Ok Fine, I'll Blog

You know it's time to dust when...

2008-08-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

The other day we were all hanging out in the bedroom when out of nowhere Kailey starts jumping up and down screaming "Bubbles...Bubbles." Sunbeams were coming in through the windows and all the dust in the air looked like bubbles to her. She ran up and down the sunbeam trying to pop the "bubbles." It was the cutest thing, although somewhat embarrassing! It reminded me of the fish in Finding Nemo that loves the treasure chest in the dentist's fish tank....and don't pretend like you're too cool and you don't know what I'm talking about! Finding Nemo is fantastic!

YAY, all caught up!

2008-07-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Wilma Dan's mom, and her husband Dennis invited us to go out on their boat. We met them at the mouth of the canyon, and as soon as Kailey saw them she said, "I'm Ba-ack." It was really funny! We headed up Provo Canyon and went to Deer Creek. It was a blast! Thanks you guys for the invite and thanks for dinner on the boat too! Owie just chillin', lying on me in his life jacket - that took him a while to get used to. He loved those Costco mangoes - but who doesn't.
Kailey, Grandma, and Dan holding on for dear life!
Me and Owie snuggling!
Dan and Dennis went wakeboarding. It was fun to see Dan out there again...it had been awhile. I reminded him that he wasn't such a young buck and to take it easy. We have two kids ya know?

Owie thought he wanted to get in too, but quickly changed his mind when he realized this wasn't a heated swimming pool!

2008-07-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Grandma Wilma was kind enough to watch the kids for us while we played with Tony and Jocelyn. They had a ton of fun. Thanks Grandma!
Owen liked eating the paint more than he liked painting with is. Kailey really enjoyed herself though, and she's been talking about painting every day since. I think I'll reserve that activity for Grandma's house though - that's one mess I don't really want to deal with:)
Real cute Owie. You got anything on under that?

Independence Day

2008-07-06T20:29:00.001-07:00

Jocelyn, my sister in law, invited us to one of her client's private 4th of July party in Tooele. The host has one of the largest collection of WWII memorabilia in the world. It was crazy to see all that he has, and we were just privy to on of his 10 warehouses! It was also humbling and amazing to talk to some WWII vets and hear their stories. How grateful I am to the men and women that are serving our country right now. And although it seems selfish for me to say, how grateful I am that Dan is NOT serving. I wouldn't wish those memories or experiences on anyone. Here are some pictures of the tanks and stuff.

There were posted signs everywhere asking for people not to touch any of the collection. To anyone that cast a wary eye at Tony, he replied, "It's okay, I'm a tank model." Clearly.

It was a fun time. Thanks Jocelyn!

Should've posted these cute pics in June too

2008-07-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

At the end of May I watched my brother's kids for a few days. It was pretty crazy having to worry about 4 kids' schedules, but all in all, it was actually enjoyable. They were really good playing with eachother. And it didn't hurt that they all liked Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. As this picture shows, I really didn't watch them...Playhouse Disney did:)Ah, my favorite time of day. Bed time! Look how cute they are in their jammys!
A fun day at Kangaroo Zoo. I'm sure it's easy to flip this, but I didn't have the patience to figure it out. This is Kailey at Owie's party modeling off her new sweatshirt. I can't get enough of that cute girl!
Couldn't resist putting this one up either. I just love that guy!

Should've posted June 3

2008-07-06T20:09:00.001-07:00

Now if that's not a face of a boy who loves his birthday present, I don't know what is.
Yeah, I guess I'll smile for you, I mean you did just buy my this AWESOME toy!
Wait, Shhh...don't bug me. Let me just enjoy this bite. Ah, Heaven!

Owie's Birthday! We had a really good day! Lots of family, yummy food, and fun new toys! His favorite was the ball bopper! Hope you enjoy the pics!

Lame Returning Post

2008-06-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm sure you're thinking, "what, that's all she could come up with after weeks of not posting...a stupid typing test?!" I promise, better posts and pictures soon. I've been busy doing nothing, I'm sure you know how that is:)

Fun Challenge

2008-06-18T12:59:00.001-07:00

111 words

I guess all those papers in college still manifest themselves...just in different ways!

Sister's Graduation

2008-05-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

I know, it's weird, I don't ever call my sister by her name. She's just "sister" to me. I meant to post these pictures a while ago, it just never happened, so here you go! It was kind of difficult keeping Owen entertained during the ceremony...I think this picture represents the only time I was successful.

Congratulations Sister, I'm so proud of you! It was so fun being with you on that special day. I feel like for that last couple of years, you've been the one there for me at all the important times in my life, and it was really nice for a little role reversal. I can't wait to support you on other important days of your life.

Maybe a Little Weird, but Bear With Me

2008-05-29T20:11:00.001-07:00

So, I was looking through some pictures on my computer of what to post, and I had a bunch of Kailey and her best friend Caden. As I uploaded them to my blog, I couldn't help but notice something. See if you can guess.....

What do you think? When else do you possibly take a carriage ride, eat cake (maybe get it all over your face), and then top it all off with a hot bath? I don't know, Heidi and Curtis, this may be a foreshadow of what we're in for in twenty years! I hear wedding bells....

And of course, they live happily ever after!

Summer Fun Snapshots

2008-05-29T20:03:00.001-07:00

The kids really like playing on the mock 4-wheeler. We gave this to Kailey as a present the same day we brought Owie home from the hospital - we were trying to "soften the blow."
The kids both love jumping on the tramp! We really need to get one in our backyard. This is at their Nana's house.

It''s No Wonder He Won't Eat His Green Beans

2008-05-07T11:24:00.001-07:00

I was in my bedroom folding clothes and the kids were being too quiet. I walked out and found this! Kailey had so beautifully shared her treat with Owie.

This was Owie at Kailey's birthday party. It looks like I'm going to need two birthday cakes for him to satisfy his sweet tooth!

I'm Two!

2008-05-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

Kailey's birthday was last Tuesday, and we had a blast! She really enjoyed turning two and having all the birthday attention on her. Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure!Her Daddy got her some balloons, and the Tinkerbell one was her favorite - she's really into Peter Pan right now.
I had to put this picture in, because I'm really proud of that quilt I gave her. I made it - impressive huh:)...atleast for me it is! That cute rocker is from her Grandma and Dennis and she's opening a kite her daddy got her. They flew it the next day, and the string broke, and the kite flew away...so sad!
Her Nana got her that butterfly puzzle. She loves doing it, well she makes me do it, but she tears all the pieces out.
That's her butterfly birthday cake. It turned out pretty cute, despite the fiasco we had baking it the night before. (see previous entry if you don't know the story)

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

2008-04-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

So, we're having a birthday party for Kailey tomorrow, as she's turning 2 on Tuesday, and I needed to bake her cake. I thought it would be fun if she helped me push the buttons on the mixer. WRONG! Actually, it worked just fine until she got a little button happy. I was pouring the water into the bowl, and the mixer was in the up position, and she thought it would be a good idea to turn it on. I can't say a whole lot more about it other than, I almost peed my pants! Here are some pictures...ENJOY!

Sunshine is Finally Here

2008-04-17T15:33:00.001-07:00

Well sort of...atleast for one day. Monday was so beautiful! The kids spent most of the day outside, especially Kailey, and unfortunately, the olive skin gene didn't quite make it to our kids. I didn't even realize Kailey was getting burnt until later that evening. She was a good sport, and she thought that the aloe vera medicine was really cool! Isn't she a doll though:)

I'm a Big Kid Now!

2008-04-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

Typically, most moms would sing this title when their kids potty train, but as you know, we conquered that weeks ago. So what could it be? I'm sure you're a little thrown off by the picture. Kailey threw out her binky yesterday! She hasn't had it for almost a year now, except for when she's in her crib, but Dan and I felt like it was time to get rid of it all together. So, yesterday at nap, I asked her if she still needed it. I explained that big girls, don't need binkys, only little babies like Owie. Well she wouldn't have any of that, and said she still wanted it, so I put it in her mouth, and told her that not today, but soon, we would throw it in the garbage. We left it at that. When she woke up from her nap she said "binky in garbage." So, we went downstairs and she tossed it in. I was so proud of her! When Dan came home, I told him that Kailey was a big girl and she chimed in that she had thrown her binky in the garbage - I didn't even prompt her, she just knew that, that was why she was a big girl. Well night time came, and I don't think she wanted to be a big girl anymore. As soon as bed time was mention, she headed for the garbage to find her binky. I purposefully put yucky garbage on top (that I had to push aside for your viewing pleasure) so I wouldn't be tempted to get it out. Well, bedtime took about an hour longer than usual. She never makes a fuss to go down, but without that binky was a different story. I would occasionally go in her room, try to calm her down (she was sobbing pretty good) and remind her of what a big girl she was, and how proud I was. It was heartbreaking, but I'm glad we've taken this first step. Wish me luck today at nap and bed time.

Guess what I did!

2008-04-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

So, we've been pretty busy the last couple of days working on our house. I decided that it needed a little color in the kitchen. So, I surprised Dan while he was at the Jazz game and started painting! I brought the color from our living room, into the dining room. It's a real warm, tan. But I also wanted a bright color in the kitchen - maybe a blue. So, the next night I worked on that. I did it while Dan was at work. Do you notice a pattern here....yeah, Dan doesn't like to paint, plus I don't really think he trusts my judgement quite yet, so I'd rather have a project finished before he sees any part of it, or says anything for that matter:) But, luckily, he loves it. Atleast now he does. I ended up re-painting the kitchen. The first blue looked too much like it belonged in Owie's room. The second color is much better. I have to give credit to my sister, because she was the only one who I think was completely honest with their opinion. My good friends said it was "fine," which it was, but I didn't want "fine." Anyway, Megan came over and said it was awful and that I need to paint again. Well at that point I was so sick of painting, even though I knew she was right. She agreed to help me, so we headed off to the paint store and got it done before - you guessed it - Dan got home from work. He thinks I'm crazy by the way:) I've attached a picture so you can see the two colors. (not the baby blue, but the new blue, and the biege.

Nice Huh?

We also completed another project to liven up our kitchen. We did...drumroll please...our backsplash! All by ourselves! Well that's not entirely true. Curtis helped us quite a bit, and our good "handy" friends, Jay R and Larra came over for a little backsplash 101. It wasn't too bad, and I think it made Dan feel really good to do something with his hands, and it looks SO GOOD! We love our kitchen now! Again, I surprised Dan while he was at mutual (dan's the Young Men's president) and grouted it. He was pretty impressed, and I'm not going to lie, so was I! It wasn't too bad, but I was stressed the whole time thinking it was going to turn our crappy, b/c I had no idea what I was doing. The grout bag, didn't even have instructions on it - just some picture messages, that I had a hard time making heads or tails of. I had to call Larra a couple of times just so she could "hold me hand" over the phone. It turned out awesome though, and Dan said it was a really great surprise. Check us out!

Daddy Daughter Date

2008-04-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

Last week Dan's Uncle called and offered him one of his Jazz tickets for the game that night. It was pretty close to game time and Dan wasn't sure if he wanted to drive up and watch the game by himself. So, he had a brilliant idea and decided that he wanted Kailey's company! It was so cute to watch them get ready and leave together. Kailey was so excited to be spending some alone time with her Daddy. She has had such a love affair with him lately! She wants to do everything with him, and when he has to leave for work in the morning, she pouts and says, "no, Daddy home." Needless to say they had a fabulous time. Kailey fell asleep on the way home, but woke up just as they pulled in the driveway. So, through sleepy eyes, she told me as soon as she walked in the door, "Mommy, I find monkey!" Dan had to translate, explaining that she really liked the Jazz bear. She then corrected herself, "Mommy, I find bear!" The next morning, the first thing she said to Owie was, "Owie, I find bear!" It was so cute. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband who is an excellent and loving father.

Easter Fun

2008-03-28T10:47:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful time we had with family this Easter. We had the chance to spend some time with both my family and Dan's. And believe it or not, that wasn't stressful. We started our day going to Church with my family. We actually attended my Grammy's ward because she was speaking. Bryce and his family were in town so we got to hang out with them too. Taylor, Bryce's

boy, loved dragging Kailey around the church grounds. It was pretty funny, but of course, all is fun and games until someone gets hurt. Oh well. We headed back to my parents house after that and had a fun Easter egg hunt. Kailey had a great time finding the eggs and putting them in her basket. I'm glad she didn't realize there was candy inside until after the hunt, otherwise she would have spent her time opening each egg instead of hunting for them! Even Owie joined in the

fun! After that, we headed to Grandma and Dennis' house where the whole Parkinson clan was there. We pulled up right as Tony, Lisa, and Jason were hiding the eggs, and of course Kailey wanted to start right away, especially now b/c she realized what was hidden in the eggs. I managed to hold her back until all the other kids arrived. Wilma has of course prepared a schmorgesboard of wonderfulness, so dinner was FANTASTIC. And Owie absolutely loved the humongous strawberries! It was a wonderful day with family and a beautiful reminder of our Savior and His love for all of us.

Best Friends

2008-03-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Now I know we typically don't advocate boys and girls sleeping together, but I think at this age, we're safe:) These two just love eachother. They play so well together and Kailey gets excited every time I mention his name. Caden, or "Ah" as they affectionatley call eachother is Kailey's best friend. I took this picture as they were watching Finding Nemo. Cute huh?

Talk About a Role Reversal

2008-03-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

If you all remember from one of my earliest entrys, Kailey loved to push Owie in her doll stroller. Well now that he's cruising on furniture and stuff, she likes him to push her. As you can see from the photo, he doesn't mind a bit! He's getting so big. In fact, he took first first steps the other day. He's so excited about walking and he can't wait to really get the hang of it.

Western Caribbean Cruise

2008-03-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

So, if you don't know, Dan and I went on a cruise with all of his siblings and their spouses and his mom and her husband, and let me just tell you it was fantastic!!! We left our kids with my parents, and that was really difficult for both of us. The only nite I have ever spent away from Kailey was the nite I spent in the hospital when I had Owen. So needless to say, it was a sad goodbye for me, but after about the second day away, I was feeling pretty good about not having to worry about wiping bums, negotiating nap times, and doing the laundry. The kids did really well at my parents, and I should mention that my parents did really well with the kids. Both Dan and I were so grateful that we could count on them, and feel very lucky to have such unselfish, loving nana and poppy. My Mom cried when we picked the kids up and both her and my Dad told us how much they would miss them, so that made us feel good! So anyway, back to the cruise.....

Day 1...A Sea Day. We spent all day checking out the boat, laying in the sun on deck 13, and just relaxing! It was so nice not to have to worry about what time it was, or what I was going to have to cook for dinner. All I had to worry about was myself, and it was a much needed break! I felt like Dan and I were on our honeymoon again! It was so nice to be with him and to be able to attend to his needs and wants, and not have really anything else on my mind. I mean, check out that picture...I know you all want to attend to his needs to! haha

Day 2...Roatan, Honduras. It is an island off the coast of Honduras. It was absolutely beautiful! Lots of trees and jungle. We only had a few hours there unfortunately because one of our ship's engines were out so it took us a little bit longer to get there than previously estimated. So we decided to take advantage of the beauty and head straight to the beach. We packed our snorkeling gear and took off for the beach. It was beautiful. We went snorkeling with some guy and his dinky boat - which ran out of gas on the way back. I was a little skeptical of him and his rig when we met his buddy out in the middle of the ocean. We tied up with his buddy's boat and took off to see some fish, coral, and other stuff. Our guy led the way, and I started getting nervous when he led us into NOWHERE. I've been snorkeling before and typically your "guide" will park his boat next to some coral gardens, or a reef or soemthing. He doens't park hundreds of yards out and make you swim forever into black darkness. So I get to thinking, this guy is leading us out to pasture so his buddy can take all our belongings that we've of course left in the boat. I know, I watch too many crime shows. So I high tail it back to the boat to spoil their plans - hahaha they cannot outsmart me. Yeah, well, no one was doing anything with our stuff so I guess I was a little paranoid. Oh well. We watched the sunset on the beach and then headed back to town. We wanted to eat some dirty tacos - I mean c'mon, I am married to Dan. So we found some lady who had set up shop on her concrete porch, and ate some DELICIOUS somethingerothers on her dusty dirt lawn. It was perfect! Here are some pics of the beach at sunset.

Day 3...Santo Tomas de Castillo,Guatemala. Another gorgeous place. So much jungle, I couldn't believe it. We hiked up to some waterfalls and were able to swim and play in them. The water was pretty cold, but it looked to beautiful and fun to let that stand in my way. After the

waterfalls we spent the rest of our day touring the city. We had about 4 or 5 little Mexican tour guides that showed us around. Basically though they just wanted to get tipped. And they would take whatever....dollars, coca-colas, dinner, walkie talkies..you know, the usual.

They were really sweet though. They took us to a great place for lunch. For 2$ we got chicken, rice, salad, and a huge drink - Tamarindo. It was excellent. Try finding all that at Taco Bell for 2$. I'll post a picture of it. We later got a choco banana. That was really good too. And then we later got a bunch of Mexican candy. Sheesh, we ate a lot that day! And so did those kids:) We also enjoyed the beautiful beaches of Guatemala. Acutally, there were no beautiful beaches. But Tony's cab driver certainly thought there were. In reality, it was some water lapping up against a concrete wall. No sand, no blue water, just some dirty water, rocks, and concrete beach chairs. I'll post a pic of that too.

Day 4...Belize City, Belize. Ah, the infamous cave tubing. So fun! A little scary for me, because I'll admit it, I'm a little bit afraid of the dark, plus a little bit claustraphobic, plus a lot a bit afraid of things that could be lurking in the dark water in the dark cave below me. However, I was having too much fun to let myself think about all of that - most of the time anyway. It was atleast 1/2 hr of floating down the river. As soon as the caves opened up, we were in the middle of the jungle, adn we could hear these two crazy monkeys yelling at eachother up in the trees. It was really cool! Some of our group were able to see the monkeys. I was sad I didn't. I wish they could have come down the trees and played with us - wait, who am I kidding, if they would have come down, they probably would have beat the crap out of all of us:) Because we were in teh water most of the time, we didn't take many pictures...actually, we didn't take any. We realized this on our way back to the ship. Belize didn't have a big enough port, so we had to take tender boats to and from the ship. So, here and Dan and I on the tender boat. Yay, beautiful Belize.

Day 4... Cozumel, Mexico. This was a really fun day. We rented scooters as soon as we got off the boat and just toured around the island. We saw some ruins, which Dan really liked. I'm sorry, but I just can't appreciate that sort of thing. I asked Dan why he liked it so much and he said that he enjoyed imagining the people that must have lived there and he would picture in his mind what they might be doing- uh, okay, dear, thanks for sharing, still don't get it:) We also hung out on the beach, the boys did some snorkeling, I did some napping on the beach, but I kept waking up b/c I knew I was drooling in my sleep and I was embarrased. Why is it that I drool during naps - anyone else out there have this problem? I swear I don't at nite, it's just during my naps. Weird huh. Anyway, the sun just felt so good!!!

Day 5 Another sea day. Again, just more relaxing. Played some shuffleboard, cards, and read two books. Great day!

So that's it! Hope you all enjoyed my vacation as much as I did! Thanks Parkinson family for an amazing vacation!!!

No, you're not dreaming!

2008-03-12T13:14:00.001-07:00

That's right everyone - a new post from me! I am sorry for being gone so long. Truth be told, I was busy doing other things, like quilting, exercising, and oh, did I mention my 8 day cruise in the Caribbean. I guess not, seeing as my last entry was Jan. 3. Sheesh, I really am a slacker.

So, I'll try to catch up. Let's see, on January 4th....just kidding. Abbreviated version: Right around the time of my last entry, Dan and I decided that we needed to drop a few lbs before we went on this family vacation. We were both pretty successful, although I still need to keep it up. Having two babies in two years did my body zero favors:) We watched what we ate, cut out pizza (sniff sniff) and for Dan, Carl's Jr. We didn't drink any soda and didn't have any desserts or sweets. We also worked out as much as we could. That's not always easy with Kailey and Owen running around, not to mention, dinner that needs to be cooked, a house that needs to be clean, and bills that need to be paid. We would often joke that it's a shame we couldn't be paid to work out. I mean how nice would that be? So anyway, that's that. I also took up quilting as a hobby. Dan bought me a sewing machine for Christmas, so I've been busy with that. I'll post some pics of my projects, so you can see how awesome I am. Just kidding, I am definitely a beginner, but it's been a lot of fun!
Kailey and Owen are doing great. Owen is now 9 mos old and Kailey will be two the end of April. Oh yeah, that reminds me of something else that has been taking up my time. See I couldn't very well get on my computer when a lot of my time has been spent on the potty. No, not me, but Kailey. Of course, I've been right by her side, encouraging every little drop of pee or every piece...okay, I'll stop. That's right, Kailey's potty trained. I can't even remember when it started, but I bet it's almost been two months now. Although, #2 was a LONG time coming. In fact, I bet we're on week two of poo in the potty. It is so nice though! I love not having to change two sets of diapers multiple times a day. She's such a big girl. Her vocabulary is growing daily, and it's so fun for Dan and me to converse with her and hear what interesting things she'll mimic and learn each new day. She really is the biggest joy in our life. Owie is doing great. He has been walking around furniture for a while now, and can use those walkers really well. It sure will be nice to have him walking. He loves music - Kailey is always wanting to have a dance party and he just bops along.

Well I just got pulled away from this to help Kailey with something, and then Owie starting whining, so I decided it's nap time for both of them. Maybe now I'll actually be able to concentrate on this entry. I'm sure it's a mess. I need to talk about my cruise too, but that will be a separate entry. I've got to go through my pics and figure out which ones I want to use. So until then!

Tag, I'm It!

2008-01-03T12:36:00.000-08:00

MY HUSBAND....

What is his name?

Daniel Vincent Parkinson. He went by his middle name for the first few years of his life. No offense mom, but I'm glad when I met him he was Dan and not Vince.

How long have you been together?

Christmas day was 3 1/2 years from when we got married.

How long did you date?

We dated for about five months, and were engaged for an additional three.

How old his he?

He turnded 30 on September 27. My birthday is just a day before his....but we're almost 5 years apart.

Who eats more?

Depends. I can definitely hold my own unfortunately. He doesn't really over eat a ton, so I guess I'd have to answer neither.

Who said I love you first?

Uh, that would be me. He's not the most verbally expressive person. I didn't care who said it first, as long as it was reciprocated.

Who is taller?

Dan is, although I wish he was a little bit taller, I wish he was a baller, I wish...just kidding. He's tall enough for me, I just hope that our children get some "Burger genes" - my dad is 6'4" and my brother is 6'6". Dan says the same thing, although he DOES NOT want the "burger chicken calves" - and I agree, Parkinson boys do have nice legs! (I think that was one of the first compliments my mother gave Dan when we were dating - he was prob more embarrased than I was!)

Who can sing better?

Dan definitely. He'd argue not that I can (because we both know I'm horrendous) but that he can't. He only says that because he can't read music that well. But I say it doens't matter - it's what comes out that matters!

Who is smarter?

We both have our smarts in different areas. In fact MANY areas - our kids are probably going to be genius'. haha

Who does the laundry?

I do. The other nite Dan complained that he didn't know how to fold the kids' clothes and I replied, that's b/c you've never had to. He actually did a very good job. Although that's my area, Dan is always willing to help out if I ask.

Who pays the bills?

Mostly me. He's got a few things set up on-line that are automatic, but everything else I take care of. That job is much easier than making sure that there's enough money each month - thanks for all the hard work you do honey!

Who sleeps in the right side?

He does. It only switches when we move to a new place and the left side puts me closest to the door - you know, where someone could grab me in the middle of the night. Yeah yeah, I know, I'm a "scarredy cat."

Who mows the lawn?

He does. He's quite proud of the grass. I do the other stuff, like flowers and shrubs and stuff. We had a pretty good looking yard this year!

Who cooks dinner?

I do, most of the time. He's good to help out and be okay with pizza or a burger if I got too lazy. That's one area that I really have a hard time with, but I would love it if I could make dinners a high priority.

Who drives?

He does. I'm with Lu - we could drive cross country, and he'd turn down every offer from me to help out and drive. I think he just thinks that's his job.

Who is more stubborn?

Hmm. Well, Dan definitely likes to be right - does that make him stubborn? I don't think so, b/c neither one of us likes to argue just to beat OUR point in to the other one's head. We're both pretty open-minded, but probably me more so than him.

Who kissed who first?

I would have to say that he kissed me, although I was ready and waiting. I did have some pretty specific conditions that I wanted met for our first kiss, and he obliged.

Who asked who out first?

Well we met through mutual friends and it took two meetings for either one of us to be excited about eachother. I guess he asked me out first b/c he got my number and called me. He insists it wasn't the day after our second meeting but it DEFINITELY was! haha

Who proposed?

He did. He took me up to the top of a mountain on a snowmobile, said some really beautiful things and knelt on one knee. It was a day I'll never forget.

Who has more friends?

That's kind of a tough one. We aren't the most gregarious people, however we do each have a core group of amazing supportive people in our lives. Unfortunately, half of mine are out of state. We spend most of our time with his crowd, although I love them all to pieces too. I do have some amazing friends in my neighborhood that I wouldn't trade for the world.

Who is more sensitive?

Um, hello, pretty sure I'm the one with the double x chromosome. I know, there are some sensitive men out there, but my husband - nope, not one of them. I'm not sure if I wish Dan was more sensitive, or just more sensitive to my sensitivities! Having said that, it has been really special to see Dan's soft spot grow with our children. He is a truly wonderful father and I'm glad that they're helping him develop some of those "softer" attributes.

Who has more siblings?

Dan does. He's the second to last of five children. I'm the middle child of three. I love that he comes from a big family and I absolutley love them all. They welcomed me from the beginning and I'm glad that he and I have them in our lives.

Who wears the pants?

We both do, although sometimes I wear a skirt - he never does. We're actually a really good team. We both know what eachother's strengths and areas of expertise are with regards to our family and our home, and depending on the situation and circumstance, we'll both take the reigns when needed.

I tag Cammi, Liz, Casee, Katie, & Jamie

To Nana

2007-12-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

Yeah, you better believe I'm crawling!
Oh yeah, and I eat everything I can get my hands on - well atleast I suck on everything I can get my hands on!

Ho Hum

2007-12-20T20:05:00.001-08:00

I wish I could post a new picture, but my camera's being retarded...we're hoping that Santa makes it so that doesn't happen again. hint hint hint. Anyway, life's good. I haven't blogged lately becuase I feel like not much has happened in our lives worthy of an entry. We're really excited about Christmas. Dan and I went shopping the other night and I could tell he's excited for Kailey and Christmas morning. It was cute to see him get excited for her. Owen is growing a ton lately it seems. He just wants to be doing everything that his sister is doing. He's crawling so well and he's starting to pull himself up on things. Just a minute ago I snuck in his room to see why he wasn't asleep yet, and he had totally pulled himself up on his crib. He was full on standing! It's already time to move the crib down. Crazy! Time flies! It seems like it was just last month that we were raising the crib to welcome Owen into our family. Kailey has discovered pizza. She loves eating it and she loves saying it too. Her new words this week are: home, snow, and stinky. Guess which one we say a lot of around here:) Having to do with that, Kailey has also learned how to fart. It was cute the first one or two. It is no longer cute!!! Oh yeah, that's another recently learned word -toot. She loves nursery adn she loves singing time. I like to practice with her at home so she's the smartest and most talented in the class:) She's getting really good at Popcorn Poppin' and Book of Mormon Stories. She's also obsessed with choo-choo's and Mickey Mouse. Which reminds me of another new word - mouse. She's become quite interested in the tv too. That also was cute for the first time or two - Not Anymore! When she wakes up in the morning and after her nap she requests her shows. HELP! I don't want my child addicted to the tv, but it's difficult when it's freezing outside. There's only so many indoor activies that can entertain a 19 mo old and a 6 mo old, and oh yeah, what about the 25 yr old. It's going to be a long winter. If any of you have suggestions, I am all ears! Well, although none of that is particulary eventful, those are the things that make up my days. Uneventful, little piece of joy. Such is parenthood. Such is my life. I love it.

12.5

2007-12-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

What is that title you ask? Well you'll just have to guess. I'll give you some clues.
-I wondered several times if I still had a son.
-It made me wonder if my son was starving for the first 6 months of his life.
Okay, so by now, you must be thinking it has something to do with Owen...very good.
-It made for two incredibly happy parents
-It made for a very messy change this morning.
-I was incredibly "full" when I woke up, but not from eating.
C'mon, you moms out there should know what I'm talking about.
Did you guess it yet?! Yep, Owen sleapt for 12.5 uninterrupted hours last night. If I wasn't constantly waking up wondering if he was still alive, of checking myself to make sure I wasn't milking (sorry I know, too much information), it would have been the best night sleep for me too. Wish me luck tonight!

My Little Elf

2007-12-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

So, I tried taking pictures of my kids in front of the tree for our Christmas cards, but none of them turned out...except for....

I mean, really, have you ever seen a cuter santa's helper? Gotta Love It!

Kick in my pants

2007-11-23T19:31:00.001-08:00

Do you ever go through all your contact bloggers and get frustrated when they haven't posted anything new...only to realize that you haven't either? Yeah, well I do! So let's see. It's the day after Thanksgiving, and it is really nice to know that I DIDN'T wake up at 4 am to stand in a line and race thru a store with a bunch of crazies. (sorry to all you crazies out there). Instead I slept in until 9 - really impressive considering who I live with (an 18 mo old and a 6 mo old), rearranged my living room with my husband, put up our Christmas tree, and ate pizza for dinner. Who could ask for anything more? We had a fantastic day yesterday with Dan's family. His Mom sure can cook a mean turkey - a 27 pound turkey to be exact. And ooohhh, the yams, and the rolls, and the gravy. Oh my goodness. It was incredible. I don't know how she does it, but she does it every year! It was especially great to have the whole family there and to learn of a new addition...hmmm, can I say it...ah what the heck, I dont' think any parkinson's read this on a regular basis, so by the time certain parties do, I'm sure the news will be fair game....Jocelyn and Tony are PREGNANT! YAY! We are all very excited for them. I'm especially excited for them to find out why it is we can't go to a movie anymore at 10pm when the invite comes at 9 30pm that same day:) Anyway, it was a great Thanksgiving. I truly do have so much to be grateful for!

Oh yeah

2007-11-14T21:25:00.001-08:00

And I'm really thankful for my sister.

5 AM Feedings

2007-11-14T21:20:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I just posted about how wonderful it is that he's sleeping longer, but i truly will miss these early morning/late nite feedings. As some of you know, Owen isn't that easy to hold. He keeps his legs very stiff, and so he's not at all a cuddler....except for....middle of the night feedings. I love it when he snuggles into me, and rests his cheek on my chest. I can sense his feelings of safety and love sink deep into me as he nestles down. I love that he'll smile up at me so big as if to say, "don't put me back yet mom, I'm too cute, and I'm not ready to leave your arms." I let him win sometimes:)

Rice Cereal

2007-11-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, Owen has been having some trouble sleeping at night. He's a little over five months, and his sister Kailey was sleeping through the night at eight weeks. Needless to say, I am extremely ready for him to start sleeping through the night. It's been an uphill battle, but I'm starting to see the light. He's been on rice cereal for about a week now, and I it's making a difference! I love sleep, so thank you rice cereal.

Gratitude

2007-11-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

So, I read a blog tonite and each day in the month of November, she posted something she was thankful for. Not only is this a great idea, but then a bunch of you can get off my back about not posting any new posts:) I realize it's the 12th, but I thought I would try it out too. Let me see if I can remember some stuff from earlier this month.

11/6 My daughter Kailey. She is so dang cute lately. She's really grasped on to the concept of prayer. She folds her arms so good, and makes sure that she's part of the circle or group for prayer. She loves saying nighttime prayers. She is such a joy. She also likes reading scriptures with me and Dan in the morning. She needs her own copy, and she knows it's a "special book," so she's really careful with the pages. I just love her so much!

11/7 Wed, I'm thankful that I don't have to go to Walmart everyday. I bought Owen a new outfit at Walmart as well as a bottle of cleaner with bleach, and of course 198$ of other stuff. Why is it that I can't get out of Walmart without spening less than that...anyway, I get home, unload my kids and groceries and realize that what...of course, the bleach spilled all over everything. So I had to load both my kids back up, go back to Walmart, wait in customer service for 15 minutes, go back and get new cleaner and a new outfit (which of course there wasn't his size), go back to customer service, and wait another 5 minutes. What a nightmare!

11/8 Thurs, I was incredibly thankful for my husband. He went to the BYU home game and got home kind of late. We were all in bed, including the kids. (Of course, I raced off my computer game of solitaire to pretend to be asleep in bed.) Before he went to bed, he went into each kids room, checked on them, and probably told them he loved them. It melted my heart.

11/9 Fri, We hung out with Dan's brother Tony and his wife Jocelyn. We played cards for hours, and I love card games! I am thankful for good friends like Tony and Jocelyn.

11/11 I am thankful for a certain extracurricular activity that takes place in the bedroom.

11/12. I went to costco. Isn't costco a wonderful place! Free samples, boxes of 200 count diapers, great snack bar, and a double seater shopping cart. What more could one possibly want?! I'm grateful for costco!

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T12:43:00.001-07:00

My Big Smiley Guy!

2007-10-31T12:39:00.001-07:00

Corn Belly's

2007-10-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today was probably the last day of sunshine and warmth we'll have this year, so we decided to take advantage of it. The kids and I went to Thanksgiving point with Heidi Pugsley and her two kids, Caden and Collin. Or as Kailey would say, I-De, Aah, and Baybee. Here Kailey and her best friend Caden are swinging on some horsie swings in the kiddie corral. It was a ton of fun, and I think the kids just liked being outside again after that cold front that came in last week.

Poor Dan

2007-10-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

Poor Dan had surgery on his shoulder on Monday. His appointment was for 10:30, but wasn't actually seen until around 3:00. Aren't doctors and hospitals wonderful! The MRI he had prior to his surgery showed a torn labrum and a lot of arthritis. Turns out, he not only had a torn labrum, but a torn rotator cuff as well. Unfortunately I wasn't able to be in the room when he woke up from the anesthesia. He said he didn't mind, but I did, and I wish that he did mind. Why don't men need us to hold their hands like we as women need our men to hold ours? Sometimes I wish Dan did "need" me more, but then I quickly change my mind when he has me change his ice bag at 3:30 in the morning:) He's been a pretty good patient...towards the end of the day though I'm tired of taking care of him; his meds, his bowel movements (he was really concerned he hadn't 'you know what' in two days), his pillows and blankets...don't I have enough people to worry about with that stuff ...atleast my other dependants go to bed at 8:) He's doing much better today, and even went to work for most of the day. It's been nice having him home, however it's hard b/c I feel like the kids and I can't do what we normally do. We're all excited for daddy to have his shoulder back - hopefully a new and improved one that will allow for fun tricks with Kailey and Owen and maybe even allow for a better snuggler for mommy at nite. Get better soon!

My Two Kids

2007-10-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

Kailey and Owen, well Owie...that's what she

calls him. It's one of the first words she says

when she gets up. She always wants to know

where he is and what he's doing. She loves her

baby brother more than I ever thought possible. I'm so grateful that they have eachother. She especially likes to push him around in her pink and purple baby doll stroller! We had to put the kabosh on that though, after one to many run-ins with the wall. (Please, no comments on Kailey's hair...I'm not sure what I was thinking that day!)

Poopy Diapers

2007-10-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm addicted...atleast today anyway. Why is it that my son has to poop out of his diaper atleast once a day? It just makes for way too much laundry. Of course I can't be too upset when he's staring up at me stark naked with the biggest grin on his face. Dirty bums, dirty laundry, dirty dishes, dirty me....I'm not sure I remember someone going over these conditions when I signed up for two kids, thirteen months apart. haha. I love it though...most days:)

The beginning

2007-10-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

So, I know I'm behind the times...I mean we just got high speed internet a few months ago. I had heard about blogging a while ago and didn't really give it much thought other than it reminded me of clogging...I wonder why:) I thought you had to create a whole website, but as it turns out, you don't and it's really quite simple. I'm giving it a shot, in hopes that it will give me an opportunity and reason to organize my pictures and thoughts on life.

Shout Out To Nanaw

2007-10-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANAW! The kids say so too, and when I say kids, I mean all three. See, Dan got shoulder surgery on Monday and I have to worry about him now too...I think he whines more than Kailey and Owen (just kidding honey). Anyway Nanaw hope you have a terrific day. Love and Miss you tons!