The Clark Family

Busy!

2012-01-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

Matt started a new semester. He studies a ton and is gearing up to start rotations in the fall. He also watches Brennen a lot when he’s not in class and when I’m teaching piano. AND he cleans the house a lot. What a guy. :) He showed me a calendar of all the due dates and tests this semester and he has tests March 22, 23, 26, and 27. And I’m due the 25th. Hopefully he’ll be able to get away for the baby’s birth!
I’m really busy with my job, piano lessons, and Brennen. I really don’t stop until after B is in bed and then I’m in bed 2 hours later. I really like the job but I’m getting SO tired! And I’ve been having a TON of braxton hicks contractions. 9 more weeks and I’m so excited to meet this baby!
Brennen has been knocked out of his normal routine and it’s crazy how much it affects him and his moods. He goes to a babysitter three mornings a week and to Grandma’s a few afternoons. He never seems to get a good nap.
A few more things about Brennen…

He says “smile” and then proceeds to smile whenever he sees the camera.
He talks SO well! His speech is very clear and easy to understand. He knows a ton of words and really retains what we teach him. He also copies just about everything he hears so we have to be careful what we say.
He can identify family members in pictures (aunts, uncles, cousins, too). He can also identify Jesus and President Monson which I think is pretty cute. :)
He knows lots of shapes, even “hex-gon.” He also knows several letters, numbers, and colors.
He knows how to jump, like both feet of the ground at the same time! He’s not always successful but we’ve seen him do it a few times.
I could say tons more about him but I’ll cut it off here. :)

“Smile!”

Scarfing popcorn with Dad

Playing the “pan-o.”

Just being cute.

December Festivities

2012-01-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

December was a busy month for us! On the 17th we went to Denver with all of Matt’s family to go to the temple with our soon-to-be sister in-law Jessica. We left Brennen with Brad and Mary during the session and he said he great. Then we all went to dinner and it was a good day.

We spent Christmas here in Laramie with Matt’s family. We even spent the night Christmas Eve and Brennen did really well sleeping over there. I didn’t get very many good pictures but he seemed to enjoy his presents. He’d get distracted by one and then wouldn’t want to open any more for awhile. He especially liked his puzzles and his little bike, both from Grandma Clark.

I am now in the third trimester of this pregnancy! I can’t even believe it. It’s gone by way faster than my first pregnancy. This baby is REALLY active but I hope he’ll mellow out a little by the time he’s born ‘cause I don’t know if I can handle two crazy boys! :) So here’s me at 27 weeks (on Christmas day).

We traveled to Lyman on the 27th and spent some time with my family and I got to see all of my siblings, too. My sister Christena’s twin girls just loved Brennen and he eventually warmed up to them, too. :) She is due to have a baby two weeks before me and my oldest sister is due in early August so it’s fun that we’re all pregnant!

On the 28th we went to Logan for Lane and Jessica’s wedding. She is a beautiful girl and we’re excited that she joined the family! Brennen didn’t much like the cold and even though he’s crying I still thought it was a cute picture. :)

On the 30th Matt and I celebrated out 5th anniversary! We were still in Lyman so we left Brennen with my mom and sister April and went to Evanston to a movie and dinner.

December 30, 2006

December 25, 2011

After a LONG trip home (I-80 was closed just past Rawlins so we went clear into Colorado to get back) we spent New Years Eve with all of Matt’s family, even the newly weds. Here are a couple cute pictures of Brennen on New Years Day. He likes wearing his grandpa’s hat.

And as if this post wasn’t long enough, here are a few more cute ones of our little guy enjoying his bike. In the last one we just weren’t quite fast enough getting his diaper back on…

A few things

2011-12-19T20:41:00.001-07:00

18 months
I’ve started telling people that Brennen is one and a half. That seems so crazy to me! The biggest change for him the past couple months has been his vocabulary. It is HUGE. He communicates really well and has a really clear voice that’s easy to understand. He’s good at difficult consonants like “L” and he likes saying the names of all his aunts and uncles. The only one he can’t really get is my sisters. Sorry, Christena. Your name is just a little tricky. :) Matt took him to the doc the other day and he’s in the 75% for length and head and 25% for weight. We love him so much, he is a crack up!

Work
I’ve been working full time for a week and a half and I love teaching music. I love getting out of the house and making money for our family and I’m blessed that I get to do something I love. This teacher I’m subbing for just left it all up to me so I’m doing all of the planning, too. I feel like I’m the “real” teacher and it’s been good for me. But as much as I like it you can bet the second 3:30 comes around I’m busting it home to see my little boy (and Matt, too).

Baby #2
I’ve been feeling really good this pregnancy! At this point in my first pregnancy I was about 11 pounds heavier and I don’t feel as big with this one. I actually feel like I have more energy than I did with the first one (for now at least) and I haven’t been very sick. He moves around a ton and I love it! He has the same movement patterns that Brennen did and I’m hoping that doesn’t mean he’s going to be just as wild as Brennen. The one difference is I am WAY more moody. Yikes. It helps with classroom management, though. :) And as usual, the kids at school say some pretty cute and funny things. I’ll have to list those in a separate post.

Time of year
I really get to feeling sorry for myself sometimes and I let negative feelings override the positive ones. Whenever I remember to count my blessings it gets better, though, and this time of year makes it easy to do that. We were having family home evening tonight and I was “teaching” the lesson about the birth of the Savior and when I started reading what the angels said to the shepherds I looked at Brennen and I don’t know how much he was getting but he was quiet and just looking at me with big eyes and I couldn’t hold back the tears. It really is such a blessing that the Savior was born and tonight I was really thinking about how grateful I am for this time of year we have to celebrate that. I’m glad that Christmas is on a Sunday because I’ll get to attend church, partake of the sacrament, and really think about the Savior and what Christmas really means.

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

Matt and I have a tradition of going up to the mountains to cut down a tree every year. We had to wait until after finals this year and I was pretty impatient to get our tree up but it was worth the wait! A couple days ago we went up to the Snowy Range and found our best tree yet. Brennen was happy and excited to see all the trees and then he helped us put ornaments on ours later. He also really loves the Christmas lights and will go up to our decorated tree and say, “tee! lights!” and he’s actually really good about not knocking stuff off of it.

And just because I know you all want to see how large I am,, here’s me at just under 25 weeks.

The return of the fat, random thoughts, and family pics!

2011-12-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

I love being pregnant for so many reasons but I still have a really hard time accepting being fat!

I worked my buns off this spring and summer to get my pre-preg weight back and it seems like all that work was for nothing ‘cause I’m just going to have to do it again. It’s hard because I know I’ll never be as gorgeous as my friends, sisters and especially my sisters-in-law. Deep down I know it’s ok and that people who really love me will love me no matter what but it’s hard when I already feel a bit worthless and then I look in the mirror and want to barf ha ha!

And really, it’s my own fault because I can choose to eat better even though I’m pregnant.

All that aside, I’m feeling great! I don’t worry about the baby like I did with Brennen because I have more faith this time that everything is ok in there with this little squirt. I’m not extra tired or swollen yet (except for all that extra fat. HA!) so this really is the “honeymoon” period of pregnancy for me!

I love Christmas but I find myself getting stressed about what to get for people and where in the devil the extra money is going to come from to buy those things. I need to remember that it’s not about the material stuff, it’s about celebrating the birth of our Savior and I just need to chill out.

Matt is almost done with the semester! Today is his last day of class and then he has three tough finals next week. It will be so nice for him to be done but next semester is supposed to be pretty brutal and he’ll be taking 5 more credits than he took this semester. But after that it’s rotations!

We went to Lyman for Thanksgiving and then Brennen got to help decorate the Christmas tree at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. So here are some pics from the weekend.

We also drove to Evanston on Saturday morning to have a girl I went to high school with take some family pictures for us. Brennen was NOT happy and it was probably just too cold for him so we only got a couple of all of us and none of just him but the few we got really turned out great and I think she did such a good job!

3 to 1

2011-11-15T15:15:00.001-07:00

I went in for another ultrasound today because last week the little guy was hiding the top of his head and the tech couldn’t get all the brain measurements. Today he was much more cooperative and we got everything measured and he’s looking great! We also got a few more very clear shots of his boy-ness so come March I really will be outnumbered 3 to 1 in our little family! (I’d love to post ultrasound pics but I only have hard copies and no scanner and taking a picture of a picture just doesn’t quite do it).

It was great to be able to go in because a couple days ago I had a bit of a scare very much like the one I had when I was 15 weeks with Brennen but everything looked great with the baby, I just have some cervical issues I guess. I also have been having a ton of braxton hicks so the doc said that if this happens again I will probably need to go on bed rest for awhile. Please no! Eek! I will go insane.

I’d like a little girl someday but I also think I would be very happy being a mother to all boys. I’ve always gotten along better with boys anyway which is funny considering the fact that when it comes to extra drama and emotions I am definitely all girl. So for now I don’t mind being outnumbered!

This pregnancy isn’t really on my mind 24/7 like it was with Brennen but whenever I stop and think about this little guy I just get so excited, especially that it’s another boy. I never “nested” with my first pregnancy but I’ve already started feeling the urge with this one. I can’t wait to go through all the baby clothes and blankets, decide when he’ll wear home from the hospital, make a little place for him in our home, and I REALLY can’t wait to meet him! I can’t wait to see his little face for the first time and feel that powerful, pure love that I felt for Brennen ‘cause I already know I’m going to feel it with this little guy, too, because I love him already!

Motherhood sure is hard sometimes but I also know that it’s such an amazing and precious gift that has been given to me by my Heavenly Father and I’m so thankful for it!

I love my cute little boy!

20 weeks!

2011-11-08T15:00:00.001-07:00

Today I got my ultrasound and we found out we’re having a BOY! I’m really excited and I think it will be great for he and Brennen to have each other throughout their lives. I knew I would be 100% happy either way because I had no preference but this morning I woke up and I just felt like it was a boy. Everything is looking good with this little baby but I have to go back in a week for another ultrasound because he is SO low and his head is down so the tech couldn’t get a good enough shot of the top of his head to measure his brain so we’re going to try again for that but everything else looks normal! He’s also moving around a TON lately but I love it. It’s one of the greatest feelings in the whole world. I love him so much already!

I’m feeling great this pregnancy except that I’m REALLY emotional and moody and poor Matt is the one who takes the brunt of it. Good thing he loves me no matter what. 3 weeks ago the doc told me I needed to eat more because I hadn’t gained any weight but when I went today I had gained 3 pounds in the 3 weeks so he can’t complain anymore! I’m slowly but very surely getting fat. :)

Some days I feel like I’m going to go insane sitting at home but I tried to get a job and no one would hire me. I couldn’t even get hired as a monitor or a sub for the school district and I don’t know why because I think I did a pretty good job for them in the past! But I know it’s good for me to be home with Brennen (and I love it) and teaching piano helps, too.

As for Brennen, he is as crazy as ever. He’s especially wild over at his Grandma and Grandpa Clark’s and loves attacking his uncle Brad (who is 12). He’s so funny and so smart. He definitely learns things by example because he imitates what I say when I least expect it and is good at folding his arms during prayers and shouts “a-MEN!” at the end. I won’t list all the words he says because there are just too many to list.

We didn’t do too much for Halloween because Brennen is still a little young but we dressed him up as a devil and took him over to my friend Sarah’s, my brothers, and Matt’s parent’s where he scored all the candy (that Matt and I ate most of).

A Confession

2011-10-17T14:13:00.001-06:00

I went to the doctor today just for a normal check-up. For some reason I was extra worried about the baby this past week so I was glad to go to the doctor and see that everything was normal. We get to find out if we’re having a boy or a girl in 3 weeks!

Here’s my little baby pooch at 17 weeks.

Here comes the confession. I don’t want to give birth again. Ha ha too bad for me, right? I feel like I was a big talker after I had Brennen and told everyone how I was induced and didn’t get an epidural and I really did feel pretty tough. I felt like Superwoman. I realize that women have been giving birth without pain medication for many, many years and that’s one reason why I wanted to do it. I knew it could be done.

That was before I was induced. A friend (I don’t remember who it was now but I’m pretty sure I’ve heard similar analogies from a couple different people) has had natural births being induced and without and she said that it was like comparing a bike ride to a freight train. I’m sure that the bike ride was probably up hill both ways in a really hard gear but I could totally relate to the whole “being induced is like a freight train” thing.

But for some reason even through the freight train-like pain, I never thought of getting an epidural. Ever. I thought about IV drugs but by then it was too late to get them. Looking back I have no idea why I didn’t give in because I have always been a wuss.

So now that the birth of another baby is looming in the not too distant future, the idea of actually HAVING this baby scares me pretty bad. Here are some reasons. I was induced so I never had to decide when to go to the hospital so I’m afraid I won’t know when to go with this one. I don’t want to give birth in my house or in my car! Also, I really had an amazing experience with Brennen and loved the hospital and nurses here and nothing went wrong so I’m afraid that it won’t be that perfect again.

Matt says I worry too much about things that are too far away and/or things that I can’t control. So, I guess I’ll just stop worrying and enjoy being pregnant with my second little miracle.

And I think I’ll probably go natural again. Unless I’m induced…. then we’ll give it some more thought. :)

All this baby/birth talk is making me miss my tiny little Brennen. He sure was cute as a newborn. And he still is!

From newborn to mischievous 16 months in the blink of an eye!

2nd Trimester!

2011-10-03T14:12:00.000-06:00

I’m now a couple weeks into the second trimester of my second pregnancy and even though at times I feel like I JUST did this, I still don’t remember much about what it was like when I was pregnant before.

I guess you’re supposed to feel the best during this trimester and I think that I do… except for the fact that I’m still extremely irritable. You better not mess with me right now. I am a total bear. Just ask my loving husband.

You’re also supposed to be less worried about miscarriage by now but last time I had quite the scare just before 16 weeks (it was on Christmas Day! How rude was that, baby?! But luckily he was just fine. Obviously.) and because I’ve had a miscarriage before, I’m still worried. And ironically enough, I’m more worried now than I was earlier in the pregnancy because now I don’t feel any symptoms at all. I haven’t gained any weight yet (although my pants are all getting tight… how does that work??), I’m not really any more hungry than usual, I’m not nauseous anymore, I have more energy, I haven’t felt the baby move yet, and I just don’t FEEL pregnant right now so sometimes I ask Matt, “Do you think the baby is still in there?” and he either just rolls his eyes or asks me where I think the baby has gone if it’s not in there anymore. Hmm, good point.

Some days I’m SO excited to have another baby and think it will be a blast having two kids. Other days I panic and spontaneously burst into tears at the thought because I can’t see any way that I will be able to take care of more than one. And some days I feel like it will be so fun for Brennen to have a little sibling and I think he’ll be a great big brother. Other days I feel afraid that he’ll feel neglected and/or that he won’t like his sibling and will be mean to him/her and be even more needy. (hmm… mood swings… I guess I still have a few symptoms…)

I still can’t believe that we’ll have another baby in March! We thought it would be a longer wait for sprite #2 and just hoped and prayed that “it” and Brennen would be less than 3 years apart and we are so blessed that it was not a long wait and that they’ll be just under 2 years apart which will be perfect! Yay! :)

Quick notes on Brennen: he is an avid rock collector, loves to dance to any music (even the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during conference), loves being outside (taking him out there saves my sanity), says a ton of words, climbs on EVERYTHING, and basically is stinkin’ adorable even when he’s a little grumpy. I realized today that there’s no way I can keep him out of everything despite all of my baby-proofing so I guess if he finds another way to climb onto the kitchen table after I thought I’d taken away all possible routes, I just have to take him off of it again… and again…. and again, and continue to work on my patience.

He climbed in and sat in the stroller like this for and stayed there for almost a half hour “reading” a book.

Exploring the fields behind our apartments. He was tired on the way back so here he is sitting down to rest and playing with some of his newly collected rocks.

Patience

2011-09-21T09:10:00.001-06:00

There are those who say “Don’t pray for patience because then you’ll be given trials to give you opportunity to learn patience.” But I say, “How else will I learn it then??” So, I pray for patience and guess what?

It’s working.

I’ve been impatient all my life. Impatient to do the things my sisters got to do before me growing up, impatient to start our family, impatient to be done with school, impatient for Matt to be done with school, impatient to feel financially secure, impatient to have a house, impatient to have a wonderfully beautiful baby grand piano, and etc. But there are also those day to day things that try my patience. Here are some examples:

When Brennen gets into a tub of vaseline and smears it all over everything.
When Brennen unrolls an entire roll of wax paper, toilet paper, paper towels, and so on.
When Brennen grabs onto my legs, throws his head back and whines “mom mom mom!” Then continues to cling to my legs as I’m walking away if I don’t pick him up “right now!”
When Brennen reaches up to the table, grabs my full bowl of cereal and knocks it on the ground.
When Brennen thrashes around so badly that I can’t get him into his car seat.
When Brennen takes the lid off his sippy cup and pours all the juice contained within onto his head.
When Brennen climbs into the bathtub, grabs my almost full bottle of shampoo, and pours half of it down the drain.
When Brennen refuses to take a nap even though he obviously, desperately needs one.
When Brennen pulls my hair.
When Brennen won’t eat any food I give him then comes begging when I’m eating carrots (of all things to beg for! and to think I just tried to give them to him for lunch....)

There are a lot of other things that try my patience that aren’t related to Brennen but my sweet little boy probably takes the cake. I thought I knew what motherhood would be like but I had NO idea what it would actually be like! (It may sound like I made some of that stuff up but if you’ve ever had kids and especially if you know mine you know that I did not make any of it up and that those things can happen in the .2 seconds when you have your back turned.)

In case you haven’t met my little guy I will tell you this: He. Is. Wild.

He never holds still, ever. Even when he’s captivated by Baby Einstein or a story we’re reading him he’ll still shake his leg, fiddle with whatever’s in his hands, or walk back and forth in front of the TV. First thing in the morning he’ll run down the hall to my side of the bed (if Matt’s the one who got him up), pound on the mattress until I pick him up, then snuggle into my arms…. for about 5 seconds. IF I’m lucky. Then he wants down again and that’s usually so he can nab my phone from the nightstand and run away with it. Constantly on the move.
He’ll run from room to room grabbing a toy from one and putting it in another.
He spins in circles all the time.
He obviously got his (lack of) patience from me because he tries for about .5 seconds to do something or get a toy from a hard-to-reach place before he freaks out, screams, falls backward, and throws his head back in a full fledged fit.
He talks constantly. Only about 10% of what he says can be understood but he still jabbers all the time. Non-stop.
Basically he’s just a ball of energy that is SO much fun yet very hard to control.

All of that being said, I wouldn’t change his personality for the world. He is also very happy and laughs and smiles so easily. He shows love for the people he cares about and is such a joy to our lives, even though he’s a little crazy. : )

So, as impatient as I’ve been all my life I’ve never had my patience tried like I have these past 15 months. And I DO pray for it every day and I find myself having an easier time dealing with the little things that used to drive me near the edge. I’m glad that I’ve been given so many opportunities to work on this and it makes me very happy to be able to see myself slowly improving and becoming a better, more loving wife and mother every day!

Golden Month Birthday

2011-09-16T13:42:00.000-06:00

Brennen turned 15 months yesterday on the 15th. This little boy is growing so fast and learning so much that it amazes me. He says lots of words, can identify lots of body parts, walks and runs, can step up stairs if you’re holding his hand, eats anything we give him, makes the “sounds” when he plays with cars, loves reading books, and tons more. He also learned to scowl at people which is pretty cute & funny but not polite so we’re starting to work on that one. :) And he’s so smart, too! I took him to the doctor today and developmentally he’s at a 19-20 month level. He went down in length from the 75% clear down to the 50%. They measured him three times to make sure it was correct so that’s a little bit of a bummer but the doc isn’t worried. His weight is still around 20% and his good ol’ head is still up in the 75%. :)

We’ve been spending time outside a lot lately because now it’s nice and cool all day but not too cold yet. Matt and I try to push Brennen in the stroller but when we’re in the mountains he does not want to stay strapped in and would much rather walk with us. The other evening we were out and Brennen pointed at something and said “oooh!” It took us a minute to see it but he was pointing at a deer that was partially hidden in the trees. Brennen still loves playing at the playgrounds at all the various parks in town and it’s a lot of fun for me to watch him play and learn about the world. Fall has been nice so far!

And as far as baby #2 goes, we’re doing well. I feel like this last week I’ve suddenly “popped.” Not that I’m huge or anything but I can no longer suck it all in and there’s definitely a tiny little bump there. It makes me happy. :) And I’m finally over feeling sick every day but I still have some major food aversions like sweet stuff! I’ve always had a sweet tooth so it’s weird to NOT want candy and stuff but it’s probably helping keep my weight in check! So here I am a week ago at about 12 weeks.

How Will They Know?

2011-08-31T11:12:00.001-06:00

I’m the choir director in my ward in my church. A few months ago my friend Sarah suggested that we sing a song that is found in the children’s book that’s meant for adults. No one ever sings this song and it’s really pretty so I thought we could try it.

I usually don’t pay much attention to the words or how moving the music is until after we’ve learned it ‘cause by then I’m no longer stressed about learning it. :) So on Sunday we performed this song and on the last run-through I really paid attention to the words and for some reason it really choked me up. I think this song is filled with so many good thoughts and it appeals to parents and other adults in the lives of children to teach them what is right. It also makes me feel a huge responsibility to make sure I teach my children all the things they need to know. I don’t know if this will touch anyone who reads this as much as it touched me but I wanted to post the lyrics anyway. They are by Natalie W. Sleeth.

How will they know, the ones for whom we care,
That God is love and with us everywhere,
That life is good, with blessings all can share?
How will they know unless we teach them so?

How will they learn that, though they go astray,
God will forgive and help them find the way?
How will they feel the Spirit day by day?
How will they know unless we teach them so?

How will they grow in wisdom and delight?
How will they choose to follow what is right?
How can they trust the future will be bright?
How will they know unless we show them?

How will they live when they at last are grown?
What will they give to children of their own?
Will they reflect the values we have shown?
How will they know, as on through life they go?
How will they know unless we strive to teach them so?

Man I couldn’t even type that without crying! I guess I’ll blame it on hormones and the fact that I know that I will now have TWO children to teach and take care of! Yep, we’re having another baby in March! I’m still a little in shock and I’m kinda scared but Matt and I are SO excited and we feel incredibly blessed that the Lord is trusting us with another one of His children and that everything is going well!

Here is the new sprite at 9 weeks! I usually have a hard time deciphering these pictures but they’re fun to look at anyway. :)

Fun Weekend

2011-08-24T17:08:00.000-06:00

We went camping again this last weekend and it was fun and relaxing. Although, I’ve decided that I don’t know how much we’ll do it when we have little kids because Brennen did NOT want to sleep and we ended up taking him on a drive at 1:00 AM to get him to settle down.

On Friday we found a nice spot to camp, set up, then did some hiking and fishing on Deep Creek near Sand Lake in the Snowy Range. Matt and I each caught a few fish but there were SO many in the creek that just wouldn’t bite. Brennen was a good boy and seemed pretty happy in his backpack. It was so beautiful there. We got rained on on our way back to camp so Brennen and I hung out in the car for awhile while Matt got a fire started.

Saturday morning we hiked about 1.8 miles down to Crater Lake. The last half mile or so was REALLY steep but it was worth it. That was really beautiful, too, and I caught a 13” brook trout from that lake.

A few hours after we got home on Saturday my mom, dad, and both brothers came for a visit. My youngest brother Kasey moved here to start his sophomore year of college so my other family came to see him off and to visit us and Brennen. It was a great weekend!

Campsite
Deep Creek
Brennen having fun in the car

Chillin’ at the camp

View of Crater Lake from the top

Down at Crater Lake

Pictures

2011-08-10T18:14:00.000-06:00

Just Brennen

Our fishing trip yesterday to Big Creek

Some Catching Up

2011-08-05T16:05:00.002-06:00

Lately I've been doing my posts using window's live writer and I really like it but now that I changed my template for my blog all of my pictures from previous posts are all off... So I'm posting just using blogger today and we'll see how that goes. :) Brennen has been doing a lot! He started walking a few weeks ago and is really good at it! He never crawls anymore. Although he used to be really good at going down stairs by crawling backwards but now that he's walking he just walks off the edge! We really have to watch him. But he's running all over and saying a whole bunch of words and it seems like he's just getting bigger and smarter every day. He's almost 14 months!
Matt and I made yet another trip to Lyman this last weekend for my sister April's open house. Matt and my brother Kasey went fishing, we ate good food, played some games, Brennen loved playing with his cousins, and we saw lots of family and friends at the open house.

On Monday Matt dropped Brennen and I off in Green River to meet with his family so we could go to Flaming Gorge. Matt had to come back to Laramie for work and school but Brennen and I had a fun day with family on the boat. Brennen didn't much like it at first and stayed huddled with Grandma Gwen until after lunch. Then he was pretty happy but only if Grandma kept holding him. He wanted nothing to do with me but at least he was happy and loves his grandma.

Not very happy yet

Playing with the flag

On the shore

Driving the boat with Grandpa

This is Matt's brother Kyle jumping off a cliff into the water.

Very happy near the end of the day with Grandma and Uncle Lane

P.S. So after doing this whole post on blogger I've discovered that window's live writer is WAY better for blog posts. You can do WAY more with pictures and it's WAY easier. Blogger is WAY more frustrating. Did I say "way" enough? :)

Laramie Peak

2011-07-14T14:58:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week we went camping at a nice little campground at the base of Laramie Peak. We were going to leave Monday afternoon and then come back on Wednesday but Brennen woke up for good at 5:30 Monday morning so we decided to just get up and go. It took about 2 hours to get out there and after we set up camp and ate lunch we headed out on quite the hike to to top of the peak. We went from about 7,200 ft. clear up to over 10, 000 ft. and the hike is about 1/2 mile vertical and just over 5.5 miles to the top so we hiked 11 miles in about 6 hours. It was really steep and rocky and I was about ready to die half way up. Matt carried Brennen in the front pack while I carried the much lighter backpack. We ended up going a little overboard on the water so we filled up from the creek and it was probably the best water I’ve ever tasted. The view was absolutely beautiful from the top and made the hike worth it. Pictures can never quite do it justice.

Half way up. Matt was such a trooper for carrying Brennen the whole way. And Brennen was happy as a clam as long as we kept giving him crackers.

View from the top

Walking down. When you get to the “falls” there are only 2 miles left to the bottom!

Click here if you want to read a short wikipedia article about the area. But it is seriously so beautiful up there. We’d been up there before but what I really liked this time is that the pine beetles haven’t devastated the trees there quite yet. There are a few that are dead or dying but most of the pines are still green and full unlike the trees in the mountains closer to Laramie.

Brennen was a good little camper. He still can’t quite get the hang of walking so he was crawling everywhere when we weren’t holding him. He loved kicking up the dirt with his hands and had no problem eating dropped food from the ground before I could stop him. He was incredibly filthy. He slept really well once we got him to sleep and only woke up once and he was really hyper and attacked us (well, ME while Matt went back to sleep…) until I finally got him to fall back asleep cuddled next to me in my sleeping bag. Then in the morning he just wanted to play in the tent and was mad when we got him out.

Tuesaday morning we drove further west into some hills and Matt fished Labonte creek and caught 20 fish in about an hour, brook and rainbow trout. I only casted twice (no license…don’t tell!) and caught a little rainbow on my second cast (I put it back). :) Brennen loves it when we catch fish. We thought about staying another night after we were done fishing but we could tell Brennen had had enough so we headed home but it was still such a fun and relaxing trip.

Lately

2011-07-05T19:04:00.000-06:00

Life has been pretty good lately! We traveled to Lyman again to be with my sister for her wedding and it was so amazing and wonderful to be able to be there and see her find happiness with an amazing man. It was a nice, relaxing trip and it was great to see all of my family again.

Around here we’ve just been hanging out doing the same old stuff. Matt’s working and I’m chillin’ out at home with Brennen. I’ve been doing some lawn mowing for Matt’s dad when he needs a little extra help so I’ve been able to earn us a little bit of money and spend some time outside working hard which is kinda nice after being at home so much the past year. But that being said I can really tell when I’ve been working for a few days because my house goes to pot then I have to catch up on all the cleaning.

This 4th of July weekend was pretty fun. Saturday we went up and hiked around the snowy range then last night we had a party with several of our friends. It was so much fun! We had a bbq and then just talked and played games and watched the fireworks.

Brennen is growing up so quickly all of a sudden. He can’t walk quite yet but I’m not worried ‘cause his dad didn’t walk until 15 months or so and I’ve heard other oldest children don’t walk very early. But he’s taken 5 steps at a time so he’s getting there! He loves to just stand at the window and look outside. He’ll stand there for such a long time but then if I take him outside he hates the grass and hates it when I put him down. Funny kid. He also says a few words like uh-oh, thank you, and ok. He also sees the dog at Matt’s parent’s house and he’ll say something that kinda sounds like dog so we’ll count it. :) But he “talks” and makes noise all the time. He entertains me constantly.

The Wedding

Outdoor fun

Brennen is One!

2011-06-16T16:29:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Brennen’s first birthday! I can’t even believe that my little guy is a year old. This year went by SO fast! He was a little sick yesterday so he was pretty lethargic during his birthday party which was a bummer but he snapped out of it a little later and was playing with his new toys like crazy. Grandma and Grandpa Clark along with Mary, Brad, and Lane came to help us celebrate Brennen’s birthday. He opened his presents then Brennen got his own chocolate cupcake. He went to town on it and loved it of course.

Brennen went to the doctor today and everything is looking good! He weighs 20 lbs 5 oz, so he’s gained exactly 13 lbs in a year. He’s 30 1/2 inches long and the rest of his body is starting to catch up to his head because it’s not off the charts anymore. :) He can stand by himself for just a few seconds but isn’t really showing too much interest in walking yet. He is a really fast crawler and eats basically anything we give him. He doesn’t really drink out of bottles anymore, sometimes just at bedtime when he’s really upset. He walks around the room like crazy (holding onto the walls and couches still) and dives off furniture head first with his arms out to catch himself. He’s great at going up stairs and is learning how to come down.

I know that no one else cares as much as I do about the little things that Brennen can do but he really does amaze me. He’s always been so alert and aware of the world around him. He gave us social smiles at 4 weeks and laughs and smiles all the time. He shows all of his emotions and luckily most of the time he’s really happy. He “reads” books on his own now and rolls balls around. He loves playing outside and he’s starting to prefer me to anyone, even his dad (which I actually love because he was never cuddly when he was tiny and now he is)! But he still loves interacting with other people and isn’t very shy at all.

I have learned so much this year. It’s been challenging at times trying to figure out how to be a parent but I think Matt and I are doing a pretty good job if I do say so myself. :) We really wanted this little boy in our lives for awhile before we got him but neither of us really had any idea how happy we would actually be. I love this little boy so much and I don’t even remember what life was like without him in our family. Motherhood really is the best gift and blessing I could ever have!

all the cupcakes

opening presents

eating cake

We also went up near Vedauwoo and had a little picnic with Kyle and Kylee a couple nights ago so here are a couple fun pictures from that and a couple bonus pictures of a one-year-old Brennen!

Another fun trip

2011-06-09T12:59:00.000-06:00

Last week we all loaded up the car and headed to Lyman. We got there late Thursday night and spent all day Friday hanging out with my family. We also went to the Lyman cemetery since it was just past memorial day and visited the graves of my dad and grandparents. Brennen got to play with his cousins and he loves them so much! It gives me hope that I’ll actually be able to handle more than one child ‘cause it seems like kids entertain each other. :)

But the real reason for our trip was to go to a wedding in Utah. Matt’s brother, Kyle, got married to a wonderful girl, Kylee, who is also from Laramie. We left Lyman early Friday morning and were able to be there for the sealing in the Draper temple. And later that evening we went to a reception in Provo that was held outside of a beautiful house with awesome landscaping. It was a really good day and we got back to Laramie Sunday night after going to church with my family in Lyman.

On a completely different note, Matt and his siblings all have wavy/curly hair whereas me and my siblings have straight hair. I thought curly might be dominant but it definitely is because all of a sudden out of nowhere Brennen’s hair is really curly! It’s pretty cute but I’ll have to be careful not to let it get too long ‘cause I don’t want him looking like a girly man ha ha!

So here are some pictures of the weekend.

The happy couple! (I tried to be sneaky and get pictures from the side where there weren’t so many people but this is the best one I could get!)

Brennen in his snazzy tie sitting on the grass at the temple.

Our little family at the wedding luncheon

The reception

And just a cute one of Brennen for good measure. :)

Mini Vacation

2011-05-19T17:28:00.000-06:00

Last week Brennen and I went to Idaho for my brother in-law’s graduation (master’s degree from Boise State). We missed Matt while we were gone for 5 days but he had to work so we had to leave him behind. We traveled to Lyman Thursday afternoon and then rode with my parents up to Boise on Friday. Brennen’s not the best traveler but we made it! We had a really fun weekend hanging out with my sister and the rest of my family and they all seemed pretty happy to see Brennen since they don’t get to see him very often. Brennen also turned 11 months while we were there. He hasn’t had any really new milestones except that he can stand on his own. He still has to pull up but then he lets go and stands. He is also a pro at climbing stairs. He’s so much fun and we all love him so much! Enjoy the pictures of our little trip!

Brennen likes roaming around with stuff in his mouth.

playing with Grandma and climbing the stairs

my lovely sister

a really cool piano!

playing at Bounce!

Shoshone Falls

I’m a Mother!

2011-05-11T12:47:00.000-06:00

So this past Sunday was my first real Mother’s Day! Matt was SO sweet, too. He brought me flowers the night before and said they were for Brennen’s mom then he cleaned the kitchen that night and when Brennen woke up at 6:30 Sunday morning he got up and shut our bedroom door so I could sleep in. Then about an hour later I woke up to my little boy being tossed on my bed so he could attack me and Matt was in the doorway with breakfast in bed. And it was seriously SO yummy, too! Then “Brennen” also gave me some sour gummy worms, a big bag of chocolate, and a pair of earrings. Then Matt had to go to work so B and I went to church then spent all day at Matt’s parents.

It’s still a little weird that I’m a mom! You’d think that I’d be used to the concept after almost a year but it still blows my mind sometimes. In church there were some really amazing talks given about the role of women as mothers and even though I was wrestling with my little guy the whole meeting it still really hit me that I’m doing the most important thing that I could ever do by being a mother.

I’ve had a lot of great examples of motherhood in my life.
My two biological Grandmother’s have both passed away but I was lucky enough to grow up in the same town as both of them so I got to spend a lot of time with them growing up. My grandma Tanner was always so funny and spoiled us rotten. She always had treats laying around and my mom would have to threaten to separate her from us during church because she couldn’t be reverent. I never doubted her love for me and all of my siblings. My grandma Rees taught me a lot about how to live life. She would get mad at me during my teenage years for treating my mother badly and even then I could see that she did it because of how much she loved me and my mom, her daughter. She really approved of Matt so after we got married our relationship grew closer and toward the end of her life she told me a lot of stories and I know that she sacrificed a lot to raise her children in the gospel and I’ll be forever thankful for that. My grandma Bennett is still alive and I’m sad that I don’t see her much but she also raised her kids in the gospel and I remember her having a lot of involved callings in the church and she is a hilarious woman. She raised the man who would marry my mom and become my father.
My two older sisters are wonderful mothers and I learn from them all the time. They are both patient, loving, kind, and are doing their best to raise their children in a tough world and in difficult circumstances.
My mother in-law Gwen is another great example to me. I’ve always felt welcomed and loved by her and she is such a good grandma to my little boy. Matt tells me a lot of things that he remembers about her when he was growing up and I know he holds her in a very special place in his heart. She has a strong testimony of the gospel and has raised a very righteous family and I really look up to her.
My father passed away when I was only about 7 weeks old and my mom also had my two older sisters to take care of, ages four and one! And my mom was only 24 herself. I’ve told her a few times how amazing I think she is for making it through that and she’s told me “what else was I supposed to do? NOT make it through?” but I still think she’s amazing. She’s taught me so much and she too has always had such a strong testimony of the gospel. I love her so much and admire her more than any other woman I know.

My mom and me at my wedding

Me and my sisters

Gwen with Matthew and Brennen

My Grandma Bennett

Grandma and Grandpa Tanner

Grandma Rees (don’t worry, she’s not smoking a cigar, I think that’s a breadstick.) :)

Easter

2011-04-27T19:25:00.000-06:00

Easter this year was pretty good. On Saturday night we dyed eggs with Matt’s family. Brennen mostly just sat in his high chair eating fruit loops and yogurt but he also tried to eat a dyed egg. :) On Sunday we went to church then after we got home we had a little egg hunt with Brennen (so really we just showed him where he could find all the eggs). Then we had a nice Easter dinner with Matt’s family and played some games. It was a good day for me to really reflect on the life, sacrifice, and resurrection of our Savior.

Matt and I have decided that we don’t want Easter to be a “present” holiday (nothing against people who do give presents! we just decided not to.) so needless to say Brennen did not get any presents, just a cute Easter basket that my mom made for him filled with candy that he’s still too little to eat. So we filled a few of the eggs with dry cereal, too. :)

This blog is mostly about Brennen

2011-04-16T11:55:00.000-06:00

Brennen is 10 months! Every month it's crazy to me how fast time flies. Brennen had a ton of fun milestones this month.

He got his second bottom middle tooth and he right now he has a vampire fang coming in on top.
He finally mastered crawling a couple weeks ago and that boy is fast!
He can pull up on anything and everything, including the walls. He figured out how to get down, too, mostly just by letting go of the fear and just and falling on his bum. It’s very cute. :)
He loves the toilet. Of course. We keep the lid closed but it's only a matter of time before he figures that out so we recently started keeping the bathroom door shut.
He can get back to a sitting position from anywhere. And he can get anywhere. I never know when the kid’s gonna sneak up on me.
He is eating more and more real solid food, not just ground up stuff. He's finally stopped fighting me when I feed him so that's a relief. He LOVES fruit.
He's started to throw fits when I say no or take things away. Is it just me or is this starting a tad early? He does the whole body spasm and thrashes around, sometimes turning in circles on the floor. It’s actually pretty funny to watch.
He'd much rather play with my music theory book than any of his toys. I don't know why but he won't stay away from that book! There aren't even any colors or pictures. A sign of things to come? Let’s hope so. :)
His favorite "words" are ging ging and da da. We get “da da” but who the heck knows what “ging” is supposed to mean?
He loves having yelling matches, especially with Aunt Mary. They just yell “aaaaaaaah” back and forth to each other.
He went swimming for the first time! He didn't really like it at first but after awhile he warmed up to it and was having fun splashing around.

Life is pretty dang good right now. We're all healthy, happy, and loving every minute together as a family. Here are some pictures of B at 10 months!

Hanging out with mom

Hating the grass, loving the toilet

Just being cute

Semi-Deep Thoughts

2011-04-05T16:28:00.001-06:00

Today I applied for two jobs. One for choir director at Laramie Junior High School and the other at…… Rock River. It’s my old job except only 70% so Tuesdays and Thursdays all day and only mornings on MWF and no more isolated schools.

Here are my thoughts on this: I would love to teach again. It was so much fun and I felt like I did a decent job. Matt is going to be in pharmacy school again full time in the fall so he won’t be able to work hardly at all and we could really use, no let me rephrase that, we really NEED the money.
I have loved spending every moment with my baby and it makes me sad to think that if I go back to work he will spend most of his day with other people, not me. It’s hard to think about giving that up. I took that job at Spring Creek last year and then quit before I even started because I already knew I was supposed to be home with my baby. I had prayed about it and knew the answer but I took the job anyway. So I’m afraid that the district won’t like me as much anymore because of that so they might not want to hire me. This time, however, I feel much better about taking a job even though I still don’t know for sure what to do whereas last time Heavenly Father had given me a pretty clear answer. I just figure we’ll see if I even get interviewed and then if I get offered a job we can really pray about it then to see if it’s right.

I also want to have another baby. I don’t know how soon but it’s much more important for me to have a family than a job, especially once Matt is done with school and can work full time. BUT…… I don’t talk about this very often but I really struggled with life after Brennen was born. I don’t think I would call it full fledged depression but it was a major case of the “baby blues.” I cried A LOT, felt extremely inadequate, felt like I didn’t know how to take care of my own baby, and I panicked whenever Matt had to go to work and the days just dragged and I was miserable. It was really hard for me so I’m afraid that may happen again and it would be even worse if I had to go back to a full time job after having a baby.

Anyway, we’ll just see how all of this works out. I don’t blog deep thoughts very often but I really wanted to get these thoughts off my chest.

On a lighter note, this morning I had about 2 dozen cookies out on the table and sweet Brennen managed to grab the paper towels they were on and drag every cookie off the table… but not before he managed to secure one for himself.

He can also stand up in his crib and can climb on our furniture.
He wasn’t very happy in this picture ‘cause he just wanted me to pick him up. :)

Just Some Laughter

2011-03-31T15:55:00.000-06:00

Stuff

2011-03-25T11:12:00.000-06:00

* Brennen poses for pictures now. It’s the cutest thing!

* Monday I decided to deep clean the kitchen. I was so proud of myself until I killed my microwave because I got too much water in it while I was cleaning it. :( It was a really nice, big one that we got for our wedding. And the night before I killed it I was telling Matt that I thought our microwave would last us a good 20 years. Looks like I was wrong…

* Brennen is sick… again! He had croup less than a month ago and it seems like he just barely got over it. Poor little guy. :( He’s normally SUCH a wiggly, energetic baby who never holds still so as much as I hate it when he’s sick, I just love it that he actually cuddles with me when he’s not feeling well.

* I am officially BELOW my pre-pregnancy weight! Now to keep it off…

* I started teaching myself how to crochet. I am NOT good at it at all. I seriously need to find a new hobby, though, so maybe I’ll keep trying.

* Brennen can pull himself up on the furniture. So even though he’s not doing the official hands and knees crawling thing (he is a master at army crawling and scooting) he can pull up and stand so who knows. Maybe he’ll walk sooner than I thought he would!

* Have you ever had a church calling you love and hate at the same time? That’s how I feel about being the choir director. I love the music part of it but man it’s hard to get people there and to have a consistent schedule when people are gone so often here.

* I’m training to run a 5K race. Yes, I said training. I know it’s pretty pathetic cause it’s not very far but I’ve never been able to run a mile without stopping to walk until after I had this baby and became a little more motivated. I’ve done two 5K’s on my own and my best time is 32 minutes. I just can’t seem to get past the 10 minute miles… :)

* I’m excited for summer! Not just because it’ll finally be warm enough to take Brennen outside and do all the usual fun summer things but because there are two weddings! Matt’s brother Kyle is getting married June 4th and my sister April is getting married June 25th. Plus my oldest nephew gets baptized and Brennen turns one! Those are both in June, too. What a busy month!

*And lastly, a couple of those posed pictures of my adorable little guy.

Another Month

2011-03-17T14:06:00.000-06:00

Brennen went to the doctor today for his 9 month well baby visit. Everything was looking great and despite all of my worries apparently I’m doing almost everything just fine. :) I say “almost” because obviously I’m not feeding this kid enough! He only weighed 17 lbs. 12 oz which is only about the 10%. His length went up to the 75% and his head has always been in the 75%… so hopefully that means he’s smart! So basically he’s a little lollipop, tall and skinny with a big head. :)
He’s still not crawling for real but he’s very good at army crawling and he can be across the room in no time at all. He can stand really well but isn’t pulling up on his own and isn’t walking along the furniture. He still only has one tooth (another is soon to come) so sometimes I feel like he’s “behind” but I think he’ll be just fine!
Brennen is adorable as always. He never stays in his covers at night, he’s starting to throw fits by flopping to the floor and kicking his legs, he is incapable of holding still at all, and he LOVES watching and trying to play with other kids. There is a ton more I could say but this is getting long as it is and there are still pictures!

Matt and I have been skiing a couple more times and here’s a picture of us together. I love going up there to ski, it’s only about 15 minutes away, it’s so beautiful up there, and it’s great exercise!

We went fishing the other day just on the spring creek here in town. We were only out for a few minutes but it was a really nice day and it didn’t take long for Matt to catch a fish. Brennen was amused.

Brennen at 9 months!

5 Things I Love About…

2011-02-28T20:48:00.001-07:00

Laramie

Living literally down the street from family
Camping/hiking/skiing/picnics/fishing and etc. in the nearby mountain ranges
The University of Wyoming
Walking in one of the many parks
Great friends/great ward

Music

Singing songs to my little boy
Jamming out in the car singing at the top of my lungs ‘cause no one else can hear me
The spirit it brings into my home
Being able to teach it
This doesn’t really fit with the “love about” theme but I wanted to list a few of my favorite songs of the moment:

Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars
Anything Like Me – Brad Paisley
That’s All – Michael Buble

Motherhood

The wonderful responsibility and blessing of being able to take care of some of God’s children while on this earth
Feeling more worthwhile than ever
Sacrificing for other people
Being able to stay at home, keep my house clean, cook dinner, and be the one who is there for my child(ren)
The fact that I can wear a dirty shirt and no one cares or wonders why

Brennen

When he says “mum mum” even though he doesn’t quite know yet what it means
When he’s really tired and actually cuddles with me
His laughter and smiles and his ability to make me laugh and smile all day long
When he flaps his arms and kicks his legs
His intense curiosity about the world. I love watching him learn new things

Matt

His patience
His desire to know everything about everything
When he holds me and just listens to me rather than trying to “fix it”
He’s working hard with his education so that he will be able to provide for our family
He honors his priesthood

Random thoughts, eight, and 26

2011-02-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

So I started writing my blog posts on windows live writer and I really like it a lot! I’m still getting used to it, though, so that’s why the past couple posts have been a little, well, large. I feel like the pictures and the font are just huge. I’m working on it. :)

I can’t remember if I mentioned this before but I made a little schedule for myself, mostly for housecleaning but I also try to squeeze in a little time every day to develop my talents, study the scriptures, and read for pleasure. I’ve also been trying to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and I’m within 2 pounds! So I’ve really been watching what I eat and have been exercising daily. It’s amazing how much better I feel about myself and about life when I keep the house clean and when I feel like I’m trying to be healthy.

One form of exercise has been a new thing for me and that’s cross country skiing. Matt did it in high school so he’s really good at it and I’ve wanted him to teach me since we first got married. He probably put it off because he knows how bad I am at downhill.

Last week Brennen turned 8 months! He scoots and rolls around like a mad man but no crawling yet and that’s ok with me! He suddenly decided he doesn’t like vegetables. Ugh! I try all sorts of things but he always gags and spits and pushes the spoon or the little bite size pieces away. I still try every day, though. He is so smart and so much fun! He’s been cranky lately cause he’s finally getting his first tooth! I expect it to break through any day now.

And lastly, I turned 26 on the 18th. So I’m officially in my late twenties… or I guess I can still say mid twenties. :) We were in Lyman visiting my family on my birthday and it was really fun. My little niece Kamaryn made me a birthday card and I got to meet my soon to be brother in law, Ben. He is such a nice guy, he’s so good with April’s kids and perfect for April. Matt got me a new digital camera for my birthday and I love it! It’s a canon that’s a couple upgrades up from my old canon camera.
Brennen in the car on the way back from our Lyman trip.

26 fingers on my birthday.

Just Sayin’.

2011-02-05T09:54:00.001-07:00

So… ever since I found out I was pregnant with Brennen I have felt ENORMOUS pressure to buy all the “best” baby things in order to be a “good mom.”

I personally feel like a LOT of mothers (and fathers for that matter) give in to this pressure and get all of the best, most expensive stuff even if they really can’t afford it simply because everyone else is doing it and they feel that it will make them better parents.

So I have had my moments of feeling sad and even guilty that I’m not being a “good mom” to Brennen because we couldn’t afford the nicest things. So in case anyone is reading this who feels the same as me, let me tell you something that may ease your mind a little.

It DOESN’T MATTER if you don’t have:

a “perfect” matching “nursery” with tons of decorations
an expensive crib with matching changing table and dresser
everything perfectly color-coded
crib bumpers and matching bedding
every…single…toy that is supposed to be “the best”
the most expensive, top brand car seat and stroller
50 million different outfits
organic baby food that you make yourself
a “perfect” hour by hour feeding and sleeping schedule for the baby (i understand that it’s nice to feed the baby at regular intervals and to make sure he gets the sleep he needs but if something gets a little “off” in the “perfect” schedule, it’s OK!)
hand-made blankets, nursing covers, bows, burp rags, bibs, crib bumpers, and etc.
and a billion other things that the world thinks you NEED

I’ve come to realize that those things DON’T MATTER. All my baby needs is food, clothes, a house to live in, somewhere to sleep, and mostly LOVE from his parents and family. I’m tired of feeling bad about the things that I don’t have or the things that we’re just not able to get for Brennen right now. It’s not that I want those things just to have them, it’s that all the media and things that other parents are doing make me feel like I’m somehow not good enough. I know I probably put most of the pressure on myself but like I said, if anyone else is reading this who feels the same way as me, know that it just doesn’t matter!

Ok, vent over. :) A post wouldn’t be complete without a picture of my cute little guy. This one is a blast from the past. He’s about two months old in this one and he sure is adorable.

Brennen Likes to Spit

2011-02-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

His new skill. He does it non stop, especially in church.

And just for fun, a cute picture I took of him today. What a cute little poser. :)

Private! plus some fun news

2011-01-22T16:48:00.006-07:00

I've decided to make my blog private starting in February! So please everyone leave me your email if you'd like to keep reading! Don't be shy, anyone is welcome except for random creeps I've never met. :)

Also, my oldest sister April is ENGAGED!!! Her now fiance Ben proposed last night on her birthday. I'm SO happy for her, she met a really nice guy who will treat her the way she deserves to be treated. I know he will make her happy, too. They're thinking about a June wedding and I'm so excited that I'll get to be there 'cause there's no way I'd miss it. :)

These next couple pictures were taken over 3 years ago! Christena is on the left, April in the middle, and me on the right. I love my sisters!

And this is one of Ben and April that I stole from her facebook profile. :) I'm pretty sure it was just taken last night.

Beautiful January

2011-01-15T19:05:00.003-07:00

Not much to say today, but I wanted to make a note of Matt's 27th birthday last week on the 7th. It seems weird to me that he's that "old" when he was 22 when we started dating! Crazy how time flies but I sure love him! He had to work all day so I made him breakfast in bed then we had cake and ice cream at his parent's house that night. I didn't even get any pictures...
Brennen is 7 months today! Talk about time flying.... No teeth, not crawling, but that's just fine with me! :) He is SUCH a happy little boy and I've never seen a baby laugh so much with so little prompting. He is the JOY of our lives!
Today we got to go to the temple for the first time in a few months, it really is harder to go once you have kids! But Matt's sister Mary came with us just to watch Brennen while we went in. It was SOOOO nice of her and we're so blessed to have family around to help us.
Without further ado, here's Brennen at around 7 months!

Totally out in Dad's arms

Captivated by "Baby Mozart" while holding his ever present teddy from his grandma

Happy boy eating his sweet potatoes

Cracking up at something :)

For some reason he likes to "eat" his tray even if it's freshly washed.

4 is my favorite number

2010-12-31T10:09:00.003-07:00

Yesterday Matt and I celebrated our 4th anniversary and had a really fun day hanging out while Grandma Gwen and Aunt Mary watched Brennen. Sometimes it seems crazy to me that it's already been four years and other times I can't even remember what life was like without him. He puts up with so much from me and we balance each other out so well. I am so happy and I love him so much! I know he's not perfect but he's perfect for me. :) I'm so glad he decided that he wanted to be with me when there were several other girls waiting in the wings. ha ha!

Dating
Engaged

Coming out of the Mt. Timanogos Temple on our wedding day! December 30, 2006.

And us now. It was hard to find a recent picture of us without Brennen in it! So thanks to my sister Christena for taking this one. :P

And looking through these pictures I've realized that apparently I only have one hair style... it hasn't changed much in at least 4 years...

Another Wonderful Christmas

2010-12-28T18:29:00.007-07:00

We spent Christmas this year with my family in Lyman. Everyone was there so it was a little crowded and chaotic but still very merry. :) During the few days we were there we went sledding, played basketball, played some card games, played a trivia game (that Matt kicked our trash in), ate good food, and just generally had a lot of fun as a family.
I think Brennen enjoyed his first Christmas. Everyone says kids like the wrapping paper best but he always made a weird confused face while he was "opening" stuff but then liked to play with whatever was inside. He got lots of fun toys, some books, and some really cute clothes.
And a little side note, in my last post I said that he couldn't sit up yet but 2 days after that post he suddenly learned and is now a pro. He still falls back every now and then but doesn't even cry about it anymore.
Here are some pictures of our fun week.
This wasn't in Lyman but the week before Christmas my piano students had a recital and here's a picture of me with the four of them.
The only "action shot" of me sledding. I'm with my niece Abigail.
The whole sledding crew.
All the grandkids on Christmas Eve in their matching pjs.

The "pink ladies" in our matching pjs (would be a great picture if my mom wasn't blinking) :)
Brennen first thing Christmas morning.

My beautiful sister on a beautiful Christmas morning.The guys in their matching pjs
The next few are just cute ones of Brennen opening presents.

Me holding Brennen on Christmas night. He's wearing his cute "baby's first Christmas" outfit from his Grandma Hope.
Back in Laramie at Grandma and Grandpa Clark's still wearing his new adorable church outfit.

Four generations. Grandma Clark, Matt's dad Randy, Matt, and Brennen.
Brennen got ahold of the wrapping paper roll. :)

December Happenings

2010-12-15T12:01:00.004-07:00

First of all, Brennen is SIX MONTHS OLD today! It seems insane to me that he's already half a year old. He is a really happy boy and finally takes somewhat regular naps and still sleeps through the night. He still isn't very good at rolling over and sitting by himself but he sits pretty well if we're there to steady him and he likes sitting up in the shopping cart. Still no sign of teeth either but he LOVES peas and carrots. He would much rather eat those than applesauce or cereal. If you know me you know that I don't much like peas or carrots and yesterday I found myself saying "yucky, gross peas!" as I was feeding him so I quickly changed my tune to say "yummy! eat your yum yums!" or something to that effect.... :)

We went up to the Snowy Range to get our Christmas tree a couple weeks ago. We went on a Friday afternoon and found a great tree but we had only brought a chain saw with us and Matt accidentally broke the starter cord so we had to drive back home without our tree. :( Brennen HATED the snow at first but then the next day we went back, found the exact same tree despite the many people who were up there cutting down trees, and Brennen was much happier 'cause it wasn't snowing as badly.

Also last week I was in a church/community performance of Handel's "Messiah." I'd been in it a couple times before but only as a soloist and this year I was in the choir and we had a really good director and we sounded really good. I found myself really thinking about the words as I never had before. It's easier for me to really listen and feel the words within the music rather than just reading them in Isaiah. They really struck me and I got a little choked up as I was singing them. I'm so thankful that our Father in Heaven sent his Son to earth for us.

"For unto us a child is born. Unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

"The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever. King of Kings and Lord of Lords."

"Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. And with His stripes we are healed"

I have been feeling SO HAPPY and blessed lately. I have such a wonderful family, both my side and Matt's. Matt did well in his classes this semester which is a huge blessing and I just love Brennen more and more every day. Life is so wonderful and I'm so excited for Christmas!

And now, picture time. :)

Matt and Brennen in the snow after we cut down our tree.
Matt with our freshly cut tree.Me and Brennen by the river and next to some trees on the first day.

Don't worry, it was empty but Brennen LOVED this can of cherry 7-up!
Brennen chills out in his walker a lot so he can practice sitting and play with his toys upright so we can get him off his back and get rid of the pesky bald spot.
He fights us if we try to feed him a bottle but if we stick him on the floor and let him do it himself he's happy. And as you can see, he's pretty much a pro with the one handed thing going on.

I have a few more pictures of our decorated tree and some cute ones of Brennen at 6 months but I lost my camera cord (again).... so until next time......

Thanksgiving Trip

2010-12-01T17:14:00.006-07:00

Matt and I had planned on staying here with his family for Thanksgiving this year but we ended up going to Lyman instead because my Grandma passed away and her funeral was last Saturday. Both of us were really looking forward to spending the holiday here so we were sad we had to go but we had SUCH a good time in Lyman despite the circumstances. We played basketball, had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast, played some fun games, and had really good conversations about my Grandma and life in general.
Here are just a bunch of random pictures from the week. I have the best family ever!

During the funeral luncheon

We introduced "peanut carnage" to my family. So here's my crazy oldest sister with the rest of us playing in the background.
I guess I messed up...
:)
Kasey's turn
The grandkids

Our little family again
Me and my sibs. I have some gooooood lookin' brothers! (and yes Christena, I did steal some of these pics from your blog....) :)

Getting ready to eat the bird

Matt is helping our nephew Tanner play a game

Three generations. I'm so bummed that I never got a pic of us three with my mom's mom (she's the one who just passed away) cause since my dad is not living there is a gap on that side between me and my grandpa so I will only ever have three generation pics until my kids have kids.

My brothers playing with Brennen

Just me and B-ren before dinner

Another Month

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

Brennen is 5 months today! He is a wonderful, adorable little boy except he still doesn't nap except maybe a couple 15 minute cat naps a day. But this morning we put him in the swing and let him cry for a few minutes and he was asleep really soon and stayed asleep for almost 2 hours! This is unheard of for our little boy. He sleeps awesome at night, though, and he smiles and giggles ALL the time.
I forgot to mention that I got a new calling... I'm the ward choir director. :) It's fun but I'm always worried I'm not doing a very good job. We'll see how it goes I guess! If only we could get more men to come...
And now....... Brennen! :)

He loves his little johnny jump up.

Holding his own bottle.
Playing with dad while wearing his cute snowsuit.With his mom. He's always smiling better in his pics with his dad.... guess we know who's more fun! :)
Matt always puts him in interesting places... but Brennen seems happy there!
Me and my best friend Sarah holding each other's babies. Her little Chelsey was just born on Saturday!

Halloween!

2010-11-01T10:23:00.004-06:00

On Saturday we finally carved our pumpkin and I think he turned out pretty well! :)

Then we took Brennen over to Grandma and Grandpa Clark's so they could see him in costume. He ended up being a dragon and he sure was a cute one!

Then on Sunday we had a very nice relaxing day and then went to an awesome Halloween party at our friend Kasey's house. Here's our little family before we went over there. The hood is a little big as you can see ha ha!

Brennen the dragon.

After we got home Matt put Brennen in a different "costume." This is my new all time favorite picture!

4 Months

2010-10-18T18:21:00.007-06:00

Brennen turned 4 months last Friday and went today for his check up. The shots are always sad for me and he's been a little sad today but other than that everything went really well! Here are his stats at 4 months.

Weight: 13 lbs 15 oz (30%)

Height: 24 7/8 inches (40%)

Head circumference: 42.7 cm (60%)

So he's growing just perfectly! He loves grabbing, shaking, and eating toys and is past his really fussy stage. He'll stay happy for a couple hours at a time, smiles and giggles a ton and already has a great sense of humor. He's getting a little better at taking naps and sleeps through the night again usually from 9-10 at night until around 7 in the morning! He rarely wakes us up during the night and it's wonderful. He's getting to be such a good, happy baby and I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by. Matt and I love our little boy so much and lately it's hit me even more what a miracle our baby is. He keeps us entertained, that's for sure! :)

Lately we've spent some time out in the beautiful fall weather walking in the Laramie range or trying to catch fish in the Laramie river so here are a few pictures of that as well as some of 4 month old Brennen and our family.

Boise Idaho!

2010-10-08T13:00:00.006-06:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, we drove 10 hours last weekend to visit my sister and her family in Star Idaho (about 11 or so miles from Boise. At least that's what the sign said). :) It was SO much fun and so nice to get away for a few days. We (especially me) were really sad to leave but it was good to be home after so much travel.

On Saturday we went to a place called "Bounce." It had all those huge blow up toys that are really fun. There was an obstacle course, velcro wall, jousting and bungee, a tall steep slide, and more. It was as much fun for us as it was for the kids. :) Here are some pictures of that and of us at Christena's house.

Matt and I stuck to the velcro wall

Christena and I jousting. As you can see, I won. :)

The husbands went at it next. Rik got pay backs for Christena's defeat by beating Matt.

Sophia coming out of the obstacle course.

Brennen and Matt coming out.

Brennen was pretty tired by the end.

Sophia, me, Abigail

A view from above in the house. Rik is teaching Tanner piano (I REALLY want one of those!!!) and Christena is laying by Brennen.

Brennen hanging out with his aunt and cousins that are closest to him in age.

On the way back we stopped and stayed the night in Lyman and saw the rest of my family. It was so good to see everyone!

Sleep anyone???

2010-10-04T14:18:00.002-06:00

This past weekend Matt, Brennen and I made the 10 hour trek to Star, Idaho to visit my sister Christena and her family. We drove there at night and I'm glad we did but we were both tired all weekend. We had SUCH a good time though and it was so much fun to see my sister and spend time with her and her family. Pictures will be in the next post.
But to top off our tiredness, my little "sleeps through the night at one month old" boy has now decided to stop sleeping through the night. The past week or so he's been waking us up at around 2:30 AM and then he's up for good before 6:00. Up until then he had been waking us up at about 5:00 at the earliest but usually not until closer to 7:00! What happened??? And he still won't take naps. UG! I've tried so many things and it seems like nothing I do ever works! Either that or I'll do something and it works once but won't again and now he's only getting about 7 hours of sleep at night and hardly sleeps during the day. I think a big factor is that he no longer stays swaddled. He'll usually fall asleep at night (not during the day for some reason) when we swaddle him but when he "busts out" of the swaddle he wakes up earlier. I knew the swaddling days would soon be over but I guess I was hoping they'd last longer.
I guess I just needed to vent that but if anyone has any suggestions I'm open to them! :)

3 Months!

2010-09-15T16:57:00.003-06:00

It's so weird that my baby is three months old today! In some ways it seems crazy that he's that old but then it's hard for me to think of our lives without him. I realize that no one reading this lives and dies by what Brennen is doing but, well, I kind of do. :) So I'm going to tell you a few things about him.

He sleeps through the night and has (for the most part) for more than a month! It used to be from 10-5 or so but now, I kid you not, EVERY night for the past two weeks he's in bed before 10 and never wakes up before 7. This morning it was after 8!
But....... he still struggles with naps. He takes a nap every morning while we're out for our walk/jog but wakes up right when we get home and MAYBE takes another nap in the afternoon. I.....have.....tried.....everything. The most effective things have been strolling him around in his bassinet til he falls asleep or leaving him in the car seat after a drive.
He is SUCH a morning person. He laughs and smiles and babbles for at least a half hour when he first wakes up. He doesn't even cry for food after being asleep for at least 8 hours, I just feed him anyway (logic, you know). :)
He can roll from tummy to back and is starting to go the other way.
He's starting to grab things and will stuff anything in his mouth (just like any other baby. I know! but it's new to me). :)
He's not nearly as fussy as he was even a couple weeks ago. I guess he's just growing out of it (for now...)
He really notices when I leave the room or even when I'm out of sight... it's kinda cute when he cries when I leave and then grins when I come back but......I have to get stuff done every now and then. :)

He's just so cute and such a joy to us. Matthew and I are SO happy and we are SO thankful that we've been blessed with Brennen.
We haven't really done anything exciting lately... Matt's working at Walmart in the pharmacy and taking classes and I'm just at home. I decided not to do that para job.... When I prayed about it I felt strongly that I shouldn't do it but I tried it anyway.... then it kept eating at me so I decided to just stay home and teach piano and now I'm watching our friend's little boy who is almost 9 months old for about 2 hours every afternoon. I'm really happy with my decision to be at home with my baby and I'm still able to make a little money for us.
That's us right now! For good measure, a few pictures of 3 month old Brennen.

Happy in his crib

Takin' a Sunday afternoon nap at Grandma and Grandpa Clark's

Bundled in the stroller

Old Friends and Jon Schmidt!

2010-09-02T14:13:00.004-06:00

This week my best friend from Lyman, Hannah Vercimak, was here visiting her sister. Hannah and I were best friends pretty much from 3rd grade through high school. We lost touch a little bit into college and I hadn't seen her for 3 years because she's been off to distant lands being a Navy nurse. We had tons of fun together and caused lots of harmless trouble in high school along with some of my guy friends, especially Jenn Voss. So the three of us along with Jenn's wife Mandy and my husband Matt (and B-rennen of course) went out to dinner the other night and it was so good and fun to catch up and have some good laughs about old times.

It made me realize how much I've grown up and changed but it also made me really miss some of my old friends that I've lost touch with throughout the years. Then yesterday Matt and I took Brennen to the Jon Schmidt concert here in Laramie and sat with Hannah and her sister. It was an awesome concert and I love his music so much! If you don't know who he is then google him and listen to some of his music. His most popular song right now is a piece he arranged of a Taylor Swift song combined with a Cold Play song. It's really cool. But my personal favorite is called "All of Me."

This little guy missed out on some good music cause he was sacked out almost the whole time.

Some great pics of Jon Schmidt playing. (well, great in a sense. they're kinda blurry)

Bloom Where You're Planted

2010-08-25T12:12:00.005-06:00

A few months ago we had a Relief Society get together (formerly enrichment night) and a sister in the ward shared 10 tips for how to "Bloom Where You're Planted." Then a couple weeks ago we had another get together and they gave all the sisters a laminated card with those 10 tips on it. Matt saw it and said, "Is this like a survival guide for stay at home moms?" :) I'm pretty sure that's not how it was meant but I've really applied some of these things and they've helped me a lot so I thought I'd share the tips.

1.Get out and move
-I always feel TONS better when I can get out of the house and/or exercise.
2. Eat Right
3. Dress Right
-I've found that if I actually get dressed and do my hair and makeup that I feel so much better about myself.
4. Surround yourself with people and things that lift you up.
5. Change the decor.
-I took all my pictures off the walls and put them in new places and re-arranged the living room and it helped my spirits more than I thought it would.
6. Be with others.
-Cause even though I love Brennen and wouldn't change where I spend my days it can get a little lonely sometimes just me and him.
7. Grow your interests.
8. Sign up to play a sport, take a class, or teach a class.
-It really helps me to be active and also do things to keep learning.
9. "Fertilize with love," serve others.
10. Look to the Son for strength.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that. And as always I have to post a picture of Brennen. :)

2 months and an update

2010-08-18T14:55:00.004-06:00

Brennen turned 2 months on Sunday! Crazy how time flies... We took him to the doctor the next day for his check up and shots. He weighed 11 pounds even and was 23 1/4 inches long. So about 30% for weight and 65% for length. He's holding his head up really well and has rolled over several times from tummy to back, twice at the doctor's office, the little show off. :) He also got shots which was probably harder on me than it was on him!

Matt is still working at Walgreen's in Cheyenne and starts class next week so he'll be pretty busy. He enjoys work despite the long, late hours and the 50 mile commute. It's giving him some really good pharmacy experience.

I just started working today as a part-time paraprofessional at Spring Creek Elementary here in Laramie. I have huge mixed feelings about it. It's kind of nice to get out of the house for awhile and it will be great for me to keep working in the school district and we could really use the little bit of extra income. But I was really bummed to leave Brennen today and finding child care for him is going to be a PAIN because Matt's schedule is always different so it's kind of stressing me out. Plus I'll get to see Matt even less because, tomorrow for example, I'll go to work from 8-12 and Matt will leave to go to work at 11:30 and won't be back until after 10 that night. And that will happen most weekdays. :(

Anyway, sorry for that little vent. I'll close this post with a picture of our little guy because it would be a boring post without it!

Family

2010-08-05T14:27:00.003-06:00

I've been feeling really grateful for family lately and I wanted to say a few things about them. I don't usually do posts like this but I felt like it today.

My entire family came to my graduation last year and to Brennen's blessing last month and I'm thankful that they were all willing to come and see us even though we live far away. My parents have always been so loving and supportive and my siblings have all become my best friends. My "real" dad passed away when I was only a couple months old and my mom was only 24 and had three little girls to raise. That's when my other "real" dad stepped in! He met and married my mom and has treated me and my sisters like his own from day one and we've always felt that we belong to him (because we do). I love my family!

Matt's family is also so amazing and I'm so glad we live close because I don't know what we'd do sometimes without them. The other day Gwen watched Brennen for me and also came and rescued me when my car was dead and then let me borrow her car to run my errands. They're always helping us out with stuff and they feed us dinner a lot and we know we can always call any of them if we need anything and I'm SO grateful for that.

And I'm so happy that I married Matt! I couldn't ask for a better husband and eternal companion. He is amazing and works really hard and loves me and Brennen so much. Brennen is such a good little boy. He only wakes us up once in the night to eat and some nights he doesn't wake up at all until around 6:00! (like last night, thanks little boy!!)

My New Favorite Picture

2010-07-24T20:13:00.002-06:00

One Month!

2010-07-16T13:52:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Brennen turned one month. Sometimes it seems like we've had him here with us for so much longer than that but other times I can't believe how fast time has gone. Here are a few things that have happened in his little life this past month.

He was born. :)

He went on a picnic in the Laramie range

He started gaining weight and now at a month he actually has some chub

He was blessed

He visited his grandma and grandpa in Lyman

He went with his dad to catch a fish (well, he and I actually stayed in the car but we drove with dad and we were right next to the creek!) :)

Once he rolled from tummy to back (it was totally a fluke)

He likes to visit his grandma Gwen and Aunt Mary (although he always seems to want to eat when we're there... oh wait! He ALWAYS wants to eat!)

He smiles like crazy now! I don't know how many are actually on purpose but they're so cute!

He likes car rides and walks in the stroller

His longest night sleep was 6 and half hours!

What else can you really say about a month old boy except that we love him SO much. We hoped and prayed for this little guy for awhile and I really feel like he's a miracle for us and we feel so happy that our Heavenly Father has blessed us with our little boy. It's amazing to me how much my life has changed and how everything suddenly seems to revolve around one thing. :) I kind of teased people who only talked about their kids on the phone or on their blogs but now I understand! :)

Here's a picture that my cousin-in-law Megan took a couple days ago. I love it!

Brennen's Blessing

2010-07-11T17:02:00.005-06:00

Today we blessed our Brennen. Matt gave him a really nice blessing and both of our father's and all of our brothers who are elders stood in the circle. It was a great day. My entire family (minus my sister Christena's husband Rik) came for the blessing and it was a lot of fun to see them all and spend time with them.

Christena's twins, Abigail and Sophia, loved Brennen.

All 7 of my mom's grandchildren.
The whole family.

Family pictures!

Getting Out

2010-06-29T19:42:00.004-06:00

Matt and I both really enjoy fishing, camping, and hiking so we've both been getting a little stir crazy this summer because first I was hugely pregnant and now we have a little baby and that makes all those activities a little more difficult. So last night we decided on just going up to the Laramie range to have a little picnic. We didn't stay outside too long but we drove around for quite awhile and it was SO nice to get out. Brennen did really well and slept most of the time we were out (which is probably why he didn't sleep much last night.... he LOVES sleeping in the car).

Matt holding Brennen

Our little family! Too bad you can't really see much of Brennen except his head. :)
Asleep in the car, sorry it's sideways.

And a picture of the Clark family! You can definitely tell I wasn't born into this family. :) Brennen looks like he belongs, though!

One Week Already!

2010-06-22T21:20:00.007-06:00

I looked at the clock today at about 3:00 and I realized that exactly one week ago I was in labor telling Matt that I didn't want any more kids and then about two hours later we were blessed with our amazing little guy. And in that week I have decided that I do in fact want more children (someday!) :)
I've had some requests to share the story of his birth but it really wasn't anything too exciting. The doctors thought he was measuing too small so we scheduled an induction on the day before my due date. We got to the hospital at 7:30 and they checked me out and started me on pitocin at about 8:30. Dr. Glode broke my water at sometime around 10 or 10:30 and the contractions started getting really bad at about noon. They checked me at 3:30ish and I was at an 8 and then a half hour later I was at a 9.5 and they FINALLY let me push and Brennen was born at 5:17.
That's all there is to it. I elected not to have an epidural and I didn't even end up getting any IV drugs and it was seriously the hardest thing I have done in my life but easily the most rewarding.
Anyway, I thought I would post a few of my favorite pictures of Brennen.

Our little family (I'm sure we'll get better family pictures soon...)

Three generations
Uncle Brad seems to be amused with his new nephew

Mom and Brennen

Trying to get rid of that pesky jaundice

Kicked himself out of the blanket
Laying with his dad (I LOVE this one!) Just a cutie

Straight From Heaven

2010-06-18T14:43:00.002-06:00

Our little boy has arrived! Stay tuned for pictures, they will be coming very soon (as soon as I locate my camera cord).

Brennen Matthew Clark

June 15, 2010 5:17 PM

7 lbs. 5 oz. 19 3/4 inches long

Storms

2010-06-11T15:42:00.003-06:00

We've been having lots of rain and thunderstorms around here lately. I am TERRIFIED of tornadoes and Matt thinks it's hilarious. I don't. Every time there's a storm I'm so afraid it will turn into a tornado. So last night while the hail was threatening to break all the windows I was clinging to Matt and hiding my face under the pillow on our couch. He tells me it won't help our kids if I'm more afraid of things than they are. I guess he'll have to be the tough one.
Anyway, so after the hail stopped we stood out on our balcony and took this little video of the lightning. It was actually pretty cool and I wasn't freaking out anymore. :)

Last Day, False Alarms, and Baby Names!

2010-06-03T08:09:00.003-06:00

Last Day!
Today is officially my last day of work. It's a staff development day but I only have one meeting from 9:00-11:00 so the rest of the day is for planning for next year and cleaning classrooms and etc. Since I don't have to plan for next year I don't have much to do because I have already cleaned all of my stuff out of the room. I just have to make it look a little more presentable for the next person. It has been a great year and I'm amazed at how fast it went but I'm so anxious to be able to be at home all day so I can actually clean and get ready for a baby! I'm so excited to be a mom.

False Alarm
Well, this wasn't a REAL false alarm but it kinda scared me!
Tuesday night Matt had a softball game and I was half watching it, half talking to the other wives when I realized that I was having contractions. At first I didn't really think about it cause I've had TONS of braxton hicks but then I realized that they were starting to hurt and that hadn't really happened before. After a while I decided to time them and they were consistently 7-8 minutes apart and were lasting about a minute each. They kept up like that not getting any closer together but getting progressively more painful. So after we got home I took a shower and just decided to go to bed. I woke up countless times in the night and didn't really sleep because they were keeping me awake. I kept thinking "This can NOT be it. I'm not ready!" but by morning they were gone. PHEW! But it really got me thinking that I need to get all my ducks in a row just in case he decides to come before we're expecting him.

Names!
So I've been really reluctant to share any of the names we've come up with because #1 we had WAY too many on our list and #2 I didn't want people to say negative things about names that I liked. :) So last night I compiled a list of every name we had even mentioned (there were over 20 when I was done) and Matt and I took turns crossing names off until we finally got down to six. I will share them with you now but if you don't like one, keep it to yourself. :) hee hee I'd love to hear which one(s) you DO like, though. These are all first names and the middle name with either be Matthew or Randal depending on which sounds better with the first name. This is the list we'll take to the hospital and we'll give the little sprite his official name after we've met him.

Brendon
Brennen
Dean
Garrett
Landon
Micah

2 Weeks?!

2010-05-27T08:40:00.001-06:00

Ok, so I know my due date isn't for almost 3 weeks but I logged onto my blog today and saw that my count down started with "2 weeks" and it kinda freaked me out.... :) I'm still excited, though!

Work and Exotic Animals

2010-05-18T14:56:00.004-06:00

For the first half of the school year I loved my job. I loved teaching music and I never dreaded going to work. It wasn't even that hard waking up at the crack of dawn in order to catch the bus by 6:50. Then as my pregnancy progressed and I realized I wasn't going to come back out I have been counting down the days. Plus the kids have seemed to get more and more lazy as the year goes on and they are driving me crazy!

So I took a sick day yesterday and I dreaded coming to school today but I actually had a lot of fun with the kids and I realized that I actually am going to miss it! I feel like I'm pretty well liked by the students and staff and it seems like I just got started with my "career" so it's sad that I'm leaving. But I can't even tell you how excited and impatient I am to just be at home with my adorable little guy (cause I already know he's going to be adorable, of course)! :)

I am also a big fan of all sorts of animals and lots of them are kinda strange (my favorites are foxes, penguins, and various odd creatures I see on the Planet Earth DVDs). So this afternoon when we had an assembly about the rain forest and I realized there would be animals involved I was pumped! They were just kinda roaming around the gym one at a time while the lady talked about them and it was really entertaining. Here are some pictures of some of the animals we saw but not the actual animals cause I didn't have my camera. I found these online. I seriously feel just like one of the little kids with how excited I get. :)

Iguana

Blue and gold macaw

A kinkajou. She was really cute!

A ring tail lemur

And last but not least a red tail boa. I actually held this guy!

A bunch of randomness

2010-05-03T14:48:00.003-06:00

My concert is finished! WAHOO! I think it went pretty well but it wasn't as good as the Christmas program. Oh well, what can you do. It's over. The elementary kids were awesome, the strings kids forgot to listen for intonation, the jr. high choir was really good but it's too bad no one past the 4th row could hear them, and one of our high school choir altos decided not to show up (that means we ended up with 3 sopranos and 1 alto. Good thing that one alto really knows what she's doing).
Now I'm moving on to other things such as organizing and cleaning my classroom as well as starting to move stuff out that I don't really need here anymore. I have four weeks left of teaching and it's bitter-sweet. I will also have a little more time to actually get stuff ready for a baby to move into our apartment. I keep telling Matt that I don't want the baby living in the junk room. Now I can finally transform it into a baby-type room.
Also, my little friend is no more. Our head maintenance guy came in and set a trap for me and the little guy was done for before the next day. I was strangely kinda sad to see him go...
I got an interview for the choir position at Laramie Junior High and found out this morning that I didn't get it. I wanted the job but at the same time I want to stay home with the baby and now I won't have to decide! :) When the principal called to tell me the news I actually felt really relieved instead of sad. Plus Matt got a job at Walgreen's in Cheyenne and that is GREAT.
I haven't had many cravings during my pregnancy (except cinnamon) but lately it's chocolate!!! I like chocolate of course but I have never WANTED it before and it's probably not a good thing if I don't want to turn into a blimp... I swear I ate half a LARGE bag of peanut butter m&ms all by myself the other day. Help?

My Little Friend

2010-04-26T08:39:00.002-06:00

Sorry for all the blogging, I bet everyone just loves to hear about the silly little things going on in my life.
But I have to share. My little friend is back. The mouse. I realize this is not that big of a deal, but I am a WUSS and I don't like little creatures hanging out around me where they don't belong.
First thing this morning at about 7:30 I was just sitting peacefully in my office putting grades into the gradebook when I see a furry critter sitting in my office doorway gazing up at me with his beady little eyes. He ran away after I screamed.
A few minutes later I look across the room to see him sitting in an open cupboard on one of the choir folder shelves about 4 from the bottom. At this point I kinda wanted to get him on camera so I slowly got up from my chair, grabbed my camera and took a few steps forward at which point he leaped out and started running along the wall toward me. So I screamed again, dropped my camera, ran into my office and closed the door.
Believe it or not, I see him again a few minutes later scampering across the floor toward my marker board on wheels. He ran underneath it and stayed for awhile. So I watched him for a few minutes to see what he would do and he creeped out and started trying to climb the markerboard. The bottom of it is slick plastic and kind of slants downward so you can imagine the bad luck he was having. It made me laugh so hard watching him. Again I wanted to get him on camera so I opened my door but he heard that and ran INTO a little bin I have for brightly colored mini maracas (for elementary) and burrowed himself beneath them. I haven't seen him since. Needless to say, I probably won't be letting the kids play those until they've been cleaned.
After weeks of hiding he finally comes out and stays in plain sight doing the most ridiculous things. Maybe he's been cooped up in here too long.

Fish and Stuff

2010-04-22T10:05:00.004-06:00

Last Saturday Matt convinced me to wake up early (even though that's my sleep-in day) to go to North Crow reservoir between here and Cheyenne to go fishing. It was a chilly, foggy morning but it cleared up and it was actually really nice. I told Matt I would catch more fish than him (that never happens) and I did! I caught one little guy and Matt didn't get anything. Here is me and my little rainbow trout.

Here's a picture of Matt and I at the reservoir. Now, while I have gained weight that's not just in the belly, I swear my rear end is NOT as big as it looks in this picture. I was wearing pants that are very saggy in that area so that's why I look huge-o. Plus my hat kinda covers up my eyes... ha ha

Later that same day, Matt raced in a pinewood derby with the student ward where he was in the bishopric. It was a no rules derby so he raced a car with a rat trap on top... he didn't win, which was too bad, and I didn't get many pictures but here's one of the group.

An updated picture of me at 32 weeks. Baby in less than two months!!!! Yikes and YAY!

And lastly, some very pretty flowers that Matt got me yesterday just because. He's very sweet. And he knows how stressed I've been at work! :)

Something Positive!

2010-04-16T11:57:00.002-06:00

I realized that my post yesterday was kind of negative so I thought I would quickly post something positive.

My little guy is moving around like crazy today! (I always love that. It reassures me.)
Even if the kids do really bad in their performance, it will be ok because it's SUPPOSED to be funny and maybe the audience will think they goofed up on purpose....
Plus if I do really really bad I don't have to worry about getting fired cause I'm not coming back anyway. :)
It's almost lunch time!
It's Friday!
Matt and I are going to be parents in less than 9 weeks.
Heavenly Father is blessing us with this little miracle baby boy (who is still nameless). :)

A Day in the Life of a Music Teacher

2010-04-15T14:44:00.002-06:00

I wake up a little after 6:00 and leave my apt. by 6:40 in order to catch the 6:50 bus. I get to school at 7:30 and then teach until 3:00. The bus leaves at 3:30 and I'm home at about 4:15 (on a good-road day).
During the day I deal with obnoxious kids as well as a few nice ones. Lately they are ALL getting on my nerves. I blame this on pregnancy, stress, the changing weather, and the end of the school year being less than 2 months away.
Our final performance of the year is in two weeks from today and it is going to be a serious disaster. I'm not kidding. I realize I'm critical sometimes, but practices this week have been nightmarish and I can only pray it will "come together" like everyone tells me it will (those people are kinda annoying because none of them have ever prepared for something like this before). I am stressed and SO tired! I have felt lots of energy through most of this pregnancy but now.....there.....is.....none.....left.

WARNING: This next part is long and somewhat boring but there are funny parts and for some reason it helps me to be less stressed to tell other people all this stuff. :)

The Elementary part of the program is called "Lighten Up" and it's all supposed to be really funny and takes place in three different locations. I bought this script but then decided lots of it was dumb so I modified it quite a bit... the audience doesn't have to know (that way they won't know the stupid jokes came from my own brain).
K-1 sings three songs that all take place in an Australian swampland and they are CUTE (of course). First they introduce the "crocodile guys" (think crocodile hunter) by singing a song about them. Then they sing about a lean, mean, whacky ogre while playing boomwhackers (plastic tubes cut to different lengths to make different pitches). Then they sing a song about making funny faces to scare the ogre and they, of course, make funny faces during the song with the help of the pre-schoolers.
But today we started practicing on stage.... those kids go NUTS when they get on stage. It's all I can do to keep them in their spot let alone keep them singing and pray that none of them fall off the stage while they're running around like crazy. Yikes!
2-3 sings two songs that take place in the Austrian Alps. One is the classic "Oh an Austrian Went Yodeling" and they each dress up as and act like different characters that interrupt the yodeler. They each have instruments to play as well (for example, cows play cowbells and woodpeckers play woodblocks. We also have rattlesnakes..... don't ask me how they ended up in the Alps). The second song is a mixture of yodeling and rap.... imagine: "Yo, yo da lady. Yo da lady, Who?" for the rap part. That song is actually quite funny. :)
But every time we practice, there are fights between the "yodelers" and the "rappers" with the rappers screaming their rap parts in the faces of the yodelers while the yodelers yell at them to stop yelling and..... *SIGH* And then the 4 boys who are the rattlesnakes tend to actually fall off the stage (half the time on purpose) and one boy even slithered underneath a little girl's skirt..... aaaah!
4-5-6 sings three songs that take place "back home" in the "old west." First, they sing about being cowboys who are saddle sore and there's a lot of acting that is SUPPOSED to take place. Then they sing Home on the Range while playing chords on guitar. They close this part of the program with 2 girls singing "Cowboy Joe" while the rest of the class accompanies on recorder... this is also quite funny when they actually do it correctly.
Unfortunately there are 11 boys and only 4 girls in this class... the boys will NOT sing because they are "too cool." There is also one boy who insists upon mooing loudly during the saddle sore song. When we practice with recorders it's all I can do to keep them from squealing on them or throwing them at each other and if I take one away then another kid will do something bad on purpose because he doesn't want to play and wants me to take it away. Plus on Monday I somehow lost two kids and found them hiding behind the curtains... a boy and a girl... I didn't catch them in the act but they certainly broke apart pretty quickly when I found them.

Now do you believe me that it is going to be a disaster?

Latest Events

2010-03-31T14:36:00.005-06:00

I lost my camera. I wanted to post some pictures of us at the sand dunes and my growing mid-section (and the rest of me for that matter) but the camera is gone! :(

I entered the 3rd trimester (hurray!!! 77 days to go!) and took my glucose test. Funny thing about that.... it has been over a week and I haven't heard whether I passed or not... no news is good news?

Matt and I bought a new washer! The old one was, well, OLD. It was starting to not wash things very well. We thought it would be good to get a new one before we start washing baby clothes. It was the most basic, cheapest model but it is still new and will work great!

Matt has given me some ideas for baby names! We now have a list!....... with two and a half names on it. We just hope inspiration hits us when he's born.
I still have my classroom pet (he has not been found in a trap so I know he's around here somewhere...)

And I officially resigned from my job. I won't be coming back next year.
My boss seemed really supportive and told me that he wanted me to do what was best for my family but I was disappointed in the lack of support from my coworkers and other "well meaning" people in my life. Like my friend Sarah said, the family is just not supported anymore.
Matt and I really thought long and hard about this decision and while it's scary to be giving up the income I've gotten this year we feel like we'll be blessed. I'm going to take the summer off for sure and then once September hits I will probably find a part time job so I can still spend most of the time at home with the little sprite once he's born.
This job has been fun, relatively easy, and pretty low stress. But even before I was pregnant the 40 mile commute every day was tough and now it's getting even worse every day! Plus I work at least 10 hours a day no matter what and if I find a job in town even if it's full time it will only be 8 and those two extra hours will be great. We just felt like I needed to be home with the baby or at least in town. He's not even born yet and I can't bear the thought of leaving my little guy for 10 hours every day when he's so young.

ANYWAY sorry for rambling! I don't really have much to blog about and the whole thing with my job has been on my mind for weeks so it's really the only new thing happening with us. :)

New Resident

2010-03-22T07:52:00.002-06:00

So I get back to school after spring break to find that there is a large MOUSE living in my classroom. Sure the things are cute and all when they're in the pet store in a CAGE but NOT when I'm sitting in my office and I see one run across my classroom floor and disappear! It went pretty quickly but it looked pretty big and I'm praying it's not a rat. I teach elementary. These kids sit ON THE FLOOR. AAAAHH!!!!! And as we speak I can hear him squealing. Needless to say, my feet are up on my chair.
I'm glad I'm not crazy cause when I first saw it I was sure I was seeing things but then an 8th grade girl had been standing right outside the door and as soon as I opened it for her she exclaimed "you have a rat in your room!!!!" Great.
I walked down to the office to tell my principal and he says "Well they have to live somewhere! This one must like music." hardy har ha ha ha. (actually it was sorta funny). But he's having the custodians come in to set a trap. fun.....

And then I was fat...

2010-03-11T11:33:00.003-07:00

Those of you who know me well know that for my entire life I've had an "I'm fat" complex, especially during high school and a little beyond. I know now that I was never truly fat (although there were times of extra chubbiness) but I really believed I was no matter how much I worked out or how little I ate. It was not something I complained about to get attention and I have often become furious with a well meaning family member or friend who says "you're not fat" because I just KNEW they were lying to me because I honestly felt that I really was fat and so I would get mad that no one understood how I felt.

So then I marry Matt who is a pretty understanding guy who makes me feel SO loved no matter what I look like or how I may act and my fat complex kinda goes away (well, it's not nearly as bad anyway). So lately I haven't stressed about it as much. Until now.

I KNOW you're supposed to gain weight when you're pregnant. I KNOW that the baby is growing and all that stuff. BUT I also know that you don't need to gain about 10 pounds in a month, which is what I have done. I actually lost weight in the first trimester but all of a sudden I am 17 pounds heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight (which doesn't count the weight I lost at the beginning) and it only took TWO MONTHS to get there. What the heck?!?! I still have 3 months to go and this is the time the baby is growing the fastest. I am getting "fat" too quickly.

I guess I don't need to eat cereal after I get home from work and then eat dinner two hours later. And I guess I can eat oatmeal for breakfast instead of pop tarts (it makes me sick to eat too early in the morning so I wait until I get to work to eat breakfast so I need something convenient). And I guess I can eat carrots or an apple for a snack instead of gummy worms. But it's hard when I want cereal all the time and when I don't want oatmeal or carrots.

This post was kind of a vent but also kinda making fun of myself because I know I don't eat healthy enough. I feel that I get all the vitamins I need from my food and my vitamin but I don't need all the extra stuff (even though I WANT it sometimes)!

All of that being said, I am SO HAPPY and feel so blessed with this little one on the way. He's kicking more vigorously now and sometimes wakes me up but I honestly don't mind. Sometimes I get bummed because this baby means the WORLD to me and it seems like there are so many people at church or in our families who are also expecting so it seems like our baby isn't as special. But I also know that he is already VERY special to Matthew and I and that's all that really matters.

Here's an undated picture of me at 26 weeks which is only about 5 weeks after the last pic I took. You will all be able to see how I have, um, blossomed?

Birthdays!

2010-02-19T10:16:00.004-07:00

I neglected to post about Matthew's birthday on January 7. He turned 26 and it was a pretty good day I think. I called in sick (I was kinda sick.....) because Matt didn't have class that day so we spent the whole day together and then his family came over that evening for cake and such.
Then yesterday I turned a quarter of a century old.... Yes. I am now 25 and I feel old! I worked all day and my high school choir surprised me by decorating my classroom and giving me a little cake so we had a mini party at the beginning of class. Then after work Matt got me a pizza, made me a cake, and we invited his family over. It was a pretty good day and here are some pictures from both b-days.

Matt and his brothers lighting candles on Matt's cake.

Mary and Brad with Matthew and I holding up Matthew's age with our fingers.

Matthew inside the tent his dad gave him. Yes we set it up in our living room. :)

Everyone lighting candles on my b-day. I only blew out like 4 on my first try! It was pathetic but we blamed it on the fact that I have a bad cold and my pregnant belly was getting in the way of my diaphragm. :)

My Wyoming hoodie Matt gave me. Woo hoo!
And holding up my age.

And last and perhaps least, a good ol pic of my belly. This was taken a few weeks ago when I was about 21 weeks and I've gained like 5 pounds since then! But here's a general idea. And before you say it, I'm getting kinda annoyed with people telling me how tiny I am when I personally feel HUGE.

Funny things kids say

2010-02-01T09:54:00.003-07:00

I realize that most of my posts are about being pregnant, but since there's nothing else going on.... what else is there to post about? :) Matt's still in pharmacy school and left the house before 6 this morning to go study. I'm still teaching and things are going pretty well on that front.
Anyway, the kids at school have been cracking me up ever since they found out I was pregnant. I thought I would post a few of the things they have said and done.

The 2nd-3rd grade class just discovered on Friday that I was going to have a baby.
Girl T: I knew it! Me and R thought you were getting a little fatter but we didn't want to say anything.

Boy D: It's a boy? Well then you should name him after me.
Me: Maybe I'll name him after every boy in the class. (I then proceed to say every boys name in the class and they all laughed at how many middle names he would have).
Boy D (starting to cry): Why did you give him Chad's name first? I don't want to be a middle name! I asked first!

And as we were lining up at the door I had three girls hugging and rubbing my belly... it was kind of funny but also kind of annoying.

The Kindergarten-1st grade class figured it out a good month ago. I don't know how because I didn't tell them and I certainly didn't look pregnant a month ago...
Girl E: So since there's a baby in your belly it means you are pregnant!
Me: That's right. :)
Girl E: Have you ever been a mom before?
Me: Nope.
Girl E: Well do you have a husband?
Me: Yes I do.
Girl E: Good. You can't have a baby without a husband. It's not what God wants.

Boy S: Mrs. Clark, does the baby in your belly make you cry? Should I tell it to knock it off?

Girl S: Is there STILL a baby in your belly? (she asks this question almost every day). :)

Girl B: Are you having a boy baby or a girl baby?
Me: We're not sure just yet.
Girl B: Well I'm sure that you're going to have a beautiful baby girl, just like you! (she's not that sweet all the time. trust me).

Boy K: My mom says it hurts like h*** to have a baby. Are you afraid?
Me: Now K, you need to watch your language!
Boy K: But my mom always says h***.
Me: Your mom can say it if she wants to, but we don't say that word at school.
Boy K: Ok. But really are you afraid? I bet you're afraid.

20 weeks and....

2010-01-28T10:21:00.002-07:00

We're having a BOY! We're really excited about it. I have always wanted a boy first and when I asked Matt what he wanted he just said "I wouldn't know what to do with a girl." :) Of course we will love a girl if (when!) we get one but knowing that this first one is a boy is very exciting.
I went to the doc. on Tuesday to have the anatomical ultrasound and it was the coolest thing! They gave us some pics and a DVD. I don't know how I feel about the 3D images, though... It's still amazing to me how it all works. I don't think anyone can experience something like this and not believe that our Heavenly Father exists and that He is in charge.
I turned 20 weeks yesterday and the baby looks like he's right on track. I have a couple of ultrasound pictures as well as some pics of my belly but I'm not where I can post them right now so they'll have to come later. I'm getting to the point where my normal pants have finally failed me and my shirts are too tight but yet all the maternity stuff that I'm borrowing from my sisters is way too big! This "in between" stage is getting annoying but I shouldn't complain because I am healthy and baby is looking that way, too! I had lost a few pounds in the first trimester and was slowing gaining it back but this last time I gained FOUR pounds (in two weeks). I guess that's good but I probably shouldn't keep it up at that rate. :) Maybe one pound a week instead.
Now we just need to actually think of some boy names.... neither of us have any ideas AT ALL. Wish us luck with that one... :)

Christmas, Anniversary, and New Year

2010-01-04T10:40:00.006-07:00

This year for Christmas we stayed in Laramie and spent a lot of time with Matt's family. His family hadn't been together since the Christmas before Matt's mission (in 2002) so we thought it would be good to stay here and it was a lot of fun. I actually didn't take any pictures of Christmas itself but here are a couple of Matt and I and our tree.

We went to Lyman for New Years and spent a few days with my family. Everyone was there and it was really fun to see them all. Here's a picture of my cute nieces and nephews.

While we were in Lyman we celebrated our 3rd anniversary! It's crazy to me how fast time flies. We went to Utah to the Bountiful Temple and then to Salt Lake to eat at the spaghetti factory. It was a good day and it has been such a wonderful 3 years. I didn't take any pictures (lame) but here's one of us from the day after our anniversary. :)Since we're starting a new year and a new decade, I thought I'd list some things that have happened in my life.

This decade
2000: got my braces off
2001: made all state and all northwest choir
2002: had the lead in the high school musical "Music Man"
2003: graduated high school
2004: decided to leave Utah State
2005: came to UW
2006: went to Europe and married my Matt!!
2007: moved 3 times
2008: was the section leader in collegiate chorale
2009: graduated from UW and got pregnant!

This year
Jan: started student teaching at Linford elementary
Feb: turned 24

March: started student teaching at Laramie JHS

April: conducted my first concert

May: graduated from UW

June: interviewed for and got my first teaching job!

July: Matt was in Scottsbluff :(
Aug: started my new job

Sept: realized I hated riding a school bus to work every day
Oct: found out I was pregnant!

Nov: went to Lyman for Thanksgiving

Dec: directed a successful Christmas program

And as far as pregnancy news, I have taken a couple of "belly" pictures, but you can hardly tell I'm pregnant even though I'm almost 17 weeks! So I decided they aren't worth posting. :) I'll put some on here once there's something to see. But I did go to the doc last Monday and everything is looking good!

2nd Trimester!

2009-12-16T09:44:00.003-07:00

I am very happy to say that I have passed the first trimester of my pregnancy. Having had a miscarriage almost 2 years ago and having to wait awhile for this little one has made me a worry wart! I'm sure everyone worries but it's been crazy. I'm hoping that I will be able to calm down a little now that the first trimester is over and the risks are reduced.
I've had two doc. appointments so far and both have gone pretty well. My second appointment was just last Friday and it was such a relief to hear the heartbeat again and know that all was still going well. I'm also not as sick anymore although I do feel hungry ALL THE TIME. I'm glad that my students finally know I'm pregnant because now I don't feel bad eating wheat thins in front of them. :)
Speaking of students, tonight is my first concert as a teacher! It is the "holiday" program. I can't believe how much it has been on my mind and I'm SO glad that it will be over tonight so that I can actually fall asleep without thinking about it and maybe the nightmares will stop. I'm not kidding. I have dreams about this program EVERY NIGHT. Mostly about it going terribly wrong. If it were just a high school concert or something maybe it would be different but tonight's program features:

The elementary play! (this is really the part I have nightmares about)
***among many other things, they are singing "The 12 Days of Christmas" and every kid acts out a character in the song.... let's just say that this seemed like a brilliant idea at first but now I realize that I was completely insane and when all 50 kids are on stage in various bird costumes it.... is.... CHAOS.
The Jr. High "Orchestra" (consisting of 5 violin players)
The Jr. High Choir (6 members with only one boy)
The High School Choir (5 members..... no boys. of course.)

So we'll see how it goes!
I feel like my posts are boring if I don't have pictures but who wants to see me and Matt anyway? I'm sure I will post plenty of pictures in June..... :D

What I'm Thankful For

2009-12-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

Our bishop always reminds the ward to count their blessings, especially on fast Sundays. I have not been very good about doing that but whenever I do I find that I feel much better. And since we just passed thanksgiving I'm going to list just a few things that I'm most thankful for.

Matt

Family

The gospel

My Savior

Prayer

Scriptures

Temples

Animals

Matt being in pharmacy school

My job teaching music

And one more thing that Matt and I are VERY thankful for:

This. :)

(It's not a very good picture but I think you get the drift) :-D

Sorry!

2009-11-05T17:19:00.005-07:00

I know I promised pictures, but man-a-livin it is actually a hard thing to do! We erased all the pics from our camera cause we put them on the laptop and we don't have internet at home. By the time I get home from work I'm all tired and don't feel like taking Matt's laptop to the university where we can pick up internet. So, this is all you get still.

I will tell you, rather than show you with pictures, that the first weekend of October we climbed Medicine Bow Peak (pictures to follow.....someday....) and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It wouldn't have been so bad if there wasn't tons of snow up there (before it really snowed in Laramie) but I didn't realize how out of shape I was until the end of that day. It was worth it though because the view was amazing! But then that night I realized that I had been FRIED but just from my eyebrows down on my face because I was wearing a hat and everything else was well bundled up.... two days after that my face broke out in dozens of little tiny blisters. OUCH! and very unattractive. A kindergarten boy looked straight at me and exclaimed "what the heck happened to your face?!" Kids. :)

Ooh I found some pics of the peak and the view from the top on the internet. So here ya go.

Medicine Bow Peak

View from the top. I actually like our pictures better....

And a few weeks ago Matt and I went to the Laramie river to fish and I caught two 15" brown trout in my first 3 casts! We didn't have our camera so I took a picture on my phone and I can't get that on the comuter either because my phone is dumb. But it was awesome!

Right now I'm at school for parent teacher conferences. When you have two evenings both 3:30-7:00 and then one whole day from 8:30-2:30 for these things and there are only about 80 kids in the school and you're the music teacher so you don't have many secondary students, it can get a little DEAD and boring. I have seen one parent since 3:30 and it's been 2 hours. SO I am caught up on my work so I thought I'd throw out a quick post. Sorry it was a little long and rambling!

And just for the fun of it I'm posting a picture of my favorite flower of all time. I like all sorts of colors but white is the best! It's my desktop picture and helps me to remember that spring will come again someday...

Long Time No Blog

2009-10-20T09:56:00.002-06:00

Matt and I have done a lot of things lately that have been pretty fun and noteworthy but I just don't have time to post them! I have lots of pictures but they are only on Matt's lap top and we don't have the internet at home.
For a quick update, I have just been teaching school and Matt has been working hard in pharmacy school. Not much of an update because that's what we're always doing! My job is starting to get a little stressful because I'm trying to get the Christmas program going as well as all of my extra duties. It's been kinda a tough year so far but we're already almost done with the 1st quarter and I'm having fun.
I will post pictures and some details about what we've been up to sometime soon. Stay tuned!

Good Weekend

2009-09-08T17:43:00.003-06:00

This weekend was a lot of fun and very relaxing, for me anyway! On Saturday Matt went to Cheyenne with his brothers Kyle and Lane and his cousins Jared and Lucas. But they didn't drive... the biked. They didn't go on the interstate, they took some back roads and it was 54.5 miles total. I drove my in-laws truck and picked the guys up on the outskirts of Cheyenne. Here's a picture of them when they were done. They actually look better in this picture than they did in real life... ha ha
Then yesterday, Monday, Matt and I got some work done in the morning and then drove about 50 miles west to Elk Mountain and the Medicine Bow river. It was absolutely gorgeous. I can't even tell you! The weather was SO perfect with no wind, no rain, and it was the perfect temperature. We each caught a couple little rainbow trout which was good for me cause it had been a long time since I had caught any fish. :) We didn't get any pictures but it was a lot of fun. I can't stress enough that it was the perfect day.

School begins again

2009-08-25T17:33:00.003-06:00

Well, school has officially started. I feel like Matt and I had kind of a lame summer but we got a lot accomplished. A couple weekends ago we went camping/fishing up in the snowy range just west of Laramie. It was a lot of fun but cold and rainy and there were a LOT of dead pine trees.

Matt has been working hard the past few weeks for his dad's business. This is what he looked like when he came home last Friday. haha

Matt started his second year of pharmacy school yesterday. It seems like it will be a tough semester but his schedule is kind of nice. He doesn't have class until 8:30 or 9:00 and is always done by 3:00.

I started my teaching job yesterday! Well, technically I started last week with orientations and staff development but yesterday the kids came. It has been a little overwhelming and at times I feel like I'm going crazy but I had one of those moments this afternoon where I felt really happy and I can honestly say that I love my job. My principal even came in while I was teaching a lesson today and I hardly skipped a beat! It helped that he was smiling. :)

On a totally random note, I have been wanting white cheddar cheese-its so I finally bought some last night. When we got home I realized that I had accidentally bought REDUCED FAT. How lame is that?? They taste like saltines... and saltines are lots cheaper!

Where has summer gone?!

2009-08-12T15:37:00.007-06:00

I spent most of the day today out at Rock River where I'm going to be teaching starting in ONE WEEK. Saying that I'm overwhelmed is the understatement of the century but yet at the same time I think I will be able to figure everything out and that I'll do a good job! My classroom is really big and the previous teacher left a lot of materials for me to work with.

In my office sippin' a sonic slush. yummmmm

One view of my room and my office

View from the other corner

Because Matt spent lots of the summer on rotations we haven't been able to really do a whole lot but we've still had fun. During Matt's second week in Scottsbluff I decided to go visit my family in Lyman. It was fun and kept my mind off of missing Matt.

The kids playing "hot lava" around the fire pit

The lovely sisters: Christena, me, and April. Oh and those creepy eyeballs belong to my youngest brother, Kasey.

A couple weeks ago Matt and I went to fish on Rock Creek in the snowy range and we got rained on HARD and the lightning was very close to us and kinda scary (for me). This picture is of us huddling under a tree in the rain. It's blurry cause I tried to take it fast before the camera got too wet. I still like the picture, though.

This past weekend my parents came with my brother Kasey to bring me some stuff and we all went to Vedauwoo to climb the rocks and have a picnic lunch. It was a blast!

A friendly chipmunk eating a potato chip

The three of us climbed to the top of some rocks

Me climbing in a rock crevice

And this is a video of Matt attempting to scale a steep rock.

So summer is over. (not technically, but in terms of school it is!) Matt has a tough year of pharmacy school ahead of him and I will learn how to teach K-12 music! Wish us luck!

Oh and I almost forgot. Matt was released from his calling in the student ward bishopric last Sunday. He has been in that calling for 2 years and it is bittersweet that he's done. It will be nice to have him in the family ward with me but we will miss the student ward!

I'm a little bit pathetic.

2009-07-13T13:26:00.003-06:00

So Matt left at 4:00 this morning to go to his pharmacy rotation in Scottsbluff, NE and I already miss him! :( He'll be gone for 4 weeks but will hopefully be able to come home every weekend. The longest we've been apart at a time so far had been 3 nights so even though I'll see him on the weekends, it will still be lonely! At the same time I'm excited for him and I hope he's having fun and learning a lot. He really seemed to enjoy his first rotation here at Express Pharmacy.

On a happier note, this past week has been a lot of fun. Matt's brother Lane arrived back home from his mission in Samara, Russia last Wednesday. It was a lot of fun to see him again and to hear him talk about his mission. I know it was really hard for him but I can tell that he has learned a lot and has really grown up. So because of that we have been spending more time than usual with Matt's family. Thursday night we had a steak dinner and then watched Gwen and Randy, my mom and dad in law (that sounds a little funny... ha ha) play soccer. On Friday Matt and his 3 older younger brothers (did that make sense?) went fishing and between the 4 of them they caught exactly 100 fish! Then on Saturday some more family came and we spent lots of the day at Vedauwoo and then stayed up late and talked and played around that night. On Sunday Lane spoke in church and it was SUCH a good talk. Matt, Kyle, and Nathan sang and Randy was called to be the 2nd counselor in the bishopric. Then we had dinner and talked with family some more. It was just a lot of fun to see everyone and to just relax with family.

I thought it would be fun to post the picture from 2 years ago when Kyle got back just before Lane left and then the picture from just last week when Lane got back. It's fun to see how people have changed, or not changed as the case may be. :)

The whole fam at the Laramie airport as Kyle arrived home in June 2007

All of us again at the same airport 2 years later to welcome Lane in July 2009.

I was talking with my cousin in-law in-law, Megan (she's married to Matt's cousin) the other day about how we are SO lucky and blessed to have such great in laws. I love my in laws so much and all of the extended family, too. There are a lot of cousins and aunts and uncles in Matt's family and it's a lot of fun. It's so great to be around so many people who can have intelligent (sometimes too intelligent...ha ha) conversations and who are all so spiritual and close to the Lord. Even though I'm bummed that Matt is gone, I have been feeling really blessed lately!

Little Things

2009-07-10T10:52:00.005-06:00

The past little while I've been noticing a lot of silly little things in life that I enjoy. It helps me to think of these things so that I don't dwell on the negative too much. :) Here is a shortened list of the little things I appreciate.

*Watching the prairie dogs roam around in the fields outside our apartment

*My husband waking me up at 7am so that I can see the fox outside our window

*Eating frozen kool-aid (yes mom, I STILL do that and am doing so right now) :)

*Watching Matt spend hours enthralled in front of a map of Wyoming

*Listening to my newly returned missionary brother in law Lane talk about his mission in Russia (and his belly-button lint...)

*Having a shadow following my every footstep (in the form of my in laws dog Link) while I paint the house

*Link whining and frantically scratching at the screen door trying to get to me every morning as I walk across the lawn to go to work

*Being adored by said dog (Link). :)

*Looking through old pictures

*Hiding Matt's wallet and/or phone so that when he asks where they are I can tease him about always losing his things

*Playing old songs on the piano that I learned YEARS ago

*Learning new songs on the piano

*Sight singing random sheet music and all four voice parts to various hymns using solfege syllables (yes I am a nerd but it's fun and I like to practice!)

*My music calling in the primary and listening to the children sing my favorite primary songs. I get choked up almost every week. :)

*Taking walks and hiking/climbing with Matt

*The mountains

*Being outside

*Music

*Just being with our amazing families (I have SUCH a great family and SUCH great in laws!!!)

*Gummy worms

*And lastly, these two pictures (speaking of looking through old picrues...) The first one is a candid shot from when we took our engagements almost THREE years ago. I know I am biased, but every time I look at this one I think "man he is SO cute!" :) The next one my sister April sent to me of her youngest boy Ashton on his blessing day. I can NEVER look at it without cracking up. :)

That's not all, but I won't bore you with a longer list. :)

Many Outdoor Adventures

2009-06-24T14:29:00.008-06:00

First of all, I'm sorry about all the pictures! I could have put tons more on but I didn't. :)
Between Matt's pharamacy rotations and both of us working for Clark and Sons Lawncare, we have actually been able to spend some time outdoors. Toward the end of May we took an evening and visited Ames Monument and climbed around on Vedauwoo.

Matt next to Ames Monument

A flattering picture of Matt climbing the monument (anyone who knows him will not be surprised). :)

Matt on top of a rock at Vedauwoo

Me sitting on some rocks at Vedauwoo

A couple weeks later we decided to go camping in the same basic area. We wandered around and found a little campsite that I loved! It was surrounded by rocks and was really pretty and out of the way.

Our little campsite (and our bright orange tent)

Me on top of some rocks

ha ha we were exploring an unknown dirt road on the way out and discovered this beaver dam blocking the road. It was pretty cool but our little cavalier had to turn around. :)

This past weekend we decided to go to Laramie Peak. As part of my job at Rock River, I will drive every Wednesday with the art teacher out to two isolated schools that are about 40 miles north of Rock River. We decided to find those two schools as well. We found River Bridge School on Friday night and then made our way to a little campground near Laramie Peak. The next morning we woke up and climbed to the top of the peak! There wasn't a trail so we paved our way and man it was the hardest hike I've ever done but totally worth it! On our way back we found Cozy Hollow School. It was a very tiring but very fun weekend!

Me standing in front of River Bridge!

This is about half way through our climb. You can see the peak in the background and yes. We got to the top of that. No trail. Just huge rocks. And lots of trees.
And a view fro the top! Man pictures do not do it justice!

And another view. (too bad it was kinda a hazy day)
And finally, me in front of Cozy Hollow! Do I look tired? I totally AM!

Accomplishments Part II

2009-06-05T15:04:00.002-06:00

I've been posting this everywhere but I'm super excited! I have a job! I'll be teaching K-12 music at Rock River, about 40 miles North of Laramie. I didn't think I would be able to get a music teaching job because I'm "stuck" in Laramie while Matt finishes pharmacy school so I'm way excited to have an opportunity to teach music! I'll be teaching general music K-8 plus a jr. high choir and a high school choir. There are also a couple of strings there. It is a tiny little 1A school but it will be really fun I think! Another part of the job is driving every Wednesday to 2 isolated schools. Each of these schools has only 2 students and are located 40 miles N. of Rock River so I'll be going a long way but I'm excited to do it and the scenery will be awesome! I will go with the art teacher and we'll drive a 4-wheel drive vehicle provided by the school district. YAY!

Accomplishments!

2009-06-02T15:12:00.007-06:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I graduated! I got my degree in Music Education, Vocal Emphasis. The graduation ceremony was pretty long (like 3 hours!) but I got to sit in the press box rather than with the graduates because I sang during the ceremony with the Vocal Jazz Ensemble. My entire family came to visit and it was so great to see all of them here. I'll post a couple pictures of the event.

My whole fam! (minus my sister's husband Rik and MY husband who was taking the pic)

I love this pic of me with my nephew Tanner! (mostly cause we're both just so cute.) ;)

My wonderful supportive husband Matt and me

Me in the arena right after the ceremony

The Monday after I graduated I went back to the Jr. High to conduct the 8th-9th grade choir at the anual Spring Sing. I was nervous because it's a performance including every elementary school, us, and the high school so I knew there would be lots of people there and it was only my second time conducting in front of an audience. It went pretty well, though, and Matt caught a couple pictures of me. He was up in the balcony so they're a little blurry but I was glad he thought to take them!

I look a little creepy with my eyes glowing...A shot of the back of the group and the audience behind me.

Speaking of thinking to take pictures.... I am terrible! About a month ago Matt had his white coat ceremony for pharmacy school. I had my camera but just didn't think to take pictures! I usually take tons so I felt really bad about it. Thankfully his advisor emailed him these pictures of the event. :) It was great to be there and to see Matt's acomplishments with pharmacy school. He is SO smart and I'm really proud of him.

Here are the P1's sitting down after being "coated." :)

Group picture of the class of 2012! Matt is on the very far right, second from the back.
And here's Matt shaking Dean Vandel's hand after being coated. This picture cracks me up! :)