kids

There is nothing quite like being a parent. When Dave and I were dating/engaged we always talked about waiting a while before starting to have kids. Well, 2 months after we were married we started talking about it. That was way sooner than I had anticipated. But we felt it was right for us. Ana was born just 2 months after our first anniversary. We have been so blessed by this decision. And look at what I would be missing out on right now:

Ana and Jack playing in the toys together.



Christmas outfits.I love poofy dresses! I think its because I wore them when I was growing up. I was so excited to put Ana in this today. I loved this shirt on Jack, too. I couldn't wait to get them ready for Church.




Last night my sister in law let Ana borrow a few old dance outfits from her girls. Ana loves them! She put this one on after church and said, "Turn on dancing music for my dancing!" and then danced around the room.



I wouldn't trade this for anything!

not ready

okay. deep breath.

Do you ever get so overwhelmed you are almost paralyzed and end up getting NOTHING done? Now that Dave's University of Utah Interview is over and {sigh of relief} went really well, Christmas is staring me blatantly in the face and I realized that I need to get busy. My house is a wreck, the homemade gifts are not even started, and I still want to get out my Christmas plates. And so what am I doing? Right now, Ana is standing in the bathroom sink sing-saying "don't fall down" and Jack is sitting on my lap tired and poo-y. And I'm checking the blogs.

I guess I should get busy.

okay. deep breath. wish me luck.

U of U Interview

The building where I will spend a TON of time if I get accepted to U of U.

The interview day started at 7:30. I was supposed be at the admissions office by 7:45 at the latest. So, I was planning on waking up at about 6:30 to get all ready and checked out of the hotel on time. I even set my phone alarm clock and the alarm clock in the room. I didn't need it. I woke up at 4:40 and could not get back to sleep. I tried to go back to sleep for about an hour before I just gave up. I was the first person in the lobby to get breakfast right at 6:00 when they were just putting it out. I stayed at the University Guest House that was right next to the medical school and hospital on campus. I saw a group of people in suits gathering in the lobby right when I was about to leave so I asked them if they were going to interview - they were - so I walked up with them. During the walk it became clear to me that they were going to interview for residencies at the U instead of med school admissions. It was only a little embarrassing and mostly funny. I think I was about the same age as they were. Anyway, going with them made it easy to find where I needed to be.

Both interviews I had were pretty laid back - perfect for me. I could not have asked for it to be better. It was a great experience overall and I hope I am accepted there. The interview could not have gone better for me but I know there are a lot of other well qualified applicants. So, we will see what happens. I will probably have to wait until March or April to find out if I am accepted. Such a long wait. I am just glad to know I have done everything I can.

cool christmas house

Its our anniversary. 4 years ago today Dave and I held hands and kissed for the first time.

Last night we took our family to this really cool Christmas house that is over by Twin Falls. It was crazy! This picture is only a part of the decorations.



The guy lives clear up in the foothills, and he said he starts putting up lights in September! You park on the main road and then walk down this loop of the driveway and he has everything! He has a tiny little Christmas village, a really big nativity scene, he even has a camel, although it was sick last night. It was really cool and well worth the drive! Ana kept saying "oooo, look" and pointing all around. She was almost speechless. (Almost).

love this man

Dave had a birthday. Shout Hooray!

Can I just say how much I love this guy. He means the world to me. He is such a good dad and husband. He works so hard for us. He is such a smart and capable guy. Really. I know he is going to make a great doctor. He has an interview at U of U this week. I am so proud of him in so many ways.

Good Luck, honey. I love you!

here comes trouble

We've been expecting it for a while now. The past couple days Jack has started crawling a few paces forward. He's already starting to get into stuff.

He scooted over to this bookshelf and started pulling books off the shelf.
Ana likes to eat frozen waffles while she watches "Little Einsteins" in the morning. Well, Jack got himself over to her half eaten waffle. Yum!!!
Today it was official though. He can get himself anywhere he wants to go. Usually its to me. I love it! Its kinda weird, though because Ana was so much older when she started crawling (9.5 months) that her coordination was quite a bit better. He's so little. He's also started eating cereal every day and today he tried a banana - which he loved - and some apple juice. I can't believe he's 6 months old!!!

I took this picture of Ana in the treehouse today. I love it!

oh christmas tree

Yesterday we put up our Christmas Tree. I really like it this year. The first year we were married, we had a real tree that looked pretty sad once it was up. Then we got a fake tree for the next two years, but a certain then one year old pulled it down and busted it, so this year we got a real one again. Its really tall - about 9 feet, and we have a star for the first time. Our ornaments don't quite fill it, and we may get some more, but we may not because I kinda like it how it is. Ana's doing pretty well leaving it alone, too.

Now I just need to get Jack's stocking done, and a few of Ana's presents done.

I guess I need to shower

I didn't feel very well for a while this morning - it's all good now. But, I told Erin I felt like poop earlier and Ana heard it. She just didn't hear it exactly like I said it. A little while later she told Erin "Daddy smell like poop mama."

christmas cookies

Having a family of your own means starting your own traditions. Its interesting trying to incorporate traditions from two people's childhoods as well as starting some new ones of your own. Last Sunday we made Christmas cookies as a family and I thought it was great. Its something I want to continue doing in future years. Ana really wanted purple frosting, so we included that too.


I usually like to have Christmas decorations up by now, but we're going a little slow this year. Our fake tree broke last year so we've been debating what to do. I think we'll probably do a real one this year, but we haven't gone out to get it yet. Our Christmas decoration box will probably be brought up from the garage today, and hopefully we'll get a tree up tomorrow. Yesterday we put up Ana's Christmas candy countdown, and we talked for a while about Christmas. She is really excited and I think its gonna be a fun year.

Also, Jack is sitting up. He still falls over and it makes him really mad when he does, but he can sit playing with toys for quite a few minutes if Ana leaves him alone. Also yesterday I got him to move forward about 2 feet. Hopefully he'll be crawling soon...

things i've learned about cleaning house

Growing up, we had "Saturday chores" - things like mopping, scrubbing bathrooms, dusting, etc. that we did with a chore partner on Saturday. When we first got married, I tried to continue the tradition of cleaning house top to bottom on Saturday. But reality quickly set in. It was a lot different trying to do the whole thing by myself when Dave was working. And if Dave was home, the last thing we wanted to do on our one day together was clean house. A new system was needed.

Over the last few years, including times of morning sickness and fatigue, and going to school full time, I've struggled to sink into a really good house cleaning routine. Consequently, my house is not always the cleanest. The move from Rexburg was a stark realization of how not clean I kept house.

I've learned a thing or two since we were married, and I finally feel like I'm in a routine that works for me. Here are some things I've learned:

1. Assign a day to each chore. Monday=bathroom, Tuesday=laundry, Wednesday=dusting, etc. Do your assigned chore first each day. Don't get overwhelmed by all the things that need to get done. Just do one chore a day. (Or course there are daily chores too, like picking up the living room and doing dishes.)

2. Its OKAY to mop the kitchen floor with a sink full of dishes. In our old apartment, whenever I set out to mop the floor, I felt like I had to do the dishes first, and by the time the dishes were done, Ana would need me and I'd never get around to mopping the floor. But its really okay to mop, even if the dishes aren't done. If the floor needs mopped and I have 10 minutes while Jack in napping and Ana is playing, I can just mop the floor.

3. A dishwasher is a necessity. After not having a dishwasher for over a year and now having one, I do not ever want to go back. It does make a difference. For one thing, it takes 5 minutes to load the dishwasher and then all the dirty dishes are hiding. For another thing, I feel like the dishes get so much cleaner in the dishwasher.

4. Its okay to leave dishes until the morning. After an hour of making dinner, then eating it, then getting Ana and Jack ready for bed and in bed and all of the evening things, I do not want to do the dishes. I want to put my feet up and enjoy some time with my husband. So, I take 5 minutes to load the dishes and turn on the dishwasher, and leave the rest. In the morning I have the energy and motivation to get it done. Right after I make breakfast, I just take a few minutes to unload the dishes, put the breakfast dishes in, and wash the hand dishes. It makes such a difference.

My home is by no means always perfect. But I feel a lot better about it, and it works for me.