The Science Fair

So, I went to Mountainville Academy (where I used to teach) to judge the science fair.  I tell you, I've never felt so much like a rock star in my entire life.  It was really fun to see the kids, and especially fun for them to ask for my autograph.  What do you say to that?  Seriously, I'm a teacher.  Not famous.  

I didn't take any pictures, but this is a picture of Andrew wearing an outfit that one of my students gave to us.  Thanks, Niki!!  

I definitely miss teaching, and my students, a lot, but I would never trade the blessing I have to be home with my baby.  It is so fun to watch him grow and develop every day.  Plus, I don't have to get ready every day.  And I can wear jeans.  Thanks, Andrew.

Our Hair Problem

When I was younger and living at home my dad used to call me Einstein.  And it had nothing to do with my superior intelligence.  In fact, he never really acknowledged my superior intelligence.  It was more about what doctors call a little bit of a hair problem. (name that movie, replacing "hair" with "weight")

Sadly, this isn't the worst picture...This is generally what it looks like when I wake up.

Then, I fell in love with Justin and we got married.  Apparently, we have something in common.  Abnormally large hair.  

Personally, I don't think Justin's is anywhere near as bad as mine, but it does connect to his eyebrows sometimes.  And instead of receding, his hair is growing down his forehead.  Soon, he'll have no forehead at all.  Good thing he's still hot.

Well, the story doesn't end there.  Now we have a baby.  He similarly has issues with his hair.  Observe.

 

This is his hair just out of bed.  And he has a lot less on the left side.  Still good looking.

Awesome Vacations

So, Justin and I really like to travel, but we don't really have the means to go anywhere exotic right now. That's not going to stop us, though. As you saw, we went to the State Capitol...exciting. Well, this weekend we went to Idaho. We didn't take any pictures, which is unfortunate, but it was very fun. We got to stay with Troy and Jamie. We had every intention of going to the Rexburg Temple open house, but it was just so cold outside. I'm the biggest wimp ever when it comes to cold, and I didn't want to leave my baby. Still working on that. Also, another highlight, we got to see my Aunt Laurel and she got to play with Andrew. I love my Aunt Laurel. She's super cool. My favorite part of the whole vacation, though, was driving with Justin. Crazy, because we both hate being in the car, which has obviously been passed to our child. But, we played this dumb game where one of us would say a word and the other would have to tell a story in relation to that word. It made me realize what an awesome husband I have. He told me all these great church history stories about George Albert Smith. We also had an interesting conversation about whether Idaho touches Canada. As you can see, it does. I was glad to be right about something. Then Justin taught me about how to figure out how long it takes to get somewhere. Distance = Rate x Time. I had no idea. That equation could have helped me long ago. I don't know how he knows so much about everything, but he sure teaches me a lot. I love him!!!

Naming the Movie

I mentioned a movie quote a while ago. To end the suspense, it's from "Some Kind of Wonderful," an awesomely cheesy eighties movie.

Wishing for Sunlight

So, Andrew was having a seriously rough day yesterday. He was fussy for a really long time and was not finding peace. Finally, in a moment of desperation, I plopped down on the couch and opened the blinds so he could see the light outside (he really likes light). He started smiling and cooing. So, I let him sit on the couch (kind of) and watch what was going on outside. He sat like this for about 30 minutes.

You may be thinking that Andrew wears the same clothes every day. You're right. We love this outfit (Thanks, Jacki!!) for so many reasons. It's super cute, first of all, and it doesn't really show when he spits up on it. And it makes his eyes look extra blue.

Decorating for Idiots

So, if anyone knows me, they know that I'm not a decorator. Usually it's just an inconvenience, but this moving into a new house thing has elevated my deficiencies to a very frustrating problem. My issue with decorating is that I get a good idea in my head and then get halfway through the project before I realize my lack of skill makes things turn out looking..well..scary. The good news is that with my brains and Justin's perfectionism, the house is actually looking pretty good. Here are two of my brainchildren. I don't think that's a word, and if it is, I didn't use it right, because it feels awkward. Oh well. C'est la vie.

Thanks to Justin, this project didn't turn into a complete disaster. And we did these ourselves. Hot glue, fabric, and a lot of fingers glued to wood. Boom. Decorative squares.

Here's the completed mantle. You can ask my friend Emily, I worked on this for about two hours and tried about seven different things.

Hittin' the Big Time

Andrew is transitioning to his big kid crib. He slept seven hours straight last night. I feel like a new woman. I woke up thinking something was wrong, but, wow. Nothing's wrong. This just feels so right. (Name that Movie)

I'm Thoroughly Inspired

So, I've been reading this awesome book that I got for Christmas. I just finished it this morning, and I wanted to share something that I found very inspiring. Here's the quote:

"Only when a person has come to the understanding that each individual is born free and that the choices that individual makes determin his future--even into the eternities--can that person begin to understand how important every minute of life is."

I should probably tell you that the book is Yearning for the Living God by F. Enzio Busche.

Making the Bed

If you ask Justin, we never fight. I beg to differ. We definitely disagree on one very important thing. Making the bed. I'm generally a neat person, but I don't really get heartburn if my bed isn't made. In fact, Justin says he only had second thoughts about marrying me one time, and that was when he was proposing to me by leaving something on my bed, which wasn't made. My argument is that if someone has to leave to work before 5:30 AM, they should be exempt from making their bed. Well, Justin leaves at 5:30, so guess who ends up with the chore? That's right, me. Lately, I've taken to making the bed at about 4:30 PM, right before Justin gets home. Well, Andrew has recently started this really cool new trend of sleeping for six hours at night, waking up to eat, and then sleeping three more hours. It definitely gives me a chance to get things done before he gets up. This morning, I'm proud to say, our bed was made before 8:00 AM. I'm awesome.

When Dresses Are Okay

So, our friend Julie gave us some awesome nightgown things and she swears by them. Funny thing is, she has three boys. So, I was trying to figure out when it's okay for boys to wear dresses. Here's what I think:

1) When changing a diaper quickly is more important than what the baby looks like.
2) When it has manly sports symbols printed on the dress.
3) When they can't walk.

It is NOT okay for boys to wear dresses:

1) When they're in junior high. That's the kind of thing you can never live down.
2) When they aren't an islander. It's okay for some people, but there are certain cultures where it doesn't really jive. Ours is one of them.
3) When it's snowy and cold. Speaking from experience, getting snow blowing up your dress is SUPER uncomfortable.


Here's a dress that looks good. Andrew is a very secure man. He looks perfectly masculine.

Our Mini-Vacation

So, last Saturday Justin and I went to the state capitol. I thought that was a very touristy thing to do. We learned some cool stuff as we took the "kids I Spy the Capitol" tour. The grown up tour seemed kind of boring. Here are some pictures.

I like that nice people always offer to take pictures, but I don't necessarily LIKE pictures of myself, so I'd rather not be in them.

Justin is determined to get a good picture of me sometime. This was apparently not the time.

Now, this is the kind of picture I like. Far away, can't tell that it's me, but cool architecture.

My Mom

The best Nanna EVER!

I'm a little late, and didn't take any pictures, but it was my mom's birthday on Saturday. She is the most amazing woman that I personally know and I love her so much. For her birthday, we made her dinner and imposed on her by sleeping over at her house. I'm always amazed at how giving she is. Every time Andrew woke up, she was there to hold him and cuddle him while I got ready to feed him. She baby sat while Justin and I went to the Utah State Capitol on Saturday and said that was exactly what she wanted for her birthday. I wish I could make her believe what a perfect person she is, but in her humility, she refuses all compliments regarding her perfection. I love her the most!!!

Strange Sleeper

Apparently, Andrew is also like his dad in another way. He sleeps in weird positions. This first one is pretty common. He likes to raise his hand. I think he knows his mommy was a teacher and only pays attention to kids who raise their hands.

Here's a cute one.

New Year's Eve

We had a very fun New Year's.  We had our friends Truston and Brittney Bodine and Jared and Emily Dobson over for some food and games.  It was great.  We watched Emperor's New Groove (my favorite movie) and ate all things cream cheese.  No New Year's resolutions to lose weight were in effect, apparently.

We didn't get any good pictures of Jared and Emily, but here is an introduction to Brittney and Truston.  

We were pregnant at the same time.  I was always the biggest, though.



Skinny people who try to look like fat people really bug me.  Especially when I'm pregnant.  It's insulting.



You might think they're crying.  They were just celebrating the New Year.  Actually they really were crying, but it was pretty cute.  And funny.