Woods Family Musings

Princess Camp

2011-07-03T13:32:00.004-06:00

The week after Daniel was born, Emma went to Princess Camp. This was at a local dance studio from 9-Noon, M-F of one week. She spent time making crafts, learning princess manners, and dancing to princess music. It was basically like preschool for a week, and she loved getting out of the house for awhile and spending time with kids her own age.

At the end of the week, the princesses put on a performance for their families. Emma was so excited! Even though she had been practicing it was really hard for her to focus on the dance she had learned because we were there to watch her. She turned her body toward us instead of toward the front of the room, and I thought it was so cute she was performing just for us! By the end of the dance the excitement wore off and she was focusing more on the dance and really doing well. It was a lot of fun to watch her, she is really growing up!

Daniel Lynn Woods

2011-07-03T12:22:00.003-06:00

Baby Daniel has arrived! He was born at 2:28am on June 19, 2011. He was 6 lbs. 9 oz. and 19 3/4 inches long. He was pretty impatient to make his entrance into this world, but he did a great job of waiting for his Daddy to make it home from Finland. He did an even better job of timing his birth to be a Father's Day gift!

Mike arrived home from his business trip late at night on June 17. We went to pick him up from the airport, and I was extremely worried because I was having regular contractions all the way to the airport. I was able to pull over and walk around a bit and was relieved when the contractions stopped. Once we picked up Mike and made it home, I was able to completely relax and not worry about the baby coming too soon.

The next day we slept in, relaxed, hung around the house, gave Mike his Father's Day presents and at about 4:00pm I started having labor pains, which turned into contractions every 5 minutes. I really wasn't interested in giving birth at that point, I just wanted to hang out with Mike. I talked him out of going to the hospital and into going to get pizza for dinner. Not 5 minutes after we left a huge thunderstorm hit and after picking up our pizza, we headed home in a downpour so thick our windshield wipers just couldn't keep up. At that point I realized I probably wasn't going to be able to stop the labor, this baby wanted out! We waited another hour before heading up to the hospital to have me checked.

Once we got there, they informed me I wasn't dilated enough to be admitted, but they were worried about sending me home. So I sat there for another hour before they decided to admit me. At that point we called the amazing family in our ward who had offered to help when I went into labor. Mike went home and put the kids to bed, the family came to stay the night, and he came back to the hospital. Pretty quickly after that I was given an epidural, we waited a couple of hours or so and since progress had slowed they gave me a level 1 of pitocin. Within 20 minutes I felt a strange pop and asked them to check me. I had dilated the last 4 cm and was ready to push! Shortly after, Daniel was born. We took lots of pictures, Daniel had his bath and nursed, and we were taken to our room. It was 5am before we were able to get to sleep. Luckily Mike was able to spend Sunday night at home and got over 10 hours of sleep, which really helped with his jet lag. He was able to take great care of me when I came home Monday morning.

Needless to say it was a very rough Father's Day for Mike, but one full of blessings. We are very excited to have Daniel in our family and we are loving having a new baby again.

Swim Lessons

2011-07-02T09:46:00.006-06:00

The last two weeks of my pregnancy we enrolled the kids in swim lessons at an aquatic center in Gainesville. Coincidentally Mike was in Finland for the whole thing, so my friend Mindy who came to stay while Mike was gone, helped me juggle the kids since I was supposed to be in the water with Matthew. In all actuality I only ended up going to one of Matthew's lessons because holding him put so much pressure on my belly that I didn't dare keep doing it. He was somewhat disappointed, but it worked out and he will be getting another chance this summer to finish his lessons.

When we first moved to Georgia, I took the kids to the pool at our apartment complex, and Matthew fell head first into the pool. I fished him out, but he was pretty upset and wouldn't go near the water. The lesson was hard for him and I really had to talk him into going in the water, but he tried even though he was scared, and by the end of the lesson he was having a great time. He is much more willing to go in the water now, so even one lesson was a success in my opinion.

Emma's lessons went very well, and she made a lot of progress. She can float, kick her legs, put her face in the water and blow bubbles, all very good beginning progress. She loved being in the water and can't wait to learn more. She was really nervous the first couple of times we went, but she got more and more excited every time we went and ended up having a great time. Every time she succeeded in doing what the instructor asked she would find me from wherever I was watching and wave so I could give her a thumbs up and way to go. All in all the lessons were a huge success.

The house we are renting in SC

2011-06-26T16:46:00.003-06:00

Here is the house we will be renting once we move to SC. Mike will be your tour guide.

After a Month

2011-05-25T08:39:00.002-06:00

We have been living in Georgia for almost a month now. I have a little bit of time at the moment, so I thought that I would bring you up to date on the things that are going on. My work is getting really interesting. I'm going through training right now on our computer systems and I will be going to Finland for more training next Saturday. I'm not looking forward to it to be honest, but it necessary for my training. My shoulder still gives me some grief from time to time. It doesn't yet feel normal but I have a full range of motion in it. We are still working on a way to pay for the emergency room bill without insurance. Blah....

We are working more on our family. Things out here are more difficult religious wise. I had no idea that people could swear so much in one sentence and have it be completely acceptable socially. It's crazy!! No one seems to care. We are working more on basics like FHE, scriptures, prayer, and lessons on Sunday to try to keep the bad things out of the house.

The South is good through. Everyone is so much more friendly then they are in Utah. I hate to say it, but there you go. The waffle house ROCKS! We have been there several times already. All in all we are enjoying our stay here, but miss the people at home a lot! Erin's family is making a trip out here this weekend. They will be staying for the holiday weekend. It promises to be a lot of fun!

Erin is doing well. The baby is attempting to push its own way out through Erin's ribs. She is handling it exceptionally well! She is mostly just bored without any school to keep her going. She got her associates degree in behavioral sciences with honors. She was also on the Dean's list this last semester. Needless to say....I'm a little jealous.

Emma and Matthew have settled in really well. Better then expected. Emma just wants to go and meet everyone that she can. She loves people. She misses Utah though. I'm happy that she has stopped asking us to go back home there. We hope to have them both in swimming lessons soon. That will give them something to do at least.

Matthew is talking up a storm! He is now working on his manipulation skills. Soon he will be able to persuade me to give him anything that he wants. It's funny actually.

Well, work is calling so I have to go. I will write again soon. I hope.

Back in the saddle again!

2011-05-11T11:56:00.002-06:00

We have STUFF again! Yeah! Yesterday brought us our stuff again. Matthew was so excited that he couldn't even wait for it to be unpacked. Him and Emma went through their bedroom boxes and pulled out as much as they could get their hands on. It is nice to see them not sleeping on the floor. It's also amazing how having familiar items around really helps to ease the pains of leaving home. We are officially moved to Georgia. This is move number 9 for us in the 6 years we have been married. Just in case anyone is counting. We ate at a table for the first time in weeks last night. Granted it was a dinner of Pizza hut pizza (We haven't unpacked the kitchen yet) but otherwise it was great. We were also able to meet with the Bishop last night. He asked a bunch of getting to know you questions. I think we might be in the primary again when he decides where to put us. I'm hoping for ward greeter this time around. We'll see I guess.
Work is going well. I was supposed to take a plant trip to watch the professionals at work, but because our stuff was so late it was canceled. The next trip that I will have will be Finland in June. I can't tell you how not excited I am for a 10 hour plane ride. I hope that it will be a good experience for a business trip. I will be sure to keep you informed.
Everyone is doing well now. Erin is pregnant still and is not showing signs of stopping. She is due on June 30. Her first Dr appointment in Georgia will be next week. More to come regarding that i'm sure. The kids are finding friends with the ward members and our neighbors. Everything is looking up.

The long awaited post

2011-05-09T07:56:00.002-06:00

Life has been getting pretty hecktic over the past few months. I will take a quick moment to tell you about them all.
I have actively been persuing a job since October. The problem that I was having is that my GPA....well....really stinks. So I'm not on the top of anyone's hiring list. I have a friend in my program with me that recommended me for a job that his father had. In March is when I had my over the phone interviews. The fun thing is that Erin was invited to all the interviews as well. We had a face to face interview with my friends dad at the begining of April and I was offered the job.
The company name is Metso. They make machines that produce paper. I will be assigned to work in a paper mill in Anderson SC maintaining equipment and improving proceedures. It is something that I really enjoy doing and I think that I will do very well at it.
This is the point where things start getting crazy. The last interview was done on the 9th I believe. I could be wrong. They wanted me to start on the 2nd of May in Norcross Georgia for training.
We took a house hunting trip and found a really cute place in a city called Flowery Branch Georgia. We are supposed to be here for 3-4 months while I train. We really enjoyed the place, but it was about this time that we realized how far away everything was and how much we will miss our home. While on this trip we did get to go to the Atlanta temple open house. It was a nice reminder of what is really important.
When we got home we contacted the movers and started to initiate the move. Graduation was only a week away at the point and finals were in full swing. Needless to say it was a stressful week. We told the moving company that we needed to be in before the 2nd and they said it wasn't a problem.
Graduation was long and boring! Erin said that I needed to do it because of all the work and effort that my family and I all put into it. I can understand all that, but it was still long and boring. I couldn't even sleep during it. So, during the ceremony I watched my neighbor play angry birds.
The night of graduation we had all of our family and friends over for a quick goodbye party. We say a lot of our good friends and a lot of friends that we don't get to see very often. It was a good evening and I hope that everyone enjoyed it.
This is when stuff gets more crazy. The movers picked up our stuff the following Tuesday and we moved to Erin's parents house until Friday. The movers chose this time to inform us that they will try to get the stuff to us by the 2nd, but it could take until the 5th. Frusterated, we waited until the time came for us to fly to Georgia.
Flying was fun with the kids actually. They did really well. The second we touched down we had to be hurring to our rental car so we could make it to our new home to sign the lease agreement before they closed. Anytime you are in a hurry, there is something that will stop you from being in a hurry. The rental car took forever to get. Once we received the car, Erin drove as fast as she could, but we were 15 min late. We decided to leave when we got a call saying that they were waiting for us still. It was nice that we were able to sign the lease.
It was about this time that Erin realized that she setup the utilities on the wrong house by mistake and we would not have any hot water until it could be fixed. It was late already and the utilities were closed. We had to wait until Monday to fix the situation.
We stayed at a hotel that night with the kids. This ended up being a big mistake. They stayed up most of the night and wouldn't really sleep. Erin and I were so frusterated that we decided that even though we didn't have anything in our new home we would stay there anyway and get out of the hotel. We left the following morning and started looking at sofa sleepers for something to sleep on. We found a nice one but they wouldn't deliver that day. We decided to rent a Uhaul truck to pick it up and we would move it in. We again had to rush because the wearhouse where we were storing our things was going to close at 5:00 and it was 4:15 at the time. I was running downhill to the Uhaul store when I realized that my top half was going faster then my bottom. I fell, scratched up my right side and dislocated my left shoulder. Please be informed that insurance for us doesn't start until June. We decided not to rent the uhaul at that point in time. Erin drove me to a instacare unit and they tried to put the shoulder back in place but weren't able to because of the pain. We went to the ER then and they decided to put me asleep for 10 min so they could relocate my shoulder. I felt really good when I woke up.
Since I can not move the sleeper anymore we decided to let them deliver it and we would sleep on an air matress until it came. We went to walmart that night and spent over $600 in sleeping, eating, and living items. We called the shipping agency and they now indicated that our stuff was still in Provo and would be to us by the 5th at the latest.
That night it came to our attention that the sleeping bags we got for the kids didn't contain any sleeping bags at all. Erin rushed back to the store at midnight to replace them. When she got back I had to tell her that our pump for the airmatress needed batteries to operate. So she left again. We got to sleep at 1:00.
The next day was Sunday. We got up and got ready for church. With everything that we have been going through church sounded like a blessed relief. We were hoping to meet someone that would let us use their washing machine. We made it to the church building a little late and no one was there. A sign on the door said that it there was no church due to the Atlanta Temple dedication.
We got home dejected. I tried to unlock the door and realized that the front door has 2 dead bolts. Both can be locked from the inside, but only one can be unlocked from the outside. I had locked both locks and ran out of the garage while it closed. We didn't have a garage door opener either. We were sucessfully locked out and I even had the key in my hand. We called the complex to see if they could help, they refused. It was a good thing that I had a friend that brought a ladder to reach our 2nd story balacony. Luckly that door was open. Good friends are a blessing!
That night we looked up of the phone number for the bishop and tried to see if we could meet a member that would help us wash our clothes. We were able to get a call back from the Elders Quorm with some assistance. We were to meet a family on Monday night and they will allow us use of their washing machine. I love the church!
Monday brought some more disappointment. We wouldn't get hot water until Wednesday, The truck still was in Provo and wouldn't leave until Tuesday, the cost of our rental car was getting really expensive at this point, and we still didn't know anyone close.
We spent the night with ward members doing our laundry. It felt good to be around people of our own faith again. I never realized how I would miss it. When we got home we decided to put more faith in God and rededicate ourselves to doing his will. Needless to say, it worked.
Tuesday came and we purchased a mini-van. We have a 2005 honda Odysee. We love it. My Dad was able to get us some more money to pay off the rental car because we kept it 2 days longer then we should have. We slept really well that night.
Wednesday came and we found out that our stuff left Provo and would be to us the following Tuesday. This is over a week later then we were anticipating. The hot water came on that day. There was much rejoicing.
Saturday found us driving to see Anderson SC where we will live eventually. It was a nice little town that reminded us of American Fork. The thing that we didn't like is that there is no inside smoking laws. We were eating when we noticed tons of people around us lighting up. Because Erin was pregnant we left quickly.
Church on Sunday was awesome. Erin made friends very quickly and I bumped into an old missionary buddy. It was nice to have someone that I know. The strange thing is that when I met him on the mission I thought how weird it would be to come from such a backwards place like Georgia.
We used the webcam to wish our parents a happy mothers day. I got homesick watching everyone interacting with eachother. It is the first holliday that we had away from home. I hope that we will get used to it.
The job is going great. It is mostly just going through safety training and reading product specs. It will be nice to get into the swing of things.
Our stuff will be here tomorrow. I can't tell you how excited we all are about it.

Erin's Trip to Seattle

2011-02-28T14:26:00.005-07:00

I just got back last night from a fantastic weekend vacation to the Seattle area in Washington state. I went up to visit my good friend Mindy who just moved there at the end of last year. It was a good excuse to get away for awhile and visit a good friend, not to mention see somewhere new!

I left Friday morning at 9:30, and Mindy picked me up at the airport with her two adorable little girls. We spent the day talking and catching up, and that night we went out on the town to do dinner and a movie, but the wear and tear of the day finally caught up with me and we ended up heading home to watch a movie there instead.

Saturday morning we got up, lounged around, ate breakfast and took off on day trip. We drove to Bremerton to ride a ferry into Seattle. On the way we went across the Narrows Bridge which I thought was pretty cool. Apparently some time ago it actually failed when it had some stability problems, but since then they've fixed it up and nothing bad happened to us when we crossed it.

We passed the Puget Sound Navel Shipyard on the way to the ferry as well. Mike was really interested in this because he would love to work there someday. To me it looked kind of gray and depressing, but then I'm not a chemical engineer! :) It was pretty cool to see all the docked ships, they were huge!

We waited in line for the ferry for about 20 minutes, and then we were able to drive on. We parked, and then went up to the higher levels of the ship for sightseeing. The view was amazing, my camera wasn't able to capture it properly. I think everyone should take a ferry ride if they get the chance! We had a blast!

The ferry ride lasted about 30 minutes, and once we docked in Seattle we drove off the ship and right into downtown craziness. We passed the Seattle Art Museum which would have been fun to visit. We went looking for the Space Needle, since we had decided that would be our next tourist attraction. Once we got there (after a few wrong turns!), the sign said it would be $8 for valet parking, so we pulled in and just as we were going to let them park the car, I thought to ask if it was really $8, and they said no it was $20. It's $8 if you are just going to their restaurant. Stupid fine print. So we drove around and found a place to park and then hiked in, which gave us a taste of how cold it would be up on the observation deck! It took 41 seconds to ride up (supposedly) and then we took tons of pictures of the view, with an especially pretty picture of the area we came from on the ferry. All in all, pretty cool but I don't know that I would spend $18 again unless I was bringing that special someone (which I hope to do!).

After the Space Needle, we were getting pretty hungry for some seafood. Mindy let me drag her to a place called the Crab Pot, where she tried seafood that wasn't from Red Lobster for the first time, and it seemed to make a good impression on her. As for my own opinion, fresh seafood (not flown in to Utah, but from a restaurant right on the ocean) is absolutely incredible and I wish I could eat there weekly. Maybe more. I had a hard time with the shrimp heads, that was weird, and the mussels and clams were just okay. But the crab was phenomenal, and so was the fish! Especially the halibut. I am so hungry just writing this... Good thing I took pictures so I can relive the memories!

We had such a fun time, but we were totally drained the next day. So we spent Sunday lounging around, eating food, napping and just relaxing. It was so fun to talk and catch up, and it was definitely the most fun I have had in years. I can't wait to visit again, and to bring Mike with me next time! Thanks Mindy for such an amazingly fun vacation!

Birthday parties

2011-02-28T09:45:00.005-07:00

So we've had birthday parties for both Emma and Matthew now. Emma is 5 and Matthew is 3! It's crazy how fast the years are starting to go by. I don't have the pictures for Emma's party at this moment, but I will be posting them once I get them from my mom. Our camera was nowhere to be found that day.

Both kids had store bought cakes this year, which I have never done before (and felt slightly guilty about), but I thought, "Hey, I'm pregnant and in school full time. Do I really want to make cakes?" And the answer was NO. So! Emma had a How to Train Your Dragon cake, complete with a Toothless and Hiccup toy. Apparently she had a dream that she was flying on Toothless behind Hiccup, and she could hardly describe it to me because she was so excited. Her party was a lot of fun, and she received a lot of nice gifts. The amazing thing to me is that she can remember who gave her each present. She has a great memory!

Matthew chose a Dinosaur cake, which was a little more generic, but the price was a lot better at Costco so I was cheap and didn't give him all the cool options. He seemed really happy about it anyway, and he did have fun blowing out his candles. He was so sad at Emma's party when he didn't get to blow her candles out; needless to say he was very excited about blowing out his own candles, and he did a great job. Matthew's party was also a lot of fun, and he had the extra treat of having Uncle Jared and Aunt Jessica come to his party. Since they live in Texas it was awesome to be able to have them come while they were here. It was definitely a full house, but it was a great time. Thanks to everyone who came, and for the wonderful gifts that were given!

A better post

2010-11-02T09:51:00.004-06:00

It seems to me that starting a new post is more difficult then squeezing a horse into a VW beetle. I bet you are wondering about our Halloween. Well, due to a lack of foresight on my part, we didn't have our camera ready. We have pictures taken by Grandma, but we have to get them first. Emma wanted to be a bunny, and Matthew wanted to be Woody. Erin is luckly good with a sowing machine and she was able to make them. I had to do some engineering on the bunny ear to help them stand up though. Since we have no pictures, I will now try to the best of my ability to describe the scenes that filled our Halloween. I will attempt old school novel style. We'll see how it goes.

The day started fresh and new. The house was cleaned and ready for the new onslaught of children when ever they decided to get up. I awoke early to take an exam at school. It was my second attempt at my senior level exam. I was fairly distressed as I missed six, but will attempt again in January. The air was crisp and stung my face causing a flush of red on my cheeks as I dejectedly walked to my car for the lonely drive home.
After arriving upon my destination I opened the door and was greeted by smiling children, happy and ready to attack anything that held the semblance of being orderly or clean. Since they had been cleaned and fed, my wife and I decided that we should depart henceforth to the place of my birth. This owing to such vices as boredom, and the fact that my parents would feed us lunch. So the children donned their costumes and we started on our long trek to Salt Lake City.
It is always nice to journey in the morning hours. It is too early for the slower voyagers to be on the roads and hence the condition of the roads was quite favorable. Due to a matter of logistics we met my parents at Costco. They were excited to see the children in their costumes. My mother quickly took my wife and daughter from me and left me with my father and son. We sought after the normal masculine isles containing objectives like electronics, computers, and tools. The conversation lingered on topics like what features a new printer had, or how a lithium ion battery is more efficient then the older batteries. Once these items had been talked about and the a fore mentioned isles visited we met with the females in the family and decided that pizza would be in order for lunch. My mother intended to purchase a gold dress for Emma with a black bodice for Christmas. My wife and I are excited to see it on Emma. After the items were purchased we separated ways with my parents with an oath to reconvene at their home for afternoon refreshment. I am happy to say that both the company and the pizza were well received at that time.
We took our leave from my family at a little before 2:00 to start our arduous journey up Parley's canyon and onto Midway were My wife's family was waiting to receive us. The children ran to play with their uncle Ian while The rest of us helped attend to dinner. This particular dinner was to be a grand occasion because my brother in law, Nathan, was to bring the object of his affections to sup with the family for the first time. Before dinner could begin however, the matter of tricks and treats needed to be addressed. The children were gathered and new makeup was then applied in preparation to leave.
The day had gone from a bright sunny day, to a dismal cold rain. Midway tends to be about 10 degrees cooler then Salt Lake or Provo. We started to visit some of neighbors that Erin knew well. Owing to the rain we decided to only visit a couple more houses before returning home. Erin's grandparents were happy to see the children and take there leisure with us for a short time. The time passed quickly though and we returned the matter of supper at my wife's parent's house.
Dinner was a great experience. Everyone was in such grand humor that not a dry eye was to be found. The young lady that accompanied Nathan was welcomed into the home with such a grand and loving manor that I found myself jealous. I was not offered such a welcome when first I met this family. I am happy to report that the young lady found the family most agreeable and she now looks forward to many more such encounters.
The after dinner entertainment was a viewing of old slides upon an old slide projector. As this was the first time that Nathan brought a guest to visit with the family, most of the slides were upon the topic of him. Many times I have been thankful that this family does not possess any slides with my countenance upon them.
We soon left and returned to our place of residence to prepare for what was to be the final occurrence of that day. Nathan was again to join us with his young love for a viewing of "Lord of the Rings". The children, no doubt tired from the days happenings, fell asleep quickly leaving my wife and I a little reprieve before the addition of our guests. Upon their arrival a refreshment of corn bread and hot chocolate was made much to delight of everyone. The film was then started and, owing to the events of the day, everyone fell asleep. Upon reaching the mid section of the film Nathan and his girl of his affections decided to take their leave. Upon which my wife and I went to bed. Thus ending a day filled with travel, adventure, costumes, and attempting to keep the flow of sugar into our children as moderated as possible.

There is help!

2010-10-15T12:21:00.006-06:00

Hello friends,

I am normal person Mike. Do you or someone you know consistently walk into walls? Does the thought of driving down the street with your blinker on excite you? Did you purchase that special machine to rewind your DVD's when you were through with them? If this sounds like you then you may have a special condition called "Stupid".

The condition of "Stupid" can be best described with this easy to picture example. Imagine a normal egg. This is what normal people are like. They are smooth, clean, and seamless. Now picture the same egg hard boiled with a screwdriver through it. Then take a string, tie one end to the screwdriver and the other to a ceiling fan. Now turn the fan on high. This is "Stupid".

Stupidity is the cause of many of the hardships we face. Some of these hardships include:

*Traffic Jams
*Slow Internet
*Messy Drawers
*Politics
*Buying a Volkswagen
*and countless acts of Art

If you feel like you or someone you know may have this condition, please do not feel alone. There are many stupid people in places like America. The whole world may contain thousands, nay, ten thousands of stupid people. Some of the places would include South America, Moscow Idaho, Norway, Germany, and yes even France should be considered when thinking about "Stupid" People. The board of "Stupid Recognition and Avoidance" states that 1 out of every 10000000 people could be considered "Stupid" and avoided.

There is help available to you! The Center for "Stupid" has created a special place where you or your loved ones can go to be rehabilitated. This luxurious compound is located in a special area of the middle Northwest. It even contains a restaurant for you to attend while you are recreated into a normal person.

So please, the next time you stop your car in front of a green light think about "Stupid" and how you can best help humanity. If you can't get help for stupidity at the "Center for Stupid" Please lock yourself in a box. Also rest assured that I will be in that same box with you because I am also stupid.

Life goes on and on and onnnnn.... Like the stinkin' desert!

2010-09-15T12:43:00.003-06:00

Yes this post is by Erin! I think it's been about a year since I actually posted anything, so it really is my turn. I'm having the most lenient semester I have ever had since returning to school almost a year and a half ago. It is definitely nice to have more time to myself but it's also been a little confusing. I find myself wandering around the house wondering what to do next. My classes are Intro to Statistics and Human Sexuality, both of which just don't have that much work. I think it will actually be a huge blessing though, because Mike is under a staggering load this semester trying to study for his big Chemical Engineering exam, the L3. If he doesn't pass, he will be recycled and have to start the program all over again. He'll pass though, I have faith! All of his studying for this test has to be on top of studying for his full-time class load, so everything and anything I can do to lighten his load around the house and with the kids will mean less stress for him all around. We have always been a couple who "shares the load", as stated by Superhero Samwise the Brave. We don't have assigned duties, we just each do what needs to be done. So if I don't feel like doing dishes, Mike usually does it later. Which means that I need to be a little more vigilant than usual so he won't have anything to do. :)

This week has been absolutely insane. My parents decided they needed to take a vacation, which I fully agree. They have been taking care of Grandma and trying to supervise two kids who are seriously struggling emotionally, on top of my dad working overtime at work and my mom watching my kids often so I can study. So obviously, they needed a break. The problem with them just leaving is that the two youngest (who are 22 and 17) have regular episodes of sneaking out and staying up all night on the internet. Yeah, I know it's really deviant behavior. :) But worrisome enough that my parents didn't want to leave them without supervision. So who did they decide to call on but Mike and me. We ended up agreeing to be in Midway every night, with both me and Mike driving separately to Provo each day. Mike so he can go to school and work and study group, and me so I can get to the gym, take Emma to her tumbling class, get Emma to preschool and back, and then trade with Mike so he can take the kids and I can go to school. After all this we drive back up to Midway and make dinner for the family and make sure they are toeing the line before tucking our kids in, listening to one of them scream for an hour before he finally drops off, and then we can do our homework, do some dishes and finally go to bed! There's the in depth version of our week of insanity. As of today we are halfway through it. Praise Allah!

Emma has been loving the fact that she is in preschool again. She has Miss Marie again, and can actually tell me everything she did each day when she gets home. That's a huge improvement from last year. It's nice to see her speech improving and her social skills getting so much better. She is a very sweet little girl. She wants to know everyone's name and what they like to do, if they are happy. She stopped an elderly woman in the grocery store this week and asked her her name. The woman said, "My name is Hilda. What's your name?" Emma goes, "My name is Emma. What do you like to do?" Hilda proceeded to talk with her a little bit, and when they said goodbye, Emma looked and me and said, "I like Hilda, she's so nice." I hope she keeps caring about people and reaching out to everyone around her! She has the potential to touch a lot of lives.

Matthew is really struggling with his sleep time. He doesn't want to go to bed ever. Both naps and nighttime have been very rough. I've thought of giving him a bath each night before bed, like we used to do when we were sleep training him. It might help soothe him before he goes to sleep. We helped him give up his binky about a month ago, and since then things just haven't been the same. He's really at a loss for how to soothe himself. Maybe I just need to change up the ritual. Poor little guy. Other than that, his speech is really starting to clear up. I've been impressed with how fast he's learned to put sentences together. Even so, I may have early intervention come test him just to be sure he's on track. Even if he's a little behind, speech therapy goes a long way. He's very thoughtful with Emma. If he thinks he's hurt her feelings or taken a toy she wants, he is quick to give her a hug and tell her "I love you". It really melts my heart. :)

All my hard work at the gym is finally starting to pay off! I've had to get my metabolism up by doing lots of strength training and cardio exercises, and also by decreasing my calorie intake a little at a time instead of all at once. After two months of work, the scale is starting to move in the right direction. I know it will take time, but that is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. I'm feeling so much more optimistic about my body! Mike has been so supportive, and even though he really hates working out, he comes with me regularly and keeps me company. I love my husband! He's a great man to have around :)

Timp Pictures

2010-09-02T21:51:00.001-06:00

At it again!

2010-08-31T13:09:00.002-06:00

School started this week for me. I have to say that Sunday night was really hard. After pushing for 5 years to get this degree, it is hard for me to want to push another one. Yes, I know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I know that everyday brings me closer to graduation. It isn't the lack of desire that makes me hesitate. It is the lack of time with my family that I am dreading. The past two weeks have been so nice. I only had to work 4 hours a day and then spent the rest of the time with the family. No stress at all. No homework hanging over my head. Family has become more important to me these last couple weeks. School and work have had a negative impact for our little family. I have distanced myself from my wife and kids because I have always been thinking about what I needed to do and not about them. Erin and I noticed this a little while ago and while we are not heading for divorce or anything, we still decided that we needed some professional help to get the most joy out of our relationship and less of the bad.
Our counselor is great. She knows exactly what is going on and what to do. So first step is to work on our relationship with our father in heaven, Then with Christ. I have heard this before but we just get stuck into such a rut that we forget what is most important. My biggest problem, if you wanted to know, I do to much internal thinking and not enough talking things through and turning to Erin for emotional support. Guys are always supposed to be tough. We can work things out on our own. Well, that isn't always correct. It has actually been very difficult for me to allow Erin to support me emotionally. It's not something I think that I have ever let anyone do. It has been working too!
We hiked Timpanogos on Saturday. We went up the Timpanooke trail and down the Alpine Grove. It is about 13 miles. We tried this hike last year but the weather killed it all. This year we made it all the way to the top. Needless to say that I was not well prepared and killed my legs on the way down. I almost had to be dragged to the car. It was very pretty.
School started for Erin. It is a little different because she has to go to the school to take classes now. No more online work for her. She said that she likes her classes and she is looking for another great year.
Emma will start next week. She will have the same teacher that she did last year. This is great because Emma doesn't have the easiest time with new teachers. I hope that she will grow out of it. She is really funny though. She keeps asking her uncle Steve why he isn't married.
Matthew is almost through the terrible 2's! He is listening more and working more with us instead of just doing things that he knows will bother us.
I like all my classes. They seem to treat you better when your a senior. It's like "Oh your going to make it! Now we will help you through it." My favorite class is nuclear engineering. We had Dr. Jackson from the Nuclear Regulatory committee give a lecture today. He is an amazing man and I love hearing from him. It is funny that his most common phrase was "That is top secrete." I don't think that I have ever heard anyone honestly use that phrase.
Erin and I finished the first two books in the Hunger Games. Erin just got Mocking Jay last night from Amazon. They sure took their time on that one! I love the series though. It is really fun to read.
Work is calling now, so I must see to that. Two more semesters to go! We'll see how it goes.

The Semester is OVER!

2010-08-13T11:12:00.003-06:00

YEAH! 2 week break!! I finished my last final yesterday and started into my ever growing "Honey Do" list. It was a good semester.....it will be better once I know if I passed or failed. We will see what happens.

Erin passed again with flying colors. She had two classes this semester, Oceanography and Ethics. She liked the Oceanography, but the ethics was put into the same category as dumpster grime and rotten milk. School has been her life for while now and she only has a couple semesters left before her associates degree. She convinced (aka talked to, aka threatened, aka dragged) me to the gym with her and I got a pass so we could work out together. I have to admit that it is fun. Gold's Gym has a day care for our kids so we can work out together in peace. It's really nice because we get some alone time together while we are on the machines. We are trying to get in shape for the Timpanogos in a couple weeks. I hope to have some pictures to follow.

Matthew has been through a really tough couple of weeks. We have decided that it is time to take the binkie away. The reason we thought this is because we lost the binkie and I refused to buy more. We tried the cold turkey approach and he cried for nights on end. On the 2nd day Erin mom and sister were visiting and didn't know about the no binkie rule. They found it and gave it to him for his nap. We needed another approach. Erin found this "bye bye binkie" thing on the web. It's a program where you deform the binkie over the space of a week to the point where he doesn't want it anymore. We started by poking a ton of holes in it. Matthew didn't mind that so much. After 3 days we nipped a little off of the tip. Matthew put it in his mouth and ripped it out. Needless to say that he was MAD. We put him to bed with it and closed the door. He cried and cried and cried. He opened his door and threw the binkie out and closed his door again. He has spent the last few nights crying for an hour before going to sleep. Last night it was like 30 min. YEAH!

Erin took the kids to the library and got Matthew some potty training movies. Matthew is so excited about it. When he watches the movies he wants to be sitting on his potty with his diaper off. It was really good yesterday because he actually went. It scared him to death! He looked in the potty and there was a little brown log. He was so scared that he pulled it out and handed it to Erin. It took her a couple minutes before she realized what it was and proceeded to sanitize the area and everyone in it. She didn't think it was very funny. I'm still laughing.

Emma is.....well.......bored. Summer for her has been long with not a lot going on. We try to do things together, but even going to the park is getting old. We want to do more with her, but things cost more then starving students can afford. It's good that she has grandma's that are willing to take her. She loves it. We are planning hikes and stuff. It is easier now that we are out of school for a couple weeks. She is making a lot of friends at our new apartment complex. We have a ton of mixed cultures and it is good for her to mingle with them all.

As for me, well, I work. I have been working on the Lego Harry Potter game. That has been fun. Um.....Erin found some good garlic spead at costco that I will use to perfect my rolls....hmm..I don't know what else to say about me. I change my valve cover gasket on my Volkswagen for the first time. That was fun. I guess. I have lost 8 pounds at the gym which puts me at 188. Erin bought me the 2nd and 3rd season of the muppets and I am watching that. Oh...Erin, her brother and I have just finished watching all the Harry Potters. We all agree that the 6th one was the best! Well, I need to go to Midway to fix another three computers. Have a good day!

A New post by request

2010-07-13T09:25:00.003-06:00

It has been a while. Every time I think about writing on this blog I always get distracted by life! I really wish it wouldn't keep getting in the way. Since it has been a long time, there is a lot to report.

The biggest news is that we have completed our 7th move in 5 years. We intended on being in our current place for another 8 months at least, but an opportunity came and we couldn't help taking advantage of it. When we moved to Provo last year we applied with the Provo Housing Authority to see if we could get some assistance with rent. That way I wouldn't have to take out so much in student loans just to live somewhere. The drawback is that it takes about a year for them to even get to your application. We never really counted on it kicking in and just lived the best that we could. Three weeks ago we got a call from them saying it was our turn. They gave Erin a couple of addresses to look at. The first was in a nice complex by the cemetery. It was a basement apartment and she didn't like it much. The other place was a duplex that was kept up, but the area was terrible. None of the houses were kept up and there was litter every where. So, we accepted the basement.

The apartment is actually nicer then she originally thought. There are three bedrooms, new cabinets and counters, A/C, dishwasher and the rent for us is $230 per month. So it's not like we could have turned it down. Our only problem is that we hate people living above us. We just don't like hearing people walking around, or hearing their TV's. So, we prayed to know if this was the place for us to live. We later found out that the person moving in upstairs is my little brother. He applied for assistance before we did and they gave him that apartment to move into. It all ended up great.

Matthew was really upset when we started moving. He cried when we packed up his toys. The hardest part was seeing his bed go. Emma handled it better then our last move. She loves the new place and the fact that she gets her own room again. After a week it feels like home. I have to hand it to the Provo Housing Authority for having nice places that are kept up.

Matthew has started to talk more. He has moved away from screaming for what he wants and more asking (thank goodness). We are working on his colors and letters. It is a little different for us because Emma grabbed onto them so quick and Matthew is taking his time. He is learning them just fine, but the difference in children is interesting to see. It's fun to see just how different they are. He still asks to see princess shows which has me greatly flustered. We'll make a man out of him though.

Emma is having a very boring summer. She misses school a lot. Her imagination is really wild! She has parties with her stuffed animals. We have found some of the animated bible stories at the DI and she loves to watch them. Nothing makes me feel better then when she asks to see a movie about Jesus. She is a funny girl.

Erin is still a straight A student. The move has slowed her down a little, but she is pushing on. She is determined to hike a lot this summer and we will be doing Timpanogos again this year in a month if there is anyone that would like to join us. We do like to get started at 4:30 in the morning though. We will see how that goes.

I am still working through school. I am taking my last chemistry classes, Organic Chemistry II and the Lab. The class is interesting. It is more about making chemicals then it is about anything else. The lab is annoying. Yes, everyone knows that I can be a clutz sometimes. I spill a lot in that lab. I feel bad for those a round me. I work for 2 hours to boil, distill, separate, and lovingly handle a specific chemical just to spill it on the counter. I'm not a good lab person. I'll stick with my industrial chemistry thank you very much. So, that is our family. Pictures can be viewed on Erin's facebook page. Since I usually do these posts at work in my down time I don't have any pictures to use. Sorry.....Well, I'm actually not. I'll put some on soon. I hope. If you're lucky.

Life Goes on...and on...and on....

2010-04-28T16:51:00.003-06:00

The semester has ended and the next one has just started. I am officially a senior! It's weird to look back at all the crap I've been through to get here. I feel bad for my family because I have not been a happy fella most days. They are very supportive and love me anyway. Emma loves me if I bring her an Ice cream cone though. Matthew is happy if he has his binky and his blanket. Erin is happy if she has new clothes, a nice dinner, flowers, chocolate, a love letter, and a night with me talking about my "feelings". Man, what a guy has to go though. Geez.

So now that the terror Jr year is over our minds are now focusing on the future. Well, I will be more to the point. We are focusing on my lack of future. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but what is out there once I exit it? My grades are not the best so I need my experience to pull me though. Now, I'm looking for the experience. We have been applying for internships for the past 3 months. I hope to find something interesting where I can get some good experience and maybe work at when I have graduated.

Matthew is officially in a toddler bed. We decided that two years old is just a little to late to be in a crib. We were worried about changing him to a bed because Emma and Matthew share a room. We thought that he would wake her up so they could play. We went to wal-mart and ended up getting the Cars themed bed. Matthew loves
Cars. When it was setup, he jumped into it and pretended to sleep. He has been using it for 2-3 weeks now and has only had one problem. He jumped up on Emma's bed and start shouting "EMMA! EMMA! EMMA!" while jumping up and down on her bed.

Emma's speech has really improved a lot these past few weeks. We had parent teacher conferences a little bit ago and they gave her a glowing report. She still has some needs that must be met on the social side. She likes to play alone and has a hard time playing by an other kid's rules. We hope to take her to Lagoon Saturday. If only it would STOP SNOWING!!! Every morning she wakes up and says "Roller coaster today?" I feel bad saying no every morning.

Erin has been running every morning. She is determined to loose some weight the right way. She started P-90X and did well. Her friend Laurie and her decided that they would run and supplement their running with P-90x. We will see how it works. She looks really good to me, but it's not my opinion that matters. She just tested out of math 1010. This is awesome because she never took math 1010. She will have her associates degree by Christmas. I'm very happy for her.

Well, until next break!

Does this still work?

2010-03-16T10:36:00.002-06:00

Hello? Testing? *Scrapes off dust* Wow, It looks like there is life in this blog yet. Give me a moment to clean up the place a little bit. Where did I put that windex? Ah there it is *squrlp, Squrlp*. While I clean up a bit, maybe I should recount some of the things that have been going on since we abandoned the blog around Christmas time *annoying rag wiping sound probably EEERRRRRRRPppppp or something*. This semester is supposed to be the hardest one ever for me(Mike). I have thermodynamics, Chemical reaction Engineering, and Heat and mass transfer. Which all have a lot in common so it is hard to keep things straight. I would love to say that I am doing well, but I'm more just hanging on for the ride. We will see what happens after finals. I have been trying to find an internship for the summer, but with the economy they are harder to come by. I will keep trying though.

We bought another used car. I can't remember if we have archived that achievement yet. Our 93 Mazda decided to leave Erin and the kids neglected on the side of the road in December when the clutch plates finally died. As anyone can attest, leaving people neglected is not a sign of good team work. So our car is currently seeking other employment option. I believe the person that currently owns it tore it apart and used the engine in another car. Serves it right! The newer car is a 97 Honda Civic. It has been a good team player so far. The previous owner left a trail that helped us identify the kind of person that owned it. It originally had an aftermarket cold air intake, modified exhaust, expensive stereo, and tinted windows. The car was then stolen and the stereo and air intake were removed. Then it was sold to us. From this information we could tell that it was owned by a teenager with some money. This was confirmed when we found a belly button ring in one of the compartments. Since the modifications weren't done right, and the car was a little abused, we have been working to restore it. The exhaust is a complete mess.
Emma's speech has been improving. It's nice to hear. She can hold conversations with strangers now. It's fun to hear her playing with her dolls and the things she says to them. She is getting spring fever really bad. Every day she asks if it is a nice summer day or not. If it is, she knows that she can go outside to play. She also gave us a little lecture on how water is good for our bodies. The lecture came from our friend Laurie. We were surprised that she remembered it as well as she did. That is one thing we can say about Emma, she has an excellent memory. The weather has been playing havoc with her as it's sunny one day and snowing the next. The change in time is also confusing as she is now going to bed with it still light outside. I don't know what we're going to do when the sun is still up and she needs to go to bed.
Matthew is as cute as ever. He copies everything that Emma does now. He is even trying to say everything that she does. He has picked up "Come on!", "Wait for me!", and "Thank you". The thank you is really cute because he says it every time you give him something. It's cute. We are starting him on the potty soon. We think that he is ready. It helps that for a while he watched Emma use it and now he gets the chance. He is excited.
Erin always has a lot going on. She is secretary in the Relief Society, Part time student, Full time mom, and doing a part time internship. She loves her Relief Society and has enjoyed being active in this calling. The student thing is going well. She will take the final for Math 1010 this week. She is still hoping to keep up her perfect scores. The internship is for psychology. There is a program that a psychologist we know is doing. It is called Icology. He has an excellent program for helping families with unruly children to make them not unruly. It is all internet based so you can do the program from without even going into an office. The cool thing is that it really works! Erin gets the program for free and we have been using it with our children. It has helped us know how to discipline more effectively while having a happier feeling in our home. We love it. Erin has also started the P90X system for weight loss. Today is her 2nd day. So far, she really likes it. We will see how it works on her.
Now that we are all caught up and the blog is clean for use *sparkle*, We will now move to current things. The big news is that our neighbors are moving. So if anyone wants to rent a two bedroom townhouse in Provo with some awesome neighbors, we can recommend a place. We will see how things work out. So with these comments I put the covers back on the blog until another future date when we will remove the covers and dust it off again.

TO CHRISTMAS, AND BEYOND!

2009-12-30T08:07:00.002-07:00

WE SURVIVED! Christmas is over and no offense, but it is good to get back to normal. It is good to get some sleep again. It is good to...have the kids sleep again. Ahhh sleep, how I missed you.

Christmas was very good to us this year. Our families spoiled us rotten. We did have one reoccuring theme of the season though. It was "warmth" Each of us got at least 2 new coats from different family members. Erin gave me a new leather coat (black friday sale) and Erin's mom gave me a new coat. Erin's mom also gave Erin a new coat (hooded pee coat, yes there were jokes) and the kids got 2 new coats from her as well. My mom gave each of the kids new snow suits. So we are very warm!

Christmas Eve was a lot of fun. We usually spend Christmas Eve with Erin's family in Midway. We sing songs, have a talent show, and open presents. It is always a good time. Emma sang Jingle Bells by her self. She was so cute. It was really good to see the family again as well.

So, our kids are really young still so we were expecting to sleep early and late that night. The kids actually cooperated. The only problem that we had was Erin. She took some alergy medication right before bed and couldn't sleep all night. That is what she said, I really think that she was excited for Christmas. So we were up most of the night trying to get to sleep. We were actually up making breakfast before the kids woke up.

The morning was great! Emma really got into the spirit of opening presents. She was so excited for all the things that she opened. She couldn't wait to see what the next one was. She was even excited for the clothes. It was really cute. Matthew on the other hand couldn't have cared less. He got a fisher price race track thing and he played with it all morning. He is still playing with it. The sad part is that it was the first thing that he opened and he lost interest in everything else. Emma was more then happy to help out her brother.

Christmas day found us at my parents house for ham with the rest of my family. There were kids everywhere. It was sad though because my sister and her family are in Texas. They were missed. It was a fun time though. We later went to Erin's family's waffle party that night. They traditionally cook waffles for dinner on Christmas. They get the good bacon and the pure maple syrup. It was really good. So with all this excitement you'd think we would sleep soundly. We would have if Emma wasn't so excited that she stayed up until 10:00. Grrr... It was another late night

We did the traditional after Christmas thing and visited JC Penny and Wal-mart for their sales. We got a lot of gift cards this year so we were able to get new pots and pans. Emma was still excited that night and still didn't go to sleep until 10:00. so we stayed up again. This was a problem for Sunday when we were all sleep deprived and sick. We missed church and took turns sleeping and watching the kids. We feel great now, but it took Sunday and Monday to get this way.

So all in all, a good Christmas! Everything went according to plan, no one was injured to badly, and I don't think that we offended anyone in our families. Wow, it was great!

Pics as promised

2009-12-22T23:31:00.002-07:00

Christmas?

2009-12-22T07:38:00.002-07:00

School is over!!! Well, for the moment. Final grades are not yet out, but it looks like I passed every class this semester. I am actually surprised. It was looking pretty scary there for a moment or two. Erin's school is also out. She is scared that she won't get straight A's again. I'm torn between being jealous and congratulating her. Well, I guess I'll just fold her laundry the wrong way. That'll show her.

I have been spending my break cleaning, playing, shopping, hanging out with friends, and fixing computers. My in-laws were nice enough to save their computer issues until after the semester ended. So when school got out I was given a list of 5 computers and a network that needed to be addressed. Lucky me. I was able to take a day to complete them. My list is now open again. Hmm... maybe I shouldn't have said that.

Emma has really been getting into the Christmas spirit. Every day she wakes up and tells us that it is Christmas and we should open presents. We decided that we wouldn't be able to buy a large tree this year so we tried to make do with our 2 foot artificial. It was nice, but it's small. Erin's Mom took Emma to see Santa at the mall and told us later that the only thing that she asked Santa for was a tree. We felt so bad that we scraped up some money to buy a larger artificial tree that was on the "We got to get this crap out of here" sale. Yes, only half the tree is decorated due to Matthew. The ornaments keep getting higher and higher as we replace the ones that he has ripped off.

We were planning on having a poor Christmas this year. We're both students and I only make part time wages. The miracle of Christmas hit us hard though. The Lord decided that we needed help. We were given enough money to buy the kids presents and some for us as well. We still don't know who did it, but it sure helped.

The other blessing that happened is that our Car broke down. The clutch died in my little Mazda. We review the list of repairs and found that it was just too large. So, we did some praying and searched online for another car. Little did we know that in Kaysville there was an older couple praying to find someone to take their little Civic that would need it. We found each other and bought a 97 civic for a great deal. So great that we were able to get the loan for a little more to help with some extra things we have been needing. We hate going into debt again for a car since we just payed off the others, but we plan to pay off this one with our tax return. It was a great car for a great price. So we were blessed in many ways already this Christmas.

We will be spending our first Christmas morning as a family. We traditionally go to Midway to spend the morning opening present with Erin's parents, but we decided to make our own traditions this year. So we plan to make an excellent breakfast, sing some Christmas Carols (maybe), and do anything we can think of to delay opening the presents. We think that the kids would like that the most. Maybe not though. We'll see what happens.

We have some excellent pictures of the kids I will be putting up later today. I just need to get time to do it.

WE ARE POTTY TRAINED!!(for the moment)

2009-11-13T15:03:00.002-07:00

Yes, I am happy to admit that I can now use the bathroom like a normal person. Ok fine, Emma has been without diapers for over a week now. She has been without them during the day, but now she doesn't even use them at night! She has been doing so well. She is also getting over her fear of public toilets. That has been a problem especially when she needs to use the bathroom at school and wont. Needless to say that we are proud and happy parents and she was well rewarded with an ice cream cone and some bubble tape. We didn't want all the success to go to her head, so we tried to keep it low key.

Erin finished her communications course already. Yes, I am jealous. She just has to wait for her grade to come in. She only has 2 more classes to go before the end of the semester. She'll make it I'm sure. I'm also sure she will pull another 4.0. She is amazing that way. She is also loving her calling as the Relief Society secretary. We have been in primary for so long that this is a welcomed calling for her. She can associate with other women and help them as she can. It's a great calling.

Matthew is talking now. He says Juice, Milk, Down, Up, Thanks, Binky, Mine, Mom, Dad, Hi, Bye and I thought there was another one. I will have to update this if I can ever remember it. We are almost ready to move him to a real bed. We are still working out how that will work since Emma and Matthew share the same room. I'm worried it will turn into a big party.

I am about to dive into one of the longest weeks of my life. I have 4 tests next week, one 6 page book report, a long project for chemistry, and I have to build a wind tunnel out of plexiglass. I also get to see the Doctor again about my broken hand. It has been 8 weeks since I broke it and it still hurts. I saw a regular doctor this week and he said that the x-rays looked like there was still an issue there. I now get to see a specialist. I'm worried that it means they will have to slice it open and pin it together. It should be interesting at least. In other news I am officially at 186 lbs. I have lost almost 30 lbs by just not eating sugar. I was in high school when I weighed this little. I have also found that I have some stupid intolerance to the stuff. When I eat it, it makes me angry. So I have been able to stay off of it for a while. I didn't get a call back for any internships for the summer. I am worried about what happens when I graduate. It is nice to know all that I know, but I would love to put it to some use other then figuring out the thermal dynamic properties of a hamburger patty while I make food at Mc Donalds.

Thanksgiving will find us full this year. We spend the time with my family first. We have Thanksgiving lunch and then we have to go to Erin's family's house for dinner. She has family from out of town that only visit every other year. Since my family gets together every other year also we have to go to both if we want to see everyone. I will take pictures and let you know how it goes.

Halloween

2009-11-04T22:03:00.003-07:00

I'm sure everyone has been dying to hear how our Halloween went. Well..actually no one asked, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I started my Halloween at work. It wasn't very much fun. I was then needed to work with a study group at school. This was more fun. We built a wind tunnel using a small CPU fan and a bunch of plastic garbage cans that we found lying around campus. This is just a prototype for our final one that is to be made out of plexiglass. I'm sure you don't want to know about all that. I'll get to the kids because they seem to be the popular ones in this whole holiday thing. Emma was Snow White, and Matthew was a fire fighter. We bought both online and improved them. Erin took the Snow White costume and added a collar and cape. It looked really good!
We took the kids upto Midway to show them off first. After the grandparents took their pictures we visited more family in the area. We ended our trick or treating by visting some houses in our complex in Provo. All in all it was an enjoyable time. Emma loves to Trick or Treat! She has been looking forward to this for the past month. She still talks about having a Halloween party. Matthew couldn't understand why people were giving him food that Mom and Dad wouldn't let him eat.
That night Erin and I put the kids to bed and did homework. Not a terribly exciting evening for us, but we're parents and it's not all about fun and games for us.
I know that you are not interested in my babble. I know your here for the pictures. So I'll stop and you can view them at your leasure. Until next time.

Just the pics

2009-10-13T20:45:00.004-06:00

Here are some new family pictures that we took. I hope you like them! There will be more on Halloween!

Back up to date!!

2009-10-02T15:00:00.002-06:00

It looks like it is my turn again to write in here. The pattern usually goes that Erin will write once for every 9 of my posts. So I will try to keep up the pace again.

Let me start back in my story about to the point where we moved. As you know our moving was a great surprise to everyone including me. We didn't even know that we were going to move until 3 days before we did. I didn't even see the place until we moved in. Moving went well actually. We only have a couple more boxes to sort out, then we will be moved in.

Provo has been very good to us so far. Compared to Midway, Provo seems like Bath in England during the Jane Austine era. There always are people around, there is always some social event to attend, we always have visitors. It isn't a complaint by any means though. We have enjoyed the attention. Thank you to all of our friends that have made our transition easier.

In the midst of all the fun, this moment in time carries a lot of pressure on our family. We are trying to figure out our new ward, school is harder then it has ever been, and our kids find it fun to scream all the time. It was during one of the most stressful moments that I did something blindingly stupid. I decided to take my frustration out on our bookcase. It is the first and last time I will ever try that because it left me with a memento for the past 3 weeks. In the process of hitting the shelf, I broke the bone in my hand that is directly below the pinkie finger. I wore a cast for the last 3 weeks, and now I am wearing a brace. Every time I look at my hand I am reminded of the incident and vow to take a more relaxed approach to solving issues. So far it has worked perfectly.

School has been a mix of good an bad. I took 3 tests over the past 2 weeks. The first two tests were great! I have never tested so high at BYU. I actually got an A on one! I was excited until I had to take a test in Fluid Mechanics. I pretty much failed that one. It was really sad. The entire class had a hard time with it so I hope that I did better then some of them. We will see when I get my grade back on Monday.

Erin has been doing awesome at her school. She is doing three online classes and she is ahead in all of them. She is also one of the top in her classes. I'm not really sure how she does it. She is really gifted at remembering things. She was having a hard time being alone with the kids though. In Midway we had others to help watch them. In Provo, she is home alone with them until I get home. We have been having to work creatively in finding ways to keep the kids busy. There are no uncles and aunts close by to keep them occupied. We had a shopping spree at Wal-Mart for the kids. We bought new toys and art supplies. They love them.

Emma is talking more and more. She is becoming clearer in what she is saying. She is more and more independent as well. She is in preschool in Provo and she is doing very well. We are impressed with the school and her progress. The nice thing is that they had a lesson on brushing your teeth. She is obsessed with it and we are happy to let her be that way. She brushes like 3-4 times a day.

Matthew is just a cute little kid. He has been having a hard time because we decided to get him off of the binky. We only give it to him at night when he goes to bed. Soon, he won't even get it then. Instead of him being happy with the plug in his mouth he wonders around screaming or crying. This last week has seen quite a bit of improvement though. He is happier. He is also getting his 2 year molars in, so that might also add to his frustration.

As always thank you for listening to my ramblings. Oh, before I forget, Matthew will be a fireman for Halloween, and Emma will be a Snow White. We look forward to pictures!!

Adjusting to Provo

2009-09-14T11:20:00.003-06:00

I figured it's been a long time since I bothered to write anything, so I'll give Mike a break and do a post. I usually have so much to say that people start tuning me out after a minute or so, but school is stealing all my excess blab, so I forget to talk sometimes. It makes for strange social situations. :D

Provo has been nice actually, but I miss Midway. That is strange because I didn't miss it the first time I moved out. Moving out the 2nd time (that is so weird) I have actually missed my hometown, and feel homesick. I am adjusting though, and I have to admit it has been awesome to have my own kitchen again!

When we started unpacking, we found all our stuff that we hadn't seen in a year and a half. Mike pulled out his basting brush, patted it lovingly and said, "I've missed you...". It was funny, but exactly how we felt after pulling out our own dishes and cooking utinsels.

The kids are doing a lot better than the first week we moved. They are now having an argument at the table, (Emma nods)"Uh huh!", (Matthew shakes his head)"Mm mmm!", and on and on it goes. Giggle, scream, repeat. I'm glad to see them happy.

School is going a lot smoother than either Mike or I expected. We're both keeping up. Mike has a great study group who is helping him learn everything he needs to know, and he can come home for food and to see the kids whenever he gets time. It's been nice. Nathan has been coming over a lot too and that has been awesome.

Emma takes the bus to school now. I guess all the kids at her school do, even if they live really close like we do. When she found out I was picking her up, she threw a monumental tantrum and bit my arm. I had a bruise for a week! That was probably the worst moment of moving adjustment we've had. I told her she had to earn a sticker every day for no tantruming. She did it for a week, so I signed the bus papers. It's been really nice, I don't have to worry about waking Matthew up to go get her from school.

Matthew got burned as well, which was our second meltdown. He wanted the mac and cheese I was cooking before I was ready to give it to him, and when I turned to dump in the cheese packet, he pulled bowl down. It was so so sad. It wasn't a bad burn, however. He was lucky and it has healed nicely.

More about our crazy life later. Hopefully the adjustment period will pass and life will go on.

Moving and so on

2009-09-02T16:26:00.003-06:00

WOW what a busy week! This whole mess started on Thursday. Erin and I had been batting around the idea of moving out of the in-laws house. We even went to look at a couple places on Wednesday. We saw a couple things that we were ok with, but nothing that we liked. There was a cute little house really close to campus that was within our range and we talked to the land lord about the lease. We were going to look at one more place before we decided though. Thursday started my HAZWOPER training so I wasn't able to join Erin on the house hunt. I got a message on my cell phone that pretty much said "HI Honey, I found this really cute place and I know that your going to LOVE it! It's perfect! So I put down the deposit and signed the lease agreement. We move in on Saturday. Love you BYE!". The first time I saw the place was when we moved in. It was a little quick, but it turned out well. I did love the place! Erin was right. It is a little 2 story condo unit with 2 rooms and a 2.5 bath. It has a nice kitchen and is very clean. The kids love it. Emma kept wanting to go to the "new house". We now are part of Provo, very close to BYU. No more canyon driving for me.

Emma seemed to handle it ok, but then things got weird. She wouldn't follow any directions. Well, I should say that when we asked her to do something she almost started doing it then stopped and wouldn't move. She started throwing huge temper tantrums, and she wouldn't sleep at night. It is a big change for her though. She has a new school, and no Grandma and Grandpa to play with. We spent a lot of time unpacking her toys last night with her in an effort to show her that things are ok and somethings didn't change. Her room is completely unpacked. She went to bed normally last night and hasn't given us a lot of grief since. It has been nice today.

Matthew...well...he doesn't seem to care as long as we have an endless supply of binkey's. He is cool with it all.

Erin started school last week and is pushing her way though it again. She hopes to be on the Deans list this next semester. I'm not sure I know what to think about that myself. I need to get some bumper sticker that says "My wife is an honor student at UVU" or something.

I am now HAZWOPER certified! HAZWOPER is Hazardous Material Emergency Response training. I hope I never have to use it. Chemical spills can be very crazy. I also started school this week. It is crazy. I still don't know what homework is due when. All the classes are based around chemistry and math. So the teaching overlaps. That is nice, but I can't remember what I learned in what class. It's crazy.

That is all for this post. I hope it was long enough. I should start charging a dollar for each person to read these posts. Then I would have......two dollars. I could then buy a couple jr whoppers! DATE NIGHT! YEAH!

Timpanogos Hike

2009-08-16T09:18:00.009-06:00

Saturday marked our 2nd adventure before school starts again. It is a long standing tradition in Erin's family to hike Timpanogos once a year. We haven't been able to because of the kids. It had been 5 years since we hiked it last with Erin's family.
We started the hike at 4:45 in the morning. Erin's brothers and my friend Shawn came in addition to Erin and I. We took the Aspen Grove trail, the one by Sundance. The hike is supposed to be 8 miles to the top of Timpanogos. so we wanted to get an early start before the sun came up. We met a lot of hikers on the way up that were coming down. I guess a common thing is to start the hike at midnight and watch the sun rise. Those coming down couldn't make it up for one reason or another.
The start of the hike was...well....dark. we couldn't see much since we only had one flash light to split between the five of us. When the sun came up we were exposed to a brilliant view of the mountain side! It is a pretty hike for those willing to do it.
About 7 o'clock found us pretty far up the trail when we noticed that clouds started forming up all around us. Our view was taken and replaced with gray. It was so intense that we couldn't see much more then ten feet in front of us. Yes we knew about the storm that was supposed to come yesterday, but we pressed on.
We took some breaks and filled up our water bottles at the spring. We had a lot of good snacks and a ton of water. It was actually relaxing. Yes I huffed and puffed my up, but it wasn't all bad. The wild flowers were everywhere adding a blanket of color to almost everything we saw.
We made it to the lake at 9:15 ish when we decided to have "lunch". There is a glacier of snow that the wind comes right off of at the lake. We FROZE! We made a quick decision that the top wouldn't be a possibility due to the cold and the fact that we couldn't see anything anyway. So we started down.
No more then 10 min passed when it started to hail and snow. Yes, August 15 and it was snowing. We kept up a good pace and about 10:45 the snow started to melt and turn into rain. The trail turned into mud. We turned into wet messes, but we weren't cold.
We made it down the mountain and to the car by 12:00. We hiked about 14 miles yesterday. I couldn't walk for the rest of the day yesterday. I jarred my legs pretty bad on the way down. Erin was fine. She was saying how energetic she felt and how she was so excited that we still had the whole day left! We all did better then we thought we would. I didn't stop at all coming down and didn't stop a lot going up. Well, I stopped more my first time 5 years ago.
So, I recommend this hike, but watch the weather!

Thanksgiving Point

2009-08-16T08:05:00.009-06:00

We started our two weeks of freedom with a trip to Thanksgiving Point. Erin and I decided that our kids needed a little culture regarding farm animals. So instead of taking them to any of the 100 farms in Midway, we took them somewhere that has never really been a farm and were we had to pay. Sounds logical enough.

For those who have never visited Thanksgiving point for this purpose, I really recommend it. The farm was like a zoo for farm animals. It didn't really feel like a zoo because all the animals were very well taken care of. You can tell because they all ran up to the fence looking for hand outs and were very friendly. They would even run up to to the kids. It gave Matthew a laugh every time he got to touch a goat nose.

There were a bunch of little baby animals also. This made Erin happy. The thing that made me happy was that it only cost 3.50 a person and it included a pony ride!

The pony ride was awesome. Emma was scared and had to have Erin hold onto her the entire time. Matthew took to the saddle like a duck to water. It was interesting to watch him. He slid right in, grabbed the saddle horn with one hand and petted the pony's mane with the other. Then sat back and waited. He was almost in tune with the pony with he started move. Bobbing up and down at the right moments. He looked really natural!

We went during the farmers market on Friday. Erin wanted to make sure that she was able to get some cucumbers for pickling. Not only did she find them at a great deal, we got peaches and blackberries. It feels good to help the local growers. The produce tasted great!

Finals week FINALLY!!

2009-08-11T19:03:00.003-06:00

Finals couldn't have come any sooner. Good GRIEF I thought this semester would never end. I have my test tomorrow, then I'm not expected to show my face around campus for 2 weeks. No, I will not just go there for fun so don't even ask.

It appears that I need to be playing a little bit of catch up. A lot has happened since July 4th. Most of the happening were with Emma and Erin.

Emma now uses the potty for number 1 AND 2. The 2 took some persuasion. She was really scared of it for a long time. She usually finds her pull-ups and puts them on when she needs to go number 2. So one day she asked me for one. I was about to give in when I said, "I don't think I will give you a pull-up. Lets go to the potty!" So we did. I sat here down, and she cried and cried. Then I remembered that we had some chocolate near by. So I gave her a piece. She calmed down a little and asked for another. I said that she would have to try to use the potty before I would give her more. So, she did! After about 4 pieces of chocolate, she overcame her resistance and used the potty! This solidifies the fact that if you want a woman to do something for you, it's best to give her loads of chocolate first.

Emma is now holding conversations also. We were really worried about her speech lately. She isn't too clear. It seems like the very next day, she opened up and started talking and asking for things and being clear enough for others to understand her. We are very excited for her.

Erin has been taking classes at UVU this summer. She has had 3 classes so far. The stupid part is that she has scored A's for all of them. JERK. She still has one final to take on Thursday. It's not looking like a problem for her though. She has started running again at night and is loving it. I'm not, because it is a huge safety issue. She can't seem to find anyone to go with though. So if you are in Midway, please run with her so I don't worry.

Matthew is growing again. His word list entails: Binkie, Down, Mommy, Daddy, Emma, Balloon, and versions of Grandma and Grandpa. He is very confident in what he can do. The cool thing is that when he gets hurt, he doesn't shy away from the thing that hurt him. He jumps right back into it.

We had a family get together on Sunday. My brother David and his Wife have a little one name Hyrum that is a couple months younger then Matthew. Hyrum has just decided to be one of the cousins and is now running around with them. Emma runs around with Jessica's daughter, and Matthew runs around with Hyrum. It reminds me of when I was little.

That is as far as I will type today. I have a final to study for and those derivatives will not integrate on their own! Good night!

Independence Day!!

2009-07-06T07:36:00.003-06:00

Yeah for America!! I do consider myself a patriot. I would be waving a flag right now, but I can't actually afford one. Sorry, my kids need to eat. I love our country and I would fight for it if I was called upon to do so. Because of my major, I would probably be called to make bombs or something. We have a great country. I really thought about it when we were watching fireworks in Midway. Isn't it great that we have the freedoms that we do. It is also nice to celebrate America with a Chinese tradition. So, enough rambling.

Our fourth was a little different this year. Not much actually happened that we planned. We were going to visit my parents in Salt Lake, but a blown starter on our Passat soon took care of that idea. We have another on it's way from Connecticut. For those keeping track on our Passat issues let me catch you up to date: one rebuilt engine, two cataletic converters, O2 sensors, two brake jobs, one ABS control module (still needs to be replaced), one starter, two tie rods, 4 control arms, one clutch plate, three front axles, and the usual tires/oil changes. We just need to replace the exhaust, transmission, and the alternator in order for us to have an almost new car!

Midway decided to do something a little different this year. They were holding what they called "The small town fourth". They had music, food, stuff...I'm actually not sure of what they had. Once we found that we were surrounded by music we didn't like and couldn't get away from, we got in my clunker car and limped to Park City to visit Wal-Mart to wait it out.

We ate really good yesterday. We had homemade donuts, root beer, and a BBQ. The root beer was awesome. We usually buy the McCormick brand extract and it does a decent job, but the store started selling Hires Big H brand. We thought we would give that a try. It was worth it! We are still drinking it. Yum. I'm kind of a root beer sob.

Midway always does a great job with their fireworks. There is an oddly placed hill in Midway call Memorial Hill. It is where the tributes to our war heroes are. They launch the fireworks right off of this hill so the entire town can see it. Erin's Parent's house is about a block away from the hill so we had great seating. The kids loved it. I think that they just loved staying up that late. Matthew didn't really like the fireworks at first. We had to warm him up to them. All in all, a good day was had by all.

A great poem

2009-06-16T08:59:00.003-06:00

I heard this in a talk from John Bytheway and though a lot about it. I hope that you enjoy it.

If you can smile when things go wrong and say it doesn't matter,

If you can laugh off cares and woe and trouble makes you fatter,

If you can keep a cheerful face when all around are blue,

Then have your head examined, bud, there's something wrong with you.

For one thing I've arrived at: there are no ands and buts,

A guy that's grinning all the time must be completely nuts.

From a talk given by Jeffrey R. Holland

BYU has been getting increasing difficult for me. I can't keep up with the young whipersnappers around me. It has been hard to say the least. It is nice to know that I am not alone and others have trials too.

Heber Valley Handspringers Day 1

2009-06-09T16:27:00.007-06:00

Today Emma had her first lesson with the Heber Valley Handspringers. We were very impressed with the class structure and the teacher. She really knew how to keep the kids' attention. Emma did really well for her first time. I was impressed with how she could follow instructions. She wasn't perfect, but she had never done anything like this before. The important part was that she was having fun. She will be doing this all summer, so we will see how she progresses.

This is Emma's first time on the bars.

This is Emma learning the back Somersault.

The obstacle course

This is Emma on the Tramp. She is supposed to be jumping and clapping.

The audacity of it all!

2009-06-05T07:55:00.002-06:00

I can't believe it! Really! It was just to much to think about. If you are as outraged by this next story please join with me in writing to......I don't know......our local congressmen? I don't think that would do anything, but here is the story anyway.

I built a computer for a family member and was rewarded with just enough to take my family to a movie! Yeah, PLAY MONEY! So we go to the store and grab some snacks making sure to keep just enough to see the movie. We wanted to see "UP", because we had heard good things about it. After the store we took the 40 min drive to civilization (Provo) to see the movie. We got to the theater and they charged us the regular fee of $5.75 for a matinee. This was no surprise. The surprise was that they were showing up in 3-D and they would charge an extra $2.50 a ticket! This was actually over budget. The problem is that we couldn't just drive home, we really went out of our way to come to this. So we scrounged up more money and payed for the tickets. For those that don't know, (because I didn't) you pay $2.50 for some cheap pair of glass that you just give back in the end. I'm sure the 3-D movies cost more to show, but $2.50 more? CRAZINESS! I am just appalled.

As far as updates go, Matthew is a full time walker. He has been walking for 3 weeks now. It is fun to see him toddle around. His face is always bruised because he falls, or walks into something. It's sad to see. I am happy to say that I am the preferred parent! Anytime he is upset he goes straight to daddy! Ha! But anytime we put Emma to bed she always wants mommy. Maybe if I bribe her with some candy.

Emma is doing great. She starts tumbling on Tuesday. We we really excited to put her in this class. She already does so much jumping and rolling around that focusing it on tumbling should be easy! Just like sleeping through the night and potty training should have been easy.....yeah.......... . . . . anyway, she finished preschool a couple weeks ago. It has been sad for her. She loved school and the teachers. They were really good to her. She gets to go back to the same school with the same teachers in fall.

Erin is doing great in school She had a hard start because she didn't like learning some of the material in psychology. Now she is learning about behaviors and development and she is loving it. She scores really high on her tests and she always comes to me with a "HEY mike, did you know...." statement. I always answer "yes" with a shrug. I can't let on that I don't know everything. That would ruin my status as the "THE DAD".

There is a BYU club call the "Jane Austin Regency Club". They are putting on a dance in the fall. You are supposed to dress in period clothes and learn how to period dance. Needless to say, were going! I can't pass up the chance to get really decked out and where 20lbs of extra clothing! I just need some smashing sideburns. Erin is currently looking at dress patterns and period dress making tips. She is going to design her own dress. It will be a fun time all around, I hope.

As for me, school is going ok. Linear Algebra is something that really should be studied....well...by someone else. But I'm ok at it. In about a month I start into Multi variable Calculus and then it is the fall semester where I magically get trapped in the library for months on end studying. I'm not excited. I'm excited to end, but getting there is hard. Yes, I know there is light at the end of the tunnel. It's hard to see it sometimes where you can only see a foot in front of your face. My tunnel is foggy. I'll inch my way through though. WE WILL SURVIVE!

We are looking for ways to move out of Erin's parent's house. It has been nice, but living 45 min away from school is getting increasingly difficult. The problem is since I only work part time, we can't afford much of anything. So if anyway knows of a nice cardboard box that we could rent in the BYU area, let us know!

Well, until next update. Be nice, be good, and watch out for swine flu! It's the scarest thing that we will ever face, well, until they find something else for us to panic about. I think the next big panic will be that our supply of hair gel will get depleated due to the war on forign shores. So stock up now! You've been warned!

P.S. "Up" was awesome! We loved it!

2009-05-14T20:47:00.003-06:00

Just a quick movie update. I was having some fun with Matthew.

A new post

2009-04-28T12:58:00.004-06:00

Now that finals are over, and my brain has relaxed a little, it is time to post. A lot has been happening in our little corner of the world in the past month. The biggest thing is that Erin's brother Nathan returned home from the Korea Seoul West mission on the 3rd. We spent a lot of time cleaning and fixing the house up for him. He looked just as I remembered feeling when I got off the plane from Japan. Tired, but happy.

I feel really bad for Nathan. It is hard switching from a very organized lifestyle to chaos. On a mission you do missionary work. Your choices are: meet people on street, knock on doors, hand out fliers, talk to members, do some service, make some calls, visit less active members, or do nothing at all. There are other things to do, but this is the most common list. The nice thing about this is the MTC and the mission provide you with this list of things to do. You do parts of this list or the whole list everyday. If you ask a missionary what he will be doing next week, or even a month from now, then the answer will probably be something on that list.

The stupid thing is when you come home, there is no one to provide you with a list of things to do. You are now on your own. You know the basic goals, get a job, get a wife, get to school, and those such things. The issue is that no one tells you how to do it. You don't know where to get a job or where to go to school. Girls are a matter that are completely confusing!

So in short......poor Nathan. Now, moving on.

My finals went decently I suppose. I didn't get excellent grades on them, but I did my best. To bad there isn't a box on your report card that says "Did his best!" with a big check mark in it. Although with the direction that public schools are taking, it might not be long before all of our grades are replaced with these check boxes.

Emma's speech is really clearing up. She has been going to preschool since she turned three. The teachers are focusing on it specifically. It is nice to have the extra help and we can see the improvement. She gave me a lecture on how falling off the couch will break your head. I'm not sure where she heard that, but I'm on the look out. She also has figured out how to play the wii. Poor soul. She spends time on the Mii channel clicking on people. She has the glazed gamer look down. We are going to get her a bag of Doritos to complete the picture.

Erin has decided that her life isn't hectic enough. She is heading back to school to become a tharapist. I say, good for her! She starts this summer at UVU. She has spent a lot of time going over math concepts so she can take the placement test and do well. Nathan has been going through the practices with her. I hold the honor of having the most math training in the house, so I get to tutor them. I think it's fun! Erin is really excited about having another purpose in life.

Spring semester starts..well...today for us at BYU. I had a total of 4 days off from school. I don't think that I am ready to go back yet. I am only taking Linear Algebra. They say that our Junior year is the hardest at BYU. so..yeah, I'm scared. We will see what happens.

That is all you get for now. Maybe you might get a picture later if we take one. We have a Zoo visit on Thursday, so I might get some there. BYE

A quick thought

2009-03-26T08:22:00.003-06:00

Here is something that I have been thinking about today. I said this to a friend and I am wondering how true it is. It seems true to me. Feedback is welcome.

"Real manhood is measured by the happiness of those he's responsible for. If a man doesn't have any responsibility, then he doesn't know what it is to be a real man."

Seems logical to me. How would you measure the success of a man?

Sorry, it's early my mind is wandering.

New Quote

2009-03-25T22:13:00.002-06:00

This was found and shared with me today. I love it!

I urge you to not take counsel of your fears. I hope you will not say, “I’m not smart enough to study chemical engineering; hence, I’ll study something less strenuous.” “I can’t apply myself sufficiently well to study this difficult subject or in this comprehensive field; hence, I’ll choose the easier way.” I plead with you to choose the hard way and tax your talents. Our Heavenly Father will make you equal to your tasks. If one should stumble, if one should take a course and get less than the “A” grade desired, I hope such a one will not let it become a discouraging thing to him. I hope that he will rise and try again.

Thomas S. Monson 1979

The monthly post

2009-03-24T16:32:00.003-06:00

That title sounds more like a newspaper then it does a blog post. Anyway, due to the state of the economy we have had to cut back on our blog posts......I have yet to find any correlation between the two, but I'll leave that to you. It's amazing what you can blame on the economy these days. I didn't shower because of the economy, I didn't study because of the economy, I dropped my cell phone into a can of paint because of the economy. It's great! Well......on to the update.

We shall start with Erin since I always try to put her first. Except when it comes to picking teams for badminton. But that is another story. Erin is looking to start a dress alteration business. She would like to attend classes, but doesn't know who teaches. She was given a sleeveless prom dress last Saturday that she put sleeves on. She made it look really elegant. Her friend was happy with the outcome. Erin has also lost 3 dress sizes on her diet. She is stuck eating about the same food day in and day out. She is so bored, but her success is pushing her on.

Emma now uses the potty consistently. We have a problem with the "number 2" portion of that. Every time she needs to poo she puts on a diaper and does it that way. Weird. She has taken to remembering the things that Erin laughs at and she says them over and over. We talked about having a pet skunk named Coco. For some weird reason Erin really thought the phrase "Come here Coco" was really funny. Well, Emma says it all the time! It is really cute. She has taken her mom's habit of "reading" to herself before bed. She has her little light that she keeps on while she looks at her picture books. Part of me wants to be the "GET TO BED" kind of dad, but the other part says that her relationship with books is a good thing. She also loves to color more. She is trying to be more precise with her crayons. It isn't a jumbled mess anymore.

Matthew just gets cuter everyday. He is starting to say Go, Dad, and Mom. He is now cleared for stair climbing as well. He hasn't gotten used to the size of his head though. It's not big, but he hits it on everything. He doesn't remember that the top of his head isn't at eye level. He is getting bruised, but something inside me says that this is a good thing.

That leaves me. Well......I have to say.......and it gives me no pleasure.....but we bought the Twilight movie and I actually didn't mind it. I was really looking forward to making fun of it for the next 3 months, but I can't. As far as films go, it was decent. Please don't judge me to harshly. Erin said that the Edward in the movie seems more like a caveman rather then an intelligent being. I think that his longest line was 10 words? I have lost 20 lbs total since Christmas on the no sugar diet. That is my big news. It wasn't fun, but I like the results. I saw picture of me that made me look like some wife beater wearing thug. I didn't like it. Now I look better.

Erin's brother Nathan is returning home April 3rd. Most of our time has been spent getting ready for him. His room has been painted, his carpet is new, his colleges are applied for, and we already have some food in the freezer for him. We are all excited to see him soon. Leaving your mission is not an easy task, and we hope to help him out as much as we can.

Well, that is my post. I hope that you have a good evening. Always remember to.....um.......eat pork? My sense of humor has been killed by engineering. I apologize.

Matthew's First Birthday

2009-02-21T20:19:00.005-07:00

Wow I can't believe he's a year old! I know everyone says that, but it's always true. The past year has just gone by so fast.

We had a great time yesterday, watching Matthew open presents, and visiting with family, but I think the best part was watching him eat his cake. He was so cute about it!

Once he was done, we knew it!

Get me out of here!

And this is what Matthew looked like after his first sugar rush!

All Clean!!!

He is such a sweet boy, and always happy. We have loved every moment of this last year, even if we were sleep-deprived for most of it. He has been a true gift to our little family. We love you Matthew!

My little "Flour"

2009-02-20T10:55:00.004-07:00

So this morning I was baking Matthew's birthday cake for his party tomorrow. I greased the pan, floured it, poured in the batter and put it in the oven. After setting the timer, I went to check my email.

At odd intervals, I kept hearing shrieking giggling, always a bad sign. Not wanting to be distracted from what I was doing (I always regret giving in to that feeling later...) I went into the kitchen and this is what I saw:

I kind of sat there in shock for a second, watching Emma fling a handful at a time down on to the floor. Then before anything else could happen, I grabbed the camera and said smile! It was another moment before I realized she was wearing her new shirt from her Grandma Woods. It says, "GROUNDED FOREVER". So of course I had to have a close up of that too!

Two dustpan-fuls of flour later, Emma had her time-out while I tried to get little flour footprints out of the carpet. I must be a strange mother for looking forward to these moments. Instead of feeling angry, I feel like this is what makes my life fun and interesting. Of course no one knows that but me, and now you. Shh! Don't tell Emma!!

New Pics!

2009-02-13T20:41:00.005-07:00

Hello everyone. Since Emma is turning three and Matthew is turning one, we decided to have their pictures done. We have usually used JC Penny for these services, but had a difficult time with them the last two times. We got referred to Sears and went there. Not only were the pictures higher in quality, we got the time we needed to get the right ones. Sears also gave us the license to the pictures which is awesome! All in all, a good time was had. Here are the pictures for you to judge for yourself. Let us know what you think!

2009-01-30T16:59:00.002-07:00

Of course, 25 random things... the famous thing going around on Facebook. Here is mine, here by popular request (Mike, who else?) so enjoy.

1. My passion is reading, one of my favorite websites is www.bookmooch.com. It's a great way to get new books, and if I don't like them, send them on their way... but I haven't picked out too many books I've put down easily.

2. One of my true weaknesses is Jane Austen books and movies. I didn't discover them until a couple of years ago, but one introduction and I was hooked. I made Mike read them too (poor sap) and he was a good sport. He'll even sit and watch the 5 hour Pride and Prejudice with me if I'm sick! What a guy.

3. I have a secret love of shoes. If I could spend money on anything, I would buy pairs and pairs of cute shoes, boots, sandals... someday!

4. When I was single, I somehow picked up the nickname Fran. No one calls me that anymore, but once I was special.

5. I love designing things. When we lived in Herriman, I wanted a swingset for Emma, but it just wasn't in the budget. So one night I had this dream of a swing set made out of 2x4's, and I drew it out for Mike. He put in all the math stuff that was needed and built it for me. I painted it red and hung a Wal-mart swing from it. I felt cool.

6. I have always felt that I have beautiful ears. It's been on the down low, but I guess my streak of vanity is now out in the open.7. If I could have any snack of choice, I would eat orange bell peppers dipped in Italian dressing. Mmmmmm.

8. My most embarressing moment: Just days after I was engaged to Mike, his parents took us out to eat at the East Canyon resort restaurant. I had only met them briefly a couple of times, so this was basically the "meet the parents" dinner. We went for a walk afterwards, and I was really enjoying myself, so I loosened up and unfortunately acted like myself. I was walking along this balance beam with Mike holding my hand, when I got this bright idea to do the karate kid crane kick, you know both arms raised and one knee lifted. Yes, while on this balance beam I jumped, kicked and landed flat on my butt on the ground. I have never lived that moment down.

9. Another favorite passtime is sewing. Yeah I know, yucky crafty. What can I say, I have a lot of fun designing things to make. I have designed three shirts for me, made several outfits for my kids, a Hawaiian shirt for Mike that he actually wears (it's pretty flamboyant). Lately I have been designing bed sets for barbie beds. It is a major stress relief and a serious self-esteem boost when something actually turns out. :D Someday I hope to take pattern design classes and really get into it.

10. An all-time favorite movie: Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken. I always cry.

11. A woman I look up to: Emma Hale Smith. I have read several books about her, and feel a bond. I wanted to name my daughter Emma before I ever met Mike. I hope I can be half as amazing a woman as she is.

12. One of my favorite stories about my daugher: I was checking on her late at night, probably six months ago. I kissed her forehead and said, "I love you". Just then she stretched, yelled, "CAAAAKE...." and rolled over. I couldn't stop laughing.

13. I love love love mineral make-up. I was never a make-uppy girl, but I took this class last year and learned the "correct" ways to apply and use it, and I just fell in love with the mineral kind. I love to play with make-up!

14. I love to waterski! I rarely get the chance, but I've had some of the best times of my life skiing.

15. I have a bottomless appetite for homegrown tomatoes. With lots of pepper. I could spend hours in the garden, even just weeding. I love anything homegrown and fresh from the garden.

16. Getting mail is one of my favorite passtimes. Sometimes I will order a book from Amazon or Half just to get something in the mail soon.

17. Someday I want one of those water wall things. A piece of stone with water running down it. I think they are so cool.

18. When moving, I prefer real packing paper to newspaper. Mike's sister gave us a bunch last time we moved, and I scoffed at it and told Mike what a waste of money it is to buy packing paper when you could just use newspaper! As soon as I started using it, I admitted my error and was converted. Maybe someday we'll unpack our dishes again.

19. I like to read about traveling, or pretend like I'm planning a trip. There are so many fascinating places in the world. I'd just like to wander around meeting random people and ask them questions about where they live. Maybe I'd get locked away though.

20. I like kitchens to have ivy and growing plants. Well the whole house actually. I'm just not the best at watering. Maybe when I'm wealthy I will hire a plant company.

21. In my life, I have had very few plane rides. Each time I am so enthralled with looking out the window that I haven't paid attention anything else. I always wondered what I would look like from the outside of the plane, with my face squashed in the window, and my eyes bugging out.

22. Another secret passion: Whipped cream. The real kind, not the cool whip stuff. It's becoming common at the in-laws hosue for at least one person to ask if I'd like some pie with my whipped cream. But seriously, if I don't get it that often, can you blame me??

23. Secret wish: If I could get over my fear of it, I would love to try scuba diving. Maybe some day I will grow up.

24. I have a horrible curse where my best time of day is actually night. Once the kids are in bed, I begin accomplishing things, and my mood improves. I've actually always been that way so I can't blame it on the kids. But I'd really like to be that way during the DAY!

25. I could always think of things that I want, or wish for or whatever, but when it really comes down to it, I don't think I could ask for anything that would make me happier than I am right now.

25 random things about mike

2009-01-30T12:39:00.003-07:00

There has been this thing going around facebook where you list 25 random things about yourself. I thought it would be a good idea if I were to do it here to. For all those who care, I now give you 25 things about Mike presented in all of its original glory!

1. I can't eat cantaloupe. I can eat all sort of food like item such as raw fish. I have never been able to not put down a certain food item. This was really useful on my mission, and when Erin was learning to cook. I can't get a piece of cantaloupe past my tongue. It almost puts me in convulsions.

2. Foosball is the greatest thing that has ever been invented. I didn't like it much at first, but that was only because I didn't understand the internal workings of the fooooos.

3. I wrote most of a book. It was called Ian the Average and it was supposed to be along the lines of Harry Potter, but the point was to tell kids that you don't need magic to be cool. I got rave reviews......from the 3 people that saw it......someday I will finish.

4. I read all of the Anne of Green Gables series up to and including Anne's House of Dreams. This might not seem to odd, but I liked it. I like stories with heart.

5. I am studying Chemical Engineering, but hate Chemistry. This is a matter of faith with me. I feel like this is my field, and I am doing it. If it was my choice, I would probably be a food scientist and make everything taste like cheesecake.

6. Unlike most men, I don't like shoot um up games. I like a game that makes me think. "World of Goo" is and excellent example. Physics, Engineering, and a supply of living Goo balls. Nothings gets better!

7. I can quote most of the 5 hour long version of Pride and Prejudice. I do enjoy a story with heart.

8. Out of our entire movie collection, I can only claim two movies as mine. "Saints and Soldiers" and "Second Hand Lions". The rest are Erin's movies. I don't particularly mind this arrangement either. Erin's movies are awesome.

9. My current favorite restaurant is Tucano's in Orem. It's Brazilian (not authentic I hear) where they bring parts of different animals to you on a stick! Nothing says awesome like a steaming hot cow chunk on a sword.

10. Erin and I didn't date for almost a year and a half because we thought we would get married. Ha, I guess that proves us wrong.....wait......

11. I enjoy baking and have been perfecting the chocolate chip cookie. It's a fluffy cookie made with butter and vanilla pudding. I'm getting the chemistry right at the moment so I can have maximum fluff without removing the much desired butter. Shortening is for biscuits, not cookies!

12. I can't stand to sit and watch sports. I would rather play. Snow football is the best, although ultimate hammer was fun to play (It's like ultimate Frisbee, but with a hammer. We also tried ultimate saw blade which didn't turn out so well).

13. I am scared of heights. I can't tell you how many times I've embarrassed myself on a rock wall. I can make it 6 feet! I couldn't make it to the top of Timpanogos because of the height.

14. I enjoy clay pigeon shooting. My shotgun and I are close buddies. I say "Shoot that clay!" and it usually doesn't. We are working on our relationship.

15. I enjoy shooting, but I have no desire to hunt or kill anything. This probably spawns from when my friends would go hunting in the cold wet mud and come home empty handed. If they do get something, then it's more work to gut it and cut it up. It's just too much work.

16. I am very critical on things that cost money including goods and services. Erin and I are broke most of the time. When we do spend money, it needs to be well spent. For example, I went to a new dentist yesterday. We have a discount plan though the school and no insurance. So yes costly but needed. The dentist and the hygienist never really said much of anything to me and did couldn't wait to shove me out the door. The office was left over from the 70's and I swear I saw a club that they use to knock you out before they drill. The results of my exam are not part of this blog entry.

17. I build and fix computers for friends and family. I have become quite adept at this and usually don't get any compensation from it (which is the way I want it). I have fun building and setting up computers for elderly folk. I almost thought about putting together a business plan, but the market is flooded with these services already.

18. Veggie Tales ROCKS! I haven't seen them all, but the ones that I have seen are funny. I enjoy the religious message in them.

19. Politics make me furious. I used to listen to Sean Hannity on the way home from work. It made me mad for the rest of the night. I vote, let them mess everything up and I'll deal with the issues when I personally face them. Grrrr........politics.........

20. I don't watch TV. Really, I don't. I don't even watch PBS. I just don't have time, or desire.

21. I enjoy building, designing, and putting things together. One day Erin handed me a pile of parts and said "This used to be the photo printer. Can you put it back together?" It took me a bit, but it was more fun to put together then any jigsaw.

22. I hate when the button hole part of the shirt gets all crinkly and doesn't lay flat. That just chaps my hide.

23. My family is the most important thing to me. I usually drop everything (like school, friends, free ice cream, flu shots) just to be with them. My kids are so much fun.

24. Erin and I can usually find a way to fix a car for much less then any shop will charge. This goes back to the fact that we are broke. Erin can find deals on parts that you wouldn't believe. I can usually put them in.

25. My favorite food is Pizza. I love a good pizza and Erin makes the best. Really, you should come over sometime and try it. When we had extra cash we used to order out, but not anymore. We have the perfect recipe. (Cooking is a bond for Erin and I. We love perfecting recipes together.)

There, I did it. I laugh at all the people who said it couldn't be done. HA HAAH AHAHA. I guess no one really did, but oh well I'll laugh anyway. I hope that this hasn't been too much for you. I would hate to have you go blind from sheer awesomeness. And here I take my leave of you. I hope that you have a great night and day and morning respectively. Bye.
......Grrr.....politics..........grrrrrr

The Christmas Post

2009-01-01T20:05:00.009-07:00

Christmas 08

We had a very traditional Christmas this year. For the past 3 years we have spent the night at Erin's Parent's house on Christmas Eve. We promised ourselves that we wouldn't do that this year and have our own Christmas. Well......as we live with Erin's Parents now, we just stayed there again.

Setting up for Christmas was fun for Emma. She loved all the decorations, but loved the Christmas lights the best of all. When ever she saw some, she would yell "CHRISTMAS LIGHTS" again and again and again. It's one of those cute things that got to be a little too much after the 2,000 time.

And now, by the popular demand of a single person, the proof of our cute kids!

This is the traditional setting up of the fake Christmas tree.

This is the traditional explianation of the Christmas decorations from Grandpa. "Don't touch this, Don't touch that, Don't play with these...." and so on.

The no touch rule didn't last to long.

Oh the Chrimstas Cheer!

Emma got a leap frog

Erin got a cute new coat!

Matthew got a walker.

I got a book on Prophacies of the last days, and a cool jacket (cool jacket currently not appearing in this photo).

Further proof of our cute kids.

We enjoyed seeing our family and friends during this time of year. We hope that everyone had a great Christmas.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, DANG IT!

2008-12-18T12:16:00.002-07:00

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow." No phase has ever been so despised by me. Grrrr. Snow is great if you are sitting in front of a warm fire with no place to go, like the song suggests, but what about the rest of us? What about the poor trucker who is just trying to make ends meet? What about the lonely traveler who is just trying to make it home? What about ME who has to drive Provo canyon every day for work. Let it snow indeed! I have nothing against snow. I love to snow shoe and ski and I even snowboarded once. We are even looking to buy a little sled for Emma this year. She is old enough. I hope that it doesn't scare her. I don't hate snow, I just hate driving in it.

Christmas is on track for us. We have been very blessed this year. Being a full time student and part time worker, our little family is has as much money as a frog has horns. Wow, that was a stretch, but you get the idea. We had an anonymous donation of a used cell phone and a sum of money from someone that knows us. Thank you who ever it is! The cell phone was to replace mine that was destroyed. The money really helped to buy things for the kids that they might actually want. No DI Christmas for us this year! YEAH!

My finals are over for this semester. It was a very difficult semester. I started to panic and freak out at the end. There were a couple nights where I let anxiety in and ended up as a balling mess. It wasn't pretty. Erin, being a good wife, pointed out that I wasn't giving enough credit to the Lord. He was the one that told me to go into this field, and I didn't have faith that he would help me. So I changed focus. I made sure to study my scriptures before I even touched my school work. Instead of looking at school as a task I was doing because I had to, I started to look at it as a sacrifice that I will give to the Lord when I am done. I will say, "I have done what thou hast asked me to do. I have done my best and here is the results that I now give to you." I am working hard to make it an acceptable sacrifice. The finals went well thought this new focus. I was happier, my mind was clearer, and received help from the Spirit throughout my tests. I am very thankful.

Emma is so excited for Christmas. She points out every Christmas light she can find. We want to take her to Temple Square to see the lights there. It would blow her mind. Matthew is getting really smart now. He has figured out that if he smacks the keyboard cool sounds come out of the computer. We think that his first word was either Mom, Dad, or Hi. He says all three now. We honestly have the cutest kids. If you don't think so........well.....no one really values your opinions anyway.

I wish everyone of our friends and family a very merry Christmas. May Santa bring you the things you need. May you find the joy in the true meaning of Christmas. May you also keep your sanity though it all.

Trials, Trials, and blessings in abundance

2008-11-28T12:48:00.003-07:00

I thought that I would start with an update on our car status. It is as much for your entertainment as it is for our records. We like to keep this blog as kind of a journal of sorts. So here goes.

Thanks to help from Erin's Grandparents were were able to put an engine in the Mazda and get the Passat's engine reworked. It was nice to see both cars up and running. It was nice to have a willing brother in law that works on cars for a living. To be honest, we underpaid him for his work. We really can't afford his services and we are grateful for everything that he does.

This was not to be a time of celebration with our cars though. It became clear that the clutch plates on our mazda decided to die. So......we are getting clutch plates for Christmas from my parents. At least it's better then socks. The passat's ABS control module decided to fail as well. Our brakes work, but we don't have any anti lock. That scares me a little going into the winter season. We are still working that out.

One might say "What else could go wrong!" DON'T EVER SAY THAT. We spend Thanksgiving with my family. On the way down Parley's canyon our tire went flat. I have changed my share of tires in my life. I got to thinking that I just changed one last month. Then I remembered that I never did get the tire fixed. The tire that I changed last month was sitting at home still flat and our spare was still on the car. It was a full sized spare and just like the other tires so we didn't bother with it. We sat on the side of the road as a family and waited for Erin's dad to bring us a tire.

One might say again, "What else could go wrong!" I would like to find that person and staple his mouth shut. This morning on the way down Provo canyon my mazda decided it didn't like one of my spark plugs and spat it out. I didn't know cars could do that. So I had to wait for Erin to bring me some tools to put it back in. It ran fine afterward.

So what do we learn from all of this. Erin and I talked about it a couple nights ago. We learned very well how to handle car situations and the importance of Road side assistance. The most important thing that we learned is that our Heavenly Father has not abandoned us through our trials. Yes we have problems, yes my cars brake down, and yes we have trials that would make the normal person cringe. Through it all there is a way provided for us to overcome it. Never were we left by the wayside to die. We have always been taken care of. We know that the Lord's hand is in our lives. We are grateful for the problems that we have because they continue to build our testimonies.

When we have car problems, we have learned to laugh and bring a good book to read together while we wait to be rescued again. Erin's dad is getting pretty quick and saving us. We are blessed beyond what we deserve. If ever you think that Heavenly Father isn't there, start counting your blessings. You'll find him.

And life goes on!

2008-11-24T14:59:00.002-07:00

This morning Emma and I "worked out". I had a really hard night with Matthew. Mike slept out on the couch because he has a cold and I'm a light sleeper... so yeah. I was alone, and Matthew started screaming at about 12:30 and didn't stop until 2! I refused to feed him, as he is mostly sleeping through the night now. So I held him for a bit, let him cry a bit, and held him again until he finally went back to sleep. By the time I got up with Emma just after 7, I was pretty exhausted. So! To wake myself up, I turned on a work-out "Cardio Party!" Kind of a dance/kick-boxing workout, and Emma followed me all over the room, dancing and punching and hopping all over the place. She keeps asking me if we can "go living room dance?" It's been fun. Maybe a good way to get a workout in when she's not napping!

Back to Monday

2008-11-17T11:56:00.002-07:00

After a long and wonderful weekend, we are once again at Monday. It seems to be the day that haunts my week, maybe I'm cursed for reading Garfield as a kid. I suppose I've developed his bad Monday attitude! Oh well, there are probably worse things. ;) Luckily I woke up in a fantastic mood, and it has been a productive day thus far. I have done two loads of laundry, cleaned the family room, tied down Emma and worked the knots out of her hair, and sprayed and combed and styled until it finally resembled hair again.

THEN- in addition to my usual efforts- this morning I was checking email, trying to wake up, when I noticed Emma dotting the wall with a dry erase marker. Hmmm I thought, how do I clean that off? I looked it up on the internet, which told me to use rubbing alcohol. Turned out to be a good solution, but that was before I knew I would be cleaning marker off walls for half an hour! On my way to get the rubbing alcohol, I looked into the kitchen and - oh horrors! - there was dry erase marker on every low cupboard, and all the surrounding walls. Not to mention on the table and floor. Why did I check my email? Why, why, why??? So I took a deep breath, and started to clean. What I forgot to do was make sure Emma was within my eyesight, and near the end of my cleaning adventure, she disappeared. When I finished, and realized she was gone, a feeling of dread overtook me- it was just too quiet! Sure enough, as I came into the hall, there were Matthew and Emma, swimming in a sea of cheerios. The box had been turned upside-down, and they were joyously rolling and laughing and munching to their hearts content. Matthew had cheerios dotting his sleeper in numerous places, and Emma even had a few stuck in her hair! Oh woe is me, I thought as I ran for the vacuum. After I had it cleaned up, I wished I had some forethought to grab the camera, it would have made a hilarious picture. Even when, no I guess especially when they are making messes, they are just so cute. I can't help loving everything they do!

I have the CURSE!!!

2008-10-29T22:57:00.000-06:00

This is not a story for the faint of heart. If you decide to continue to read this story, please be advised that the writers of this blog cannot be held accountable for any medical issues that may arise. Please seek advice from your medical professionals before reading.

This account is completely true and accurate. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Actually, our names are posted all over this blog, so I'm going to continue to use them.

Life was really good two weeks ago. My grades were seeing improvement, everyone was healthy, and Erin had reached a new peak with running. The sun was shinning, and the weather was a little overcast with a hint of rain. But, it never did! (dramatic huh?)

Erin's mom decided to take Emma for a drive. Erin thought this was a good idea, so she took Emma's car seat from our Passat and put it in her mom's car. Not having enough room in her hands, she placed our only Passat key on top of her mom's car. Needless to say, Erin's mom left and the keys have never been seen since. The dealership said it would cost $200 to replace and we would have to have the car towed to them in Orem. This leaves us with only my 91 Mazda. We could live with that.

Four days ago our troubles continued. We were going to my parent's house for dinner. When we started climbing the hill to park city I noticed my temperature gauge was off the chart high. At first I thought that the gauge was broken, so we continued. Erin suggested we open the windows and turn on the heater to let off some of the heat, but for some reason the heater wouldn't turn on. After a couple minutes, I noticed the power dying and I pulled off the side of the road. Before I made it there was a pop and massive amounts of smoke came from the engine. We called Erin's Dad for a tow. This left us with no cars.

We looked at the car closer. The head gasket was blown for sure, but the chance for more internal engine damage was great. There was a good chance the engine was toast.

I called another dealership about the Passat keys and they said that they could do it for 8.00 a key and didn't need the car. Yeah, Problem solved. I placed an order for Monday. Monday also found Erin being towed in the Mazda to Erin's brother's car shop in Orem. Erin's dad towed us again. Things were looking up.

Tuesday was great. I got to drive to school in our Passat. It felt good to not have to borrow a car. YEAH Independence again! Erin then thought it would be fun to go get some ice cream cones in Heber. On the way home, there was snap and the power to the engine died. So we called Erin's dad again for a lift home. This leaves us again with no cars.

Looking closely at the Passat we think that the timing belt was stripped out. This would also lead to more internal engine problems. The chance that this engine could be toast is also great.

We are currently pooling money and blessings to see what will happen. I offered to make plastic bottles to put up at the grocery stores for people to donate to. Erin just laughed. It is a funny situation to be in, but a troubling one. We will............pray and see what happens. I will be sure to keep you posted. At least Erin's Dad has gotten his money's worth out of his tow strap.

Emma's POV (with Daddy's help)

2008-10-12T10:28:00.000-06:00

Since I was able to successfully use a mouse for the first time yesterday, Daddy wanted me to write on the blog. I really don't know why, I don't think that I have a lot to say. Every time I try to say anything, Mom and Dad just look at me like they don't understand. HELLO!!! It makes perfect sense to me! I understand what they are saying, why don't they at least do the same for me. It isn't fair.

Matthew isn't fair either. He clearly has boundary issues. He needs to know that my toys are my toys! I will be sitting in the TV room watching Tigger (my favorite!) and Matthew will crawl in and want to touch one of my toys. RUDE! I know that he doesn't listen so well, so I can't talk to him about it. I do the only other logical thing and push him down. Clearly I'm making a point that this is my stuff. Well, my point only lands me in the time out chair for a couple minutes.

I really do like Matthew though if he would just stay away from my toys. We play a game in my room sometimes. I will go into the closet and make a sort of whining noise and Matthew will try to come find me. It's a lot of fun!

Mommy and Daddy are a little confused I think. They try to feed me dinner every night, but I only pick at it. They know that my favorite food is cake and ice cream cones. You would think that they would feed me that stuff all the time. Don't they know who their little princess is? I should have what I want. I tell them all the time too! Anytime Mommy says "Time to eat" I always say "Ice cream cone?" So they can't pull the "I didn't know that's what you wanted" bit. I should have it all the time. I'll keep trying.

It snowed for the first time yesterday. Everyone was excited. I didn't know why. Daddy pointed out of the window and there was something white covering everything. I vaguely remembered something like this happening last year. Daddy put on my shoes and my coat and we went out side. I didn't really know what to do. I just sat there and looked at the snow. Daddy grabbed a handful of it and threw it at me. I wanted to try that to, but every time I picked up some, it disappeared in my hand. Daddy got a lot for me and gave it to me to throw. It was fun! We went to the trampoline in back and that was covered also. He put me up on it. I was so excited that I started to jump like I always do. I took one step and fell flat on my back. I sat there for a moment wondering what happened. Daddy laughed. I laughed to. Then Daddy said my nose was red and it was time to go in. I did my best to kick and scream, but you know Daddy. He just picked me up and dragged me inside.

Grandpa had just built a fire inside. I liked to sit in front of it and watch it. It was so warm that I thought I should take my shirt off. so I did. That felt really good, so I decided to take my pants off too. That felt even better. The only think left was my diaper and I knew that it had to go also. So it did! That was a lot of fun. I also knew that if you are 2 almost 3, and your not dressed, there is only one thing to do. Run around and scream. So I did that too. Wow it was a lot of fun until Daddy and Mommy found me. I could tell they were laughing, but they tried so sound upset. They got me dressed again.

That has pretty much been my life for the past little while. Mommy has finished my Halloween costume so I will tell her to put a picture of it up. I look SOOOOO good! Bye!

new pics

2008-10-12T10:13:00.001-06:00

My memory lane is under construction can I use yours?

2008-09-17T13:22:00.000-06:00

Here I am again. Writing again!! I wanted to know what it is about brisk fall nights that causes one to reminisce about their past. Erin and I were walking around outside and our thoughts were forced into memory lane mode. It was weird.

The trees in Midway have started to turn colors. I saw my first one today! It won't be long before we are pelted with tourists looking at the colors. This usually isn't a problem except it lowers the speed on the roads by 20 MPH. You can always look in their car and see them talking as you are patiently driving slow behind them.
"Ohhh look at the pretty colors Gertrude!"
"They are simply remarkable Ferdinand!"
"Have you ever seen such a shade of orange."
"Do you hear that honking from behind us?"
"Yes I do, it is coming from that nice looking blond fellow. He looks like he is really wanting us to see the colors also!"
About this time I ram them off the road. Well, I'm not that bad. I am more patient then that. REALLY!

We learned a lot about buying things this past month. We bought a no name digital camera for cheep! I think that anyone knows that this is a big no no. Need less to say that all the pictures were dark unless the flash was on. Then the flash would bleed out the entire picture so you could only see white. So, we did the only sensible thing and sold it on ebay. We lost $20 on the deal. We ended up doing more research and found a sony that was the right price and had the option that we wanted. We also spent a long time looking at reviews. Yep, I'm an idiot. Just don't let it get around.

Fall semester keeps getting harder. I don't know what I was thinking. I have a stats class that I thought was going to be a breeze. The teach just stepped up the pace and I'm lost. He was writing equations on the board that I have no idea how to work. I have been through calculus and I still have no idea what he is talking about. Well, I hope to soon. Next week starts my tests.

Matthew is mobile! He can crawl, sit, and pay for his own bus fare! We only see him about 1/2 the time anymore. He is always going somewhere. He smiles a lot! You only have to look at him to make him smile. It is awesome.

Emma is doing well. Her speech is improving. She has also developed a twisted sarcastic sense of humor. I blame that on Erin. We got ice cream cones yesterday and Emma grabbed hers and said "CAKE!" We corrected her and said it was ice cream. She got a weird smile on her face and said "CAKE!" again and started laughing. She was doing it on purpose. Apparently she did that to Erin the other day as well. Erin was going over her colors with Emma using flash cards. Erin held up a pink and Emma looked right and left and started to smile. She yelled "Purple" and Erin corrected her and said it was pink. Emma yelled "Purple" again and started laughing. It was after 3 times that Erin found out the Emma was playing with her. Too cute.

I hope that I told these stories bad enough for Erin to write something. Her stories are better anyway. Have a good day!

FINE I'll WRITE!!!

2008-08-28T10:58:00.000-06:00

Ok, After several posts from Erin I thought that you would like my point of view on things. Get out your grammar marking pens because here we go!

Funny things are going on at home. Matthew is almost crawling. It is fun to watch him target on something, get up on his hand and knees, and lunge at it. I am happy to think that we don't have any small furry creatures any more that he would terrorize. He is so happy all the time. The only time that I have not seen him happy is when he is hungry. Yep, he is my son. He has a great love for his sister. We will catch Emma in his crib with him. He will be laughing and giggling. It is fun to watch. Well, it's fun until we need to punish Emma for getting in his crib. That is the way things go with kids though. Most times we are hiding our laughter as we escort Emma to the time out chair.

Erin's uncle said that Emma was aggressively cute and this still holds true. When ever she finds me she says "Hello Daddy!" It is a small phrase, but for daddies it pulls at the heart strings. Her grandmother gave her a little purse with some bracelets and a necklace in it yesterday. She has not been able to put it down. She woke me up this morning with the necklace saying "daddy, pretty!" and pointing at it. We were at the Provo town center mall buying clothes for Erin's brother Ian last month when Emma found a new friend. We had parked the car and entered in through JC Penny. Sitting on a display rack was a small pink purse with flowers on it. She grabbed it and carried it all over the store. We had to leave that store and look at others. Emma put it back and left (we couldn't afford it). We had to return to JC Penny again en route to the car. Emma's eyes found the exact same purse again and she grabbed it with her tight death grip. I could barely pry it from her hands. Emma had a very painful goodbye as we left the store without it. The nice thing was that she forgot about it by the time we were at the car. Being broke stinks!

Erin's brother Nathan is currently in Korea on his mission. He has 8 months left to go. He sent a very scathing letter because..........well, here is what he sent. Apparently this was posted in the Ensign that came out when he was born. He thinks it is some sort of sign or something. So let this be a lesson to all of us.

Instead of writing to him though, I am updating our blog. That'll teach him.

School starts again on TUESDAY! I can't tell you how excited I am. WAIT I can. Here goes........(sigh)...................There, that is how excited I am. I have two Chemistry classes, an advanced computational tools class, statistics for engineers, and Pearl of Great Price. I wanted to take Badminton, but it was full. I am still upset that I wasn't able to see Badminton being played at the Olympics.

Erin has been running every night. Well, almost every night. Her and her partner left me at home with the kids while they when to "work out" at her partner's house. They did work out, but spent the rest of the time playing "Rock Band" or something. Slackers. The running is doing Erin a lot of good. She looks great and her mood is perfect. They are ready for a 5k now. It is exciting to see the progress.

Life is going well. We have a camping trip tomorrow! Since we live in Midway, we are right in the middle of all the Swiss Days magic! So instead of having to endure some 500,000 people, we are going camping. Erin and I have volunteered to make scone dough on Friday though. We get a free hat! We will be posting pictures of the kids during the trip. Be excited for that! That is all the time that I have. I have a prompting to write a missionary.

Potty training! Oh what fun!

2008-08-20T22:14:00.000-06:00

Painfully cute, that is how Mike has just described our little girl. Boy has it been interesting the last few weeks as we've started potty training... At first it was hard, we put her in cloth training pants and let her run. Every time she would wet she screamed and yelled, "Poo!! Pooooed Mommy Pooed!!" So I would go change her and help her sit on the potty and give her a sticker for trying. She didn't like it. So I backed off for another week until she started wanting to sit on the potty again, then I started putting her in the training pants again. This time it has seemed to do pretty well. She still wets her pants, but when she needs to go she will actually take her underwear off and run into the bathroom and sit on the potty. She still hasn't gone, but I think we're making progress. She can tell when she needs to go, so that is good. And she likes sitting on the potty now, so that is great! Anyway enough about bathroom habits. :) One good story I need to tell is that I went to check on her before I went to bed one night, and she heard me come in and got a little confused. I went over to soothe her, realized she was still asleep and before I could help her lie back down she did this huge stretch and croaked out, "CAKE!!!" Then she smiled, rolled over and put her thumb in her mouth. I laughed and laughed.

Matthew is doing very well, he is now semi-crawling, scooching himself all over the place, forward, backward, wherever he wants to go. I would say he will be crawling at any moment. He was doing it today minus pushing off his knees like he's supposed to. I'm amazed at how fast he is developing these skills. It has also been fun feeding him solid foods. I haven't been buying baby food this time, I've been making it all, which I actually don't mind doing. It's nice to have it home-made and fresh, I know the veggies or fruit are good, and I can prepare it myself. Plus it tastes and smells better. That's got to mean something. :) He has done very well with squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, pears, applesauce, bananas and peaches. He eats two or three solid meals daily now and is doing a great job. He can eat a whole zwieback toast while he sits in his high chair (Emma never did that!). It's just been fun. The funniest thing is watching him chase this ball around the living room. He catches up with it, tries to grab it and ends up pushing it further, only to have to chase it down again. It's really cute. He's very determined.

Mike is officially on break from school. He did well on his finals, and is relieved to have passed both classes (physics really gave him a scare) and he is now not thinking about school for another week before gearing up for the next semester. This is the semester we need to buy good snow tires and make sure the gas tank never gets below half. I really hope he'll be safe commuting the canyon! It can be scary in the winter.

We are planning a camping trip for this next weekend during Swiss Days (good riddance) so that we don't have to sit through all the noise up at the square. Picture listening to yodeling all day long for two days. It's enough to make you develop a permanent twitch. So we're getting the heck out of here for those couple of days. I don't know how it's going to be camping with two kids, but I'm excited. We haven't gone anywhere for awhile so it will be fun. We're going with Mike's brother Dave, his wife Sara and their son Hyrum. Somewhere out by Duchesne. Hopefully it won't be too crowded. :)

I am continuing on my workout routine. I have been able to run again (I developed some stress fractures a couple of weeks ago and had been walking while I was healing up) so my workouts have been a lot more satisfying. I've also been doing some pilates now and again. I have so far lost an inch on my tummy (yay!!!) and hope to see more progress. I still am not doing as well as I'd like with the junk food. I swear your body needs chocolate to make up for lost hormones during pregnacy or labor or something. I have never wanted sugar so much as after I had kids!!! I'm working on it though. I have also been reading a whole ton, finished the Twilight series (which was great until the 4th...? Could really have been better) and have been reading some LDS fiction which has been awesome. I love a good adventure/romance/suspense/history.... yeah.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming....

2008-08-04T15:25:00.000-06:00

Life is moving on, like always. We have almost finished our adjusting to living with the family, it's still rough some days, but I think we have all figured out what to expect and the best way to handle each other. It's been interesting. We all take turns cooking and doing dishes and we all have a laundry day... it's all orderly and arranged. I like it though, I don't do nearly as much work as I did when we lived on our own. It will probably make for another rough adjustment when we finally move out. It is nice not to have to cook and do dishes every night though.

Saturday we spent down in Salt Lake at Mike's parents house. His grandparents have always lived in his parent's basement apartment, and now that they are getting older and less able to take care of themselves, they all talked and agreed it was best for them to move upstairs with Jim and Sue. So they have been transitioning as well. We went down and helped move things around and visited for awhile. It was good to see them, hopefully they will adjust to this move quickly. We came home on Saturday, made dinner and did the dishes (it was my night) and spent the rest of the night working on projects. My dad has been trying to put a shower head in the downstairs bathroom, which until recently was just a bathtub. The shower upstairs is a stall and needs replacing, and with so many people living here now, they thought it might be best to have two showers. So with a lot of work and things going wrong (it's an old house, plaster walls.... nothing is square...) we worked on getting the showerhead in Saturday night. We got the head in, and then while we were drilling holes for the curtain rod, we ran straight into brick. Oh goody. So now we have to pick up a masonry bit and some stronger insert than the one it came with. Something that will work with brick. That's all we have to do though and then it will be done! I haven't showered since we moved here.... lol. I've bathed instead. I forgot how frustrating that was living here.

Sunday was Hyrum Steve Woods's baby blessing, Mike's brother David and his wife Sara's first baby. It was a good day, a beautiful blessing, and the Spirit was very strong in the meeting. I enjoyed it. It makes me miss going to church with people our age! All in all it was a very relaxing and happy weekend. A good break from the chaos of the weekdays. This week is Mike's last week of the summer semester, and then we found out that he will have not one, but three weeks off before fall semester. HOORAY!!! We are soooo thrilled. We're hoping to take a trip to Burley, Idaho. My friend Diana and her husband and daughter live up there, and they've invited us to come stay sometime this summer. It would be a good vacation, and actually going somewhere besides just camping nearby. We're hoping to scrape enough together for gas (insane!!) and food, that should be the most expensive stuff. We'll see what happens. So, one more grueling week of homework and studying and then we'll have a break! ;)

Emma is continuing her discovery of new words and things to do. She can't seem to stay out of the sprinklers at all anymore. If she goes outside while we sit on the deck, she takes off and is through the sprinkler before we can do anything. So... we've stopped worrying about it. It's hot enough that she's usually dry again pretty quickly anyway. She is a little smart aleck. The more you tell her not to do something, the faster she does it. And she laughs at you! The hard part is trying to keep a straight face and be consistent about time out's. I did try potty training her last w0eek, we read books, she tried underwear, sat on the potty regulary, got stickers, the whole bit. But after about 3 times of wetting her pants she had had it. She threw horrible tantrums every time she saw the potty and was very upset. I figured I'd just back off. She seemed more traumatized than irritated so we'll just wait for awhile longer.

Matthew has been moving like a hyper kangaroo... it's crazy how fast he is developing. Two weeks ago he was rolling front to back, back to front, all over. Last week he started doing push-ups on hands and feet, this week he pulled himself up in crawling position and is rocking back and forth and is all over the place. He is very close to sitting up on his own as well. It is amazing to me how quickly this is going, it seemed like it took forever with Emma. Maybe I just have less time to analyze him. Hmmm. It is very cute, and he is such a sweet little boy. He almost never stops smiling, and laughs at the littlest comment you make to him. He loves his big sister and seems to be the smiliest when she is around. I love being a mom!

Mike is continuing his studying as always, and to pass the time while he studies, I have gotten back into running. My friend Susie and I have been jogging together every night after the kids are in bed. It feels so good to exercise! I have a hard time getting my foot out the door, but now that I have someone I can't let down I'm actually doing the work, and it's starting to pay off. My muscles are getting stronger and I am able to go faster, I just feel so much better than I have since high school! It's incredible. No wonder exercise is so addicting. I hope this is something we can keep up even during the winter. It's great to have a good friend up here!

Teeth, Jobs, and other answered prayers

2008-07-15T19:45:00.000-06:00

I HAVE A JOB! I am no longer the lazy lay about that I have been for the past month. I laugh at all those who said that it couldn't be done. HA ha ha ha. I guess that no one said it, but HA anyway! I work part time as a software tester at Netdocuments. It has been a good experience. My boss is awesome and the people that I work with.....well, I have only worked there 2 days so far, so I don't know much about them. It is everything that we have been praying for. Needless to say that there was much rejoicing. yay.

Matthew has two new teeth! They just started popping out. He has 2 on his bottom that have broken through and more lumps on the top. So more soon. We have him eating squash and sweet potatoes. He seems to like it. It sure gives his diapers and interesting smell. He is now rolling over and over and over. This just started this week too. We are going to wrap him in Ace bandages and enter him into worm races shortly. We hope that he will beat Adam's kid Georgia. Adam's family beats us out every time. We are going to feed Matthew jalapenos before the match. We will see who wins this year. I am also planning on coating their bandages in Teflon. We engineers know a little something about friction. HA.

Emma is talking up a storm. She now has her basic colors down and can count to 10. All without you asking her. She has a stubborn streak a mile wide. If you ask her to do something, she will do the opposite. If you ask her not to do something, she will do it faster. Needless to say that the time out chair is well worn in. She is really cute though. She noticed that my glass was empty at dinner tonight. She went to the fridge and pulled out the milk and gave it to me to pour. Then she put it away for me. She is really thoughtful when she wants to be.

Well, bathtime and I have to figure out the velocity of a 340 Kg satellite in orbit. So goodnight and thanks for reading. I hope that it has been as enjoyable for you to read as it has been for me to write.

Oh the joys of living at home.... AGAIN

2008-07-03T21:17:00.000-06:00

How time flies! It is incredible to think that I am living at home with my parents again, and to have my own kids, and to try to find my place here all over again. Weirder still are the feelings that I need to get up to go to school (heaven forbid) or that I need to do my chores or something. Funny how that whole focus changes when you move out, and suddenly chores are just something you do on your own without being nagged all the time. Now I do a lot of the work around here, and I actually enjoy keeping things nice. Who'da thunk?

The one thing I can't get over is that I feel like an adult failure... moving in with your parents when you're married and have kids?? Wow that kid has problems... ;) I know there is a good reason and there was no doubt that this was what we needed to do, but guilt always hangs out in the back of the room somewhere.

Mike is enjoying his classes. I have never seen him so positive about his schoolwork before. He comes home happy and actually enjoys his homework (mostly). It raises the hope that he will enjoy his career, when that time finally comes. He also has more time for the kids, and for just hanging out. It's a big relief to just have time to spend together as a family. I really like it.

Emma is driving us crazy. She has started getting up out of bed because there are so many people to "play" with downstairs. She comes down all happy and excited and you feel like a big jerk hauling her back upstairs to her nightly doom. We've started shutting the door, and tonight is the first night she made a few squawks and settled down to sleep. I hope it will become a pattern!! She is a definate sweetheart, and has been very cute lately. She has been saying a lot more, and expressing herself more through words. She asks questions, and tells me what she wants or needs. She even tells me when she's gone "potty" (in her diaper of course). That's another beast to tackle in the near future. The fun never ends! ;)

Matthew has also been a little cutie. He is smiley and happy and such a delight. He loves to be played with, looked at, paid attention to. He will actively participate in games, peek-a-boo is a thrill a minute. He laughs and laughs. It is a joy to know my children are happy. I don't think I've ever felt a more content feeling than seeing them cared for and honestly happy in their lives.
Of course there are the off times, like this last week when Matthew has been teething! :) He is getting his two bottom teeth in at once and they are causing him some pain. Tylenol and teething tablets have been our source of sanity these past couple of days. Pretty soon they will push through and he will be his happy little self again.

I have finally gotten used to living here I think. I'm finding a balance between being the child and the mother. It is nice to have people here during the day, it breaks up the monotony a lot. I enjoy being with my family. (Never thought I'd admit that... ;)

Fun Times Abounding!

2008-07-03T18:50:00.000-06:00

Stress=very yes!
Since I am in engineering, I would like to put our life into an equation for you. New shed construction + School + Family relations + Matthew teething + 2.5 needing dicipline + no sleep + no job = fun times.

Since moving to our new home, which is Erin's old home, we have started construction on a new shed to hold our crap. I was assigned the task of picking up various loads of lumber and roofing supplies after my classes. Every one thought that this is was a great idea since I had nothing to do anyway! Well, it was a good idea. It is comming along nicely though. We just need to finish the out side portions. We have the guts, we need the sidding and the roof done.

School is a lot of fun. It would be more fun if I would understand everything that was going on. The physics class has had a lot of fun demonstrations. The weird thing is that all the labs and demonstrations work. At the Community College, nothing worked! My Book of Mormon class has been very insightful. We had a good lesson about teaching your children sins through principles and teaching them by explaining how to do the sin.

Matthew just started teething. Our sweet inocent son is now a ball of frustration. He doesn't want to sleep, or sit quietly anymore. We have started the teething tablets and he is feeling better.

We have finally acclimated to our new home. We don't keep feeling like it's time to leave grandma and grandpa's. Emma loves having so many people around. It has had its share of frustration and fun.

Well, I have to go back to the shed. BYE!

Taking candy from a baby

2008-06-22T20:22:00.000-06:00

Emma had her first ice cream cone yesterday. We visited the great land of IKEA, and Erin felt it was needed. Needless to say that Emma loved it! Yes, it did make a tremendous mess. I had to take it away from her to put her in the car seat. She let out a cry like I had put her favorite teddy bear in the blender. I felt like everyone was looking at me thinking "What kind of father would take an ice cream cone from their child." I was expecting a black van with "Child protective services" labeled on it side to come and take me away. I handed back her ice cream cone and finished putting her in the car. She took one lick and got a very contented smile on her face. It was like she was thinking "Ahh that's the stuff!" When we got home we found that the car seat, the car, and Emma all needed baths. I don't think her clothes will ever get ice cream stains out of it.

I am still looking for a job. So if anyone needs some part time help, let me know. I do windows! Friday was my last day at Burton Group. I will miss it. I had a lot of good memories and a lot of good friends. I will be leaving the best manager that I have ever had there. I will miss it.

Matthew is the same as ever. He has started on rice cereal. He is doing very well. He started to swallow it and everything. I don't know how he does it. I can't swallow that stuff. He is a brave little soul.

Well, it is time for Emma's bath. So I must go. So...................BYE!

Another post. That's 3 in 3 days! Mailing address

2008-06-18T11:40:00.000-06:00

Isn't it great! Three posts in three days!

Yesterday was very sad for us. We were invited back to Herriman to hang out with our friends. We had a great time, but we were really sad to see our old home. I know that we have only been out of it for 4 days. There were people walking through it and cars parked everywhere. I guess the house is a hit. It makes us feel a little violated. You want to run up to them and scream "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" I still look at the lawn and think that I need to mow it again. We'll get over it soon. As the saying goes "I am a man, and I can change. If I have to, I guess."

When I see people looking at our empty house, I just want to grab our family and walk in like we own the place. We would then look around really confused and Erin would start to cry. Then I would say, "We were only on vacation for a week. What happened to our stuff?"

Emma's vocabulary is starting to get scary. She is putting short sentences together. She will run up to you and say "Go outside?" and "Daddy ok?" and the ever famous "Drink, Milk". I know that they are only a couple word sentences, but it still surprises me to hear them.

Matthew is really really cute. He smiles more then 3/4 of the day. He has one of those big full face smiles that is infectious.

Erin is doing good. Moving home has been the hardest on her. She almost feels like she is in high school again. I feel really bad because it is hard for me to understand her feelings on the issue. My high school career was a lot more fun then her's was. Her parents have been very accommodating and haven't told her to clean her room once! It helps that our room is the cleanest in the house.

I have good news! I found my razor last night. No more wolf man for me! I know that most of you were concerned on that topic, but you don't have to worry any more. No more tossing and turning in the middle of the night for you! People actually like to look at my face again. Well, everyone but Adam. He still can't grow a proper beard and I think he is jealous. Poor soul.

We are still looking for friends in the midway area. We are now taking applications to help streamline the process. Please stop by the house and fill one out.

That also reminds me. Our new mailing address is PO box 76, Midway UT 84049. Due to the mass of fans that we have, we are unable to give out our real address at this time.

Day 3

2008-06-17T12:35:00.001-06:00

Living with the in-laws is not all tea and crumpets. Granted it is a good experience, but there are some hard points. It is nice that we have a huge room to our selves. We have partioned off part of the room for our bed, and the other part for a living space. Just so we can be away from everyone when we get the chance.
Emma is showing signs of being happier. She was almost her giggly self last night. Today has been better. I think that she understands that we are not going home from grandma's house. Now, it will be a miracle if the rest of us can get to that point.
I am still looking for a job. Somewhere in Provo there must be someone who needs some part time help. I'm not that expensive. Really! PLEASE!!! We'll find it I'm sure.
We are pushing through the problems though. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I can see it!

Back on track?

2008-06-16T12:50:00.000-06:00

We have had an exciting month. Let me begin at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start. Several weeks ago our land lord "Erin's Uncle" came up to us and said, "By the way, I want to sell the house you are living in. You have to move." He was a lot nicer then that, but it threw us for a little bit of a loop. We sat and discussed our options. They weren't pretty. I have been going to school in Provo, living in Herriman and working in Fort Union. We had to cut out some of that commute. We wanted to find a job in Provo, but that is almost impossible.
We did what any couple does in times of emergency. We called our parents. Erin's dad said that he had actually been thinking about us moving in with them for the past week. Even before he knew that we were being kicked out. We prayed and decided that this was a fantastic option. Then we thought and decided that it will be harder then shoving a square peg through a round hole. Probably as hard as getting our daughter to eat lettuce.
So, going off of faith, we agreed. This gives me the chance to go to school full time and work only part time. We can also help them to keep their house clean and do some cooking for them. Everyone is a winner. We were not aware of the disaster that was soon to follow. (foreshadow!)
Everything came to a head last Saturday. We were supposed to move on the 21st, but decided to get out of the house ASAP so they could try to sell it. Yes, there is more to that story but your not getting it here. So we set the move day on the 14th.
I made the dumb choice of going to school over the summer. I was assigned a huge 10 page instructional manual to write. So this last week I have been inaccessible to help pack. I have also been staying up past midnight while I tried to finish. Needless to say, I have been getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night because of it.
The next dumb thing is that I also have to quit my job. I can't afford to live in Midway and commute to Salt Lake. I have been looking for a job on top of home work and packing.
The next dumb thing is that our CV axel on our Passat just went out. So the car is a glorified lawn ornament. Better then those stupid garden gnomes. Those are just scary.
Let me give you the stress list. The first is homework, then packing, then job hunting, then car. We also have to say good bye to the great people and friends that we had made in Herriman. The problem is that there are a lot of them. Herriman has been the most welcoming ward that we have ever had. We will miss it.
What was this post even about? Oh yeah, moving. Friday comes and I finally collapse. We still had a lot more to do before Saturday, but I just couldn't move anymore.
Saturday's plan was perfect. My brother and father in law would tow my car to his shop to fix it with the CV axel we bought on E-bay. While this was going on, the rest of us would fill the two trailers that we had. That honestly took us two hours. We only had about a truck's worth of stuff left in the house and we had to wait for my father in law to return with his truck. To make a long story short, the CV axel was the wrong one. So we had to buy another one.
On the way to Midway there was a huge accident that blocked the entire road for about 1/2 an hour. What should have been a four hour job took us all day long. Needless to say we were all frustrated.
We are now situated in Midway. It looks like it is going to be a good arrangement. It will be stressful at times, but it should work out ok. Erin is doing an excellent job of making our small living space livable. Emma is having a hard time getting adjusted. She isn't as happy as she once was. I think it is because she feels the tension in the house. As soon as we are adjusted, I hope that she will come along. She sure loved Nursery this week though.
Matthew is cool with what ever comes his way. Being four months he doesn't have much to adapt to. He loves the grandparent attention though.
We finally got our room in order last night. We celebrated this occasion by watching the first part of the five hour long version of "Pride and Prejudice". It was nice to relax and cuddle for a long movie.

WHY??

2008-05-03T21:49:00.000-06:00

I've noticed something. Every time we have things to do, Matthew has a complete melt-down!! We are blessing him tomorrow morning, so of course we have to clean the house and get things ready for people to come over so we can pretend we are a normal family who keeps their house free from slime, filth, and putrescence- which we don't. So we put him down for bed not once, not twice but seven times before he actually would fall asleep and stay that way without screaming like a kidnapper was coming through the window! Aughhhh!!! Okay, I'm fine now. I just needed to vent. All we have to do is run a vacuum and wipe down the kitchen and we'll be good to go, so it's not too bad. Hopefully we can fake that we are a clean house family for a day. Then we can go back to being slobs. Ahhh, relief.

It is nice that warm weather is starting to make an appearance. Emma has been out in her sandbox digging and flinging sand, and having a grand old time. I have been weeding the garden, trimming bushes, trying to get things under control so that our landlord doesn't kick us out. We rent from my uncle, who stated in the lease "must keep the yard in better condition than I did". We are really trying!! It was hard last summer because I was pregnant, and this year it seems like spring is always just around the corner, but we'll get there. We are going to make the yard beautiful this time, honest!

We just had a funny experience. We bought a tulle drapery thing to go over Emma's bed. She was thrilled with it, so we went to put it up, and Mike stood up on her toddler bed and one of the boards underneath goes SNAP! and breaks right in half. Luckily I have been staining her new bed out in the garage and it was pretty close to being done, so we just took down her toddler bed and put in the new one. Then we got her drapery thing up and she couldn't stop shrieking from excitement. When we asked her if she wanted to go to bed, she jumped up and down and made her "Eeee!! Eeee!!" noises and ran and belly-flopped on the bed. When I checked on her a few minutes ago she was sound asleep in her new bed. She is just so darn cute! Even if I am biased.

Yet another post!

2008-05-01T21:43:00.000-06:00

We have finally recieved our ticket to join the in crowd of the 21st century! Yes, we have an Ipod. We feel really cool about it. It's not a new one, in fact our brother in law determined that it was time to dump his 3rd generation Ipod. Needless to say, were hip and totally with it. Fine, so we got it for free. Big deal, we're still cool.

Emma has been talking up a storm. She will put jibberish together into incomprehensible sentences and expect us to understand them. We have an alphabet magnet set on our fridge and she will pull them off one by one and tell us the letters. You can't ask her what they are, she has to tell you. If you say, "Emma, what is this?" and show her the letter "B" she will look at you like your an idiot and walk off. We finally found a play slide for her on the KSL classifieds. Emma has been all 0ver it. She has discovered that her letters, her fruit snacks, my bills, and other things slide nicely down the slide.

Matthew has been getting more giggly every day. He smiles a lot more and he is more content with things around him. Well.....as long as lunch and dinner are on time. He can be a complete crank if he doesn't get his food. He has started swinging at things that are above his head. He has a little play mat with some toys that dangle. He enjoys swatting at them. He smiles at Erin every time he sees her. He is cute.

Erin has almost finished staining Emma's new bed. Erin's parents gave us their old bunk beds and we are refinishing them. It has been a lot of fun for her! She also just got that the name of the blog refers to our family. She feels like a complete ditz. We think that Erin may have Celiac's disease. She has had stomach attacks for a while. The tests have yet to come back, but we have been monitoring her situation. Every time she eats something with wheat in it, she hurts. So, we will have more tests run to see if we are right. Until then.........no more twinkies for her. All the more for me!

I have started school this semester. I also got a great walking tour of downtown Salt Lake. Yep, I can't read a darn map. I thought it said that I was to get off of Trax at the Gallivan center. I called up Erin and told her that I couldn't find BYU anywhere. She told me it was the Triad center 20 minutes away. I could have waited for the next train, but again I left my brain at home. So I started walking. Needless to say, I was late for my class. I did get a free candy bar from a U of U survey taker on the way home though.

My time is up, and I must say good night. Here are some of our latest pictures of the only warm day Salt Lake has had this spring. Also, some pictures of Emma with her cousin Kayla. Enjoy

2 month checkup

2008-04-24T21:05:00.000-06:00

Well, some men are sent to the store in the middle of the night for food for their wifes. I'm sent for potting soil. Today was Matthew's 2 month appointment and any parent knows what that means. Shots. When Matthew was born he weighed 7 lbs 1.4 oz and was in the 16th percentile. That was a little low, so we beefed him up. In a short two months he weighs 12 lbs .5 oz and is in the 55th percentile. No he is not on steroids. Everything else checked out great! Then the nurse came in with three shots. The poor little guy didn't know what was coming. He was just laying on the table making little noises and being really cute. Then he got stuck and started to cry. It was one of those sorry cries that contorts his face but doesn't make a sound for several seconds. Then the most heart wrenching noise comes out. Poor kid. He didn't even get a lolly pop.

Emma has contracted a little cold too. It is getting us worried because Erin is throwing a baby shower for our sister in law on Saturday. We hope that she can clear it up by then. It really is hard being a parent and watch your kids go through problems and know that there isn't anything that you can do beyond holding their hands. She's a tough little girl.

Well, I am called away. My opinion on hanging pictures is needed. I feel so domestic.

Erin's on the phone again!

2008-04-21T22:01:00.002-06:00

Well, I don't mean to make it sound like that is all that Erin does. One of our long lost friends reappeared today and Erin is getting reacquainted. So you get to listen to more of my ramplings. Wow, your life must really be boring to read about ours. I pity you. Anyway, Emma has almost mastered the actions to "The Wheels on the Bus". We almost have "Head, Shoulder's, Knees and Toes" down too. I really enjoy my little girl. When she hears me come home, she runs away and tries to hide, but doesn't try to hide at the same time. She really wants to be found. Being a parent is a lot of fun. I am not sure yet about Matthew. We will see once he gets a little older. We are happy to have him in the family though. He has been fun getting to know. I'm signed up for my next semester at BYU. Yep.....English. Those reading this post and the last one will probably say "ABOUT TIME SLACKER" and they would be right saying so. Erin will be signing up for Penn Foster's fashion design program this week. She is really excited. She knows most of the stuff that they will teach her, but she wants to learn things the proper way. She really wants to go to the Acadamy of Art University in California. Well, let me refrase that. She wants to take distance learning from the University. It is just what she wants, but the cost of tuition will be aroun $14,000 a year. That is almost half of what I make! So if anyone happens to find some money under a matress and doesn't know what to do with it, I have some ideas. Well, that is all that you get for a post.

Just to bring you up to speed

2008-04-19T21:09:00.000-06:00

Yes...this is our blog.....I guess....Cool huh? I guess there should be pictures and some such stuff on here. Well, I'll get to that I'm sure. I'm just glad that I was competent enough to set it up. Just so people know, we setup this blog as a method of family history. We are terrible at this kind of thing, but think that it is important. So we are doing this. We also are going against the grain and moving away from facebook. No offence to those that still like it and use it. We just didn't think that it would fit our needs and our family. So add a comment on these pages, or drop us a line! We do still want to hear from our friends. Ok, now that that is out of the way we can start.

Let me explain our life to this point. Wait... there is too much. I'll sum it up. Erin met Mike working at First American. We worked there together, but didn't want to admit liking each other. Erin decided that she would go on a cruise and Mike missed her. Well, Erin admits to missing Mike too. So Mike finally got up the nerve to ask her out. We were married on 1/28/05 at the Salt Lake Temple. Three months Later Erin found out that she was pregnant. Emma Marie was born on 1/16/06. Matthew was born almost two years later on 2/21/08.

Mike took this time to start going back to school. He graduated in the summer of 07 with his Associate degree. He is currently working towards his Chemical Engineering degree. Mike works for an IT technology research firm named Burton Group. He does client services for them.

Erin has found her passion and love in sewing. She loves making dresses and clothes for Emma, and will try her hand at making a suit for Mike. We look forward to having her take online courses from a trade college in Pennsylvania.

Emma is as cute as it gets. She is talking a lot, but her words are not fully recognizable. She loves her soy milk. She isn't lactose intolerant, she just prefers soy. Strange little girl. She remembers things very well and loves to do the things that we as parents do. She saw Mike using his electric razor on day and the next week she decided that she would try it. With the cover on the razor she put it to her face and started making razor sounds. She loves Curious George, her pink hat, and her messy room. We clean the room every day, but she feels the need to trash it before she can sleep.

Matthew has started to smile and coo at us making all the late night feedings well worth it. His hobbies are sleeping and eating at moments when Erin is in the middle of something that is hard to put down. He was born with a ton of blond hair that sticks up on top like a natural mohawk. We think it's cute. His feet come from the Johnson side of the family. They already do not fit in most of his clothes. He comes from big footed stock. His great grandfather was size 15 and his uncles are all size 13. He holds his head up better then I do. He is a very lovable little kid.

We will try to post when ever we think about it. Please feel free to leave a comment. Please also let us know if you would like Erin's famous pancake recipe. It's GREAT!