thack smack

365 days of Flabe

2012-01-17T20:46:00.001-07:00

Flabe, what? Yes, that is Jane's nickname courtesy of Mark.

Go to Pier23 for pics of Jane on her 1st birthday

unofficial

2012-01-15T20:57:00.010-07:00

*Mark has all the good pics from Christmas and Jane's birthday, so maybe if we're lucky he'll post some later.

Updating this blog isn't a priority for me, as you can tell, but I'd like to keep it updated enough that people don't delete it off their blog roll:) I love looking at other people's blogs and seeing what is new with them. As for us, a few highlights are:

Jane turned 1. So thankful to have her. I love to smell her and kiss her warm neck when she wakes up. I love when she yells MMM! after we say 'amen' to prayers. She is on the verge of walking and has her 6th tooth coming through.

I'm unofficially training for a marathon. I started the week after Thanksgiving, but haven't actually registered yet :) Mark doing the Ironman inspired me to take on a challenge and something new. I plan to do the Sand Hollow marathon on March 31st. If you have advice-regarding running in general, running in the dark, in the cold, alone, long distances, certain shoes, opinions on how to fuel...please tell me!

Siri is in swim lessons at Swim Kids in Holladay. She's improving and is now to the point where she's super excited to go (she used to be afraid). She loves to play dress ups, soccer, ballerina, read books, and 'help' us cook. She and Janie love playing with each other and I'm so thankful to have 2 healthy kids!

Mark continues to nerd out on his computer and phone as he responds to 'new inquiries' from people interested in wedding (and other sorts of) photography. Although he doesn't have a boss to deal with, being self-employed most definitely has it's challenges. He's finally found what works for him, which means being on his own in which he created his new company, Pier23.

Checkout his site and 'like' his fan page!

love the lunchbreak

Liz and I taking weird and ugly pictures at our night of Christmas baking

cinnamon spice pinecones

2011-12-04T09:33:00.007-07:00

I love the smell of those bags of cinnamon spiced pine cones. I always slow down when I pass them at the grocery store.

So now that its been a few months since the last post, there may actually be something of interest. Maybe not, but maybe.

We left Jane at home and went to California! We left on a Thursday morning and went straight to the beach. It was so...refreshing, and happy. It was joyful to see Siri with just shorts on in thefreezing cold water, laughing and playing. We went to Disneyland on Friday. Loved it. Saturday we drove down to Seal Beach. Went to a heavenly farmer's market. Mark had a wedding to shoot Saturday evening so I took Siri on a bike ride on the boardwalk, then to Huntington for dinner. I love Sheri and Liz for all their help with Jane. It was so nice to be able to relax and have two free arms-to swing Siri and especially for hugging Mark more often

Siri was a dragon and Jane was a duckling for Halloween. We went to a few friends, but mostly trick or treated in our old neighborhood in Draper.

Our good friend has a birthday on Nov 11 so this year she had an 11.11.11 extravaganza. it was awesome! It is rare that Mark and I are leaving the house at 8pm. We partied way past our bedtime.

Mark had another birthday, imagine that. He skated with his good friend Blake and a few days later went surfing! (he got to use his JetBlue pass so it only cost $25 to get to Cali. It also was no effort on my part (although I told him it was my gift to him), more of an approval that yes, he should go surf.

I went with my sisters and Mom to St.George. Mark's parents have a beautiful house down there. Liz was sick half the trip, but we had a great time anyway (and used tons of hanitizer). We hiked and biked up Snow Canyon, went shopping, and ate good food. And the best part? Waking up on my own and then laying in bed until I felt like getting up! I LOVE my children, but I have yet to love their sounds as my alarm clock.

We had a perfect Thanksgiving weekend. Pie night, oh how I love pie night on Thanksgiving Eve. Thanksgiving dinner in the 'country' aka Kamas with a Martha Stewart-esk table. All of my family was there, it was lovely. I made a lemon meringue pie. This year I learned: do not make pie at night as it you cannot rush it to cool off. If you put it in the fridge too soon the condensation with make it look like it rained on your pie. Lesson #2 Do not put the pie on the floor of the car where the kids are. They may drop their book on top of it. I took Siri hiking up Millcreek in the morning since the weather was so nice and mild. As a family we went swimming the next day, and on Saturday I took Siri skiing for the first time this season. She is much stronger and coordinated (and brave) than last season. We were riding on the chair lift and I pointed out some tracks in the snow. Whose tracks are those? I asked her. "Santa Claus!" she replied. I love her enthusiasm for all things Christmas.

ch ch ch ch....

2011-10-13T15:22:00.005-06:00

Mark loves change, and he's good at it. Me, not so much, but I'm working on it :)

Jane this morning after bath. She's got 3 teeth and bring us buckets o joy.

We moved!
Wow, that is no small chore with 2 kids (thanks be to Liz and Lesa for watching our girls. We moved all in one day it wouldn't have been possible without them). I was so tired and felt like I had been at Lagoon all day (with the motion sickness type headache but without all the fun). We worked very hard to make my Aunt & Uncle's home look awesome, inside and out, for their return home.
We are currently with the in-laws while looking for a home.

When you doze (or go into a deep sleep) while listening to General Conference, 3 year olds have other activities to do. Not until we were on a walk later that day did I realize I also had stickers on my face.

I love my family

We went up to Silver Lake again. I walked with the girls while Mark worked. It was the first time Siri had really seen Mark in action, she wanted to follow them everywhere.

Now that I call Siri's nap time 'quiet time', she sleeps way more :)
The first pic is Siri in her old bed, and the Zebra blanket on her new (hopefully temporary) bed.

Tomatopalooza last month with neighborhood friends. Best. Meal. Ever.

Siri still asks "Is I'm still 3?"

this many

2011-09-14T14:50:00.005-06:00

She's 3!
Happy Birthday Sirnuski and happy 3 year parent anniversary to us!

one week old
that blanket became the blanket. it doesn't look quite as nice now, but is still just as cozy.

happy 1 year

happy 2 years

she's so happy to be 3!
(because now she's old enough to take ballet class and got Cinderella dress ups of her very own)

Becoming her birthday tradition-we had Swedish pancakes ("Swedes" as she would call them) and went to the Zoo! Mark made the pancakes, stayed home with Jane while we went to the Zoo, and made homemade noodles with pesto for lunch!

blogging when I should be sleeping

2011-08-16T22:12:00.010-06:00

Let's just start with this one...

You're thinking "What the...?" This guy has two daughters, thats why.

Love the Terreros family. Went to dinner and a Real game, good times.

swimmin

Mark always wanted to learn about cars-he got the chance when a possibly broken thermostat led to the discovery of a cracked radiator, all in 95+ degree heat

our littlest turkey is sitting and getting more and more mobile.
She prefers to pivot and crawl army-style.

We all happen to be about to sneeze in this photo.
Hosted the giant Fetzer fam for the 24th of July party. Always a good time. Always.

Siri looks like a hippo in the above picture

Went to Idaho and did the Spudman triathlon. Pre-race I always think "Why am I doing this?!" Well, even this sixth time, I went home thinking-I love that race! I was happy to have beat my best time so far, by 7 minutes. I came home to this lovely finish line. Love my husband.

I feel like this is picture perfect of Siri. A tutu so she can be dressed up,
but boots so she be practical and get her yard work done.

She's a beautfiul princess

Oh I die laughing every time I look at this picture. Siri you are so silly!

Uhh, she's awesome.

Parade for Draper Days in July. Say hello to Nacho Libre's new sidekick :)

Took Siri on a date night-reading books at the Salt Lake City library, dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, playing in the fountains at the Gateway and buying new 'princess' headbands. Love my girl, times a zillion.

Walked around Silver Lake last month. Hiked to Cecret Lake last week-SO beautiful up there around Alta. Go there asap if you haven't already.

10 year high school reunion on friday-turns out people really DO want to come!
lots of tickets sold and looking forward to it!

4th of July in Kamas

Not pictured: Mark and I going on a date, aka looking at houses. Me roasting beets, my new favorite vegetable. Mark traveling for work, and maybe getting in some surfing at the same time. Me moving hoses around the yard to keep the dry spots from dying. Janie spitting up all over whatever I wanted to keep clean. Siri and Jane entertaining each other-one of my favorite things ever. Making pancakes-we love pancakes.

the Ironman saga

2011-07-15T20:45:00.002-06:00

here is the story

this one time

2011-06-18T15:44:00.006-06:00

We spend a majority of our time outside, either playing with water in the purple pool or on the neighbors swing. The a/c in our car has been broken all year until yesterday, thus the need to jump into the pool as soon as we got out of the car. I think I only got heat stroke once.

For the 2 seconds that it rained yesterday Siri needed something inside to do, so I got out a Halloween costume. Today she wanted to wear it so badly, at noon, outside, while riding her bike. Kids are very determined little people. Only when I forced her to come in for nap would she take the costume off. Her hair was all matted and hot.

Cousin baby max is now 1 year old max. Love birthday parties.
Another boy cousin is due to arrive any day now, so excited!

first time swimming

more swinging and playing outside

Siri loves playing in grandma's shoes (there are no high heels at our house to play with).

Mark was gone for father's day photographing people's momentous occasions.
As of late he's been to Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, California. He'll be in Cali again next week and the 2nd week in July and Delaware, yes Delaware, next week too. He'll be updating his site with recent shoots (including Matt & Sheri's family pics) soon. I'm proud of him. His motivation is incredible and success is admirable. PIER 23 blog

This one time, I ran over Siri's orange bike and broke the back wheel. Then two weeks later Mark ran over it again and broke the front wheel. Then I fixed it and she was SO excited to ride. Her 3rd time down the driveway she turfed it, hard. Luckily she's back in the saddle.

We played over at my in laws. Kids and water make for a good time.

Janers is a gem. 6 months old today. 94% height, 49% weight. Time goes by way faster with baby #2. She likes to roll roll roll, wiggle, roll, then grab for everything and put it straight to her mouth. She also likes to scoot herself forward using her knees.

events not pictured:
-me swimming/biking/running. I love the summer mornings, when its warm and light outside at 6am.
-mark and I thinking about where we're going to move come October
-laughing/crying that only 5 people have purchased tickets to our high school reunion
-our date last weeke..oh, wait, we don't ever go on dates. But, I just found a sitter today so we can make that happen on Saturday :)
-working in the yard, eating outside, reading books, changing diapers, feeding kids

the haps

2011-05-29T20:10:00.005-06:00

above is a pic of me as a babe with my sweet mom. Does Jane look like me?

I'm sure I can't be the only one that gets myself and my kids dressed then realizes that we're matching, but it was done unconsciously

I like the view :)
Mark got a ton of seeds planted yesterday. Growing a garden really is a miracle. Its just rows of dirt and you watch everyday, hoping that all that dirt, water, and sunshine will really make that seed grow into the...peppers, cucumbers, lettuces, tomatoes, squash, tomatillos, zucchini, pumpkins, and sunflowers you were hoping for.

We love Draper.
I'm so thankful for our lives and our health also, we are blessed.

janers getting big enough (days short of 5 months) for the exersaucer, jumper, and bumbo. oh the gadgets and words that come into your life with kids :)

zoo time with cousins. yes, siri looks like a nerd, but she will be a sun-protected nerd :)

above:when mom picks the outfit
below: when child picks the outfit

the sticker

I have to go get more hot chocolate, just in case summer never comes. You know your husband loves hot chocolate when you have to buy the can that says "Good for Daycares, Offices, and Schools".

Every other month I have a GNO with the girls in the family. Last night we ate good food and made yarn wreaths. Yes, I crafted, all by myself. I made a patriotic one, so maybe I'll take a pic of it once I put it up on the door.

I'm still reading Atlas Shrugged, and am almost done with Born to Run. If you are a human and do any form of locomotion you need to read that book and tell me what you think. I got a little too excited and tried changing my running stride too quickly. Now my achilles is sore. Mark is reading Driven (story of Larry Miller) and it sounds like a good one to put on the list.

Mark and I have never had any type of smartphone or internet on our phones. People ask "How do you live without it?!" You don't miss what you don't have. But, Mark really does need it with how much he travels (I'm excited to not get a call at 11pm when he's trying find his way from the airport to the hotel) and the importance of getting back to people as soon as he can. So, he now has an iPhone. Its probably standard for most people to have one, but for us it is a new luxury for now.

I'm planning my 10 year high school reunion that will be in August. I meet with a few other people about once a month. Honestly I really don't want to be doing this, I wish someone else would. But when we get together, its so much fun to catch up and talk about high school and our lives now. If any of you have suggestions for what I should or shouldn't do, please share. And if you're reading this and you are in our graduating class-come, whether your motivation is excitement, guilt, or just to support me;) I'd appreciate it.

The moment

2011-05-09T21:58:00.004-06:00

leaving for St.George

Mark crossed the finish line and in that moment, he became an Ironman. I don't know how many people have finished one, but I know that its a small percent of the worlds population and that its not an easy task. I don't have a desire to do one, but I am most definitely going to do a marathon.

THANK YOU thank you to Bill, Annie, Liz, B & JR for coming down to support us!

We're going to have a 'sticker ceremony' tomorrow. Its kinda weird, but Mark loves stickers. He always had stickers on his car and gear in high school and to this day I have to tell him 'no' when he starts to put stickers on things (since he'd rather do that then throw away a good sticker). I bought an Ironman sticker a few months back and told him we'd put it on the car when the race was done :)

Oh, and he has a love (as do other males?) for mustaches, thus, the handlebar grown especially for his race.
p.s. I also had to refuse to cut a mullet for him.

just before the swim start

windy sunday

because he can

2011-04-30T20:34:00.004-06:00

Why is Mark doing the Ironman? Because he can.
He's thankful to have a healthy strong body, he feels that this is a way to show gratitude for it. Crazy? Yes, it is crazy. It's also probably the hardest game, mentally, that he will ever play. He's been training in this friggin ugly snowy weather and is going to race next Saturday in sunny 90 degree heat. That will throw a wrench in things I'm sure. The swim is 2.4 miles. Next imagine biking from Lehi to Fillmore. Yeah, he's going to bike that distance and follow it up with a run thats like going from Draper to the Salt Lake Airport. Running that far? I don't even like to drive that far.

I don't picture him getting hooked on this type of race. People had warned me about that. He'll probably continue to do Half/Sprint/Olympic distance triathlons, but he's already talking about how he's excited to get back to skating (skate boarding that is. Wouldn't it be funny if he was into skating as in ice skating..anyway...)

I want to share, with the entire 3 4 people who read this blog, how proud I am of Mark. First of all for wanting to do something so challenging and second, for working hard to get there. A week from now I hope to tell you the third part, which is how proud I am of him for finishing and being an IRONMAN. Is there a chance he won't finish? Yes. But that is a waste of time to think about, so we'll prepare this week and pray (yes, really) that he can do this. In a week I'll also be excited to work in the yard together and get the garden going. Have breakfast together every morning and not have a husband who tastes like salt half the time.

In other news, Siri continues to develop a funny, smart, and sassy personality.
Me "Siri, come in for dinner"
Siri "No, I'm riding my bike"
Me "Come in now please, you can ride after you're done"
Siri "No! Don't talk to me like that!!"
Yikes. I shut the door and went inside.
My other favorite is when she says "Mommy! Look at me when I talk to you!"

Janers is 4 months old. 60% for her weight and 90% for her height. She sleeps through the night (about 8pm-7am) and is staring to roll front to back. She loves the bath and looking in the mirror. She continues to be a champ at blowing out.

I take the girls to the same office with the same nurse and the same train on the wall
that was there when I was a kid!

We finally found someone to rent our townhome in Ogden, so that is a relief to me. I'm reading Atlas Shrugged and look forward to being able to workout alone and for longer amounts of time post Ironman. I tried a few new recipes this week that I loved. Lemon Ricotta muffins, Sour Cream waffles, and brussel sprouts-chop in food processor and fry up in some bacon grease. You can make almost any food taste better with bacon :) I watched an episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution-that is a show worth watching. Mark and I watch Parenthood too. I don't know why more people don't watch it, its SO good but makes me very nervous to have the girls be teenagers. I'll think about starting solid food and potty training for now.

uhh, cute Easter picture, er something.

I took Siri to Brighton.

She mostly likes it for the chair lift and fries at the lodge, but at least I can get her to go.

Easter party!

2011-04-26T20:00:00.002-06:00

Mark just posted a few pics from the Easter Egg Hunt on his bloggazoid: www.pier23.typepad.com Check 'em out!

big day

2011-04-18T14:43:00.004-06:00

first day in a bed. we've just done a nap, we'll see how night time goes.

got a few rows planted

Kate turned 4, awesome party.

Who is John Galt? I saw the movie first, now I'm reading the book...Atlas Shrugged

Lots o babies-at this age and stage of my life, most of my friends are having babies like me

nerd alert nerd alert, I laughed so hard when Siri wore these

March 18th

2011-03-23T21:53:00.005-06:00

If you're thinking about having a baby, or another kid...I recommend it.
They can make you smile so easily.

I had a birthday. I LOVE birthdays, especially my own. I believe that no one should ever work on their birthday and they should be spoiled all day, which I was :)

I woke up to Mark making d-licious pancakes. Complete with a decorated kitchen and fresh flowers. He then sang me a song in which he made up his own lyrics to the tune of this song. He saved up some money so that I could go get some new clothes, what a sweet. He gave me a cool little fold out with pics of the girlies (the front and back are magnetic). He stayed home with the girls and did yard work while I went running.

A bunch of my family came over for lunch, including Liz's mother in law (Grandma Jane) who brought Smashburger and ice cream cake.

Then we dropped of the girls and Grandmas while we went to dinner. I am thankful happy grateful humbled to have an angel for a husband.

...already excited for next year!

Mark blessed baby Jane on Sunday. This is the only picture we got since we were in a rush to get to church, and she decided to blow out her diaper in the middle of sacrament meeting. It made me so peaceful and happy to see Mark's 5 brothers, dad, and my 2 brothers, brother in law, and step-dad all around her.

Hers likes me

2011-03-13T21:48:00.005-06:00

Siri above, Jane below

siri above, jane below

Siri often tells me "hers likes me"...meaning Jane likes her. I love that Siri loves her sister. I don't love that Siri is getting aggressive in her tantrums (like kicking me when trying to put her down for a nap and flipping out at church today so much that we left early). She's a toddler, that's a good enough explanation for me. Her sweetness balances things out, like when she asks if I'm sad and shares her blankie with me, or tells me the story of the miracle of Lazarus. Or while driving home from St George she tells me in a frustrated voice "my eyes keep going up and down mommy!" (she was dozing off to sleep).
My Janie is sweet and innocent, I love her. She can be a bugger at nursing, but just stares up at me and smiles, sometimes cooing too. She lets me sleep 5-7 hours at night :) At her 2mo appt she was 23.78 inches (93%) and 11.84lb (77%). And she did not like her shots, oh the fussiness after was not cool.
Mark is...a crazy person. In a good way. His Ironman training continues and is at its height these next three weeks. He continues to work and be an amazing husband and dad. I'm thankful he's the one doing a 5 hr 45min workout on Saturday and not me (although I look forward to working out for more than 45minutes once his training is done and he can spend more time with the girls).
I am ...well, exactly right this moment I am craving a big fat bowl of ice cream. That doesn't exactly go well with trying to lose pregnancy weight, so maybe I'll just have a little bowl. I'm so happy to have warmer weather, and look forward to planting another garden. Who knows where we'll be after October (when we have to move), so I'm enjoying this while I can.

We swam every day in St. George, blew lots and lots of bubbles, and Mark did a 1/2 Ironman distance training workout. Liz and Sam came too which was nice for Sam and Siri to be able to play so much. I only brought one pack n play. I figured Siri would be fine sleeping on the floor. *she had never not slept in a crib. Yeah that didn't go over well. 2am and she's running up and down the hallway crying/screaming for me. ...Jane slept on the floor the remainder of the trip while Siri used the pack n play.

good thing they got some fun in last week...
today Liz0 got hit by another skier at Alta and busted her collar bone.

A proud day

2011-03-02T21:50:00.003-07:00

Took Siri skiing today for her first time. She was excited...until I told her I was going to put her skis on. She cried. Then I realized we'd sit on the snow forever unless I made her try it. So, I did. And she liked it (maybe even loved it). We had an awesome time taking breaks to eat snow. She even loved the chair lift (which I thought might scare her). I was SO proud of her, what a good sport! I look forward to many more ski days with her.

Things we love

2011-02-20T10:51:00.007-07:00

smiles and silly faces from sister

eating spaghetti

jumping on the trampoline, every day

going to Ikea

singing 'Frosty the Snowman' while building one

making forts and watching a movie for daddy-daughter date night

pigtails and caramel popcorn

switching out newborn clothes for 3 month ones since she's growing so fast

going to Grandma's!

***things we love, but not as much: the sound of Jane spitting up and/or blowing out, major tantrum-crazy-meltdown from Siri yesterday, taking the garbage out down the muddy pot hole lane, having to find new tenants for our townhome-again.

the worst best night

2011-02-12T14:24:00.002-07:00

Last night was the best night yet for Jane. 9:30pm-6am. Unfortunately for me I woke up about 3:30am and never went back to sleep...thus it was the worst best night. I switched out most of her newborn clothes for 3m clothes. They're a little big, but rather too big than try to squish her into newborn stuff that is too short.

I went for a run this morning and could have worn shorts. Oh how nice that sun felt!

Mark has to go out of town for work for the next five days so I'll be going at the two-kid thing alone for the first time. I easily admit that I'm nervous. Mostly nervous that I'll turn into a crazy mean mom. I hate it when I do that. So, I'll try to enjoy the whining, poopy diapers, trying to appease 2 girls at once, and staying home more than usual as best I can.

And, is Cheesecake Factory really that good? Yes, yes it is.

3 months left...

2011-02-07T20:58:00.003-07:00

Three months from today I will (hopefully) have finished the Ironman in St. George and will be wolfing down pizza + bacon cheeseburger while receiving a 4-hour massage. That sounds about right, doesn't it?

Am I ready? No.

I have been training consistently and finish my workouts well but it's hard for me to truly fathom doing the entire Ironman distance in one fell swoop. There are times when I wish the race was tomorrow so I could simply gut it out and get it done. Then reason kicks in (I know - this is a rare occasion) and I am suddenly grateful for a few extra months of preparation and

training.

This is me after 6 months of training. Ali told me that it's not a terrible sight if you can get past the screamin' UV rays from my pastiness. I certainly feel like I am in better overall shape (I better be after 6 months!) but I can't tell you how much I would just like to get skate instead of bike indoors on my trainer.

Nonetheless, I am still pretty stoked to be a part of this event. I am super glad to have friends suffering right there beside me (or a few miles in front me i am sure). It's going to be amazing and definitely don't regret signing up.

One month on earth

2011-01-31T10:05:00.004-07:00

One month

One month ago from right now I was having contractions that I didn't know would lead to a speedy delivery of baby Jane.

Some info on the little one...
-Jane weighs about 10lbs I'm guessing (Siri was about 8lb when she was 1 month old)
-She likes to roll onto her sides and has a crazy strong neck
-Commonly called: Janie, sister, J-Bird, Janie Bear
-Wakes up 2x at night to eat
-She's got the lungs of a lion (Mark and I have to stop our conversation if she starts crying since we can't hear each other)

We're blessed to have a healthy happy baby and are getting used to having two. I don't really take Jane anywhere; too scared she'll get sick. Siri has spells of jealously, mostly when I'm holding Jane and she wants to be held too. Thankfully Mark is often around to give Siri extra love. Last Friday I took Siri on a date, which I looked forward to all week. We visited her cousins, went to dinner, and watched Cinderella. I probably had more fun that she did!

We're grateful for everyone who has helped and fed us lately, we appreciate your love and support.

I'm thankful for Mark's talent and love for photography!

grandma Carol

Recovery

2011-01-22T13:53:00.003-07:00

Labor is the easy part. Not sleeping well for 3 weeks straight and having someone depend on you for food every 3 hours is the hard part. But, last night Jane had sympathy for me and only woke up once. Thank you for your kindness sweet girl!

This morning I went to the gym and then did some yardwork outside with Siri. I love that she loves to help me rake and pick up branches. I enjoy being outside working, being in the sun. I was happy to rake the leaves to find green sprouts starting to grow. Only 2 more months until spring :)

Both kids are sleeping and Mark is out on a 3 hour ride (which will be followed by a short run). I usually log in to work for Backcountry.com at this time if its a weekday. Since its Saturday, I'll hurry and blog and maybe fall asleep listening to my book, The Endurance, on my iPod.

You are NOT the biggest loser

2011-01-15T21:15:00.002-07:00

Jane Jane Jane...tiny babies are kinda scary. She has fully fountained up two full feedings, all over me and her, today. It makes me so nervous when they're tiny. She has a stuffy nose too. Mark has been gone all day shooting life events...two funerals and a wedding (hopefully he'll be home by 11pm). Things are just harder when you're alone. I think oftentimes "How did my mom do it?!" Many thanks to LizDanSam who came and kept us company and brought yummy dinner. We enjoyed watching 'Wipeout' too, so funny.

As for her 2 week appt, I'm glad to say Jane is not the biggest loser. My little champ gained a pound and is now a solid 9lbs. The pediatrician says maybe I'm producing whipping cream as opposed to skim milk :). She's proportionate though-height, weight and head size all between 75-85 percentile. Most newborn outfits (like the pink one below) are too short though and she can't stretch her legs straight so we've moved on to 3month clothes.

We bundled up and went on a long walk today. Jane in the bjorn, Siri in the stroller. It was pretty warm actually and nice to get out. It's no beach, but at least the sun was shining.
I love that Siri is not only my daughter, but my friend. I appreciate more now the time alone I get to spend with her. Last night we went to get ice cream (she went #2 in the potty!). When we sat down at the booth she held out her ice cream cone to me and said "Cheers Mom". Love her.

Yesterday I went running outside for the first time in months. Oh it made me so happy! I told Mark that besides getting more sleep, exercise is the next thing that can make me feel better.

One week on earth

2011-01-07T20:46:00.004-07:00

Mark and Dr Steve (his oldest brother).

One week ago sweet Jane was born. I love her! The hospital stay was really nice, we love IMC and the staff there, so it was a little (k, a lot) rough coming home the first night. I am amazed and thankful at how well all of us are doing, even Siri. I'm incredibly proud of her. She has been as good as I had only hoped for, but didn't expect. She is very soft and gentle with the baby and hasn't been jealous (yet) when I hold Jane. I took her to a music class at the library this morning, and Mark took her to get an ice cream cone tonight. I hope she knows how much we love her. Aunt Kerrah gave her scraggle mullet a trim and now she looks so cute!

So the short version of the short labor goes like this...5am, dull contractions. I go to the gym and the store. 10am I go visit my dad, still contractions but nothing too painful. About 12:30ish lunch with Siri. 12:45 these pains are getting bad all of a sudden. I call Mark to hurry home, my dr to tell him we're coming, and Liz, to come be with Siri. 1:15ish, I'm walking down our snow packed lane because I can't get to the hospital fast enough. I jump in the car with Mark and by time we get on the freeway on 13800 S I'm in serious labor-uh, what are those noises coming out of my mouth? About 90th south I tell him to call 911. We start sliding across 3 lanes of traffic about 7200 S due to light snow. We FINALLY get to the hospital and I get to a delivery room. 6 minutes later (1:47pm) our 8lb 21 inch daughter was born! Recovery has been 90x better than with Siri. Although it was scary thinking I was going to have a baby in the car, I'm so thankful for the experience and to know what it feels like to birth a child naturally.

She has hair!

Mark got sick the week after Christmas, and then with the new baby he hadn't really done any training. But, he's back at it in this ridiculously cold weather, and I'm proud of him. It will only get harder as his workouts get longer. Some people think I'm a crazy person for 'letting' him do this, but its something I would love to do someday too. Everyone needs a challenge. The challenge in this short phase of my life just happens to be working to get as much sleep as I can and breastfeeding (which is going so much better this time around by the way).

And can I just say how incredible the Relief Society of the church is?! I can't believe how kind our ward has been, especially since we've only been here 9 months. We had dinner brought to us every night this week, it was a huge help and gift. I also am about speechless with how thankful I am to my sister Liz for her help the last few weeks. She was willing to come help me and when I asked her to sleep over with Siri in the hospital, help me with our broken down car (twice), and visit me when Mark was gone working... she was(and is) always there without hesitation. My mom took a day off work on Wednesday to come be with me. Wow, her version of a clean bathroom is so much better than mine. I actually want to take a bath in my tub now. Thanks mom :)

Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-01T17:26:00.003-07:00

Welcome baby Jane, we love you!

Plumped up

2010-12-28T15:55:00.005-07:00

December has been great
(minus having to have the car towed twice, Siri having the barfs, and getting a speeding ticket...but let's focus on the good stuff).

My Mom and John have a beautiful tree, train set going around the bottom and everything.

We saw the lights at Temple Square, as I believe everyone should this time of year. There was the best free hot chocolate...although Siri says she just likes 'warm chocolate'.

The usual baking with the girls

Christmas day was cozy, we stayed home all morning, then visited the Thackerays in the late afternoon, went to see Grandma Thack, then back to Milt and Sandy's. Everyone had gone so Siri was left to play with Charlie the dog (which she seemed to enjoy). If you ask Siri what she got for Christmas she usually says "A SUCKER!"...yeah, she got a dumdum sucker in her stocking, and a lot of cooler stuff she doesn't care about so I hid it.

I went to the Dr today, 38 weeks. I was happy that I didn't gain any weight in the last week, seeing as how last appt I had put on 5lbs the 2 weeks before. Yeah, baby and I are plumping up nicely. Even though I've done this before, I still have that feeling of the unkown, who knows how, or when, this labor will go. I'm *excited though and ready (er, as ready as I could be) to have our world shaken up. *Part of that excitement may be that I look forward to getting rid of restless legs, congestion, heart burn, a huge belly, and being able to go running and sit Siri on my lap once more.

Ironman Update

2010-12-13T20:54:00.003-07:00

So it's been 4 months of training and so far so good........i think.

Two weeks ago, I went down to St. George with Cody, Andy, Adam and their wives to go ride the bike portion and do some of the run course as well. Friday we went and rode from the first transition at San Hollow through the first loop and back to the house, which put us around 75 miles and took us about 4.5 hours. (The actual race course contains a second loop and then back to the Tabernacle for the second transition). I had never ridden that far (or that long) and my neck was killing me. I was definitely tired but not as beat as I thought I might be.

The next day we ran half of the run course (13 miles) and that was tough. The first 10 miles actually felt pretty good but the last 3 were brutal. My muscles started to tighten up and I just felt sluggish. Definitely have some serious work to do.

But it was super nice to get down there and experience the course, not to mention go workout in some nice weather. I have to say I feel pretty good about where I am at as far as training goes, but also pretty stoked that I still have 5 months to become stronger! I am certainly going to need it.

Ali has been so so good with me and my crazy training schedule - so lucky to have such a stellar wife like her. (and to think that she is 8 months prego and still is so good to me)

So anyone who wants to come down for the Ironman race this May (May 7th) it's going to be a PAR-TAY. You can come and watch me fall flat on my face (more than once I am sure) and watch all the rest of the stupids trying to finish this crazy race.

"I want to go back to Alta Mommy"

2010-12-09T13:49:00.005-07:00

We haven't been up the canyon yet this ski season. We don't have season passes, and being 8 mo pregnant doesn't help either. (I think knowing my sis Liz was up there yesterday inspired me). So today Siri and I went up to Alta.

It was her pre-lesson to skiing...watching people ski. And she loved it! We walked around a bunch, I pulled her in the sled for a while. She waved to the skiers as they passed by and would name the color coat they had. We stopped in the lodge for some snacks, and had a snowball fight before we left.

I hope hope hope she will love the mountains and the beauty of the snow as much as Mark and I do.

snoozin on the job

2010-11-20T14:11:00.002-07:00

As you know we've been potty training at our house. She loves her underwear and doesn't want diapers. But she will not go #2 on the potty. She cries that she wants to and that she needs to get it out...but nothing ever happens (until its nap time or bed time with a pull up on). I feel so bad for her, she seems like she's trying so hard.
Today was yet another struggle to get her down for a nap because she says she has to go. I went go find some patience and change a load of laundry and when I came back, bless her heart, she was nodding off to sleep on the toilet. It was so hard not to laugh too loud!

He's 28

2010-11-15T15:45:00.004-07:00

A birthday a long time ago

birthday two years ago

Happy Birthday today!

Love my Mark. He's incredible, really. I love him so much, sometimes I think "I wish everyone could have a husband as good as mine". Proud? Yes, and very thankful. Lately I've also admired his efforts in training for the Ironman. Its dark, and cold, and sometimes wet, but he works out anyway. Siri and I made red velvet cupcakes per Mark's request.

now I'm at the top of your blogroll

2010-11-12T14:46:00.004-07:00

A year ago (well, Nov 20 to be exact) I got Lasik on my eyes. What a B-LESSING! This pic was taken 5 days after. Today I went to my 1 year appt and am still seeing 20/20. I love technology.

I take Siri once or twice a week to MyGym. She LOVES it and I love watching her expound so much energy and play with (or at least near) other kids.

It snowed the end of October. It was beautiful, but I was happy it all melted the next day.

My friend Jennifer snapped a few pics of me and this one with Siri. I love it.

Mary Chapin Carpenters "Thanksgiving Song" has great lyrics for this time of year.

I started potty training Siri on Wednesday. So far its been pretty good. I think its as hard for me as it is for her! The biggest obstacle is that she won't #2 in the potty (and that I'm afraid to go anywhere). Yeah, gross, but its real life ya know. Anyway, you go listen to that song and I'll go tell my daughter for the millionth time "tell mommy if you need to go potty"...

Autumn

2010-10-22T22:12:00.007-06:00

Pumpkin smoothie from Jamba, pumpkin bagels from Einstein, pumpkin cheesecake icecream, pumpkin pie...I've tried pumpkin everything and LOVE it! Not sure if its pregnancy or just that it really is that good.

Mark has been biz-e this month so Siri and I have had a lot of time to spend together...

going to the cabin with Grandma Carol

going to St.George with Grandma Sandy and Uncle Bill.
Siri loves her Uncle Bill and we got to see Sandy do her first triathlon!

I made grape jelly. This is a pic of my hands after I had washed them.
It is taystee though! So good on a toasted PB&J.

We went to the Barnyard Boo at Thankgiving Point (face painting, wagon ride, goo making, animals to see) and a pumpkin festival in Draper at Farnsworth Farms (hello apple cider donuts :)

We made molasses cookies. The smell it gives your house is priceless, all gingercloveyumlike.

We found a turtle outside our backdoor. We think it was a water turtle. He hung around for a day but wandered off somewhere.

We slept over at Grandma Carol's house. Siri got to help feed the horses.

Siri swam in Grandma's giant tub

And tonight we had a family Halloween party at LizDanSam's. Good times.

We also signed up for a few months of MyGym and got a basic pass to Dimple Dell rec center. Bring on the cold weather!
Lately Siri has been much more aware of when she's wet, poopy, etc and makes me change her diaper a lot more. I need to buckle down and take a try at potty training, so if you have any advice, please PLEASE share.
Today I picked the last of the harvest before everything freezes in the upcoming days. I have bowls of tomatoes, a bowl of raspberries, and still have 5 pumpkins I need to go pick.

It was a perfect autumn day today.

Maiden Voyage

2010-10-01T20:26:00.006-06:00

So Mark hasn't ever owned a road bike (the only bike he has is a hand me down mountain bike from his sister that he put commuter tires on). We figure if he's going to do the Ironman, he should have his own bike. It was either get something off KSL, or try to proform one through my work. The latter option worked out for us, albeit 3x more expensive than something off KSL, but an amazing bike he got! (Sorry Mark, there goes Christmas/Anniversary/Bday gifts for the next few years). He got some shoes and has most all the gear he needs now.

He rode it for the first time today and fell in love with it. He better become good friends with it, already tomorrow he's got a 2hr 15 min bike (followed by a 30min run).

We went out to breakfast w/Liz and my mom for Liz's birthday. It was an extra special treat since none of us had to be anywhere (although if you know if anyone that needs a marketing or admin assistant, let my mom know:) Everyday since Liz's birthday, Siri has talked about it, and how she blew out the candles (before Liz could). Apparently she had a lot of fun.

FHE visits to the awesome Draper and Salt Lake Temples

I was able to keep up my motivation.
I canned apple pie filling, froze tomato basil soup, canned salsa, and froze some peaches. As excited as I am about it, the real test is if it will actually taste good in a few months!

Oktoberfest

Siri and I went to the pumpkin growing contest and Harvest Festival at Thanksgiving Point while Mark was shooting a wedding in Florida.

We spent way too much time outside the grocery store today...she's a sucker for Big Bird.

And tonight we had TimLizTess over. Holy smokes that little girl is awesome, especially when we dressed her up in a little chick Halloween costume-it made us all crack up laughing! Heart you Jensons. Now I'm listening to Siri chat away in her crib, saying things like 'no whining!' (yelling it to Pooh Bear, "Coooh dood" and of course "Lizzie's burfday".

I think I'm about 25 weeks now. I still feel good, minus the heartburn that kept me awake last night. Yuck, I've never had it before. I'm still (barley) jogging, but now start to make noises when I have to bend over too far or too long. This pregnancy has already gone by so fast.

Tomorrow Siri and I are going to the cabin for one last time (Mark has to stay home to shoot a wedding). Hopefully we'll come back with some great pics of autumn.

taste buddies

2010-09-18T21:14:00.007-06:00

I like to cook. It makes me feel good (and to eat it too, obviously). I just opened the oven to take out 2 pumpkin pies. Oh how I love that warm pumpkin spice wafting on my face! Now I just have to be patient enough to let it cool so I can put some whipped cream on top and have a slice {too late, just snarffed down a piece}.

I am proud to stay that I had my first round at canning. Who knew that could be so fulfilling? We had a ton of grapes so I did grape juice (and we still have more grapes). I was relieved and proud that all 8 cans sealed and nothing broke or cracked in the process.

I currently have tomato basil soup simmering down on the stove. I'll puree it and then can that tomorrow. I've got a bag of apples to peel and cut and I'll make that into apple pie filling and can that too (I hope I can keep up the motivation I have right now, I think that is part of my reason for posting).

We also made a red pepper pesto this week from the peppers in our garden. We froze a few tupperwares so we can enjoy it later on.

I'm going to borrow my sis's food processor and make salsa out of our tomatoes, jalapenos, and onions we've grown. Having a baby due in January is also adding motivation. All this canned and stored yummyness will be very handy in a few months.

Today I went to a big parking lot baby/kid garage sale and got ski boots for Siri, a fleece jacket, a potty training seat, a pair of newborn pj's, 2 shirts, newborn hat, 3 onesies, and 3 swaddling blankets for $29. I'm pretty excited about it. Mark also biked today in his foxy new bike attire (his first time owning spandex that's not in speedo form). He'll have to post some pics.
We went to the Oktoberfest with LizDanSam and Em&Jess. I have grown to love sitting and listening to the german music they play. And its always nice to be up the canyon. Then we hiked a little way up the Red Pine Trailhead. It was a good day.

{today I also worried about what I'm going to do with a newborn and where we're going to live in a year, when my aunt gets back, and how things will be when Mark is training like crazy...but I'd prefer to post about the good things and the worries pale in comparison anyway}

And another good tidbit: Siri's birthday was radical!
She weighs 26.8lb (53%), 18.6in noggin' (45%), and is 34.5in tall (69%).

She got 3 or 4 shots (even I couldn't stand to watch...needles make me shutter). She did really well. Had a gap in breath/speech so she could get her wail out and then was fine after she got the purple sucker.

We went to the zoo in the morning, had lunch with grandpa Mike, swimming w LizSam then party with more friends and family! She got a new orange bike that she lu hu huvs. She doesn't really get the whole push with your feet thing, but she'll catch on. Her Aunt Zaza and Uncle Bill gave her a stuffed Pooh bear that she carries around constantly and sleeps with now (so much for her faithful sidekick Leo the Lion who has slept with her since birth). And the doll accessories from JennKate have been another hit. Mark has pics from that lovely evening on his camera.

Her favorite seemed to be the elephants and the monkeys

did I mention that I got double the amount of cupcakes I meant to get? I thought I ordered 24...but ended up with 48! Good thing is that there is no such thing as too many cupcakes.
super cute clippies handmade with love from Auntie Kerrah.

The Point of No Return...

2010-09-13T20:54:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago, I made one of those decisions that can (depending on the day) make you super excited/conquer-the-world-type feeling or make you feel scared out of your freakin' mind: I signed up for the St. George Ironman Triathlon. (gulp)

I sometimes try to pawn the decision off on my friend, Cody Flamm, who called me encouraging/persuading/threatening (again, depending on the day and who I am telling the story to) to do it with him. But I think I am just kind of crazy. And that is totally fine with me. (I actually came to grips with my freak-o-ness back in the day so it doesn't bother me.) Plus, I take consolation in the fact that Cody will be there suffering with me.

In reality though, I have always secretly wanted to do an Ironman but have never had the guts to sign up and train for one. That is, until Cody called me up and straight up asked me to do it. (Cody is my hero, by the way) Admittedly, I was hesitant, scared, and extremely intimidated by the sheer gnarliness of the entire event (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, 26.2 mile run) but it was one of those things that I felt incredibly good about the moment after I signed up for it. Love that feeling.

So I am going to attempt to document my progress as I go through my weekly workouts. I doubt I will post my weekly progress so I will try for bi-monthly as well as me at the start of my training and then photos after I complete the Ironman, which will probably include me in an ambulance.

Start Date: August 30th, 2010

Starting weight: 175 lbs

September 11th, 2010

Weight: 169 lbs

*Picture note: I was going to sport a speedo but Siri told me not to. Sorry Tim :(

The first few weeks are focused primarily on solidifying proper techniques, especially for the swim since it's the most technique-oriented of the three disciplines. My workout is set up to feature one heavier workout a week (Saturdays) with regular, exercise-oriented workouts throughout the week (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri). Most of the weekly sessions only last for 45 minutes or so. Today I biked for 55 minutes followed by a 30 minute run. I haven't really had any weekday sessions that last for more than 2 hours, yet, but will certainly have to reschedule my days to be able to fit everything in when they arrive.

If any of you out there are have even the slightest desire to try something that is way bigger than you, then come and do the Ironman with me. It would be awesome to get a group of people together to accomplish something of this magnitude! Woot woot!

Last, I have to thank my gorgeous Mrs; Ali has been so supportive of me doing this and I hope that I won't be too much of a burden for her. Thanks goodness for an awesome wife!

harvest

2010-09-12T14:43:00.003-06:00

We have tomatoes growing like 'gangbusters!' as my aunt would say. I love everything we've been able to harvest from the garden. The grapes and apples have been dee-lish this week too.
Mark made jalapeno poppers after church today...I want more. We've tried them fried before, but I like the baked ones today better.

Mark taught Siri how to do spread eagles on the trampoline.
I hope someday she'll do them on snow.

We had a huge pile of weeds, leaves, branches, etc we finally burned yesterday. We had to call Draper city with the burn permit # and everything. Scary, but mesmerizing to watch it at the same time. Mark smelled so bad once it was finally done.

Heart these two

My sweet friend Rachel, who lives in Minneapolis, came into town to bless her new babe and see family. I was so happy to spend some time over at the Hill house, just like we used to, only now with kids around.

On Tuesday Siri will be turning TWO!
Two years ago I was writing about a baby shower, waiting for her arrival.

Hairs cut

2010-09-09T15:14:00.005-06:00

Went to Dr. T today. 22 weeks and all is well. I'm happy to have such a smooth pregnancy so far.

Mark went to Lake Powell with his fam over Labor Day weekend. Siri and I had fun playing and
Siri got her first haircut! It was more like a mullet-trim. Either way, her hair looks better. Kerrah's a great kid-hair-cutter.

My mom and John went to Slovenia to visit his fam, so we got together at the park before she left. Siri's a snugglelover.

Siri found Mark's iTouch. She found a skate game or something, and told me she wanted to watch surfing. I asked her if she wanted signing time or surfing...she went with surfing.

Folly Beach, SC: The Edge of America

2010-08-31T20:46:00.011-06:00

So for all the southern awesomeness we just had while you were at home working,

go to Mark's blogazoid

A pre-update

2010-08-30T22:06:00.002-06:00

We just got back from South Carolina (Folly Beach). I had to post a few pics before Mark put his up (since mine are so ghetto, compared to his. I still love my 6 year old little Pentax digital camera though).

The ocean was SO warm! I love the soft sandy and shell filled beaches. The waves were good for surfing (or watching in my case). The weather was perfect and partly cloudy. The best part is that the beaches never get crowded there.

This what you do on an airplane for 4 hours...eat suckers and make silly faces.

We went to a place called Melvins.
They give you an onion ring the size of a donut, really, with your meal.

heading South

2010-08-25T09:55:00.002-06:00

Oh, and we are heading to South Carolina tomorrow for a sweet getaway. Woot woot!

tech babies

2010-08-25T09:36:00.004-06:00

anyone else worried that the kids these days will be too tech savvy? i guess we can worry about that later....they are sure cute now!

3 vs 1

2010-08-09T11:35:00.001-06:00

In January Mark will be outnumbered, in a good way. We'll have another girl joining our family! We are so thankful. I love the miracle of babies and families.

Spudder

2010-08-02T20:24:00.003-06:00

Did you know that a U Boat from WW II was just recently discovered off the cost of New Jersey in 1991? It took 6 or 7 years just to identify the wreckage. We listened to part of a book on cd about it on our way up to Idaho for the Spudman. The book, Shadow Divers, had too much bad language, so we quit listening and I googled to find out what happened. It was U Boat 869. Very interesting, was a great story, too bad it had more f-words than I could handle.

So...for the 7th time in my life, Mark's 4th, we went up to Idaho for the Spudman triathlon. Sometimes I think "why are we up here? what is the big deal?". Then the sunsets/rises and we see the Snake river. Its beautiful, and you are guaranteed to see people you know. It's a really great race. Siri and I cheered Mark on, he took 10th place in his division (out of 83) and I'm very proud of him. He didn't train, which I admire since he stays in good shape from skateboarding and working in the garden.

Siri was adamant about wearing her goggles (like dad). She fell asleep with them on :)

We had a big family party at our house with all of my mom's side of the family. We worked really hard in the garden/yard to make things look great, and it paid off. It was a prefect party-good food and good company. Siri didn't nap that day and ate way too much caramel popcorn. She was happy.

This pic is so funny. Siri and her cousin Sam glued to the TV watching Baby Signing Time

Mark's mom, Sandy, gets Siri the cutest clothes. She looked like a doll at church yesterday.

See those plants around me. Those are giant Sunflowers. I planted them from seed this spring. They are just getting their flowers and should be blooming soon. They are HUGE!

We've made 2 rounds of basil pesto so far and have tomatoes ripening. Joy.

Siri put on my running shoes. She told me she was going to run to the temple and the park.

We go play with Grandma Sandy about once a week. She spoils Siri, doing whatever she wants to do, including playing with the hose on the slide with her doll and Charlie the dog.

Tonight I made mixed greens with baked goat cheese and roasted red pepper vinaigrette. Along with roasted garlic bread, watermelon and blueberries. Luckily Liz Dan Sam could come over to enjoy it with us. I highly recommend that recipe, especially if you love goat cheese (I get mine at Costco).

I'm almost done reading In Defense of Food: an eaters manifesto. If you think and care about what you eat (sometimes I worry I think about it too much), you will really be interested in this book. It talks about nutrition science and the food industry, both of which seem to do us more harm than good. I love the example he gives of Sara Lee's Soft & Smooth Whole Grain White Bread "Wait a minute-isn't whole grain white bread a contradiction in terms? Evidently not any more". He talks about how many "foods" in the grocery store are not food. Personally, I agree...I just saw an add for fruity pebbles cupcake cereal. Are you kidding me?! There is a lot more to it, so just go get it from the library and read it.

a bird and a bike

2010-07-20T22:13:00.003-06:00

We are bird sitting...the parrot will only let Mark hold him.

We went to the Thack Shack, it feels and smells reeeel nice up the canyon.

We biked to the Draper Days extravaganza at the park last weekend.
Siri above with her new headband and sucker she won.

I take Siri on bike rides and we make our way down to the skate park to watch Mark for a bit.

My sis in law Bridget and I...two prego ladies did the Echo triathlon, sort of. It was a relay sprint team and all I did was the run. It was still fun to be there.

Siri's cousin Eric had a bday party, awesome blow up slide included. Mark and Siri tried it out. Siri went down once, she just wanted to jump on it.

Eating peas in the garden

We've been working every night in the yard to get it ready for a family party on the 24th. All the work we've done so far this year is worth it now that a few tomatoes are ripening, raspberries are red, zucchini are growing, and pumpkins are forming. Although I don't think there will ever be such a thing as a worry free sprinkler system.

Siri is a happy girl. She loves animals, purses, pretending to call people on the phone, flip flops, jumping (on the bed, trampoline, in the pool, etc), swinging, bike rides, teeboh bugs (potato bugs), hummus, milk, pahseecohs (popsicles), and painting her nails. She's pretty shy, doesn't talk much in front of other people, but I hope its just a phase.

I'm starting to feel better, don't have to nap and feel nauseated every day. I do feel very, very tubby though. I'm in the fat stage where people think "Hmmm, is she pregnant? I think she might be, but I can't tell. She might just be a little tubby. No, she's probably pregnant. Well, maybe not". I rode Millcreek, just to the gate, today. I'm thankful I am healthy and feel good enough to keep riding and jogging. We find out next month if we're having a boy or girl. Mark is doing a triathlon at the end of the month. I can testify that he has done zero training so far, but that is nothing new. He always places in the top 5 in his division anyway, he's superhuman.

Dinner and a game

2010-07-06T22:32:00.002-06:00

Made a not quiche for dinner tonight. Loved it.
Played in a soccer game tonight, loved that too.
And just wanted to say that I love my family overflowingly (I know that's not a word). Mark and Siri are zeh bessst!

Highlights

2010-06-29T22:06:00.006-06:00

Baby Max (Jenn and Dave's newest) was born on Monday!

We've been watching (and listening...we don't have TV) the World Cup. Tonight Mark and Siri came to my game (I play on an outdoor women's team). Last weekend my dear sis, Liz, watched Siri while we spent the night playing in the Neff's soccer tournament. Awesome date night.
We love soccer

Today Siri finger painted
And sat in her new chair

We went to the cabin and ate oversized marshmallows...more cabin pics to come

Sir and I went to the Utah Arts Festival. We visited my friend Fred Conlon, listened to some good comedy, and had fun making bracelets, painting, and coloring a mask for Siri.

We went to the Venture Outdoors festival in Millcreek. Dunk tanks never get old.

This was a sweet rollerskate crew that performed

More pics of the 'gator', as Mark calls her, HERE

Getting out of the pool...we always hate getting out of the pool.

We played with Matt & Sheri's kids

And have picked strawberries from the garden to eat with breakfast

Oh...and did I mention there is a bun in the oven?!

and

2010-06-15T21:51:00.001-06:00

...and our daughter has a questionable hairdo

up date

2010-06-14T21:40:00.002-06:00

I hear I need to update...I've been avoiding it since I've been too lazy to bring my camera (since I no longer have my work iPhone). A post without pics is a little, uh, its boring.

-We went to the Living Planet Aquarium and got to see the penguins eat, jump, and swim!
-Swimming at the Sports Mall with Jenn and Kate and Draper Pool with Liz and Sam.
-Eating popsicles and looking for 'teetoh bugs' with Siri while Mark has been in Cali and Yellowstone.
-Loving Harmons and then realizing, oh yeah, I don't/can't shop here whenever I want because it's pricey. ...spent $36 in groceries for the week at WalMart today. Hate to love that place too.
-Listening to This American Life radio archive to replace time I'd spend watching TV
-Being depressed about all the ridiculous weeds in the garden.
-Buying plane tickets for a trip to Cali with my girlfriends in August.
-and some other stuff

Yeah, boring without pictures.

5 years ago...

2010-05-26T21:47:00.003-06:00

5 years ago we were having an awesome day! I remember waking up all giddy. I got my hair done. Mark came and picked me up and we drove to the Salt Lake Temple. We got married by my Grandpa Fetzer. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. We ate at the Lion House with my mom and John. We were starving after taking pictures and whatnot. We had our reception at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and then stayed over in Park City. It was such a happy day, I loved it.

I had hoped and knew that marriage would be great, but today I was a little taken aback at how really awesome it is. I love 'us'! And Siri just makes it fuller.

Today I took Siri swimming in the morning, she's a little fish and got mad when we had to go. We were swimming inside but it got chilly and her teeth kept chattering. Siri's Uncle Bill and cousin Leah came to play while Mark and I went out.

Best. Date. Ever.

1 hour Massages
drive up the canyon
Dinner at the SteakPit-amazing
cupcakes from the Sweet Tooth Fairy

Happy Anniversary is right!

2010-05-19T16:43:00.002-06:00

Yes, yes that is what she wore yesterday

She's used to wearing crocs all the time so when I put these cute red numbers on her she couldn't stop staring at her feet

She's not always a peach, but we sure love her

May day

2010-05-10T21:05:00.008-06:00

Notice the scratch on her chin and swollen/cut lower lip...
she turfed it running in the parking lot with her hands in her pockets.

So I was thinking of a title for this post and I thought MayDay...just because its May and its a day...but then I thought, why the heck do you say 'May Day' if you're in trouble or as a call of distress? Well, the googleinterwebs say: This comes from the French m'aidez, which means "help me" and which is pronounced "mayday."

Anywhoos. On with the post. And oh, how I have missed having a more up to date blog. Since working a lot and being too tired to post, let alone get any pics onto the computer, it has made it difficult. But, in 2 weeks that will change. I do not like to quit, at anything in general. But when you are doing something that doesn't make you or or family happy, you need to quit whatever that is. In this case it was my job. I feel relieved and happy to be going back to full time momness. I'll still work a few hours for Backcountry. Siri is in a hard stage right now-whining by the truck load-but I am excited for us to get to know each other better and have some fun adventures. With my job I had to be on the computer in the mornings. And since Siri naps in the afternoon, it didn't make much tons of time for trips. I look forward to going on bike rides or runs and visiting friends and Ikea and the park and swimming, oh how I can't wait for continuous warm weather!

Speaking of running (more like jogging or wogging for me) I just bought the jogger of my dreams, the Bob Revolution Duallie stroller . Isn't that what tax returns and a some REI store credit are good for? Yes, we only have one child, but we want to have more, so I thought I might as well get it now. And I hope that I will have it through all of the childrens to come. It is on backorder, which means I have to patiently keep jogging with my plastic wheeled stroller (makes my arms so tired and the bumps are very bumpy).

Mark bought a few tomato plants a couple weeks ago and they were just getting too sad in their little plastic containers, so he put them in bigger planters and put some walls of water around them to help keep them toasty warm while the nights still get cold.

Liz and Dan got this shirt in Italy when they were there a while ago. Its getting, ok, it is, too small but she looks so foxy in it, chasing the soccer ball around.

Jenn and Kate invited us for a GNO at the Gateway. We went to the children's museum and dinner. Kate is a little social butterfly, going around playing and trying to make friends. While Siri is the opposite, too distracted to play because she is busy just staring at people (while staying on the look out for anyone to come near her in case they want to steal her toys). Her favorite phrase morning, noon, and night is "MINE!"

Mark and I don't have TV, which also allows for more time to write this blog post. Have you ever not had TV? And what did you think? Its pretty nice. Yes, I'd like to have it. But I realize how many benefits there are to not having it. Honestly, part of it is that we're just lazy and don't want to set it up. And we'd either have to pay for cable or get a converter box thingy. I fold laundry within 1-3 days (instead of 6 or 7). We cook better food. We play outside more, go visit the Llama. We play more with Siri. We still watch our select shows on the computer (Parenthood, The Office, Modern Family, and Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution) and I go to Liz's to watch The Biggest Loser. And yes, sometimes I want to just plop down and be entertained, but not having TV has also led us to be more selective about what entertains us. Siri still sticks to her beloved Baby Signing Time DVDs, but we try to pick up fun shows at the library to watch. We'll see how long we last without it.

Happy Mom's Day. Moms are the best. Ever. As long as my mom is around, it will always be her day. I'm glad my whole family could get together. We had dinner up at their house in Kamas and visited with each other for a few hours.

Liz Me Mom skiing this spring

Mark is a gem. It sounds cheesy but I'd say 5 out of the 7 days of the week could be Mother's Day at our house. He cooks, he cleans, he cares for Siri. He makes life happy and he's a kick butt husband. Yes, I just said kick butt. He got me an oversized balloon, beautiful roses, and chocolate. He made Alton Brown's french toast with a blueberry sauce. I read a blog before Mother's Day that talked about how she had wished that her husband could just take care of everything so she could have the day off. She realized the point shouldn't be to get away from being a mom, but to enjoy and love it. I, too, wanted to feel that way. It's all about a good attitude (and a great Dad to help out). Mark cooked and cleaned so I could just have fun playing and being with Siri and not have to worry about the other stuff. It was such a great day.

Random facts: Mark got called to be an Elder's Quorum teacher, I am in Primary with the 6 year olds. My entire windshield wiper fell off on the way to work today (flew off while driving on the freeway in the rain, thankfully it was the passenger side). We will be married 5 years at the end of the month. We love living in Draper. Our neighbors have a turkey, black swans, peacocks, and pheasants. This saturday, May 15, is my fav parking lot garage sale for kid stuff.
More ahhasome pictures found on Mark's photo blog.

baby Jacob

2010-04-30T11:26:00.002-06:00

So Ali, Siri, and I headed up to Kaysville to have some delish dinner with my brother Tom, his wife Heidi, and their 3 kids, Savannah, Benjamin, and the newbie Jacob. It was a blast to see their new house that was recently completed and enjoy the family company. I managed to get a few shots of the newcomer as well that I thought I would post. (for more shots check out the AMB blog)

Such a stud! Thanks Tom and Heidi!

Sunday Afternoons....

2010-04-19T13:15:00.001-06:00

April 18th, 2010 from Brent Holmes on Vimeo.

Like Mother like Daughter?

2010-04-15T21:51:00.003-06:00

Is she looking a little more like me?

Cookie Dough!

2010-04-11T21:01:00.001-06:00

Cookie dough is the answer to all of life's problems. Why is it raining again today? Cookie dough. I overslept and now I'm late for work. Cookie dough. Why can't I live by the beach? Cookie dough. It's like magic.

Siri - glorying in the new found wisdom.

Easter Breakfast Party!

2010-04-05T12:36:00.001-06:00

Easter Breakfast Party on Vimeo.

gettin' learned

2010-03-30T21:22:00.007-06:00

The last little while Mark and I have spent a little quality time outdoors, learning. We learned:

How to use a till
How to till the garden
Why turkey manure is so awesome
How to prune grape vines
How to prune fruit trees
That you can never have too many garden/yard tools

Yesterday Siri and I took an adventure outside in the blowing windy wind! After taking a few steps she got blown over but quickly got used to staying on her feet through the gusts. She was excited to wave hi to the horses and pet them. She held her first potato bug and worm, it was great. I'll have to teach here more about the tater bugs later so she won't be nervous to hold them. She kept trying to pokie it off my hand with the stick she was holding.

We are crazy busy with lots of work for each of us and playing with Siri. It will be a big job taking care of everything, but we're excited to learn and hopefully enjoy, literally, the fruits of our labors!

More March Madness

2010-03-27T07:29:00.007-06:00

Since I'm too lazy to put the pics in the right order...this is what we have been doing in reverse order...

Yesterday I took Siri to the Dr for her 18mo appt. She's awesome! 36% for weight, 65% for height.

I took Siri to work with me, she whistled (or tried to sing) while I worked

We moved! We'll be at my Aunt and Uncle's while they are on a mission. The view from our door yesterday. Siri says 'nay!' every morning when she looks out the window.

My stepdad, John, is taking care of my Aunt's horses while she's gone...Siri helped drive the truck full of hay.

visiting with cousins

I had a birthday! I went skiing with my friend Em and had dinner with all my family. Mark wrote me the sweetest poem/card, it made me cry!

Siri and I went to a rockin' St.Pattys party. She was the cutest leprechaun there!

New Fav

2010-03-10T22:29:00.004-07:00

I get the magazine Cooking Light. I tore out this recipe because it looked easy and was healthy...although I wasn't sure if it would taste awesome. Turns out it was REALLY good. It makes 4 servings and Mark and I downed it all. And, you can make it all in one pan (or two if you use one pan to steam the broccoli).
Chickpeas with Broccoli and Bacon

You should try it. And if you have a fav recipe I can make, please leave a comment or link to it!

Delicious vitamin D

2010-03-06T13:32:00.010-07:00

Mark and I went on a trip. We went to Florida. (Siri stayed home to be spoiled by her Grandmas).
We...
went to the Orlando Temple
swam in a warm pool
hot tubbed
watched tv
ate lots of ice cream
took naps!
went to Island of Adventure
drove a sweet white Ford Mustang
ran on the beach
went surfing
got sunburned
ate lots of good food
realized I really do not like shrimp
went to 2 movies
remember how in love we are, really, as cheesy as that sounds.

We nearly missed our flight home, but luckily my emotions took over (being frustrated and being determined to get to Siri) and a security guy let us in the family/handicapped line so we could make our flight.

This trip was so good for Mark and I, and also for Siri-we missed her dearly.

ROAR!

2010-02-18T08:45:00.001-07:00

Oh, so that's why...

2010-02-07T21:06:00.003-07:00

Siri hasn't been eating much the last few days, more ornery, crying fits, etc. These pics are from yesterday on our walk down the street. She loves to ring the bell and watch the wheel go around.

As we were watching the superbowl tonight she was whining (seconds after having fun jumping off the couch). Before I knew it I was holding out my hands to catch the last 48 hours of whatever she had eaten. Yeah, not pretty. Not pretty at all. I was actually very thankful she threw up mostly all over me and not on my brother in laws nice carpet. I had to keep the window rolled down on the way home because I smelled so bad. So, so bad. She is sleeping now and we pray that she'll be back to herself. Thank you mom for taking care of me when I've been sick. And thank you to anyone else who has had to clean up someone else's bodily fluids, I know you empathize with me.

Running boogs

2010-01-25T17:14:00.005-07:00

When you do an official race it is really exciting. You train, tell people about it, and take pictures. Well, the 1/2 marathon I was going to do in St. George Saturday didn't work out (not enough motivation to pay for it and no one to do it with). So, today I did my own 1/2 marathon along the Wasatch Front. I have no pictures and I did it with the help of my iPod. At least the finish line was Liz's house so I got to see her and hold baby Sam. The beginning and middle were great and the last 2 miles kinda hurt. It's very fulfilling to accomplish a goal though!

Siri has been on anti biotics (which thankfully she loves to take everyday) and has a faucet of snot coming out her nose. I think today I can officially say she is done with the bink! It took more commitment on my part, so I think I'm more proud of myself than her. She loves to wave to people, eat tangerines, push toy strollers, talk on the phone (or anything that looks remotely like a phone), dance to music, and run around in any open space.

Mark is cooking us dinner right now (and went grocery shopping with Siri earlier today), how awesome is that?! Baked pasta with veggies and a homemade red and white sauce with chicken. He just read 'Atlas Shrugged' in just a few weeks...he's a voracious reader! We are both playing on an indoor soccer team with some of my cousins and love it. It is so fun to have a hobby like that to do together.

Both of us are working from home and love being together. Although, yes, we for sure get on each others nerves.
But yeah, life is awesome.

Little Sammers

2010-01-14T21:26:00.001-07:00

Introducing Mr. Sam Dean

Lucky 13

2010-01-13T15:09:00.002-07:00

We've been waiting for today for a long time, it seems.

Liz and Dan welcomed their first baby into the world today. He was born this afternoon at 7lb 9oz. Not sure on a name yet. I'm waiting for Siri to wake up so I can drop her off and then go see the new miracle. I just about cry typing it...Liz and I have always been great friends and sisters and how awesome that she has joined the wonderful world of Moms!

2009-12-28T21:59:00.003-07:00

Christmas eve singing around the piano. Dave is a talented piano player. Mark and I on our flutes? Not so much.

She likes black bean hummus a lot. But if you give her her own bowl of it, it gets messy.

Our attempt to get a picture on Christmas Sunday before church.

We have done lots more, like sledding, sleeping, eating, eating, skiing, working and playing.
Love the holidays. Love 'em!

Winds of change

2009-12-15T22:07:00.003-07:00

Mark and I had been hoping for a change, just something, in our lives. It came unexpectedly, not in a way we were thinking it would come...me getting a job. I'm working full time for an awesome company, Steals Network that has 3 websites:

BabySteals.com
Kidsteals.com
(you'll have to refresh this page or it will show you an old item)
Scrapbooksteals.com

I am doing the customer service for Kidsteals. I'm still getting used to things, but get to work mostly from home, which is SO nice.

It has really changed things around our house, so busy and things are different every day with both Mark and I working mainly from home, but also needing to go into the office sometimes. It was not an easy decision for me to make, but see it as the best thing for our family right now.

Already I appreciate my time with Siri and Mark's hard work so much more.

And if you know us, you know there is always time for fun. Mark went snowboarding today and Siri and I went to the Library. She freaks out when I make her leave, so I'm usually running out while she wails in my arms. Last week we ventured out to check the mail and visit the neighbors in the freeeeezing cold.

We went swimming at Cottonwood Heights and went to Temple Square for a concert and to stroll the lights.

Today Siri had her 15 month appt which included 4 shots. It was basically a crying fest, but she is happy and snug in her bed now.

I hope you all are doing great, enjoying family, giving of your time and talents, and eating good food. This is a beautiful time of year and I am thankful for it.

.Ode to a Snu.

2009-12-01T21:19:00.002-07:00

Okay, so it's been several months now since I have actually posted something of my own (thanks Ali for keeping this thing going) and I also read/heard somewhere that blogging is "cheaper than therapy" so here goes. (But I was kind of hoping to lie on the couch instead of here at the table...)

Short and sweet version: Siri saved the day.

Long-winded, verbose, possibly therapeutic version:

I was kind of having an off day - you know, one of those days where you simply are there, you simply exist - and so I wasn't feeling too high on myself. Top that with a sub-par personal performance and another week without a "W" in our b-ball rec league and the day was looking rather bleak. After the game, Ali went to watch the Biggest Loser with her sister, Liz, and so it was just me and the Nu (one of Siri's innumerable nicknames, which never make any sense but are sure fun to say). After we cleaned up a bit and got everything ready for bedtime, I started reading some books to her. We had to of read about six books (or maybe two books three times) when, out of nowhere, Siri turns around to face me, pulls out her bink, leans into me and gives me a kiss. Twice. It was one of the sweetest things she has ever done and it completely changed the entire day around. So cool.

There have been other times when Siri will do something for me because she knows or, at least can sense, that something is amiss with me and she wants to help. I couldn't believe how insightful this experience was. It's definitely times like this that reaffirm the eternal love of our Creator and demonstrates how close He really is to each of us every day.

So here is a tribute to the Nu. Thanks for taking care of me.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T21:11:00.002-07:00

We had an awesome Thanksgiving! This weekend has been dreamy. Having Mark home four days in a row, eating decadently, cleaning the house, and decorating for Christmas.

I made coconut cream pie, banana cream pie, yams, and yummy orange cranberry rolls

we had pie night with cousins

we had a perfect afternoon at my mom & johns.
our dinner was out of a magazine, eating on fancy china with name tags and all.

Siri wore her cute snowflake dress from Grandma Carol today

the beginning of the month we rode bikes along highway 40 into Kamas

we took some family pics tonight, we'll post them soon.
until then, this is Siri post photoshoot, just reading to herself on her box.

I love technology

2009-11-22T20:43:00.004-07:00

Let me start by saying I love technology

I've thought about getting Lasik eye surgery before. Afterall, I've had glasses and/or contacts since kindergarten and don't know what it's like going camping or having a sleepover without worry if someone is going to step on my (very thick) glasses.

you can stop laughing now. stop it!

me and my cute grandpa

About two or three years ago I went to Hoopes-Alldredge and the Eye Institute of Utah to see if I could even be a candidate. Both places said no but that it may still be possible in the future. My friend Tim just got Lasik and highly recommended LasikPlus. I had to wait to make an appt because I was still nursing Siri and they make you wait six weeks to make sure your hormones are back to normal. I made my appt and they didn't like the shapes of my corneas. The Dr described it as a 'beer belly' on my eye...a spot where it was a lot steeper than the rest. After wearing glasses for two week it turns out that my contacts had been warping and misshaping my eyes.

They told me on Friday that my eyes looked great and were back to normal and I could get Lasik. They only do surgery on Fridays and had an open spot that very day and I would save $400 by going at that time. I went home and talked it over with Mark and two hours later I was staring into a crazy blinking orange light squeezing a stuffed monkey praying that I would be ok and things would go well.

15 minutes after I walked in (and thousands of dollars later), I walked out with plastic shields on my eyes and could not stand the light outside. Mark took me home and I kept my eyes closed until the next morning. A freakin' miracle. I was so excited to wake up, look over, and see my alarm clock- 6:19am, 6:21am, 6:40am...I couldn't go back to sleep. I had little butterflies in my tummy. I can SEE!

I love technology.

I also love treats. A lot.

I went overboard, again, one night last month and felt disgusted with myself. I had probably eaten five servings of dessert and it just made me feel so crappy (physically and mentally). So, I decided to see if I could go 30 days with no treats. (Yes, still sugar, just none of the extra stuff...like the baked goods and candy that I love). Today is day 30 and what a good feeling I have. I did cheat a few times. Homemade donuts on Halloween, dessert for Mark's birthday, and a bowl of homemade ice cream. I had decided beforehand on two of the three occasions, so I feel like I only cheated once.

What I learned: Eating goodies is a very social and happy habit to me and others. Baking is a hobby that I love, but shouldn't spend too much time on. I also learned how to recognize what I'm doing when reaching for a cookie. Before it was a thoughtless action. Cookie, eat, cupcake, eat, candy, eat. I will most definitely be eating pie for Thanksgiving, but I now feel more in control of my actions and am so much better and saying no and feeling good about it.

I just realized I'm either crazy or balanced because here are two food blogs that I follow:

Confessions of a Bake-a-holic
and
Green shakes and giggles

I highly recommend doing a 30 day challenge yourself, with any habit you want to break or implement. If you commit to 30 days you have enough time to break or start a habit and it isn't overwhelming...like no sugar for a year or forever (rolling my eyes, yeah right).

He's 27

2009-11-16T11:21:00.004-07:00

Yesterday was Mark's birthday. (In November there are seven birthdays between our two families)! I LOVE birthdays. And when its your husbands birthday, you get to share in the goodies and parties just as much as if it were your own. We were so happy to get together with friends for dinner and games on Saturday. T-Rex Spit is the funniest card game I have ever seen! Sandy made her carrot cake and homemade ice cream for all of us.

Sunday I made baked french toast. Church as usual and then home for more yummy food (fried cream cheese wontons... didn't feel so hot after those). We read a bunch of our new book. Yes, we've been sucked into the Twilight craze. We had dinner at my brother's and it was so fun with all the siblings and kids, especially watching Izac and Connor wrestle and Siri stand in awe at the noisy kids running around her. Mark got some great phone calls and generous gifts, including a gift cert to his beloved Lonestar taco joint.

Thanks for being born Mark and for choosing me to be your sidekick. Love you, like, a whole bunch (times a kajillion).

It was a happy Halloween...

2009-11-07T21:43:00.002-07:00

Red, White + Blue

2009-11-05T09:42:00.002-07:00

Love the American flag - So much purpose, symbolism, and energy in it. Here are a few snappers I got at my hotel in San Francisco a month ago. Born in the USA!

new hat

2009-10-25T21:02:00.003-06:00

I got Siri a new hat on Friday for the cold weather. She likes to wear it, all the time, even at church today. You can see her having fun yesterday if you click here.

Miracle Baby

2009-10-16T22:14:00.003-06:00

Siri 1 week old

It's good to get a glimpse into other people's lives...it often makes me more grateful. From not being able to get pregnant, losing newborns, or having kids with disabilities, I find our little girl to be a miracle. She's alive and healthy.

A couple we went to high school with are working to raise money to help find a cure for the disease their little boy has. If you can, please donate!

Click here to see their story and donate

2009-10-10T22:03:00.002-06:00

St. George last weekend. Rollerblading, tennis, shopping, beautiful jogs in the morning, Sandy's yummy french toast. I thought about staying an extra day, but was SO glad we didn't...Siri got really sick the morning after we got home.

The boys after Priesthood session

Oktoberfest at Snowbird. We've gone every year since I can remember. Mark started coming along when we started dating in high school. This year they had an awesome band, and as usual, way overprice (but good) food.

Me & the Snu

2009-09-26T21:15:00.006-06:00

Siri & I went up to the Cecret Lake trail at Alta for a little while towards sunset. Ali was up at her cabin with her family so it was just me and the Snu. I introduced her to bouldering, which she picked up very quickly until she lost her shoe and then started to cry. Tough as nails, eh? It was such a nice night to be up the canyon with all the colors changing and the sensuous smells of autumn. It was great to be with her although we both sorely missed the Mamma Bear!

More of the Snu...

2009-09-24T08:40:00.002-06:00

It's amazing how much she has grown and learned in the past few months. She is getting more and more sophisticated....not sure how I feel about that! But I love it when she wants to play, which is almost all the time.

Past few days..

2009-09-15T21:20:00.007-06:00

We went to my Mom's work party at the Lindon aquatic center.

They had a flowrider we got to try out. It was great since we got there early and had it all to ourselves. We both tried boogie boarding and the surf side. Of course Mark was a natural. We swam all afternoon and ate yummy Hawaiian food.

Siri doesn't mind the goggles.
Too bad Michael Phelps is so much older, they would have made a great couple.

For Siri's first birthday Mark made crepes for breakfast, we went swimming before the downpour of rain, and had a little party at Milt & Sandy's.

marks pics are the best, ever. see more pictures HERE

She got a sweet snowsuit from Grandpa and Grandma Kusterle.

Siri Carol 365 days old

2009-09-14T10:40:00.005-06:00

On our way to the hospital 9.13.2008

still doesn't like cantalope

splashing away

Happy Birthday Sirbir. We love you! -momma and daddy

DIY

2009-09-08T15:54:00.007-06:00

Mark and I get on kicks between two channels: Food Network and HGTV. Lately it has been HGTV. So, in addition to guessing which house they'll buy on 'House Hunters', Mark made us a headboard for our bed and we recovered the cushions on our glider.

before

after

although it doesn't match our foxy zebra blanket, it will go well with our regular comforter

Labor Day we made sinless pancakes and went up to
my Mom & John's house.

And a swimming picture just for fun

2009-08-31T21:53:00.002-06:00

Tonight we went boating with some of Mark's family up at East Canyon. It was really quiet, hardly anyone out. It was Siri's first time boating. Although she cried the whole time I was wakeboarding and kneeboarding, I had a blast. It had been too long!

She looked so funny in her life jacket! I think she was convinced it was paralyzing her.

Saturday we went swimming together

A couple weekends ago we went up to the cabin for the first time this year, and Siri's first time ever. Minus her having the worst night sleep ever, it was great to be up there. Roasting dogs and mallows, saw deer and a fox, yum-o popcorn, listened to J.Denver.
I love it.
So much.

None of us had ever seen someone lose so much money in the Game of Life as Dave did

Siri snapshot

2009-08-23T21:13:00.001-06:00

A couple quick shots of the SnuBear for all those in bloggerland....

first

2009-08-18T21:52:00.006-06:00

First trip without Siri
First trip to visit Rachel
First time to Minneapolis
First time playing Rockband
First time eating Ski Queen cheese

It was awesome.

I left Friday AM for Minneapolis, the home of Rachel and Wade. Mark left that afternoon for Montana to shoot a wedding.

It was glorious!

Laying by the pool. Going to Julie&Julia. Trying to sleep in. Running along the Mississippi. Enjoying the absolutely beautiful abode of Rachel and Wade, seriously so nice. Mill City Farmers Market. Drinking lots of juice. Happy Birthday Wade. Ikea. Temple. Science Museum. Mall of America - Insane. Loved church at the Cedar Lake ward.

Mark came Sunday night after his wedding in Minneapolis. Yes!

Played Rockband. Ate Rachel's homemade apple pie. Tried again to sleep in. Walked around downtown. More soaking in the sun. This American Life. Flight of the Conchords. Going to dinner. Good times with great friends.

Crazy how 5 days seemed like 2 weeks since I'd seen Siri. It was so nice to take a break from diapers, but we're so happy to be back.

We are so lucky to...have friends, have friends in Minneapolis, for Mark's photography talent, for his talent to take him all over the place, and our families to help us take this trip! Thanks be to Sandy, Mom, Jenn, Liz for watching our precious most beautiful daughter.

11 months

2009-08-13T22:08:00.000-06:00

Our life

2009-08-06T10:52:00.006-06:00

Had dinner with Jenn and Kate.

Liz came along to the Yogurt Stop with us.

Cleaning like crazy women to get my Mom and John moved out.
Next time I'll get pics of the new house.

Went up Big Cottonwood with Tim and Liz to roast hotdogs, corn on the cob, and delicious hot shmoes.

Went over to Liz & Dan's last night for a while since our power was out.
I just got Siri these new jammers from Costco.
Babies in stripes are my fav.

Burley, Idaho and more

2009-07-30T10:15:00.005-06:00

I love going to the middle of nowhere to do the Spudman triathlon. The weather was perfect, water temp was nice, and it was a little cloudy during the first part of the run. I couldn't have asked for better circumstances (except to have Mark there). I went up with Bridget, James, Bill, Milt, and Sandy. B and I did the whole thing and James, Bill, Milt did it as a team while Sandy watched Siri. Even our hotel was nice, the Best Western has been redone since I was there.

breakfast at 6:30am

This is the first year I wasn't out of breath before I started. I actually felt calm during the swim, it was a great feeling. I was at the front of a bike pack of about 20 of us and we had a lot of fun chatting with each other (except the girl that rode by and called us all out for drafting...tattle tell). The run was a little lonely at times, but doing a half marathon makes 6 miles seem short. It was great to have people cheering me on at the finish and to have Siri there. And she was so good the whole time, even with all the driving.

Siri fell asleep just after I crossed the finish line, what a good sport to wait for me.

Me and Bridget post-race

James and B

And how could I forget to mention that "team procrastination" got 2nd place! Hold those Spud trophies high boys. (p.s. Bridget did it faster alone that the guys did it as a team!)

Meanwhile Mark was in Tahoe, then Santa Cruz, then home in SLC to shoot 3 weddings in 2 days...being busy is good!

The other night Mark played tennis with 4 of his brothers at our neighbor's court. I was so happy to watch them play. Its great to see so many brothers who love each other enough to spend time together, and they're all such good (and competitive) tennis players.

And the best news of all...

My mom and John moved into their beautiful new house last weekend, Hooray! Its close to a miracle and I'm so happy for them. Tonight we'll finish cleaning up the condo they were renting. Life never slows down...my mom starts a new job on Monday.

Now let's just cross our fingers that Justin's fam can find their perfect house so they can have a place to live!

Tonight

2009-07-14T22:21:00.004-06:00

Tonight we were up at my Mom and John's house getting some last minute things done. Hopefully we'll be helping them move in by the end of the month. If you have a big truck, a big heart, and/or strong muscles you are welcome to join us!

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T10:40:00.000-06:00

string bean

2009-06-20T09:59:00.005-06:00

I realize that I have zero pictures on my camera of myself or Mark. I will not let Siri's face take complete control of our blog (but pretty close). I just have to be better at taking pictures of all the great things we get to do.

Thursday Siri had a dr appt and Mark took her.

31% for her weight
90% for her height
ear infection in one ear

she's happiest when playing with cords, laptops, remotes, phones,

anything we don't want her to play with.

We are so excited to have another cousin for Siri! Liz & Dan are expecting their first. It is always so happy when another one bites the dust and becomes a parent. Your eyes become wide open (or closed from lack of sleep) to all that your parents did to get you where you are.

Stache from the past

2009-06-15T22:13:00.002-06:00

I think this is the true (not to mention ONLY) reason that Ali loves me: my mean facial hair growth spasm that occurs annually for the Mustache Party. Gosh, it's sexy.

8 months of love

2009-06-03T22:44:00.002-06:00

Does it get any better than this?

Click here and see for yourself!

Slow Down

2009-05-31T10:32:00.015-06:00

I think Mark saw a picture of South Carolina, or heard someone talking about it, and wanted to go there. So we did. We couldn't decide where exactly to go, but when we found out Em and Jess were going to James Island, we looked at being somewhere close to them. We stayed on Folly Island this past week and got our fill of the ocean, the nicest people, and the southern air.

We stayed at the most perfect place. I searched a very long time for the right spot and it proved to be a great choice. The owners are wonderful people, and have a little girl close to Siri's age. We are so thankful we got to meet them. It was also right behind the only 24 hour market, Bert's, and they had the best baked goods. We were a few hundred feet from the beach and also center street.

our bedroom

My loves

Siri loved to grab sand by the handful and eat it. She loved the water too.

I wasn't sure what to expect, although I was still surprised when we arrived. It's a surfer/beach bum town, really small, and not crowded at all. The length of the island is probably only 5 or 6 miles. The beaches are clean with tons of beautiful shells. It's not as salty as the Pacific and is nice and warm.

Can you tell Mark was a little excited to be surfing?

We visited Magnolia Plantation, surfed, did a carriage tour of Rainbow Row and the Battery in downtown Charleston, walked along the pier, ate at the Lost Dog Cafe (Mark's still drooling for the biscuits and gravy), visited the Fort Sumter center, shopped at the Piggly Wiggly, chatted with anyone and everyone that stopped to say hi (mostly to give big smiles to Siri), watched a few movies, and just did nothing.

Magnolia Plantation

Downtown Charleston

Cooper river bridge

I'd go there again and recommend it to anyone

FOUR

2009-05-26T08:09:00.003-06:00

Happy Anniversary to us!

Thank you to my bestest friend for being my husband and bringing such joy to my life. OUR life has been the best these last four years. This morning Mark made banana buttermilk pancakes, oj, and sausage...all while I went for a run on the calming beach. The rising sun, waves, and humidity feel so good.

I'm so happy we have forever!

Hooray for Sunshine

2009-05-20T09:29:00.003-06:00

Our lawn got aerated so there are little chunks of dirt everywhere.
Sometimes Siri gobbles them up when I'm not looking.

I've been trail running more (usually the Quarry Trail). I'm running the Wasatch Back Relay with some peoples from Backcountry.com. This will be my 4th year doing it!

We went on a little hike up Bell's Canyon. We went even though we knew Siri would be tired. She enjoyed the hike up, but was screaming in the pack by time we went down. I ended up carrying her in my arms while she slept the whole way down. (In the picture above she was all teary eyed and snot nosed)

I've been playing 6v6 outdoor women's soccer with some friends and family.

We have so much fun and it's nice to have so many fans.

I've been to wedding showers, baby showers, birthday parties. I have visited old friends from the neighborhood/ward I grew up in. I taught Relief Society on Mother's day. Mark was a gem and made me a delicious breakfast and took care of Siri most the day. I love that he makes everyday special, seriously. Often times I come home from running and he's got Siri in the bjorn (with a spatula in each hand) and is making us pancakes or omlets or he'll come home early to watch Siri so I can go biking.

We found awesome tenants for our townhome. I went with Sandy to see the bursting flowers downtown around the temple. Mark went to California to shoot a wedding and will be going a few other places across the US this summer. I admire him so much for making things happen and being so motivated.

We're going to the east coast to hang out at the beach next week. We're looking forward to visiting a new place and introducing Siri to the sand and ocean. She's been starting to scoot around and will probably be crawling around soon. We'll also be celebrating our four year anniversary! My parents will probably be moving into their house in the next few months. I'm going to do swim lessons with Siri this summer, and we look forward to enjoying more sunshine.

Life is good!

2009-04-20T22:05:00.004-06:00

I ran the SLC 1/2 marathon Saturday...along with a bajillion other people. It was so much fun and the weather was perfect. They even had my favorite chocolate milk at the end. I also met Blaine and Dane from the Biggest Loser! Thanks Carole for training with me (even though you run quite a bit faster than me) and Katie for making the race fun and go by fast!

I was greeted at the fininsh line by Liz and Dan...Mark surprised me by coming too with Siri! I also got to see my sis in law Sheri and my cousin Bryce! What a fun event to be a part of. (and yes, my massage was freakin' awesome that night-haven't even felt sore!)

These are my favorite running shoes, ever. Made by Karhu.
And the best long distance running tights in the world. Made by CWX.