kade. jess. jones.

The Chemistry Between Us

2012-02-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was, indeed, Valentines Day. And as I woke up yesterday morning, I thought nothing of it, figuring the two times we went out to eat over the past weekend probably counted as our celebration. However, when I finally bumbled downstairs to breakfast I discovered a trail of cute little love notes Kade had left for me from the bottom of the stairs, through the hall, around the corner and into the fridge. What a hunk.
He didn't want me to post pictures because he was embarrassed that it was so cheesy... ha. If only guys truly understood the meaning of cheese to a gal!
Anyway, that is when I realized that our Valentines celebrations had not ended with the weekend, and I spent the rest of the day planning out special valentine gift options for Kade.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), none of my ideas panned out.

Instead, we spent the evening swimming in gooey cheese and chocolate fondues. Which were deeeee-lish. Then we spent a romantic evening wherein which we gave Jones a bath that he pooped in (again), fished him out of the bath so he could then poop on me (a first), Kade got called in to work for a few minutes while I re-bathed the poopmonster, and we wrapped it all up trying to convince a very disagreeable Jonah that it was time to go to bed.

A while later Jones gave in and it was our turn to go to bed, so we quickly jumped under the covers. I promptly pressed my ear to the baby monitor to check again for breathing, and Kade and Sandra got all cozy and cuddly.

Oh, you haven't met Sandra?

Sandra is Kade's body pillow.

After weeks of me poking fun at how much he loved it, the other day Kade suggested I finally just give it a name. Ironically, Sandra was the first name I thought of. Ironic because yesterday, when I bid them goodnight, Kade began to tell me a story about his Chemistry lab partner. Her name just so happens to be Sandra.
The conversation when something like:

"You have a lab partner named Sandra? And your body pillow is named Sandra?"
"You chose the name!"
"What a coincidence..."
"The other day during lab Sandra told me, 'Kade, I'm really glad we're lab partners.' She's kind of weird, but I said 'Yeah, I'm glad too.'"
Then he rolled over, as if that was the end of the story.
"Why did she say that?"
"I don't know."
"You didn't ask? Weren't you curious?"
"Well no, I knew why. It was 'cause of Jessica Anderson."
"Yeah, that Jessica Anderson is a real Bih, huh?"
"She sure is."

I punched Kade in the arm, because I was just joking--he wasn't supposed to agree with me.

"Ow! What the heck? She really is a bih!"

Of course, I am somewhat shocked and amazed at this sudden revelation--and on such a day as this! But Kade looks over at me and upon realizing my dismay says,

"I swear I told you there was a Jessica Anderson in my class!"

"HA! Mere coincidence? That there would be BOTH a Sandra AND a Jessica Anderson as your CHEMISTRY lab partners, and also both a Sandra and a Jessica Anderson IN YOUR BED?"

* * *

So as it turns out yes, his lab partner is named Sandra. And there is a girl in his class named Jessica Anderson whose lab partner wasn't there that day, so she got partnered up with them. And yes, from what he told me about her, she is a real bih. We had a good laugh about it.
Kade also made sure to tell me repeatedly that Sandra is not at all his type. Too many missing teeth.

But still, he better not get confused, lest this:

*For the record, Kade, I really almost got out the fabric markers and drew this on your pillow... but I figured it would be awkward if I ever wanted to use it.

The moral of this valentines story is something like this:

I'm really glad I get to stay up late every night talking about anything and everything with my best friend, and I love that even though he has to wake up early and I can sleep in, he doesn't get mad or jealous. And I love that he's cheesy sometimes, and I love that he gets embarrassed about it. That just proves he only did it because he knew I would like it. But most of all I just love Kade.

Also Jonah. He's too cute not to mention :)

Happy Valentines!

Mr. Jones' Improved Living Magazine Presents:

2012-02-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

Be sure to impress friends and family with these quick and easy styling tricks!

A Few Items of Significance

2012-02-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

Not even a week has gone by since my last post and I already feel like I'm so behind! Could it really be the past few days have been so eventful? Despite my having spent the majority of the time in pajamas watching Psych while nursing? (Which, by the way, is better than I first thought. You were right, Brooke!)

Item the first (and most exotic):

Oh, a regular old beanie and toy, you say?
Wrong.
These two gifts were handmade (yes! the Rhino too!) and sent to Jonah all the way from Africa! Kade's cousin and family are living there, and I felt a little bad when I got it because I realized they must have sent it before I posted the thing about Jonah hating hats... But since it's one of the cutest little hats I've ever seen, I forced Jones to wear it.
He was doing really well, and I got excited that maybe he might actually not mind hats so much,

But alas...

That stinker.

Anyway, thanks so much Amy! I looked on your blog to see if there was any kind of email address for you, but I couldn't find one. So here's your shout-out!

If you'd like to browse through Amy's other knitting projects whilst living in the jungles of wild Africa, just stalk her here.

Item Dos:

We blessed Jonah on Sunday!

Please don't feel bad if you weren't invited. We didn't have a whole lot of room to put both of our entire extended families, so we decided just to go with immediate families and grandparents.
It went really well though. Kade was so nervous that Jonah would just be screaming the whole time. He whimpered a little at the beginning, but Kade said after a while Jones opened his eyes and got distracted looking at all the lights on the ceiling. So we dodged that bullet! And even though Kade was also nervous about giving the blessing in front of our massive ward plus extras (there was another baby blessing that day), he did a super great job!

Item the third:

Baby Cousins!

Champ is one month and two days older than Jones. Don't you think they are going to grow up to be the best of friends? I'm super excited to watch them crawl around, run around, throw a ball around, etc... together. They're so cute!

* * *

I believe those are all the items I was going to report on today. I just can't believe my teeny cute baby is 2 entire months old! Now we just need to work on our next goals: sleeping longer at night, and sleeping in the crib.

I really miss sleep. But it's not all Jonah's fault actually--because when he's not waking me up to eat, I'm hovering over him straining my ears to make sure he's still breathing. Paranoia.

Do you think uninterrupted sleep will ever be in my future again?

Daddy's Boy

2012-02-02T19:58:00.000-08:00

This is Kade as a tiny newborn in his cute baseball clothes

This is Jonah as an almost 2 month old in the same cute baseball clothes!

What cuties.

They sure look alike, don't they?

I'm glad Kade's mom kept all his little clothes, its kind of funny to see Jonah wear them!

Date Night

2012-01-30T17:14:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I didn't get a single picture of our first date night without the Jones?
I know, I know!
Well, I guess you could count this one:

I couldn't resist :) We stopped by my mom's house before we dropped Jonah off, and she had this in her room. Of course he hated me for it, but it was just too funny!

Anyway...

So for date night we planned the usual dinner and a movie thing, which only sounds exotic to those who have been eating thrown together minute dinners and watching their baby sleep and cry and poop for two months.
We dropped Jonah off at Nana and Papa's, who were so gracious to babysit despite having just finished babysitting their other three grandchildren all day. And though I was nervous about leaving him, I had completely stuffed the diaper bag full of any solution to every imaginable problem. Ten diapers, wipes, four extra outfits plus some pjs, lotion, baby soap, washcloth, towel, gas medicine, reflux medicine, three blankets, three binkies, etc, etc, etc... We were prepared for this.

We left him behind and drove to Idle Isle, where we enjoyed delicious dinners with the finest of the city's senior citizens, and I regretted choosing mashed over au gratin. But the Samon was de-lish. And get this--we only talked about Jonah for the first five minutes!
After dinner we walked over to the Capitol, where we saw that cute tiny little Tom play a super bad-A secret agent on Mission Impossible 4. You know, overall it was actually pretty good. It was entertaining, not cheesy and the action wasn't too over-the-top. And it wasn't until later that night that I realized there wasn't any sex in it! Only a single platonic kiss! The F-word was completely absent!
Now isn't that refreshing?

It was a good movie. But about halfway through something hit me suddenly--

I miss my baby!

So I tried to sit still and concentrate, but I squirmed in my seat through the second half and immediately after the credits were rolling I bounced up and Kade and I ran to our car. Then we nearly (but didn't) sped all the way back, where we found Jonah content and comfortable, and not really aware that we had been gone at all.

(On our way home we were wondering, or rather realizing--since babies have no recollection of the past, for all he knows, Kade's parents are his parents.)

But I think he knew it was us, and we were back to get him.

All in all, I think I would give date night a 10 out of 10. It was super nice to get out just the two of us, hanging out, talking uninterrupted, doing the things we always used to do. My one and only regret is, again, not getting any pictures of us. Grrr.

But hey, Friday nights are always going to be coming around! In fact, I think there's another one this week...

(hint, hint)

Some Things

2012-01-23T16:33:00.000-08:00

~ Last night Jonah was being so cute and fun. It was 11:00 and he was wide awake and kicking and talking and wanting to play. For a minute I wasn't watching him, and he started screaming. I looked back and he had grabbed onto his right pointer finger with his other hand and was trying to pull it away but was also grabbing it tighter and tighter. He had put himself in his own Chinese finger trap and was so mad that he couldn't figure out what was going on! Haha... I wish I would have gotten a picture of it!

~ He hates Tummy Time unless he's elevated and can see what's going on. He does ok on the couch and on the bed, but if you put him on the floor he gets pretty upset.

~ We finally had to put all his newborn clothes away. Sad, but also good--because he's growing! I get so excited when I see his chubby little thighs get fatter and fatter with each day.
And it's also good because he has a lot of 0-3 month clothes that are so cute, and he can finally fit into them.

~ He is still pretty high maintenance. Unless he's sleeping, at all times someone has to be holding him, talking to him, or looking at him. Otherwise he'll just cry until you do.

~ The first thing I bought when I found out I was going to have a winter baby was an adorable little racoon hat. I was sooooooo excited for him to wear it. Then I got even more excited when for my baby showers I got more cute little hats for him to wear!
Unfortunately, Jonah will. not. have. it.
He will not wear hats, at all, ever.
In fact, the other day I put him in this cute little jacket that had a hood on it. The hood wasn't on, but it was touching the back of his head and he cried until I took the jacket off. Ugh.

~ He's doing super good at nights lately (knock on wood), he sleeps in four to five hour stretches. His pediatrician says we need to have him sleeping through the night by two months--but I'm happy with the progress we've been making. (Side note: his pediatrician is super intimidating, and if he's not sleeping through the night by his next appointment (15 days) I might just lie and say he is... its all good, right?)

~ He learned his first trick! And now tummy time is over when he says tummy time is over.

~ He's just getting so stinking big. All he wants to do is stand up, go places, play with mom and dad, talk, splash in the bathtub, look around, be passed around to new people, etc... He's not even mobile yet and all he wants to do its GO.

Gosh, am I in for it in a couple years or what?

What a Ride

2012-01-23T16:01:00.000-08:00

Everyone would always tell me what to expect of parenthood while I was pregnant. They always said it's the worst and the best, the most terrifying but the most exciting, the most exhausting but the most energizing, the most thankless but the most rewarding job a person could ever have.
And I guess I should have taken that more seriously.

They also told me to never expect anything to go according to plan, because most often they won't.
I should have taken that seriously as well.

Take this past Thursday. Kade got himself an invite to the Jazz game, where he and his friend got to sit on the fifteenth row. I was super excited for him, but also excited for myself because I made plans to spend the evening at my mom's house, where there were several people who would hold my baby while I took a five hour nap.
That was my plan anyway--Jonah had something else in mind.

I don't know if he was homesick, or actual sick, or could sense my level of exhaustion and decided to see how far he could push me, but that kid did nothing but scream all. night. long.
Consequently, nobody wanted to hold him.

So while everyone watched a movie downstairs, I went upstairs into my mom's bedroom to see if I could calm Jones down, see if I could figure out just what in the world was so wrong with him.
And while I was holding him, bouncing him, and singing to him fruitlessly, out of frustration I told him I was about ready to give him up for adoption.

(which did nothing to calm him down, might I add...)

I wasn't really serious, but I was really tired. And I thought when will this be worth it, again?
Then this happened:

After two straight hours of crying, he had finally fallen asleep, snuggled right up to me. And I realized

oh, right. right now.

There's something extremely gratifying in the fact that nobody can calm him down like I can. That no one is as familiar to him as me. That even though eventually he'll grow up and want to be around anyone but me, I'm the one he wants now.

It's a good thing that feeling was so strong in that moment, because the very second the back of his head brushed against his bouncy chair, he was up and screaming again.
And the whole process started all over. But this time I had a clearer picture of what came after the low point on this coaster--feeling on top of the world.

* This is all despite the fact that I'm pretty sure the only reason he was crying all night is because Kade was gone. While he was home Jonah was as pleasant as pie, but right after he left for the Jazz game he cried and cried and cried and cried and cried (like I mentioned) up until Kade got home. That little stinker.

Even if You Pee on Me

2012-01-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

Last night Kade and I went to our favorite store ever, where he scored some super fancy Nike basketball shoes (the ones he's been wanting!) for HALF PRICE and I scored some kick-A sexy red skinnies. Jonah scored a break from the bare blank walls of our apartment, woot!

When I got up this morning, I showered and put my face on and cut myself some new bangs. Then I put on a shirt and those cute red skinnies, and I felt like a whole new person. I felt cute, I felt attractive, I felt like those stretch marks never even happened! Like my split ends had fused back together! Like the coverup on my pimples was actually working! And I thought to myself, nothing in the world feels better than new clothes and hair.

After I was all primped and polished, I went into the bedroom to wake Jonah up. He was already stirring, so I leaned over his swing and said "Good morning!" He opened his eyes a little, and when he saw it was me he gave me a big smile.

The first unprompted smile of his life!

I kept talking to him and telling him how cute he was and he kept on smiling that little half-awake smile at me. It felt like he really recognized me--usually his smiles have been followed by a lot of passed gas--but this time it was like he was actually honestly truly smiling at me because he was happy to see me, his mommy!

That smile was six hundred billion times better than new hair or new red jeans.

And even though a few hours later he was wailing for no apparent reason, and even though while I was trying to calm him down he peed all over my new red jeans, and even though that was the third outfit he'd gone through that day, the ninth this week alone (counting since Sunday), that little smile of recognition helped me to be patient through his screaming, and to just rinse out my jeans with a wet washcloth and let the blowdryer return them to like-new condition.

Please, like I'm going to throw my brand new favorite pants in the wash and wear something old and raggedy over a little pee.

^ and that, folks, is what motherhood is all about.

Splish Splash

2012-01-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

Jones loves taking a bath!

*Let it be on the record that this bath was taken shortly after this adorable baby filled his pajama leg with poop. No diaper can withstand his wrath!

He Honestly Never Remembers

2012-01-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

The other night I was in bed, trying to get what little sleep I could now that there's a baby around, and just as I fell asleep I felt some pressure on my hip. I looked up and Kade had sat up, grabbed my hip for support, and was staring right at me, eyes wide open. I grunted, "what?"

He got right up in my face and in a sing-song sort of voice said, "Hellooooooooo!"

Then he laid back down, rolled over, and fell right back asleep.

It was pretty funny, but I was so mad at him for waking me up!

Goals 2012

2012-01-11T19:09:00.000-08:00

I know I already posted some new years goals about two weeks ago... but just dismiss them. Here's where I get serious.

One thing I really, really, really want is to get me some mommy friends. This whole stay-at-home-mom thing is super great, it's incredible, but today I was thinking "man, I've been doing basically the exact same thing every day since December 6th." Which is, namely:

Feed baby.
Change diaper.
Take a shower.
Do laundry.
Check Facebook.
Do dishes.
Eat something, sometime.
Words with Friends.
Clean bedroom.
Feed baby.
Change diaper.
Watch something on Netflix while bouncing baby.
Think of something to make for dinner.
Fold laundry.
Feed baby.
Change diaper.
Etc, etc, etc...

Now, I mentioned above that this whole routine is great, I love it. I really do. But once in a while I'd like to shake it up with maybe... a walk around the block or running errands or heck, even a book club with a friend who also has a baby.
So that's goal number one.
(and I'll be really proud of myself if I get this accomplished)

Goal number two should be pretty easy in theory, it only requires me to remember to grab one extra thing any time I leave the house.
My camera.

Kade and I were looking at old blog posts from 2009 and 2010 and I took so many more pictures back then! It was actually really fun to look at all of them, and I hope to be able to look back on posts from 2012 and feel the same way. And not only do I want to take more pictures, I want to take more pictures of kade and I, and more pictures of our families. Even though I love Jonah, and it wouldn't be so terrible if this blog were completely dedicated to him, I have a feeling that down the road, all of us (including Jones) are going to wonder what we looked like when Jonah was a baby.
I mean, I love looking at pictures of me when I was a baby, but I especially love pictures that have my mom and/or dad in them. Its funny to see what they looked like, how ridiculously young and terribly skinny they were, how large my mom's hair and dad's glasses were... Someday I want our kids to look at pictures from now and make fun of my skinny pants and scarves and Kade's mountain man beard and flat-brimmed hats.

Goal 3 is related to goal 2. I want to get all the pictures we've taken and separate them into years and make a photo book for each year. (this idea is thanks to my mom, actually.) I thought about just turning my blog into books by years, but that's turning out to be a lot more difficult and time consuming than I thought. Just plain photo books would be much easier. (but then again, what about that whole "I didn't say it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it" and "reap what you sew" stuff? ugh... what to do.)

Goal 4 is related to goal 3 in the way that I used to write all kinds of funny stuff. The other night when we were looking through old blog posts we were laughing at a good chunk of them. I don't feel like I'm that funny anymore. I'm more serious, and boring, and religious-y. (which is NOT a bad thing, but I could afford to be more rounded.) So, I want to write about more funny things that happen to us. (which means a third post for today, yay!)

And Goal five is simply to be more productive. Over the past three days I've watched nearly the whole first two seasons of Parenthood. That is no small thing, those episodes are all FIFTY MINUTES LONG. Don't even add up how much time I've been wasting. (but I just can't seem to stop! I'm all for sitcoms, but this show is actually pretty dang good.)

Goal six, as always, year after year, is to be better at all those religious-y things.
Will there ever be a year that I won't have to list that as a goal? (maybe that should be my goal)

That'll be it for now. Of course there are a million other changes I would like to make about myself and lifestyle, but that's about as much goal-setting as I can handle right now.

Good luck to you with your 2012 resolutions! They sure suck sometimes, don't they?
But we can do it!

My Baby is Cute, My Baby is Awesome

2012-01-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

First off, let me show you this:

This is a short clip of a 12 minute long video Kade and I took of our little guy the other night. He was being so cute, I just couldn't bring myself to stop recording him! He was all smiles, which made us so happy after dealing with a super ornery Jonah while he had his acid reflux problem.

Wow, during that time--where if he wasn't sleeping or eating he was wailing--I seriously considered stopping at one. I don't know how parents of colicky babies do it. Mine was only crying for about a week and I was ready to drop him off at the fire station (no, not really... but still). But now that we've basically got that problem under control, I can see why some people have DOZENS of babies! They're so cute and cuddly and smiley when they're not in pain!

Can you believe he isn't this tiny anymore?

Back when he was just brand new, only a few days old, he looked a lot like me.

Nowadays, at one month, he looks more and more like his dad every single day. I found this picture of Kade when he was around three years old--Jones is going to look just like him.

Don't you think? It kind of makes me sad, just a little, because now he basically has nothing of mine but my puny little beady eyes. (Which I'm sure he'll thank me for someday... cough.) He's got dad's hands, chin, even head-shape. The least he can do is develop some of my family's height, eh?

Only time will tell...

Rough Night, Good Morning

2012-01-04T18:03:00.000-08:00

Son, I hope someday you appreciate the fact that I am writing about how adorably cute you are instead of napping to make up for the sleep your dad and I lost pacing around with you, changing your diaper, changing your pajamas, changing your diaper and pajamas again, and letting the hair dryer run on cold for four straight hours because that's the only way you would sleep.

You know, despite the fact that we are completely worn out when you choose to spend your nights like that, we still love your guts. Those things make you unique, and I want to remember everything that makes you unique. Here are just a few more super cute things you do that I want to remember forever:

- I love the way your little toenails scratch my arms when I'm changing your diaper

- I love how I can sing to you for twenty minutes, but only when I play Angela Pace's A Thousand Miles do you fall asleep. Instantly. (but maybe it's because you're too enthralled with my voice to be able to sleep)

- Still love those eyebrows.

- I love how you sleep best when you lay on my chest, and I love how your arms fall to my sides like you're giving me a great big hug.

- Most of the time I love that you'd much rather I hold you than put you in your swing or bouncy chair.

- I love your cute baby snores.

- And I love that even if you keep us up the whole night long, I can't help but kiss you all over when I pick you up every morning. I love my morning boy. You're so cute and happy :)

Here's to one month of being the most tired, the most stressed, and the most happy I've ever been :)

Be Right Back

2012-01-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

This sweet-faced little guy

has since turned into

this sour-faced little guy

All thanks to some nasty infant acid reflux.

So, if I don't post for a while,

it's because I'm pacing the house bouncing my baby

while singing him some Carpenters selections.

Maybe This Christmas - Part II

2011-12-29T18:48:00.000-08:00

Maybe this Christmas will mean something more
Maybe this year love will appear
Deeper than ever before
And maybe forgiveness will ask us to call
Someone we love
Someone we’ve lost
For reasons we can’t quite recall
Mmm, maybe this Christmas

Maybe there’ll be an open door
Maybe the star that shined before
Will shine once more, ohhh

Mmmmmmm, mmmmmmmm

And maybe this Christmas will find us at last
In heaven, at peace
Prayed for at least
For the love we’ve been shown in the past
Maybe this Christmas
Maybe this Christmas

I chose Ron Sexsmith's Maybe This Christmas as the soundtrack to Jonah's slideshow because the lyrics went along perfectly with the feelings I had toward Christmas 2011. I knew that having a brand new baby would completely change everything, but before I heard this song I was focused on the petty differences. Not being able to go to family Christmas parties, not being able to go see the lights at temple square, always having to worry about every persons' cough or sneeze becoming my baby's fatal illness. I suppose that's why I was so overly nervous about having a baby.

But then I broke out my Christmas music after ~~Halloween~~ Thanksgiving and I came across this song. At first I thought this would make a great soundtrack for a video about the birth, I wonder if there's any way to cut out his voice. Luckily I'm not that technology savvy, and I solemnly realized that the lyrics would have to stay. So I listened to them.

Maybe this Christmas will mean something more, maybe this year love will appear

deeper than ever before

Never had I felt a deeper love for anyone than I felt for my baby boy, not seconds after I saw him for the first time. Its a bizarre kind of connection, the feeling that you would give your life for a complete stranger--not to mention one that put you through so much agony for the past nine months. Though I didn't know him at all, something inside me wanted to hold him close and never, ever let go.

Maybe forgiveness will ask us to call someone we love, someone we've lost

for reasons we can't quite recall

Since Jonah's come, I don't get quite so upset at things that would have driven me up a wall before. I'm shockingly more patient, it's like I've learned to let all the insignificant problems work themselves out. I'm far too busy gazing at my tiny perfect baby to lose my temper over trivial things. As for forgiveness, well, let's just say I'm surprised at the grudges I've been able to let go. And I hope it stays that way.

Maybe the star that shined before

will shine once more

Someone told me once that having a baby completely changes your perspective about the nativity story. I'm sure I can't relate as well as some (Mary never had an epidural, and I'm told my labor wasn't nearly as long as most first time mothers') (also I was in a hospital), I can understand the fear she must have felt before she delivered, as she contemplated the task of raising the Savior of the World--as well as the overwhelming sense of peace as she held her newborn son, the Spirit whispering encouragement; the feeling of not only Heavenly Father's confidence in her abilities, but gratitude in her humble willingness to take on such a large responsibility.

Maybe this Christmas will find us at last

in Heaven, at peace

And it has. I've heard it said somewhere that the scent of a newborn is the scent of Heaven. And when my little guy is intently staring off at a blank wall, I know he's looking at all the friends and family he left to come down here. And they surround him wherever he goes. This little guy brings such a sweet, calm spirit to our home. I used to be scared to be at home alone, my imagination would always go running wild. But even though he's the tiniest, most defenseless little thing, staying home alone with him gives me the confidence that those spirits that surround him are always watching over us.

**pictures taken by the same talented aunt and uncle that took our maternity pictures.

They also took a couple impromptu first family photos.

He had been so patient during the Nativity shoot,

but after that, he'd had enough!

Maybe This Christmas - Part I

2011-12-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

When I first found out I was pregnant I knew immediately that I wanted someone to photograph my baby's birth story. Have you seen those? Where a professional photographer meets you at the hospital and takes tasteful pictures of the delivery? (If you want, there's a clip about it here, and some more birth stories here.)
While some people might find this a little gross, and maybe an invasion of privacy, I always thought those pictures must be some of the most special pictures to a mom. I've heard it said by plenty that it is hard to remember all the details and feelings you had after giving birth, and I think having a birth story to look back on would definitely bring back at least some of those same feelings.

So that was the plan, anyway. I had asked my aunt if she wouldn't mind doing them and she agreed with enthusiasm. But most things don't go according to plan, and when I went into labor at midnight, I wasn't about to call her away from her five sleeping kids to drive an hour and a half to the hospital to take pictures when we had our own camera on hand. And even though we were a little too preoccupied to worry about getting just the right lighting, angle, and focus...

I think these photos are just as special.

(I had also wanted a cheesy pic of Jones in a stocking... but turns out he's a little bigger than I thought)

Two Weeks

2011-12-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Jones officially turned two weeks old. And those two weeks were the fastest two weeks I've ever experienced in my life! I know, I know, everyone always says that and while I was pregnant I did get tired of people telling me how fast the days go by, but now that I actually have a baby--that is an incredible understatement!

These two weeks have been wacky. A lot of getting used to things, like sleeping with a nightlight and occasionally with the hair dryer set to low, like learning how to prevent pee from spraying everywhere during a diaper change, like the seemingly unending amounts of laundry that come with such a tiny tiny tiny person. (How on earth?)

But since having had these two weeks to adjust and figure out his sleeping, feeding and pooping schedules, it occurred to me that sleeping in till 10:30 and lounging around makeupless in my pajamas probably shouldn't be my life for very much longer. Lots of people remain productive citizens after having babies--and I can too! Especially when there are so many half-finished projects lying around my house, interrupted by one cute baby:

So I have some goals for myself. It's a little early, but call them resolutions if you must (I'd wait till January but with me closing in on the 21 days it takes to create a habit... I'd better just start right now.)

Jessica's Postpartum Goals

1. Work on one of my many projects at least an hour every day. (wax paper chandelier, here I come!)

2. Watch a little less Netflix, read a lot more books (Bossypants for starters? Any other book suggestions would be greatly appreciated)

3. Ok, now here's one I might not be able to pull off... but blog every day. (if it's every other day I won't be mad though)

4. Take as many crappy cell phone pics of Jonah as I want, but at least take a few every day with the good camera. Also the video camera should come into play more often as well.

5. Get over my fear of packing a baby around all by myself. That fridge won't be full forever...

6. Figure out a way to go for walks (or something) without surrounding the baby with germy people or freezing air. (might be a tough one, suggestions welcome.)

And that's about it so far.

They always say you're far more likely to accomplish your goals of you write them down--so here's to hoping that works! And really, suggestions are always always welcome. I don't know what I'm doing over here, and since I'm just playing it by ear--you should fill it with lots of good ideas!

(ok, just one more picture)

Our Baby...

2011-12-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

Just look how precious he is.

He's such a good baby.

He only wakes up three times every night--once every three hours to eat.

(I know, we're pretty dang lucky.)

He loves the sound of my hair dryer.

He loves his little vibrating bouncy chair.

He loves the lamb blanket aunt Jill got him.

He hates taking a bath, but loves his hair washed.

He won't burp on demand, you just have to wait for it.

And he hasn't spit up even once.

(is that alright?)

Sometimes it feels like we're overlooking something, because he's so... good.

But I guess we should just focus on counting our blessings, eh?

Because we are, after all, super blessed :)

Jonah Kade

2011-12-15T13:20:00.001-08:00

You would not believe how hard it is to tear myself away from this little guy to post about his birth. Well, maybe some of you would--but honestly, it's almost ridiculous how many hours I can spend just staring at him. It's strange to think I was actually worried about how I would pass my time when he came, as if this whole mothering thing would only take up a couple hours of the day and I would be left twiddling my thumbs and watching endless episodes of Arrested Development.

Not so.

But anyway, here's how it all happened:

Monday morning the doctor told us to expect some frustrating times to come. He said at this point in pregnancy, you're pretty much waiting for the baby to decide when he wants to get here. And since I was still only dilated 1.5 cm, there was a good chance we were in for some serious down time.

So that afternoon, I baked some bread, did some laundry, sewed the last stocking, and wrapped the rest of the Christmas presents. Then I took a three hour long nap. Then I got mad at Kade for letting me sleep so long.

That evening, I went to Walmart for some last-minute stocking stuffers after I dropped Kade off at school. While I was wandering the aisles I was finding it increasingly difficult to walk normally during what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions. Eventually I noticed that some of them were painful too--and that my hips were screaming as if they were broken. But I chalked it up to the exam my doctor had given me earlier, he said I might feel some pain later on. The contractions weren't frequent or regular by any means, but they were uncomfortable. So I hobbled over to the register, purchased my items and headed home to wait for Kade to let me know when to pick him up.

When I got home I was contracting more and more steadily. I didn't tell Kade though, because I was skeptical that this was anything real, because of what our doctor had said earlier, and because movies taught me that labor was something like dying, and I was feeling ok. But just in case, I took a shower, dried my hair and put some light makeup on. Then we went to bed and I tried to let Kade sleep.
But I couldn't sleep at all, and I realized that hey, maybe I should just start timing these to see what's going on.
From 11:30 to about 11:50 they were coming every 7 minutes. From 11:50 to around 12:05 they were every five. Then Kade rolled over and said "We go to bed way too late."
I replied, "Well, we might not go to bed at all tonight."

We got up and started throwing the rest of our things into our hospital bag, but only just in case, because I still wasn't sure this was it. I was contracting every 4 minutes, and they were getting pretty painful. So we left for the hospital around 12:30.

When we got there I was still skeptical this was really happening. I felt like I was too calm to be in labor. If I were really in labor, I would be screaming bloody agony, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth sort of thing, right? I told Kade they might still send us home, so he shouldn't get too excited. But I took off my clothes and put on my gown and laid in the bed while they took my vitals, checked my cervix, and monitored the baby's heartbeat and my contractions.

After twenty minutes, the nurse said we were there to stay.

I was dilated to a 3 for a couple hours, then to a 5 and 100% effaced an hour after that. I asked the nurse how much longer she thought I'd be, and she told me a couple more hours to dilate to a ten, then a few more after that to push. That's what they usually expected from first time moms anyway.

45 minutes later I was 10 cm dilated and my body was very ready to push.
And I pushed for about a half hour.

It was the newest emotion I had ever experienced when I felt that baby's head finally pop through. The doctor held him up and the ceiling lights shone down all over his long matted black hair, his perfect tiny body, his daddy's unmistakable nose. I remember thinking of course that's what he looks like. Like I had met him before and had only forgotten. I knew he was always meant to be mine. He let out a loud wail and tears poured down my cheeks. I cried out of relief that he was healthy, joy that he was finally here, and pure terror that I would somehow ruin this perfect little guy.

I waited patiently while the doctors cleaned him off, took his measurements, and stitched me back up. I watched as Kade held him, walked him around the room, took him to the door to show our parents. He was one proud dad. And finally, after what felt like hours, I was finally handed my baby boy.

I always knew he would look like his dad, but once I finally had him in my arms, I was surprised how much he looked like me. He got my tiny little eyes, one slightly bigger than the other. He got my wrinkly forehead, and he raised his little eyebrows super high just like I did when I was a baby. He had the same long dark hair that I had. He got my long toes and big feet.

I always thought it was so incredible how much a baby could look like either one of its parents. Not often does a brand new baby only look like one or the other. But I was still amazed at how Jonah was the perfect combination of both Kade and I. Like he was the something missing that would really fuse our relationship together.

When we took him home, I expected to still be nervous. People were always telling me how I wouldn't believe they would let me take him home. We had no experience with newborns. What were we going to do? How would we know how to take care of them?

But for some reason, I wasn't nervous. I was anxious to show my little boy his new house, his new bed, to take him home and love him uninterrupted by nurses and CNA's and various tests. I kept thinking about something one of my good friends said a few months ago when I was feeling particularly nervous.

She told me, "You're going to make a great mommy. You'll be surprised at how naturally it comes to you, to take care of your baby. After just one day of having him, you'll wonder how you ever lived without him."

And she was right. It came so naturally. When he cries, it's like I instinctively know what he needs and can give it to him. Kade, too. And he's had almost no experience with newborns, being the youngest child and one of the youngest grandchildren on both sides. I'll admit, I was worried that I would be correcting him all the time, like I had to teach him everything. But I was relieved to realize that I needed him often. Kade changed his first few diapers, Kade learned how to bathe him and wash his hair and had to teach me, he calmed Jonah down instantly when he had to lay under a heater for a while. (The nurse told Kade to come talk to him because he wouldn't stop screaming. The minute Kade was by his side talking to him, he was perfectly fine.) And Kade will wake him up during the day when I'm too big of a sucker and want to just let him sleep. Kade alone is the reason he sleeps so good at night.

Since being home, like I mentioned earlier, it is amazing how many hours can quickly pass by while I'm just holding my baby guy. One minute I'll be just waking up and getting him out of his bassinet, and the next minute it's lunchtime and I've just been talking to him, watching him, snuggling him for the entire morning. Sometimes I'll be waiting for him to fall asleep so I can throw a load of laundry in or make the bed, but once he does, I can't seem to put him in his bed. I just want to hold him forever.
Another good friend once told me that whenever she gets depressed or life gets rough, she just sits back and remembers how it felt to hold her newborn babies. She remembers their smell, the little sounds they made, and it never fails to make her feel better.

I can completely understand that now.

He's Here

2011-12-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

Sorry no real posts lately, been kinda busy with our new little house guest...

Jonah

12.06.11

8:22 am

Birth story post coming soon, though! (can you believe I get to write a birth story?!)

Maternity Pic Sampler

2011-12-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday my very generous aunt and uncle took some maternity pictures for me and Kade, and just this morning I found an email that contained just a few samples! Personally, I think they turned out just fabulously, despite my puffy pregnant face.

Here, see!

I'm so excited!!

Thanks Jill and Doug!

Story of the Morning

2011-11-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

Kade and I sure had a hectic morning... good thing I posted it right on over

HERE

On Track to be a Very Eventful Day

2011-11-15T14:13:00.000-08:00

This morning when I woke up, what do you suppose I woke up to?
Nothing but my cute husband and a delicious and cooked with much love breakfast in bed. And it wasn't my birthday, mother's day, veteren's day, or anything!

After breakfast we got all dressed and ready and headed to the doctor's office for our last ultrasound. The doctor thought we should do one more because he's been measuring a little small.

I was hoping for another cute picture, but the baby's head is so low that his little face was squished up against one of the walls, so the result was an uncanny resemblance to Elmer Fudd

Sorry, its a cell phone picture of an already cryptic ultrasound picture... but you can see his little bulbous nose right in the center and his right eye above it. At least, that's what the ultrasound tech told me.

(Whose nose could he possibly have inherited??)

So they told us he was healthy, but still measuring small. He's around 5 lbs 11 oz and is doing just great. We were pretty relieved nothing was wrong with him, and I was relieved that delivery is not so intimidating anymore. And then they said "See ya next week!"

'Cause I'm at that stage now--can you believe it? Weekly appointments!

Later I found out that our carseat arrived and is all ready for me to pick up, a week earlier than was promised! And despite being excited, my first thought was this isn't a sign that he's coming early is it?

Which made me nervous... but I suppose since we have a carseat now it wouldn't be too bad. :)

Then I went to work, and while we were sitting in our chairs, twiddling our thumbs, all the sudden through the microphones we hear

BOOM!

and a million firetrucks and squad cars surround the block across the street, only a short distance from my dad's house! So I call him, no answer. So I call my aunt, who lives in the upstairs apartment, no answer. So I'm all worried that my family has been blown to bits by whatever terrible accident that was--

then my dad calls back and never fear, twas only his idiot neighbor's meth lab that exploded.

So yeah, pretty exciting stuff. I can't wait to see what happens next today.

Unless it's my going into labor, then I absolutely can wait.

Also, speaking of my dad, would you like to see what he threw together for me in the blink of an eye?

Here's the timeline:

FRIDAY: I says to myself, I think I'd like me a faux fireplace mantle for my living room. I drive to Lowe's after dropping Kade off at school. Wandering the aisles, I realize I have no idea what I am doing or what I would need to even begin such a project. I also realize that this may be just another idea I have that will never get done if I do it alone. So I pull out my phone and text my dad:

I want to build a fake fireplace mantle, but I am very much out of my element. Would you be able to help me sometime?

To which my dad replied:

Of course! How about tonight when I get off work?

So that night, I go over to his house, he has me sit in a chair wrapped up in a blanket in his garage, and suddenly there's the framework for a fireplace mantle. But Kade and I have to go back home, and my dad says we'll work on it later.

SATURDAY: Dad tells me he bought all the rest of the stuff he needs.

SUNDAY: We stop by after attending a homecoming, and the mantle is completely put together, primed and painted. He told me after he bought the stuff, he was too excited to wait.

MONDAY: Yesterday night, he shows up at my apartment with the mantle that he had stained, and attached it to the wall for us.

Aint it the cutest?

Can you believe it used to be an old entertainment center?

Yeah, it was!

Basically, in the blink of an eye a project that I thought would take at least all winter for me to get around to, was done.

I guess the moral of the story is, if you want something done, just ask your dad.

Also, DON'T DO DRUGS!

Just In Case You Wondered

2011-11-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

The most expensive baby item on Etsy is

a Genuine Ostrich Baby Stroller.

If you're into that sort of thing, and you have a decent-sized chunk of change laying around,

it's yours for only

$37,000.00

Rockin' Around

2011-11-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, we've finally got some of this wonderfully slippery, slushy snow around here. And as Kade and I were driving down to visit our new little nephew* I was flipping through radio stations and much to my surprise (that I didn't remember this), there were Christmas tunes playing! Kade groaned, I laughed, and why can't there be any middle ground for Christmas music? You either love it or hate it--I've yet to meet a person who, when the holiday music starts playing, just casually nods their head or taps their foot to the beat. No squeals of excitement, no negative nancy-ing.

Anyway, just a random thought. If there are any such people out there, feel free to make yourselves known!

Around August my dad so very generously bought for us a glider he found at the DI. It was a good deal, but it was... well, a little tired.

I had already ripped off the top part when I decided I wanted to take before and after pictures. Really, it wasn't too bad--but whoever painted it white didn't do a great job getting all the bottom parts. I thought they were just super lazy but you know what? After I had put two coats on all those little spindles and mobile parts down there, I was about ready to tear my hair out and vow to never paint a glider again.

(and actually, that must have been what the last lady did... because when I took the fabric off the bottom cushion, there was hair absolutely all over, stuck inside the cushion, and it was disgusting, and it was NOT coming out. So I just tried not to think about it while I hurried and re-covered it.)

I saw that fabric at the DI and thought it was so pretty--its way more purple than pink in real life. There was about five yards of it, and even though it was $7 (which I thought was pretty steep for the DI), I bought it. Doesn't it look so good?

And even though I made the mistake of purchasing flat paint (thought I was getting such a good deal), I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. In fact, I might just have to move this to the living room so I can show it off! (I have another glider, courtesy of my generous uncle Chad, that would look perfect in the nursery.)

So yeah, fun project, but sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much more tedious than I thought it would be! Good thing I love the end result so much!

*Little Champ was born Friday, isn't he just the cutest little chunk? But since there is no SD slot in my work computer (am I so terrible to do this at work? Or just terrible that I admit it?), more pictures will have to come a little later. But I got some cute ones!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

Let me confess to you that Halloween and I have a very complicated love/hate relationship. I love carving pumpkins, I love costumes, I love treats. I even like a few tricks.

BUT.

I don't love scary, I don't love gory. I don't love horror movies and I don't love zombies, vampires, and any other monster-type characters. I don't love ghosts, I don't love feeling like my house is haunted. I don't love haunted forests, trails, or houses. I especially don't love haunted corn-mazes. I don't love the combination of terror and stressing about how to make your way out of that stuff.

This is all much to Kade's dismay, because he LOVES halloween. Like, loves. He loves anything that'll give his spine a tingle. Lately he's been watching Walking Dead in our room, by himself, in the dark while I shower.

I won't watch it with him.

The other night I was feeling super generous, so I said to Kade, "Let's watch ourselves a scary movie, shall we?"

In disbelief, he agreed, and then proceeded to mock me mercilessly when I pulled up Netflix and typed in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. We were about five minutes into what I considered a very appropriate Halloween flick, when I couldn't take his snickering. We switched to a classic, a Vincent Price, a very thoroughly terrifying House on Haunted Hill.

This is about my level of scary. I plugged my ears during some parts, and had to look away from the super gory (NOT cheesy) decapitated head.

Other than that, I thought I did pretty good. And really, the only reason I was OK with watching this movie was because I had seen it before--I knew what was coming, and also, knew I had lived through it once.

Plus, Kade and I couldn't help saying "Vincent Twice, Vincent Twice" every time Vincent appeared on camera, which helped alleviate the scary-factor.

Any S-street fans old enough to remember this guy?

Anywaysssss... Basically a fun, friend-filled Halloween party Saturday night was the extent of our Halloween celebrations this season. Costumes were a must, and Kade charged me with thinking up something funny and creative for us to dress as.

And so naturally, this is what I came up with:

Mr. Robert Ross himself, and his happy little landscape(ish) painting.

(also, I am aware that a couple of those pictures are hanging sideways... its still a work in progress)

We were so cute. We were so creative. We were so PBS. And when we arrived at the party...

we were one of TWO couples dressed as Bob and a painting!

Can you believe it?

And guys, it wasn't some huge extravaganza either, we were one of six couples!

It was pretty funny actually. Funnier still, when it was time to bust out the Pictionary, we found out that Bob Ross #2 is actually an artist, he paints and things, and Kade--well, for starters he is colorblind.

Kade's interpretation of "Scarecrow"

Kade's interpretation of "Skeleton"

Kade's interpretation of "Headless Horseman"

Ok fine, yes those are all the same picture. But basically, that's the gist of it. When he drew a headless horseman, to emphasise the fact that it didn't have a head, he drew a circle around the headless part... which looked like a head. haha :)

And now, our little Pumpkin Family!

Look at Jr.'s cute little binky :)

Ain't it just adorable?

May the rest of your Halloween holdiay be filled with spooky but good-intending fun! I know our plans for tonight consist of some kind of movie, some Twix bars, and maybe a handful of trick-or-treaters.

Oh, And beware of any blind housekeepers on rollerblades--

One Down, Several To Go

2011-10-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took my day off and spent six long but enjoyable hours watching Monk while painting this little beauty:

She's a perty little thing, ain't she? Just had a little too much tough lovin' in her lifetime. You should have seen how sad and tired she really was, like, up close. Cobwebs everywhere, someone spilled a whole bottle of red nail polish in one of the drawers, marker stains in the other drawers, the top was completely covered in some unidentifiable grime... she was gross. But just look at her poise, her secksy curves, and the way she is the perfect size I was looking for--

With a little paint, some shiny new hardware, and a little something to hide all those stains, she was looking good as new.

Can you believe I got this desk for

$5.00?

Ah! I'm so excited to finally have a place to put all our office-y type things!

And, she's going to look so great next to our bookshelf that my dad and I just stained--pics of that to come :)

All Moved In...

2011-10-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to post pictures of our new place! But unfortunately, it'll be kind of a while, because I have SO many projects I would still like to finish. For instance, there is still a bookshelf to stain, a desk to paint, a rug to braid, stools to buy, curtains to make to replace those hideous teal blinds, not one, but TWO chair cushions to re-cover, a changing table to spruce up, mirrors and pictures to hang...

holy cow.

Have I forgotten I will have a newborn in less than two months?

Speaking of which, we set up the crib on Thursday last week. It was kind of a struggle for awhile there, because they had cleverly hid the instructions deep within an envelope deep within a cardboard box deep within the whole package. For the first twenty minutes we figured we were on our own, but thank heavens we finally found those instructions because I have a testimony that we would NEVER have been able to put that thing up by our little monkey selves!

Isn't it lovely? And remember that quilt? I made that quilt! I also crocheted the yellow border around that little blue blanket, which my grandmother so graciously taught me how to do.
See, I'm a sort of accomplished person, I can get all those aforementioned projects done in time, right?

Including a tree skirt and homemade pom-pom ornaments?

Good grief, I need a few days off don't I?

So that's my excuse for falling behind on my blogging promise of once every other day. I've been busy moving across the mountains. And now I'll be busy trying to get everything done before baby Kadica comes, so if I fall behind again, don't hold it against me. Just keep checking back and hey, maybe you'll be surprised to find a bunch of pictures of the most adorable little newborn in the world--and then it'll all be worth it :)

Things I'm Diggin' on a Rainy Day

2011-10-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

On this deliciously drizzly wednesday, I've found myself occupying my thoughts with much too frivolous and unecessary things I would love to put in my Urban Outfitters shopping bag.

But don't worry Kade, I didn't. :)

I am a true-blue, through and through window shopper/webstore browser.

I can completely decorate my imaginary apartment to the rafters and its completely free!

What could be more addicting?

I'm in love with this curtain &

sunny shag rug

Great idea for a memory book, though you could probably do the same with any journal.

I would just love this to be my Halloween costume!

Please don't leave rug, how could you ever say no?

And this Whale bath mat would be so cute underneath a little bare boy bum in a few years.

I could definitely see this Atlas tapestry covering some stark white apartment walls.

With these Adorable doily placemats to spice up my dining area.

Maybe I should get back to work, or do at least something more productive, eh?

Be It Ever So Humble

2011-10-03T15:56:00.001-07:00

Get this...

We found an apartment!!

And now you get to hear the story behind it!

So for awhile now, I've been praying that we'll find a good apartment. We decided since we don't pay rent, we would allow ourselves to be kind of picky about what kind of place we lived in next. Because our first place was built a hundred years ago and was absolutely freezing all the time, we wanted a newer apartment or townhome. No old houses, thank you. Unless utilities were included, then we could blast the heat all winter long and not worry about paying more for it.
Because our second apartment was above a Martial Arts studio and below a family with nightly domestic violence problems, we wanted very limited neighbors. An end unit and/or upper level, please. Also we shared a washer and dryer with all the other tenants, so washer and dryer hookups would be great.
We also wanted things like clean carpets and no mold problems. Kade says whenever he laid on the floor in our old places, all he could picture were dirty, disgusting, fungus-y feet walking all around his face. Clean carpets were a must. And you know, mold's always bad, 'specially for bebes.
And, lastly, it had to be in a good part of town and still fit in our meager budget.

Secretly, in my innermost heart, I prayed for at least 1000 sq ft and two bathrooms (so I would only have to keep one immaculately clean). Also a dishwasher. Also large windows. And maybe a sliding glass door out the back. Also mature trees. (I knew I probably wouldn't get all these perks, but hey, never hurts to ask, right?)

Every day I would refresh the classifieds page hourly, and every Friday I would spend my day off driving around, working my anterior tibialis to exhaustion with all the stopping and going and shifting up and down, and I saw apartment after apartment after apartment after not-so-great apartment! I was getting frustrated, to say the least. I called about a hundred people and was wracked with guilt when I had to say no (we could hold out a little longer for something better).

Well, this last week, there was literally nothing new in the classifieds or craigslist or anything all. week. long. Really, nothing. No apartments. So last Friday, I drove up not even planning on looking for apartments, just going to my doctor's appointment. But after it was over, and I still had to wait for Kade to get off work, I decided to look again at the classifieds.

Nothing new, just the same old listings that had been there for weeks.

But for some reason, one stood out. It was a listing that had been there for a few weeks, only supplying the number of bedrooms, address and phone number to call. Kade and I had dismissed it earlier because of the lack of information, and because we assumed the location to be sub-par.
I decided to call on it, and a half hour later I was standing outside a cluster of newer townhomes with Dallas, my prospective landlord.

He took me to the row in which the vacant apartment was located--an end unit--and unlocked the door.
The whole place was gutted. Bare floors, tacks sticking out of the stairs, power tools on sawhorses all over the place. Dallas apologized,
"Sorry it looks like this, we're in the middle of remodeling. We're putting brand new carpet and tile in, but it'll be done in about a week."
So we walk through the living room, down the hall past the washer/dryer closet toward the kitchen with the sliding glass door. I noticed a bar and excitedly commented on how fun that would be. Dallas said, "Yeah, we put that in when we added a dishwasher." Score.
Then we walked back through the hall and I noticed a cute little half bathroom. I was in love.
Upstairs, there were more bare floors and tacks, a big full bath with a tub and a sink with a counter. That wasn't on the wish list, but it should have been. Non of our past bathrooms have had anywhere to set anything!
Throughout the whole place, the windows were large. Outside, there were tons of huge trees. The neighborhood was quaint, and the townhomes were down a long alley, secluded off the street. It was perfect.

Nervous, I asked how much the rent was. And it was twenty bucks below budget! Why had we risked our chances of getting this place by ignoring it for so long?!So right then and there, sweating in my car in the parking lot, I filled out the application and paid the fee. Next day, Dallas called and it was a done deal. The place was ours.Now we just have to wait for the call that says everything is done and waiting for us!And hello, prayers are answered! Even if you suspect you're being too picky :)

Can You Believe It?

2011-09-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

I actually posted something to my photography blog!

Sister Sugar

If you want, you can go check it out. And any of you that know a little somethin' somethin' about photography--you could even post some tips or ideas if you want.

It's just a little hobby right now, but eventually I'll want to get much better.

I Need to Get Better at This

2011-09-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

The thing about Pinterest is,

I could totally get into it. Too into it.

But the only time I have to browse around the web is at work, and unfortunately, they've blocked that website. :(
I could have 60 boards filled up by the time I get off work today.

I found a slew of new blogs to look at, though. I'll have to put their links up today. Gets me all thrifty-mooded and do-it-yourselfy.
Which is great because the economy and poor college kids and stuff.
But also not good because I spend another good chunk of my time looking through the classifieds online for things I don't necessarily need, but would be easy to refashion.

Also,
one of the blogs I discovered today had a post entitled "So You Want to Start a Blog?"
I looked at it, and one of the biggest things she stressed was purpose. If I have a blog just so I can make friends, well, no one is really going to read it. I have to have something to say, show, or teach.
Also, even times where I don't have anything to say, I still need to post something. Which, I suppose, is why LoveTaza does those "life lately, according to my iphone" posts. Hey, its something.

So, this is my new goal:

EVERY post contains a picture, of really, whatever I feel like.
And all those posts will come AT LEAST every other day.
Except Fridays and Sundays, because those are the days I have off work. And I don't want to stare at a screen on my day off.

Who knows what these posts will be about, but maybe this blog will be a little more entertaining, eh?

Also, I'll be double-posting my posts, once here, once on my new kadeandjessica.blogspot.com blog, cause who knows when Google will freak out at me again. Temper, temper.

Future Project:

How about an adorable fishy mobile for my little guy?

I think yes.

Easy enough instructions from ISLY

TERRIBLE NEWS...

2011-09-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

For this blog I use my school email address, which is provided through the school and not directly through Google. Because of this, blogger keeps freaking out because I'm trying to use an email address that's hosted through TWO servers instead of one.

This has never been a problem until about a week ago...

And I hate to lose all my followers, because I don't know if I'll get them back again--
But I'm also afraid that one day I just won't be able to find my blogs anymore.

So, after several tries I was finally able to log in to my blogger account, and I quickly downloaded my blogs and put them at different addresses for safe keeping.

kadeandjessica.blogspot.com

and

kadeandjessbaby.blogspot.com

Go ahead and use those links from now on, cause I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to log on to this one again :(

This really is tragic. But we'll get through this, right?

So West Coast

2011-08-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

It was a really fun vacation. We got to see all the cool places, people, and eateries from Kade's mission, plus hit up Portland and Seattle while we were up there.

Portland was even dreamier than I thought it would be,

but even though I was so excited to see Seattle

I don't think I ever want to go back.

Every vacation has a crazy story, right?

Well, Kade and I had just gotten lunch from a little Mongolian food stand in the farmer's market and decided to sit outside on a bench in the light rain to eat it. So, our heads were bowed over our little paper cartons of food, and at the top of my vision I see some old, ruddy brown shoes tripping toward us. I chance a quick glance at the man wearing them--dirty cargo pants, tattered plaid shirt, long greasy hair pulled into a pony, exposing a black eye and bruised cheekbone, a bottle of Arrowhead water to his lips. He stared back at me. I ducked my head back down, hoping he'd go away soon.

"You know, once you've been drinking so much even water can get you drunk. Did you know that?"

He was talking to me, but Kade answered him coolly,

"Nope, we sure didn't know that, thanks."

All the while, I kept my head down, not wanting to look at this creep--I was more nervous than a cricket on a railroad track*.

Kade, however, had dealt with a few drunks in his time, and knew exactly how to handle the situation. He talked straightforward to the guy, treating him as if he were being anything but crazy.

The guy left after a few minutes, and we made a break for it.

We started walking toward the thick of the market crowds, when all the sudden

he's back.

Right behind us.

"You know, I commanded the rain to stop, but it hasn't yet."

Kade, cool as ever, but now a little more nervous as he tries to keep the guy from getting close to me.

(Apparently, the guy was basically on top of Kade as he fought to get between us. Meanwhile, I'm scoping out which stores to dart into if worse comes to worse.)

"You know, I'm a prophet. Well, I'm a babylonian prophet killer..."

I can hear Kade behind me carrying on this strange and terrifying conversation with him while my brain begins to fire up the flight-or-fight mode.

The rest of what the drunk guy says is a blur, and my only thoughts are

please please please please please please please please please please please please please

don't let us die in Seattle.

don't let this creep touch me,

don't let him go berserk and try to fight Kade

please let us get back home.

I miss Utah!

Luckily, after what seemed like forever, the guy says

"Ok, well, you have a good day"

Turns around, leaves,

and before he can come back, we book it into a crowd and try to make ourselves as lost as possible.

A few minutes later, when we're finishing our lunches on a bench overlooking the water, neither of us are very excited to be there anymore

and we decide we've had enough of Seattle.

We watch our backs the whole way back toward the reek of urine emanating from the ten dollar parking lot where our car sits.

Thankfully unscathed.

And once we maneuver our way through the city and back toward the freeway,

we each let out a massive sigh of relief.

Give me a home, where the buffalo roam,

where the deer and the antelope play,

where seldom is heard a discouraging word,

and you rarely have to worry about lunatic drunks or whether the streets are one-way or regular and where there are relatively clean streets and people do their business in toilets and not just anywhere they please.

But, sadly, probably no one in Utah can tickle the ivories like this homeless dude.

And even though the whole trip was super fun, the weather was incredible, and you've never tasted such delicious wild blackberries, or had such a fun spur-of-the-moment Sunday dinner with such hilarious people, or had milk for breakfast that was straight out of the cow,

We're glad to be back in our mountain home so dear.

*My friend Alaina once said this about having to use the bathroom. "I have to pee like a cricket on a railroad track!" and I just have always thought it was so funny!

Looks Like I've Made It

2011-08-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

As of Thursday August 11th, 2011, around 2:00pm

I have finished the very last assignment I will ever do,

the very last paper I will write,

the very last course I will ever evaluate...

And you know what?

It's been a week,

and it still doesn't feel real.

I was, in fact, a little moody on my last day of my undergrad. I thought, well, now what? 4 years, some-odd thousand dollars, and 120 credits later--what have I really gained?

Perhaps my apprehensive attitude about finally finishing school stems from the looks I get from people who ask what my major is.

English with an emphasis in Creative Writing isn't a degree people hear too often.

What's your major? English, huh? So... what are you going to do?

And I always stumbled over my response.

Um, I'm not sure yet.

Are you going to get a new job?

Probably not right now.

Will you write books?

Sure, maybe.

Do you want to write for a magazine?

Um, that would be fun.

Children's books--you could write children's books!

Thanks, that's a good idea.

And I always felt embarrassed, and out-of-place, and a little like I had just wasted the last four years of my life on a worthless degree. But I thought I'd better be proud of myself, at the very least. It was an expensive four years, it was exciting, new, full of adventure, and I definitely grew a lot.

If I were given the chance to do it all over again, I would.

So I guess the next time someone asks me what I'm going to do with a degree in creative writing, I'll tell them:

-I am going to make more informed parenting decisions.

-I am going to be more aware of different cultures and religions.

-I am going to more easily understand what influences a person's behavior.

-I am going to be more patient.

-I am going to use better grammer, and a larger vocabulary.

-I am going to recognize others' opinions and be able to determine for myself whether or not I agree.

-I am also going to respect others' opinions, whether or not I agree.

-I am going to realize that mine is not the only or best idea out there.

-I am going to interact with others more easily and more professionally.

-I am not going to be afraid to ask for help.

-I am not going to get defensive if others do not agree with me.

-I am going to be able to admit I am wrong.

-I am going to be able to keep my cool when dealing with difficult people.

-I am going to continue writing for pleasure, and possibly look into publishing a little further down the road.

-I am going to be open-minded about the future. I'm young, I'm healthy, I've got everything I need, there's no telling where my life will take me.

Really, there's not anything I'm supposed to be doing with my degree, that's the beauty of going to school for English. I've got all the freedom in the world!

Sure, no one is thrusting job offers at me, no employer really cares that I have a degree in creative writing. But hey, it's something I never thought I would accomplish, and it's something I really love. Why shouldn't I be SO EXCITED TO BE DONE?!

I should :)

And the next time someone undermines my college education by saying that teachers try to force all their liberal ideas down students' throats, and those students accept them as fact, well, I suppose they never really had the full college experience, did they?

Getting my Bachelor's degree has been quite the journey. It was exciting, it was stressful, it was terrifying, it was the most fun ever, it totally sucked, it was confusing, it was enlightening, it was boring, it was thrilling, it was eye-opening, mind-opening, door-opening. I cried until my broken heart had nothing left, I laughed and danced and partied like I'd never grow old. I met the most interesting people, I was was friends with weirdos I never thought I'd speak to, I met the love of my life and married him. I learned to take care of myself, and I learned what it meant to take care of someone else. I learned that no one really knows how to handle life, that we're all just doing the best we know how. And that out of the 6,775,235,700 people in this world, the one you should never be concerned with is yourself.

The Difference

2011-08-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

When you're dating, you can stay up till sunrise filling each other in on the past.

But when you're married, it's about the future. Your shared future. And you can fall asleep together at midnight or one,

because anything you forgot to say can be said the next day.

And you know the other will always be interested in what you have to say.

No one's trying to one-up the other,

neither thinks their opinion is any more interesting,

And its all the truth. All the time.

When you're dating, you fight, just like everyone.

But sometimes you're a little quicker to swallow your pride--because who knows when the other will leave.

When you're married, you fight, just like everyone.

But the humble pie is tougher, and more sour, and sometimes you just. don't. want. to.

And even though you shouldn't, you hold out, because the other already promised they'll be around forever.

And later, when you come back, shoulders drooped and arms out,

they'll take you back.

When you're dating, you develop a real good courtesy laugh, just in case. And you love when you don't have to use it.

But when you're married,

well, you still use it.

But its no longer to decieve,

and you can laugh about laughing about it

because you're on the very same page.

When you're dating, you hold back a part of yourself. The part that's too vulnerable to be rejected.

But when you're married,
there's no holding back.
You know everything.
When the other blows their nose in front of you,
or uses the bathroom with the door open,
or sticks their feet in your face,
or uses your toothbrush,
its all good.

It's when they don't,
you should start to worry.

When you're dating, sometimes the small talk, the awkward DTRs, the desperation, break-up after break-up after break-up--

it all seems worth it when you think you've found the one.

But when you really do,

you'll realize how funny you were when you were dating,

because this one is so different.

This one can tell when something's wrong without asking,

this one knows just what to do to make you laugh,

this one knows what you'll say before you do--

you can finish each others "sandwiches."

And it's like they've been around your whole life.

Let's Talk Turkey

2011-07-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

When I arrived at work this morning, my co-worker was all too excited to tell us about what she had read on KSL the other day.

Apparently a woman and her husband were wandering around the isles of the Whole Foods on Trolley Square while the woman was breastfeeding her baby. One of the associates came up to them and asked her to cover up because she had gotten some complaints. They were offended, and when they were offered no apology they wrote a letter to the world headquarters in Austin as well as a copy to the Salt Lake store. And my co-worker went on and on about how stupid the whole thing was while I sat there nodding trying to figure out what side she was on.

"The whole thing is just stupid. I mean, wouldn't she be embarrassed? And the husband was mad too, wouldn't he care that the whole world could see his wife?"

Ah. She had taken the associate's side.

Then my other co-worker pitched in with "It's indecent exposure!" and relayed a story about a lady who pulled her shirt up to breastfeed her baby while applying for a loan. Everything was hanging out in front of her and the boss (who left the room for a minute because he didn't know what else to do).

But they were just going and going about how embarrassing and indecent the whole episode was... and I just kept thinking:
Well guys, what if the baby was screaming and she wasn't as prepared as she could have been? And, isn't it a Whole Foods store that promotes all the granola-yness anyway? Besides, people need to just live and let live. Also, indecent exposure? Kade and I saw a 14 year old girl at the mall yesterday whose shorts were so short you could literally see her buttcheeks hanging out the bottom. Also, what about all the girls that wear shirts that are see-through, or super short, or hang down much too low? And for Pete's sake, how many women walk around in this world with their nipples poking through their shirts? How about a bra for that indecent exposure? At least this lady had a baby covering hers.

But I said nothing because these two co-workers have multiple children and obviously know more about everything baby than I do.

So, with my curiosity piqued, I googled the story to see if I could find anything about it. I could never find the actual KSL article but I found the blog of the lady and husband who wrote the letter HERE. And I'll admit, after reading her letter I thought maybe she is going a little overboard.

I wanted to throw out my own opinions about the matter, but you know, I can't say anything to my co-workers because of seniority and also I'm actually pretty shy.

And for what other reason do I have a blog?
So here's my two cents:

-   The lady at Whole Foods? Well, I would have thought if public breastfeeding was accepted anywhere then it would be there, and the other customers should just expect to see breastfeeding like they would expect to see dreadlocks or bare feet.

-   Breastfeeding is not indecent exposure. And how many too-tight, see-through, thin-while-chilly shirts must we endure (on women who aren't even exposed for a good cause) until we charge them with indecent exposure?  Though I don't think I would ever be comfortable enough to not wear a cover, good for those who are. However...
    The store about the lady applying for a loan--well, there are lines that can be crossed ladies. And I'm not too keen on walking through the isles, but if a woman found a bench somewhere and breastfed her baby without a cover then that's just great.

-   People should live their own lives and let others do the same (if it's really not causing anyone harm). Would they complain more about a screeching hungry baby than breastfeeding? Possibly. And the ones who don't want their children to be exposed to boobs in their element will probably allow them to go to whatever filthy PG-13 movie they want because at least its not porn. And there they will probably learn that breasts were created for lust, and not for feeding babies.
    Is it really so hard to realize that we've all been on at least one end of the breastfeeding process at some time in our lives? Sure, it makes us uncomfortable, but are we forced to see it for more than a few seconds? (Not talking about the loan lady, which we probably all agree was more awkward than needed be).

If I were the Whole Foods lady, I probaby wouldn't have taken it as personally, and I probably wouldn't have written a letter to Whole Foods headquarters--I probably would have just brushed it off as another petty thing humankind gets their panties in a bunch about and kept helping my tiny little person live.

It just irks me that so many men can freely stare at a woman's chest and neither party says a word--but once there is a baby attached to that chest, boobs are just repulsive, repugnant, indecent, lewd, embarrassing, and something that must needs be called to attention.

I honestly don't mean to offend anyone by this post, I am a respecter of all persons and all opinions. But these are my guns and I'm sticking to them. Besides, whatever side of the fence you're on is completely understandable, but I bet anyone can think of a hundred better things to whine about than public breastfeeding.

Nurseries on the Brain!

2011-07-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

Lately I've had the opportunity to browse nearly the whole width of the interweb searching for cute nursery ideas, and though not knowing the gender is torturous, I can still look, right?

Anyway, here are some things I would just love...

Fabrics
Because, maybe I will be motivated to make my own crib bedding and stuff

(from pink chalk fabrics)

(from whipstich)

So cute, huh?

Artwork

I also might paint my own, or have my mom do it, but I thought these were cute

(from barking bird art)

These you may recognize if you've ever visted Kristen's blog,

hopefully she won't hate me for copying her--but I just think these are the most hilarious things ever

(my mom hates them, haha)

This one's my favorite

but, its also the most expensive :(

(these are from berkley illustrations)

And there's so much more out there, I keep finding cute stuff every day! Etsy.com is a virtual treasure trove of baby goodies (and other goodies) that I love, love, love to look at.

Feel free to fall in love with any of these things--but if you happen to buy them before I can, don't be all mad if I end up with all the same stuff you have!

But just know that I saw them first!

(with the exception of Kristen's prints)

Finally, a Good Movie

2011-07-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

The other day Kade and I went to see a movie.

It was called 17 Miracles.

Have you heard?

Suuuuuper good. There were only about six couples in there and there was not a dry eye left in the place afterwards.

It's about the Willie handcart company and the miraculous things that happened to them as they crossed the plains. The film was a little fast-paced for me and at times awkward, but as a whole it was... inspiring.

On the way home we mostly discussed how crappy of people we are, and decided to do a little better.

*ok, flashback to a few hours before: at work I was somehow over $2000.00 out of balance for day. I was perplexed, and when my supervisor finally said the guys at the main office would kick our butts for this, but it was time to stop looking for it and go home (an hour after we closed) I sat in my air-conditionless car for ten minutes and cried. ($2000? Do you realize how much that is?)

So, that night during our family prayer we included a bit about how stressed I was about the money, and how it would be really great to find it.

That night, I had stress dreams about it all night. I would figure out where it went, and then it would be wrong. So I would figure out where else it could be, and it would be wrong. Finally, I dreamed that we found it, and it was because of something that happened the day before.

I woke up and shrugged off the dream, and stupidly didn't acknowledge it until my supervisor and I were looking for the money again, and whadayaknow-- turns out it was because of a mistake someone else made... the day before.

Isn't that awesome? And I don't think I would have been quite in the mood for any spiritual revelations if I had not seen that movie and repented of my wicked ways. And I probably would have been too stubborn to do anything but mope about my problems. So... pray. It does good things for you.

Also, go see that movie. It does good things for you.

Holy Cow,

2011-06-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry for the lack of posts for these past... three? weeks. We've been pretty busy.

The week before last we were in the completely chaotic process of moving.

Moving doesn't ever seem like that big of a deal until you're right in the middle of it.

But, on top of that, I had just started work at a new job, and was basically working 40 hours a week during training... (brother, you wouldn't believe how hard it was for me to go from working 0 hours a week to 40!)

Also the first summer session of school has been wrapping up so there's final exams and last minute assignments to catch up on.

Then there's all the daily things that take up a good chunk of our time like eating, sleeping, etc...

And finding time to spend together has been a task.

But we found some!

Today we miraculously both had the day off,

we jumped in the car and drove up Logan Canyon a ways because neither of us had ever seen the

Wind Caves!

We had tried to find the wind caves once before about a year ago,
but whatever trail we ended up on didn't lead us anywhere at all...
So we figured we'd give it another shot.

In this picture we were like,

"Ok... this is the end of the trail, where the heck are the caves?"

We were severely disappointed, thinking we had hiked all that way and must have taken a wrong turn.

Then we realized we were standing right on top of them!

Kade saw this very high, slippery and all-around precarious ledge

and just had to climb it.

Don't worry, he made it up and down alive, and I won't even mention how he almost slid all the way down the mountain during his descent...

It was such a pretty day, perfect hiking weather--

the trail was a little harder than I was expecting it to be, but on our way down we passed many young children making their way without the slightest moaning or wheezing.

So, I guess I was just super out of shape?

Or... pregnant.

that's such a great excuse when you need one :)

Update

2011-06-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

Here's what's been going on at our place:

- We're moving! I know, it snuck up on us too. We have to be out by the middle of next week.
I'm pretty bummed out about leaving.
Just gotta remember those martial arts guys.

- I got a job! Celebration! I start two days before we have to move out-- stress!

- Kade is on a diet that's really cramping my conscience (how's a girl supposed to eat all the ice cream she craves without feeling guilty?).

- Second Trimester has begun. Check out the latest post HERE.

- School is still trudging along.

Other than that, its business as usual. Except I've got some serious packing to do! Just remind me that I owe you a real post once everything gets settled.

The Grand Tour

2011-05-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Only when I'm forced to, do I ever get around to doing anything.

I cleaned up the whole apartment, nice and spic and span, and took a whole bunch of photos of it...

...to list online. Because we are moving. :(

And you know, it's really a lot harder to be excited about moving when its bright and sunny outside, I'm about to drive over to my family's place only minutes away, it smells like heaven in here, its super clean and organized, freshly painted, the curtains are flowing softly in the breeze, and the studio directly below me is EMPTY, quiet, doesn't smell like sweaty sweat-pants and socks...

That's when I don't want to leave.

But tonight, around 5, when I'm getting ready to go to school--they'll be back. They'll be back and the frames on the walls will shake and threaten to fall with each time some body gets thrown to the floor down there, my ears will ring with the shriek of a thousand Hi-yahs, and the stairs I will walk down when I leave will be covered in sticky sweaty children with their shoes strewn about, and when I pass through the foyer on my way to the door I will be stared at by their stupid, nerdy instructors who are just waiting for an opportunity to show off in front of someone, though its only obvious that someone who they think is watching them is just wishing they wold all drop dead.

ugh.

But on a more positive note, just thinking about that scenario rekindled my excitement to move. So, I'm good :)

Hey, if you're interested in moving in (which would be odd since all I do is complain about the noise lately) you can shoot me an email and I'll give you the link.

Anyways, here are the unedited pictures I took today, you're finally getting that tour I've been promising you since December:

Oooh, that's cool how those worked out! ^

Do you love the brown?

I never thought I would, but I LOVE it.

Also, get a load of the storage space in this place!

You could stuff all your possessions in every little nook and cranny in this apartment and you'd still have space!

You could basically park an RV in some of these closets.

That's what I'll miss most, I think.

Oh, and the moldings.

And being able to paint.

And the big windows,

and the vaulted ceilings,

and being able to breathe freely in all this SPACE!

Maybe I don't want to move anymore?

someone start talking about martial arts.

Next Up: Paige's farewell!

Believe It Or Not,

2011-05-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

Today I:

painted the living room.
brown.
It looks a whole lot better, actually.
also I found another roach.
I killed it, since I was alone and really had no other choice.
And I still cleaned up the bedroom,
even though I was terrified of finding another creeping thing underneath the heap of my clothes on the floor.
But I didn't.
Also,
I've been working on a blog for my cousin, who is leaving on her mission in two days!
You can check it, if you want, and tell me what you think--

Just Click Right Here

OH! I bought raspberries the other day, and it occurred to me: I can catch up on my belly pics now, so be on the lookout.

Also, here are some recent pictures of us from Paige's farewell

Gosh, I'm so slouchy!

But my husband's adorable :)

Unmotivated

2011-05-18T14:58:00.000-07:00

Do you love our new headboard?

Have I introduced you to this quilt?! My grandma made it for us! Isn't she awesome?

There once was a time when I used to think to myself,

If only I had just ONE day off from everything, I could get SO much done.

Not the case, my friends.

Embarrassingly enough, I am currently jobless (Maybe you would like to pity me by offering me employment?), and I can tell you--when there is no need for you to rush things, soon enough you find yourself sitting on the couch watching your thirteenth episode of Community trying to remember what all you had tasked yourself with that day.

Homework? Eh. I can do it tomorrow. Plenty of time.

Dishes? Ugh. I swear I just did them.

Clean the bathroom? Well, I suppose I could do that... but...

Read a book? For heaven's sake.

Visit my mom? I'm sure she's sick of me by now!

De-junk? A good idea, but if I do that today, then I won't have anything to do tomorrow so...

Take out the garbage?

Clean the dang fish bowl?

Figure out what Amazon has done with my textbooks?

Watch another episode and take a nap?

You know, in my defense, this week I have knocked out 4 of those 9 and multiple times. The dirty dishes are reproducing--every time I wash a round there are three more close behind me. It's getting out of hand.

Every day of this I think Man, how do women do this? Stay home all their lives?

Then I realize, Oh, duh, they have children they are chasing 24/7.

Then I think, Well WHY NOW? Why must I be unemployed for the seven months previous to having a child?

Then I throw my hands in the air, with a loud exasperated sigh, and turn off the TV so I can do something, anything, with my life.

Optimistic, though, that this is only temporary--and very much thankful that Kade has a great job.

So, I suppose it would be good of you to wish me luck with my job search--
But mostly wish me to be extra-productive until I find one!

The post-script: If anyone knows of any secretarial type jobs that I could "intern" for (yes, that's without pay) for a couple days a week, please let me know. With how much some receptionists earn, and with the sometimes present benefits packages, I have to have experience in the field. Why clerical? I also have to be picky nowadays, I've got Kade's med school to pay for!!

A New Post...

2011-05-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I can take a thought and mull it over and over and over until it makes me crazy.

Click Here.

Mother's Day is a Little Bit Mine

2011-05-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

This year, mother's day went off without a single hitch. I commented to Kade after the festivities were over that this was probably the most successful mother's day I've ever (or will ever) experienced.
Usually, this weekend catches me off guard, and I usually end up throwing together a "sentimental" handmade card (really, its mostly cause I forgot to get one) that spills our guts about how much we appreciate our mothers...

But without a gift, who gives?

This mother's day was great. I got my mom this exotic looking kind of plant,

Isn't it pretty? I went with her and my grandma to a nursery a few days before and she said she liked it, so Brooke and I went back to get it. Hope she was being serious--but who wouldn't be? Look how... Avatar! Star Wars! (dare I say) Lord of the Rings!

Cheesily, it looks like something you would only find in science fiction.

Then we got Kade's mom a watch that--get this--we MADE! Yes, Kade and I made a watch. From black and silver beads. We had to start over three times, but in the end it turned out pretty cute! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture :(
Also, some Georgia Peach scented Scentsy refills. Because they smelled like you know, Peach Days and summer and such.

The Thursday before, I went with my mom and Eli to my grandma's house to help her do some yardwork.
(I didn't really help though... I mostly took pictures and used my grandma's fancy sewing machine to alter some clothes)
(Nope, I still fit in my clothes. They don't need to be bigger yet, I just needed some pants made into shorts, etc...)
Their yard is filled with the most glorious blossoming peach trees, and one great apricot tree.

^ Eli running along the sheep trail

These are my "creative shots"

Then we went to the nursery!

My mom might not like this picture, but for some reason I really do.

Saturday night we went over to Kade's parents for a good old-fashioned barbecue and hitting some golf balls in the pasture.

Later that night we got a call from AFRICA. We got to talk to Matt! He sounded basically the same, there were even a few Nacho Libre jokes, and he's loving his mission! Here's a recent picture:

Sunday night we went over to my grandma's for dessert and games. Brooke made herself in charge of the camera, which I was kind of glad for, but she must have been distracted because all she got were these two prize shots.

BUT. Even before all this, on Friday night, Kade came home from work bearing my very first Mother's Day gifts! Isn't he the greatest? It was a total surprise, and I loved loved loved them!

He went in on Tangled with his friend, it was a blu-ray/dvd combo pack, and his friend only had a blu-ray and we only have a dvd player, so it was cheap even!

But aren't those flowers LOVELY? Ah, they smell so good in my kitchen :)

Also, my little brothers got me a gift too--haha, how thoughtful of them.

Cute, ain't it?

Its hanging on the same hanger as all the other baby clothes I've collected thus far.

So, that was Mother's Day :)

Love all you mothers of mine!!

How To: Tell the Difference Between a Mosquito Bite and a Zit

2011-05-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

Every one of us has experienced it: waking up in the morning after an evening spent outdoors in the cool of late Spring, leaning in toward the bathroom mirror, examining and stressing over the red protrusions that could either be something bad, or something worse.

But how do you tell which is which?

With this clear and concise reference list you'll quickly be able to determine whether that small red bump is the beginnings of a large and uncomfortable pimple, or an easily irritated itchy bite that you should avoid touching at all costs.

- If there are multiple, and you know for a fact that many mosquitoes aren't out yet, it might be a zit.

- If there are multiple, and they are of varying sizes and/or colors, it might be a zit.

- If it doesn't itch at all, even when provoked, it might be a zit.

- If you were wearing shorts all night, but there are none on your legs and fifty on your face, it might be a zit.

- If it has a white or black head, it might be a zit.

- If you're pregnant, and you haven't experienced a phenomenon like this since junior year, it's probably a zit.

They're probably all zits.

Sorry.

Easter Surprise and Another Surprise!

2011-05-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't been quite the best photog lately, and I only got a few pictures of Easter over with Kade's branch of the fam... So here's the update in pictures!

Guess who else has a baby bump?!

Turns out, Ash is due November 15th,

which was going to be a week before ours...

BUT...

Documentary

2011-04-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

If ya care, this is what has been sucking up all my time lately. It's a final project I signed myself up for--we had the choice of doing 30 hours of service, reading 3 books and writing papers on them, or doing something "creative."

This was quite a little bundle of stress, but ultimately I'm alright with the way it turned out.

(warning: it's 10 minutes long)

I won't be terribly offended if you don't watch it, really, I won't even know.But hey, maybe you'll even learn something new!

Escuela es No Bueno

2011-04-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some things about school that have made me smile:

- not having to register for fall semester.

- the looooooooong response I gave on the "improvements" section of a course evaluation

- my summer schedule finally coming together

- my summer semester = all electives (psy 1010! geo 1010! fchd 1010! pe 1010!)

- envisioning one of my professors in various terrible predicaments.

- no longer having a reason to go to cereal science

- the fact that I'm not failing the classes I thought I would

- and, the fact that I'll be done with all the schooling I will ever need long before the baby comes!

Can I get an amen?

And on the baby blog, we've got some more good news.

Belly Pics!

2011-04-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

And over on my other blog today I am featuring slightly embarrassing photos of my belly.

(its all for the record folks, for family history and such!)

Click Me

(you must come see my belly magic!)

A Note to Our Fetus:

2011-04-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

All this is causing me great worry--but at the same time, great joy.

You can read all about it here.

In other news: We get to start looking at 2 bedroom apartments! Possibly even townhomes!

Oh what bliss!

Also, perhaps someday this blog will have a real post again.

Cross your fingers.

au revoir!

The Story

2011-04-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

And here is how it happened:

Click Me

Isn't my husband just the cutest?

Aren't those onesies just the cutest?

Isn't my mother-in-law's face just the cutest?

Since I've Been Gone...

2011-04-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

I apologize that I have been missing in action a little bit from my dearly beloved Living a Dream blog

--but with good reason.

I have been working on this masterpiece!

Go Check It Out!

And yes, if you don't already know...

well you can read all about it by clicking the link, can't ya?

Spring Break

2011-03-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

Now, I know you've all been dying to see how we spent our spring breaks...

So I'm going to show you, in all pictures:

(Shoot... I forgot I put the "after" pictures on a different memory card. After pictures will come later)

When we went to grandma and grandpa's, we made out with a haul.

Always visit your grandparents!

More to come...

Dang It Ya'll!

2011-03-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I've been trying so hard to post at least once a week... and guess what? I blew it.

Maybe we could just say that St. Patrick's day is a national holiday and therefor doesn't count.

But then again, to be fair, neither would this post. :(

Creative Stimulus Week So Far...

2011-03-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

So Monday I finished the book I had to read for class. Yay.

Tuesday I babysat--I wanted to get pictures but I left my camera at home :(

Wednesday I went to work--and guess what I got to do?

I got to repaint the windows!

The last time they had been painted was about 5 years ago.

The sun had done a number on those colors, lemme tell ya.

So we scraped them off and repainted everything!

It was super fun.

And I'm so lucky I keep my crappy little kodak in the car at all times :)

Feeling It

2011-03-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been slacking on productivity of any kind. Except to throw something in the microwave for dinner... I think its the weather. It's got me in the usual funk early March does. The one where you're excited for March because it means SPRING! But of course, spring doesn't ever actually come until the very end of the month, and when that realization sinks in, its hard to get over.

This feeling is the exact combination of this Damian Rice Pandora station and the rainy grey clouds outside.

So, I've come up with a solution.

Spring Break (which starts tomorrow) is here fore re-dubbed

Creativity Stimulus and Artistic Exploration Week.

Because I always feel better when I've made something.

Here are my goals:

* No unnecessary web-surfing or TV

* Pick up my poor, neglected guitar and brush up on stuff

* Figure out something to paint on those two big blank canvases

* Paint the living room purple...maybe

(what do you think guys, am I so brazen?)

* Look for a tall, wide-ish, super cheap bookshelf

* Finish my book for class but also read one I don't have to

And that's about it so far. I feel like this week will be just the thing to get me out of this mucky rut.

Sometimes I also wish I had a keyboard piano.

Sing my blues away, you know.

Anyway, I hope all of you have a great week!

I Thought I Had Escaped...

2011-03-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Kade was struck down violently and completely unfairly with the flu.

I, his wife, kissed him and hugged him and slept right next to him, breathed his toxic exhalation, for nearly three days until he got better.

But I did not get sick!

Then my professor got sick and lost her voice for the whole week.

I did not!

Then my other professor got super sick (he looked like crap) but insisted he could teach the class sitting in his chair, reaching across the table to steady his presumably dizzy self, while panting a bit and perspiring a little.

Still healthy.
I thought I had gone the whole season without illness until...

Out of the cloudy grey sky...

My tonsils started to swell and my throat was on fire and my neck was so stiff and muscles so achy... apparently I had three out of the four symptoms that merit an emergency room visit. But luckily, I did not vomit--oh so luckily.

So, what is the lesson to be learned here? Should I, with the knowledge that this disease is incredibly contagious and could be transferred to my teachers and peers on the sleeves of my jacket, have holed myself up in my bedroom until Spring, to spare others I may have come into contact with this horrible agony?

OOOOORRRR... Should teachers just buck up and admit they're too sick to teach, and let us all have a snow day?

On that note--

Thursdays are a big day for our little family. Me and Kade, that is.
Thursday is the day TV networks host all their greatest shows!

(Community)

(30 Rock)

And lately we've been trying out this new one:

(perfect couples)

But I'm still iffy about it.

Also, if we didn't catch it the day before, Thursdays this is online!

(Modern Family)

Makes for a great Thursday night, sick or not :)

Happy vegetating!

(unless you're someone productive, in that case, you're missing out)

*all images via Google*

What To Do On A Day Like Today

2011-02-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

When it happens to be Saturday, and you don't have work or school, and your whole family is partying in St. George without you, while you are stuck inside due to a foot of snow and a car that doesn't handle it well, and your husband is at study session forty minutes away and won't be back for another four to five hours...

Well then it's only logical that you should:

- read four stories for class (one with the two main characters named Kade and Jess (what the what?))

- watch an episode of monk, shaking your head with a smile at the end and wonder why they don't make good wholesome TV anymore.

- get back to homework. Maybe read a couple more chapters of House Made of Dawn...

- OOOOORRRRRR... finally do a kitchen segment!

The corner by the window and doorway.

Pretty much the only really decorated part of the kitchen.

Pretty much the only part I feel good enough to show :)

These sit on our kitchen table--

Don't you love this picture of matt? with the bread and the llama in the background?

courtesy of the family photographer

Our sink has a mirror above it-- never seen that before, but it does add to the lighting

weird... but weirder that it is just too high to look into

Check this little plant out--

We bought it at IKEA a few months ago, and it's thriving!

It sits by the icy windowsill and just grows and grows and grows...

Sometimes we even forget to water it for days.

and she just keeps trudging along in the cold.

Mary is twice as big as she was when we bought her :)

And basically that's it for my kitchen. The rest is just bare green walls yet to be jazzed up.

That's the thing about money--

it can always be used for something more important.

Like food.

or... tuition.

Also, I updated the 'About Us' section. Take a look and let me know what you think--

Happy Saturday!

Fridge Magnets

2011-02-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

For Christmas mom gave me a box of poetry word magnets.

They've been really fun to play around with :)

The other day I came home and found these gems:

Kade, you is brilliant!

Okay... My Project

2011-02-23T10:20:00.000-08:00

For the class Final Project my professor tasked each of us with thinking up something creative we could do that explores racial diversity in Cache Valley.

As I recall, some of my classmates chose photography, volunteering, making a culturally diverse cookbook and bringing the food into class...

I chose to make a mini-documentary.

So...

ATTENTION ALL* READERS:

I would like your thoughts on a few things.

(Remember to remember them)

First, the basics: What is your age, gender, ethnicity?

What do you think of when you hear the term "White Privilege"?

Is it legitimate?

What are some ways you have witnessed the validity or invalidity of "white privilege" in your life?

Consider these:
(statements made by Peggy McIntosh, who is a Caucasian, in her essay)

As a white person...

   ~If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure where I move that my neighbors will be neutral or pleasant to me.

   ~I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.

~Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability.

~I can arrange to protect my children most of the time from people who might not like them.

~I do not have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their own daily physical protection.

~I can talk with my mouth full and not have people put this down to my color.

~I can swear, or dress in second hand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty or the illiteracy of my race.

~I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.

~If a traffic cop pulls me over I can be sure I haven't been singled out because of my race.

~I am not made acutely aware that my shape, bearing or body odor will be taken as a reflection on my race.

~I can think over many options, social, political, imaginative or professional, without asking whether a person of my race would be accepted or allowed to do what I want to do.

~I can be sure that if I need legal help, my race will not work against me.

~If I have low credibility as a leader I can be sure that my race is not the problem.

~I can expect figurative language and imagery in all of the arts to testify to experiences of my race.

~I can chose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color and have them more or less match my skin.

* * *

When we read this essay in class it really got me thinking about all the perks I enjoy as a Caucasian, that I had no idea others were excluded from--intentionally or not.

And that was the whole idea behind the essay--white people don't necessarily intend to oppress other races, we aren't even aware of it. The things we do are so small and seemingly insignificant that they don't merit worth to bring up. It's only when you actually step back and look and watch all those insignificant things add up do you begin to see the problem.

So, what do you think about White Privilege now, guys?

(It's important that you remember your initial impressions when reading the questions, and then your thoughts after the list of white privileges.)

Much obliged!

*all meaning if you know me personally, through a friend, through a friend's friend, relatives, distant relatives, no relation at all, happen to stumble across this blog, across this post... etc.

p.s. it would be super great to get feedback from people who are not white, too.

Homework!

2011-02-20T19:49:00.000-08:00

Hey guys... I've been doing a lot of homework lately. Deadlines and such... but it's getting me really excited to share that documentary project with you!

For now, random video of dancing brothers (and Kade). Just practicing video.

A V-day Special

2011-02-15T19:41:00.000-08:00

Here it is, my proclamation of love to my endearing husby on this, our second Day of St. Valentine:

Kade, remember that post you wrote me last year?
That was adorable :) I hope I can write something at least half as cute.

Dear Darling,

I can't believe we've been married for over a year! It doesn't feel real to me. The other day I was reading somebody's facebook status who was celebrating their first anniversary--and a little part of me though aww, I can't wait for our first year anniversary! But get this--we've already had it! I had to do a mental double-take!

Seriously though, you are so much fun to be around. Whenever we're hanging out and getting along way better than excellently, having fun and cracking jokes--I can't believe I got someone so perfect for me.

We've talked about this before I think--but sometimes I'll be at work or school and I'll say something I think is hilarious--but nobody else gets it--so I come home and tell you and you crack up! I love that we have basically the same sense of humor. It makes life so much better!

I also love all of our inside jokes (70% of which come from TV shows we watch--but that's just another thing I love--kickin' back and watching TV with you), and your cute laugh and wrinkly cheeks!

I love how we balance each other out perfectly. I'm the dreamer, you're the realist. But not in a downer kind of way--you get excited with me! Whatever I come up with for our future, you're right there to plan out how we can make it possible.

I love how you don't whine about being my guinea pig. Like when I get an idea for a cool picture, or video, or dinner dish, or activity, etc... You just put up with it, even if it turns out to be a bust! You're patience is unequaled.

I know you probably don't believe it, but I think it's cute that you're such a sports-nerd. And I only tease you because I love to see you defend your hobby :) Plus, look how much more I know now about sports than I ever hoped I could!

You're the best. I'm not kidding.

Don't ever let anyone tell you their husband is better, because they're not.

But even with that said-- keep being humble, too :)

Love you Kade! Happy Valentines Day.

My Husband's Infinite Wisdom

2011-02-15T11:59:00.000-08:00

"The thing about Popeye is,

he gets strong immediately after he eats spinach.

"Most people eat spinach, but then they have to exercise--and they have to do this repeatedly for a while,

and then they'll get strong.

"This is why they don't have a show about me eating spinach.