JK+L&T

Show me that smile.

2011-12-24T15:37:00.002-07:00

Somebody's on the nice list.

Where the Sagebrush Grows!

2011-12-24T10:30:00.002-07:00

For those like me who never saw this while attending school, this is what a celebration looks like at Romney Stadium.

While the bowl loss was disappointing, a W over Nevada is pretty awesome. Thanks to Coach A for righting the ship.

It's Been Four Weeks Since You Looked at Me...

2011-11-23T10:21:00.002-07:00

Chockat Mulk...Hot

2011-11-22T19:44:00.002-07:00

As you might imagine, life with two little girls is almost infinitely more busy than just one, but that certainly isn't stopping us from enjoying my favorite season of the year. I love fall. The crisp, cool air. The bright fall colors. And breaking out the cocoa-motion after its summer hibernation.
Apparently our love for hot chocolate is genetic, L loves it too. Curlers and all.

Our Tyler Bryn

2011-11-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

To clear up some of the mystery behind the previous post regarding our recent addition, here's everything you should probably know.
While Krissey and I were told to expect a Halloween baby, I think both of us knew she'd be here a little early.
Krissey's mom flew down the weekend before to help K finish her nesting process. Luckily, we weren't trying to paint a nursery
this go around. Monday morning K woke me up and informed me she had been having contractions most of the early morning. After hanging out for a couple hours, the contractions subsided and I went to work. K dropped her mom off at the airport that afternoon and I returned from the office looking forward to a quiet evening. It wasn't a quiet evening. K woke me up around 11:45 and told me we needed to go for a ride. We called our neighbor who had agreed to watch L, and quickly loaded up and headed out. The nice thing about driving to the hospital at midnight is traffic is non-existent, the bad thing is its still a twenty five minute drive, meaning K had to endure quite a few contractions on the way in. I dropped her off at the front doors, hurried and parked. She apparently had another contraction while waiting in the lobby, as the security guard offered to wheel her up and grabbed a wheelchair for her. She waited for me, and we cruised on up to triage. The doc checked her, asked if she wanted an epidural and when she answered in the affirmative, we were promptly greeted by two nurses who whisked us to delivery because K was dilated to a 7. After another round of pin the tail on K's arms (aka start an IV) the anesthesiologist finally got things taken care of. Two weeks later the swelling is finally down and the bruises are fading!
After a scare that K was too far a long and the epidural wouldn't kick in fast enough, K got her first bag of IV fluids in, and they got the epidural started just fine. Things were looking pretty smooth, when her contractions completely stopped. Apparently, a by-product of the increased fluid levels. So they got the pit going to keep her contractions regular. Krissey's doc was on call that night so the goal was to have the baby before her shift ended at 7am(and before the other two girls in labor at the same time) K and her nurse had a competition going with the other girls to see who could deliver first. Shortly before 7, we were ready and a few quick pushes later, Tyler was here! She was born at 6:44am, was 7lbs 3oz, and just over 20 inches long. She is long and skinny and after losing a lot of weight she is really skinny! She gets her looks from her Dad, it's that Soelberg nose that does it. Now maybe everyone will see that L really looks like her Mom and T looks like her Dad, but the girls look very similar. She has about the same amount and color of hair as L did, but it is straight instead of curly.
Hard to believe its already been two weeks, mom and the girls are all doing well (as long as L gets her naps!). L is a great big sister and loves her little sister a lot!!! She is adjusting pretty well for the most part.
Enjoy some pictures.

Oh, Beautiful

2011-10-28T20:23:00.002-06:00

Before we get too excited with new baby posts, here's L remembering 9/11 in the only way she knows how.
Hard to believe the event that defined me and Krissey's generation will hardly be understood by our little ones. Either way "yay, America!"

Welcome!

2011-10-25T07:19:00.002-06:00

Our little one was born this morning at 6:44!
No stats yet, stay tuned.

Dad's Brains, Mom's Looks

2011-10-21T20:23:00.002-06:00

After dinner tonight, (Pei Wei btw, I don't care how much you love Panda--don't eat there in NM) L decided that she had watched her dad's chopsticks skills long enough to attack her own Lo Mein. Have to admit, she's pretty darn good.

Around and Around

2011-10-20T21:43:00.002-06:00

Grandma B's in town. What does that mean? Horses! (aka the carousel in the mall) This is L's third or fourth ride on the carousel today:

Becky took us to dinner tonight and L didn't want to go, so Grandma sweetened the deal with a return trip back to the horses. Despite not having a nap, L somehow made it through dinner without too much drama and survived the near bedtime ride on the white horse. The best part was, somehow this shot managed to focus exactly where I wanted it...who needs a DSLR anyway? (oh yeah, me.)

Chicken Pox Induced Mood Swings

2011-10-16T09:33:00.002-06:00

Don't you love how they the follow up a series of morning tantrums with absolute cuteness like this?

Bath Time!

2011-10-02T19:31:00.003-06:00

Eating dinner tonight, Little B was so tired from our long weekend. Brady decided it was bath time. L looks at Krissey and I and informs us: "Big tub! Bib off! Down!"
I'm not gonna lie, that was ten minutes of quality entertainment.

Fiesta III

2011-10-02T14:30:00.002-06:00

It's that time again, you know, that time of year when hundreds of hot air balloons wake me up as they buzz over my house with the sound of burning propane. That's right, Balloon Fiesta is here, and contrary to the tone which started this post we actually love it. A lot.
Being our third year in the Land of Enchantment, Fiesta was a little different this year. Not that it isn't spectacular to see hundreds of gorgeous balloons take off at the same time, but it does kind of have a "seen it" feel to it. I took my camera, but only took three pictures--of Londyn.
She was pretty funny this year, and made the trip completely worth it. I'm not sure anything can beat her new found skill of redirecting my head so she can point our the balloons that she likes. I'm pretty sure the elephant was her fav, but I'm hoping she secretly appreciated SpiderPig--even if she doesn't get the joke.
Once again we did get to host family for the event, my siblings had planned to come down since spring, and I think we all realize that Ty should be here us--but as sad as that thought its, it's been good to reminisce on our favorite memories. We've also discovered that Curt gets his stomach from my dad--as the massive increase of green chile into his diet.
Anyway, since you're really here for the pics, I did snap a few at the night glow and balloon race last night. Enjoy.

We Didnt Start the Fire

2011-09-25T12:52:00.002-06:00

It's probably pretty sad that L got super excited when we pulled into Lowes' parking lot yesterday. A summer full of landscaping (almost done btw) has yielded numerous trips to the home improvement superstore, to the point where I know which associates can actually answer questions, and which ones can't.
Walking in, a lady flagged us down, very excited to tell us that L could build her own firetruck--I kind of laughed and said we'll see, but kinda glad we did.
L built an awesome looking truck (read: Dad put. It together while L got way too excited about the siren and stickers) and got to tour the RRFD's awesome trucks. Ambulances are a touchy subject in our house, but L loved it all--even if we couldn't get her to smile in most of these shots. So thanks RRFD, thanks Lowes, and thanks random lady for an awesome little activity.

Dough Up Your Nose

2011-09-25T08:08:00.003-06:00

L wanted muffins for breakfast this morning. Apparently when she said muffins, she really meant muffin batter...

Bareback Riding

2011-09-18T09:14:00.001-06:00

Just another Sunday morning...

A Little Thing We Forgot To Tell You

2011-09-15T16:32:00.000-06:00

Coming Halloween 2011!

Pure Class

2011-07-24T20:13:00.003-06:00

Sometimes things just don't happen as we plan, and sometimes we have
to make sure we follow through with the plan regardless of circumstance.
Tyler was a huge fan of our local MLS club, Real Salt Lake. Our fam
had planned on attending last nights match, and knew we needed to be
there--even without Ty. Always a class act, the team presented us with
an autographed jersey in Ty's memory. The game was a great W for the
team and they even saved all four of the goals for the second half,
right in front of our seats. Inspired play for an inspired person. We
miss you Ty, but thank you RSL for honoring such a great individual.
(Thanks for the pic, Megh!)

Somebody to Lean On.

2011-07-22T23:47:00.001-06:00

Yesterday afternoon was a horrible day. Not just a plain bad horrible day. It was the worst of horrible days. A day that started with the promise of a great and wonderful day, and one that ended with the loss of my dear brother Tyler. This is the -third- fourth time I've tried to write down my thoughts and experiences today--I get the feeling that I'm not to share these thoughts--but I know that I need to put this out there.

For those who haven't already heard the news, Tyler was killed in a cycling accident Thursday afternoon. I had the privilege of being with him until emergency crews arrived. I've gotten a lot of questions regarding the details of the accident. Ty once said that anyone should be able to ask the question "why?" and expect a legitimate answer. I can't answer that, but I can answer the question "how?". I know Ty wouldn't have been satisfied with the lack of detail found in the news reports in the Trib and the Standard, so here it goes, slightly edited, but reader discretion still advised:

Those who know me, know of my love for cycling. Lance was wrong, it's ALL about the bike. Apparently, this love is infectious, and Ty somehow got stung with the bug. For the last year or so, we've talked about him getting a bike, Ty meticulously researched, test rode, and finally had decided it was time for a bike. Our youngest brother, Curtis, returned home from his mission a week ago Wednesday, the reunion of the family offered the perfect timing to finally purchase the bike. Ty, Curtis, myself, and our brother-in-law Brady, spent nearly 5 hours at the shop with Ty while he finalized his decision--just in time for our family getaway to the Ogden Valley and a condo at Wolf Creek.

Thursday morning, the boys took a wonderful ride around Pine View. Ty was a natural (no big surprise there), you'd be hard pressed to tell who was the novice in the group. Following lunch, Curtis and my sister Shawnee shuttled, Brady, Ty and myself to the top of Powder Mountain Road for a quick downhill excursion. I led the way, with Brady and Ty behind me. About two miles down, I caught up to the Shawnee and Curtis and stopped as there was no way to safely pass them, yet the bikes couldn't maintain the slower pace. Brady soon joined me, and we waited for Ty--whom Brady had seen right behind him on the turn just above where we stopped. We both feared for the worst, and climbed as fast as we could back up the hill. I saw the bike first, lying to the side of the road in a ditch. Sprinting to the scene, my brother was on his side, in the fetal position. The bike frame had broke in three pieces, and I hoped that it had taken all the impact. Tyler was breathing. Breathing, but unconscious. No sooner had we arrived, then a UPS truck passed heading down. He quickly called 911 after traveling about 100 yards down the road to get cell service. Brady ran back and forth numerous times as we tried to relay information to and from emergency services. Help was on the way. 10 minutes. 10 long, wonderful minutes. Ty floated between levels of unconsciousness, often crying out in pain as he tried to move as I held him in a vain hope of minimizing his injuries. I removed his helmet--thinking somehow it would help his labored breathing. Upon inspection, the helmet looked perfect--except a spot just above his right ear. Between several of his attempted moves, I began to realize the extent of his injuries--road rash over his right hips and torso, for sure a broken clavicle, and possibly a dislocated shoulder. Holding my brother, trying to comfort him in his last moments, was perhaps the most bittersweet events of my life. When the paramedics finally arrived, I assisted them as they placed the C-collar on him, trying to convince him that they were here to help as he fought both the collar and the straps as we tried to secure him to the board. My family had been notified by another unknown group of angels--having seen us on the side of the road, and being ready and willing to help. I don't know if it was harder for them, the helpless onlookers, or for me, who got to actively participate in the presumed rescue, but either was once we had him in the ambulance, I felt a sense of relief. It was fully out of my control. Only two things came to mind as I watched the ambulance pull away. He was going to get a helicopter ride without me, and he has to tell me how it happened, because the pieces just didn't fit together (and still don't, completely).

LifeFlight was waiting at the resort, but shortly after arriving at the top, Ty went into cardiac arrest. Unable to perform CPR in the helicopter, the medics were forced to drive. On the way to the ER, he flat lined three times. The damage that wasn't obvious to me, was that in his head. It's believed the head trauma caused significant swelling, and the subsequent pressure wasn't treatable. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.

My parents and Curtis had taken a police escort to the ER, while the rest of us returned to the condo to gather our things. The following scene was one you've seen before in countless film. I'll never forget the look on my sister's face as the phone rang and the news reached her. She immediately dropped the phone and dropped to her knees. She couldn't pass the word along, but everyone knew. Shawnee and I left our spouses as we quietly made the trip to join our family at the hospital. It simply did not--and does not--feel real.

I had the opportunity to talk to the paramedics who so valiantly tried to save our brother. The only question I had was what more could I have done. I've never been told that I had done everything right, but still left with the feeling that somehow I had failed and knowing it was out of my hands.

It's been a very emotional day and a half. I only wish that everyone could've had the chance to know my brother, Tyler. (If you didn't, you sure missed out). The out-pour of love and support to our family has been tremendous. Words can't begin to express the feeling of my heart for the thought and support of friends, family, and neighbors. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down!

2011-07-18T21:49:00.001-06:00

And The Livin' Is Easy

2011-07-18T21:43:00.000-06:00

Oh yeah, summertime. Nothing like a long day in the Sun, a little bit
of running through the sprinklers, and falling asleep before your head
hits the pillow. Mmm...summertime.

Rain, I Don't Mind

2011-07-11T20:23:00.001-06:00

It finally decided to rain for a few seconds (minutes?) tonight, so we
rushed L outside to enjoy. It's been super dry this year so even a few
drops were enough reason for her to break out in a dance!

On the Wing

2011-06-21T07:58:00.002-06:00

A few months ago, we had a surprise visitor smash itself into our
sliding glass door. When the sun sits just right, we get a little
reminder:

Mostly Smoky With a Chance Of Ash

2011-06-06T19:32:00.001-06:00

As AZ continues to burn, we get stuck sitting right behind their
tailpipe. Where did the Sandia's go? Good question, our prayers go out
to those affected.

Long Day

2011-04-10T14:57:00.001-06:00

It was Spring Break for some parts of the world this week, so we've
had several visitors staying with us this past week. By Saturday, both
my girls were pretty much exhausted. Admittedly, we were about two
hours past L's bedtime...

The Wonders of Daylight Savings

2011-03-15T21:46:00.001-06:00

Our fam is still in recovery mode from the big "spring forward" the
other night/morning. (read: we stay up later and still have to wake up
early), but there is one nice thing about an extra hour of sun in the
evening:

Watching the Sun Go Down

2011-02-18T15:55:00.002-07:00

In case you ever wondered, Home Depot accepts competitors coupons if you ask. Including Harbor Freight. Also found at the HD is a view of the Sandia's that is hard to beat.

After a While You Start to Smile

2011-02-08T19:19:00.003-07:00

If I could pick the best thing about living in the Land of Enchantment, it would be this. New Mexico has the best sunrises and sunsets I've ever seen.

I woke up from my morning bus ride nap to see this gorgeous sunrise this morning, and luckily was able to snap a picture before the magic faded. Enjoy.

The Frumious Bandersnatch!

2010-11-13T13:06:00.003-07:00

Our little L became a beautiful little Alice for Halloween. Not to be out done, we donned the roles of the Queen of Hearts and the Hatter. It was definitely a lot of work for Krissey and her mom to finish up the costumes. Mine was a saver's special--Krissey was worried about mine, since I hadn't put it on until just a few minutes before the day was here.

Krissey and I haven't carved pumpkins since before we were married, so we carved up some pumpkins we got on a trip out to the pumpkin patch in Moriarty. This is K's:

And mine:

Londyn was dying to help out with the carving. She's still not very good with knives, so we chose an easier form of pumpkin decorating.

FYI, Londyn does not like the taste of paint. We had a few parties we went to, trunk-or-treat at the church, and trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We had a great time with friends and watching L for her first Halloween.

What L Really Really Wants.

2010-10-12T22:47:00.000-06:00

Our little L is getting bigger every day. She's also one smart cookie (she gets that from her mom). The other day, I had just finished feeding her so she was still in her high chair. I wasn't quite ready for the task of running around, keeping up with her, so I left her there and started playing some games with her. (She's much easier to watch when she's not mobile). L played along for awhile, but then decided that she'd tell me what she really wanted. I had my hands out for her to give me five, she played along, giving me five and then quickly grabs both my hands and places them under her arm pits. I got the hint. She got out of the chair.

July 4th

2010-08-01T13:25:00.007-06:00

We had some visitors for the 4th of July. Josh's parents came down and spent the weekend with us. Saturday morning we had our Ward Annual Pancake breakfast at the park. What more can you ask for than good food, good company, and fun games! We spent most of our morning there and came home to what I thought was an exhausted little girl. She was ornery and not happy. I was trying to make lunch while Josh tried to calm our screaming L down. I told him to give her a bath since that is what she loves. That just made her cry harder. My mom-in-law also tried to comfort L and she finally came and told me she just wanted her mom. I tried to comfort L, but it just wasn't working so I decided to go outside with her. She loves the outdoors and immediately calmed down so my mom-in-law and I took L for a walk. We were about half way around the block when the sky opened up and just started pelting huge rain drops on us and that upset L again. Luckily, Josh came to our rescue, calling to see if we had taken an umbrella and when we said no he came running down the street with one. After that L was totally fine. We stood outside soaked and took pictures of the fun storm. I learned the reason L was so upset was because she cut her first tooth. She went to bed quite early, so we stayed home and watched the fireworks from our driveway. We are lucky to live across the street from the high school where they light off the fireworks. It was nice to sit at home and watch the firewroks and let L sleep. Monday we went to the Albuquerque Zoo for the first time. We met Josh's cousin and her family there. We really enjoyed the zoo. We tried to see everything but didn't quite get to all of it. Guess we will have to go again. Then we came back for a bbq at our house. Thanks for spending the day with us Stacy we had a great time visiting with your family!

6 Months!

2010-06-24T22:27:00.004-06:00

That's right folks. Our little sweetheart has been with us for 6 months now. She had her Dr's appointment today and these are her stats:

Height: 27 in 85%

Weight: 18lbs 80%

I was so worried about her getting her shots today because Josh is at Scout Camp this week. She had to get 3 shots today and for the first two she didn't even flinch, but by the third one she had had enough. She cried for only 30 seconds maybe and then was fine. She cried a little later, but that's because I forgot to give her more Tylenol, but once that kicked in she was herself again, mostly. She was very cuddly tonight and it was fun to just sit with her in her room in the rocking chair and just cuddle and love her.

We love her so much and love to see her growing and learning! We started her on cereal a few weeks back and oatmeal is her favorite then wheat then rice. Last week we started her on veggies. She has tried green beans, carrots and peas and loves them all as well. She is not a picky eater, but always makes this disgusted face the first time I give her something, even she has been eating it for a few days. She is sitting up all by herself, she is ready to run but hasn't mastered the crawling thing quite yet, she is a little talker lately, she is starting to laugh more each day, she loves her exersaucer, she loves to be outside, she has an easy temperament and is easy going. We absolutely love her chubby thighs and can't get enough of her cheeks. We feel so blessed to have her in our lives. She is the greatest blessing. I try and not take any moment with her for granted!

Before her shots, little did she know what was to come!

Me trying to get a photo of her for 6 months.

Resting on the couch after shots.

Getting ready for bed and modeling her snoopy band-aids!

Road Trip

2010-06-16T12:49:00.009-06:00

Londyn and I took our first road trip. My brother RJ flew down to help me drive back to Utah with Londyn. We headed across Arizona and then up to St George where my Aunt and cousins have a vacation home. They let my family stay there over Memorial Day weekend. Thank you so much Ferrins, we had an absolute blast! Friday was spent all day driving and when I say all day I mean 11 hours in the car driving. L did pretty well until the last 45 minutes or so. We got in about 7pm, ordered pizza for dinner and then we all pretty much crashed. We got up early Saturday morning and went boating. We went to a little reservoir outside of Hurricane. Besides the water being ice cold freezing, it was really fun to try and water ski. I hadn't been skiing for 2 years because I was pregnant last year, I was close to getting up, but just couldn't quite get up. Oh well, there is always Lake Powell in July! We also took Londyn on the boat for a ride, she was tired, but we think she loved it. After boating we went grocery shopping, ran home to eat lunch and shower and then headed to the movies. That's right, Londyn went to her first movie, Iron Man 2. L did good, thanks to Grandma Becky for taking her so i could enjoy the movie and yes it was a good one. We ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse..yum:) Went home and watched a movie. Sunday we went to church and then had my Uncle, Aunt, cousins and grandchildren over for dinner who live in St George. It was fun to visit with them because we don't get to see them very often and to see their beautiful one month old baby girl. Monday we got up and took L to the neighborhood pool for the first time. She is such a good sport, she will do anything and not cry. She will let us do what we want to her and just sit there and take it all in. She loves the water! We then went back and cleaned the house and packed up and then went to the outlets to do a little shopping. The only one who made it out with anything was Londyn, of course. Well I guess Nicole and Jake got a few things as well, but L got the most. We ate at In-n-out and then started the trek home to my parents house. Besides getting a flat tire in Kaysville at 10pm at night, the ride wasn't too bad. Thanks to the two strangers who helped me change my tire. Please know that I do know how to change a flat tire, just not in the pitch black of night when you can't see anything. The next few days were spent at my moms. I went to help paint in the basement. Yes, after all these years my parents are finally finishing their basement. It was fun and my mother in law came over two days to watch L while I painted. I was able to have dinner with some of Joshs family while I was there, sorry we missed you Shawnee and Brady. Had lunch with my Aunt Kathy, mom, and sister. I also got to meet my cousins new baby girl Emily. She has a ton of stick straight black hair and is adorable. Can't wait for you to come and visit Julie! I thoroughly enjoyed my time at my parents just relaxing and letting my siblings take care of Londyn for a change. I also enjoyed shopping with my mom, but everyone was working each day so our nights were very busy before L went to bed. Saturday I took off for Denver, Co all by myself with L in tow. My sister had a design conference there and I went to stay with her in the hotel. I had never been to Denver before and I loved it. We had so much fun. L and I would chill during the morning and meet up with my sister for lunch each day and then walk 16th street or go swimming in the afternoon and then meet up with my sister for dinner. L's schedule was totally rocked, but she was a great sport through out all the driving, traveling and new places. I am realizing how hard it is to do and see everyone and everything you want to when you go home, there just aren't enough hours in the day to do it all. We sure missed Josh a lot, but really enjoyed ourselves. Whew, it is sad to leave family, but so good to be home again and back into our routine!

Birthday Girl!

2010-05-25T20:56:00.002-06:00

Krissey celebrated a BIG birthday a few weeks back. It wasn't big for the reason birthday's normally are, it was big because for the first time since Londyn was born, we went out. On a date! Dinner AND a movie! Everyone down here loves Londyn (who can blame them?) so getting a babysitter was pretty easy.
It was pretty weird to be without our little girl, shortly after we snapped this picture, there was a lapse in the conversation. Krissey was the first to say it, but we were both thinking about our little angel. Turns out, Londyn survived just fine without us, so hopefully future date nights won't be with so much worry. It was a great night, and I'm glad we got to spend it together.
Happy Birthday Beautiful! I love you!

Strawberry Swing

2010-05-25T20:03:00.001-06:00

If you can't tell, the weather has been wonderful down here in the Land of Enchantment. It's a spring that really feels like what I think spring should feel like. You'll notice I didn't use the word perfect, just wonderful. We have had some crazy windy days that we haven't been super fond of.

Since we've had such wonderful weather, it's been fun to help Londyn explore her new world. Krissey is good about taking her for walks during the day, all over the neighborhood. Unfortunately, I miss out on a lot of these walks, but Krissey helps me make up for them on the weekends.

A week ago Saturday, we had a friend of ours take our first family pictures. Luckily the wind held off, and we had a great shoot--even if we couldn't get L to smile for the camera. Following the shoot, we let L test out the swing. It might not seem like much, but as a (new) parent, each and everything Londyn does is reason for a mini-celebration.

Enjoy the vid, don't forget to check out our other recent posts.
[Updated: Now with pictures!]

Roll On 18 Wheeler, Roll On!

2010-05-23T22:04:00.002-06:00

It's been a very exciting few weeks to watch our little princess. In addition to enjoying a healthy regimen of rice cereal, Londyn has discovered her ability to roll over. Last friday (luckily my day off) Krissey and I witnessed her first complete roll ever. She'd been showing signs that she was close for the last month or so, but never really got anywhere. Maybe it was the Adventure Island soundtrack, or some toy that finally caught her eye, but she put all the pieces together and made history (her history anyway). She would only roll from her tummy to her back, at first only if we helped place her hands correctly--as seen in the video below.

As of yesterday she's gone over from her back to the belly a whopping 4 times, including a surprise yesterday, when I tried to put her down for a nap. Krissey had left me in charge, and L was exhausted but would not let me rock her. I placed her in the crib, tucked her in with a blanket, and left the room. She was quiet for a few minutes, but then really started to get fussy as I listened to her on the monitor. I stepped in the room to find her on her belly with her head on the opposite direction as I had placed her in. It's officially time to start baby-proofing the house--she's ready to roll! Enjoy.

Infectious

2010-05-09T21:37:00.005-06:00

L was in a pretty weird mood today, probably brought about by a hatred of napping. One minute she'd be an ornery baby, and then the next she'd be laughing her head off. It's amazing the lengths parents will go to make their child happy, Josh felt like an idiot after watching this, but it may have been the best Mother's Day present ever. (Happy Mother's Day all!) Her laughter is a new thing as of late, but we are in love with it and wish she would laugh some more, enjoy!

Utah Trip

2010-04-28T21:38:00.001-06:00

Our trip to Utah was so much fun. During our trip Londyn had a lot of firsts. Her first plane ride. She found her thumb to suck on for the first time. Her biggest first, for me at least, is she is sleeping through the night. Among Londyn's milestones, she was able to meet a lot of new people. We were able to enjoy our time with our families. We had so much fun and appreciate everyone taking the time out of their busy schedules to accommodate us while we were in town. Besides the massive snowstorm, we had an amazing time with family and had a fun first Easter with L and all our family members! Enjoy the pictures.

Where'd you go?

2010-04-25T21:20:00.000-06:00

Can you believe she's well over four months now? I sure can't--and I'm sure most of y'all can't either.

At church today we were chatting with another young couple in the ward, the husband asked me: "how old is she now, 2 months?" At this rate she's gonna be like 70 by my next birthday! (j/k-I'm fully aware that this is impossible.) We love our precious little girl, and all the cuteness that comes with it. We take the fussy days too, but one smile from L and you forget about all that.

Our good friend Bre snapped this while getting our pictures taken with Krissey's fam. You gotta love it, baby!

The Little Princess

2010-03-27T10:39:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the obnoxious "Print Me!" labels, but Olan Mills does actually let you publish pictures to your blog with no extra fees. We think they turned out pretty darn cute...and we think you'll agree. I made the little tutu and am so proud of it. If any of you want one, let me know. It was really fun making it!

The End of the Debate

2010-03-21T20:17:00.000-06:00

The votes are in.

Blessing Day

2010-03-21T14:47:00.003-06:00

We blessed Londyn on February 14th, yes Valentines Day. It was such a special day. We had many family members travel down here for her blessing. We appreciate all of you taking time out of your busy lives to be here with us. The weather was beautiful that day, hence most of the pictures we took outside the church peoples eyes are closed or squinty because the sun was so bright. Josh gave Londyn the most beautiful blessing a father could give his daughter. We then had a yummy lunch back at our house. Thanks again to all the family that came. My mom and I made Londyn's blessing dress. I looked for a dress, but could not find one I liked, not even in the fabric stores, so my mom helped me and we basically made up our own pattern and design. I love how it turned out! Thanks so much mom for all your help. I will never forget doing the finishing touches at 2 in the morning with you. I love you! I will never forget such a special day for our little girl!

The Latest Photoshoot

2010-03-16T18:17:00.006-06:00

We're not the only ones who love taking pictures of Miss Londyn. One of our friends, Erin, took the latest series of our cute little one. Erin claims she's no pro, but her photos say otherwise. Check out her blog for more of her work!

Anyone up for a ride?

2010-03-14T17:05:00.002-06:00

A few years back I was given a 1986 Trek 600 road bike. Little did I know how expensive of a hobby I was getting into. It wasn't a bad bike. Reynolds 853 frame, shimano 105 downtube shifters, a million pound wheelset. It wasn't a dream bike, by any means, but it was enough. I was hooked on the sport. Being in the middle of my studies at the University, recently married, and living in the wonderful world of Aggie Village, I knew it would be awhile until I could afford anything better. Here and there, I made some upgrades. My wonderful brother-in-law donated an old wheelset to the cause, I tried to prevent the steel from rusting out with a kermit green paint job, some small upgrades to the cockpit. It did the job. I'm not sure how many miles I put on it in the past few years, or how many miles were put on before my time with it. It never had a name--unlike another bike of mine--it was just "Josh's roadie". Some time along the way, Krissey promised me a new roadie when I finished school.
Sometimes I wondered if it would ever be a reality, upon finishing school and moving out of state, the realization of life made me wonder if I should really splurge and get the bike. I would drag Krissey from shop to shop, test riding bikes. She would joke how she could tell me which bikes I preferred by the smile on my face coming back from the test ride. (btw, if anyone ever wonders why people like myself have a fascination with road bikes, go to YLBS and test ride one, they'll be more than happy to let you ride, even if you have no intentions of buying) Before moving, I sold the beast of steel to a friend, leaving me with only ONE bike...until yesterday. Meet my new ride:

Before I get any flack (Brady), the wheel reflectors were removed shortly following this photo session. For those who care about the gory details: It's a Kuota Kharma Race, Sram Rival gruppo, and Mavic Kysrium Elite hoops. and it's not just gorgeous, it's fast! What you've never heard of Kuota? Me neither, honestly, until James at the Kickstand sold me on it. James was great to work with, and if anyone is shopping for a bike, I'd highly recommend the group at the Kickstand, definitely one of the better shops I've dealt with. Anyway, happy graduation to me! (Thanks babe!)

2 Months

2010-03-02T16:59:00.005-07:00

Well it is a little late, but Londyn's 2 month stats were weight: 10lbs 12oz which put her in the 50th percentile and height: 23 1/2 inches that was the 80th percentile. Her height certainly did not come from me or Josh so she must be getting her height from both her grandpas. We can't believe how much she has grown and love having her in our home. She is so bright and learning new things each day. Her latest obsession is her hands and feet. She hates taking naps, but sleeps really well at night. She always wants to be where everyone else is and not miss out on anything(hence, the no nap taking) and she loves to talk and smile. I have a feeling we are going to have our hands full with this little one!

Little Miss Smiles

2010-02-06T10:21:00.004-07:00

Our little miss learned to smile a couple of weeks ago. As the pictures prove, it's quite adorable.

She might not be smiling in this one, but it's pretty darn cute regardless. Grandma Pam crocheted several hats of various sizes, but Miss L only has been able to fit the smallest recently.

In other news, we're watching Saved by the Bell reruns and Krissey just quoted a line before they said it. It was almost like predicting the future. Except, you know, it happened in the past.

Pink Bellied Sneezes

2010-01-30T11:20:00.001-07:00

Londyn has sneezed like this since she was born. We love it. And so should you.

Grateful.

2010-01-25T11:56:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I stayed home from church with Londyn because we had a very long night and she just didn't seem to be feeling very good. After one of her feedings I went to burp her and all this bright yellow stuff came out. I tried to stay calm and not be an over reactive new mom, but ended up calling the nurses line just to make sure I didn't need to be worried. The nurse confirmed to me that our little one had thrown up and that we should get her to urgent care to have her checked out because she is so young to be doing that. I text Josh and told him to come home asap. When Josh arrived home the first thing he did was give her a blessing. We then went to the pediatric urgent care downtown. There was a 3 hour wait when we got there. I tried to sit calmly and patiently as the packed room full of little kids and their germs were surrounding my new little one, but as time passed I became more anxious. I had a feeling we were going to be told Londyn was just fine and that was making me more upset that I made the trip downtown and wasted an entire Sunday in the doctor's office and not to mention having to pay the stupid copay to be told my daughter is just fine and the first words out of the doctor's mouth were "over reacted." Now that I have had the chance to reflect on yesterday's happenings I am grateful. Grateful for a healthy daughter, grateful for a loving understanding husband, grateful he holds the priesthood, grateful for blessings, grateful to my loving Heavenly Father, grateful for the gospel, grateful for doctor's. Just grateful!

Our humble abode.

2010-01-23T10:39:00.003-07:00

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-17T18:59:00.002-07:00

Krissey and I are in danger of missing our twice monthly blog update quota. Here it is more than halfway through January without a post. Honestly, what kind of bloggers are we? We have a really good excuse though...we were trying to sleep. I say that like I don't ever get to sleep, that's probably taking things a little too far. Londyn let's us sleep...every other night.

Krissey's family came down for Christmas, it was a blast. Grandma Becky stayed an extra week and helped to get finish up some projects that had been postponed with Londyn's arrival. You might remember the nursery. We've added a few finishing touches:

I should mention that Nicole did help with the lettering. Our walls have a thick texture, so it was quite the intense process, but turned out nicely.

We have some pretty big plans for this bear. We designated it to be Londyn's fav. We'll see how that goes.

It was good to have family out. My brother and parents came down the week of my birthday, I'll have to post some pics with all of us, but Ty's got a few sweet shots over at his blog.

Anyways, now that we've got that out of the way, here she is:

She's getting really good with the head holding thing. She can go a few minutes before getting tired. She'd probably go longer, but she may have inherited a head from her dad.

This is Londyn's "bed," it's a blanket that my Grandma Neoma made for her (thanks by the way!). One thing we've learned about our little girl is she loves laying in front of heat sources, I wish we had some hospital pictures from the heat lamp. She'd be incredibly upset and then you'd lay her under the lamp and she'd calm down immediately and pose in what Krissey and I refer to as "the diva poses." She also does the same in a warm bath or in front of the fireplace.

Just a side note on the fireplace. I know people think New Mexico is nice and warm year round. It's NOT! While it may not be as cold as Utah, our temps follow Salt Lake City quite closely. Blame the elevation. If you come to visit in the winter, it may be cold. On the other hand, a balmy 55 degrees today was quite nice...as long as you're in the sun.

With as much as Londyn moves, I thought she would've developed a few bald spots. She kinda has one, but her hair is still pretty rocking. We're thinking this should be the new look for the 10s. (2010s? what are we supposed to call it?)

According to Krissey, Londyn is good all day. Until I get home from work. Occasionally, her dad can get her to sleep. This is a rare moment of success.

We've yet to do a baby announcement, so these next few pics are a photo shoot we shot yesterday. I was behind the camera for the most part, but a few were shot by Krissey. We got some JCPenney pics taken when she was a week old, but I can't really justify a minimum of $4 a page with as cute as my daughter is. Plus, they don't do any edits. Even the magic press a button to make black and white would be considered an "enhancement" and make each page $15. Honestly. I'll take them myself.

The set up is our first attempt. The NM sunlight works wonders, unfortunately I wasn't very well prepared with the backdrop, and some angles were just too cute to pass up. Oh well, live and learn. We might need to invest in some additional lighting options, but team up some good sunlight and Photoshop's RAW editor, (which is amazing, fyi) and we're good. Enjoy the rest.

This last one was after Londyn got a little upset. She likes being naked, but was probably getting a little cold/hungry. After feeding time, we got this. One happy little angel.

Welcome Home!

2009-12-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

Krissey and Londyn finally got to come home today. Thanks to everyone for their love and support (and comments!). We're so lucky to have such a precious and beautiful little girl. It's so nice to have them in the comfort of our own home. At her final checkup this morning, we found out she cracked a collarbone during delivery. Not a complete surprise, since it's fairly common, but it definitely adds to the stress of being a new parent. Anyway, the hospital was nice, but...yeah. Here's some more pics to fuel the baby fire that's taken our friends and family by storm: (for those new to the blog, click the pics if you want to see the details)

Grandma Pam made this beautiful beanie for Londyn. As much as we love it, it's just a little on the big side, so she only got to wear it for a few seconds, but it's adorable. Thanks mom, ;)

Her hair really is curly, but you'd never know it after wearing her cap all night!

Londyn loves her mama!

She'll grow into it. (and out of it, I'm sure)

And we're home! She was great getting into her carseat and loved the car ride home.

The vote is still out on who she looks like. We're working on getting some baby pics of me and Krissey to give you something to compare too. Thanks again for everyone's support.

L is for...

2009-12-10T09:49:00.001-07:00

Londyn!

After a visit to the doc on Tuesday, we weren't expecting this little one until next Monday. We're not complaining that she decided to visit a few days sooner. Krissey's water broke later Tuesday afternoon, and after almost 25 hours at the hospital little Londyn Noel is here! Besides her parents being extremely tired from the lack of sleep, everyone is doing well. For those who care about vitals and not pics, Londyn came in at 7 pounds and 10 ounces and is 20 inches long.

More house...

2009-12-01T21:49:00.003-07:00

As you can tell projects have consumed our life for the past few months. We haven't forgotten the nagging call for pictures of the rest of the house. We've mostly wrapped up the baby projects so we put the house back together, and now you can enjoy more house:

Okay, so it's just the dining room and kitchen, but it's our dining room and kitchen. It's pretty popular down here to put tile medallions in the front entryway, so of course we had to put one in as well. It gets more comments on it than any other part of the house. Seriously. People walk in and stare in awe at our floor. We keep that part of the house clean. Real clean. (You know, because of the staring?) In other news, Krissey is enjoying parking the car in the garage. She was really excited to tell me that when I got home from work today. I mean really excited. I didn't think it was such a big deal, until I she told me it was the first time she's ever parked in a garage. I highly recommend garages. (Especially after reading about Doug and Marilyn's spray paint fiasco. Yikes!)

Oh yeah, and it's Christmas time. We thought about buying a real sized tree, but why have just one when you can have three + Santa Claus? You see my point. What I carefully hid from y'alls view is the final baby project. (hint: it's not Krissey's belly)

38 Weeks Down...

2009-11-30T21:08:00.004-07:00

...and two to go! (But who's counting anyways?) This one's for you ~~Becky~~ mom.

Nursery

2009-11-22T09:16:00.004-07:00

Krissey's hit the nesting phase of the pregnancy, she actually hit it awhile ago, but her husband finally got around to helping her and she finally selected the bedding that she officially loves. So here's room two in our wonderful tour of the house. It's not quite done yet...still need some touch ups and we're repainting a night stand and dresser, so there should be a part two. Anyway, since you've already stopped reading this, and are now just looking for the pics, here they are:

It was a lot of work, but it's 90% done, we still need to do another coat on the stripes and the bottom row of diamonds (Krissey can't bend over that far...y'all understand why). We originally tried to tape off the diamonds, but we kept getting off towards the sides, so we did them all free hand. Because we're that good. The cradle pic up top isn't in the nursery, but it relates. We got a hand me down from some members of our ward who were moving out. It looked old and outdated, so Krissey decided we could do something about it. She sanded it all down to strip the old stain off, and then we tried to find some more modern looking wooden spindles. There aren't any, not on the web, not any. So me, loving the awesome combo of metal and wood, suggested we used wrought iron. I think the results look awesome, but we'll let y'all be the judge of that. The last pic is the drawer pulls for the dresser and night stand, they'll be the same red as the stripe, so we'll update that as we go. We found the pulls at Hobby Lobby in case you're curious. 2 rooms down...the rest of the house to go.

My New Best Friend...

2009-11-12T19:26:00.005-07:00

Ok, so this whole heartburn and acid reflux thing is killing me! Every single night I end up with a massive burning in my chest that continues all the way up my throat. It is so bad I do not have the energy to do anything the rest of the night. I eat Tums like they are candy and all it does is take off the edge, but they don't relieve it. If anyone has any ideas on how to relieve heartburn for a preggo lady, any advice is welcome! I have tried a few things I found on the internet to eating an entire tablespoon of mustard, yeah that's right, I ate an entire tablespoon of mustard. I don't recommend it, it burned the whole way down and it was nasty!!!

I've got an electric guitar...

2009-11-09T19:15:00.006-07:00

I know everyone really only cares about two things on this blog. Number one: the little girl that will be hanging out with us shortly, and two: seeing pictures of the the house, which are a couple of months over due. Really. I know. So rather than make excuses on why we've yet to throw up some pics, how about you check these out, and enjoy our home...one room at a time. Today's special: the garage.

Since everything is new, we've worked to make sure we get everything the way we want it from the start. So we started with the floor...

...and a water softener...

...and finished with a garage door opener.

Now before y'all tell me what a great job I did, Krissey actually helped out quite a bit, including painting the majority of the floor. She just happened to be behind the camera for most of it. Anyway, one room down...just a few more to go.

Teaser: Coming soon in 3D!

2009-10-18T21:11:00.002-06:00

This baby's gonna be cute. Darn cute.

Fiesta!

2009-10-03T14:55:00.002-06:00

Today we got to experience our first Balloon Fiesta! What is a Balloon Fiesta you ask? One word: Awesome! Ever since we made the big move down here, that's all anyone talks to you about. It's not just talk, they're pretty serious about ballooning. It might have to do with this crazy thing called the Albuquerque Box. Josh has watched the balloons all summer during his morning commute, there's normally four or five balloons somewhere over the valley.

We even get a wake up call most weekends by the sound of the propane burner by some balloon flying over our house. Last Sunday we caught this guy lurking around:

They even have a museum dedicated to ballooning, we went last Saturday for "Smithsonian Museum Day" (it was free). They have everything from the origins of ballooning, to the big gas balloons they fly over oceans and round the world trips. Pretty crazy. They also have a balloon simulator. It's pretty cool, and Josh did pretty well for being a newbie.

Luckily the other guy in the picture knew a thing or two about ballooning and was an excellent coach. It's a lot harder than it looks (at least that's what Josh kept telling me) for only having two controls. You get points for a good take off, navigating, and how close you can land to the target you are aiming for. Josh ended up getting about an 82/100, which was pretty good because a professional pilot flew before him and got an 88.7/100.

Anyway, back to the fiesta, we had some hookups for a sweet parking pass (thank you so much Tyler!) and made it to the park around 6:30ish A.M., slightly before the "mass ascension" (sounds like a Catholic term) where all the balloons take off. Despite the huge size of the park, they have to stagger the balloon start times so everyone can take off safely. You get to walk directly on the field where the balloons are launching. You can walk right over to the pilots and crew and talk with them and ask them questions, while they are blowing up their balloon. Anyway like someone has mentioned in the comments, a picture is worth the rest of this post so here goes:

That's just a handful of the fun. Josh went through an entire camera battery this morning. This was one of those experiences that is indescribable, the pictures do not do it justice, and you just have to experience it within your life. So, add this onto your list of things you just have to see. Tonight is the evening glow, so perhaps they'll be some more ballooning in store for the blog. In the meantime, the fiesta goes through next weekend, so if you're hankering for a quick get away come on down, we love visitors!

Bikes.

2009-09-27T12:17:00.015-06:00

Krissey and I got the internet hooked up this weekend. Those long awaited house pictures should be up pretty soon. But in the meantime, here's something for my fellow bikers to think about:
It's hard to go even a month without hearing about a cyclist injured in a motor vehicle accident. Sure you can blame the public for not paying attention, not following the rules. The drivers aren't the only ones following the rules, just check out the comments on any news website about these accidents. (especially the Salt Lake Trib) you get an onslaught of complaints about cyclists not following the rules. If we expect to be treated with respect on the road, we've got to play by the rules too.

All Moved In...well mostly!!!

2009-09-12T12:04:00.002-06:00

Last weekend was a busy one. We moved into our new house! Wahoo!!!! We are so excited to finally be in our new house. The first couple of nights I had to keep telling myself this really is my house. It is so fun to be able to have all my stuff out and organized (well mostly, we are still working on that) but not to have my stuff stored away. We are able to put all of my dishes in cupboards and we opened up wedding presents that we had never used because we never had space for them. It felt like Christmas. I had a few boxes of nice pyrex ware and a 24 set of nice glasses. We would like to give a HUGE thank you to Josh's siblings for coming down and helping with such a big project. We are extremely grateful and don't know how to thank you enough. It probably wasn't the funnest trip you have ever taken and I know we were very busy, but we hope you had a good time. We sure enjoyed having you come and visit us! It was hard being pregnant and not being able to lift anything. I had to watch everyone else move all of my stuff. The third night in our house we had a very full house. Josh's cousin came down from Pecos NM with her 4 kids and husband and spent the night with the 5 of us. It was so fun to have everyone come stay with us and that we actually had room for everyone, even though our house was a disaster. We also appreciate the help from other family and friends from the ward, we couldn't have done it without any of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

THINK PINK!

2009-08-10T19:53:00.004-06:00

That's right...the "IT" became a she on Thursday. We are so excited to bring a little girl into this world! She was really funny, we did not get to see her face during the ultrasound because she kept her arms tucked up tight around her face, like a boxer. Darcy, the ultrasound tech, could not believe that it was both arms up and that she would not budge them even for a quick picture. So, needless to say we did not get to see her little face just yet, but her gender was easily determined! There was no question what she is. I am feeling great and can't wait to get into our house and get settled in. Our official closing date is September 4th! YEAH!!!! Less than one month to go! We are having Josh's siblings come out and help us move over Labor Day weekend and are so excited to show them around. We are also grateful they are coming to help seeing that my doctor said I couldn't lift anything heavier than 10 lbs! We have so many fun pictures, but putting them online is so hard when you aren't at home using your own "stuff", so patience everyone and we will get pictures up as soon as we can. We miss and love all our family and friends. Thanks for your encouraging and loving thoughts!!!!

Whirlwind!

2009-07-27T14:56:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the no blogging lately. Where we are living currently, we do not have the internet so the posts will be few and far between until we move into our house. We have been through a whirlwind the last two months since we got here to New Mexico. We moved into temporary housing for 23 days and then had to find a new place and move. Two days after we moved, all of our "stuff" was delivered to us from out of storage and the next day we flew to Utah. We went for Josh's little brothers mission farewell. Curt we are so proud of you and know that you will be an amazing missionary! Josh only stayed the weekend but I ended up staying the entire week. My family has had a bit of bad luck over the last while and I stayed to help them out. My mom sprained one ankle and broke the other, a few weeks later my sister broke her ankle and leg and had major surgery to screw it back together, and then my dad had his 5th back surgery. I came home right for the 4th of July and spent that week home trying to organize our tiny one bedroom apartment. Then we left for the annual Erickson Lake Powell trip. Again, Josh left early and I stayed the entire week. I went home with my family for a few days and then my parents drove me back to New Mexico. They stayed in town with us the rest of the week to see where we are living and what it's like down here. Whew! That is what has been happening in our lives. Our house is moving along so fast and we can not wait to finally move in. It is actually starting to look like a house. Finding cheap decorations and picking colors is becoming my daily routine. We will find out what we are having on August 6th so check back to know the details. Hopefully I can get some pictures up soon. I also designed a cute 4th of July blog background but never posted it because the no internet, so maybe I will try and get it up for fun!

Our First House!

2009-06-12T10:50:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know, Josh and I are building a house down here in New Mexico. We came down here on a house hunting trip and after looking at existing homes, decided that the price of existing versus new was the same so why not have something all to ourselves that will be brand new. Our house should be finished sometime early September. We are so excited and can't wait to get into it! My sister made us realize that 2009 is going to be a huge year for us: Josh graduated, new job, moved to a new state, new house, and a baby all in one year. Whew! That is a lot. We are in fully furnished corporate housing right now for a few weeks and then we will have to move into an apartment until our house is done. Boy do I miss all of my "stuff." All of our stuff is in storage until the 23rd of June and everyday I say I could do this and then realize I will have to wait because one thing or another I need to complete the project is in storage. Josh and I packed just enough clothes and things to get us through a week and a half. I can't wait to get my stuff back! We go and see the progress on our house at least twice a week. Every time we go in I tell Josh I still can't believe that it is ours. Ha! We have a house!!! Our very own house. I am truly excited for it and look at colors and decorating ideas everyday. If anyone has any good decorating tips or ideas please feel free to share them with me. We will keep you updated on the house and when we can actually close and move in.

The one where we tell you the BIG news...

2009-05-21T10:26:00.006-06:00

Yes, we are adding a little angel to our family. He/She is due to be here December 13, 2009!

Nerves of Rubber

2009-05-01T09:29:00.003-06:00

For those of you keeping score, yesterday was a pretty big day for us. That's right. It's defended. Successfully. I get to graduate after all.

I'm sure at least one of you is curious as to how it went. As Krissey likes to put it, "I've never seen Josh so nervous in my life." I don't know why I was so nervous. Maybe it was the fact that this was a years worth of work and all it came down to was a simple yes or no. The fate of my degree in the hands of three men.

It probably didn't help that when moving videos from my lab computer to my laptop they stopped working in Powerpoint. (should've used Keynote?) Or the projector in the conference room stopped working as soon as I started. Nothing can ever go perfect. After a shaky start, things didn't get much better. I couldn't talk. I fumbled over words that I had been practicing in the shower for weeks now. I've never really thought of myself as a head case, but I guess even the best of us have our moments. Apparently the nerves didn't really matter and I got the highest grade possible on a defense. An incredibly anti-climatic satisfactory.

Krissey is thrilled to have a husband back. I'm looking forward to going to bed before midnight. Hello New Mexico. You're next.

Thesis. Still.

2009-04-27T21:50:00.002-06:00

In case you have noticed, there's been a lack of activity on this blog. Maybe if I wasn't at school until 1:30a or so making sweet graphics for a thesis we'd do cool things to blog about. 3 days left.

Two Month Update?

2009-02-21T14:16:00.003-07:00

Since it's been awhile since we posted, here's something to keep you occupied.

[obamicon.me]

Update...FINALLY!

2009-02-04T12:33:00.009-07:00

Well, after hearing from a lot of people that I needed to update I thought I would finally get around to it. This will be a long post because we have a lot to blog about, sorry, just keep reading and enjoying what we've been up to. I never know whether I should start with the most recent and work backwards or start with the past and work forwards...oh well. We will start with the most recent and exciting news...Josh got a job offer!!!! We will be moving at the end of May to drumroll please.......Albuquerque New Mexico! He will be working for Sandia National Laboratories. With the economy the way it is we are so grateful that he was able to get a job and one that he wanted. We are excited to move onto the next chapter in our lives. I am grateful to my wonderful husband who has worked so hard and has been so diligent in his schoolwork over the last 4 years of our marriage.
Valentines Day was a day that Josh and I will never forget. It is a long story but I will give a condensed version. We decided to go snowshoeing up Tony's Grove. We drove about 5 miles up the trail and ended up getting our Explorer stuck. When I say stuck I mean barried down to the frame. It snowed all day that day. We ended up snowshoeing 5 miles down the mountain to hitch a ride to Logan to then gather some awesome friends from our ward to head back up there. The vehicles we were in didn't quite make it so we ended up hiking back up to our Explorer with a wench, come along and shovels. We said a lot of prayers that day and each one of them was answered. We were kept safe and were able to get our car out without having to pay hundreds of dollars or causing any damage to it. Thank you so much to all who helped us that day!!!! Josh and I truly found out who our real friends were that day.
Before Josh got his job he had to interview. Sandia has a program where they pick 25 prospective students to come and tour their facility and interview with them. Out of all the applicants across the nation Josh was picked as one of them. He flew down there for four days back in January. Interviewed with four different groups and was sent back home to wait. That was the longest wait ever to hear if he was going to be offered anything.
January 9th Josh turned the big 26. We had a really fun party with our families. They came up to our little townhouse for cake and ice cream, presents and of course Rock Band 2. My favorite part was watching Grandpa Leonard sing his heart out!
January 1 my family started the Biggest Loser. Everyone who participated put in $20 and we had 90 days to work hard and loose as much body % as possible. Well, we weighed in this last Saturday April 4th. I came in 2nd place loosing 12.2 lbs because my brother RJ worked his tail end off loosing 28 lbs. RJ you deserved every dollar you earned! I love you and am grateful for all your reminder text messages to keep working hard. Here goes for another round! We agreed to do it again. This time we are finishing up June 28th. It really helped me be motivated and I feel I have created a good habit. I love running now for about an hour each day on the treadmill. Let's just hope I can keep that habit!
New Years we went night skiing up at Powder Mountain. They had their lift open til midnight. This time Josh wanted to try skiing for the first time. He borrowed my sisters stuff and we took him up a hill in my neighborhood the weekend before and he did pretty well hiking up the hill a few times. When we got to Powder, Josh looked like a pro. He was a natural. He was able to ski longer than I was. We were there with my brother Jake and his girlfriend Erika, my brother RJ and sister Nicole. It was a fun way to spend our New Year. The ski patrol had a glow stick parade for all the "little kids" but pretty much anyone could get a glow stick. It was cool to see all those colors all over the mountain. I was so proud of Josh! He likes skiing better than snowboarding because he was actually on his feet for the majority of the time, where when he goes snowboarding he is on his butt most of the time.
Christmas was really fun this year. This was the first time that Josh and I spent Christmas Eve in our own bed at our own home and opened up our presents together at our own house. I noticed that knowing Josh and I were moving at the end of the school year, I tried not to take any of my family or the traditions for granted this Christmas. Even though the Holidays can be really busy I enjoyed every party we went to. I loved every second that we got to spend with our families and friends. We are so grateful for them and all that they do for us. We will miss them so much while we are in Albuquerque. We hope anyone and everyone will come and visit us whenever they want! There is a really cool hot air balloon fiesta.

Christmas is (almost) here!

2008-12-19T19:59:00.002-07:00

From Christmas Card 2008

Sorry if you didn't get one of these. I guess you'll have to give us your address next year!

Our New Addition to Our Family

2008-11-14T14:22:00.005-07:00

No we are NOT expecting...but we did get a new addition to our family. That's right, this beautiful baby is now ours. After our other camera got stolen Josh and I tried to wait and find one that we really liked...and we did. This camera is so fun and can do really cool things. It can detect when a face is in the shot, it can detect smiles, it has a night vision so you can take pictures in the dark, you can edit your pictures right on your camera without having to put them onto your computer, and so many more other really cool features. I haven't used it a lot since we have only had it for 2 days, but am so excited to start blogging again with pictures!!! So Liz I am going to get back in the swing of things. Not that Josh and I haven't done anything cool over the last month I just never had any pictures to show for it and what fun are blogs without pictures?

Free Handbag!

2008-10-10T13:39:00.002-06:00

So I saw this on my friend Liz's blog and checked it out. www.handbagplanet.com is a new website that is giving away handbags. There is no gimmicks just pick a bag you like, to enter in the drawing. I am in the same boat as Liz, I could never own enough bags(although Josh thinks I can).

VIOLATED!

2008-10-02T09:50:00.006-06:00

So you may all be wondering why I did not post any pictures of our beautiful new black beauty or of our new couches. Let me start by telling you a story... because we were getting new couches we had to get rid of our old one. Sunday night I asked Josh to go measure the Explorer so we could see if the couch would fit if we had to deliver it to somewhere. Monday when I got home from work I noticed my stereo case was lying in our parking lot outside the Explorer. Tuesday I noticed the Explorer was unlocked(we hadn't been driving it because of our new fun car). So I hit the key fob and locked it. Wednesday we got in the Explorer to take our old couch to my brothers apartment. I got in the drivers seat so Josh could hang onto the couch. When I got in I noticed that my glove box was open and all its contents were strewn about my car. I started picking them up and then asked Josh what in the world were you looking for? He replied I wasn't in here looking for anything... was our camera still in here? And then the realization hit me that someone who did not belong in my car was in it. The tears came immediately and unfortunately are still coming when I try to retell the story. So we no longer own a camera because someone stole it. The one night we accidentally let our guard down and we loose our camera and some skull candy earbuds. Stupid people. Go and get your own job and work as hard as I do to have the nice things that I have. Why do people feel it is ok to take others things when we have worked so hard to get them ourselves? ARGH! It makes me so mad. So at our expense this is a reminder to everyone out there... Keep your stuff locked up. You may think you live in a safe place, but don't take it for granted. So I uploaded the pictures from the dealers website so you can at least kind of see what our new car looks like. From here probably until Christmas my posts will be boring with no pictures:( because we spent our last penny this last weekend on couches and a new car.

From Black Beauty

--Expensive Weekend--

2008-09-29T15:58:00.004-06:00

For our anniversary this year Josh and I decided our present would be for us to purchase our first piece of furniture together. We have been blessed thus far in our marriage inheriting lots of furniture from family and friends. Therefore, it all started Friday night when josh suggested we go to Fisher's to look and see what they had. Right as we walked in the door, we quickly learned that everything in their store was 50% off by a woman sales person. I immediately told Josh I felt like we had to find something to buy because we would never find furniture at this price. As we were browsing through the store I saw a loveseat and sofa that I liked. We then ran into a salesman whom we have met before because he is my cousin's neighbor. He told us he would give us 50% plus the friends and family discount because he knew us. So we said we wanted to finish looking and then we would come find him. We went back to look at the couches and the woman sales person approached us again. I knew that if she helped us she would get the commission and we would not get the friends discount. Josh and I left the store telling her we had to go home and measure to make sure it would all fit. I then called my mom explaining what happened and what do we do. She told me to just call and ask for the sales guy. So... we made the phone call, got a price on the couches, decided to get them, and paid for them right over the phone!!! You may be thinking why the title of expensive weekend if we got such a great deal? Well the spending money did not stop there. Josh and I sold our Bimmer about a month ago and have been looking at cars for quite some time. We found one online and decided that that was "THE" car. It had everything on it that we would want. So we got up at 6am Saturday morning so we could leave our house by 7 and be to Provo to a dealership that opened at 9am. We found the car right away and took it for a test drive. From the get go Josh had a grin on his face from ear to ear and he couldn't stop smiling. The car was a little more than we wanted to spend, but it was "THE" car. Anyway, long story short... we bought it!!! Josh and I bought another black beauty. I didn't want another black car, but it is a 2005 Audi A4 and it had less than 20,000 miles on it til we drove it. It is like a brand new car. We love it! It drives so smooth and you feel like a million bucks while riding in it.

Get to Know MeTags

2008-09-23T12:30:00.007-06:00

So I was tagged by two people... Michelle and Shawnee. I have never done a tag before and they were both similar tags so I am going to combine them into one tag. Michelle's was tell 7 things about yourself that others don't know. Shawnee's was tell 6 unspectacular quirks about yourself. I'm not sure you want to know these things but here it goes anyway...

1. When I am driving I yell and honk at stupid drivers on a daily basis. Bad drivers drive me crazy and make me ornery. I believe that if someone is driving bad, then they need to know it. I have probably rubbed off on Josh a little. He used to never use his horn, but if someone was dumb and he is driving I say "Honk! so he knows that whatever he did was stupid." So all of you better watch out if you're ever in the car with me;) I am a bad example of road rage.
2. I love to read! Some of you may think this is a good thing, however I think I love it a little too much. If I start a book and really like it, I won't put it down until I am finished. You might think that is not so bad but when I have a series such as Harry Potter or Twilight... well it takes me a while to finish because once I finish one book I have to start the next one. I will actually carry my books with me everywhere I go. Even though I know I can't read them I will take them to work, to the store, in the car, basically if I get any spare time I want to have my book there and ready to read.
3. I hate leftovers. When I cook dinner I always make more so Josh and I can have lunch the next day. But my portion of the leftovers never gets eaten, it just sits in the fridge til I throw it out. Leftovers are just disgusting. They never look the same and they don't taste the same either. They are dry and just gross!
4. I love to do laundry. It is my favorite house cleaning chore. It is relaxing and an easy one to accomplish. Even though it is never ending.
5. I am a total morning person. I love waking up early and getting things done around my house before I leave for work. Which means I am NOT a night person. I can not stay up late for the life of me. As hard as I try it just doesn't fit into my routine. I go to bed between 9:30 and 11pm usually and wake up somewhere between 6am and 7am. I can't sleep in for the life of me...even on Saturdays.
6. I am extremely picky about how my meat is cooked. I grew up with a mom who liked her meat dry and so that is the way I like it. I can not stand to see any pink in my meat. If I do I am done eating... not just my meat but my entire meal. I also like my chicken cooked dry, I do not like juicy chicken. Gross! Josh is trying to teach me that it's ok to have a little pink so we'll keep working on that one.
7. I love my planner. I could not live or function without it. I carry it with me everywhere. I write down everything I need to accomplish each day and check it off when the task is completed. I even write down errands that I need or want to do, such as finding a new shirt or Michael's: look for wreath. I buy a new one each year because it is hammered by the time the year is over. I could not live without it, helping me stay on task each day. I would not know what to do if i lost it.

So there are a few things about me that hopefully you didn't know!
I tag the 63rd Ward Girls. This will help me get to know you better!

Legacy Tour 2008

2008-09-19T09:59:00.004-06:00

Last Saturday I participated in my first bike race ever! It was the Legacy Tour on the Legacy Parkway before it was opened up to cars. I was scared to death. 888 people signed up to do the race and they were all packed in around me. I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to finish or that I would cause an accident. My goal was to ride the 20 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes and I did it in exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes! I had so much fun riding. Once I hit the half way mark and was able to turn around I could see the people that were behind me. I could not stop smiling and I noticed that others were smiling back at me. That gave me the energy to keep going. I had so much fun while I was riding. In my division of women age 25-29 I came in 23rd place out of 54 women in my age group. Overall I came in 368th out of 888. Yeah! Not bad for my first race. I originally came in second because they had my birthday wrong so I was in the 15-19 year old group, but we had them fix that. Josh did really good. He came in 4th place in his age group and was only one second behind our brother in law Brady who took third. Sorry babe better luck next time. And overall he came in 36th out of the 888. Way to go babe! You are my motivation to keep trying. Thanks Shawnee and Brady for letting us know about this fun event. We will have to find another one to do again!

From Legacy Tour

Just coming through the finish line!

Going Once, Going Twice, and Sold!

2008-09-01T17:41:00.003-06:00

Despite the assurance from friends and family that we would be trying to sell the BMW for months before finding a buyer, I'm happy to report that after a whopping 3 days on the market and the little black 325i is sold!
Friday turned out into quite the adventure. Kriss and I to the BMW for one last drive to Bountiful to meet up with a prospective buyer. After a 3 block test drive the deal was done, leaving us stranded. Lucky for us family is always there when you need it. Thanks for everyone (Shawnee, Van, and Jake) who took time out of their schedules to help us get back to Logan.

So long Bimmer!

2008-08-26T11:43:00.003-06:00

After over 4 years of enjoy the ultimate driving machine, it's time to say goodbye. Krissey and I have officially put the BMW up for sale. It's a sad day (for me. Krissey is overcome with joy!) Although deep down I know that she's gonna secretly miss it too. After all, this car has been with me for almost exactly as long as she has. I bought it two weeks after our first date and I'm pretty sure it's the real reason she stuck with me. (Potential Buyers Hint: Girls heart BMW's! and vice versa for the female potential buyers) So anyways if you or someone you know are in the market for a black 1993 325i with a 5 speed manual and an inline 6 cylinders of power. Check out the ad at KSL!

Painting and Hiking

2008-08-21T09:20:00.004-06:00

Last Tuesday for enrichment we had the funnest time. We hiked up to the Wind Caves in Logan Canyon. I have been a Logan resident for 3 years and have never done this. The hike was long and took longer than expected but we still had tons of fun. When we got up there a guy and girl were up there and he looked like he was going to throw up. Scared stiff, white in the face and wide eyed when he saw us. Well, we are pretty sure he was proposing. He had a cute little picnic basket with him... so we quickly exited the wind caves around the other side. By the time we got down from hiking it was almost 10pm and dark. Part of our activity hadn't even been done yet. If anyone needs a really fun activity then listen up cause this was a blast! We quickly came up with anew plan to go and find this cement box up on campus and we climbed down in so it was dark. We cracked glow sticks and then cut the tops off of them. We then started flinging the glow sticks everywhere. The paint gets all over you and everything else, so wear grungy clothes, it leaves a lovely yellowish stain. Sweet Josh was there to try and get some pictures while we were laughing and moving around so much.

Ward Girls on the Rock Bridge!

Carly and I in the Wind Caves

Thanks Babe for being the Priesthood holder who came!

Glow stick madness

More madness

This is all of us trying to stand so still so Josh could get a picture of us without it being blurry.
Thanks girls for a great activity.

Canyon Fun

2008-08-21T09:09:00.002-06:00

Josh's friends invited us to go up Logan Canyon for Family Night last Monday. We had so much fun. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for smores, made an apricot cobbler, and kicked around this pink ball to make homemade ice cream. The food was delicious! Thanks Logan and Kaitlyn. Also, Shawn and Emily came and brought this laser that we ended up playing with almost all night. This laser is so strong that you can point up to a star and follow the green light all the way up to it. You can not shine it in people's eyes and we are cautious about airplanes being in the sky. We tried writing things with the laser and taking pictures of what we were scribbling and then Shawn showed us how cool it looked in the smoke from the fire. Thanks for a fun evening and we miss Shawn and Emily all ready. Let us know when you come back into town so we can get together! Have fun checking out the pictures... they are for you Emily.

Making Ice Cream!

Green Laser in the Campfire Smoke

Smiley face

More Cool Laser

Finally Another Post!

2008-08-11T15:23:00.012-06:00

Lake Powell Pictures as previously promised.
This is only a handful of the pictures we took and it's my first slide show as well. We had so much fun down at Powell this year. Thanks Mom and Dad for all of your planning and for such a great trip!

July 24th Pioneer Day-- Bear Lake

Josh and I were pretty lazy on the 24th. I was actually going to go to the Salt Lake City Parade with my mom and sister but my mom fell down our creek the night before and buggered up her knee. So Josh took the day off so that we could spend it together. After enjoying our relaxing morning, we were bored and decided to go to Bear Lake. We drove through beautiful Logan Canyon enjoying all the scenery. Once at Bear Lake we decided to pull onto the beach and of course if you've ever been to Bear Lake you know not to go onto the squishy sand... well we did and we stopped in it and got our Explorer stuck. So stuck that our tires would not even move. I tried 4-wheel drive while Josh pushed but nothing. I put our car back in regular and started twisting our steering wheel back and forth while giving it gas... trying to create some sort of grip for the tires. Eventually and luckily we were able to get it out without having to call the tow truck. We then parked up on the hard packed sand and walked to the beach. We played in the water and sand and took pictures. We then went to Bear Lake pizzeria and had dinner. The picture of the cabin is a cabin that i painted a couple summers ago working for the Sisters Remodeling. I made Josh drive by it so I could see if it was still painted the way we did it and it was! It still looks really nice too!!!

Running!

Josh and I are training for a 5K. It is The Classic in Layton Sept. 13th. Well, we have tried training but getting to the gym 5 days a week is hard for us because we are so busy and have so much going on every night. I keep telling people we are going to run this race so that maybe it will help motivate me to keep running. I guess I'll let you know more if I succeed.

The Long awaited arrival... and it finally came!

Josh had this great idea to order Breaking Dawn online so I didn't have to deal with the crowds and not being able to find it. It shipped from Denver last Friday(the day before it came out) and I didn't receive it until Thursday of the next week. I was trying to read it slowly to enjoy the book, but after a weekend of driving I am now only 200 pages away from finishing it. The book I find is very interesting and I'm still trying to decide if I actually really like the way it has turned out but I won't make my full judgment until I have finished it.

2008 Olympics
I absolutely love the Olympics. Josh and I watched the Opening Ceremony with his siblings and loved everything China had created. I was really impressed the way China used all the people to create their art. I also noticed all of their technology. I love cheering for our country and feeling like you build a relationship with someone just because they are from the United States. However, this year I actually know someone competing. If you grew up around me across the street was the Olson twin girls- Lindsey and Angela. Lindsey is in Beijing competing in the steeplechase at 23 years old. She will go through semifinals on Wednesday and finals on Friday if she gets there. Believe me when I say I will be watching and cheering her on.

Hair Cut and Bike Riding
This last weekend I chopped my hair off... You can see that it wasn't too long in the Bear Lake pictures but I cut it so short that my hair dresser had to shave the back of my neck. I absolutely love it! Don't you just feel so good when you get your hair done? Well I do!
I also learned how to ride a dirt bike. My cute brother RJ has a new obsession that started last year. He started with only one dirt bike for himself but quickly realized its not fun to go by yourself so he bought my brother Jake a bike. Then he bought a smaller bike for "the girls" but I never got on it and it basically has become my sisters bike. Well just last week he found a good deal on a new bike for himself so he went to get it and the guy said its a package deal if you buy mine I will throw my wife's in with it... so I have a dirt bike that is a good size for me... a TT125. Isn't she a beauty? Don't get me wrong I was terrified to learn, but my fear quickly turned into excitement. I learned Friday night and couldn't wait to ride it again on Saturday. My Mom and Dad even noticed my huge grin from ear to ear every time I rode by the house or when I was done riding. RJ was a great teacher riding along side me and making learn how to stop and start. Thanks again bud for helping me conquer my fear. Can't wait to get on it again!

Goal: I know this was an extremely long post so I apologize. I am going to try and keep up on my posting. That is my goal. To start posting once a week. Until next time...

Posting Marathon!

2008-07-23T08:23:00.003-06:00

I have been so busy the last four weeks. My how the time flies! Where did the month of July go? I have been out of town for three of the last four weeks. I have been told that I need to update my blog more often and am sorry that I am not home to update it everyday. I traveled to Castle Dale, UT for a week for work and also to Vernal. Yep that's right the two most absurd places to go for work. I then spent all last week in one of my most favorite places in the world...LAKE POWELL. It was my family's traditional week to go to Lake Powell and Josh and I have not been since we were engaged back in '05. It was a much needed vacation after working 50+ hours a week for work and serving in my somewhat new calling as Relief Society President. I do not have my pictures uploaded from Powell yet so more too come on those.

Mission Accomplished!!!!

2008-06-18T15:33:00.005-06:00

I really wanted to post about my graduation, but life just took hold of me and my blog was put on hold. So now I am here posting about my graduation that happened back on May 3rd. The day before my sister Nicole graduated so our weekend was full of graduations. Congrats Colie, we did it together! In the morning they had us all line up on the quad and then we got to march across campus while they played music from speakers while parents and family were all lined up shouting for their graduates and snapping quick pictures as we passed by. Once in the Spectrum, the morning session was interesting... the valedictorian speech was very different. After that commencement ceremony my College graduation was only 45 minutes later so we just hung out til I had to line back up again. Well, one of the coolest things about my graduation was the guest speaker: Elder L. Tom Perry. Yeah, that's right, the apostle. When I walked to get my diploma I also got to shake his hand and let me tell you he is a lot bigger than what you see on tv. I have never had the opportunity to shake an apostle's hand and if you ever get the chance- take it. It was really cool. It was also fun to hear him speak from a business point of view and not just about the gospel.
I wanted to give a shout out to my sweet husband who supported and pushed me through to the end. Thanks babe I love you! Also, a big thanks to my parents who instilled in me the importance of getting my education. Many times when I fet like giving up and the end would never come I always remembered the things I was taught about getting my education. I still can't believe I am finished... I never have to cram for a stinkin' test again!!!

Hooray for the weekend!

2008-06-02T22:14:00.004-06:00

In "Bill Cosby, Himself," he talks about how crazy we are for working our tails of during the week, only to be incredibly excited for the weekend. And then we go and kill ourselves having "fun" on our weekend. While we didn't quite kill ourselves, our weekend was full of everything a weekend should be.
The wet spring has turned Cache Valley into a green machine. Everywhere we go in the valley is lush and green. Makes it hard to convince everyone that we live in a desert. Our ward campout was at Cinnamon Creek, just upstream from Porcupine Reservoir on the south end of the valley. We had a great turnout from the ward and it was fun to get to know everyone a bit more. I also got to go fishing for the first time this year, courtesy of Eric and Andrea. (Thanks, guys) But was pretty much the worst fly fishing conditions. (Especially with a spinning rod) Returning to the camp, Krissey had the tent set up and ready to go, (with Andrea's help) what more could you ask for in a wife?

After inspecting Krissey's fine work, and finding the tent set up perfectly, we got a rousing game of Frisbee going on. Everyone should play 500 with at least 2 discs. The night concluding with Campfire songs and eating peach cobbler at midnight all courtesy of the Bishop.

Saturday morning, we woke up to shouts of "move your car" and ash falling from the sky. No, the forest wasn't on fire, but it was apparently spring clean up for the campground, and there isn't a better time than early Saturday morning to burn huge piles of brush. So we ate breakfast quick and took off.

Coming down the canyon I got word that a family needed moving. While I don't have pictures, (yet) let's just say if you have a piano and need it moved out of the upstairs...you better have a set of concrete or metal stairs to go down.

Thanks to Shawn and Emily, we're also professional disc golfers. So watch out all you pros out there with your fancy autographed disc drivers.

So basically, it was one awesome weekend. The End.

More Pictures Here!

Seasons that begin with "S" for 500

2008-05-07T23:17:00.005-06:00

Well it's officially spring. You know how we know? It starts with the sunroof. Then with the shorts. Pretty soon the eyes are a nice red, itchy color. Yeah, that's spring. So about this blog... unfortunately the two of us have been involved with two things: School and catching up with the rest of everybody who watches Lost. Coincidently those two ended about the same time. In the mean time Krissey's playing with her graduation toy, and birthday present. So you might see some new artisticness around her. In the mean time, enjoy a picture of Krissey's favorite post 10pm tradition: falling asleep on my shoulder while I do absolutely nothing worth staying up for. Good times.

New Blogger!

2008-02-19T14:19:00.005-07:00

So I have finally entered into the world of blogging. I have come to the realization that everyone and their dog has a blog. So while I had a day off yesterday I decided to start creating my blog. Although it is in the works right now hopefully it will look good when I'm done. I may change it completely if I don't like it because I am new at this and any suggestions on how to do this is greatly appreciated! Until next time...