Fun in the Sun

We spent this past weekend in sunny St. George. It was such beautiful weather. We had lots planned to do. We drove down Thursday evening and stayed with Jed's parents. I ended up getting really sick witha cold/cough. It's amazing how fast they can come on! I couldn't breathe for most of Friday, which was extremely miserable!

The softball team was having a tournament so we got to watch Nappy! She did awesome. I really like watching softball...it's fun and I don't get all stressed out like with other sports. Maybe it's because you get to be outside in the sun! My mom and dad also drove down for the games. They ended up winning 4 out of 5 games. One game they won 10-9, but had to come back from a 9-1 deficit...it was pretty exciting!

My little Nap-kin!



She hit a triple with this ball!

Such a sexy first baseman!


Jed went fishing with his dad on Friday. They each caught some and cooked them for dinner that night. I of course ate chicken!! We drove over to see Shane & Talease's new house...it's almost done and looks really nice. We also stopped to see Grandma & Grandpa Beatty and visit with them for awhile. Saturday, Jed went to the shooting range to try out his new gun and I went shopping for some new maternity capri's. After the softball games, we went to dinner at Chili's with mine and Jed's parents.

Lucas had a great time playing with his grandma & grandpa. They watched him for us while we went to the games. Apparently Dixie doesn't know how to grow grass...everything was red dirt!! I had him at one of the games for just a few minutes and he was filthy by the time we left!

Notice the lined up cars in the background!!





Grandma & Grandpa with Lucas

Some of us may have got a little too much sun!!



On the way home we stopped at a park in Fillmore to let Lucas run around for a minute. He of course didn't want to get back in the car!











Pointing back to the playground...with a sad face!


Once we got home, we took Rocky on a walk down the Spanish Fork River Trail. It's right by our house, but it's the first time we've ever been on it!

P.S. I got me a new camera, Nikon D40. I am having so much fun playing around with it! Now I need to get me another lense!

A Man's Best Friend

Today was a sad day at our house. One of our dogs, Duke, passed away. Jed has had him for about 13 years (he was around 90 in dog years). He's been a part of my life ever since we were married. He was just a great big teddy bear. He was extremely gentle and we loved him very much! About a year or so ago we started noticing that he was getting arthritis in his paws and hips. He was having a hard time walking. This past weekend we noticed that he was much worse than before. He was having a hard time using his back legs at all. We talked about it and just didn't feel right about making him suffer. We worried about the summer heat and him being able to get to his water. We made an appointment with the Vet for today. It breaks my heart to think about, but I know that he's much better off. He will sure be missed by our little family and especially his buddy (our other dog) Rocky. They have been side by side for over 10 years.

Happy Happy Birthday Mother Dear...

happy days will come to you all year! More grandkids, vacations, no more high school, Christmas etc! But in all seriousness, I want you to know how much I love and appreciate you. I am so grateful for the relationship that we have. You are a wonderful mom & grandma and Lucas just loves you! I love that I can call you any time and you always have time for me. You always know how to make us laugh, even when you didn't mean too!! Thanks for being such a great example! I love you!

I also want to wish Tawn & Landon a happy 1 year anniversary today! Can't believe how fast it's gone by. We love having you so close that we can do stuff together. Love you guys!

Fun with the Fam!

I had so much fun this past week. My sister, Shara, who lives in Boston, was able to come visit for about a week! Lucas and I picked her up at the airport on Wednesday and brought her back to our house in Spanish for the night. Tawn & Landon came over for dinner and we had a great time chatting...as always! On Thursday we headed up to my mom & dad's house in the afternoon. We first had to stop at Costa Vida for lunch. Shara had a list of places she wanted to eat and that was one of them. Needless to say, we pretty much ate at all the places she wanted (Taco Time...in Tremonton, Dixie Grill, & breadsticks from Pizza Plus!)
We took on the project of making those fun bags. I think they turned out really cute. She also made a couple more for gifts...she's heading to Japan in May!
My mom is going a little baby girl crazy...she is certain that Shara is having a girl! They tied a very cute pink and green baby quilt for her. Unfortunately, she didn't have room to take it back in her suitcase, so my mom & dad will take it with them in June (if it's a girl)! They and Jess are going back for Shara's graduation. Since everyone is positive that she's having a girl...I'm going to make her something blue! I'm hoping it's a boy...for selfish reasons only!!

The weather has been so nice that we had to spend some time outside. Mostly just to let Lucas run around!! He of course, loves to go with Grandpa on the tractor and see the cows. Pretty much anything that involves wearing his hat, boots & scarf! My dad fixed this saddle for my uncle and Lucas loved sitting on it!

We had dinner with my Grandpa & Grandma Nicholas one night. I am so blessed to have them in my life still. Although they are getting much older (my grandpa is 93), they are still full of life. Grandpa can't see very good, but takes walks around the block and still has his great sense of humor. Grandma has a hard time hearing, but she is full of love for her whole family. I love them so much.

I have the best family in the world! I love the relationship that I have with each of my sisters. They mean the world to me and I look forward to the times we get to spend together, which isn't that often. Hopefully Shara and Aaron will move out west so we can see them more! I'm already looking forward to Christmas when will get to see them and their new little baby! Thanks mom and dad for letting us bombard your house for a week. I love all of you so much!!

I had to add this video of Lucas and his Billy Goat laugh. It's usually does it better, but for some reason, he won't do it really good for the camera. He has to work up to the Billy Goat part...it's pretty funny!

Random Pics

These are a couple of random pictures of Lucas. He's so funny! I walked in on him with the bowl on his head and a pair of pliers. I just started laughing...not sure if he was trying to be "Bob the Builder" or what! We found his sunglasses and now he loves to wear them with a hat!

Baby's First Photo Shoot...

We had our ultrasound today! Everything looks great and he measures right on...which is always a relief for me. I would be so bummed if I wasn't as far along as I had thought!! Lucas loved watching the tech do the ultrasound. He kept saying "baby"...apparently he knew exactly what he was looking at!

We are so excited to be having another little boy. We have so much already, which will help out our bank account! Unfortunately, they are born during different seasons so a lot of the clothes might not work. Jed reminded me today though, that regardless, I would still by some new clothes...which is probably true! Hopefully you'll be able to see the video. In the first few seconds you can see him throw a punch...he's already learning how to defend himself! If you watch the upper left hand corner when there is a pause, it tells you what you are looking at. Just in case you couldn't tell!

Happy Birthday Tawn!

I think she's about 3 in this picture!

Lucas 3 days & Tawn 18 years!!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister who is now officially 21!! It's so fun having her live close by. We get to see each other quite often (mostly for shopping purposes)! I'm not sure she's allowed to visit me much more though (Landon says I'm a bad influence)!! She's so great with Lucas and Lucas absolutely loves her. He usually clings on to her when she's trying to leave and starts sobbing like a little baby :) I hope you have a very happy day. I love you so much!

Ice Hockey

On Saturday night we went to the UVSC vs. BYU ice hockey game. It as the last game of the season and Tawnya had extra tickets so we decided we would go try it. Chad, Alicia & Carter also came. We had never been to a game before and had no idea what to expect. For starters...we should have taken more than just Lucas's blanket! The bleachers were freezing cold! We didn't realize just how long a hockey game is either (plan for at least 3-4 hours)! Lucas was asleep before the end of the first period. Not quite sure how he was able to sleep with all the screaming and yelling, but some how he did! We wrapped him up in his little blanket and he was snug as a bug.

Landon and Chad participated in the "chuck-a-puck" contest to see if they could land their puck in the center...neither did, but there donation went to a great cause...I'm just sure of it!! We left during the second intermission, and UVSC wasn't doing so hot. I think the score was like UVSC 4 - BYU 10! I wasn't able to watch most of the game since Lucas was a sleep on my lap and the people right in front of us wouldn't sit down! When we finally did leave, it was already 11:00 and our 8 am church sounded awfully early (actually...it didn't just sound early, it is early!!) We did have a good time and now we know to be a little more prepared if we go next year!

Chuck-a-puck...not sure who's is who's!!

Tawn & Landon

Cute Carter...he would clap and get so excited when everyone else did!

"Oh Bubby"

Our little Lucas has Strep Throat. Yesterday morning he started running a fever. I gave him a bath and then he decided he was going to take a nap...at 10 in the morning! I figured he must not be feeling to swell since that is completely out of character. When I took his temp after he woke up, it was in the 103's. I gave him some children's motrin and soon after that the fever started to go down...a little. He pretty much just laid around all day and you could just feel the heat coming off of him. He fell asleep again on my lap around 3:30 and when he woke back his temp was back up in the 102's. I called the dr's office and they had an appointment for 5:30. He was such a brave little boy. He always starts crying when they call his name! Our regular dr. was out of town, but the one we saw last night was great. Lucas had these huge sad eyes, but he answered all the questions the dr. asked...not necessarily correctly, but he answered. It was pretty funny! This dr. kept calling him "Bubby", must be his nickname for all the kids. He showed Lucas how your finger turns orange when you put it over the light that goes in your ears. He thought that was pretty cool. We (Jed came with me) were told that he either had Strep (his throat was red), RSV, or the Flu. I was glad that the Strep test came back positive. It's much nicer when you know exactly what they have and you can do something about it. I opted for the shot rather than the 10 days of medicine. I'm sure that wouldn't have been Lucas's choice. When we left, he was not happy, but was still trying to be nice. He told them all "Bu-Bye", but when they asked if he wanted a sticker he gave a very blunt "NO"! We all laughed. By the time we got home, he was back to his usual self.

Be Prepared

So here I sit...early in the morning and I can't go back to sleep. Jed already left for work and since he left, I've just been tossing and turning in bed. My mind keeps wondering back to a blog that I read last night. It pretty much puts into reality the importance of being prepared for everything and anything. I ask myself, "Are we prepared?"...I think not!

While I was home a few weekend ago, I attended Relief Socitey with my mom. I had to laugh because everytime I do, they are always doing some activity with food storage. I had mentioned to my mom and dad that the R.S. activities in this ward would drive me crazy after awhile. But they did do something that I thought was extremely helpful. The food storage person gave out a handout that had a list of about 6-8 items on it you should buy in the month of February. I really liked this idea because it included items like hand soap and laundry detergent. Those kind of items I never think about because it's called food storage. Buying everything on the list would have been between 10-15 dollars...not to shabby!

Sometimes I feel that the subject can be beaten to death, but my dad brought up something that I hadn't thought about. He said "being prepared is a principle of the gospel, just like paying your tithing. As leaders (he's in the bishopric) in the church we're suppose to teach the correct principles, but than the people are free to govern themselves. Just because we know how important it is to pay tithing doesn't mean we write the check out for those who don't. They have to choose to do it." The same would apply to those of us who have slacked in the area of being prepared! It's overwhelming when someone tells you how much wheat and rice you need for every person. We do owe a big thanks to Jed's parents because when they moved, they gave us their food storage. We have quite a bit now...especially wheat. The only problem is that I haven't got a clue what to do with it. Apparently I need to get a grinder! For Christmas they also gave us a nice 72 hour kit for Jed & I and one for Lucas. Paulette is the Emergency Prepardness Coordinator for Southwest Utah. She has always said that it is not if but when the Bird Flu gets here. There are only so many stages that the virus has to go through before humans can contract it. I don't remember the exact number, but it is definitely coming closer to reaching that point. The scary thing is that there is nothing you can do about. Some people will be able to fight the virus on there own, but lots will die from it. I was looking at her website and I found these checklists for anyone who is interested.

This brings me to my new coupon system. With the help of coupons and the website you can stock up on regular food such as spaghetti sauce, noodles, refried beans, pizzas, etc. when they are at a really good price. You'll slowly build up a supply of food that will allow you to mix some good food with the canned food and have a decent meal...when the time should come. My other worry is our water supply...which is at zero! What I thought I would start doing is buying bottled water when it's really cheap. Last week, Macey's had 24 for 2.99 which worked out to 12 cents a bottle. I figured I'd start storing it like this until we figure out another system.

So today I resolve to be better at preparing our little family for the worst. It's not something I like to think about, but by thinking about it, maybe I'll be able accomplish this huge task!

Count My Blessings...

I've had a bit of an emotional weekend and needed to write down my feelings. On Saturday was Carter Sperry's birthday party. He turned one. He is such a doll! The party was held at a condo clubhouse down by UVSC. While we were all sitting around one of the side doors got opened. One of the people standing by the door told us that our boy had gone out the door. I hurried out the door to get him. By the time I turned the corner he had already ran down the side walk and was standing at the edge of the road. I started screaming at him to stop and started running after him. I then tripped on the sidewalk and fell. I quickly got up and saw that he had also fallen in the road. I ran and picked him up and as I was walking back to the sidewalk, I mouthed "Thank You" to the Black SUV who had stopped for him. Pretty soon Jed came out the door and I started sobbing as I told him what had happened. I was crying because I was scared for what could have happened. I was crying because I was still holding my little boy in my harms and thankful that it wasn't worse. And I was crying because I was in so much pain. When I had fallen, I had scrapped up the left side of my body...my elbow, hip, knee, and I couldn't stand on my right leg because that knee was in lots of pain. Jed wanted to take me to the dr., but I figured it was just bruised. Eventually I was able to hobble around. I'm feeling better today although it still hurts a lot to stand up and go up and down stairs.

So today I count my blessings...
1. For the driver of the SUV that was paying attention and stopped.
2. For the cowboy boots that Lucas was wearing. They may have looked funny with his outfit (he put them on himself), but I KNOW they made him trip.
3. That I didn't land on my stomach when I fell and that since the fall, I've still been able to feel the baby move.
4. For a little boy that melts my heart and gives the best hugs and kisses.
5. For a husband who was concerned about me.
6. And most of all...for a Heavenly Father who protected out little family.

And now I ask for advice. How do you teach a two year old that the road is a dangerous place? It's the first place he runs to whenever we're outside.

Finished Product

I know that most of you are tired of hearing about my bag project, but you'll just have to deal with the posts! I finished my bag today. I'm quite impressed with the way it turned out considering the measurements were a trial and error thing. So here's what it looks like...there are a few things I would change the next time around, but all in all...I couldn't be happier! Happy Early B-day Tawn...you said you needed a bigger one!

First Things First...

I have been waiting for Shara to finally post her ultrasound pics so that I could do this post! There are several first that are happening in our life.

This is my first sister to have a baby. Which automatically will make Jed and I an aunt and uncle for the first time in September...which I couldn't be more thrilled about! This will be Lucas (and the new baby's) first cousin on either side. I've been waiting for this day a long time! Hopefully they'll be more on the way in the near future! :)

I have finally been able to feel the baby for the first time these past couple of days. I love that feeling. It's always reassuring when you can finally feel their movements. Our first (and only) ultrasound is coming in about a week and a half. I'm excited. Jed thinks the baby's a boy which automatically makes me think it's a girl. One of us needs to be right!!

I always hear how good "Grey's Anatomy" is, but have never seen an episode. I watched my first (rerun) episode the other night. I enjoyed it, but Jed wasn't sold on the show. The funny part was that while I was talking to Shara today, she told me how much she loves the show and all about the last episode. I just might have to start watching it more often.

I stayed up last night to attempt to make my first bag I was talking about in the previous post. I'm not posting it for everyone to see since I had to make it without any pins (I couldn't find them anywhere) and didn't bother ironing the seams. Needless to say, the bag has some quirks, but everything did turn out how I was thinking...just not very pretty. Maybe I'll try again today with some minor adjustments. I'll first have to go buy some pins!!

While at playgroup this week, a couple of the girls were talking about how much money they save doing the coupon thing. There is a website that you can go to and it tells you the best deals for the week and which coupons to use, etc. I've decided that I'm going to try it. So this will be my first Sunday that I get the newspaper (3 to be exact) with the coupons. I need to go get a tackle box to store them in and than hopefully I can convince the girls in my ward to help me out! Wish me luck!

I think that's all my firsts...

Fabric...

This past summer we (my mom and me) learned how to make these really cute scripture bags. They are the perfect size and sooo cute. We'll...I've decided to venture even more and try to make them larger and more of a diaper bag type thingy. Today I stopped at JoAnne's to look at fabric. They had some really cute ones to choose from, but these just kept popping out at me. Now I know they are a bit girly...but they were too cute to pass up. Besides, if this baby is a girl than that bag will be perfect. If not...oh well...it's me who carries the bag around, and I think it's cute!! Of course, I'm not going to try my new invention on this material until I have it perfected. I have some random fabric that I'm going to use. If it should turn out, I might post a picture for all to see!

Now for something completely off subject. Since we have started eliminating Lucas's daily naps, he's had trouble keeping his eyes open past 6 or 7. It's been kind of nice since we can put him to bed and he falls right asleep. He doesn't even move a muscle. Even though he goes to bed early, he still sleeps until 7 in the morning. On Valentine's Day I could tell he was getting sleepy really early. I finally called Jed around 4:45 and told him that if he didn't hurry home, he wouldn't get to see Lucas. I tried as hard as I could to keep him awake, but he still fell asleep before Jed got home. This is the picture of him that day. We tried to wake him up to have him open his little valentine's gift, but he wouldn't budge. He must have been really tired because he slept clear until 7 the next morning. Maybe it's a growth spurt!!??

Happy Valentine's Day

Yesterday Tawnya and I spent the afternoon making a little something that I saw on Martha Stewart, mini conversation heart cakes. They were a lot more work than I had thought they would be. On TV they make it looks so simple!! Oh well, it was still fun to make them and hopefully they taste good too!

I also want to tell my 2 Valentine boy's how much I love them. They are a real blessing in my life and I'm so glad that we will be a family forever and ever!

I LOVE YOU!

Act Like a Puppy...

While Jed and I were in Salt Lake, Lucas was up in Honeyville. He had so much fun that he didn't want to come home with us. He kept telling us "Bye" instead of grandpa and grandma! Nappy likes to have him play like he's a puppy so that's what the video is. The best is the end though...he's so funny!

Valentine Getaway

Jed and I went on our second annual Valentine vacation to Little America. This year we decided to stay in one of the tower rooms. It was so nice! The rooms are so big and spacious. They had chocolate dipped strawberries and a bottle of grape juice waiting in our room. We also received a key with the date and a yellow rose!

We went to dinner at Z'tejas in the Gateway. Niether Jed nor I had eaten there, but we gave it a try. I was a little nervous since there was nothing normal on the menu. I ended up really liking my dinner and Jed really liked his. Mine was a chicken, artichoke & mushroom stack and Jeds was a pork tenderloin wrapped in sausage. The best part was that we got there just at the right moment. We had about a 10 second wait to be seated. Right after that, there were tons of people who came through the door.

On Saturday we did a session at the Salt Lake Temple. Jed had never been through that temple. It's always such a nice feeling to go to the temple and forget everything that's happening in the world. We also ate breakfast at the Little America buffet. They such a yummy breakfast...we always get really stuffed!

Thanks honey for a wonderful weekend. You are the best and I love you so much!

Hair 'n More

Last night I had my hair cut by my favorite hair stylist, Whitney! She's is Jed's cousin and is going to beauty school at Paul Mitchell. She actually finishes in May, which I am extremely sad about since she hasn't decided what to do after finishing. I can not tell you how much I love it when I finally find some that I LOVE to have cut my hair. She always listen's to me and does exactly what I want. She spends lots of time making sure it looks good, etc. She's the best!

As a little side note...
Jed and I are off (later today) for our second annual Valentine's getaway. Since this is OUR holiday! We don't venture to far, just Salt Lake, but it's still really fun. We stay at the Little America (which has an amazing breakfast buffet) and visit the Gateway and whatever else we feel like doing.
I met my Mom in Bountiful on Wednesday afternoon to drop Lucas off. It worked out nicely since she had to take a couple days off to stay home with Nappy who had her Wisdom Teeth pulled yesterday. Hope your feeling better soon!

All that "Jazz"

Jed and I were able to go to the Utah Jazz game on Wednesday night. Shane & Talease gave Jed tickets for Christmas. We had a great time. They played the Spurs and WON!! It was a really good game and it came pretty close at the end, but it was nice to have the Jazz finally win a close game! Tawnya & Landon watched Lucas for us. Thanks Shane & Talease for our fun date night!
We parked on the very top level of the parking garage, so we of course had to wait quite awhile before we could move. We had a great time watching the different personalities of the drivers. It's so funny how we can all be in the same boat, and yet NO ONE is going to let a car pull in front of them! You can sure tell who you would want as your friend and who you wouldn't!!

Yesterday was our second Dr.'s appointment. The baby seems to be growing and everything looks good. Our ultrasound is scheduled for the first part of March. I am 16 weeks along. I made a deal with myself that I wouldn't wear any maternity clothes until at least my second appointment. Most of my levi's are getting just a little too tight, but my other pants are still okay. Since I have maternity clothes this time, I figured there is really no need to use the rubber band to do up my pants!! Why be uncomfortable...so I'm officially going to wear my maternity pants with pride! The shirts will have to wait...they look more like a tent than a shirt right now!