Freeman Family Happenings

My Grandmother, the Model!

2009-02-18T13:27:00.005-07:00

Yesterday morning Zack and I were able to go see my Grandma Von model suits for a store here called Hamricks. She is a frequent shopper there and they thought she would do well with this. She is in her 80's and she looks great, and has the confidence to go with it. They had her model 4 different suits (each one for 45 minutes as she walked around the store). We got to see her in 2 of them. It was a fun and unique experience. Grandaddy Red Eye would have been so proud!

Note to self...

2009-02-18T13:11:00.002-07:00

Like I said before, I like to blog b/c it will help me journal a little more and remember things about Zack when he is older. So, just as a little note to self, I wanted to record what he currently enjoys and what he is learning. Right now Zack is writing the letter "Z" and learning letters and sounds. He is also working on spelling the rest of his name. He goes around the house saying "there's a Z on that" and "there's a K on that". His favorite saying is "K for Kirt" (Matt's brother). And then he adds "K for Karen and Kristi" (his aunts). He's so funny. He plays with Cars all day, likes to play the Xbox with Daddy, likes to color and play school (me teaching him from little books and reading to him), and loves to play board games (esp. Candyland and Chutes and Ladders).

Random thoughts from my child...

2009-02-18T13:04:00.003-07:00

Zack says the funniest things sometimes, pretty much like all of the other kids I know. I want to remember them, so I'm going to try to post them as often as I can. The following was a conversation about a month ago:

Me: I'm sort of depressed. (not really, it was kind of gloomy out, and nothing was on tv, etc.)
Zack: Me too.
Me: Why are you depressed, Zack?
Zack: Because I'm married to you.

I looked at Matt and we started rolling. Where the heck did that come from? I swear I've never said anything like that to Matt or about Matt. We had a great laugh, and then we explained to Zack that he isn't married to me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-18T12:43:00.004-07:00

We had a pretty nice Valentine's Day. Matt got me some daisies-I like them b/c they make me happy-and he got Zack 2 "Cars" cars. Zack and I got Matt candy, which Zack and I helped him eat! Zack also sent out Valentines this year to his cousins and friends, which he enjoyed doing. I told him if he sent them that it would make people happy, and he liked the idea of making people happy. We took Zack to Chick-fil-A for lunch (his favorite, but also a fave of matt and I). They had it all decorated with hearts and balloons, and they gave out carnations, Hershey kisses, and coupons for free chicken sandwiches at a later date (which we will use b/c we go there at least once a week!). The best part was that they had the cow dressed up as cupid, so I had to take Zack's picture with it!

Happy Birthday, Zack!

2009-02-18T10:48:00.004-07:00

We celebrated Zack's birthday at the zoo. It was a lot of fun and he really enjoyed it. The weather was perfect-75 degrees! No complaints from me-this time last year we were living in blizzard weather! Zack's favorite part of the zoo this time was the merry-go-round. He chose to ride on the tiger. My parents also came with us, as well as my sister Blythe. After the zoo we went back to our place and had Chick-Fil-A (Zack's favorite) and cake and ice cream. For his birthday, like Christmas, he asked for Lightning McQueen and everything else Cars related!

Babysitting a 28 year old...

2009-02-03T13:35:00.002-07:00

Last week Shane ate at Bojangles. He got Salmonella from there. It was a really bad case, and we had to take him to the ER. It was crazy. He was even pooping his pants in his sleep, but he had a good attitude about it. He bought some Depends, but didn't end up using them (thank goodness). We were all really worried about him. He's doing better now, but we have all been taking turns watching him and making sure he eats and stays hydrated and gets enough rest. He has been to the dr. 5 times and had to give blood every time. He also had to be hydrated by IV twice. Anyway, that's pretty much what we've been doing around here the past week. I'm sure no one wants to see pictures of all of that!

Lesson Learned...

2009-02-03T13:29:00.002-07:00

I enjoy going to my friend's house (Ginger) and letting our kids play together. Our other dear friend Ashley came too with her 2 kids. They always have a great time. Ginger is so sweet. She let me use her computer to look at my blog b/c I don't have the internet right now. While I went outside to check on Zack, I left the computer on and logged in under my account. I had a feeling that I should log off, but I pushed the thought aside thinking I can always trust my friends. Well, I was WRONG!!! Ashley and Ginger took full advantage and decided to write a little note about themselves on my blog (see the blog entry below...). I'm glad they think I love them so much. Ok, so I do but they better watch out! I have learned my lesson! Thankfully they didn't embarrass me or say something crazy that I would have to have corrected a long time ago!

I have the BEST friends ever!!

2009-01-08T13:14:00.001-07:00

I just can't seem to say enough about Ginger and Ashley! Thanks guys - I'm so happy to be living near you guys again. You really are the BEST!!

SUCCESS!!!

2009-01-04T16:13:00.003-07:00

It's official-Zack is potty trained! This is the final report of this long process. We started talking about it back when he turned 2, bought him a potty a few months later just for an introduction, and let him go when he wanted to go on the potty this summer so he would get used to it. When we officially started after the cruise/disney trip, it wasn't very long at all. It took less than 2 months for him to be in big boy underwear and off the little potty. He hasn't had a single accident since we changed from pull-ups to underwear. What's even better than that: he doesn't even wet the bed! I am so proud of my little boy!!! What a great start to the new year!

Busy Month...

2008-12-28T16:32:00.009-07:00

Yeah, I know it's been a long time...Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

This month we attended Blythe's graduation from USC. My dad is so happy that he doesn't have to pay anymore tuition! I swear if he hadn't been sick he would have done cartwheels in the parking lot! We are 3 very grateful children because our parents put us through college and we all graduated: 1 BYU, 2 USC. We know who got the best degree!!!

We took some family pictures together, thanks to Shane the photographer. He's not really a photographer, of course, but he took some decent pictures of us and he took us to a cute place to take them. I thought they turned out pretty good.

We also went to NC to see the NC Freemans (Matt's brother and family). We always have the best time with them. We attended their ward Christmas party and got to see Santa there. Zack freaked out and cried, but then when he saw him he calmed down and took a picture with him. We had a good time just being with them and can't wait to see them again soon.

Christmas was great. We spent it with my family. The best part was that it was 70+ outside and we didn't have to deal with any snow. I'm so thankful not to have that anymore! My mom bought us a little tree so that we'd have one in our cozy apartment. (Did I mention that we finally moved out and into an apartment while we are building our house?) Zack enjoyed his gifts from Santa (all Lightning McQueen as requested!), and Matt and I had exchanged gifts too. Matt has been purchasing guns and ammo, so that was part of his gifts, but he also got a couple of cd's. Matt spoiled me with a Cricut and nice scrapbook photo/paper trimmers and a punch I'd been really wanting.

Most importantly, Zack learned more about the true meaning of Christmas. When we would ask him "what does Christmas mean?", he would answer "Jesus" or "Baby Jesus". He would also say that it was Jesus' birthday, and he started singing "Happy Birthday to Jesus" in the bathtub a few nights ago!

Wish me luck...tomorrow I'm putting Zack in real underwear!!! He's finally made it! I'll have to give a final "potty training" report later!

Disney World...now that it's been almost 2 months!

2008-12-03T11:36:00.007-07:00

After the big cruise, we decided to stay in FL a few more days and go to Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. We were trying to see if Zack would have a change of heart about the "scariest" place on earth. We spent the first day at Hollywood Studios, and I think Zack found his "Happy Place".

There was just one little area that had Lightning McQueen and Mater in Radiator Springs. Zack was in heaven! It was so cute. We totally surprised him with that and his smile and excitement was worth it.

Halfway through the day we met up with Matt's sister's family and had fun with them in the park. These are just some pics with Zack and his cousins.

Matt rode the Aerosmith roller coaster 9 times. I liked the Little Mermaid show, the Great Movie ride, the Muppet show, and the Tower of Terror. We really liked the closing show with the lights and fireworks. That night our nephew Jeff stayed with us b/c the next day he was flying back to Utah and we wanted to spend some time with him. The Magic Kingdom was so much fun. This time Zack had a blast! We went to Pirates of the Caribbean first to break him in, and by the end of the ride he was fine. He rode it 5 more times with no fuss. We also made him do the Haunted Mansion twice, and he loved it both times. Zack's favorite rides were It's a Small World, Pirates, and Peter Pan's Flight. I couldn't believe how crowded it was for October, so we'll have to try another month next time. Zack couldn't ride the Star Tours ride, so we put him on this to make him think that he was riding in Star Wars.

This time we got to see a lot more characters than when we were at Disney Land. Zack would walk up, give them a hug, turn and pose for a picture, then walk away like he was a pro at it.

A few things I learned that I'll pass along for anyone who goes to Disney World/Land with kids:
A big stroller is great for carrying your junk and for naps.
A backpack is great for taking a camera, food/drinks, sunglasses, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, diapers, jackets, etc. and easy to grab when you park the stroller and go ride the attractions.
Don't buy the crap in the park, go to the local Wal-mart for souveniers (except for Mouse ears).
Food in Disney is terrible, so take lots of snacks and drinks-they really don't check that hard, and they pretty much let you take whatever if they see you with kids.
Take your own pictures-Disney Photo Pass sucks but you can hand your camera to those people and they'll take your picture for you.

Family Cruise...Finally!

2008-11-14T17:13:00.012-07:00

As y'all know we went on the Freeman Family Cruise 2008 last month, and I'm just now getting around to writing about it all (potty training takes up a ton of time!).

This was Zack doing the mandatory check so that we'd know how to abandon ship properly. I was a little nervous being on the boat...too much Titanic...ironically it was on tv while we were on the boat and I had to turn the channel immediately! Matt had to remind me that we weren't near any iceburgs, but then I told him that there are Pirates in the Caribbean and he just laughed.

Zack had a blast being with his cousins for the entire week. Zack established his own schedule for the week: breakfast, play hard, lunch, play hard, get cranky and go with Mommy to the room for a nap, dinner, little more play time, bed time. He slept really hard too! For instance, he fell asleep standing up here! I had to capture the moment!

This was Zack enjoying a game of golf. It was really windy and he got frustrated. I thought it was beautiful playing up there and being able to look out across the ocean.

We were on the Carnival Glory. It was pretty nice, and I thought that the staff were really friendly. The food was really good, even for a picky eater like me. Matt would eat 3 dinners sometimes. I'm proud to say I didn't gain any weight. Zack ate fruit at every meal, sometimes an entire bunch of grapes b/c our waiters knew that he liked them. I didn't enjoy the clean up of that (if you know what I mean!). We were scheduled for 3 stops: Bahamas, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. However, if any of y'all watched the weather a month ago, you would know that Hurrican Omar popped up in the Atlantic and we had to cancel the stop in St. Maarten. I wasn't that bummed b/c they scheduled a stop in Grand Turk, and that ended up being my favorite stop on the cruise.

One of the highlights of our trip was the last night when they choose regular guests on the cruise and get them to perform at the large theater in a show called "Carnival Legends". Matt is a singer for those of you who didn't know, and he volunteered/was selected to sing the finale song as Frank Sinatra, the song "My Way". We have the video of it and when I figure out how to post it I will. It was great. The funniest part of it though was Matt didn't know the lyrics to the song, so he put the words in his hat and read them, but he hit every note and had everyone wowed at the end of it. He loved singing with the live band too.

Another highlight for Matt was winning the Ping-Pong tournament. They gave him a cheesy trophy for it. All I have to say is don't try to play ping-pong against someone who served their mission in Korea!
Somewhere in this I was going to mention this little story about Zack. On the second night (Sunday) I had a headache and was feeling really seasick and so I was laying down in our room. Matt wanted to roam the boat, so I asked my niece to watch Zack in her room for a little while. An hour later I got a knock at the door and Zack was crying in my niece's arms. He had fallen off of the bottom step of the ladder and had knocked his head. My niece said "Where is this blood from on my hands?" I checked Zack's head and sure enough it was gushing out pretty good. I grabbed my room key and ran out the door towards the stairway to the infirmary with Zack in my arms. Just as I ran toward the stairs I saw my sisters-in-law and they were able to help find the cut, clean the blood from Zack's hair, and tell me that he didn't require stitches. The cut was only 2 cm, if that! Evidently head injuries bleed a lot worse than they really are. What can I say, I'm a paranoid mama!
Below are a few more random pics from our trip.

I also need to mention that by the last day Zack thought he was one of the big kids and walked right down the beach and straight into the water, no worries at all. I feel as if he grew up a lot on this trip.

Quick Weekend Trip

2008-11-13T13:38:00.005-07:00

This past weekend we went to NC to see Matt's brother's family, or as I like to call them "The NC Freemans". We have a great time when we get together. Matt loves spending time with Kirt, Zack has a blast with the kids, and I love to hang out with Karen.

Our nephew Blake has a birthday this coming weekend so we went to celebrate with him. We went to this great Mexican restaurant near their house-the food is so incredible it puts Los Hermanos (my previous favorite Mexican restaurant) to shame.

On Saturday Matt and Kirt took the kids to the park while Karen, Hannah, and I did a little Christmas shopping. Karen made NC bbq on Saturday night, and I have to say it is pretty good...a close second to my SC bbq! (I write so much about food I should have a food blog!) On Sunday we went to church and got to meet all of the people that have to put up with Kirt there (bless you Karen! we do love Kirt and all of his crazy antics). Zack played so hard the entire weekend that he fell asleep before we even got on the highway to head home. And since he saw that Blake sleeps in his own big boy bed, Zack has slept every night this week in his own bed too. Hurray for the influence of older cousins!
Potty update: Zack did ok over the weekend, has been a little on the lazy side this week, but is doing reasonably well overall.

God Bless America!

2008-11-04T17:37:00.003-07:00

We exercised our rights as citizens of the USA and voted. Even Zack was excited to go. We hope that our votes count towards the greater good of the people.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-04T17:29:00.002-07:00

After the cruise and Disney World, Zack got a little cough. A few days later I developed some kind of sickness with cold symptoms too. By the time Halloween rolled around we had not decided on a costume for Zack and it wasn't that big a deal to take him out trick-or-treating. He wasn't disappointed or anything. I feel a little bad, but what can you do? I didn't want him to get more sick, and I didn't feel 100% either so that is how it is. Matt was a little sad about everything b/c it is his favorite holiday, but I promised him that when we have our own place next year I will throw a Halloween party and we'll dress up and decorate like you wouldn't believe. (Above is a pic of Zack on Halloween with a shirt that Grandma Diana gave him. Thanks Grandma!)

Potty Training Revisited...

2008-10-29T19:40:00.003-06:00

I know I have written a couple of times about potty training Zack. Well, now that we have moved to SC and the Cruise and Disney World have passed we are now in full potty training mode as of this past Monday. I have to brag...Zack is doing great so far. He started out on his own months ago when I bought him the potty, but Monday I introduced him to Lightning McQueen pull-ups and he is in heaven. By today (Wednesday) he didn't pee any in his pants, he pooped for the 1st time on the potty, and he napped without even going in his pull-ups. I almost took a picture of the poop b/c I was so proud and excited, but I knew that would probably be a little too much. Ahhhh...the little things in life that make you happy...! Hopefully we'll stay on this great track. He seems to love the stickers that he gets when he goes, so I'm glad that is working. We even went to the library today and he didn't go until we got back. I know everyone is probably laughing about my awesome potty training day, but I thought I would just share my hap-pee-ness!!!

Jobs...

2008-10-29T19:35:00.002-06:00

Zack is very proud of his Daddy's job. As most of y'all know Matt works for Blackberry. If you ask Zack he'll tell you "Daddy works for Blackberry." Then if you ask "Do you work?" He says, "I work for Blackberry." Technically he could b/c he can work those things like no other. He can take pictures, play ringtones, videos, songs, and find the games on any Blackberry he can get his hands on. Zack really believes that he works for Blackberry too. If I ask Zack "Does Mommy work?" He says, "No, Mommy doesn't work." But then if I change the question to "What is Mommy's job?" He always answers "Mommy's job is Zackapoo." I love it!!!

Alarm Clock

2008-10-29T18:22:00.002-06:00

Back in September I was opening a box to get out my alarm clock b/c at night I was tired of not knowing what time it was when Zack would come roll into my bed with me. (Yes, Ashley, I do have an alarm clock and it does go off every morning, but I choose to ignore it!) Zack saw that I was setting it up on the nightstand, and just burst into tears. I asked him what was wrong and he told me "No Mommy, don't go to work." He repeated it over and over through his tears and I realized that he thought that I was going to start getting up again and leaving him to go to my job. I explained to him that I didn't work at Nature's Way anymore b/c it was in Utah and we moved and Daddy works now. He was happy with the explanation and now doesn't mind that the alarm clock is out of the box.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-10-25T20:00:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was our 5 year anniversary. We decided that our gift to each other was the cruise and Disney World (I promise the posts about that are coming soon!). We are so tired of eating food that we didn't even want to go out! This is how we spent our day:

Morning: Matt got up, went to work in Charlotte, and returned home
Afternoon: Blythe had begged me to go see HSM 3 with her, and so me, Matt, Zack, Blythe, and my mom (she had a day off) went to the movie. Matt said it must be love b/c otherwise he wouldn't have gone. However, he got there and after the first 5 minutes he was out. He came back in again to get Zack and then they stayed in the lobby for the next 2 hours!
Evening: Zack and I stayed home while Matt went to buy Indiana Jones on DVD. In the meantime, my mom came home, a really bad wind storm came through, and the lights went out for the next 5 hours. Matt got home and we all sat on one couch watching the DVD on the computer (fully charged batteries thank goodness!) but with barely any sound. It will definitely be an anniversary to remember!

General Conference Weekend

2008-10-08T16:36:00.002-06:00

I always love General Conference weekend and this one was new and different. We were still able to watch it on tv at my parents, but there was no option to actually go to the Conference Center, fight traffic in and out of SLC, and wait for the cold weather to start. Basically the last time I was in SC for General Conference I was in high school and I had to go to the church. (I take that back, in the past 11 years I was here for 1 of the 22 conferences!) Anyway, it was really good and I stayed awake through all of the sessions. Sometimes it is difficult for me to stay awake, but I was really listening hard and trying to absorb every word. Zack knew everytime that Pres. Monson went to the podium, and he loved saying "Amen" after every prayer and talk! Blythe joined us at my parents house for most of the weekend, but evidently my parents are sick of us b/c they went to Myrtle Beach. In fact I know they are tired of us, and they are wearing on me too. When you are an adult and have your own family it is so hard not to have your own place. We are in negotiations on a house at the moment, so hopefully soon we'll have a house.
For now we are preparing for our trip to FL for the Freeman family cruise (minus Michael, Cheryl, Ashleigh, and Justin :( it won't be the same w/o y'all!) and after that our Disney World trip. (My parents should be happy-we'll be gone for 12 days!) Yes, you can all say it b/c I'll say it too: Zack is so spoiled b/c he's going to Disney World and he's already been to Disney Land this year. Actually, Matt and I will be celebrating 5 years of marriage (yeah-it's really been that long!) right after the cruise so we decided to treat ourselves. It's our gift to each other (Zack is free into the park until Feb)! Back to the "scariest" place on earth! Zack is really excited to go to see the "Pirates" again and go to Disney "Land" to see Lightning McQueen. I just hope that they have something there with the movie "Cars" or else it might not be pretty! Definitely more to come...

Not much going on...not really...

2008-09-12T17:38:00.006-06:00

Just a few little updates...we went to Shealy's BBQ for Labor Day with my parents, my Grandma LaVon, and Blythe. Matt ate so much I don't know how he walked out of there! It always has such good food: bbq, hash and rice, ribs, fried chicken, country veggies, etc...mouth watering...mmmmmm!
We're still looking for a house, but now we are also considering the idea of building...lots to think about.
We are so happy that football season is back! Matt was able to go to the first game with Shane. It was his first USC game and he loved it. I can't wait for the rest of games. We were a little sad b/c we don't have the college game day package this year, but living here we have pretty much all of the games we wanted anyway!
I finally had a girls night out for the first time in years last Friday night with my hoochies Ginger and Ashley. We saw Mamma Mia and I thought it was pretty good. I had seen the musical in Las Vegas a few years ago, so I was familiar with it. I wanted to stand and dance and sing at the end, but the girls have gotten more mellow with age...I think I'm going to have to make them a little crazy again now that I'm back!

The Hoochies!

Happy to see each other!
We were able to meet our friends Charles and Deanna and their baby Azure last Saturday. They moved to Savannah from Utah just a few months ago and we are happy to be near them again. I introduced them to Rush's (one of my favorites) and hopefully they liked it. They ate it so I'm assuming so! They were recently in an accident and so I was so happy to see them in one piece.

Zack has been sick this entire week. It started as allergies, and it got progressively worse. Snot out of the eyes and nose, then some coughing, not pretty! Hopefully the drugs will kick in soon. He seems to be improving. He looks like he's been beaten up: a bruise on the forehead from falling down some of the stairs (due to his dizziness from being sick), an almost black eye from the infection in it, a raw nose that is so red it looks like it's bleeding from wiping it so much. I couldn't post a picture b/c he really looks bad and I feel bad for him. Speaking of sickness and medicine, I have to mention that he is the devil when it comes to taking medication. My parents said it's payback, and I do remember vividly spitting out my medicines as a child, but I think Zack takes the prize. We have had to fight him every time. We started out giving him allergy medicine, tylenol, advil, eye drops, and then the amoxicillin for the sinus infection (that was the diagnosis-his snot was green and smelled like bacteria-thank you microbiology degree/job for all of those years of that smell!) and cough medicine to break everything up. We are now only giving him the required eye drops and amoxicillin (and every so often cough syrup) because it was just too much to deal with. We were really sad that Zack was sick this particular weekend because we had planned on going to NC to see our family there (Matt's brother just had a b-day last week), but we decided it would be best for Zack to stay home and finish getting better before we let him back in public.

First Official Day as a SAH mama...

2008-08-28T19:09:00.002-06:00

August 25, 2008

I'm not going to lie...we rolled out of bed around 10 am. You have to remember we haven't been able to sleep in for a while. While we were getting ready Zack told me he had to go potty, so I had to hunt down the potty in all of our stuff and take him to the bathroom. He made it in time but wasn't very accurate. I spent a little while cleaning up pee off the bathroom floor. (I haven't really been pushing the potty issue since all of the moving, etc.) After we were ready I called my friend Ashley who then called our friend Ginger and we were able to hang out all together with a total of 6 kids. It wore Zack out! I loved spending time with them and catching up. We're all from SC and were roommates at BYU and have lots of good memories together. We are excited to be closer and have our kids know each other. Since y'all know I am using my mama's computer, I'm going to refer you to Ashley's blog to the right of my blog if you'd like to see pictures of us. (on her blog it is "Look Who's Back") I've got to go change a diaper now!

Update...

2008-08-23T18:08:00.005-06:00

Well, there's so much going on I don't know where to start. We sold our condo and within 2 weeks we left Utah. I left my job at Nature's Way and I'm officially a stay-at-home mama now. I am happy to be with Zack, but I have to admit it is different from getting up everyday and going to work. It's a totally different kind of work. I officially worked 3 years and 6 days at Nature's Way, and it was great. On my last day I cried, said my goodbyes, etc. My boss Jackie made an awesome cake and I'm going to get the recipe as soon as I can. It was incredible. So, my last day was on Monday, August 11, and the next day we packed the entire condo with the help of Matt's entire family (many thanks) and left Utah on that Wednesday morning at 6 am. It about killed me. Lee (Matt's dad) drove the moving truck which was also towing Matt's car, and we followed in my car. Zack was an angel driving across the country. When we stopped he was pretty good, except around dinner time when he just wanted to run everywhere! I was really surprised at how well he did. It probably helped that we had driven to CA just a few months prior to this big trip. We have literally been from coast-to-coast this summer, and I'm tired! So now we're living with my parents-I literally would like to kick my own butt for this one-I swore I never would, but what can you do? We are now looking for a place in Fort Mill, SC so that Matt will be close to his appointments that he has in the Charlotte area.
The first week we were here Matt had to go to Winston-Salem, NC where his brother lives. We were able to see Kirt and his wife Karen and their 4 cute kids (Hannah, Taylor, Blake, and Lacey). Zack loved playing with his NC cousins just as much as his UT cousins. We went to a water park one day and we had a blast. We saw the 3 younger kids at their gymnastics classes, and they are so good. Hannah and I discussed the Twilight series. Karen has a lovely home and the kids were so much fun, and Kirt is the same old Kirt. Karen and I get along great and it's like Matt and Kirt have never been apart for these past few years. We are so excited to live so close to them and be able to visit more. We have already made plans to see them soon.
I am so slack b/c I didn't take any pictures on the entire trip from Utah to SC to NC and back. It was all too much at the time. I plan on taking some when I can. Right now I'm using my mom's computer until I break down and go get my Mac! Bear with me, at least until I get a house!
Speaking of, our project now is looking for a house. I can't wait to get a house with a yard, except I'm not excited for all of the signing and money that goes with it. Hopefully everything will work out as it has thus far. Lots of faith, right? Again, thanks for all of the prayers to help to get us here.

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-03T18:05:00.002-06:00

Yes, I was a geek and went out Friday night to buy the book. I just went to the Walmart by our house at 11:30 and I had to stand out the door! I felt like the oldest person in line, and I can only hope that I didn't look like the oldest one there. The line got even longer behing me. Evidently there were huge lines everywhere out here. Matt came along with me and was a good sport about it. He tried to say things in line like "Edward dies, Jacob is the best", etc. He's never read them. Anyway, I finally got the book at about 12:30 am and read until 2:30 am. Then I read all day Saturday. I finished it Saturday night, and I have to say I didn't like it as much as the other three. Oh well, it was still a good book and I'm not sure what I would have done differently. Hope everyone else enjoyed it!

Good news...

2008-08-03T17:57:00.002-06:00

We sold our condo here in Utah, so we will be moving to SC in the next 2 weeks. Good thing my house has been half-packed since May!!! Thanks for all of the prayers to help us to get there. I am scared but excited to be moving back home. Can you believe I've been living in UT now for 11 years this month? It's just never been home to me though...Also, this past week I celebrated 3 years at Nature's Way. It has been such a great place to work, but now I'm finally moving on. Ironically, I was only planning on working there 6 months, but sometimes what you plan on and what actually happens are 2 different things. I'm very grateful for the people I've worked with there, and the help and kindness and prayers they've done for me too.

CONFESSION!!!

2008-07-28T21:41:00.006-06:00

I love to read, but it has been a really long time since I have had the time to do it. Y'all know how it gets. Anyway, I saw all of these people reading the "Twilight" series by Stephenie Meyer, and I was curious as to what this fellow BYU grad could come up with. WOW! I know these are books meant for teens and they are fairly easy reads, but I LOVED them! I can't wait for the fourth to come out this Friday. This in a nut shell will tell you how much I enjoyed them:

Friday, July 18: Bought "Twilight" after work and began reading it.
Sunday, July 20: Finished "Twilight" (around 500 pages).
Monday, July 21: Bought "New Moon" after work and began reading it.
Wednesday, July 23: Finished "New Moon" after work (500 pgs) and bought "Eclipse" and started reading it.
Thursday, July 24: Pioneer Day=no work in Utah so I read all of "Eclipse" by the end of the night (600 pgs plus the 1st chapter of "Breaking Dawn").

So I wasn't a really good mother or wife for a week, and my house wasn't that straight, but every once in a while MOTHERS NEED A BREAK from the everyday reality of life. And I took full advantage...by the way, Matt already knows not to bother me this coming weekend b/c I'll be reading again...

St. George, Utah July 3-6, 2008

2008-07-27T23:05:00.002-06:00

Matt's dad has a place in St. George, UT and so we decided to take advantage of a long weekend (especially since no one had claimed the house-we've never gotten to use it b/c ever other sibling hogs it!). Our nephew Jeff was already down there and we needed a babysitter for one night so he stayed with us. We always have a good time with Jeff. We drove down after work, and then hit up In-N-Out right away. Matt has decided that he can't eat like a teenager anymore-he learned this the hard way after trying to out eat Jeff. We relaxed at the pool, and Zack is starting to enjoy the whole swimming thing. For the 4th we went putt-putt (not a good idea yet with Zack-he is good at hitting the ball but he is impatient with everyone else!) and were able to see fireworks over the city. It's really cool how they do the fireworks down there-they shoot them off in 2 different places (in the main part of the city and up on one of the red rock cliffs) and it is really a treat. Matt and I were able to go on a date (it is a miracle-probably only the 2nd or 3rd time in 2 1/2 years!) to go see Les Mis at the Tuacahn ampitheater. It was a really great performance, and the heat wasn't unbearable for St. George in July. Last time I went to Tuacahn it was 9 pm, I was pregnant with Zack, and it was 118! On Sunday before we left, we went to the St. George Temple Visitors Center. When we arrived we saw these people leaving-it was Matt's aunt and uncle who are serving a mission there! It was good to see them. Zack was able to walk around and see various things. Matt and I discussed that we should have gotten married here-it was a lot prettier than I had remembered. It would have been nice...anyway, afterwards we drove home and listened to the DVD "Cars" for about the millionth time! (Zack is hooked on that movie now.)

Tigers @ Padres game 2!

2008-07-27T22:19:00.004-06:00

June 21, 2008

This was the next night when we went to the second game of the series. Zack was really cute when he got his first autograph. It was from Curtis Granderson and he was really nice to Zack. He had a big grin on his face when he saw the little red-head just barely able to hand him his ticket and Sharpie! Matt was the one who called him over to come sign autographs for the fans. They say Granderson is just a really nice, laid back kind of person. Zack was good for this game. He slept a few innings and then there were fireworks afterwards. The Tigers won this game so that was worth the money for the price we paid this night for the good seats (not like the cheap seats the night before).

Now that I'm finally caught up from June I'll be able to tell you what we did in July (now that it's almost August!). I'm always on top of things!

Zack's First MLB Game!

2008-07-26T23:30:00.002-06:00

June 20, 2008
San Diego, CA

Matt sort of scheduled our trip purposely around the San Diego Padres inter-league games with the Detroit Tigers. Matt always said that Zack would have to attend a Tigers game first, so even though it wasn't in Detroit, this counted and Matt was happy. When we walked in I was a few feet behind but the usher-lady stopped me and said "I saw your son's face when he walked in and saw the field. I can tell it is his first time. His jaw dropped and he is so amazed." Matt said he saw Zack's face and loved it b/c it reminded him of his first trip to Tiger stadium. We arrived early enough to see them practicing, and Matt was able to meet Todd Jones who threw the last pitch in old Tiger Stadium on Sept. 27, 1999. He even signed a ball for Matt. (Matt is really like a big kid at these kinds of events.) Zack wasn't exactly the best kid while we were there. In fact, he basically got us thrown out of our seats, but thankfully the ushers thought that he was so cute and they hooked us up with some sweet seats. Sometimes, and I do mean sometimes, it pays to have a bad child!

The best story occurred while Matt had taken Zack down to the kids area to run around. We had gotten a Tigers pennant just like Matt had gotten at his first MLB game. The San Diego Padre cheer people came around and handed out items like little balls and baseball cards. They left Sirley and me with one of their signs that said "Go Padres". Well I held up the pennant over it so that it said "Go Tigers". Then out of nowhere one of the mascots that walk around the park yanked the pennant out of my hand and started to pretend to fight me for it and then proceeded to "wipe his butt" with it! I was so embarrassed. I'm just glad I didn't end up on the jumbo-tron or even worse ESPN highlights. It really was histerical, and Sirley was about to crawl under her seat. Matt couldn't believe he missed it. We left a little early b/c the Tigers lost, however we did go back the next night...more pics to come of that too!

June 20, 2008 (Rewind...)

2008-07-26T21:51:00.003-06:00

The Pacific Ocean

While we were in CA a month ago (I know this is long overdue, but hey-no computer, busy, etc...) we went to the beach. It was Zack's first time in the Pacific Ocean, and it was almost exactly 1 year to the day from his first time in the Atlantic Ocean. I'd have to say for a 2 year old he is pretty well traveled (in the USA anyway). It was a hot day and we weren't able to spend nearly as long as we'd like to at the beach, but it was fun. Zack thought that the sand was "gross", so by this point I was thinking that he wasn't enjoying himself on our vacation (reminder-previous day was Disneyland that was "so scary"). Kids...can you ever please them?!

2008-07-25T17:43:00.004-06:00

Veronica tagged me a while ago and I'm sorry to say I'm just getting around to it. I haven't had lots of access to the computer lately, but hopefully I can get one of my own one day! I still have lots of catching up to do on our most recent (in the past month...) events too, so stay tuned!

Three Fears---
1. Failing as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, etc...
2. Sickness and Death
3. Flying

Three Goals---
1. Being a good wife, mother, (see list above)
2. Read more, scrapbook more, blog more
3. Be more spiritual

Three Obsessions---
1. Matt and Zack
2. Chocolate (I love plain M&M's)
3. Dr. Pepper!!!

Three Random Facts About Me---
1. I've been to more Hootie and the Blowfish concerts than any other bands concerts (something like 7 times or more!)
2. I actually like to cook (when I have time and I can be creative, and try new recipes...and when I'm not being lazy)
3. I'm SO picky when it comes to food

Three people I tag---
1. Ginger
2. Ashley
3. Mama (Frana)

Disneyland!

2008-07-02T20:49:00.004-06:00

June 19, 2008

The "Scariest" Place on Earth!

Disneyland with a 2 year old is pretty interesting. We didn't have any help with us (family, friends, etc.). We were determind to have a family adventure on our own, and we did. We got up bright and early and went to the park. Zack knew something was going on, but he wasn't quite sure what. We had told him that we were going to Disneyland and he kept repeating it, but he didn't really know. We bought our tickets and ran into the park. We had to get the passes to the Indiana Jones ride first. Then we went to Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. This is when Zack started to tell us that everything was "sooooo scarrryyyy". Next we went on Jungle Cruise (dumb) and to the Tarzan tree house (which was very similar to the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse...). Finally it was our turn on the Indiana Jones ride. I have always wanted to ride that and I thoroughly enjoyed it. When we planned our trip we had checked the weather and it was supposed to be in the 80's, but it was in the HIGH 90's. WHOA! It was hot and so I tried to go to places where we could cool down. Later in the day we did the kids part "Fantasyland" but Zack still thought it was scary. I forget about the witches and weird creatures from some of the movies. He also saw Darth Vader and hated him too. Overall we had fun, even Zack, but I wouldn't recommend it with a little one unless you have a little girl dying to see the princess people, and even they are hard to find. In fact, as we were leaving I said "We didn't see any stupid characters." Of course then I looked up and there was Mickey Mouse and so we got our picture with him! After that we went out to eat and then headed to my friend Sirley's in San Diego.

Road Trip!

2008-07-01T19:49:00.006-06:00

June 17-18, 2008
Heading Out with a Happy Kid!

We left on Tuesday after I got off of work. We stayed at Matt's Dad's place in St. George, UT. We got there around 10pm and Matt just had to hit up the new In-N-Out Burger. It is almost a tradition that if we ever come up on one we have to stop and get something. (Thankfully the closest one is about 4 hours or my butt would be bigger than it already is!)

The next morning we got up and took it easy so that we would be ready for Disneyland on the following day. We still had quite a way to go and we wanted to spread it out. Our first stop on the way-Las Vegas, NV. (Matt also had to hit up the In-N-Out here too.) We decided to walk around the shops at a few casinos hoping to wear Zack out enough to sleep in the car at least as far as Barstow, CA!

At the Wynn waterfall and at the Venetian waterway...

Some pictures are just too tempting not to take!
(Zack thought it was a video game!)
We did not gamble in our time in Las Vegas. We are good people after all.

Zack didn't sleep much on the rest of the ride. Our plan to wear him out walking failed. We made it to Anaheim without much going on in between. That night at dinner (Mimi's Cafe-mmmmm!) Zack didn't want to eat anything. He took his fork out and ate the butter. I gagged and laughed at the same time. Isn't that gross? I had to take a picture of it. He is so boy. And then he proceeded to yell in the restaurant that he needed to go poopoo! Needless to say, I left Matt to pick up the check!

First Potty Experience...

2008-06-28T22:13:00.003-06:00

Today we went and bought a potty for Zack. I know I blogged earlier this year about wanting to potty train him, but it just felt like the timing wasn't quite right yet. Well, he let us know last weekend on our trip to Las Vegas/Anaheim/San Diego that he was ready even if we weren't. Yes, in each of those 3 cities he yelled out in random places and times "I gotta poo-poo!" And the last time he said it he grabbed napkins off the table in the restaurant and proceeded to wipe his behind while sitting in the highchair. Moral of the story: listen to your kid. Back to today, I was in the bathroom and asked if he wanted to go to the potty. I took off his diaper, he mounted his potty and tried to go. He tooted twice but that was all. I wasn't disappointed b/c he was really grunting...Then tonight I was changing him into his pj's and decided to try again. He walked into the bathroom, mounted the potty and started peeing. I know "TMI" but I was soooo proud/happy/excited. My baby went in a potty! One step closer to no diapers. I know it is a long process, but this couldn't have started out any better!

June 8, 2008

2008-06-26T22:05:00.002-06:00

Sundance Brunch

We went with our friends Bonnie and Jonathon Pace up to Sundance for brunch. It really is some of the BEST food I've ever eaten. We go there for special occasions, and this time we were celebrating Matt's new job with BlackBerry. We are excited about it and so far he seems to enjoy it. Bonnie is a co-worker of mine and a very dear friend. She is also my therapist! No really, she has to hear me "b and moan" about everything that ticks me off and try to calm me down when I get so angry and worked up about life. She is a friend that has been by me in some really good times and some really bad times. I only hope that I can be as good a friend to her and everyone else as she has been to me. Thanks Bonnie!

(I know my eyes are closed in the last picture-it was the only one I had with Zack)

Funny Coincidence

2008-06-24T20:34:00.003-06:00

May 31, 2008

We decided to get out of the house and go get some ice cream. My very favorite flavor is "Ernestly Chocolate" at the BYU Creamery, so we decided to go there. It was a last minute decision b/c originally we were going to 31 flavors, but changed our minds at the last second. We were heading north on University Ave. just past my old stomping grounds "The Villa" (can I get a what!what! j/k) when Matt turned beside the soccer fields. In my typical passenger driving fashion I asked why he went this way and he didn't have an answer. But just then I looked towards the Smith Fieldhouse and noticed Cosmo Cougar standing there with some cheerleaders who were on their way to summer practice! I yelled "Pull Over!" I couldn't believe it and I actually had my camera on me which was also a little miracle! We haven't been to any games since Zack was born, so this was a pretty good coincidence. I was probably more excited than I should have been, but I thought it was neat b/c I never took a picture with the mascot while I was a student there. Zack wasn't that impressed (and neither was Matt for that matter-he's not a big BYU fan) but I'm glad Cosmo was nice enough to take a second with my son, and I'm happy that Matt chose the road he did that day. Oh by the way...the ice cream was AWESOME!

Paying Bills...

2008-06-24T20:06:00.004-06:00

May 29, 2008

Each month I hate paying bills. I also know that I am pretty archaic b/c I don't do them all online. I am old fashioned when it comes to bills and banking. Anyway, Zack decided to sit down and help me sort out everything. I though it was pretty cute.

Goodbye Lunch...

2008-06-24T19:51:00.002-06:00

May 16, 2008

We had a goodbye lunch for our work group because our co-worker Charles and his family moved to Savannah. It was technically also supposed to be goodbye to me too, but we know how things have gone so maybe I will eventually leave. This time I'm not getting a lunch though! These are just a few pics of the event. Cute story: When Zack saw Maria he recognized her but didn't remember exactly who she was, so he just said "Hey Grandma!" She loved it and we taught him to call her "Abuela".

Long overdue....

2008-06-24T19:14:00.002-06:00

I know it has been a looooonnnngggg time since I updated the blog. There are many reasons/excuses that I have to explain. First of all, I was really busy packing my house to move to SC. One minute we were moving, the next we weren't, and still to this day I'm not really sure what we're going to do. Currently Matt is working for Blackberry from home in UT until a company training is held in Park City, UT. Then he will have to report to SC/NC right after that. I am still working in the meantime.
Next there was the issue of our family computer. It is eaten up with viruses and I'm really ticked off about it. We are probably going to have to purchase another one, and this time I'm going all out. For now I am using Matt's work computer.
Finally, it has been one year since I went on a vacation. I decided it was about time b/c I was getting really burned out with everyone and everything. My very dear friend Sirley lives in the San Diego area and so we went down to visit her. Before we went to her house we hit up Disneyland. That was a blast but also very interesting with a 2 year old. We also went to the beach and to 2 San Diego Padres games. We love Major League Baseball in the summer and it just so happened that they were playing the Detroit Tigers this past weekend. More to come later.

Tagged!

2008-05-07T21:32:00.003-06:00

What are your names?
Matt and TaMara

How long have you been together?
We met in Oct. 2001 so 6.5yrs.

How long did you date?
We dated almost exactly 2 years and married in Oct. 2003.

How old are you?
Unfortunately I'm getting up there. I'll be 29 in 2 weeks from today (hint,hint). That's ok b/c Matt is already 32!

Who eats more?
Matt of course, except when I was pregnant with Zack...I definitely ate more then!

Who said I love you first?
There's a little confusion on this one, so I'll say Matt.

Who is taller?
Matt-y'all know I'm a midget!

Who is smarter?
I don't want to say that I am b/c Matt and I are different and know about different things, so I'll leave it at that.

Who does the laundry?
We both do.

Who does the cooking?
We alternate. It just depends on the meal and the night. Matt has learned how to cook pretty well.

Who pays the bills?
I do. I'm anal about knowing exactly how much money is in the account!

Who mows the lawn?
Right now the punks that our HOA pays to get it done.

Who does the dishes?
Matt mostly, but when I can I help.

Who drives when you are together?
Matt. I hate driving and also if we are in his car I can't drive it!

Who is more stubborn?
We are both pretty stubborn, but I'd have to say I'm more stubborn.

Who kissed who first?
Matt kissed me first when I was asleep on the couch at his dad's cabin in Island Park, Idaho 2 days after we met. What a player!

Who asked who out first?
Matt asked me out, but our first encounter was a blind date, so don't ever pass one up b/c you never know who you'll meet. Speaking of blind dates, that could be an entirely different blog for another day.

Who proposed?
Long story short, we got married on Oct. 24, 2003.

Who has more siblings?
Matt-he's #4 of 5 (gbbbg), me #1 (gbg). By the way, birth order matters!

Who wears the pants in the family?
Matt.

Where are we going to be living in a few weeks?
Near Charlotte, NC. Most likely in the Rock Hill, SC area. Does anyone need to buy a condo in Utah?

I think the shirt says it all...

2008-04-23T21:17:00.003-06:00

Need I say more?
(shirt courtesy of Grandma Diana-thanks!)

Update

2008-04-23T21:11:00.004-06:00

Thanks to all who told me where to find cute ties for Zack. I called the Children's Place to see if they had any and they were out, but I ended up ordering 2 for him online and got them a week after Easter. Then the Sunday I was going to let him wear one it was so cold that he had to wear a sweater that didn't match the tie. Long story short, he now has ties and wears them to church proudly. He thinks he's all grown up like his daddy. This picture is a few weeks old. I know, I've been the slacker again. Hope everyone is doing great!

What is wrong with this picture???

2008-03-30T21:59:00.002-06:00

I'll tell you. It is March 30, spring is already here, last week was Easter, and today's high was 36 and there was snow falling all day long with an accumulation of around 4-5 inches. This picture was taken late so some of the snow had melted. By the way, tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same. Have a nice day...

Easter 2008

2008-03-26T22:08:00.002-06:00

I took Zack to his 1st egg hunt on Saturday morning. It was the worst one ever. I actually felt bad for even taking him to it, but it was a church activity so I thought it was the right thing to do. First of all, it was planned to start at 9 am. I know we sometimes have church at that time, but really how many people make it on time? Not only that, it was a cold spring morning in Utah where it was a balmy 30 degrees outside and the grass had frost on it! Anyway, we got there at 9:04 am. At 9:05 am it was over. No joke. By the time I got Zack out of the stroller and to the neighborhood park where it was held, all of the candy was gone. Did I mention yet that it was the park where all of the people with pets take their animals to release FECAL Material? Oh but it gets better. I thought that at egg hunts the candy is put into eggs, but evidently someone didn't send the memo to these people and they just threw candy on the ground for kids to pick up. I was so disgusted! The best part was putting Zack back into the stroller and going for a morning walk which I don't frequently get to do.

Easter turned out to be a nice day. Zack got up and found some eggs the bunny had left for him. He didn't really get it, but he loved the "balls" filled with candy. (We found these cute eggs that looked like sport balls). And yes, I know in the pics he is wearing santa pj's. It was cold and he needed to wear them. Don't make fun! After church we went to the Freeman family dinner and Zack participated in an egg hunt there too. In the end I know Easter is not all about the egg hunts and candy, and Matt and I are truly grateful for the Atonement and Resurrection of our Savior and our opportunity to teach Zack about Him.

My Little Leprechaun!!!

2008-03-17T19:07:00.005-06:00

Zack is our special little leprechaun. We have had good luck everyday since he has been in our life! I feel like I have such a unique kid since he has red hair, and he has had it since day 1. Blythe claims that he belongs to her, but we know better. I always thought she'd have a red head and not me. Every house needs at least one red head in it! It keeps things interesting. Yesterday Zack saw Matt putting on his tie for church and decided that he wanted one too. I have had a hard time finding one for Zack so if any of y'all know where to find one let me know. He had one last year but of course he is too big for it now. Anyway, I thought he looked so funny with such a big tie. It was like he was going retro or something!

On Saturday our friends Marci and Justin brought over there 3 month old baby. Zack practically attacked her and smothered her in kisses. It was really cute. He wanted to take her out of the carrier and hold her by himself. One day he will be a good big brother. Please do not leave comments on how he needs a sibling! And no, this is not me announcing that I'm knocked up-Happily I'm NOT!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A Sad Day...

2008-03-05T20:06:00.003-07:00

Yesterday I received some very sad news...Brett Favre is retiring from the NFL. I know many of you won't understand, but he is one of the reasons that I started watching football in the first place. Let's just get this out of the way-he's hot. (Matt knows I feel this way, and that I won't leave him!) And he's a great QB! I really became a Packers fan over the years. Matt is happy to see him go b/c now he thinks the Lions will actually do better in their division now. WHATEVER! The Lions suck but that is a blog for another day. One of my childhood dreams was to go to Green Bay and watch him play, and now one of my dreams has come to an end before it was fulfilled. Maybe he really isn't going to do it and his love of the game will bring him back, but if not then I now have a little hole in my heart where my favorite QB no longer plays.

Zack Turns TWO!

2008-03-01T22:44:00.004-07:00

I know I'm a little late on this but Zack turned 2 at the beginning of the month (February that is). Ok so I said I'd be better about blogging but that was a lie. Anyway, my parents came out for the weekend of Zack's b-day and we had a "sports" themed party that Saturday. It was with family and my co-workers (who I consider to be part of my family) and we all had a great time. I have to give thanks to my in-laws who provided a place to have the party, and for letting us get candy all over their garage floor where we did a pinata. I am so thankful that everyone came and helped in our celebration of Zack's life. We love our little boy so much. He is our world and the reason I get up everyday.

Sorry if I missed anyone in the pics-there were so many!

Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese...

2008-01-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves this recipe and I've been giving it out a lot lately so I thought I'd just post it. This is my mom's recipe, so I have to give credit where it's due.

8 oz. box macaroni noodles (Creamettes brand preferred)
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk (or cream if you have it)
1 1/2 cups milk (whole or 2% is best)
3/4 stick margarine
3 cups SHARP cheese-grated
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt

Cook macaroni and drain well. Dump it in the crock pot. Add the other ingredients and stir really well. Cook on LOW 3 1/2 hours. You'll probably have to add salt and pepper to taste, but I usually leave it to the individual. Also, the crispy dark edges are the best so you may want to cook it a little longer or if your crock has a warm setting, put that on once it's done and it will crisp it nicely. Hope y'all enjoy!

Birthday, Tucanos, Park City, SLC, The Pie...

2008-01-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

This week we were pretty busy. My friend Sirley and her husband Marc came into town and we went out for dinner to Tucanos on Thursday night. I haven't seen Sirley since Zack was 2 weeks old. She came out to see him then, and she couldn't believe how big he is now. I'd also lost a few pounds since she had last seen me and I also started walking upright again! Friday was Matt's 32 birthday! He has been sick for almost 2 weeks now, so we had made plans to go out on Friday night with his family, but he just didn't feel up to it. We went out to Los Hermanos (just matt, zack, and me) and then relaxed at home. Matt went to the dr. Saturday morning just to make sure nothing serious was going on. He hasn't had his voice in over a week. The dr. told him it was just a bad case of laryngitis. He is slowly recovering. We also went to Park City on Saturday to do a little shopping. It was in the upper 20's-cold! Matt wanted to go and I said ok-afterall, it was his b-day weekend. Then we went back to SLC to have pizza at The Pie- a U of U hangout that I had never been to. I felt like a traitor-go cougs!-but the pizza was good. So now that I have probably gained 50 lbs. in the past few days, I will be eating bread and water until next weekend! Just kidding. Hope everyone has a great week!

Potty Training 101...

2008-01-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

I've been writing so much about poop that I'm thinking of changing the name of this blog to the poopoo corner and coloring the background brown. Anyway, Zack is almost 2 and I'm considering potty training. (I was thinking about getting him a potty for one of his presents! Or do I not use a little potty and make him use the big toilet?) I have some pretty good indications that he is ready: He likes to try to pull down his pants when he is in the bathroom or sees someone else go. He also always says "I poopoo" and then grabs his butt. Or he grabs our hand and takes us to his changing table b/c he doesn't like to sit in it. I think these are pretty good signs to start the whole process, but I don't know where to begin. So, I am asking all of you mothers to give me your advice. Please keep in mind though that I am not home all day so also consider how you involved your husbands and others with the process. (Matt is really good at these things.) Thanks everyone!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

I don't do resolutions, but I guess I will try to blog more this year! I know I've been a little (lot) slack, and thank you everyone who has been reminding me! It's really hard to blog b/c every time I get on the computer, Zack always runs into the room and literally climbs up my body so that he can get on too. Then he tries to play with the mouse and bangs the keys so it's just one big joke. And I can't do it when he goes to bed b/c unfortunately he still sleeps in our bed and won't sleep unless Matt and I are both in it. We joke that at least it's been free birth control for now!
Thanks for all of the Christmas cards(both the mailed and emailed)-it's good to know that people remember us even though we're so far away. What have we been up to? Well, I pretty much worked through the holidays b/c it's better to take the time off in the summer to go to SC. It was a white Christmas-which I hate b/c I hate the snow and cold. Christmas Eve we went out with my in-laws (Lee and Diana) to Outback and then to see the movie National Treasure 2. Zack does pretty good in movies now, so that's nice. (A few weeks ago we also saw Enchanted-cute movie). It has been a long time since we've gone to the movies. I get bored sometimes watching them, but that's another story. Back to the latest: Christmas morning Zack woke up and we taped him but the video was long so that is why I didn't post it. He was really cute and sort of got what was going on but not quite. After playing with toys and talking to Grandma Frana, we went to Aunt Kristi's for lasagna and to play wii and every other electronic game console there is.
On the Thursday after Christmas I left work early b/c I felt really tired and achy. I didn't really have any other symptoms so I took advil and just slept and felt better by the next day. However, that night Zack started pooping and it had a little red in it and I thought it was just the pizza he had eaten before, but by Friday night I knew that it was blood in his poopy diapers. Being the microbiologist that I am I thought the worst-E.coli or Salmonella, so we went to the dr. to have it tested. Turns out that it was just a really bad viral infection-probably something kin to rotavirus, etc. (Finding out the results was a joke-the dr. office would never get back in touch with me and basically I could have tested it and known it wasn't bacterial by the time they told me the results.) We were changing his diaper hourly for 3 days straight. (Sorry for all of the details but I figured everyone wants to know what was happening). By New Year's Eve he was well enough to leave the house so that we could go out to lunch, but we rang in the new year in our bed with Zack in between us.
On New Year's we went to Matt's brother's house (Michael and his wife Cheryl). It was requested that I bring crock pot mac-n-cheese by their son Justin. He loves it. Played some more video games there and then came home and watched a little football. Jeff our nephew spent the night and Zack followed him around the entire night and next morning. I went to work on the 2nd and for now things are back to normal. Maybe I'll take some pics soon to post...but y'all know me! Later!

2007-12-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

We are Grateful

2007-11-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we decided to create a list of what we are thankful for. Sometimes it helps to see it in writing.

Family and Friends
Church
USA and those who fight for our liberties
A good job
Food on the table (except when we are lazy and don't go to the store)
Good Health-and we wanted to add modern day technologies in healthcare like helmets and physical therapy, c-sections w/good medicine, surgeries to cure ailments, etc.
Football (and the ESPN College Gameday Package)
Cars that are paid for
Clothes on our backs, shoes on our feet
Electronics: cell phones, ipods, computers, tv, internet
Great haircuts (thanks Wendy)
A place to call Home (even if it is in UT for now)

Micro Lab Lunch at Mimi's Cafe

2007-11-18T20:54:00.001-07:00

We decided that we wanted to take a little break on Halloween to have lunch as a group with our little families. We are a pretty close lab and we work together really well. I am very happy that in my situation (being that I don't really want to work at this time-I'd rather be with Zack), that I have these great people that I work with daily. Maria always reminds us "don't worry, be happy", Bonnie always listens to me vent about everything, and Charles always has funny tales to tell. Jackie isn't in the lab frequently (she's the boss), but she is the best boss that we could have-I'm not trying to brown nose I swear (I'm not that way!). Working at Nature's Way has been a privilege.

Halloween 2007!!!

2007-11-02T21:37:00.000-06:00

We had a really enjoyable Halloween this year. Captain "Zack" Sparrow was on the loose and was loving it, even though I don't think he still quite understood what was going on. He did know he was getting candy, so it made him happy. The weather wasn't too cold, and since Zack can walk door to door that made things easier. We only took him to 5 houses and he was polite at each door by saying "thank you". He couldn't say "trick-or-treat" but when asked what a pirate says he would answer "AARRRGGG"!!! But as you will see in the video, he was asked too many times what a pirate says and just quit saying it. Pretty typical when the camera is rolling, you know?! Hope everyone enjoys what they are seeing here these days. Please post a comment, it makes me feel better that I am doing this if I know people are liking it. Bye!

Introducing Captain "Zack" Sparrow!!!

2007-11-02T21:25:00.001-06:00

Hayrides, Pumpkins, Sundance, and Snow!!!

2007-10-28T20:50:00.000-06:00

We went to this really cute farm in Santaquin, UT (10-19-07) while my parents were out visiting us (well really they had only come to see Zack!). They take you out on a hayride to the pumpkin patch where you pick your own pumpkin. Zack was really cute when he picked out his pumpkin. He wanted to hold it but it was too heavy for him, so he just hugged it. There was a horse out there that my dad introduced to Zack. He was ok petting it, but if we had tried to put him on it that would have been a different story. (We tried this past July to let him ride one and he hated it.) Back at the barn they have a little shop where you can have cider and doughnuts. Matt loved the cider and doughnuts part b/c it reminded him of Michigan in the fall. It was great weather that day, but then a storm came in and by Sunday there was snow on the ground. On Sunday (10-21-07) we went to Sundance Brunch. We hadn' t been since I was pregnant with Zack. It is the best brunch on earth, and I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance to go. Zack liked the food but found the most pleasure walking around in the snow outside while everyone else finished eating. We all had to take turns b/c he was getting a little out of control (I think it has something to do with the "red-headed temper" that he gets sometimes.) I hope people start checking out the blog now that I have finally updated it! I feel like I'm in blog overload these days. This might not last long...I'll keep trying.

Future Soccer Star!!!

2007-10-25T22:31:00.000-06:00

Zack is a great little soccer player. He just picked up the ball one day at around 18 months and hasn't stopped playing since. Matt loves that Zack plays soccer and that he is so athletic at such a young age. Zack also knows how to kick a football off of a tee. Maybe we have a star on our hands! Hopefully I post this correctly since it is my first video post. We sound really funny b/c we didn't know what we were doing when we filmed it. (Videos taken on 10/19/07 in our condo commons area)

Happy Anniversary, Matt!!!

2007-10-23T22:26:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to post a few good memories from 4 years ago today!!! I can't believe how time flies. And to think, I have the rest of eternity to go...love you Matt!!!

PS-I have a lot of catching up on this to do so keep checking back. I know I have been a slacker lately (thanks Ashley for reminding me!) but after all, football started and it's been a pretty good season!

We Love College Football!!!

2007-09-09T19:15:00.000-06:00

We were excited to have college football back, so in celebration we wore our jerseys to represent our teams. For those who don't know, our teams are: USC (South Carolina-not that crappy trojan team-sorry Lori!), Michigan State, and BYU!!! We have the College Game Day Package that we order in July so that we'll have all of the games on opening day! We're addicted but it's what we enjoy! Have a good day and good luck to your teams!

2007-08-09T19:05:00.000-06:00

More pics of Yellowstone 07...

2007-08-09T18:51:00.000-06:00

Yellowstone National Park July 21, 2007

2007-08-09T18:48:00.000-06:00

Zack and Matt July 16, 2007

What's Up?

2007-08-09T18:33:00.001-06:00

This is for my mother so that she can look and see what Zack, her #1 and only grandbaby, is doing at all times. Don't say I never did anything for you! :)