New Poll

I put in a new poll at the bottom of the page so please vote! I am going to try to always have a fun new question up so don't forget to check the bottom of the page every week. Thanks! Oh and please feel free to leave comments so I know who is checking in on my blog; and it makes me feel good so please leave comments!

Nesting and Parental Advice

Oh my goodness am I nesting or what? All I did today was organize and reorganize things. First I went through all of Gordon's toys and took out all the toys that were too basic for him, ones he didn't play with, or ones that are too advanced for him. I am hoping it will cut down on the mess I have to clean up everyday. Probably not. Then I went to his closet and sorted through all the boxes of clothes. Instead of one box of 6-9 month clothes I now have two boxes: 6-9 month winter clothes and 6-9 month summer clothes and so on. I am just getting a little worried because baby coming will be born in the opposite time of year as Gordon and so all the clothes will be the wrong seasons. We were lucky enough to have a lot of people give us clothes for Gordon but I have a feeling since this will be my second, people won't be as excited and so won't be as generous as before. Okay, I am not trying to drop a hint or anything so I will just move on to my next topic.

I really don't know what to do with Gordon. Overall he is a great kid but he is in that stage where he is testing the limits constantly and it is driving me nuts! So my question is: when do I ignore it and when do I get after him. I hate feeling like I am always telling him no or always disciplining him but I know he is doing things just so I will get after him and I just don't know what to do. Like he throws and hits and even after I have warned him: "If you throw your toy against the wall again I will take it away" and then he looks at me and does it again. Openly defiant. Am I just being too strict? I don't know... I should probably just ignore most of it but then I feel like I've given in and he will learn that if he doesn't listen to me for long enough I will give up. By the end of the day I pretty much let him run around and do anything because I am so tired or he spends a lot of time in time out. Please tell me this stage passes quickly! I liked it better when he was excited to do what I aksed and please me.

9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

9 Lasts:
Last place you were on vacation: Twin Falls, Idaho
Last cigarette: Never
Last beverage: Water
Last movie: Saturday’s Warrior (by myself…embarrassing I know!)
Last phone call: From Venesha about winter gear we left in their car
Last store you shopped in: Lee’s Market Place
Last CD played: I honestly don’t know
Last bubble bath: Monday night
Last time you cried: While watching The Biggest Loser on Tuesday when a couple called home to talk to their kids (just a little teary-eyed)

8 Have-you-Evers:
Have you ever dated someone twice: No
Have you ever been cheated on: If I have, I wasn’t aware of it!
Have you ever kissed somebody and regretted it: Yes, I walked up to my apartment and started crying to my roommate!
Have you ever fallen in love: Have I ever!
Have you ever lost someone: Yes
Have you ever been depressed: Yes
Have you ever been drunk and thrown up: Never been drunk, but I have thrown up
Have you ever lost your keys: All the time!

7 States you have been to:
1. Hawaii
2. California
3. New York
4. Massachusetts
5. Arizona
6. Montana
7. Oregon

6 Things you've done today:
1. Dishes
2. Caught Gordon with a knife, poking holes in a bag of rice
3. Showered and did my hair
4. Blogged (i.e. messed around on the computer) for way too long
5. Read stories to Gordon
6. Wished I lived somewhere where it wasn’t so cold

5 Favorite things:
1. Family
2. Chocolate
3. Laughing
4. Food
5. Spring! (I am really ready for winter to be over)

4 People you can tell pretty much anything to:
1. Chris
2. Katie
3. My Heavenly Father
4. Myself, most of the time

3 Favorite color coordinations to wear:
1. Lately, sweat pants with no elastic band and any shirt
2. Usually, blue jeans and a green shirt
3. Or khakis and a blue shirt

2 Things you want to do before you die:
1. Go to Europe
2. See all of my children raised to normal adulthood without too many traumatic experiences to look back on

1 Reason to Live?
Family

I'm FREE!

For the past two weeks I have been a prisoner to Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series


I read the first one while at my parents house for Christmas, the second one in two days and the third one in three days. I tried not to neglect my other responsibilities and take it slow but even if I wasn't reading I was thinking about it. I was no good to anyone. Poor Gordon, yesterday came to me with his coat on and needed help putting his shoes on and then told me, "Papa, GramGram...bye bye." He then walked out on our back porch. He was giving me an ultimatum- either you pay more attention to me or I will go where I know I can get it.
Needless to say, I woke up this morning way behind on my laundry, the house is a mess, and my son is glad to see me again! If you have a chance to read these books, do it. Don't be turned off by the fact that it is about a seventeen year old falling in love with a vampire. Okay, I just lost all of my credibility...

Crazy Christmas

This year our little family spent Christmas (and a whole week and a half) at my parents house in Idaho. Twenty-five people in one house, that includes four toddlers and four babies! Christmas Eve we all get new PJs and I think this is the only picture with all of us in it. It is always fun to be together with everyone but I will say it was very loud and very crazy. Gordon had a blast with his cousins, aunts, uncles, and of course his Papa and GramGram. Here is a picture of Ellie, Ashlynn, Gordon and Spencer in their new pajamas.

My parents have always had a real tree but last year they got a fake one and my mom swore they would never do a real tree again (we are talking about a 12 - 15 foot tree here that almost fell through the window a few years ago.) Well, Chris gave my mom a hard time about it and threatened he would not come for Christmas unless there was a real tree. So when we showed up and saw this......we were quite surprised. My mom told us she cursed Chris's name everytime she watered the thing. =) We had a lot of fun activities planned: caroling, talent show, candy making contest, cross-country skiing, snowboarding (the last two I did not participate in on account that I am seven months pregnant), playing lots and lots of board games, and making gingerbread houses. Here is a picture of the houses we made. Mine and Katie's is the one in the front; Chris's is the second from the left. It was really fun and we all got into it.

Christmas morning was very chaotic; each individual little family was opening presents at the same time so there was a lot going on at once. I thought having Gordon open his "Cars" bedspread first was a good idea since he couldn't really play with it and wouldn't get distracted. I was wrong--he loved it and wanted to open it and sit and snuggle with it. He was eating some candy (I know, nice breakfast) while we were taking this picture and he was trying to smile. We saved his favorite gift for the end, his prized vacuum. He was so excited it was so funny. I was going to post a video clip of him opening his "ban-yoo" but it won't work. I am not very computer literate.

Gordon really liked to play with all the babies and he was so cute with them; it gives me hope for when our little one arrives. Gordon was reading a book to Fisher and I thought it was so precious.We also spent some time with Chris's family, who live in the same town as my parents. We went sledding, played games, and had a gift exchange. It was all very fun but we were glad to come home in the end. I speak for Chris and I; Gordon has been asking for "Menin (Maren), Bett (Brett), Fishis (Fisher), Ashin (Ashlynn), Papa, GramGram, and Eh-ie (Ellie)" since we left.

End of the Year Review

I felt like since I didn't do a Christmas newsletter, I had to do something. So this is my End of the Year Review.

This is our second year in Logan and we love it here. Chris has one more year of school left and then we are off to who knows where--we are always dreaming up places we could go and things we can do. We are in our third year of marriage and loving it. We had a "fun" experience this summer in California that really tested our relationship and it turned out good. Nothing too drastic--just a lot of stress! We also had a couple of exciting trips to the emergency room. One for Gordon in February (when he choked on a granola bar) and then me in March when I sliced my foot open on our floor heater. But other than those few things 2007 went by pretty uneventful and pleasant.

Chris is in his second year at Utah State University in the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning program. This is one of his last projects he did this last semester. It is for a park in Ogden. I wish you could see more detail; it is pretty awesome.I keep telling him how amazed I am by what he can do. I can't wait to see how far he comes in another year. Chris is also currently working part time at Dutro Company doing machine operating. It is pretty boring but it works around his school hours and pays good. He has started playing racquetball twice a week with friends and really enjoys the "personal time" it gives him.

I am busy being a wife and mother. I always told myself that when I stopped working I would cook dinner at night and be a better "stay at home mom." Well, I am no longer working so I try to cook dinner every night and it definitely keeps me busy. I am always looking for new recipes so if you have any that are fast and delicious, send them my way. Gordon really loves to cook and do dishes so it takes me twice as long when he is "helping" me. I am currently expecting our second boy in March so I am trying to prepare our family for when that wonderful event occurs.

Gordon is a toddler; enough said! He has always been happy to please his mom and dad and do what we ask but lately he has developed a bit of an attitude. He has also regressed back to cuddling (which I am happy about). Gordon stopped liking to cuddle when he was very young and it made me so sad but now he loves to cuddle and read books or sing songs. When we sit down to watch a movie, he sits on the couch and pats next to him and says, "a me" - he wants me to sit by him - he then scoots as close to me as he can. It is so cute. He just warms my heart!

I just wanted to post a few of my favorite pictures of this last year...This is at my brother Jake's wedding last January. I can't believe how young Gordon looks and all of his cousins too.

When we got back to Logan after our long summer in California and we went to Tony's Grove up the Logan Canyon. I just love his face in this picture. He thinks squinting eyes is equivalent to smiling. This is in California on a rare day when we actually had Chris around!This was about a year ago as well. My parents gave this table and chairs to Gordon for Christmas and he thought he was such a big boy sitting in them. I can't believe how much time as gone by. Gordon is learning new things all the time. Before I know it he will be a teenager smarting off to me instead of a toddler smarting off. Yikes!

I love this picture because my little brother used to do this muscle man thing and this picture reminded me of that.

Sorry I got a little carried away with the pictures and the writing...its kind of long. Happy New Year!

Movie Review

I just saw this really great movie, Stardust. It was so cute and good for the whole family. It has romance, adventure, comedy, everything. I couldn't stop talking about how much I loved it the first time I saw it. I think it is my new favorite movie. So if you are looking for a good movie, rent this one. I also saw Enchanted. It is still in the theatres and it was good but I would wait until you can rent it. I have a hard time paying $8.00 for a movie. I don't know if you could get a guy to watch it with you. I went with all my sisters and it was fun. Well, today is Chris's birthday and we are going sledding up in the south hills in about a half hour so I have to go get ready. I will post more later about our Christmas break.

Christmas Traditions

Growing up, Chris's family decorated gingerbread houses every year for Christmas. I was able to participate with his family in this tradition the year we got engaged (2003 - Wow!). Chris takes the art of gingerbread decorating quite serious. He had it all planned out what we were going to do and directed me in the best way to do this or that. It was more "his creation" than "ours." I could tell that it was something that Chris really enjoyed and I wanted to carry the tradition into our family. His mom goes as far as to actually bake the gingerbread; I just bought a kit. One kit. The night came to make our house and it dawned on me that I should have bought two gingerbread kits because I know how particular Chris is. Well, we just decorated one together and it turned out pretty cute. Gordon did really good putting the candy on the roof but after that all he wanted to do was eat it and he thought he was being pretty sneaky too. Well, here are some pictures of our little candy house.


I don't know if I will be able to post again before Christmas; I will try. I am so excited. We will be leaving for Idaho (where both of our parents live) on Friday. Gordon has been talking about Papa for about two weeks now. We have a lot of fun things planned for the holidays and Gordon just loves all his cousins and aunts, uncles, and grandparents. I just know we will all have a good time. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Party

We had our ward Christmas party tonight. It was pretty fun. They did a Polar Express theme; you could tell that they put a lot of hard work into it and I was glad I could sit back and enjoy it. I just wanted to post some pictures of Gordon.

I could not believe it but Gordon actually sat on Santa's lap. He wouldn't smile though or even muster a word.

Don't I have just the cutest son?! I know.

Oh, by the way, don't forget to cast your vote for the new poll (down at the bottom of the page).

Blog Confession

Ok, I know everyone is wanting an updated post but I have a little bit of a problem. I realized for about the fourth time in my life that if I can't do something perfect I don't want to do it at all. It's not quite perfectionism, I think it has something to do with laziness. If I am not naturally gifted at something then I don't want to waste my time making it just okay. I have read so many blogs that are funny and witty and just interesting to read no matter what they are talking about. And then I have read some blogs that...aren't that interesting. I just don't want to have a boring blog so I stress about it. I think of an idea for a post and then I say I'll do it when I have time but then when I have time I've forgotten what I wanted to say. My creative vibes are never there when I want them. I am laying down at night trying to sleep and all of the sudden, my creative switch gets turned on and I've got it. But I'm trying to sleep so instead of getting up and posting I lay there and type it out in my head. Literally, I say it in my head and it is so funny! Like this post was sooo much funnier last night. Seriously, this is my dilemma. So what do I do...I guess I will have to get used to the idea of just doing mediocre posts. So this is my promise to you- I will post more often only if you promise to not get your hopes up too high for something really witty and wonderful.