I've been Tagged - NOW AND THEN

I know everyone has pretty much been tagged - but this was really fun and nostalgic - I definitely recommend. And if I brought back any great memories - make sure to leave a comment!

Favorite movies:
Childhood: Mary Poppins, Frosty the Snowman, and Wizard of Oz
Elementary/Middle school: Clueless and Now and Then
High School: Empire Records, and A Walk to Remember
Now: The Notebook and the Bourne series

Favorite TV Shows:
Childhood: Today's Special, Little Bits, and David the Nomb
Elementary: Full House, Saved by the Bell, and Boy Meets World
Middle School/High School: Dawson's Creek and Friends
Now: The Office, 30 Rock, and Law and Order SVU

Favorite Books:
Childhood: Little Critters and Sarah Plain and Tall

Elementary: Sweet Valley Kids
Middle School/High School: Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones and Go Ask Alice
Now: Any church book and still Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones

Best Friends:
Childhood: Jamison Robert Harrigan and McKenzie Foisey
Elementary: Niki Engh, Jenny Rasmussen, Karli Curtis, and Katrina Hammond
Middle School: Karli Curtis, Katrina Hammond, Megan Wray, and Alyse Hair
High School: Karli Curtis, Katrina Hammond, Megan Wray, Megan and Nicole Hair, Jason Herbert, and Tom Sorensen
Now: Jason Herbert, Karli Bell (Curtis), Katrina Taylor (Hammond), and Megan McGary (Wray)
Note: Although Karli Curtis made it all of the way through the list - we were best enemies until college :)

Boyfriends/crushes:
For the most part mine are all "boys who were friends" rather than "boyfriends"
Childhood:Ryan Garretson (crush), Jamie Harrigan (friend)
Elementary/Middle School: Joey Ulrich (friend - but for the first time I am going to admit a deep dark secret - I always had a crush on Joey - yes Katrina I lied to you for many year - I ALWAYS liked Joey, ever since third grade, I have never told a soul, I figure we are all adults now, so there you go), Jake Rosevear (Friend), and Conner Egan (Boyfriend - for like a week), Lucus Burbank (friend)
High School: Jason Herbert (Boyfriend), Tom Sorensen (friend), Bryan Roylance (friend)
Now: Jason Herbert (HUGE CRUSH)

Hobbies/Games/Past-times:
Childhood: Barbies, house, Nintendo - I always had to be the princess :)
Elementary: Barbies, What-sha-ma-call-it (inside joke), gymnastics, softball, spin the bottle (yes in elementary, we played in Joey's backyard all the time, and we kissed on the hand - EEW), night games (kick the can, sardines, ghost in the graveyard), sleepovers and going toilet papering
Middle School: Stage Crew, Video Productions (go Knight Vision), hanging out at the mall (trying on prom dresses), doing makeovers and taking glamour shots
High School: mostly falling in love with Jason (you all said i would regret spending so much time with him... well... I don't! :), scrapbooking, embroidering, exercising, going on drives, and gaining my testimony
Now: scrapbooking, cooking, playing peek-a-boo (and all other things baby:), being with Jason, organizing

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy

When Jason feeds Brock, it seems that they are unable to either keep it on the spoon, or keep it in his mouth. I had enrichment, so Jason had to feed him his cereal that night. I guess he got so messy, Jason felt the need to take pictures. (Notice the cereal on his Bumbo and leg) He LOVES his cereal, and loves even more that he gets solid food. So today I gave him his first, non cereal food, avocado puree, and he did not love that. He wouldn't even swallow it. Funny baby!

Halloween in West Virginia

These are our other nieces and nephew from West Virginia. Jamison is a Care bear. Kaleb and Alaana are clowns with their parents, Jon and Marissa. We are sad we don't get to play with them, but they are all coming for Thanksgiving, and we are excited to spend time with them!!!

A Bat in the Night

Brock and Jason carved the pumpkin.



Brock and Emma - She was a butterfly

Brock - Bat, Audrey - Dora, and Emma - Butterfly

We went to my mom's house for Halloween. Brock was the cutest little bat. (Thanks Karli and Payton for the costume!)

What is Blogging?

I thought I would do one that reveled something about myself- rather than just Brock. (I still exist as a separate person... I think anyways??)

My thought for the week is... What is blogging??

At first I did it to keep up with family, old friends, and my ward friends that are moving to all ends of the country.

Then I thought, "Blogging is nigh unto journalling" - right? Can I really pass off my blogging as a righteous endeavor, am I keeping my family history? I have decided... yes. I'm going to print them off and keep a hard copy - now I can claim to keep a family history. yea!

But as with everything - opposition in all things. I have discovered the negative to blogging. I think we all want to post our "best selves", our vacations, beautiful houses, fun trips, cute babies, and brag about our wonderful lives. And while that is all well and good - I find myself thinking that every one's lives are glamorous and mine is...well...not. I find myself being envious and thinking, "if we just had more money" or "if we moved" or "if we were older".

So there you go. My thoughts on blogging. I think it is wonderful and fun- as long as I keep it in perspective, and count my blessings everyday.

If you have any insight - please leave a comment - I would hope I am not the only one with internal struggles.

(oh yea - it has improved my typing skills) :)

Just For Fun

I think he looks so old in this picture.

Farmland

I swear to you he was happy - I just could not get him to smile at me!



We went to farmland at Thanksgiving Point this week. For the life of me, Brock would not smile in the pumpkin patch. But I think his non-smiley face is cuter! (Only a mother's love...) I am so excited for next year when he can actually do all of the fun things, and he will have a fun time. But for now, I just pretend he has a good time. Luckily he is a good baby so i just take him everywhere.

Family Football Game

Go Bengals! Go Michael!

fun in a laundry basket

Why do we buy toys??

Mother's group

The mother's group (well the ones at that activity)




For another mother's group we went up to sundance and walked around. It was Thursday so I had Payton Bell with me (Karli and Skyler's cute little boy). We had a great time. I just love the other mother's in my ward and it is so wonderful having a day to get together with them. Brock is getting so good at sitting and he also likes "playing" with other babies. He feels their faces and tries to hold their hands - it is so cute.



My life in a few years (Or on Thursdays)

These two are going to be great friends!
(Brock's like "Waz up yo")


So cute!

My friend Jess takes GREAT pictures. Thanks!!!

Audrey and Brock

Brock went through a phase of sticking his tounge out instead of smiling.

Finger Sucker

Men are that they might have joy

As I am trying to put Brock down for a nap I often get frustrated because he doesn't really like to sleep. And when he does sleep it usually isn't for very long. So I have a lot of things to do in a very short amount of time. So when he gets tired and fussy I am eager to get him down so I can take a shower, eat breakfast, clean the house, do homework, make dinner, work etc. So when he is not eager to go down, I easily get a little frazzled and just wish he would sleep for a few hours. When he finally falls asleep, I set him in his crib, and sneak out of the room. Twenty minutes later, still at the beginning of my checklist, I hear him screaming. I think to myself, "no, go back to sleep, I am not ready for you." I let him cry for a while, hoping he will fall back asleep. When it is apparent he is not going back to sleep, I go into his bedroom, a little bugged that I did not get my to do list accomplished, I peek over his crib railing and see this:



At that moment my heart is filled with absolute complete joy, and I think to myself, "Why have you been sleeping so long, I missed you so much!" He smiles at me, and my checklist fades away into the back of my mind, I pick up my son, and spend the next few hours singing songs, reading books, and desperately trying to make time stand still.

Every moment of frustration, sleepless night, bitten nipples, ruined shirt from spit-up or poo, every day I go to bed with a messy house, or dinner not made when Jason gets home... It is all worth it just for that one second that I peek over his crib railing and get that moment of utter joy, and I know what life is really all about.

I love being a mother and I am grateful to Heavenly Father for letting us have this experience.

Just when I thought I would never sleep again...

Sleepting at Flaming Gorge


Sleeping on Dad

Sleeping with Mom


Brock LOVES to be swaddled TIGHT!!

For a little background, Brock started sleeping through the night at about 3 weeks, and then about 4 weeks ago he had a bad night and woke up every hour... and he has been awake ever since!!!! I found this last month to be more exausting and frusterating then when he was first born, for a few reasons:

1 - when he was first born I expected to not get any sleep

2 - when he was first born I knew he couldn't go without eating for that long

But now it is so frusterating because he is just awake for no reason, he doesn't want to eat, he is just... awake!!! Not to mention we have both been sick, so neither of us were getting better. I was at the end of my rope!!!

And then... without any warning... he slept all through the night on Wednesday, I didn't want to get too excited, but then he slept through the night last night! I am finally feeling better now that I have had a good night sleep.

In My Mothers Footsteps

One night when I was about 17 I got home from work at about 10:00 pm. When I pulled up to the house all of the lights were off and the doors were locked, it was obvious everyone had gone to bed. When I got inside I walked into the kitchen and found that the dinner dishes were still in the sink, a bar stool was not tucked underneath the counter, and the newspaper was sitting on the couch, because of these three things I immediately knew something was terribly wrong.

You see, my house growing up was constantly "in order". My mother taught me "Snip as you sew, Clean as you go", because of this motto, I knew my mother would NEVER go to bed unless the dishes were done, the floor swept, and everything was in its place.

Sure enough when i got upstairs I found out my mother had been taken to the hospital with a bad kidney infection. I went in my room to go to bed, and after a few minutes I had to go down stairs and put everything in its proper place. The house just felt different when it was not clean.

I bring this up because my visiting teachers came by last night unexpected. By most standards my house was clean, but one of Brock's onesies was on the ground and the mail was sitting on the couch. While they were there all I could think about was that my house was a mess. I had to stop and think about where this came from, why having just a few things out of order made my house "messy". I am grateful to have come from a home where cleanliness was the norm. I have to admit, some nights I go to bed with dishes in the sink, but I am trying, and one day maybe, just maybe, I can truly follow in my mother's footsteps.

Go Bengals!!

Audrey looks sooo excited!


Brock loves his fingers!

We spent last weekend at my mom's house because Jason went to California to see his friend get married. We had a fun time. While we were there we went to Brighton's first football game of the season. My brother, Michael, is basically the star :) He did a great job!

Summer Fun

Brock was facinated with his toe, sorry you don't
get to see his face.

Karen and Ethan Bourne


Brock and I went to the pool on Wednesday with some other moms/babies in the ward this week. We had a fun time. Brock got in the pool waist high, he didn't know quite what to think about it, but Ethan got all the way in! We have been having a fun summer - but i am way excited for next summer when he can actually enjoy all of the fun things we do! I want to go to the pool next summer a lot - it only costs 3 dollars! Totally worth it!

My Sweet little boy

So have you EVER seen such a cute baby!!! Because I sure haven't. My neighbor takes pictures from her living room and she did such a great job with Brock! It would only let me download 5, so i wil post some more later.

In other news, Brock and I were sick this week - so sick i had to call Jason home from work because i just couldn't handle it, brock just wanted to be held while walking, standing, or bouncing - and after 6 straight hours of that, i felt like i was going to pass out. But we are both feeling better today. Brock is still a little conjested and threw up a few times, but he slept through the night so we are both happier today. YEA!!

The Grandchildren

This is Audrey (Katie's little girl), Brcok, and Emma (James' Little girl) at Emma's Blessing. My mom has the cutest grandchildren!

Sundance

So i had an epiphany yesterday...Sundance is not far from my house. I am always hot and bored and feel like there is nothing fun to do in Provo. So Brock and I decided to drive up to Sundance Ski Resort yesterday and have lunch. Apparently it is only like 13 minutes from our house. It was so much cooler up there - and very beautiful. We had a lot of fun. (I swear that is Brock's fun face!) On our next adventure we are going to go to Deer Creek and play on the beach. It is not much further up the canyon and a lot cleaner than Utah Lake. I am so excited for next summer when Brock can actually enjoy the trips.