Malt O' Meal & Berries

The Pole Ex!

Most of you should know by now that "AAAGHGHG" is Conner's favorite movie. What, you've never heard of this title?? Let me decipher-"All Aboard!" is what he is saying and this means he wants to watch the Polar Express- NOW! As all typical toddlers, he wants to watch his favorite movie on repeat all day and all night long. I have learned to tune it out- or repeat all the words in my head- whichever I feel like at the moment. But poor Josh has had enough! We went to Costco last night to pick up a few other options that Josh hopes he will pick up on. Monsters, Inc. and Alladin made it home with us and we even tried to get Conner to watch Monsters, Inc. a couple of times...but still...he says "AAAAGHGHG" and points to the TV, then starts crying and falls to his knees. Maybe I will give Alladin a try later on today.

This is a picture of daddy trying to get Conner interested in Monsters, Inc. and this is Conner saying "AAAGHGH".

Playgroup at my house

Despite having a tiny play area, we had lots of friends over for play group on Tuesday because we figured the parks would still be too wet. It was pretty loud but I think everyone had a good time. At one point, all the kids decided they needed a snack, so they sat down at the bench to eat together (minus Sydney and Karah- who were a little too small to fit in with the bigger kids).

Here Kitty Kitty

We have had a kitty kat coming around our porch quite a bit lately and Conner gets really excited to go out to see him. It is my chance to get some cuddly kitty time too- because Josh is severely allergic and we can't have cats. The kitty is super soft and tame- so I am assuming he is someone's house cat that just comes to visit us (drawn by our bird feeder). I haven't actually checked to see if he is a boy or girl (from scars etc.) so we just call him a he. Conner isn't quite sure what to do when the cat rubs up against him but he braves it every once in while and reaches out to pet him. Pretty cute.

Who is this Man?

No, he's not a former prophet or inventor of anything...he is the man who gave the name to pre-birth contractions- Braxton Hicks.
Cause
Braxton Hicks contractions is a tightening of the uterine muscles for one to two minutes and is thought to be an aid to the body in its preparation for birth. Not all expectant mothers have these contractions. They are thought to be part of the process of effacement, the thinning and dilation of the cervix.
History
Braxton Hicks are named after the English doctor who first described them. In 1872, John Braxton Hicks investigated the latter stages of pregnancy and noted that many women felt contractions without being near birth. This process was usually painless but caused women confusion as to whether or not they were going into actual labor. It has since been found that Braxton Hicks' contractions are much less noticeable during exercise, whereas real contractions are not.
Worsening factors
Dehydration is thought to be a contributing factor in extended Braxton Hicks contractions.
Relieving factors
Methods for ceasing Braxton Hicks contractions include: changing position; taking a warm bath or shower; drinking water; resting; or changing activities.

Just in case you couldn't figure it out, mine started-about a week ago...and happen several times a day. Not painful, they really just feel weird. They affect my lungs first- I feel like my muscles are squeezing my lungs and then my tummy muscles tighten up real hard. Weird but cool. Guess I need to drink more water and work out more.

Disneyland Day!!

Conner and I went to Disneyland today for the first time by ourselves. It was great weather and the lines were nice and short- except on the popular kiddie rides. So, I took him on the big people rides and scared him to death. Actually, we went on Buzz Lightyear first and as you can see by the way he is pulling my shirt off- he was a little uneasy. Then we went on the carousel, which he loved. Then we went on Pirates and Haunted Mansion and he held on to me super tight the whole time through both of those. He seemed to like it afterwards and when I ask him, "Did you have fun on Pirates?" he says, "Argh".

We stopped on the way out of the park and had a hot dog together- I know it sounds weird, but that was fun because he was being so cute and really interacting with me a lot.

On the way home he was out like a light. What a great day!

Gym Dilemnas

So, Josh and I have been making it to the gym a few times a week together and we take Conner to the nursery there. The only thing is, is that he cries really hard when I leave him there (for like 5 minutes). When I leave him at church nursery he either runs towards the toys and doesn't care that I leave or makes a really sad face like he's gonna cry but then is distracted by the wonderful teachers.
I honestly feel so bad leaving him at the gym nursery- I can't stop thinking about him the whole time I am working out and I get this pit in my stomach. How long will it take him to outgrow this????? I don't know how long I can take it!!

President Hinckley

As a very recent convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I have only known one Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley. Here he is with his adorable wife Marjorie. This is how I will always picture the two of them. At the same time as sadness tightens my throat, joy spreads through me with the knowledge that these two will now be together in the presence of Heavenly Father, Jesus, and all those who have built this church.

I love that I was able to have such a wonderful man as my prophet. I will never forget his voice. I will learn from his words of love and intellect for many years to come. I will miss him dearly.

President Hinckley Passes

SALT LAKE CITY 27 January 2008
President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through twelve years of global expansion, has died at the age of 97.
President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since 12 March 1995.
The Church president died at his apartment in downtown Salt Lake City at 7:00 p.m. Sunday night from causes incident to age. Members of his family were at his bedside. A successor is not expected to be formally chosen by the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles until after President Hinckley’s funeral within the next few days.

One Long Day

Poor Clay came over today to help us put up a couple of ceiling fans. After crawling up into our non-existent attic...he decided it would be a better idea if we called an electrician about installing a fan in Conner's room. So, he moved on to changing the dinky fan in our kitchen to nice beautiful fan I got at Lowe's. Brackets didn't work, screws didn't fit...so we had to take it back for a different fan. Once he got the new fan up, we realized there was a piece missing. We tried to get it on without success. Took that fan back, got a new one. This 5 Minute Fan (that is the name of the fan) went up in about 20 minutes. Why is it, that when you start a project it can never just go smoothly??? Conner enjoyed climbing on Clay's ladder. You can see that Josh helped out a lot from the couch...just kidding. That photo was a posed picture- he really did help a ton!!

Chuck E' Cheese!!

We went to Chuck's Place last night for Avery's and Brody's Birthday Party. Despite not having napped yesterday, Conner had a BLAST!! He was running all over like crazy and wanting to go on all kinds of fun rides. He got to run around with Sydney and Avery a bunch while Owen hung out a lot with Bryson. There were SO many people there that it was a little crazy and hectic but Conner didn't seem to mind. I was worried about losing track of him...but I guess I was just feeling a little overprotective. Josh and I ate pizza and cake behind Conner's back (I fed him before we went) and we ALL drank lots of sugary pop. I brought Conner's jammies and changed him in the car before we headed home- I anticipated his falling asleep- Which he did right away and slept like a log all night. What a fun night with our friends and family- Thanks Lindsey and Sarah for the great time!!

Utensils

Wanted to comment on one of Conner's most recent milestones. He is using a spoon and fork quite efficiently. It seemed to happen on his 1 and a half year birthday exactly. He just suddenly started keeping the spoon at the same plateau until it reached his mouth and he stabs things pretty well with the fork. He also doesn't give up and start using his hands quite as fast as he used to. Pretty soon he'll be cutting steak with a knife!

PS: I am very excited to go to Ella's Shower tonight. I can't wait to see her and maybe hold her. I will be so sad to see her mommy and daddy move away- they have been such special friends to us.

Blog Journal

I heard from Raechal about a friend who writes in her blog every day as her journal...then she prints them out and keeps them. I wanted to try to do this too because I am not very good at keeping up a writing journal (my head works way to fast for my writing hand). I heard, also, that there is a web site called http://www.blurb.com/ that will bind your blog into a hardcover book...I haven't checked out the site yet, but I think this is a great idea too.
So, I wanted to start with what we did yesterday. Conner and I went to Disneyland with friends for Avery's birthday. When we first got there, I was starving, so I ordered two corndogs from the kiosk at the end of main street (thinking they would be dinky ones like at Hot Dog on a Stick-sorry Robyn). Boy was I wrong. Those things are like a foot long and two inches in diameter!! I ate them both! Ha Ha what a pig!!
We went on Autotopia first and I had a really hard time keeping Conner in line just to get on the ride. I had to hold him for a bit and it was a little hard on my big pregnant belly. Finally on the ride, he got to sit behind the wheel and steer which jerked us all over and our car kept quitting because I was going too slow. Needless to say, we've been on better rides.
Next we went on the Buzz Lightyear and once again Conner's eyes were as big as saucers as he clung to his laser gun and watched the glowing creatures around him. He seemed to like it though- no tears or holding on to me tight.
Raechal talked us into going on the spaceships that go round and round. They go really fast and squash you up against the outside wall. I think I will let Josh take him on that one next time- or maybe I will just wait until I am not pregnant anymore.
We headed to the train but it started to downpour on us so our day was cut short. I need to invest in one of those rain covers for the stroller...
We had a great time even though we weren't there long. Luckily, I got a season pass- so now Conner and I (and all our friends) can go almost whenever we want. I'll have to keep track of how many times it takes Conner to really get into Buzz Lightyear!
I will post pics once Raechal and Lindsey send me some (hint hint).

Conner and Yogurt

Conner worked on some soy yogurt the other day and made quite a time of it. I think he thought the spoon was a little too slow and so decided to drink it like a shake. He was even patient enough for it to slide down all the way to his mouth (and face). After he ate what he could this way, he resorted to the spoon again to dig out the last morsels.

All Aboard!!!

I saw this Polar Express train at the Spectrum at

Christmas time and I knew that Conner would love a ride but I wasn't sure it was still there until I saw on Sarah's blog that she went to it the other day. So, we called up Rae and Toby and asked them if they'd like to make a night of it. Conner was a little weary during the ride- his eyes wide open and watching everything go by. I, myself, was afraid every time the crazy conductor decided to do his little whip turns!!!!

Then we all enjoyed dinner together. Everyone had Chipotle but me- I had a Dulce De Leche Crepe from Crepe Makers. YUM.

USS Midway- San Diego

On January 13, 2008 we headed down to San Diego to board the USS Midway for a little extra credit for one of Shelby's classes. It was a beautiful sunny day to be with our family and a chance to admire and revere one of the ships used in World War II. Being on the ship gave us great respect for the all military personnel from our past and present. Josh got a chance to be up close and personal with some of his favorite jets while Conner was in awe of the old radar systems- which he learned about from one of the actual original Captains of the ship. Josh's Grandpa Dewey (stationed on a ship during WWII) would have been so proud to see us on one of his country's vessels.

The Pack

So, it is official. The Pack is out of the running for the Superbowl. If any of you saw the game, you know how close it was and we SO thought we had a chance!!

Happy Birthday to the Greatest Dad!

I have to let you all know that it was Josh's birthday on the 2nd of January (also my Mother's birth date). He was feeling really under the weather and ended up staying home from work all day to sleep and try to recoup. Chicken noodle, Sprite, and Malt O' Meal were his friends.
We didn't get to celebrate, so I told him we would have to take a raincheck on his b-day.
I just wanted him to know that I think he has turned out to be an amazing father (and husband). I know that he loves us so much and deeply wants to take care of our needs. He is an intelligent and hardworking soul who strives hard to reach his goals. I am so lucky to have found him. I love him with all my heart.

Happy Birthday Honey!

Photos Galore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel like this guy!! I just finished uploading and ordering 490 pictures!!!!!!! So, you know if I only uploaded 490, that I had to look through at least 3 times that!! And, because I was uploading from discs, I had to select them one at a time (going to the browser between each selection). How much of a pain is that? I started this afternoon at 12 (while Conner napped- for 2 hours) and then took it up again when he went to bed at 7:30- I just now finished and it is MIDNIGHT. I am going crazy...

Ok, I will look at it optimistically- I am finally caught up on my pics (now I just have to put them in albums-no, I don't scrapbook...yet). Now I will keep on top of them! And, because I preordered photos at 9 cents on snapfish.com I saved a ton on this order!!