We're not in Utah anymore

I lived in Utah my whole life until last year, and there are a lot of things that Utah is known for, such as Temple Square, great skiing, bad drivers, and unpredictable weather. You never know what the weather's going to be like, or if it's going to change in 5 minutes. For example, you could have a good thunderstorm for about half an hour, then all of a sudden you have sunny skies again, or vice versa. Well it's definitely not that way here in the Midwest. Last night we had a whopper of a storm. And it lasted for HOURS. I have never seen so much thunder, lightning and rain in all my life! A lot of the roads were literally small ponds that you had to drive through. And every 5 minutes on the radio they were broadcasting thunderstorm warnings, flood warnings, and tornado warnings. Luckily none of those warnings were for our specific area (I think the closest one was about an hour away), but it was still pretty scary to realize that they very well could have been. I guess this is one more thing about living in this part of the country that I'm going to have to get used to.

The Day It All Began

Ok, well technically it's the day after. 5 year ago yesterday (May 23) Bill and I had our first date. So tonight we decided to try and re-create that fateful night. Since we no longer live in Provo, we couldn't physically go to the Creamery on Ninth. So we tried to go somewhere similar. We ended up at Steak N' Shake, which is apparently pretty big out here. It's a cute little diner-type place with your typical hamburger and milkshake menu. The food (for me) was so-so, but it was still fun to get out and have some alone time with Bill, remembering that first date. Little did we know on May 23, 2003, that we would be where we are today.

Trucks, trucks and more trucks

This morning we went to "Touch a Truck Day" at a local park. There were quite a number of trucks, from mail trucks to fire trucks to monster trucks. They also had free ice cream, free drinks, and a couple of those big trampoline play areas. Will didn't get into it as much as we had hoped he would, but we did manage to have a fairly good time and get a few pictures before heading home. Hopefully they'll do it again next year when Will is old enough to appreciate how cool big trucks are.


Will saw some fire hats and decided quickly that he wanted one. We tried to get a good picture with it on his head, but he always kept taking it off too quickly.


Daddy and Will in front of a big monster truck


Mommy and Will in front of a fire truck


I think this picture is a good indication of how big those wheels on the monster trucks are.


After a while Will got tired of looking at the trucks and decided to just run around the grass and have fun.

Kids say the darnedest things

Anyone remember that show? I think there were two different versions of it, and I loved it. It definitely applies to Will these days. Case in point: this weekend we attended Stake Conference and we had to bring Will with us to the adult session on Saturday night. After the session Will and I were waiting out in the hall for Bill. We were standing right by the restrooms and the drinking fountain, and Will had fun watching everyone who came over to get a drink or use the restroom. He would give me a running commentary on everything that certain people did - "He's getting a drink. Now he's going outside. Is he sad?" But the funniest part of the evening was when Will saw someone going into the restroom, and he proceeded to tell me "He's going to go and change his diaper." I had to work really hard not to laugh hysterically until I repeated the experience to Bill later. I love how innocent and shameless little children are in what they say and do.

Check it out

My friend Becky has a totally awesome blog called Project Domestication. I tried to put the link on here, but for some reason my computer is being lame, so here's the address: http://www.projectdomestication.blogspot.com. It has so many fun things, from how to decorate cakes to book reviews and much more. So if you're looking for a cute idea for your child's birthday or you just want a fun new blog to read, you should definitely check this one out.

Family and Friends Tag

I know I've done about a million tags on this blog, but this one was too fun to pass up, because I get to brag about some really great people :-)

Rules of this Tag:
1. Answer the questions about the list of friends and/or family on your blog.
2. If you don’t have 18 names answer the question about the next name that you have not had a question for on your list.
3. Tag 5 people.

When did you first meet the first person on your list?
-Well I think I first met Bobby and Susan over the phone, but I met them officially the day before our wedding. We had just pulled up to Bill's parents house and Bobby and Susan were getting some things out of their car. Who knew that 4 years later we would be living in the same town!

What do you like about the third person on your list's blog?
-Jonny's blog is so fun to read. He has a great sense of humor, and also takes some pretty cool pictures sometimes, so his blog is never boring.

What do you like best about the fifth and sixth people on your list?
-I can't say enough about Robbie and Jesika. Jesika is my cousin, but she is also one of my very best friends and almost more like a sister than a cousin. We are only about a year apart in age, so she and I have grown up together, and whenever we get a chance to talk we have so much fun. Robbie and I actually went to the same high school, so it was so neat when he and Jesika got married and he became a member of our family. He's so fun to be with and a great husband and father.
-Aubrey is also my cousin and one of the sweetest people I've ever known. She's always so cheerful and positive. She and I have some fun memories (like the fact that we were so excited that we were both the same height at one point, even though she's at least 4 years younger than me - weird memory, I know). I don't know Brett very well yet, but from what I've seen he's a great guy.

How long have you known the ninth person on your list?
-I have known Dave and Mary for almost 3 years. We were neighbors when we lived in Wymount, and Mary and I were visiting teaching companions for a while. They now live in Iowa, but we still keep in touch a little thanks to the wonderful world of blogs :-)

What impresses you about the eleventh and twelfth people on your list?
-Shawn and Kate have been through some hard times, but they always have such a positive attitude about everything. When Shawn was our home teacher I was always impressed with his insights and knowledge of the gospel. They are such great people.
-Josh and Laura have such a great outlook on life. They are some of the most hilarious people I've ever met and love to laugh.

What is a memory you have with the sixteenth person on your list?
-When we lived in Provo we went to a married student retreat for Valentine's Day one year, and Steve and Margaret were there also. We had such a blast playing games with them and some other couples from our ward.

Say something nice about the eighteenth person on your list.
-Jared and Shannon have an adorable little girl and have a wonderful relationship with each other.

I had a lot of fun with this blog, so if you feel like doing it too, go for it!

Feed the birds

Last night for Family Home Evening we decided to go to Crystal Lake Park, which is just up the street from our apartment. There are a large number of geese there, and we thought it would be fun to feed them.

They were quite enthusiastic, to say the least. (Warning: if you have small children, you should proceed with caution. We wouldn't want to ruin their perception of nice geese)


We had a great time feeding the geese for a few minutes. And then we saw this:

Oops!

After realizing our mistake, we walked around more of the park and just enjoyed spending time together. Will had a lot of fun throwing sticks and leaves into the lake from the bridge. Here are some random pictures of our fun night.

Thoughts on motherhood

I've been sitting here trying to figure out what to say about Mother's Day. It was a very unusual day, but it would take far too long for me to explain everything that happened, so I'll just leave it at that. I've been thinking a lot today about the mothers in my life and I am humbled and honored to be included in this group. The past 2 1/2 years have definitely been challenging, and I am still amazed that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to raise one of His precious children. I still have a lot of struggles to work through, and I know that it will continue to be challenging and stressful, but I also know that it will be rewarding, miraculous, incredible, and wonderful to see Will and his brothers and sisters grow up. I feel so blessed to have such a special little boy in my life who loves me more than I could ever imagine.

I'm a believer!

I used to think that leashes for children was something unusual and cruel...until I had a child. Now I love them! The minute that Will is outside he loves to run around and play, and often doesn't want to come back when we need him to. This was a huge problem for me, especially since I can't go very fast on surfaces like grass and sand. Luckily for me, a friend in the ward offered to loan me the one she had been using. I've used it a number of times now, and it has made a HUGE difference. I'd recommend it to anyone whose child is a runner like mine.

Who needs a park slide

When you have a couch and a box!



Will had a bit of a crazy morning, so we used a bit of parental creativity to keep him entertained. He has had almost as much fun with this as he has with the slides at the park. I think it will come in handy for rainy days.