eating because it is so dang cute!

3) I am thankful that Nic was still in Primary for his birthday because they give away the BEST mix for S'more bars. Nic made it last night, and it is SOOOO yummy.

Nic's 27th Birthday

2009-01-26T11:59:00.000-08:00

Nic turned 27 on Saturday. We had a really fun day. First, Nic went to play some basketball at church. He must really love it because he had to be there at 7 am on a Saturday morning! That was nice because it gave Max and I time to decorate the house and cook Nic's favorite breakfast-- Cinnamon rolls and bacon. I also made eggs to make it slightly less weird.

Then we opened Nic's presents. Max got Nic a Baby Bjorn so that Nic can carry him all around Ireland. I got Nic a digital picture frame, a gift certificate for new shoes, and scripture pencils (he always asks for these--isn't he so righteous? ;) ).

Then we went up to my parents' house. We also got to visit with my brother, sister-in-law and Baby Connor. We had a baby face-off, which Max loved. Connor wasn't as thrilled, but we got some cute baby cousin pictures.

Then, it was time for cake. Nic's family always makes Angel Food Cake with yummy frosting for birthdays, so we got the recipe for the frosting from his Grandma. My cake didn't look as pretty, but it tasted good. Nic had a hard time blowing out so many candles! We finished the day off with a very good game of Uno.

Happy Birthday, Nic! You are the best husband and daddy in the whole world. We love you.

5 months!

2009-01-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

Max is now 5 months old.

He now:

Eats rice cereal.

Sucks on his toes.

and

Parties with his baby friends.

He's also getting very good at rolling over, and uses it as a form of transportation. He likes to go exploring if I leave the room. I'll come back a minute later and he'll be in a much different place than I left him.
His hand-eye coordination has also improved. He knows what he wants, and has no problem getting it now. He usually wants our food!

Wild Animal Park

2009-01-06T14:24:00.000-08:00

On the Saturday after Christmas, my whole family went down to the Wild Animal Park in San Diego. I seriously love to see the animals, and because my parents got us season passes we can go back all year! Hooray! It was a great time, not only because nature is awesome, but also because my family is awesome. Oh, and I forgot our camera, so I stole this collage right off of my sister's blog- Stolen Goods. Isn't it ironic? Don't ya think? ;)

Christmas 2008

2009-01-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

We had a really great Christmas this year. On Christmas Eve, Nic's dad and Nigel came over for dinner. We had clam chowder, which is what we always had in my family. I didn't make our traditional recipe though because my mom said it's a lot of work at the last minute, which can be problematic with a baby. So, my sister found this recipe. It was so easy, and totally delicious. I kind of think it's cheating, but I needed an advantage when cooking for my father-in-law. He's a fabulous cook that always presents everything perfectly. It's kind of intimidating. :) Luckily, he brought the salad and dessert, so I didn't even have much to do.

Nic and Max showing off our Christmas table setting--complete with the dishes Dale got me for my birthday.

Dale showing Max his fun new toys.

We had a lot of fun showing Max his gifts on Christmas morning. He indulged us more than I thought he would by actually looking at them, and seeming to enjoy them.

On Christmas evening, my parents and my brother joined us for dinner. It was totally fun. We ended the day by playing Nic's new Trivial Pursuit game, and I have to say that playing with my sister's 15 year old game has been a disadvantage for me. I am much better with the more current questions. So, Sharla, now you and I can totally kick the rears of Nic and Mike, as if we didn't already. :)

Word on the streets is that Christmas will be even more fun next year when Max is stoked for his presents, but this Christmas was so fun and relaxing that it will be hard to beat!

4 months old!

2009-01-06T13:11:00.001-08:00

Right before Christmas, Max turned 4 months old.

At 4 months he has started to roll over both ways, but he won't do it as a trick to show people. It's on his own timing.

Max now laughs out loud. His laugh is my favorite noise in the whole world, and Nic is the best at getting it out of him. He also thinks that Peek-a-boo is very funny.

Just a couple days before he turned 4 months his two front bottom teeth came in. He's an early bloomer!

Nice Family Visit and Christmas at the Mission Inn

2008-12-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

We had a great visit with Nic's grandma, Aunt Rose, and Uncle Jim this weekend. We don't get to see them very often because Nic's grandma lives in Oklahoma and his aunt and uncle came in all the way from Florida. They got to meet Max for the first time. We spent most of our time just hanging out and playing 90's Trivial Pursuit.
On Saturday night we went to look at the Christmas lights at the Mission Inn. They are gorgeous and it really put me in the Christmas spirit!

Rolling Over!

2008-12-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

This weekend Max rolled over. I'm so glad I have a video and witnesses because he hasn't done it since.

I guess he was just showing off for our visitors. We had Nic's grandma, Aunt Rose, and Uncle Jim in town.

Grandpa

2008-12-08T11:19:00.001-08:00

My wonderful grandpa passed away this Friday. He's been very sick for a couple of years now, so it doesn't come as a surprise, but he will be missed. He was the kind of grandpa that you couldn't wait to go visit as a kid because he would make you feel so special and loved. He knew how to bring the family together. It was obvious that he treasured his family, and he was a great example to me. I'm so glad to know that our families are eternal.

Three Months Old!

2008-12-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

So, this is also a bit late, but my baby is now three months old. He is such a dream baby. He is so sweet, and I feel like his personality is coming out more and more every day.

At three months, he can reach out for, bat at, and grasp toys. He can also do a baby push-up.

My Birthday-- Way Late!

2008-12-08T10:32:00.000-08:00

So, we've been having so much fun lately that I can't believe I haven't sat down to blog about it yet. For my birthday a few weeks ago, my father-in-law threw me a fabulous 25th birthday party in Laguna Beach. He invited my whole family to come stay at his adorable inn , The Tides, for the whole weekend! On Friday, he planned a lovely day of relaxation for me complete with a haircut, facial, and massage. Then, on Saturday, my family and I enjoyed a beautiful day in Dana Point. We played croquet in the park, soaked in the beautiful scenery, and then ended the day by having a fabulous dinner party. It was really a great weekend, and it was so sweet and generous of my father-in-law to plan it all!

My actual birthday was in the middle of the week, and Nic and I went to have Thai food. Then, instead of cake we went to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Nic put his engineering skills to work, and fit all 25 of my candles in a peanut butter cup. It was so funny!

I feel like 25 seems so old! Of course, getting older is better than the alternative, and life just seems to get better all the time.

Thankful Thursday

2008-11-13T16:10:00.001-08:00

Hmmm...I apparently ran out of blog steam for a little bit there, but I'm back and I'm thankful for:

1) Time
Yesterday I felt like I had no time to do anything. My baby wanted to be held all day. I think he's been going through a growth spurt (I've heard they do that around 3 months) because he didn't sleep through the night this week, and he wanted to eat all the time. Then, Nic had to go to a dinner thing for work and didn't get home until 9pm...that's a long day by yourself with a baby!
Today is a horse of a different color. My baby slept through the night. So I'm thankful for the time to sleep. He also was more like his normal, relaxed self which gave me time to clean up a bit. And, Nic will be home soon, so I'll have plenty of time to spend with him, and some time to myself. Ahhh...it feels good!

2) That the Primary Program went smoothly this year.
I mean, it really couldn't be worse than last year, but I thought it turned out really cute. Also, I was released as Primary President on the same day, which is kind of sad, but also a bit of a relief. It was slightly crazy with three out of four people in the Primary Presidency having new babies. My sister says that the Primary Program was my swan song.

3) Warm Weather
I love Fall. I really do, but I especially love warm fall days in California! I'm especially glad that it seems to be warming up because we're headed to Laguna Beach for the weekend to celebrate my birthday!

Thankful Thursday

2008-10-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

1) Pumpkins
What a cool vegetable...Although I just learned that according to the true definition, pumpkin is a fruit. You learn something new every day!
Anyway, pumpkins are a lovely color. They are easy fall decor. Pumpkins are tasty in both sweet and savory foods. They are very healthy...and you can carve them.

Personally, I love the classic Jack O' Lantern. I am a woman of simple tastes.

2)Thursdays.
I've always had a fondness for Thursdays. I'm not sure if it is because they are an indicator that it is almost the weekend or if it is because as long as I can remember the best TV shows have been aired on Thursdays, but Thursdays are something special! If you ask me, Thursdays are the best day of the week.
Just an odd note-- Do not do a photobucket search for Thursday. You end up getting a lot of indecent stuff. That was quite a surprise to me!

3) I am thankful for a husband that tries really hard to help me think of a third item for Thankful Thursday, and who knows me well enough to list a whole bunch of things that I've already used for Thankful Thursday. Also, he's so handsome. I'm thankful for that, too. :)

Week in Review

2008-10-27T14:30:00.001-07:00

On Friday, we were invited out to dinner by Nic's boss, which meant Nic's dad got to watch Max. It was his first time away from his parents for more than a quick shopping trip or something. We ate at the Surf and Sand in Laguna Beach, which is right on the water. It was so gorgeous. The restaurant is all open, so you get to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the ocean. The food was good. The people from Nic's work were nice and very good company, but the dinner lasted 4 hours. I was totally ready to get back to my baby by the end of dinner, especially because I was only expecting to be gone a couple of hours. Luckily, it seems that Max and Nic's dad had a very fun time.
On Saturday, we took Max to the pumpkin patch to get his picture taken in his Halloween costume and to pick out a pumpkin. I don't have a scanner to put the picture up, but Max was totally adorable as a little bumble bee. The picture came out so cute. Thanks, Rachel!
I love our pumpkin, too. I can't wait to carve it tomorrow!
Sunday was our first practice for the Primary Program, which, of course, was a little bit crazy. We had 4 new kids that moved into the ward after we wrote the program, so I had to try to find parts and places for them to sit. I'm not too worried though because no matter what happens people enjoy just watching the kids. Plus, there's no way it can be as eventful as our program last year when our bishop passed out at the pulpit and one of our kids threw up. :)
I almost forgot my most exciting news....My baby slept through the night last night!!! 6 solid hours of sleep. Well, I didn't really sleep that well because it made me so nervous when he wasn't crying during the night that I had to go check on him a bunch of times to make sure he was still breathing. But, not only did he sleep 6 straight hours, he got up and ate this morning then went back to sleep for 2 more hours. I don't want to get my hopes up that this will happen every night, but how awesome would that be?

Woah! Tagged Twice in One Day

2008-10-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, here are my 8 things.

8 TV shows I enjoy watching when I have time and would like to chill:

1. The Office
2. Chuck
3. Heros
4. Gilmore Girls Reruns
5. Project Runway
6. The Closer
7. The Daily Show
8. The Colbert Report

8 Things that happened yesterday:

1. Finally went to sleep around 2am . My boy is a night owl.
2. Woke up.
3. Went back to sleep.
4. Woke up for good at 8 am.
5. Ran some errands.
6. Hung around with my baby.
7. Nic came home.
8. Went to the dentist to have a stupid cavity filled.

8 Things I am looking forward to:

1. The weekend! I love spending time with my sweetie.
2. Having every single project on my house complete.
3. Voting
4. Thanksgiving
5. Christmas
6. Dressing my little guy in his Halloween costume.
7. When the Primary Program is over.
8. Our next vacation.

8 Things I love about Fall:

1. Pie
2. Imagining the pretty fall foliage in other parts of the country.
3. Thanksgiving
4. My Birthday
5. The cinnamon smell in the grocery store.
6. Sweaters
7. Perfect weather
8. Pumpkin goodies

8 Things on my wish list:

1. A housekeeper
2. A baker's rack
3. A little table for my kitchen
4. A massage
5. Wow! This one is hard....
6. Stabilization of the financial markets
7. An Obama presidency
8. Chocolate Chip Cookies

8 people I am tagging:

If my sister can break the rules, so can I. We're "Mavericks" but not in the McCain/Palin way. :)
I will tag just Trisha because I already tagged everyone else I know with the last survey.

Tagged!

2008-10-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

My friend Trish tagged me.
So, here are the rules. I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and nominate 10 other blogs for the "I heart your blog" award.

1. Where is your cell phone? Nearby
2. Where is your significant other? work
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? Wonderful
5. Your father? Wise
6. Your favorite thing? home
7. Your dream last night? bad
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? bugs
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? beach
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? strong-willed
15. One of your wish-list items? housekeeper
16. Where you grew up? California
17. The last thing you did? lunch
18. What are you wearing? clothes
19. Your TV? sufficent
20. Your pet? insane
21. Your computer? dying
22. Your mood? exhausted
23. Missing someone? yep.
24. Your car? dirty
25. Something you're not wearing? rings
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? eventful
28. Love someone? ardently
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? forgotten

Using just one word was a lot harder than I thought! I tag Sharla, Lacey, Monica, Rachel, Alison, Corrine, Melissa, Amanda, Laura, and Laurie.

Two Months Old!

2008-10-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my baby is two months old already. He is seriously going to be a grown man before I know it. :)
At two months Max can gurgle and coo, smile, and grasp and hold on to things that are put in his hand. He can even roll from his back to his side and then back to his back again, but I've only seen him do it a few times (and that was all in one sitting).
Last weekend was really fun. On Friday, we went out to dinner with Nic's dad and Nigel. Nic's dad gets such a kick out of Max. On Sunday, we went to visit my parents. So, Max got to see both sets of grandparents over the weekend. What a lucky guy!
On Saturday, we went down to San Diego. We had such a good time. It was our first big outing other than going around town or to family members' houses. Max was an angel the whole time. There are so many fun things to do in San Diego without spending much money.

We took Max to the beach in Coronado.

Nic insisted that Max couldn't go to the beach without putting his toes in the water (which was freezing!).

It didn't really go that well. :)

As our splurge for the day we had a beautiful lunch at the Hotel Del Coronado, the setting for Marilyn Monroe's Some Like it Hot. The food was fabulous!

Then we headed over to Balboa Park, and lounged around. It is so pretty there!

Book Review: The Twilight Series

2008-10-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

So, I'd heard so much about the Twilight series, and I really enjoyed reading it. I think most girls are suckers for romance. I happy for Stephanie Meyer because now she is totally rolling in the dough, and I like to support my Mormon sisters. :)
Though I liked the books, I didn't LOVE them. Sometimes the writing annoyed me because she used the same verbs and descriptive terms too often. Also, I didn't love the character of Edward. He's kind of controlling, but a lot of women like protective men. I don't really. If anything my husband is underprotective. For example, if I have to go to the store late at night, I always have to convince him that someone might kidnap me if he doesn't come along. He is not concerned about that.
Overall, though, I think that any of the things that I didn't like were outweighed by the story. I thought it might be cheesy,but it was very engrossing, and I didn't even mind that it was about teenage vampires. :) It was a fun mix of romance, comedy, and adventure. Stephanie Meyer develops the characters well over the course of the four books. I was always looking forward to my next chance to sit down to read, and I think that's a sign of a good story.

Thankful Thursday

2008-10-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

1) Today I am thankful for Pledge Multisurface cleaner. It makes dusting my tables (which have both wood and glass) super easy. It also works on stainless steel and electronics. It's an awesome idea!

2) Airplanes. I get so horribly sick on airplanes, but I am still so thankful that they exist. Can you imagine trying to travel in olden times? I've spent the day dreaming about where we should go on vacation in the spring. I'm trying to think of something baby friendly. I want to rent a little house, so I'm not annoying everyone in a hotel with my crying baby.
Right now I'm thinking:

Hawaii

Or the French Countryside

But, I am always changing my mind about this. There are so many places I want to go!

3) Access to health care. Tomorrow, I'm taking my baby in to see the doctor over a very small thing. I am so fortunate to be able to take him in, when there are people out there that are really sick and can't afford to see a doctor.

Week in Review

2008-10-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

Ah! Thank you Columbus

I very much enjoyed my long weekend with my husband. And, I love long weekends because they make for short weeks. AND, this weekend was especially nice because I didn't know that it was Columbus Day, so it was like a surprise long weekend!
It is so heavenly on the weekends. Nic still goes to bed early, but then he gets up early with Max and I get to sleep. That Nic, he's quite a guy.
Unfortunately, none of us were feeling great this weekend. We spent most of it lounging around the house. On Friday night, we rented Baby Mama. I knew I wouldn't like enough to watch it in the theaters, but it was a perfect rental movie. It was pretty funny.
Earlier in the week we got to visit with my parents and my adorable neices and nephew. The girls were proud that they were able to lull Max to sleep with bouncing and singing. We won't spoil their fun by telling them that Max will go to sleep no matter what if he's tired. :)

In other news, Max may be even cuter than last week. It's hard to believe that's possible. ;)

Vote Yes on Prop 8

2008-10-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

I took a lot of time carefully considering my vote on Prop 8. As some of you may know, we have loved ones that are gay. On this issue, it is easy to say that we want everyone to be happy and "What does it matter to us if they get married?". But there is more to this issue than relationships between two consenting adults.
Families are the essential building block of healthy societies, and gender plays a vital role in families. Mothers and fathers bring unique and important qualities to family life. I think it is impossible to know the future effects of redefining marriage as a genderless union.
Furthermore, I believe that parents should have the right to discuss homosexuality with children on their own terms. If Proposition 8 fails, homosexual unions will likely be discussed in the classroom as part of the curriculum on sexuality and family life. There will be no parental notification or ability to opt out.
Of course, for me, religious freedoms are also an issue. It is a concern that if Prop 8 doesn't pass that religious institutions or individuals may be targeted as discriminatory if they do not recognize same-sex marriages. For instance, in Boston, after same-sex marriage was legalized, Catholic Charities was told by the government that their adoption agency had to place children with same-sex couples regardless of their beliefs. They ended up shutting down their adoption agency rather than violating their beliefs.
In San Diego, a lesbian sued a doctor at a fertility clinic who refused to perform a requested artificial insemination because of the doctor’s Christian beliefs. Even though another doctor was willing to perform this elective procedure, the court ruled that this was a violation of anti-discrimination laws.
This is an interesting link detailing the clash between anti-discrimination laws and religious freedoms.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91486191

I think it is extremely important to look out for the rights of individuals from minority groups, and it is important to me that same-sex couples have rights. In California, nearly all rights allowed to married couples are also allowed to same-sex couples. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, have access to jobs, housing, and services. These rights will not be take away under Prop 8.

Thankful Thursday

2008-10-09T14:37:00.000-07:00

1) So, it may be almost 90 degrees outside and there are no trees with gorgeous leaves, but it's starting to feel like fall. I love seeing pumpkins on people's porches and the strong smell of cinnamon when I walk into the grocery store. I bought Max's Halloween costume today. It is adorable!
Which brings me to my next item:
2) Online Shopping. I think I am the only girl in the world that doesn't really like to shop. I don't really like to spend money of stuff...I'd rather spend money on restaurants, movies, doing fun things. Also, I just get tired and grumpy when I am walking around a mall for hours trying on clothes. With online shopping, you have more options and almost always get a better deal. I got Max's costume for $5! Also, online shopping is getting better all the time. Shipping is getting cheaper, and returns are getting easier. I love it!

3)I am thankful that my sister is on her way home her romantic anniversary trip to Paris. My days have seemed empty without our daily phone chats. I can't wait to hear the story of how she missed her plane home yesterday!

I knew I forgot something...

2008-10-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend I got to go in for a massage, which was heavenly. Even better-- it was only $39 for an hour long massage. There is a new massage place called Massage Envy and your first massage is only $39. Such a good deal!
http://www.massageenvy.com/clinics/CA/Corona-at-Eagle-Glen.aspx

Week in Review

2008-10-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...I feel totally brain dead. I can't seem to remember much about this week.

Oh, the most exciting news was that my adorable nephew Connor Daniel was born on Thursday. It is so cute to see my brother as a daddy. It is going to be so fun having two little boys so close in age. Max and Connor are only six weeks apart.

We went up to watch General Conference with my parents, which was great. Afterward, my mom fixed a delicious dinner. How does she make it look so effortless to cook for a big crowd? Then we got to go see the baby. He's a cutie with super chubby cheeks. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera.

In not so good news, my dog ripped a baseball sized hole in the middle of my living room carpet. I'm hoping that it can just be patched, but fearing that they'll have to recarpet the whole room. It's a big pain. My poor husband doesn't even like dogs very much. Now he really doesn't like dogs. For now, we have a very strangely placed throw rug.

We did capture some cute pictures of Max's smiles this week, though. Ummm...maybe I'm biased, but isn't my baby the cutest thing you've ever seen? ;)

Thankful Thursday

2008-10-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe it is Thursday again. Time sure flies.

1) My baby is almost 6 weeks old, which is the amount of time a lot of people have off for maternity leave. I am SO grateful that I have the opportunity to be able to stay at home. I really love it more than I ever imagined I would. I didn't think I'd love the housewife role (and I still don't like most of that stuff), but I LOVE being a mother. I can't imagine having to go back to work. So, thanks for bringing home the bacon, Nic! :)

2) I am thankful that my dogs are back home, and that they don't hate my baby. Well, Penny is a little bit scared of the baby, but she doesn't hate him. Riley LOVES him. It is so cute. He is very gentle around him and walks over to check on Max when he cries, and then comes and licks me so that I'll go get him.

3) I am so thankful for our freedom and the opportunity we have to vote in this country. I'm going to let you in on a little secret....Are you ready?.... Yes, I'm a democrat. I come from a whole family of Mormon Democrats. I hope we can still be friends. ;)

So, if you haven't registered yet, here is a link with info on how to do it.
http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm
Hurry! The deadline is Oct. 20th.
So, make sure to vote, even if it's just to cancel out my vote. :)

Book Review: Brideshead Revisited

2008-10-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

So, I decided that I'd like to read all 100 novels on Time Magazine's 100 Best Novels List.
http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/the_complete_list.html

I started with Brideshead Revisited mainly because recently a movie version came out, and I'd been interested in seeing the movie. The book starts off slow, and is kind of hard to get into. But once I became more familiar with the characters and the author's style of writing, I started to enjoy it. I like how it is a glimpse into the lives of the wealthy in the 1920s. Our modern culture seems so different, but in many ways it reminded me that people are always the same.

After looking into it a bit, I was suprised to see that Waugh usually wrote comedic novels because this is a sad story about a very dysfunctional family. But looking back, there are definitely funny parts that might hint at what his other books might be like. My favorite is Charles Ryder's (the main character) father, who passively aggressively tries to get Charles to leave during his summer home by inviting tedious dinner guests.

The rest of the book, though, is about love lost and ambivalence about religion. During most of the book, you would swear that the author must hate religion, but apparently he converted to Catholicism late in life. His struggle with faith is one of the most interesting parts of the book. Overall, I'd recommend Brideshead Revisited, but you really have to have some patience to get to the meat of the story.
We'll see how I do with the other 99 novels. I started The Invisible Man, but I think I may just have to come back to that one. It isn't holding my interest right now. I think I may stray from the list and read Twilight, which I've heard so much about.

Week in Review

2008-09-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

It has been a really great week. I can't believe how fast my little boy is growing. Monday was his one month birthday. He is looking more and more like Nic every day. I love this picture of Nic and Max watching TV together. Max looks like mini-Nic.

This week Max started to really smile at people. The very first time I was sure he was smiling in response to someone was Thursday. I had my postpartum appointment (early for some odd reason), and the midwife walked in and talked to Max and he gave her the biggest smile. Then later during the appointment he smiled at me. It totally melted my heart!

He's been smiling more and more every day since. It was good practice for charming his visitors that attended his baby blessing on Sunday. My parents, my sister and her family, and my uncle and his grandkids all came out for the blessing. Nic gave a really beautiful blessing, and he didn't even sound nervous.

After sacrament meeting we came back to my house for a little bit of brunch. Somehow, I decided on having breakfast casseroles. I don't know why; I don't think I've ever had a breakfast casserole before. Mom mom and I each made one and they were delicious!

My mom made this one, which is like all of your yummy breakfast foods in one pan. I think my mom added bacon, and you can't go wrong with bacon!

http://www.bbonline.com/recipe/casseroles-breakfast.html

I made this one, which is probably the most unhealthy food you could possibly eat. But it was super delicious. It comes out kind of like a savory french toast.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/05/sleepin-in-omlette/

Mmmm...

We all had a great time visiting, and the kids had fun playing games. They even had a lively croquet match in the back yard.

The week ended with Nic having the sweetest daddy moment. Max was sitting in his little bouncy seat, and Nic was sticking his tongue out at him. Max thought for a minute and then gave Nic the biggest smile and stuck his tongue out, too. I don't know which was cuter, Max's smile or Nic's reaction. :)

Thankful Thursday

2008-09-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

1) I am so thankful that The Office is back on tonight! I love this show.

2) Naps!
I love to sleep, and Max and I took a really killer nap this afternoon. I am feeling so refreshed, so I will totally be able to enjoy #1.

3) Chocolate Chip Cookies.
They may not be helping my waistline, but they sure do contribute to my sense of well being.

With the combination of these three things, it is shaping up to be a terrific day.

Week in Review

2008-09-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

The high point of the past week was definitely my talented friend Rachel coming over to take photos of Max. These are just a few of my favorites. The pictures turned out so great! You can see more of her work at http://www.rachelkirkphotography.com/.

We had a fun family date on Friday night. We tried a new restaurant in Corona called Twisted Gourmet. We were standing outside trying to decide if it looked family friendly enough to take Max. We finally decided that we'd give it a try, and when we got in the restaurant there were probably more kids than adults, but it is still a very nice setting. They mostly have pizzas with unusual ingredients. We tried a pizza with dried cranberries, Gorgonzola cheese, and chicken. It was good, but the best thing was dessert! I got a regular chocolate chip cookie, but Nic ordered the peanut butter cookie. When the waitress first brought the cookies to the table, Nic thought he'd been cheated. His cookie was about a third of the size of my cookie, but after his first bite he was convinced that he got the better deal. His was a chocolate cookie filled with yummy peanut butter. I don't know how they do it. It's like a peanut butter cup cookie!

We also got to spend some more time with Nic's grandma this week, which is always a pleasure. She and Nic's dad came out for a visit on Saturday, and on Tuesday they came out to babysit Max while I went to the dentist.

The low point of the week was probably going to the dentist. I have a few cavities. :( So, now I have to go back. That's what I get for putting off going to the dentist!

Book Review: The Hiding Place

2008-09-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is such amazing and inspiring true story about a woman and her family that were the part of an underground organization in Holland during World War II to help protect the Jews from the Nazi's. She was caught and sent to the concentration camps as a political prisioner. Though this book sounds like it would be quite depressing, Corrie ten Boom focuses so much on all of the good people that helped their cause and all of the small miracles that occured that you walk away feeling completely amazed. This family's faith, endurance, and dedication to helping others is awe inspiring. I definitely recommend this book.

Thankful Thursday

2008-09-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for:

1) Libraries
Corona has an awesome library! I'd been just buying books I wanted to read. We have shelves and shelves full of books we are never going to read again!
It is so great to be able to just borrow any book. It is amazing that this is a free service. We take so much for granted.
You know what's even better? The library is only two blocks from my house. The walk is a perfect little outing for Max and I.

2) Food
While, I am thankful for all food, I'm especially thankful for food that I don't have to prepare. I had no idea how great it would be to have meals brought in after Max was born. When you have meals brought in, not only do you not have to prepare the food, you don't have to shop for it either. It was such a life saver! I am so grateful for the wonderful ladies from church, my mom, and Nic's dad for bringing me wonderful meals. They were so much better than anything I ever cook!
I'm lucky enough that even a month later, I'm still getting food prepared by Nic's dad. I am looking forward to a delicious frittata for dinner tonight. YUM!

3) Photobucket.com
I love being able to find images of almost anything and then have the HTML codes all ready to go. It makes blogging so much easier!

Book Review: Marley and Me

2008-09-16T22:24:00.001-07:00

I would have never thought to read this book if my sister hadn't recommended it to me. I love dogs. In fact, I would call myself a dog lover, but I still think of them as just dogs. I wasn't sure I would want to read a memoir of someone's dog. But, from the get go, I totally related to the characters in Marley and Me. The book starts with them as newlyweds in a new house with finally enough space to get a dog. The dog they get turns out to be what they think may be the worst dog ever.

Oh how clearly I remember my longing for a puppy. As soon as we put in an offer on a house, I was on the search for a puppy. Nic, who is not as fond of dogs, didn't understand, but he did know that he didn't want dog hair all over. So, I went about finding a dog that didn't shed. After much research, I decided that a Labradoodle would be just the right dog for me. We found a breeder way out in Lucerne Valley. Penny was the last one left of her litter. Maybe that should have clued us in, but she was so darn cute. When we got her home, we realized how high maintenance she was. She loved people...maybe a little too much. If Penny was left alone she wouldn't just whine, she would SCREAM. Her screaming was just the tip of the iceberg, but I love that little puppy!

Life has gotten much better for Penny since we decided to keep her and her best bud, Riley, together. My parents were suckered into taking Riley when he found himself without a home. He is such a sweet Lab, but he comes along with an insane amount of energy and some obsessive compulsive behavior.

Between these two dogs, I feel like I've experienced everything that Marley's owners did

(and more!). But, in the end, I think I'm more of a dog lover than ever. Right now, they are at my parents' house while we get used having Max at home. I can't wait to see them again!

I didn't even mean to start a post about my pets, but I think that anyone who reads Marley and Me will get to thinking about the special relationship that we can have with animals. Marley and Me will absolutley make you laugh and probably also make you cry. It reminds you of how much of life happens around your pets. In sum, I found it delightful!

Week in Review

2008-09-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

Here I am in the wee hours of the morning. Max us wide awake, so I figured I would use this time to review our week.
Max and I didn't really do much. It is much harder to get out than I expected. With feedings every two to three hours, as soon as I finish feeding Max it is almost time to feed him again. Other than a couple very brief trips to the store and library, Max and I were pretty much shut-ins.
We did make it to church last Sunday (all three hours!), and everyone had a chance to look at our little cutie.
It was a busy week for Nic at work. Several days this week he had to be at work at 4 am!
On Monday evening, Nic's dad came out for a visit. He really loves to hold Max, so he held Max and kept Nic company as Nic painted the crown moulding for the bathroom. Nic's dad had just left our house when he was hit by a drunk driver on Grand Blvd. Luckily, Dale was unharmed, but his truck was totaled.
On Tuesday, our handyman, Dave, came out to install the crown moulding. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. Our ceilings in the bathroom are really crooked, so he had to make lots of minor adjustments. I think it will all look better when it is caulked.
On Friday, we had a family date to Marie Calendar's. We hadn't ever taken Max to a restaurant, so we were clueless when it came to highchairs, etc. The hostess helped us out, and Max got to sit right up at the table with us. He was awake the whole time, and was very well behaved. After dinner, we had pie. I ordered the pumpkin pie, which was an unusual choice for me, but it was one of the most heavenly things I have ever tasted. I will definitely order it again some time!
Yesterday, Nic took Max to sacrament meeting. I had been up all night with Max, and I was just too exhausted to go. But with Max out of the house, safely at church with Nic, I slept like a baby! I think I haven't been sleeping well (even with the little sleep I get) because I'm always half way listening for Max.
Then, in our first longer outing away from home, we went to Nic's dad's house for dinner. Nic's grandma is in from New Mexico, and she, of course, wanted to meet her first great grandchild. It was a very nice visit. Max slept basically the whole time, which made it easy to have him around. He is such a good baby!
Otherwise, we just had normal, every day fun during the week. Above is my favorite picture from this week. Nic got down into Max's little baby gym, and Max is totally looking at him like he was crazy!

Max's Birth- Sara's Version

2008-09-12T15:00:00.001-07:00

I had been waiting (very impatiently) for this day to come. At my 37 week appointment, I was 2 cm dilated, and the midwife told me that I probably wouldn't go past my due date. I came back for my 38 week appointment, and I was 3 cm dilated. She said that I was ready to go, and she didn't expect to see me at my next appointment.

That Saturday, my mom came down to visit. She told me to tell her any time I was feeling any pain. Well, I was having very mild pain every 15-20 minutes. She was convinced I was going to have a baby, which, in turn, convinced me. I mean, what do I know about having babies? My mom had four, so I figured she knew better than I. Well, after many hours and the pain never getting worse, my mom went home. We were still thinking it could be any moment. All of my 38th week went by this way.
I showed up for my 39 week appointment. I am 4 cm dilated and completely effaced. She said that she definitely won't see me next week. Well, I spend all week noticing every pain, thinking that I'll be going in to labor. My due date comes and goes, and I have to go in for my 40 week appointment (which was really at 40 weeks and 4 days). At my 40 week appointment, they tell me that I will be induced on Sunday if the baby doesn't come before then. But after examining me and determining that I am 5 cm, they decide that today is the day to have the baby. I called Nic and my mom from Labor and Delivery. They were on their way, and I was waiting for a room. They started to give me a room, and then decided that someone else needed it more. So, I wait a bit longer, and they have a room for me. I got undressed and started watching TV when they came to kick me out again. They take me to a tiny observation room. When I'm hooked up to all the machines, we can see that I am having fairly regular contractions (5 minutes apart), but I don't feel them (see picture below: I was feeling fine, and happy to be having a baby).

The medical staff was thinking I might not even need Pitocin to get my labor kicked up a notch, but after a few hours I haven't progressed much at all. They take me to my room and start Pitocin. I still wasn't really feeling my contractions. My main problem was that I was STARVING! I was motivated to get that baby out so that I could eat the Snickers bar that my mom and dad had gotten from the vending machine.

Then the midwife came in and broke my water, which hurt really bad. Painful contractions started immediately afterward. Luckily, they had already ordered my epidural, so I only felt the contractions for a few minutes. The epidural worked so well that I took a little nap. Not long after waking up, they came to check me and I was fully dilated. I was also starting to get very uncomfortable. I was feeling lots of pressure, and the epidural was starting to wear off. They wanted to let me labor for awhile, but I felt like I needed to push. So, I sent Nic to get the nurse.

Pushing was very hard. It took all of my strength, and I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. I pushed for two very difficult hours. Every one could see that Max was right there, but in between pushes, he would slip back up the birth canal. Then the midwife suggested I turn on my side. Within minutes our sweet baby boy had arrived. Instantly, I felt like all of the effort was worth it. In the weeks prior, I had been nervous about holding my newborn baby. I was anything but nervous at the time. I don't think I'd ever wanted anything more than to hold my baby the instant he was born. I felt a crazy rush of love, and it still hasn't worn off.

Max was born at 9:49 pm on Friday, August 22, 2008. He weighed 8 lbs 1 ounce and was 19 1/2 inches long.

We are so happy to have Max in our family!

Thankful Thursday

2008-09-11T11:43:00.001-07:00

So, it's Thursday. That doesn't mean much to me now that I'm a stay-at-home-mom, but in the blogging world it means it is "Thankful Thursday." I don't know who started Thankful Thursday, but it is a lovely reminder that we should count our blessings.

"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues" (Thomas S. Monson, "An Attitude of Gratitude," Ensign, May 1992, 54)

1) I am thankful for my little boy! I can't believe how much I love this little 8 pound ball of mush.

2) I am thankful for such a wonderful husband. He is truly my best friend.

He's the kind of man that would prepare dinner and do the dishes afterward for three weeks because his lazy-butt wife is still getting the hang of being a mom. He's the kind of man that brings home treats as a fun surprise. He's the kind of man that would proudly sport a baby sling. Yep, that's my man!3) I am thankful for a baby swing. It helped my little guy to conk out long enough for me to start a blog!

I think that most people list 10 things for which they are thankful, but as a new and frazzled mom, I think I only have time for three today. But, rest assured, I have so many things to be thankful for, and I am looking forward to the next Thankful Thursday.

Starting Fresh

2008-09-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

Now that Max is here, I thought it would be nice to have some record of the happenings in our family. So, I’m starting another blog. Hopefully, I can keep up with it this time.