The 411

It has been a while since I last posted anything. The last time I posted, we were taking off of a fun trip to Hawaii and arrived home to some brand new apartments that had flooded the day we were flying back. It was a stressful next couple of weeks/months. So much so that, when Adam's brother Paul invited us to Hawaii again in May, there wasn't much hesitation. We booked the trip and over Memorial Weekend, we were relaxing (finally) on the beach again!

I must say, the more I go to Hawaii, the more I am tempted to give into my husband's pleadings to move there. The only hesitation I have is that I know it would take a miracle to get my dad on a plane for 5 hours and to actually wear shorts. Flip flops would not even be a consideration.


We had a great time! I love it so much there! Just the smell the minute you walk out of the airport is so relaxing! I could look at the beaches and mountains in Hawaii everyday and be totally content! Plus, seeing the joy on my husband's face when we are there is so worth it.

No that it is September, I can probably announce that we are expecting baby #2 (Girl) the first part of February. I believe I am 21 weeks right now, I can never remember. My sister in Law Alyssa is due 3 weeks before me, so I occasionally ask her how many weeks she is so that I can remember how many I am. My husband and son are slightly in denial that it is a girl. We were definitely expecting a boy before I got pregnant. We had a boy name picked out, all of the boy clothes, and well...we already knew what it was like to have a boy. Then when I was about 8 weeks, I told Adam that I had a feeling it was a girl, but he just told me it was in my head. I then went to prove him wrong and searched the Chinese Calendar. I'm tellin ya, those things don't lie! It said girl! He still didn't believe me. I tried to get him to think of Girl names with me, but he didn't even want to entertain the thought of a girl name, because he knew it was going to be boy.

When the Ultrasound tech was checking out the baby, she said she was having a hard time finding the gender. I asked her from her experience, what did she think? She said she thought it was a girl. I looked over at Adam and he said to her, "keep looking!" She she finally found the gender, she pointed it out to Adam and he told her that she was wrong, "he just hadn't dropped yet." He is in denial!

Here is a shot of her giving us the thumbs up! You might not be able to tell what it is, but it is her arm and thumb. Adam said she is doing a "shaka".

We are 100% clueless about a girl name. We have a few that we like, but can't decide on anything. I have always like the name Halli or Kalli with my middle name Rae. Adam likes Kyly, which I don't even know how you would say that! :) We recently started liking the name Mailee/Maili/Mailey which means Gentle Breeze in Polynesian and Wild Flower in Hawaiian. My friend Kayleen got me interested in looking at names based on what they mean, so I have looked more at that. I have been a little turned off by Halli because that means "Home Ruler" and I don't need a drama queen in my house! Kalli means "Most Beautiful" which I still like.

I am having a really hard time picking out girl "stuff". I have no idea how to be a girlie girl, let alone dress a baby girl. Don't judge me, it may take a while to figure it out.

If you have name suggestions, please...fell free to pass them on!

Aloha!

I'm ready for a vacation.

Not just because it is 36 degrees and not an ounce of snow in sight in the MIDDLE of January.

No...because this has been one roller coaster ride of emotions this year.

The apartments that have been being built for the past year are finally complete...or so they say. Even though I can see with my naked eye the many "things" yet to be finished, but who am I to say something isn't complete. (even though there are spots left unpainted, drywall that needs patching, hot water heaters that keep going out, landscaping that isn't quite finished, and well...a lounge that isn't 100% decorated, but does it really matter?)

Wanna see some pictures? They are pretty! I know you do.









Why didn't they have cute apartments like these when I was a single student?!?!

We are leaving for Hawaii in about an hour and I can't wait!! I am patiently waiting for our ride to the airport! :)


A few days ago I announced that we were expecting baby#2 and we have been very excited! Unfortunately I went in for a check up on Tuesday and the doctor could not find a heartbeat. It made me sad, but I surprisingly have taken it pretty well because I know it wouldn't have happened if there wasn't a reason. I know that when things like this happen, it us usually because something wasn't matching up right and that baby wouldn't have survived anyway. The doc told me that it just happened because the fetal development was 10 weeks and 6 days, and I went in on my 11 week mark. I had a hard time on Tuesday, but I am doing much better now. I am glad it happened now instead of it happening while we are in Hawaii and I would have had to make an ER visit while we were out there.

Have I mentioned how excited I am for Hawaii?!

I am!

A LOT!!

I can't wait to just lay on the beach while I watch Adam teach Brennon how to surf, while Brennon plays in the sand and while I read a good book by Sister Dalton.

I am going to eat Matsumoto's, pineapple and fresh mango's! Can it get better than that?!

Aloha!

"I'm busy" is totally my excuse...

This is why I am busy!

I wish I could say I was one of those mom's that has life figured out and I knew exactly what I was doing everyday when I wake up, but the one thing I do know is that I always feel busy. My day starts out by trying to get showered and at least half of my make-up on before my sweet 2 year old comes running in the bathroom to tell me he took a "big nap" (apparently sleeping through the night is a big nap).

Brennon was so excited to go play in the snow last week, but by the time I finished getting ready, made our beds, put laundry away and got him in his snow gear all the snow was melted. I felt so sad for him because he was so excited... 

 

 so he went and played in it anyway.

Brennon has been (somewhat) sleeping in his "big boy" for about a month or so. I have been reluctant to transition him to his "big boy" bed because...well...I knew he would never stay in it when we did. He has been climbing out of his crib since he was a year old and I had no idea that "they" encourage you to move them to a toddler bed once they start climbing out. oops...

(Please excuse the terrible pictures, Brennon plays with my phone a lot and has scratched the camera lens so bad it takes terrible pictures now.)

Brennon was so excited when we took the rail off of his crib, he thought that was the coolest thing ever! We never really had crib bedding for him because of all the scares of too many blankets and bumpers in their crib so we had to find something for him to sleep with that night. When Brennon was first born my mom made him a really cute blanket that was always a little too thick for him as a baby, so it is perfect now and will do wonderfully until we buy him an even bigger big boy bed and get real bedding for him. Adam's parents bought him one of those pillow pet thingy's a few Christmas' ago so we thought it was perfect to lay it flat on the ground to be his cushion when he falls out and we tell him that "Reggie" protects him at night. He sure loves Reggie the Lion.

We had family pictures taken several months ago and I had every intention of sending out Christmas cards, but alas, I am still not perfect and still don't have them done. I am hoping they will magically make themselves this year.


These are a few of the pictures of Brennon blowing bubbles at our photo shoot.

As many of you know we manage a girl's apartment complex and for almost a year we have been under construction to add more apartments to our property. It has been quite the roller coaster ride for all of us involved. We have had to deal with permits and grouchy neighbors and hiccups along the way with construction and it has really spun me for a loop emotionally. Not to mention the stress and responsibility I feel personally to make sure no money is not lost along the way by having contracts sold.

Here is a little peek at our new apartments. They are so pretty inside, I can't wait to have more pictures to post online!

I have a lot of catching up to do so I will try to be quick.

• For Halloween, Brennon was a Rock Star. I procrastinated planning his costume, so it was very last minute. Adam and I took him to the ward Trunk or Treat and since Adam is in a Bishopric on campus, he took Brennon to his ward Halloween party also. Of course, Brennon had a blast flirting with all the girls!
• We went to visit my parent's for Thanksgiving and it was nice to get away for a few day.
• Adam's grandpa passed away unexpectedly a week or two before Thanksgiving, which was so hard! We went to Heber for his funeral and were able to be around a lot of family, which was good!
• I have 2 Sisters-in-law that are expecting babies after the first of the year. It is crazy to think about that my sister-in-law Ashley has worn some of my pregnancy clothes twice since I wore them! :)
• I surprised Adam for his birthday this year with a trip to HAWAII!! We leave Jan 19th and arrive back in Idaho Jan 29, I am soooo excited! Brennon is going to have so much fun playing on the beach and Adam will have so much fun teaching Brennon how to surf! Don't worry, I will post pictures of the beautiful beach while Rexburg and Utah are receiving snow storms. :)

 I think that is about it, I wish I had more interesting news, buuuuut, I don't.

Merry Christmas!

Surprisingly quiet...

9/21/11 - I feel like these rare moments don't happen as often as I sometimes would like them to be. My house is quiet...oh wait...

...I honestly just heard little footsteps coming down my stairs. Nevermind...the long awaited blogpost won't be what I expected. ::: sigh ::: I will now do my best with a hyper toddler literally climbing on my back.

Adam and I celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary this past August...2 days after I dreadfully turned 29! I am happy to say that we got 4 whole hours to ourselves on our Anniversary and even though I totally should have been enjoying a movie, I was texting with my sister-in-law asking how Brennon was doing and if we went to bed OK. Adam on the other hand was enjoying every minute of watching a movie in an actual movie theater without Brennon jumping all over him. We don't get out much ya know, so for him to be in an actual movie theater, he was wanting it to be just us. We are so grateful for family close by that we can rely on for a date night once in a while.

9/23/11 -Adam also took me to a fun restaurant that we had never heard of before called "Snake Bite". I know, it may sound a little hickish, but it was actually pretty good. Everything was fresh, nothing tasted like it came from a chain restaurant and we were all alone sitting on this little patio area enjoying Huckleberry Italian Soda's, killer fish taco's and my bowl of "Santa Maria". I also loved this place because the portions were perfect. They didn't treat you like you were a starving orphan in Ethiopia by piling mounds of food on your plate and they didn't try to pretend to be a high class French restaurant that thought a serving was smaller than your fist. We were pleasantly surprised of our find, especially in Idaho (no offense).

A week later my quiet living conditions, were taken over by 100+ estrogen driven homo sapiens. My semi-relaxing days of sitting out on the grass to watch the construction, going to the park, and bike rides are no longer.  However, it is fun to see Brennon's flirtatious interaction with all the girls that love his "charm". They melt at his spontaneous one liners of "Hey Baby", "Peace Out", "I'm the Man" and of course his dance moves get them every time.

Brennon has always loved "looking" at books, but just like his mom and dad,  he doesn't have the attention span to sit for very long to actually finish one. Adam and I love to buy, collect and even start tons of books, but finishing them is a huge accomplishment for both of us! We both have very short attention spans!! Lately, it has been so fun to actually sit and read several books at a time with Brennon. His latest favorites:

When I discovered his attention span was much like his parent's I introduced him to puzzles and we have been amazed! He is so good at puzzles! I have loved doing puzzles since I was little and after Adam and I got married, money was a little tight and our evenings after work and school were usually spent doing a puzzle on the kitchen table. We also would get sucked into working on the puzzle early in the morning when we really should be getting ready for the day. I often get so engrossed in a puzzle that I literally "work" on the puzzle in my sleep. My mind never stops! Hence the reason I am often sleep deprived...

We have discovered a few puzzles that keep Brennon occupied for quite a while, as long as someone is sitting right next to him. I highly recommend all of these! The shapes and numbers ones have been the favorites, because we can mix it up and play different versions of the game. I have a little crocheted bag that someone gave me on my mission that I use to hide the shapes or numbers in and he gets to draw one out and figure out where to put it. He can do his shapes puzzle just as fast as Adam can do a Rubik's cube (under 1.5  minutes).

 I am such a proud mom!!

Yep

I'm 29 as of yesterday!

I think I need some chocolate to take my mind off of it...

Numero dos

My little boy turned 2 this past week. The past 2 years almost feels like a dream, I can't believe it came and went so quickly. I NEVER imagined how much someone learns by being a mother, no one can ever prep you for it! Over the past 2 years Adam and I have learned a lot about caring for a baby, learning to function on very little sleep, working together, unconditional love, protein allergies and how to fit it into daily life, and the unwavering love from our Father in Heaven.

Brennon has brought Adam and I so much joy, I can't begin to put it all into words!



Brennon refuses to leave the house without his hat or sun glasses.









He is ALL boy!! Throws rocks, plays in the dirt, loves cars, trucks, tractors and flirts with women!









Whenever he sees a camera or a phone, this is the face he makes and says "Chee" (Cheese)



(don't mind the nastiness all over his shirt, we had just finished eating dinner and he had just spit out a bunch of dirt he decided to try and eat)



My 2 favorite boys!!

FINAL COMPETITION

I have been so swamped these last several weeks, I have neglected A LOT! So after the first GrillMaster Challenge in June, I was then supposed to compete on July 9th at the Regional competition. A week before the competition, I had a somewhat unexpected knee surgery. I hoped that I would be just fine to compete, so I went with it. We had a little frustration figuring out how to get our brand new grill to the competition that was about 10 miles away. We borrowed a trailer from a friend of ours, and it was not at all what we were expecting! We had to try to figure out how to get our grill on this tiny trailer without any sides and not much to tie it down to.

We then had to drive about 15 mph under the speed limit to keep our grill from flying all over the highway. Once we arrived at the competition, we unloaded the grill and all of the equipment and got set up. They went all out for this competition, they had carriage rides, giant blow up bouncy areas, concession stands and all sorts of carnival type stuff. We all gathered together as a group for a picture and then all the rules and conditions were explained.

A few of the rules were a little frustrating in comparison to the first competition. You weren't allowed to turn in your meat until exactly 2:00 p.m. and you couldn't really do much of a plate presentation because it had to be in a Styrofoam container. REALLY?! The competition started at noon, so I started on my Mango Pico de Gallo while I waited for what I thought was a good time to put my meat on the grill. I made the horrible, dreadful and inconceivable mistake of putting my meat on the grill an hour and 20 minutes before the turn in time! What was I thinking?!?My meat only took about 14 minutes to cook so there it sat on my table "resting" for waaaaaay too long. I knew that I had just blown it...but I hoped for good results.

I finished the Mango Pico, and the Brazilian lemonade and began preparing my "Styrofoam" container for the judges. As soon as the food goes to the judges you can sample out your meal to anyone that wants to try. Everything I made was gone in a matter of minutes, but they weren't the real judges, so I had to worry about them.

They announced the winners and I placed 3rd. I know, I know...it is still a good position, but I can't help but think that if I hadn't made the mistake with my meat, there would have been a different outcome. It was still so much fun. I had a blast and I can't wait to do it again next year!

Brennon also had a good time at the challenge. He got a new bike!

He L-O-V-E's this bike! The moment he wakes up in the morning, until we force him to put it away at night he is riding it! If you don't know what a Strider bike is, you can Google it or YouTube it. They are WONDERFUL! Brennon was riding it in 8 days, it is so easy for them to learn balance and it is far better than tricycles or training wheels! I am sold.

This is a video of his first day riding compared to his 8th day riding.