Last Week in Logan

The last drive through the canyon. (As a resident.)
The last walk to the library and back.
The last wonderfully cool evenings.
The last free bus ride.
The last cross country skiing expedition to Jardine Juniper.
The last jog to the water lab down the canal trail.
The last feeding the ducks at first dam.
The last free bread samples for me at Lee's Marketplace.
The last free sucker for Liz at Lee's Marketplace.
The last squeaky cheese from Gossners.
The last frisbee thrown on the Quad.
The last Sunday walk down 500 East.

The first step to a new life.
The first meeting with new friends.
The first exploration of a new world.
The first testing of new things.
The first building up of new communities.
The first camping in new canyons.
The first of living life where you are living.

Elmosizing

We got a video from the library called Elmosize. I haven't watched it yet, but it got me thinking. There are some websites out there with free exercising videos. I have a few favorites.

First there is beyoutv.com. I like a video called body groove, which you may find extremely embarrassing at first, but if you can allow yourself to get beyond that it is very fun. Plus, the kids love doing it too. There are other videos on there, and you can even buy some if you feel like it.

Another good resource is sparkpeople.com. This not only has exercise videos, but it has a nutrition program too.

I also like to frequent the biggest loser website for their tips.


Ciao

The New New New New... New Post

Hi,

I was on a blog vacation.


Liz has grown some more and we have had many good times. For example, this is what happened today after church.

Liz was doing her usual running around crazy and while we wait for dad routine and another little girl appeared and they played for a while. When the other little girl was about to leave, I said, "Liz, give her a hug." Liz turned around and pressed her back into her and then looked at me with a confused expression. I guess she thinks a hug involves being held in someone else's arms. We're going to work on that.

Liz liked a library book called, "Up, Up, Up". This book was about a hippo which climbed a ladder and then had to be helped back down by a weasel. Anyway, she was playing with her magnetic letters in the kitchen and then came up to me saying, "Up". I asked her, "Do you want up?" She held two of the letters to me and said, "Up". The letters were of course a U and a P.

Oh, and at her 18 month appointment we finally made it out of the 1st percentile club. Now we are in the 3 percentile club. (We are finally over 20 pounds!) Liz just likes to eat all of the non-fatty stuff on her plate. I can give her a bowl of ice cream and she'll eat the strawberries off the top and leave the ice cream. Oh well, as long as she eats what she needs.

Anybody have tips on what to do if their child likes to run away when you say "come here"?

Josh completed the grueling master's defense. I was proud of him. He impressed me and I had already heard his presentation. We are still searching for a job, but one is very very promising. I don't want to gossip about it any more than I already have, so I'll tell you more if we nab it.

Josh's knee had some trouble some months past and he hasn't been able to run on it. He really misses frisbee, but still plays on Saturdays with a group at the park. Only he walks across the field rather than running. I makes me sad for him. I keep encouraging him to do his PT.

He also just handed me two fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies, so allow me to pause in my narrative a moment...

Ahhh.


As for Myself, I'm still editing my story. I've been stymied by the fact that I haven't balanced my dishes doing time with my story writing time yet. I really only have about ten chapters left to edit though. I hope you hard core fantasy readers out there will like it. It is heavy on the fantasy, sorry Katie.

I've also been toying with the idea of becoming a personal trainer. I don't know enough yet, but it sounds appealing to me. I like to encourage people to work out and eat right. I also like watching, "The Biggest Loser" for tips. It's the only show I like right now. I watch it on Hulu.com, which plays it a week after the show airs, so don't give away anything that happens to me!

Well, if I'm going to have a nap today I'd best be off.

Allons-y

The rule of 10 and other adventures

When clutter in my house gets unbearable, I institute the rule of 10.
This rule is simply this, before I can leave a room, I have to pick up 10 things, or clean 10 things.
As easy as this seems, it can get kind of tedious. For example; if I went into the dinning room, I would have to put the cereal away in the cupboard in the kitchen, which would mean I had to do some dishes. Then, to leave the kitchen, I have to enter the dining room again and put away the few dishes left over from breakfast.
Obviously I would only be able to do this game during naptime, or when children are away. Also, exceptions would have to be made for emergencies such as visiting teachers.

Family News/Stuff you don't have to read(Actually, you don't have to read any of this stuff.)

Liz reached her 15 month mark and is still in the 1st percentile for weight. Her other charts are fine, though. Oh well, at least she's consistent.

At the neighbor's house the other day she learned her first toddler phrase, "no no no!!!" (I'd put more exclamation marks, but that might seem overly redundant to you.)

She really likes cookies, and will continue to eat more supper if her stuffed bear has pretended to masticate it first.

Josh is happy and looking for a job for us. He's being careful with who he applies with and makes sure to check that the city has an ultimate frisbee league before he applies. (Just kidding, but it is a bonus.)

I'm still writing Amastrade's Story. That and this blog is what my free time looks like.

Baby's Firsts

We reached another milestone. Liz called somebody today. I was checking my email and had just given her the phone to play with. She usually doesn't hit the button which calls anyone, so I didn't think anything of it. She handed me the phone later looking all innocent. Well, a little while later the phone rings.

"Hi, this is 911, did you just call."

So, Liz had her first phone call. Yey!

Online baby games

Sooo...

It's be a long time since I have written anything. I've been doing dishes. Seriously, how do those things pile up? I think they breed at night after I've gone to bed.

Family news.

Liz is still in the 1st percentile for the weight category. Every time she doesn't eat a good dinner, it makes me nervous. ("Here Liz shove a few more crackers in there...") However, she's happy and active. It's funny to watch her learn to walk. She'll take some steps and then fall over. She can't really catch herself that well with her arms, so she usually face plants it if she falls forward. Any advice of how to teach her that prayer time is not a time to jabber?

This week is Josh's last week of classes for his master's degree. He has one more semester of... well of... important stuff. I think it has to do with being in a cubicle...

This year's pumpkin pie turned out nice. Our pumpkin had enough for four yummy cake pans of pie. Well, we haven't made the last pie yet. Our blender gave up the ghost/motor on the last one, so we have to wait until we get a new blender so we make more pie.

Me? Well, I'm doing dishes. Singing the old dishes lament. Give me laundry any day, if I can skip the dishes. I'm also writing my story. Still. I'm making a goal of getting at least a chapter a day finished. Wish me luck.







Wow, I realized that I didn't even write about online baby games. Here's an address for some online baby games.

http://www.babygamer.com/online_games/free/toddler/toddler_games.htm

Ummmm...k

obligations require me to post this... (see sista a)

6 QUIRKS

Numero uno.
Wearing my old clothes until people on the street give me handouts because of the state they're in. (I'm just kidding by the way. I've never recieved a handout yet.)

Numero two..o.
Doodling in my notes. Or during church. (I need to keep my hands busy to pay attention better.)

Numero numero
Toilet paper has to be over the top. I have to change it if it's different. Even at other people's houses. He he.

Six
I really can't think of six right now.




8? things...

8 T.V. shows: Um... Dr. Who, Stargate, Startrek, Samurai Jack (Canceled before we found out what happened to him), Invader Zim ("Piggy!"), National Geographic Explorer, Monk, Aaaaaannndddddd... wow number 8 is hard to think of... first show that comes to mind... Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers. Wait, no, I've got it! Avatar: Last of the Airbenders. (You find out what happens in that one.)

8 Things I did yesterday: Trick or Treateded twice (That counts as two.), vacuumed le house, watched a really scarey episode of Dr. Who with Josh that I know scared him because we cuddled and he tensed up on the really scarey parts but he wouldn't let me know he was scared but he said it was a scarey movie and this sentence it a runon on purpose I hope you know, dressed up like a jedi for the third year in a row, got Liz a free balloon at the DI, that's only five, um, ate three meals, constructed Josh's lightsaber for him, danced the bunny hop.

8 things I'm looking forward to: 1. sleeping tonight 2. sacrament meeting 3. Josh's job search. It's kind of exciting to see what's out there. 4. getting a new mattress 5. pumpkin pie 6. moving. I like to get rid of my stuff. 7. getting these braces off

8 things I wish for:

1. I'm pretty happy right now.
2. World Peace.

Fun times

Sorry I missed posting about Liz's birthday stuff. It was fun for her and us, but probably kind of boring to read about. (Boring part. We made ballon fish as an activity, had cake, opened toys...)

Here are some pictures of birthday and beyond... hey, they should make a store with that name.

"What is it?"

"I like birthday cake."

"Mom and dad tricked me into thinking that this was cake, but I knew it was really cornbread with a candle stuck in it. They sang to me anyway. They looked silly."

"Great and honerable peach, lend me your peachiness."

"Mom, please leave me alone, I'm talking to my friends on the phone."

Chocolate Cake

Hey everyone,

You want free cake? Go to mywesternfamily.com, watch their video and get a coupon for free cake! Yey! Every week they have something new. I've gotten string cheese, olives and now I'm going to get cake. Yippee!

Megan

Edit: After you watch the video, a coupon should appear on the right. Click on it and you can print that out. I got my cake today! Yey!

USU Hey Aggies All the Way

This is the only time I can brag about our football team, and it really is just because of a fluke, but hey, you take your victories where you can get them. We checked the ESPN charts and guess what, USU is number one in the WAC tournament. (We are the only ones who have actually played and were victorious thus far.)

:)

Um... the filler word when you don't know what to say.

So, I gave a talk in church on Sunday. It went something like this...

"Good morning brothers and sisters"...
and then it ended.

Seriously though, I think it went pretty good. The bishop asked to see me afterwards, but it was just for a new calling.


Um...

Liz is trying to eat by herself now. She can just manage to get a spoon into stuff and the stuff on the spoon into her maw.

Um...

Josh passed his life insurance exam. (He's never seen The Death of a Salesman before.)

Um...

I think that's it for now. I'm going to bed.

New physical abilities

" Not only for picking teeth, but my toes can also scratch my ear and comb my hair."
"Who needs toys when you have cubby holes."

Also: Liz is now crawling. She chased me around the living room, trying to get my laptop.

Ward Campout

We decided not to campout, but we went to the dinner anyway. Here's a picture of Liz being held by Brother Braithwaite (Fun fact about Joe and Liz Braithwaite, they are both twins too! Twin who married a twin talking to a twin who married a twin. What are the odds.) This is after Liz took a nose dive off her chair.

Liz. Also, some cuddling in the background by other ward members.
Two of Liz's friends.

"I'm ok!"

You are the banana king

I know what I'm doing here.

Mmmmm... banananananananananaaa.

Trip o'rama (Part 2)

As things progressed, I felt more and more tired. Liz was sleeping rather well, but I wasn't because she was. (Does that make any sense!?) Trips are alot of work to make them worry free, but you just end up worrying that you don't have to worry about anything. Makes you just want to stay home sometimes. Luckily we didn't forget anything important. Like each other.

DAY 4 (Friday)
We packed up our stuff in record speed. After a good breakfast, we stuffed it in the car and drove on up towards Yellowstone lake. After a quick view of the lake, we made our way to the falls of Yellowstone. (Josh's favorite part from his last trip to Yellowstone.) After lunch, we viewed the upper falls and then walked down a trail, wandering towards what was called Artist's Point. However, we saw another trail that we decided to go down called Uncle Tom's Point. Uncle Tom was a guide who used to take tourists down to a point to view the lower falls. Back in his day they had to use ropes and ladders to climb the cliffs, but they had a series of metal staircases that climbed hundreds of feet. The sign said "not recommended for people with heart problems". I got a little vertigo and had to grip the railing. However, it was worth the scare. (Pictures to follow) After the hike, we drove north and saw a herd of bison. One tried to ram into our car, but our car intimidated it and the bison backed off. Liz slept through it all. We made it to another falls, I forget the name. We went into the gift shop and bought some tee shirts and Liz choose a bear that she played with most of the drive to Idaho and much of the next week's trip as well. We drove the north part of Yellowstone, hoping to avoid the tourists shooting pictures of animals who were worse than the construction in Utah. We saw alot of good country. I love lodgepole pine. Then we drove to the Searle's house in Rigby. We had a really good dinner and slept very well. It was nice to have a shower.

Oh look, a picture from Yellowstone with a bison and a geyser. Original.

Uncle Tom's Point. Note the oxide stains from hot springs in the area.

Look over here Liz!

Artist point with wiggly child.

Josh likes to have a picture of the signs from the parks we visit. Unfortunately, the sign was a big tourist attraction.

DAY 5 (Saturday)

The next day we went to Rigby Lake where I promptly lost my water shoe and Josh spent the rest of the time trying to find it again. It was nice in the water though until the dog came and did his business. We didn't play in the lake after that. Liz enjoyed it though. After that, Mom and Katie took me to a Target in Idaho Falls. They bought me a nice outfit that I wore to church next Sunday. (Thanks!) Josh went to his grandmother's while we were shopping.

Day 6 (Sunday)

This really wasn't part of a trip, but we got back and our house was a mess for Sunday. During Sacrament Meeting, we discovered that our ward was being split. We were going to be put back in a ward we had been in previously.

Day 7 (Monday)

Prepare for Next trip.

Day 8 (Tuesday)

Drive down to Castle Valley. We were able to use a van from the motor pool, so it wasn't cramped at all. This trip has never seemed so long before. At least the bed and breakfast was nice. Josh did some work before dark.

Day 9 (Wednesday)

We had an egg and green chili casserole for breakfast. Yummy. I watched Liz and got a little bored, but after lunch, I was able to help Josh with his samples. We turned our room into a lab. I ran the pH and DO probes and helped record.

Day 10 (Thursday)

This morning we had some french toast for breakfast. We took the La Sal mountain loop. Here's a little tidbit of information for those who haven't been in the area. The La Sal mountains were named by the Spanish explorers who, when they saw snow on the tops of the peaks debated whether there could actually be snow up there because it was so hot and the mountains were close by. They finally decided that it couldn't be snow and concluded that it must be salt. Hence, the salt or La Sal. The view was spectacular. I have pictures, but they are still on the camera. We saw aspen trees as tall as lodgepole pines. After that little diversion, we made our way to Blanding to visit mom and dad. We had a barbecue and talked about vacations until late at night.

DAY 11 (Friday)

Liz didn't sleep so well, so I was a little grumpy in the morning. I kept complaining about Josh's driving and ended up driving most of the way home myself.

Trip o' rama (Part 1)

We just got back from two weeks of travelling. The first week was vacation, the second was work for Josh's graduate project. I'm tired from it. One of the repercussions was that Liz became used to being around us constantly. Now she's very clingy and has a hard time taking naps. However, we had a good time and will chalk it down as a time we grew together as a family.

DAY 1 (Tuesday)

We travelled all day and camped in the Tetons at a nice campground called Lizard Creek. While we saw no lizards or creeks, we did see the northern part of Jackson Lake and some nice mountains.

DAY 2 (Wednesday)

We went to Jenny Lake and hiked around to Hidden Falls. I took the ferry back across the lake with Liz while Josh hiked/ran back around. Just because he beat us by half an hour doesn't mean that we didn't have a good experience. After the hike, we drove up to Yellowstone and camped at Lewis Lake campground. We had yummy hobo dinners. (This one had chicken, bbq sauce, peppers, potatoes, carrots and lots of foil.) We also had banana boats. (banana with peel wrapped around it with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows stuffed inside all wrapped in foil and melted in the fire.) The lake was pretty cool, but the tent pads were too close to each other and our neighbors were young excited boys. Yup, they woke Liz up. I wasn't sorry when she was a little noisy in the morning.

DAY 3 (Thursday)

Typical tourist day. We drove up to the old faithful village area. We had showers and then walked around to see alot of the geysers. Old faithful was faithful. We even saw some of the less frequent ones. I made a game of renaming all of the hot springs and geysers. The grotto geyser was going off when we walked by it. Then some wind kicked up and blew all of the toxic mist all over us. It was awesome and yet not so much all at the same time. (I've only seen one part of one of the robo cop movies and it's where some guy melts in a pool of acid. This thought went through my head as we got out of the way.) We drove up to Mammoth Hot Springs and weren't all that impressed after hiking a bit, but the ride was nice. Then, we went back to the Lewis Lake campground where our tent was waiting for us. We had campers pizza which was really good. You take good thick wheat bread and spread some sauce on it, put some cheese and then pepperoni and top it with another slice of bread. Then you wrap it in foil and toast it in the fire. I loved the smoky flavor in the pizza.

Old faithful. Josh is right in front of me, moving fast.

Liz fell asleep and here I am sauntering with her down geyser lane.

Grotto geyser coming at me fast. We were on the part of the sidewalk where the mist is now.

The finer points of cow fodder

I forgot to add the fireworks park of our trip to Yuba. Here you go.

"I'd say it tastes a little Poa pratensis with some picnic on the side."

"I love taste testing grass."

Fourth Pictures

Falling asleep in the water.
So comfy in mom's arms.

"This is my pad." (tent pad)

Discussing the finer points of Mexican Train. (And Josh extends his winning steak to three games in a row.)

I told them I'd post this on the internet. Here it is. I can't remember all of the names, especially the one in the umberella stroller, so help me out. (To avoid embarassment I won't put any of them.)

Clairification

I'm just going to clairify and add to a couple of things that I said last time. In order...

1. We had our 9 month appointment today. (July 17) Liz is now in the 2 percentile for weight. I'm more than a little worried now. Her other percentiles were good, though (62% length and 77% head circumference). The doctor didn't seem worried. He asked me if she was active and interacted with us and other people, which she does. He called her slim and didn't dwell on it.

2. Josh wanted me to edit the blog from last time. He wants me to say that he is working part-time with Primerica. I got a lot of negative responses after I posted that we might call some of you, so forget it. We won't talk to family/friends unless you ask us. I guess I sounded too much like a solicitor which I was trying not to do.

3. Gums still look like cheese. Last time I got blue rubber bands for my braces. Yey! Blue! Some of you asked why I got braces. It wasn't for aesthetic purposes, but because my teeth were so crooked, we were trying to prevent some horrible things that probably were going to happen to my jaw. Plus, it will be easier to chew when these torture devices come off.

I had corn on the cob, off the cob. I know that when I get these braces off I'll appreciate those kinds of food more. Especially caramel which I crave every day.

4. nothing here

5. nothing new here

6. I loved what they did with Rose and the Doctor in the last one. Yet, the Doctor is still alone. It's a bittersweet ending. If you find any other good sci-fi shows let me know.

Genny, remember this one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j5Es0UDIgI&feature=related

Everyone else here's something silly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siJq3rbv_a4

7. No contract yet, not complaining.

8. Thank you thank you thank you everybody who offered to give us a bumper! We ended up picking one up from Tori's house. No feet dangling in the mornings anymore! Yey!

9. I haven't played the video game in a while.

10. I'm going to post some more pictures for y'all. (Hey, I have a number 10!)

News and stuff

Hi peoples.





I haven't posted in a while, but that's ok. I'm sure you will survive.
Plenty has happened in the time that I haven't written. Here are ten things.

1. Liz has grown bigger and has started eating more. Hopefully the next time we go to the doctor she won't be down in the 7th percentile for weight.





2. Josh has gotten into a company that helps people get out of debt. It's called Primerica. It's been pretty good for him. He's always enjoyed numbers. He has to practice on people, so you might get a phone call. Or you could call us if you're interested. They do sell life insurance, mutal funds, etc, but that's not really their primary interest in talking to people.





3. I got some of these...

and my gums look like cheese. I'll have them on for about 18 months, so chances are that you'll see me with them before I get them off. Then I get to wear a retainer every night. The orthodontist says that part of the problem was because I have a strong muscle in my lower lip. I guess I give it enough exercise! (chuckles)

Let's see, what else has happened...

4. I'm probably going to go to a part time student for a while because...

5. stress and other things has been too much for me last semester. After I had Liz, I had a tough winter. I went to a depression screening at school and was diagnosed with severe depression. Luckily, our school has therapists who were able to help me with it. I found out the hard way how our chemistry effects us.

Oh, that reminds me. I was going to upload some info I got from my councilor. I suspect others could benefit from it as well. I'll write that on my "to do" list for this week.

Ok, now I'm just babbling. Um... oh yeah, so I've had a few embarrassing breakdowns (Katie has been present for one of them), but I'm doing better. Sunshine helps, sleep helps (har har) and it also helps that I've begun to reassess my goals in life.

6. What else... Genny got me hooked on Dr. Who. Thank you Genny. (Luckily, our library has them on dvd!)

7. Hmmm... I'm getting low on news. Um... oh yeah, our landlord/landlady still hasn't written us up a new contract. We've been living here for a month without any contract. I don't know what that means, but we'll still pay our rent.

8. Liz keeps getting her feet caught in the slats of her crib and waking up crying. Anyone know where I can find just the crib bumper without having to buy the entire blanket-sheet-n'everything set?

9. I got a new video game by trading in some older ones that we never played. It's not a newly released game, but new to me. The new game is called Marvel Ultimate Alliance. You get to play as a group of superheros. (Only Marvel characters.) The fun thing about it is that you get to pick which characters you want on your team. My team has Spiderman, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, and Storm. Josh had Wolverine, Spiderman, Ms. Marvel, and Thor. We go around saving the day.

10. Ok, so that last one meant I was running low on ideas. I don't have anything new for this one.

The End.