Gary, Jadee and McKay Hallman

It's a...

2012-01-16T13:17:00.000-08:00

BOY!!! I know you all may know this by now but I guess putting it on your blog makes it official, eh? We are SO excited and I'm sure McKay will be too...once he figures out what the heck is going on. He has become quite the "Momma's boy" lately. He wants me over Gary 95% of the time. He also has a jealous streak if I am playing or holding another child. So it will be interesting with a new baby here. But as always, I'm sure things will work out and in the end, he will be ESTATIC to have a new brother to "play" with!

Expecting...

2011-11-29T12:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is correct. We are expecting baby #2 (no NOT twins) in early May! We are so excited! I have definitely been sicker this pregnancy. That may be due to the fact that I have a toddler to chase around now but maybe we are having a girl? Either way, I will not complain. I know too many friends and family that cannot get pregnant so I am just content to get through these months and to know that I have been given the gift to be a mom again. We will find out in December what we are having if you would like to make a guess in the comment box!

When Grandma Comes to Town

2011-11-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

Gary's mom came to visit us last week. And we sure enjoyed her being here. I think maybe McKay the most because she was always going outside with him and just letting him WALK! She took McKay to the mall to walk around, to the park to feed the ducks, and got on the ground and played with him.

She helped me out a ton when I needed to sleep after working a grave yard shift and when I didn't feel well and just wanted to lay on our couch. She cooked us dinner, took us to yummy Spaghetti Factory and to Sills for breakfast and hot scones!

We (me, Gary and Janna) got to do a session in the Bountiful temple which was really nice. We got to see family and spend time with a great grandma! We love you Janna. Thanks for coming and please come back soon!!!

Random Post

2011-09-23T16:12:00.001-07:00

Summer has been great. We have been so many places and done so many things but I hate taking pictures! I would rather enjoy the moment instead of pulling my camera out every two seconds. And let's face it, who wants to read a post with no pictures? Not my brother for one... Also, I spend all my waking hours with my baby so of course all of the pictures I DO have are of him.

I will try to catch up slowly but these are the few random pictures I do have on my camera. Gary was in Italy and Switzerland for the last 2 weeks for work (I know, tough job, eh???). I hate being home alone so I decided to pack McKay up and drive 8 1/2 hours to where I used to spend a lot of my summers, in the lovely state of Montana, with this awesome lady who happens to be my grandma.

I hadn't been to Great Falls for 15 years and it was time for me to go back. I have so many memories of spending time there with my cousins. I was nervous to go knowing it wouldn't be the same but I had A BLAST and am so thankful to my grandma and grandpa for allowing us to come and putting up with a baby for a week. We did so much; garage selling (I bought a nice bike for $8 dollars!!), eating, the farmer's market, watched my cousins do cross country and football, and did I mention eat? One of my best memories of my grandpa is when he would take me down to the basement, open up his file cabinet that was stocked of full-size candy bars (my favorite being Skor bars!) and pop in a Broadway musical. To this day I credit my grandpa for my love of musicals. We were able to watch "Mame" and "My Fair Lady" while I was there and I loved it! I love my grandparents and wish I had gotten more pictures.

I spent some time with my aunt Joni too. We spent some time together while we were at Island park in August and picked right up where we left off. I loved our chats and wish we lived closer. Love to all my family in Montana!

I love these boys. I also love my Ergo baby carrier, as does McKay. Gary's sister Leslie introduced us to the Ergo carrier and I think everyone with a baby should own one! McKay loves this pack and often falls asleep while being carried in it. Gary often puts him in it while he goes outside to mow the lawn and McKay just LOVES being close to one of us!
What is is about children and cell phones? I swear, I haven't met a child who doesn't like them! McKay is constantly playing with mine and talks into it, waving his hands and having the funniest conversation...with no one on the other line. It's funny though, if someone is actually on the other side, McKay won't say a word, just listens. It's frustrating to Gary and my dad since they are the ones that are always trying to get him to talk to them. McKay loves to climb on our couch and then lays back and lounges on the pillows. So cute!

Still has blue, blue eyes and white blonde hair!

Like I said, this is a random post and I didn't want to fix my picture order so we are back in Montana. My grandma has a great garden that we were lucky enough to eat fresh vegetables from while we were there. One day we were outside and my grandma was picking the ripe vegetables. I looked over to see this...McKay EATING a zucchini. WHAT? Not one bite, not 2....multiple bites...raw...!!! Yuck! But he would have eaten the whole thing had I not stopped him. He also ate raw rhubarb...do you know how sour that is? I can barely eat it in a crisp with lots of sugar on it! Weird kid! Like I said, he eats almost anything!

Should I mention that McKay STILL can't walk? He has no desire. He will balance every once in a while but then drops and crawls to whatever or wherever he wants. He is almost 15 months old....don't JUDGE!

1 year old

2011-08-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

Dear McKay-

One year ago, (July 6th, 2010) was the best day of your dad's and my life! You entered our life and changed it for the better. You are a very happy baby but have learned to love to be around people. You are a "people watcher." You can sit and be entertained with those around you, whether they are playing with you or paying attention to you.

Your one year stats are: Weight: 23lbs,4 oz- 55%. Height: 32 inches- 95%. Head: 18.25 inches- 50%. You are tall and the doctor said you could even stand to put on a few pounds. Your dad was worried you were a little too chubby but the doctor says otherwise!

You can't walk yet but you are walking along the furniture. We try to stand you up in the middle of the room and you still act a bit scared and sit down immediately. ou are unsure of your balance but that's okay. You used to do the "paraplegic" crawl for a long time and your dad and I were worried you would never crawl normally. But you did and now you are the fastest little guy. So we aren't too worried about you walking.

You are so bored of all of your toys. You would rather discover the cupboards and drawers...all over our house. You are very good at your motor skills and I have found you with my chap sticks, the lids off and some of it in your mouth...more than once. You like screw on lids. The doctor said to watch you when you got to be about 15 months because that's when most kids master twist on lids. Not you. You figured them out weeks ago.

You still love to eat. You are not picky and will try almost everything, although you are in the very INDEPENDENT stage. You want to hold your own spoon and feed yourself. You make quite the mess at meal time and that sort of gives your dad massive anxiety. But we love seeing you figure out how to eat and pick up your food. And we just like that you are such a good eater. I stopped nursing you at about 11 1/2 months...not by choice. I was sad but you love whole milk and love your bottles. You don't drink juice much but only because you don't like it as well. Milk or water is your favorite drink. Pasta, cereal, cheese, potatoes of any kind, and banana's are your favorite foods.

You are a water boy through and through. You love your bath's, the swimming pool, the sprinklers, waterfalls...you name it! If it involves water, you love it, no matter how cold the water is. You just hate getting out. It's a struggle getting you dressed after your bath's. There is too much to discover for you to sit still! You also love to climb. You try to climb on the couch, the bed, foot stools, the mantle. That is your new little naughty trick . You climb on the fireplace mantle and pick out the flowers in our glass vase. It makes me nervous because the glass on the fireplace gets very hot and I don't want you touching it and getting used to it when we turn it on in the winter. So we are trying to teach you but you are very insistent and when you look at me and grin, I can't help it. I smile or laugh back and you think it's a game!

You have conquered climbing but don't know how to go back down the right way. You have face planted it a few times and we have to watch you carefully.

You get so excited around your cousins. We just spent the week in Nevada with daddy's family and you loved playing every minute with Matthew and Tate. They sure love you too. You also love, love, love when cousin Chase comes in the door. You start into really fast babble, as does Chase.

Speaking of talking, you don't say words yet but you do say "dadadada" and you say it around your dad sometimes...so we wonder! You understand what we are saying though and have become pretty good at the basic sign language words. We love when you fold your arms when we say it's time for prayers. Brushing your teeth makes you excited and you are still our book boy. You LOVE to read and to be read to. You found that if you knock all of your books off of the end table, they will be on the ground and you can sit and read to your heart's content. So we often find you sitting on the ground reading your books. It's cute.

You are a pretty good sleeper. One nap a day for about 3 hours. And you go to bed between 7:45pm-8:30pm and always sleep for at least 12 hours. If you don't get your 12 hours or if you are woken up in the morning or from a nap, you are cranky. I don't blame you though. You like your sleep, just like your momma. You still get very cuddly, especially when you are tired. I love putting you to bed. You snuggle right in with your favorite blanket and love to be sung to.

You don't pay attention to TV and I can't get you to sit in front of it to watch Sesame Street or anything else while I get ready. That's good though. I'm glad you aren't a TV boy. You love music though, especially the Mormon Tabernacle choir (we listen to Music and the Spoken Word on Sundays). You have the blondest hair and blue eyes. You have brought unfathomable joy to our lives and we can't remember life without you. Your kisses are to die for! Your dad and I love you SO MUCH and look forward to eternity with you. Happy one year baby boy!

New born pictures

August, 1 month

September, 2 months

October, 3 months

November, 4 months

December, 5 months

January, 6 months

February, 7 months

March, 8 months

April, 9 months

May, 10 months

June, 11 months

July, 1 year old

Family Pictures

2011-07-19T19:16:00.001-07:00

My cousin Brandi was sweet enough to come down from Idaho to take our family pictures since we haven't had ANY since McKay was born. She just started her own photography business and she is GOOD! Thanks so much for taking time to do these for us Brandi!

McKay's Birthday

2011-07-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

McKay turned 1 on July 6th! We had just gotten back from Disney world a few weeks before so we did a Mickey Mouse theme. Like he noticed or cared...right? RIGHT! But it was fun doing a little decorating. We went swimming earlier in the day with my mom, sister and nephew. McKay loves the water so it was a good activity for him.

And then of course, my worst nightmare happend. McKay wouldn't nap...and I had 3 hours of decorating a Mickey Mouse cake for him. Once again, did he care? Nope. But I left him in his crib to fall asleep and he did eventually, 45 minutes before my sister came over with Chase. And then McKay was up. Oh well, it was his birthday and he can cry if he wants to, right?

No, he was a good boy. We had a few friends and family over for a BBQ and cake and homemade Oreo ice cream. Thanks to all of those who helped to make McKay's day special. We love you little one!

Just had to post this video. When we went to sing "Happy Birthday" to McKay, he got kind of scared or shy or I don't know what! He turned away and almost started crying. It was cute. I think he got a little overwhelmed with so many people looking at him and singing so loudly.

Just a Night on the Lake

2011-06-30T15:24:00.001-07:00

Gary and I have been dreaming about this night...in well, over 2 years! One of our most favorite things to do is to be on the lake. Being pregnant last summer, we missed out so it had been a LONG, long time since we had been. Thanks Curtie for sharing your boat with us. We were rejuvenated even after a few hours!

McKay gives the best kisses!

Just loving being on the boat. Don't let this fool you though. He was mad half of the time because he hated that darn life jacket.
Just chillin and watching daddy do his stuff.
Yep, hated that life jacket from the second I put it on until the second I took it off

"Mom, this looks easy!"

I was nervous after 2 years of not going and being about 15 pounds heavier. But, I got right up and even though I can work on my form, it felt SO GOOD being out there!
Gary showing off his skills on the wake surf
Loving him some good water
First time in the lake. Making a "warm" spot for himself. :)

I'm not sure I remember how to do this...

Gary getting some good air

Feeding the Ducks...and Seagulls?

2011-06-02T12:29:00.001-07:00

A few days ago, we went with my mom, sister-in-law, and cute nieces and nephew to feed the ducks at Barnes park. McKay kept laughing at the quacking ducks. I think he is going to LOVE Animal Kingdom at Disney World (which we leave to in 3 days!!!!). The other little ones also loved the ducks, throwing them whole rolls instead of pieces. Needless to say, the ducks loved them too.

Little Lissy Lou
Jeneveve and Chase
So while we were "feeding" the ducks, there were many seagulls around too. They kept stealing the duck food. My mom made the comment that it's no wonder we hadn't gotten pooped on with all of the seagulls flying around. No later than 5 minutes after she said that, my poor sister-in-law got POOPED on! It was the sickest thing ever...I'm sure sicker for her than anyone. It was also the funniest thing ever...I'm also sure...not for her. Unfortunately, she seems to be a favorite target of our lovely state bird. This is her 4th, yes 4th time she had gotten pooped on by a seagull. They have a thing for her. Annie, I guess you can be thankful it didn't land in your hair or on your face, eh? Disgusting but thanks for the good laugh.

"Whi-mean Ma-Qweennn"

2011-05-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

I have to brag for a minute... It was my nephew Chase's birthday today and his favorite thing ever is "Whi-mean Ma-Qweeennn!" So my sister bought a Lightening McQueen cake pan...and I did the rest. Yes there were instructions on how to do this but I free-handed it ALL! And if I do say so myself, it turned out pretty dang cute!

I was so thankful Shani was there to help though. She made frosting, colored it and kept putting the frosting in bags for me. I bought a cake decorating kit off of Amazon because I want to be one of those mom's that makes my kids birthday and special occasion cakes. I had never tried anything before and my mom suggested I take a class first. But it looks like I kind of self-taught myself. How hard can it be, right?

Shani is famously named "The Treat Aunt." Why? Because in order to be the favorite but also to keep fussy, neglected children quiet when their mother has ignored them for 3 hours to decorate a cake, she gives them treats. In this case, frosting beaters....dipped over and over in frosting. Thank you little sister for giving my child a sugar high. You won the title of "favorite" today!

Food Connoiseur

2011-05-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

McKay loves food. Enough said. I haven't found one thing he doesn't like or one thing he won't try. In fact, if me or Gary are eating "real" food, he eye's our food and fusses until we give him some. I love having a non-picky eater. These are some of his favorites: fruit, pancakes, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese. Ya I know, healthy...but I like trying everything with him.

Loves, loves, LOVES momma's homemade buttermilk pancakes

A slice of apple. He likes to gnaw on it...probably feels good on his teeth and gums

Homemade fruit smoothie

Who can resist a pickle?Loves toast and sucks on it like this...hands free

I had cut up a few banana pieces and put them on McKay's tray. He started fussing and when I turned around, I could see he was frustrated because he couldn't pick up the slippery, tiny pieces. So being the good mom that I am, I just handed him the whole banana. And....HE ATE THE WHOLE THING. Yes, the whole banana.

He tried Kiwi's for the first time. The black seeds everywhere were the best! I had eaten most of the apple and kept giving McKay little bites. Eventually he wasn't happy until he could suck and gnaw on the whole apple.
No, this picture wasn't manipulated at all. He loves him some pasta, just like his momma!

A New Love

2011-05-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Gary's dad came and visited us a few weeks ago. He brought his dog with him and McKay loved the dog. It was so funny to watch him interact with the dog.

McKay's Trademark

2011-05-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

McKay crosses his feet...all the time...in everything he does. It is "him" and we love it!

Happy Birthday Gary

2011-04-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Gary turned 36 yesterday! Man, he is getting old...hehehe! I worked the night before so I didn't get streamers or balloons put up like I originally wanted. Birthday's haven't ever been a super big deal in our family but I want them to start being that way. I think it's a special way to let someone have a day all about them. It makes you feel special!

I got home from work and Gary left for work. I had asked him what kind of cake he wanted me to make or buy but he just wanted to go to dinner and get dessert at the restaurant. Seeing he choose the Cheesecake Factory, I knew they would have dessert's pretty well covered. I'm glad his boss took him to get some yummy pizza at Settebello's for lunch. While gone, the rest of his co-workers decorated his cubicle with balloons and streamers. At least someone picked up his wife's slack!

Dinner was delicious and he ended it with Chocolate Fudge cake and I got the Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake. I don't love cheesecake but this was insanely good! And, Gary did get to pick out two great presents. So happy birthday babe. McKay and I love you. Thanks for all you do for our family! And, I promise to give you a better birthday next year!

Where does the time go?

2011-04-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

McKay is 9 months old! I know, it's crazy to me. He had his doctor's appointment and here are his latest stats: Weight: 21.9 lbs- 70%, Height: 29.5 inches- 90%, Head: 18cm- 55%. He is thinning out but still tall. Here are some fun things about McKay at 9 months:

* He can't do regular crawling yet. I wouldn't even call it army crawling. He moves both arms together and then DRAGS his legs behind him. He looks like a snake when he moves or more like a paralyzed person from waist down. No, really. You would have to see it to believe it.

* He has two top teeth and two bottom teeth

* He loves food, especially "grown-up" food. But he is an excellent eater. Gary and I love that he is a pretty clean eater too. He lets us feed him ad rarely puts his hands in his mouth. He gets food on his face but not much. * He loves balls.

* He loves to jump in his jumper

* He has graduated to a bigger car seat and loves sitting up and looking out the windows in the car

* He still has an infectious smile and will smile at almost anyone. He knows what "give me a kiss" means and goes in for open mouth kisses all the time. He is so good at giving them! Not showing too much stranger anxiety yet but does prefer momma and daddy.

* He is starting to get the hang of sign language. I'm pretty sure he understands me but the only thing he has actually signed to me on his own is "more please."

* He is getting better at naps and bed time. He wakes up at night sometimes but we don't go to him anymore. He is able to go back to sleep on his own.

* The minute we put him in his car seat, he takes his shoes and socks off, no fail. He takes his socks off at home a lot. I think he is going to be a sandal or bare foot boy.

* He STILL snuggles with his momma and will lay his head on your shoulder when he is tired.

* Talks and babbles a ton.

* Loves bath time and faucets.

* Has his momma and daddy wrapped around his finger. We love you little one!

61 days until...

2011-04-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

THIS!! Gary helped to talk his family into visiting the happiest place on earth, DISNEY WORLD! We leave June 5th and we cannot wait! I think Gary and I are way too excited. I think about it daily! His family has never been and we are excited to share this magical place with them. Hopefully this expensive trip will be well worth it and many memories made!

Besides being a die-hard BYU fan, I am a anything "Disney" die-hard! I tear up at Disney commercials. I get chills walking up to the entrances of each park and have to make myself walk. McKay listens to instrumental Disney music every single night when he goes to bed. He went to Disneyland when he was 7 weeks and will now go to Disney world at 11 months.

It feels like Christmas, excpet to me, even better! Can't, can't, can't WAIT!

Going, going, GONE

2011-03-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

Before the hair cut...

During the hair cut...

After the hair cut...

Maybe my next job should be a hair stylist? It was hard seeing all those blond locks in the sink. A first hair cut is a BIG DEAL but I have to admit, it does look better.

"Fat Guy In a Little Coat"

2011-03-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

... I mean, shirt. I worked Friday night. I came home, slept and when I woke up, I found my son wearing a shirt way too small. His dad thought he looked endearing. I guess I need to clean out the closet and store the clothes that are too small. I usually dress McKay every day so I just know what not to put on him. Gary says if it's in the closet or drawers, it's fair game. It was pretty funny though. It wouldn't cover his belly (aka, "muffin top" in Gary's words). I promise, I didn't take him out of the house!

By the way, the shirt says, "With a shirt this cool, who needs pants?" A gift from one of our good friends. I considered taking his pants off but then wondered to myself how white trash could we really get? And for the record, I don't think our son is fat at all!

Finally, IT'S MARCH!

2011-03-02T16:51:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie, it's been a month since my last post but I think I have been in a winter funk. I have had no desire to blog. The weather is blah and so we have been stuck inside and that means I am also feeling blah. Then I think how all I blog about is McKay and I bore you all to death...so I just don't blog. Blogging is hard work sometimes. It takes a long time (not like I don't have time) and it's hard to be creative. But this is my journal so I need to get crackin.

Gary's sister and brother-in-law invite us each year to go to a family friends' cabin every February. We have never been able to make it but this year, we did! And it was FABULOUS! We were still in Utah (we were down by Brain Head) but it felt SO GOOD to get out of the house and be somewhere new. The cabin was huge and gorgeous and a lot of fun. There was great food, sledding, snowmobiling and the best part? Not having to get ready for a few days. It was nice to stay in sweats, read, play games and eat!

McKay turned 8 months old on the 6th and he thinks now that he only needs 1 nap a day. This momma is NOT okay with that...especially on the days she comes home from work. He is just loving to discover the world around him and feels there is too much to do instead of napping. Here are some things about McKay to date:

*He loves food. Could you tell? He has liked all his baby food from vegetables to fruit to cereals. He also likes "adult food." He loves, loves, LOVES spaghetti! And I gave him a piece of dry toast today and he inhaled it. He takes big bites out of not so soft food and tends to gag himself a lot. I have to fish food out of his mouth but it's fun to watch him try new foods. I would love a non-picky eater like his dad because I am the pickiest eater out there!

*He can't crawl yet but rolls from side to side and eventually skoochs himself to what he wants, usually the door stopper!

*He doesn't have any more than the 2 bottom teeth but still drools a ton and we're just waiting for the upper teeth to pop.

*McKay loves books and being read to. His favorite reader? My dad. If you haven't ever heard my dad read a book to a child, you should. He is AMAZING doing all of the voices of the characters and McKay sits entranced.

*McKay is wearing 12 month clothes but I will soon be looking for 18? month pj's. I like the one piece pajamas but his feet are just too long for the 12 month. We just got him a bigger car seat that holds up to 100lbs because, well, he was way to big for the baby car seat.

*He has more hair (curly!) than I know what to do with. Many are telling me it's too shaggy and to get it cut and other's say it's cute and he's too young to have his hair cut already. I personally think it's a bit long but I love the loose curls on top of his head. He is still so blond, blue eyed and fair skinned.

*He still loves to cuddle!, but only when he is super tired and it's time to eat. I cherish bed time and snuggling. Bedtime is my most favorite time of day. A clean, "baby-lotioned" baby wrapped in a blanket sleeping in my arms. This momma is happy!

*McKay is not weary of strangers yet. He will go to anyone whether he has ever met them or not. He dishes out smiles left and right and is still such a happy, content baby. My dad has often commented to me that Gary and I have a special baby boy and I couldn't agree more!

I am trying to teach McKay a few of the basic sign language signs so hopefully as he gets older, he can sign a few words and I will know what he is saying rather than dealing with any screaming. I don't know if he is getting any of it yet but I am trying to be consistent with it. Hopefully the few words will stick with him!

I'm getting so sick of respiratory season at work. All I do is suction snot out of sick babies who can't breathe. And then McKay has been sick a lot this winter. Not bad sick but enough to make me sad that I'm probably bringing everything home to him, despite trying to be so careful. We don't go out much because I am a little anal about the cold but he has still had multiple colds this winter. Poor boy. He doesn't even flinch much anymore when I get out the suction device and go to town on his nose. We are DONE with winter.

He should have been taking a nap here. But after an hour and a half, I realized it was useless and he was all smiles

Sorry about the dark picture but this is McKay trying spaghetti for the first time.
"Good morning sweet boy!"

The snow that fell at the cabin the weekend we decided to go. No, this isn't the cabin, just the storage shed. I wish we would have gotten a picture of the gargantuous hotel!

I don't consider snow pretty very much but this weekend, I did.

Two little "mommas" at the cabin that were so cute and in love with McKay.

A new treat...fresh snow with apple or cranberry/apple juice for the sauce. Who would have thought? But these kids must make them often because they were in high demand this weekend!

The girls would fight over who got to "carry" McKay. He was such a good sport. He is almost as big as this 5 year old. His face tells it all!

2 Years

2011-02-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

Gary and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary this past Monday. We have decided trying a new restaurant each year and this time Gary suggested Cucina Toscana. Um, DELICIOUS! Pricey but worth it. The best part of the meal in my opinion was the THICK, Belgium chocolate hot chocolate. It was to DIE for! Yep, that's right. I would go back just for the tiny cup of hot chocolate we got.

Our awesome dessert on chocolate chip gelato

Our waiter making our Caesar salad dressing on the spot. It had anchovies in it (I was very nervous about that!) but it was actually pretty good. I loved how he put the salad on a plate covered with freshly grated Parmesan cheese

The BEST thing that happened to us in this last year!

Such a happy boy

We also built this house this last year. It was a great year and can't wait to see what year 3 brings!

I love you babe! Thanks for the wonderful year! Here's to many, MANY more!!!

6 Months Old and Milestones

2011-01-18T19:59:00.000-08:00

McKay turned 6 months old January 6th. Where has the time gone and where did our "little" boy go? Stats from his appointment are: Weight 19.10 lbs. (85%), Height 28 in. (95%), Head circumference 17 1/4 cm. (50%). Our pediatrician informed us that we needed to get a bigger car seat seeing that McKay's legs hang out of the one we have. At 6 months? REALLY??? He is wearing 12 month clothes. We have a chunker on our hands but we have always known that. I just claim that we are breading him to be some kind of sports player (football, basketball, soccer...?) at BYU. No really, up until January 1st, all he ever had was breast milk. What the heck? Starting January 1st he had his first taste of rice cereal. He wasn't sure about it at first but now I can't feed it to him fast enough. McKay also broke his first tooth January 6th! A few days later, a second tooth came through. We never would have known if we weren't feeling for them because he hasn't been fussy at all. Seriously, he is such a good baby.

This little chunker's legs are too fat for his Bumbo anymore. We finally broke down and bought him a highchair.

Right before he had his first taste of cereal

6 months old today (Jan. 6th!) He loves to smile and is such a happy baby!

Taking a bath in the kitchen sink. He is fascinated with water and where it is coming from

McKay sits in daddy's sink and "plays" and "eats" everything in site while momma is getting ready next to him. He loves to suck on the faucet head and has learned lately how to turn on the water...by accident I'm sure. But he has gotten wet more than once when I have turned my back for 2 seconds

He has finally realized that is HIM looking back in the mirror. He giggles at himself when his sees his reflection in anything. And look at that hair! He has 2 callouses in the back that turn opposite ways. So it is hard to do much with his hair and this is how it turns out often...combed down in front and spikey in the back.

My new highchair!

Eating my rice cereal and loving it! Momma decided the shoulder straps were a bit much and were one more thing to get messy with food. And yes there is usually always a bib on him but all 3 we owned were in the wash that time

On January 17th, McKay had his first wheat teething biscuit. He only had to examine it for one second before he devoured it. I had to turn off the video camera twice to fish out chunks of biscuit that he was choking on. He was too excited about it and wanted the whole thing in his mouth at once.

"I have cracker all over my mouth but it sure was good!" Gary is kind of a neat freak. He doesn't love his son being so messy. I think it gives him some anxiety when McKay reaches with messy hands and touches things. He came home today and saw cracker all over the floor and asked right away how we were going to clean it up. It's kind of humorous.

McKay continues to put everything in his mouth. He loves taking his daily iron supplements and loves, loves, LOVES Tylenol or Motrin. He gets excited when he sees a dropper, silly boy. He is finally on a decent sleep schedule. In bed at 7:30pm, wakes up once during the night (although the last few nights he has slept through the night...is this for good...???) and then up at 8:00am. He takes 2 naps a day and is good about laying down awake and falling asleep on his own. He still loves to be held and cuddled at night though when it is first time for bed.

When McKay gets really excited (which is most of the time), he starts kicking his legs, his whole body tenses up, his wrists start turning in cirlces and his toes curl. He gets the biggest smile on his face and sucks in his breath. It's so funny to watch. He babbles a lot and started saying "dadadadada." Gary is certain he is saying "Dada." Keep dreaming hun! He claps his chubby little hands together now and we have taught him Pat-a-Cake.

Ever since McKay was a newborn...literally....I would sing the Cougar fight song to him. Multiple times a day. Now I still sing it to him...not daily...but often enough. He loves the "rah rah rah rah rah (x3)..GO COUGARS!" and as I do that, I'm doing the fist pumping, rolling of the hands and final air pump with him! He just grins away the whole time. Well, as I feed him at night, I sing Primary songs to him. He loves his head to be rubbed in the process (something else I started when he was a newborn) falls asleep breastfeeding. One night he had been asleep for 5-10 minutes and I sang him the Cougar fight song cuz I had sung every other Primary song I knew. I got to the rah rah part and he pulled off, popped his eyes open at me and smiled till that part was over. Then he shut his eyes and went back to eating and fell asleep again. It was HILARIOUS! I called Gary in one night to show him...yes, it's humorous to me so if I need a good laugh, I will sing the Cougar fight song to him while he is sound asleep, just to watch him be wide awake for the end. I know, mean mom. But if you were to see it, you might think differently!

We have started reading books to McKay before bed and he is starting to sit more still while we read. You have to read fast though to keep his attention and as usual, the books always tend to go towards his mouth. We will continue to teach him that "books don't go in your mouth." Bath time is still his favorite part of the day. Tonight was his first "poop" in the tub. He started tooting and then before I knew it, there was yellow poop in the water. Great. Not my favorite moment being a mom and "cleaning" it up.

We have been trying to slowly introduce new foods to McKay. Things still have to be totally pureed for him or he gags and chokes. We tried mashed potatoes the other day....um, ya, didn't go over so well. He didn't seem to like them at all. I have let him suck on little Clementine oranges and he LOVES the juice from the orange. Tonight we gave him some baby food green beans. He actually liked them and kept opening his mouth for more. He likes his food warm. I don't love the thought of him eating only baby food and hope that I can start pureeing whatever we are eating and giving him food that is a little more nutritional. I don't know why McKay is so good when he eats but he rarely puts his hands in his mouth when I am feeding him. He has learned that "momma will do it" when I get the spoon close to his mouth and he reaches for it sometimes. Gary likes that besides getting so messy with the teether biscuits, McKay stays relatively clean during his rice cereal/baby food meals.

McKay hates being on his tummy. The second we put him there, he rolls right over. He only turns the same way too. We are working with him but he is stubborn. Wonder who he got that from...??? I don't know how he will ever start crawling when he refuses to be on his tummy but maybe one day. If he is on his back, he rolls from side to side and is close to going from his back to his tummy, especially if he is reaching for a toy.

We love our happy boy. I LOVE getting up in the morning and listening to him talk to himself in his crib. He doesn't fuss unless you leave him in there for a long time. Every morning when I first go in, I sing to him "Good morning, good morning!" from Singing in the Rain. He smiles, tenses up and sucks his breath in because he is so excited to see someone. He makes us smile. He makes life 100% better! We love you little one!!

Christmas in Nevada...

2011-01-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

This year was the first time I haven't had to work a Christmas shift in over 3 years. So we were lucky to be able to head to Nevada to spend Christmas with Gary's side of the family. McKay went on his first airplane ride and was an angel both ways. Everyone from Gary's side of the family was together on one occasion or another so it was great for McKay to meet some cousins and uncles he hadn't met before. We had a good relaxing vacation full of food, games and laughing. We found out we have a lack of pictures but that's because we were to busy recording everything!

McKay is starting to enjoy books

Just chillin' on the bed

Opening presents. McKay loved the bows

Matthew and Tate making cookies for Santa. Love these boys!

Our family on Christmas

Uncle Adam with McKay and newest baby to the family, Ryan

Uncle Nathan. McKay loves hats

Christmas Goodness

2010-12-19T20:51:00.001-08:00

White Chocolate Oreo Bark... need I say more? This is the easiest, yummiest recipe ever!!

Makes for great neighbor/friend gifts!!

Splish Splash I Was Taking a...SHOWER???

2010-12-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

When I get home from working a grave yard shift, I am exhausted. Usually McKay is just waking up and wants to play. I just want a shower and my bed. Guess who wins? Not me! But, I did have the genius idea of sticking McKay's Bumbo in the shower with me so I could fulfill one of my desires but be with him at the same time. Come to find out, he LOVES the shower! I don't know why I was surprised. He loves his baths but you should see him in the shower. He is constantly reaching up and trying to figure out where this steady stream of water is coming from. When he gets too slippery for me to hold, I stick him in his Bumbo, turn on Gary's shower head (wow, looks like we needed double shower heads after all!!!) and let warm water fall on the little guy. He is entertained for the length of my shower...which is quite long after a night shift. I love watching him try to discover his surroundings.

Yes, my baby looks like the white Michelin tire guy...look at all of those rolls! His eyes get so red because he sticks his head forward right into the stream of water, then jerks back when he realizes he can't breath in the water! It's kind of funny to watch. He is a regular little water bug. Do we have a swimmer on our hands? Maybe so...! For now, I will enjoy my showers with my little guy until he gets too big to be showering with his momma.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-16T20:25:00.000-08:00

This is a late post...but our Thanksgiving was unique this year. I was supposed to work the night before and the night of Thanksgiving. So we were not able to go to Idaho with the rest of my family to spend Thanksgiving with our extended family. We opted to go out to eat...which in my family is a travesty. But I wasn't going to make dinner just for the 2 of us. Lucky for us, my brother Chris decided he didn't want to make the long trip up to Idaho just for the day. So he went to dinner with us. We decided to go to Little America. I was STUNNED at the number of people waiting in line to eat. I guess staying home to eat a home-cooked meal on Thanksgiving isn't the norm that I thought.

Chris was around McKay for the second time since he was born. His comment, "When did he get a personality?" You should come around more often older brother. Your nieces and nephews would love to get to know you and your hilarious, fun-loving personality.

I ended up getting called off for both of my shifts, lucky me. It was nice to be with my little family.

2010-12-11T13:49:00.001-08:00

My dad was nice enough to babysit McKay for me and Gary so we could go to dinner and the Jazz game last night. In fact, come to find out, he had his own Jazz tickets for the game and gave them up because he said he would have rather babysat Mr. MaGoo. After he left, Gary and I go into McKay's room to check on him and this is what we found...

Um, DAAAADDDDD???? Blankets are NOT ALLOWED to be on baby's faces! We called him to give him a hard time (jokingly) and of course he seemed devastated! He said he had checked on him a half hour earlier to make sure this very thing had not happened. He claimed McKay was just trying to get him in trouble! Ha ha. We love you Dad and appreciate you always willing to help us out! McKay told us you are a very fun babysitter and he also loves you very much.

I'm a Big Boy Now

2010-12-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

My favorite son in the world was 5 months on December 6th. He is such a big boy. He sucks his thumb when he is tired, can roll to his back if I try to get him to do tummy time, sits up by himself for a time while playing on the floor with his toys, LOVES, loves, LOVES to drink water out of a cup, and holds his own bottle if his momma isn't there to give it to him. I love bed time because that is when he is the most cuddly. I will be devastated the day he stops wanting me to hold him close! He loves to smile and will go to anyone but I think he likes his momma best?! His aunt says, he is such a "laid back" baby, and that he is! Love you forever little one!

5 months old today (taken 12/6/10)

This is how he sleeps, head to one side and arms out straight

Such a HUGE Cougar fan!

"Drink please momma!"

Hamming it up for the camera

I can hold my own bottle

Priceless

2010-12-09T12:59:00.001-08:00

Gary and I decided we didn't really need individual gifts this year for Christmas. We really wanted to start capturing McKay "growing up." We never had a camcorder in my family and we realize how fun it would have been to go back and see home video's. So this is our Christmas present to ourselves. We got it already...so as to not miss any more AMAZING things our son does. We feel so blessed to have everything we need and to have so little wants.

4 Months Old

2010-11-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

So here are McKay's 4 month stats:

17.6 pounds (95%)
27.5 inches (Off the charts in height!)
16.5 inches in head circumference (40%)

As you can see, he is all body with a small head. He did so well with his shots. He cried for 2 seconds but stopped as soon as I picked him up.

Some things McKay does now:

*Rolls from side to side. He is close to rolling onto his tummy but is still a little unsure of how to get totally turned
*Smiles and giggles A TON!
*Loves to play Peek-a-Boo
*He sits up almost totally by himself. He falls forward sometimes and is still working on his trunk control. But the doctor said he is very strong and will be sitting on his own soon.
*Loves to take his Vitamin D drops. He pulls the funniest face though when I first put the dropper in his mouth.
*McKay loves to drink out of a cup...he is learning the suck/swallowing action of something other than his bottle or his mommy.
*Everything goes into his mouth. He is constantly sucking on his fist or fingers. Can't tell if he is going to be a thumb sucker yet or not. I'm hoping not.
*Is finally on a sleeping schedule. I never thought this day would come. He goes to bed, wakes up and naps about the same time every day. I love it!

Our sweet boy is just the happiest, most content baby out there. As long as he is in a room with people, he is fine "people" watching...just like his mommy. He doesn't need to be entertained and is happy as long as he isn't hungry or tired. He is constantly making me and Gary laugh. What an adventure it is to watch our little one grow up. I can't adequately describe the happiest he brings us. Love you MaGoo!

Baby Blessing

2010-10-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

I am playing catch-up on posting. So here is McKay's blessing day. We blessed him on September 5, 2010. He was such a handsome boy. We are so thankful for the wonderful family we belong to and for the love and support of those family members.

Gary gave McKay such a wonderful, spiritual blessing. I love that my husband is a worthy priesthood holder

Gary's family, many who made a long trip to come to the blessing

The Zoo and Halloween Cookies

2010-10-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

McKay had his first day at the zoo yesterday. And yes, he couldn't have cared less! He liked the stroller though and was wrapped up all snug. I can't wait until he is old enough to understand where he is and love seeing the animals.

I loved this picture because the baby elephant was sitting on the ball!

Wiped out from....? Well, from all the animals I guess!

It's a tradition of my family's to make pumpkin sugar cookies for Halloween. We grew up doing this but haven't done it for a few years. It's different when you are all grown up and out of the house. But we all have kids now and it's time to start the tradition up again. I was in charge this year and made my first batch of my mom's famous sugar cookie and frosting recipe. I like to cook but these sugar cookies gave me a hard time. You really have to work with the dough and I don't like "fussy" recipes. I finally got an idea what my mom went through year after year for us kids.

My mom would always frost the cookies (because no one puts enough frosting on the cookies for her! Have some cookie with your frosting is her motto!) and then us kids would decorate them. For this first year though, we thought it would be fun to have Jeneveve and Chase frost and decorate their own cookie. Chase had no idea what was going on and wanted to get down after 30 seconds. Jeneveve realized she had frosting and candy in front of her and ate more then she decorated. What else do you expect from a 2 year old? She lasted 3 minutes and after eating her heart out, she was done. Annie, Shani and I frosted and decorated the rest while my mom played with the kids. We had a great time and it was fun to bring this tradition back. This is one of Taylor's favorite things to do so these pictures are for you Tay. We love and miss you!!

"Chase, this is the knife we want you to use to spread the frosting around with. Why can't you do it????"

"Cookie? What cookie? All I see is candy!"

"Oh, you want me to put the candy there? That's a waste!"

Some of the finished product. Somehow, I missed the picture of Annie's blue "Y" cookie. She did it just for her crazy BYU sister-in-law!

Our yard is in

2010-10-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

So we did it! We FINALLY got our yard put in and just in time too. It was a headache but thanks to Gary, my dad and some awesome friends, it got put in in a week. We did the sprinkler system our self so we saved a lot of money but Gary and the others were outside every day of the week after work until it was too dark to work. Even then, all the lights in the house would be on to allow them to work just a few minutes longer. I helped when I could. McKay would sit in his swing outside and just chill while we worked. What a stud. Needless to say, even despite the sore bodies and knees, the yard looks great and Gary it to credit for his hard work and dedication. Thanks to all those that helped and made this possible. We only put a few trees in because it's so expensive, but we can't wait until the spring!

Future garden

A lot of area to plant

2 1/2 month stats:

2010-09-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

McKay had his 2 (closer to two and a half months) month doctor's appointment.

Weight: 14.9 lbs (95%)
Height: 25 inches (>95%)
Head: 16 cm (60%)

So as you can see, we have a little chunker on our hands except the doctor doesn't think he is chubby at all. She used the word, SOLID! He does not look like a 2 1/2 month old at all. McKay also got his shots. Momma had a hard time watching her baby get poked but knows it's for a good cause. He was so brave too. Only screamed for a few minutes until momma picked him up to give him loves. Love you little one...

The Littlest Cougar

2010-09-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Such a handsome boy! We love you little guy! Thanks Tasha for the pictures.

This is the life

2010-08-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

First of all, we want to welcome our beautiful DARK HAIRED new niece, Felicity Jane. She looks just like her mom! We are so excited she is here and McKay is excited to have a new best friend!

Our summer has been flying by! At least mine has. I have been able to get out a little more lately with the baby which has been nice. I am dying because in less than 6 weeks, I have to go back to work. :( I will be doing straight graves for the rest of this year. I figured McKay would miss me the least at night but I can't even start to think about leaving him. Maybe January we will be able to work something else out, right hun???? Gary has been in Germany the last week and a half and still has a few more days to go. He will be traveling every three weeks through the rest of the year too so that will be even harder to leave McKay. The baby and I miss our Daddy and husband when he is gone.

Here is my AMAZING dad! He wanted me to title this picture, "Walkie Talkie." Why you may ask? Well, lately he has been taking McKay for walks outside and while walking with him, he talks and sings Primary songs to him. McKay loves it and snuggles right up in papa's arms. My dad has named their "time" together, Walkie Talkies. All the grand kids just love this man, as do I. He is such a strength and rock in my life! He has been over to our house painting our bedroom (took him 12 hours this last Saturday but it looks awesome!!!) and did our half bathroom earlier in the week. He made us a shoe rack in our garage so we could get our shoes out of the way. He has already offered to do more painting and uh, help us put our yard in this fall. My dad would and does do ANYTHING for all of us kids. I love you dad!!!

McKay is such a joy in our life! I can't remember life without him. His personality is really coming out and I love talking and holding this little guy. He smiles at his momma and is so good at saying "guh" and "ooohhh." He puckers up his lips, lifts his chin up and coos and talks. It makes my heart melt every time!

His cheeks are fattening up but he is still long and lean. His hair is blonde but not as light as when he was born. His eyes are bright, bright blue! He is so handsome! He love his bouncy chair and his swing but nothing more than his momma or daddy's arms. I admit, I hold him a lot but I figure I can because he is my only child and I can spoil him! I have Broadway tunes playing on the TV almost constantly and he seems to like listening to them. He also loves having Primary songs sung or hummed to him, especially while he is falling asleep. He isn't a big binky lover but I try to use it when I can so he doesn't always think he needs to be eating. He is so good at tummy time and will last about 5 minutes before getting fussy. He is getting so excited to watch his first BYU football game. He has his BYU onesie all ready to wear! Go COUGS! And yes, I sing him the BYU fight song every day. I'm pretty sure he knows it by heart!

We are so amazed at his constant development but I also wish it would slow done. I can't imagine loving him more than I already do. I would do anything for this little one to make sure he was happy, safe and felt loved. He is a true blessing in our life.

McKay's cheeky grin. He loves to smile

Never once has McKay cried in his bath. In fact, he will be screaming but once I put him in the water, he settles right down. Here is one of his inquisitive looks. Sorry about the private part showing!

Another happy smile

McKay and I ventured to the Farmington pool with Shani and Annie and their kids. McKay stayed out of the sun thanks to Jeneveve sharing her pink hat. This is McKay's favorite position. Up on your shoulder, hand by his face. He has started sucking on his arm or fist with a loud smacking sound. It's so cute

Sleeping in his car seat.

Swing time

Tummy time

Look at those blue eyes!

Daddy burping McKay. No his hair isn't really this color. It must be the reflection of the camera or something. We love you sweet boy!

Our sweet, sweet boy

2010-07-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

Our little guy is growing up too fast! It's making me really sad. We are loving being parents to this amazingly sweet boy. At his 2 week check-up, he was already 9 pounds, 6 ounces so he is getting big. He is such a strong guy. He likes to hold his head up and when he is laying on your shoulder (his favorite position), he will pick his head up and turn it to the other side. He sleeps so well at night, at least 4 hours and the other night he made it six hours before I woke him up to eat.

When McKay was born, his bilirubin level was high and I had to take him back to McKay-Dee to have his heel pricked 5 additional times after he came home. His levels were always a bit high but not enough to need Bili lights. This is normal for breast-fed babies but it was hard seeing our little guy poked so many times. As a nurse, I always got bugged at mom's when they would freak out because their baby needed an IV or a lab drawn but now I can sympathize. Big time!

Gary and I love being parents to McKay though. Honestly the greatest blessing ever! McKay is getting bigger every day and as sad as it makes me, it's fun to see him developing. McKay smiled his first non-gas smile on 7/21. Yes, it's true. He looks you in the eye and when you get close and talk to him, he will smile. My sister witnessed this. He is only just over 2 weeks old! He loves to eat and is such a noisy eater because he chugs his milk...like he thinks I'm going to take it away from him. Let's just say, I am VERY SORE!

McKay looks so much like his dad. We don't know where the blonde hair came from but he is his dad through and through. I see no resemblance to me but since I have such a handsome husband, I'm okay with that. He is a loved little guy, that's for sure!!

Having a morning chat with mom

Getting dressed for the day. I love this outfit but it is a newborn outfit and he probably doesn't have many more days to wear it

Letting momma take his picture

Um, of COURSE my baby would have BYU clothes. This is just a start...

His daily nap with momma. I love when he takes naps like this with me. I try to get one in a day

First bath. He LOVES his baths but hates getting out.

Cousin Jeneveve giving McKay his bottle

Sleeping on dad's pillow.

Getting ready for his bath

McKay loves being wrapped up but with his arms by his face. They were like that in every ultrasound I got.

Grandma doing the famous tummy hold. Precious!

Screaming because he had just gotten out of the bath

Jeneveve and her famous "CHEESE!" smile

I don't know why this picture is turned but I love this little guy!

Our little one has arrived!!

2010-07-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

Monday night I got a phone call from McKay-Dee Hospital setting up my induction time for the next day at 7:30am. I was pretty sad at that point because I had wanted to go into labor by myself. But it didn't look like it was meant to be. Gary's mom got into town Monday night so that was nice. My dad had made the comment that the little guy sure had been accommodating to people's schedules. He waited for us to get into or house and for Gary's mom to come.

That night, Gary and my dad gave me a priesthood blessing. I was pretty anxious and nervous. I knew our whole life was going to change in a few hours. Gary and I went to bed knowing that would be the last time, kid free. I soon woke up around 2:30 am to go to the bathroom and noticed bright red blood in the toilet. It scared me so I actually texted my friend who is a resident at McKay-Dee Hospital and happened to be there that night. She reassured me that that was a normal stage of labor but if I got worried, I could come in early since I would be going in in a few hours anyway. I went back to bed and tried to sleep. I did a little bit but not very much.

We got to the hospital at 7:30am and everything started at once. I got my IV, Pitocin was started and my doctor came in to break my water. Once hooked up to the baby monitor, my nurse, Jeri, who was FABULOUS, told me I was contracting every 2-3 minutes and they were lasting 1 minute. I couldn't believe it because I wasn't hurting at all. I was also dilated to a 3. Well, as me, Gary, his mom and my dad sat there, the Pitocin started kicking in really fast and my contractions started up. I guess it was exactly what I thought a contraction would feel like...a really bad menstrual cramp. I had told my nurse when I first got there that I was going to try to go natural. Never did she tell me I shouldn't try or talked me out of it. She just said if I ever changed my mind to let her know. By 11:30am, the contractions were coming so fast and lasting long enough that I wasn't getting much of a break in between. She checked me and I was still only dilated to a 3. I wanted to cry. Pretty much I was. Gary asked me if I wanted an epidural and I finally gave in and said yes. If I was hurting that badly and was still only a 3, I knew I would be there for awhile. I had tried walking around, leaning over, using a bouncy ball...ya, nothing took the pain away. Once I told my nurse, the anesthesiologist was in there in about 5 minutes hooking things up. And yes, the epidural hurt so badly, I actually did cry.

Once the medicine kicked in, I was able to relax and take a short nap. The nurse came in around 1:30pm to check me and I was at a 9! And I wasn't feeling any of it. Fabulous! But, it seemed like as birth time got closer, the baby was really kicking my ribs and he was taking my breath away. Plus I was starting to feel the pressure again. At 2:45pm, my doctor had been called and my nurse was having me start to push. I had no feeling below my waist though so I didn't feel like I was doing ANYTHING. Just holding my breathe, pretending to bare down and feeling like I'm going to pass out from lack of oxygen. My nurse brought in a mirror so I could see what I was doing and that I was making progress because the nurse and Gary saw the top of the head appear. My doctor rushed in the door at 3:00pm and I pushed till 3:23pm when McKay Joseph Hallman was born. He was 8 lbs, 13 ounces, 21 inches long and I was told the doctor had to give me an episiotomy or else I would have torn inside and out from the baby's size.

They handed me my baby and let me do skin to skin with him while they were drying him off. I couldn't believe our baby was finally here. It was a true miracle and I was instantly in love with my little guy. Gary cut the cord (by the way, he did great with the birth. I thought the blood and guts would bother him but he was down by the doctor the whole time watching!) and the baby started screaming. The best sound in the world!! He came out with quite the bump on his head but who wouldn't coming through a birth canal?

They took McKay from me because he wasn't breathing that well. They had to give him oxygen and suck him out many times. His color went from blue to purple to very pale. He was breathing in the 70's. I'm an infant nurse so I know about a lot of this stuff but it is so different when it's your baby. After a few minutes, he settled down enough to let me try breast feeding him. Such a weird and different sensation but I felt so bonded with my son. Family came in to visit then we were moved to a different room. Everything happened so fast but it was all just simply amazing. I can't believe I have a baby! Besides being married in the temple to someone I love so much, I have not wanted anything in life as much as I did to have a baby and be a mom. I don't know how I got so lucky but I did. I love my husband for being by my side every step of the way, for being so excited with me and for loving me, even as a big, swollen laboring woman! What a true man!

Here are a few pictures. Of course there will be many more to come!!

Gary cutting the cord

My first contact with my baby! I was so amazed at this point

Given McKay some extra oxygen and suctioning his lungs out

Our happy family of 3

Looking at my baby, still wondering how I got so lucky

Big yawn and frog legs.

Labor was the hardest thing I have EVER done in life. But I would do it all over again to have you in our life. I love you little man, always and forever!!! Thank you to my Mom, Dad and Gary's mom for being there to support us. We love you guys!!!

New house but no baby...

2010-06-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Um, ya, so my due date came and went....and still, no baby. We got in our new house this last Friday. I was on my hands and knees cleaning, packing, and unpacking. Friday and Saturday were insane but we had amazing help, especially from my dad and sister. We couldn't have done it without them. My mom has been cleaning baby clothes and organizing the baby's room for us. We have appreciated the help so much because I have felt overwhelmed more than once. We love our new house but are so ready for the little guy to come. I seriously thought that once he knew he had a place to come home to, he would come. No deal.

I worked Sunday, Monday and today and still, nothing. On my feet for 13 hours...not enough. At my appointment yesterday, I was dilated to a 2 and my doctor stripped my membranes. Still, not feeling a thing. In fact, probably the opposite. I have felt my best in many weeks these last 4 days besides being tired. Incredible. Not sure what else to do. The little guy has a mind of his own and has decided he will come when he is ready. I refuse to be induced because I am going to try to do this whole thing natural. I believe babies come when they are ready. But my doctor will induce me by next Tuesday, a week after my due date. So I guess we will see. He is measuring 8'15" although my doctor said I don't look that big and he is pretty sure the baby won't be that big. But, you never know. And every day he is just going to keep growing. Pray for me!!!

Pictures of the new house to come. We just got our Internet up and running so I will post pictures soon...hopefully of the house AND new baby.

A Trip to Remember

2010-06-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

My brother Taylor, his wife Annie and daughter Jeneveve were able to come to Utah May 28th- June 12th. Taylor is being deployed to Iraq the first week of July and he was allowed 2 weeks from the Army to come home and basically say goodbye. Our whole family hasn't been together since my wedding back in January of '09 and it was so good to have time together again before my brother leaves. Basically, Taylor had made a list of places he wanted to eat and things he wanted to do while in Utah before he left for Iraq. The 2 weeks were dedicated to my brother and we had a blast sharing in fulfilling his "wish" list.

We played game after game of Settlers of Catan. We finally convinced my mom to learn how to play and she became addicted. She even gave up precious sleep to play late into the night!

Taylor "wheelin' and dealin'."

One of our favorite ice cream spots, Nielsen's Frozen Custard. At least 3 trips were made there over the 2 weeks. Thanks Tay for the "hang loose" sign. He claims he is a Hawaiian since he has lived there for the last 11 months!

We went to the Bountiful Rec Center to swim. Dad with his cute daughter. Don't even believe her face for a second! Jeneveve LOVES the water...how could you not when you spend 2 or 3 days a week at the beaches in Hawaii???

Tony Burgers. Taylor had never been here before but had heard how good it was. I think he was impressed. He likes him a good cheeseburger and fries! (PS, PLEASE don't ask how many calories were consumed on this trip. Taylor claimed he was on vacation but for the rest of us, uh, ya, we weren't!)

Taylor loves Sills. Such a yummy breakfast spot with the best massive scones and cinnamon rolls. Once again, please don't calorie count.

We went to the Olive Garden for my birthday dinner on the 9th of June. I couldn't be prouder of this picture. I have just introduced Jeneveve to Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce and after one taste, she was HOOKED! She is dipping her bread stick in the sauce over and over and just licking it off. MMMMM!!

Cute faces Taylor and Annie! Just enjoying some delicious Olive Garden food!

Jeneveve was quite the center of attention for 2 weeks. This was a "stink" face but I think she got tired of everyone luring her to them with food and sticking a camera in her face. I love this little one though! She has such a fun personality and is such a good little girl.

One shot of all the siblings. Ignore my GINORMOUS tummy. I look huge here but couldn't resist putting a picture of some of the people I love most in my life on here.

My whole Adams' side of the family came down from Idaho, Montana, Colorado and Riverton, Utah to do a one last get together BBQ with Taylor. It was amazing to be all together and I'm so grateful for my awesome family. Who knows if and when we will all be together again.

We did many more fun things with my brother and his family. Taylor is a gourmet BBQ-er and made us some delicious BBQ's many, many nights while he was here. Just ask my mom how much money was spent on meat in 2 weeks. But it was all so good and worth it!

Luckily for us, Annie, Jeneveve and future baby are moving back to Utah when Taylor leaves. We will miss him dearly. I won't forget the priesthood blessings and testimonies that were given the night before Taylor and his family went back to Hawaii. I admire my brother in so many ways and want him to know how much he will be missed and prayed for. You are such a noble person to give up a part of your life and family to serve our country. I know you and your family will be greatly blessed and watched over. I love you so much Tay! I hope the year flies by!!!

It's a Race to the Finish...

2010-06-06T20:32:00.001-07:00

And for once in my life, I DON'T WANT TO WIN. Yes, that's right, Jadee doesn't want to win. I am a few days shy of 37 weeks and the quote from the doctor from my last appointment was, "You are not dilated but he is head down and looks ready to go. You have a "better than average cervix for a first time mom."" What the? What exactly does that mean? Whatever it means, this baby cannot come out yet. As much as we are longing to meet our little one, the finish date on the house keeps getting pushed back...a day at a time. Originally it was going to be done June 12th...which would have been awesome. Both Gary and I will both have a ton of family in town for a family baby shower. We could have had movers galore. But not now. The date has been backed up till June 19th. That is still questionable. AUGHHHH!!! Our baby is due June 29th and that's IF he doesn't decide to make his presence known early. Moving into a new house and having a baby in the same month is not a suggested way to go...

36 1/2 weeks

The brick is done. The first coat of stucco is on. No, it won't be gray. They paint the stucco whatever color you want. Still crossing our fingers on that one...

The laundry room. Our cupboards in the laundry room and bathrooms are different colors than our kitchen. But all are made out of cherry

The kitchen. No counter tops yet. I can't wait for those!!

2010-05-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

These pictures are more for my hubby who is off playing, okay just kidding, working in Europe for 2 weeks. He wanted to see some house updates. I only have a few because I didn't want to bother the workers. Plus, when I walked into our house, a loud machine was going and there was dust everywhere. I'm pretty sure they were painting. I saw one coat of paint on but didn't leave the mudroom since everything was covered and I was choking on the dust and smell.

They started the brick. It looks so dark to me but I was told that it was because the mortar was still wet. It starts out gray but lightens up to almost a cream I believe....I hope....

It was nice to at least see that my new hardwood floor and everything else was covered really well before the paint started. I'm so worried about the floor getting scratched!

Um, our back door neighbors decided to start building. So our backyard is filled with their dirt. I didn't think our backyard would be that big anyway but seeing the dirt, it looks a lot smaller than I was even thinking!!!

View of our house from the back before the walls on the other house get put up

Baby Shower With Friends

2010-05-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

I have some amazing friends, starting with the one I am living with right now. My good friend Kearsten has been asking if she could throw me a baby shower for months. Knowing that a lot of my friends are nurses, I knew it was going to be tricky to get all of us together. So she had the great idea of meeting at a restaurant for lunch and doing a little shower there. Worked for me.

We met at Zupa's in Salt Lake. If you haven't been there before, I HIGHLY suggest it. It is my favorite "in and out" restaurant. Kear ordered fondue for us and it was a lot of fun talking and laughing. Thank you to all of those who took time out of their busy lives to come to the shower. It meant a lot to me. I also got some fabulous gifts and now my sister can't say that I don't have anything for the baby....

My cute friends and one awesome sister

Emily, Shani and me

Kristi, Lindsi and Alicia...some awesome nursing friends

8 months pregnant

2010-05-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

8 months along and definitely feeling it!!!

Updated house pictures

2010-05-02T18:12:00.001-07:00

The house is looking more and more like a house. They have started the travertine in the mud room, laundry room, half bath, kids bathroom and master bathroom. The dry wall and mudding is all done. We have made decisions about hardwood, cabinets and granite counter tops. So many decisions and hard not to second guess yourself. In fact, we have already changed cabinet colors which caused hardwood floor and granite color changes. But I think we are done changing our minds. The brick and stucco have been picked out. It's a lot more fun seeing everything come to together cuz I can actually picture what everything is supposed to look like.

For those that care, I will be 32 weeks on Tuesday and I promise to post an 8 month pregnancy picture of my belly.

Recent house pictures

2010-04-16T16:44:00.001-07:00

Front profile of the house

Back profile of the house

Laundry room and half bathroom

Master bedroom

Archway from front room to hall and bedrooms

Den...just imagine bookshelves along that wall

Kids bathroom

Stairs to our basement

This will be the baby's room

Living room

The house is coming along. They are finishing up insulation this week and should start dry-walling next week I believe. It's fun to see the progress...not the little mess ups but we try to over-look those the best that we can. It's definitely looking more and more like a house and I can finally start picturing what it might look like inside.

The kidney pain has gone away for the most part. The Thursday after being in the hospital, I was working a night shift and the same pain started coming back. It was getting stronger and stronger and I was getting scared as to what might happen if I was working and couldn't get rid of the pain. I talked to my charge nurse and she gave me the okay to take some of the narcotics I had with me. Don't worry folks, it was just the Darvocet (not very strong!) and she said if I started to feel "funny," to let her know. I had Gary fill my prescription for Percocet though in case I needed it. After two pain pills, I felt okay and haven't had pain since. Maybe I passed the stone. Hopefully....

My doctor's appointment went well. The baby is just as active as ever and never seems to give me much rest. The doctor said he weighs about 3 pounds and is just a tad bigger than my due date on the 29th of June. My appointments are now ever three weeks. We're getting there! I feel huge and get so tired. My ankles look atrociously swollen with sock indents all over after a day of work and 13 hours on my feet. But I keep hearing it's all worth it and I know it will be! Now to convince my husband how badly I need back and feet massages these days....

A trip to the hospital we go...

2010-04-05T18:49:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday...it started out wonderfully. Gary and I went to my parents to listen to the morning Conference session and eat the traditional ginger muffins my mom makes every Conference Sunday. We headed home in between sessions so I could sleep for my grave yard shift. We made deviled eggs and strawberries with a cream cheese/marshmallow cream for dipping. As we sat down to dinner with our family and some extended family, I got this massive cramp in my lower left abdomen. It took my breath away. Within minutes, this intense pain moved to my lower back and I couldn't breath. I tried laying down, turning different positions, rubbing my back...nothing helped. The tears come and I double over with pain. I hurried and called Gary and him and my dad give me a blessing. I know something is wrong and being 7 months pregnant, I was scared.

My sister got involved calling my doctor who said to get to McKay-Dee hospital immediately. She also called work to tell them I wouldn't be coming in. They were very understanding and worried Shani said. Gary drives me to the hospital and we went to Labor and Delivery as told. They were expecting me and I was soon in a "holding" room where a urine sample, history and vitals were taken. A heart monitor was hooked up to the baby. From the signs and symptoms I had given the nurse, they were thinking either a UTI, pylonephritis or kidney stones. I work at Primary's and I know how long it takes to get a radiologist into the hospital not only on a Sunday...but also on a holiday. My pain was at a 7 out of 10 and I can still hardly breath. I can't get comfortable. The first shot of Morphine was given in my hip and didn't touch the pain. It just made me very loopy and dizzy. I have to guzzle water so my bladder will be full for the renal ultra-sound. Finally we get the news that the radiologist is here and they are ready for me. The wheelchair ride downstairs was brutal.

Meanwhile, my blood pressure is higher than they like it to be. Also, the nurse tells me from the monitors, it is showing that I am having minor contractions and at some point they will need to check my cervix to see if I'm dilated at all. Great.

The ultrasound hurt so badly. Turn on one side, hold your breath, push really hard with the ultrasound stick. Turn to the other side, more hard pushing. Lay on your back push even harder on your bladder. When I got back to the holding area, my pain was up to an 8. More Morphine given and then I went so loopy and could barely move. Cute Shani and my dad come up to the hospital with an over-night bag in case I ended up getting admitted over-night. My dad took Gary to get some food since we missed out on Easter dinner. Lots of people calling and some very concerned family and friends. The results of the ultrasound take a while to come back and the on-call OB doctor isn't happy. He calls in himself for the results and finds out I have a kidney stone. Really? I hardly drink any pop and I feel like I drink a lot of water. But I guess this is common in pregnancy.

I have two choices via the doctor. Go home with pain medicine and try to pass the stone by straining my own urine. Or, stay overnight in the hospital, get an IV and be started on a PCA pump (pain pump that I push manually on my own). I choose to go home with some Darvocet despite the warnings from many people that I should stay because this pain med isn't very strong and I would likely be back in the hospital with major pain. Being the stingy nurse that I am, I insist on going home and "promise to come back in" if the pain gets bad enough.

I'm still very dizzy but Gary gets me home and I eat some Easter dinner my dad had brought over for me. After a few bites, I throw up and decided it was just better to go to bed. My pain was about a 2 so I felt fine. I slept wonderfully and only had to take 2 pain pills through the night. I slept most of the day and when I finally got up today, I have still yet to feel any more pain. I have been straining my urine and haven't seen any stones (maybe I passed them at the hospital?). Hopefully the worse is over and that pain never comes back. I heard some feel that kidney stone pain is worse than labor. Really? Maybe I have a small idea what I will be going through with labor then.

Oh ya, as for the baby, he stopped kicking and moving very much. The nurse said the morphine affects him too. I'm supposed to make sure he moves 6 times in an hour though and if not, I'm supposed to immediately come back to the hospital. The nurse checked my cervix and it was fully closed (very good sign). She said the contractions can come from pain. My blood pressure went back to normal also after the second shot of Morphine. Thanks to all the family and friends who checked in and offered to help in any way possible. I have the best family and in-laws in the WORLD! I'm such a lucky girl. I love having a husband who is worthy to administer a priesthood blessing because I have no doubt in my mind, it helped and gave me so much comfort. I have my 7 month check up tomorrow with my OB and I'm glad he will check the baby out again. He needs to stay in and cook for at least 10-12 more weeks!!

Hawaii

2010-03-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

So I'm going to brag for a moment. I have the dang cutest niece (and nephew!!!). My trip to Hawaii included strict beach time, hanging with the best sister-in-law in the world, and loving on my niece, Jeneveve. Forget pictures of the beach. I was too focused on this little one. She had me wrapped around her finger and I couldn't get enough of her. I had the most relaxing time and Annie catered to my every need and whim. We are both pregnant, easy going and just wanted to relax so we had a perfect time together. Well, in my eyes we did. It was hard to leave although I did miss Gary. Just wish my whole family could live in the same vicinity again. It's a dream and hopefully will happen one day. These pictures are a little obsessive and maybe only pictures my family can love. But I have to post them so I can look at them often and remember my awesome time. Thanks Annie and Jeneveve for being the perfect hostesses!!! I love you guys!

Jeneveve hated when Annie took a turn brushing her teeth but loved being a big girl and doing it herself.

She loved wearing my sun glasses.

Jeneveve at the beach looking cute

Jeneveve loved looking at all my pictures I had taken of her on my camera. She is so good at saying "cheese."

We took pictures at the Hawaiian temple

Asleep in the car

Just enjoying some Jamba juice. I think she got tired of me snapping pictures of everything she did! But her looks were priceless

Just posing in the water...which she was never afraid of

Loving my cell phone and mommy's hat. This little love is so good and smart. I think she only cried once. On my last day I was outside playing with her on a slide. When I had to take her off of the slide to come in for dinner, she cried and cried. Not an annoying cry. Just these big alligator tears that broke my heart. No kidding, she made me tear up. It was heart-wrenching!!

Busy, busy life

2010-03-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

So I can't even begin to tell you how busy life has been lately. First of all, the progress on our house is coming along. After finding out the excavator dug our basement 2 feet too deep and we wouldn't quite have the daylight basement we were so looking forward to, I had my first break down over the house. It was a $30,000 dollar mistake, one that my dad and husband told me just could not be fixed. I do know our builder feels very bad about this ahem....MAJOR mistake (why couldn't it have been an extra wall or something???) and claims he will do something amazing with our landscape that should help. But, after thinking I wasn't going to have window wells on one half of my house, we now will. I'm sad about it...very sad. I'm just hoping it looks okay as my husband insists it will. I'm just a little more on edge these days about the things going on with building the house. I should chill because I have heard from many home builders that this isn't the first or last of the mistakes that will happen. Great....

Here are some pictures of the house being framed. I promise my next post will have pictures of the floor plan and what the front was, well, supposed to look like. It has been raining every time we go out to the house and walking through the mud hasn't been even close to ideal. So bear with the far away pictures. I knew there would be a lot of decisions with building a house but I really did have no idea. Tile, carpet, doors, handles, etc, etc, etc. Perfect for an already indecisive person!!!

Second bit of news, we were finally able to sell our townhouse. Wishing we could have gotten more for it but we both agreed it just wasn't going to happen. Our prayers were answered so we decided to take the deal and run. Except...the buyers want us out April 1st. Um, we closed on March 12th. We are trying to find a place to move now for 2 1/2- 3 months since our house won't be finished till late June.

On top of that, my awesome husband had agreed to let me go to Hawaii for a week from March 17th- March 24th. I am going to visit my sister-in-law Annie and niece Jeneveve whom I haven't seen since Disney world a year ago. My brother is off doing Army training for 6 weeks in California and begged any family member to go to Hawaii to spend time with Annie if possible. I asked Gary about it and he said he couldn't go but I sure could. I had frequent flyer miles and a free place to stay. So it was deal I couldn't say no to. I'm so excited but will be leaving Gary to do much packing and taking care of house business. Oh well, I really need the break. Work has been insane with respiratory season at the hospital and I have been working extra shifts trying to help out and save some extra money.

Last but not least, I had my big sixth month pregnancy check-up. The baby looks great...although he absolutely HATES any kind of pressure on my stomach. That included the ultrasound tech pushing on my tummy trying to get the little guy out of hiding. Every time she pushed, he kicked like crazy. And then as you can see, he wanted nothing to do with the camera. He is hiding his face and just wanted to be left alone. Our little guy kicks like crazy...all day long and late into the night. He hates nylons, spandex garments, tight shirts, pants, everything!! They take up his precious space. I like that he moves though because it makes me know he is alive and hopefully thriving. I feel like I am growing at an exponential rate although I hear that I am still small. I don't feel small. Maybe one day I will get a belly picture on here. My lower back has been KILLING me. The doctor gave me the great news that I am carrying the baby low and he is sitting far back under my organs and right on my tailbone. He asked me if my back ever hurt. Really? Three and a half more months of this? I hear it's only going to get worse. Now I can say I understand what mother's really go through to give life to a child. I wouldn't change it for the world though!

Sorry, the pictures aren't the best and it's true that these can only look cute to a mom and dad. But look at that fat lower lip....he may just take after me!

He definitely didn't want his picture taken and has a pretty big frown on his face

We have finally begun

2010-02-17T20:45:00.000-08:00

This may be a boring post to many but to me and Gary, we couldn't be happier! It has taken us so long to find a lot, house plan, builder, and most of all...a loan! But that's all in the past now. We have finally started our new house and couldn't be more excited about the progress already made. We started the process on February 11th and hope to be done by the middle or end of June, just in time to bring a new baby home to our new house. Many more pictures will be posted along the way.

Our lot in Kaysville before the first shovel

Another angle

The process has begun!

2010-01-31T11:53:00.000-08:00

A year ago today, I married my best friend in the Bountiful temple. I can't believe how fast the year has gone by, how much we have done, and how much we have to look forward to in the next year. We have been so blessed, that's for sure!!! I love this man SO MUCH!

Since we had been on so many trips this year and because our anniversary fell on a Sunday, we decided to celebrate Saturday. We spent the day looking at appliances and talking to the cabinet guy for our new house. No, we haven't even broken ground yet (that should happen this next week or the next at the latest!!) but decided to get a head start seeing how many decisions we have to make. And, with a baby that will be due about the time we will be moving into our new house, we thought it best to get some ideas and find out what's in our budget early.

The best part of our day came later that night. We went to Provo to go to of course...the Olive Garden. We had a delicious meal then met my dad at the BYU vs. Utah basketball game. What an exciting game and of course, the Cougs won! Plus, I really thought I felt our baby move inside of me for the first time tonight. We were at the game and the feeling was different from what I have usually felt. I am convinced our little guy knew we were on BYU's campus and he was excited knowing he would be playing football or basketball here one day! Hey, a mother can dream, can't she?

It was a great day and I can't explain how much I love my husband. He has taken care of and put up with me for a year (not an easy task for anyone, I assure you!) now and I hope we have many, many more years of blissful marriage to come!!! I love you babe!

2010-01-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

I have a pet-peeve...a BIG one! It has bugged me for many years and I am just going to vent!

My husband and I show up at church yesterday to enjoy sacrament and the speakers. The first counselor gets up to announce the meeting and proceeds to say, "There have been a few changes to the program. The couple that was supposed to speak has been hit with some illness in their home. So we have 2 youth speakers we will hear from and then the bishopric will share some thoughts. Then we would like to hear testimonies and thoughts on Family Home Evening from the following people, Jadee Hallman..." blah blah blah! Are you KIDDING me? I hate when the bishopric throws inpromtu testimonies in a meeting to fill up the time and pull people from the congregation. Those surprises are the worst and when I find out they are going to do that (the single's ward bishopric's are pros at this), I squirm in my seat and will myself to be invisible. I wasn't so lucky yesterday.

For those of you who know me, know I hate public speaking. I hate microphones and I hate people staring at me. Gary and I spoke earlier last year and as much as I hated it, I got to think about what I wanted to say and when my mind went blank in front of all those people (who yes, I'm sure don't listen and don't remember a word you say), I had my talk written out in front of me and I could read it. Of course I have a testimony and especially one of FHE but don't expect me to be able to say what's really in my heart when you have ripped me out of my comfortness. And by the way, some people don't stand up and bear their testimonies on purpose. They are personal and to me, I want to stand up when the Spirit is urging me to, not cuz my name is called. Plus, what if someone doesn't have a testimony and their name gets called? Awkward...!

Sorry but thanks for letting me vent. Some will read this and say, "Get over it. It's not that big of a deal" but to me it is. My dad is in his ward's bishopric and I hope this lets him know how some of us feel. Or maybe not....he really likes the microphone and can't see why others don't too. Ha ha.

It's a...

2010-01-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

So I had my 16 week appointment today. The doctor had gotten a new 4-D ultrasound machine...too bad he admitted to not being trained on it yet. But he said, there was no mistaking that there was a boy inside of me! Gary is thrilled, me...I'm working on it. I just always thought I would have a girl first. I almost even bought a girl's outfit the other day with my mom but then decided against it thinking I would be disappointed if I happened to have a boy first. But, of course we are very excited to finally know the sex and I know the boy thing will grow on me. Here's to raising a future BYU football player!!!!

2009 in a nutshell

2010-01-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

So, after reading a friends blog and seeing her great post, I decided I would also give a rundown of our 2009, month by month.

January: Gary and I were married in the temple for all time and eternity. He is the love of my life and I could not have asked for a better man. Our "pre" wedding days were busy, hectic, stressful and hard but after much faith, we were given a miracle.

February: Gary and I went on a Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon. We had our open house in Minden, Nevada and started settling into life as newlyweds. My brother, his sweet wife and baby moved to Georgia for more army training and we have missed them dearly.

March: We were able to go to Disneyworld with some of my family. Gary had never been before and must I say, he LOVED it! But how could you not? Hopefully we can take a family vacation with his family in 2011 to Disneyworld. None of them have gone before and we can't wait to see how our little niece and nephews will react to "The Happiest Place on Earth!"

April: Gary turned 34. That's about the only exciting thing that happened this month. We are both just busy with work and Gary was traveling some for his job.

May: We were able to go to Lake Powell with some good friends. We had a great time skiing, boarding, boating, jet skiing, eating good food, playing games and being surrounded by great friends. My awesome and sweet nephew was born. The first time I held this 10 pound newborn, he just rolled up and slept on my shoulder. I had no idea how he rolled himself up so tight but from them on, I nicknamed him "Bug" because he reminded me of a potato bug. He is now fondly my little Chaser bug.

June: I turned 29. That seems so old to me! Another month where not much happened. My sister was on maternity leave and we spent some great time together. I love being around newborns and Chase was my favorite to be around. Not that I haven't been for the last MANY years but, I was getting more and more baby hungry. We were able to go water skiing once or twice. I love the summer!

July: Gary's sister Leslie, her husband Gary (yes, Gary) and kids came out to Utah to spend some time with us. We LOVED having them and it was a blast having Matthew, Tate and Caylyn sleep over. We wish we lived closer to them. Gary is taking his CIA (certified internal auditing) test and passed the second part of it. Just one more test and he will be finished. We can't wait because it is constant studying and stress for him.

August: Gary had his company Lagoon day one Saturday. So we geared up for our "one-time-a-year" trip to Lagoon. Work has been slow so I have been getting called off a lot. Gary had a reprieve from traveling for a bit so it's been nice having him home. We bought a BBQ and have enjoyed doing a lot of summertime BBQing.

September: One of the most exciting months of my life! I found out I was pregnant. It happened a lot faster than we thought it would but couldn't be happier. I have been feeling okay so far but I had yet to know what would hit me. Because of the economy, Gary and I decided it would be a good time to start looking around for a house. After much looking and debating, we thought it might be better to build a house and began looking for lots.

October: We found a lot in Kaysville that is in a cul-de-sac that we loved. We signed a contract and began looking for a house we wanted to build. I was able to go on a girl's trip to New York City with Gary's mom, sisters, aunts and cousin. We had a blast and made so many great memories. We decided it was something we needed to continue year after year!

November: Gary left on a auditing trip to Singapore for a week then on to Australia. I was able to meet him in Australia to play for 8 days and I couldn't have gone to a prettier place. I loved exploring the rain forests and laying on the beach. The weather was perfect. Unfortunately, I was experiencing "afternoon-evening" sickness and felt nauseous for much of the trip. Gary was very patient with me and would always get food that would appease my stomach. We still had a blast and have been so blessed to have taken so many wonderful trips together this year. We were in Australia for Thanksgiving which was hard being away from family, but could complain much about where we were.

December: Gary and I got the final plans to the house we want to build. We are in the process of finding a builder but think we have found the guy we want to use. Just need to get a loan from the bank and we can get started. Gary had a few work trips this month. I had to work Christmas Eve and Day (half days) but we were able to spend most of the holidays with my family. We missed Gary's family but hope to get to Nevada next year for Christmas. I am starting to feel better and we can't wait to find out if we are having a boy or girl in January!

Hope 2009 was a great year for you too. Can't wait for 2010!

It's Official

2009-12-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

So I am finally far enough along to share our good news...I am pregnant! I haven't been feeling hot (lots of "night" sickness) but I heard the sicker you are, the less chance of miscarriage, so, I'm enduring. It's definitely getting better though. I am just over 13 weeks and the due date is June 29th. After working at Primary's with sick little kids and many birth defects, I am so scared and paranoid. I know I can't change the outcome but I truely wonder how any child is born healthy. But I have seen many healthy babies and kids so I know it's possible. I just worry. It's all about faith though, right? This is a DREAM COME TRUE for me! For those of you who know me best, I have waited my whole life to have a newborn, to be a mom. Gary and I are nervous to be parents but we are so excited!!!! Hopefully everything goes well. We should find out in January what we are having.

Our first Christmas together

2009-12-13T14:36:00.001-08:00

After much talk, Gary and I had finally conceded that we weren't going to do a Christmas tree this year. He was/is going to be gone 2 weeks out of December and I take after my mom....whatever you put up, just has to come down in a few weeks. It's so much work and Gary and I had close to nothing to decorate with, seeing this is our first married Christmas together. Well, it was actually my own mother who said, "I can't believe you aren't going to have a Christmas tree for your first married year together!" She got us thinking and after finding out she had extra lights and a tree stand, we decided to get a tree. It took us exactly 5 minutes to pick one out. Gary isn't picky and after memories of going to tree lot after tree lot and trying to find the "perfect" tree (this was all in my youth. It was painful sometimes but we always did have the best tree out there, huh mom?!?), we vowed to pick one out quickly. I think we did pretty well.

We brought the tree home, got it right up and it was awesome! I love the smell of pine trees. It took us a few days to find a tree skirt and stockings but after some lights, candy canes and the few Hallmark ornaments my mom gives us year after year for our birthdays and Christmas, our tree is as complete as it's going to be. We won't have a star or angel this year but you can't have it all your first year, eh?

Our "perfect" tree

The stockings we found. Gary really wants me to sew his name on his. He said you can't have a stocking without your name on it. Uh, mom? Janna? Help!!!

My favorite sister in the whole entire world decided to spend a day cooking with me. I figured that now I am married and have responsibilities, I need to learn to make some of the holiday treats my mom did so I had a few neighbor gifts to give away. We made white chocolate Oreo crunch, chocolate peanut butter fudge, Russian tea cookies (or as I call them, Mexican wedding cookies), and toffee. Toffee is by far the hardest one to make and then the one that falls apart the fastest. I now know why my mom hates making it, although it's one of my favorites!!! Thanks Shani for all of your help. And to those of you who think my sister is really ADD, she is a great cook and spent about two and a half hours with me cooking. Love you Shan!!!

Australia

2009-12-04T17:28:00.001-08:00

Australia was the prettiest place I have EVER been! I had the opportunity to head over there to meet Gary who had been working there for 2 weeks. The trip over was brutal. It consisted of a 2 hour flight to LA, a 5 hour layover, and 14 hours and 16 minutes to Australia. It was horrible but I made it. I arrived around 8:30am Australia time. Talk about throwing my body off. Australia is 18 hours ahead of Utah. Ya, figure that one out. But I walked out of the airport to find Gary waiting for me. We took a train to our hotel (our first stop was downtown Sydney. He gets Holiday Inn points from his work so all of our hotels were free) and the weather was hot and very humid. I couldn't wait to get out of my sweat pants, long sleeve shirt and coat that I had traveled in. After changing, we got on a ferry and headed out to Manly Beach. GORGEOUS!!! After spending a few hours there, we came back, changed and went to take a tour of the Sydney Opera House. That place is so cool. Funny thing ever, out on the steps of the Opera House, they were practicing for the finale of Australian Idol which would happen that Sunday. Little did we know that Michael Bubble was going to preform at the finale or I might have insisted on getting tickets!!

Saturday we went and walked through a few rain forest. My sister would be pleased to see how beautiful and preserved the rain forest were. Later that day we had tickets to do a cave tour in 300 million year old caves. After being able to repel down into the cave, we spent about an hour and a half in the caves, squeezing through the smallest holes. I didn't take my camera down because I didn't want to lose of scratch it but Gary took his. We will post all of our many pictures on facebook if anyone wants to see more. It was awesome though.

Sunday we went to a church in a small branch in an office building. Sacrament meeting was great, the Spirit was so strong. I love going to church outside of Utah. There were a lot of investigators and missionaries in the branch. The talks were so good and we really enjoyed it. After church we went to the most famous beach in Australia, Bondi beach. I didn't like it at all. Way too crowded!!! The water was cold in Sydney so I would only get in once to get wet, then I would lay out to enjoy the sun that we had for 8 days!!!

Monday we got on a plane and left for Cairns. That was my most favorite place on our whole trip. The hills were green with lush trees and rain forests. I thought it looked a lot like the movie Jurassic Park. Gorgeous!!! We rented a car (an Audi convertible no less) and drove to Josephine Falls and Boulders. I would get goose bumps just looking at the scenery. It was peaceful and calm. I can't rant and rave enough about it.

Tuesday was our big excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. We got on this huge boat and took a almost 2 hour boat ride to the reef. Gary opted to scuba dive with a certified diver and I just snorkled. It was so pretty, and yes, I did see a shark...2 of them! I was freaked out but we had been assured over and over that they wouldn't attack humans. Right. Didn't stop me from hyperventilating. I saw so many Nemo's and the coral was so pretty. We made three different stops. It was an all day excursion and they fed us a not so good lunch on the boat. Which brings me to my least favorite thing about Australia. The FOOD! It is disgusting. Not joking. Unless you are a seafood lover, which I don't touch, the food is horrendous. Gary thinks I exaggerate. I admit, I'm a picky eater but come on. You can't get a good steak for the life of you! Every fillet we tried tasted like old meat. Just not appetizing. Here is what I ate. Subway (their mayonnaise tastes like Miracle Whip, maybe worse), Hungary Jacks (aka, Burger King...good thing the fries tasted okay although the ketchup tasted sweet), Outback Steak House (this was the closest to American food we had), Lone Star (not a thing like America), Hard Rock Cafe, and McDonalds. Yes, it's sad, but true. I found some mashed potatoes I liked at one restaurant. I craved ranch dressing (if you could even find ranch, it was sour and strong and NOT ranch!) and milk. How hard is it to make milk? Our cows must be very different. The after taste was so nasty, plus the milk was thick. Okay, I'm done complaining about the food. We obviously didn't starve but it was the most disappointing part of the trip. Good thing for Baskin Robbins ice cream which we had twice. Not quite the same, but close.

Wednesday we got on another plane to go to Brisbane. It was the only day it rained for a bit but only for about 30 minutes. It smelled so fresh. We rented a car and drove to the Brisbane temple which was on the corner of a busy intersection. In fact, we almost passed it. It was closed when we got there so we couldn't go inside but just walking around the temple grounds had a spirit about it. We drove a little over an hour up the coast to Gold Coast. Fun Gold Coast. Too bad it was so dang crowded with "Schoolies." What are Schoolies you ask? Schoolies are high school graduates who come from all over Australia and stay for a week or two in Gold Coast. It happens every year...and it's CRAZY! These young kids drink and smoke and every other word is the "f" word. I started wondering if it's even considered a bad word there. The whole atmosphere kind of made me uncomfortable and each night on the news, it showed how many "Schoolies" had gotten arrested for being drunk and causing a scene. There were policemen every where. So I hated down town Gold Coast but Thursday we drove up the coast to an awesome Light House. The beach Surfer's Paradise was just that. It was a 7 mile beach and when we stopped at some of the non-crowded area's, it was great! The water is a lot warmer in Gold's Coast and with a slight breeze, it was heaven. Gary and I loved laying in the warm sand, listening to the waves crash and reading. Loved it!

Friday (Thanksgiving here in Utah) we went to a water park called Wet N' Wild. Once again I never got my camera out because it was low on battery. It was a pretty neat water park with some rides we had never seen or been on before. After a perfect day of sun and water, we went to a wild life park that night. We were starving and we had signed up 6 months in advance for a buffet then a night tour of the animals. We showed up at 7pm seeing that's what the confirmation paper in Gary's hand said. Well, come to find out, the buffet had started at 5pm. So we did not get any food but the animals we saw were cool. I had wanted to see a wild Kangaroo the whole trip and never got to see one. But don't worry, we got to feed hundreds of them at the park. It was a top highlight of mine. We sure missed Thanksgiving though and being with our families. It was hard to be away from home for this holiday but we loved our whole trip. The airplane ride home was even worse than the one out there but we are home safe and sound and I don't want to go on a plane for a long, long time. We have such great memories of Australia and I sure hope that one day I will have the chance to go back some day.

The Sydney Harbor bridge.

The Sydney Opera House. View from our ferry to Manly beach

I had to have my picture taken next to this sign. This is right after I got off the plane. We changed into our swim suits to head to the beach

Another picture of the Opera House

This is their Burger King. The food in Australia is SO EXPENSIVE!!!

Manly beach

Another view of Manly Beach

Houses are built right on the coast line

Getting ready for the Australian idol finale that Sunday. After eating dinner with two of Gary's friends, we headed over and stood outside the gate and heard the winner announced. There were fireworks over the harbor. It was pretty cool

Didn't have 31 flavors but still had my Peanut butter and Chocolate ice cream

One of the many waterfalls we saw

Those 3 mounds are called the 3 Sisters. There is a legend about the 3 Sisters. Notice all the green

Walking in the rain forest

Closer look at the 3 Sisters

Bondi Beach

Jospehine Falls. Gary is sliding down a slick rock into the water

Cairns (said like "Canes")

One of my favorite pictures. Looks like Jurassic Park

Our silver Audi convertible. Did I mention they drive on the opposite side of the road? Ya, I didn't even attempt a try at driving. I was closing my eyes most of the time.

It was raining in the distance

More rain forest

Brisbane temple

Gold Coast at night from our hotel balcony.

Light House

Surfer's Paradise coast line.

Eastern most part of Australia

Cute Koala bears. They were holding baby joey's in there arms. They sleep about 20 hours a day.

Me feeding the Kangaroos. Loved it! Their little tongues tickled my hands. The wild life park had little food pellets we used to feed the Kangaroos.

See the baby joey sticking out of the pouch? I was able to feed a baby joey while it was in it's mother's pouch. I had to be quick because the big Kangaroos wanted the food.

Tazmanian devils. Yes, these are real animals. Their eyes glowed at night. Pretty cool

New York trip

2009-11-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

On the 28th of October, I had the awesome opportunity to go to New York for a girl's trip with Gary's mom, sisters, aunt and cousins. We had so much fun and got a lot done. I have been there a few times before so I attempted to be the tour guide. We hit the major sites...Central Park, Empire State building, Canal Street for some shopping, Ground Zero, the business district, Battery park and Statue of Liberty. We also got to do a session in the New York City temple. The session was in Spanish and we had to use head sets to interpret but it was AMAZING and I loved being inside the temple. The noise and traffic outside the temple just fades away.

And of course you can't go to New York without eating some fabulous food. We had some delicious breakfast at Sarabeth's, New York's famous pizza, and ice cream at Serendipity's. We tried an Italian restaurant that was suggested by the bus driver of a city tour Gary's mom and aunt went on. It was a major hit and the pumpkin ravioli I had was INCREDIBLE!!!

New York wouldn't be New York without seeing Broadway shows. I have seen many of the big ones that are out right now so I saw Mary Poppins, In the Heights, and Bye Bye Birdie. I was pretty disappointed in Mary Poppins. It is now my least favorite show I have ever seen on Broadway. I saw Bye Bye Birdie strictly to see John Stamos (Uncle Jesse on Full House) but it also wasn't that great. I doubt it will be open for long. I did really like In the Heights though. I didn't know anything about it before I went but so glad I saw it. It had some awesome voices and well worth the money. Despite not loving the majority of the shows I saw, we all had a pretty good time and made some great memories. I loved getting to get to know Gary's family better because we don't get to see them often.

And if you are ever in the mood for an interesting experience in New York, try pushing a wheelchair around the city that is so crowded and not very wheelchair accessible. Aunt Kathy was a trooper, despite almost being launched from her wheelchair hundreds of times going off and on curbs!!! I'm sure we would all agree, if you are going to take a wheelchair to New York, make sure you don't rent one that only costs $25 for the whole week. You will get what you paid for...! I love my trips to New York but usually can't wait to get home. I don't love crowds and walking constantly in cigarette smoke about puts me over the edge! We decided we are going to continue these "girl" trips every year and try some place new. I can't wait!!!

The show I liked the best

The ice skating rink in the middle of Central Park. The weather was so nice!

Central Park in the fall

More Central Park. The New York Marathon was ran through here that Sunday.

The crew at Sarabeth's. This was after a red-eye flight and getting in at 6:30am. I purposely didn't include myself in this picture

MMMM! My lemon-ricotta pancakes

When did we become adults?

2009-10-18T13:36:00.001-07:00

So last Tuesday, Gary and I signed our life away. Well, not really but we did buy a lot. I can't believe we actually did it but we feel pretty good about our decision. We bought a pretty nice lot in a cul-de-sac (a dream of mine to own a house in a cul-de-sac) in west Kaysville. There is so much green-ness, grass, parks and a brand new church at the end of our cul-de-sac. I'm so excited but nervous. There are so many "what ifs" in life but we must move on in faith. Now comes the fun job of finding a house design we like and finding a contractor to give us the best deal. Maybe in year or less we will be in our new house. I will keep everyone updated with our progress!

Updates...

2009-09-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

Gary had his tonsils out a few weekends ago. I thought he would be layed up for a few weeks but he has actually done quite well and bounced back pretty fast. He isn't one to sit around not doing anything. And, try telling him he can't eat his favorite food. He got sick of yogurt, pudding, protein drinks and cottage cheese pretty fast.

We decided to put our townhouse up for sale. It's time to tap into the housing market before it all starts going up again. After looking at many existing houses, we are leaning towards building our own house. Scary huh? I'm nervous about it but also so excited to be able to pick out the design of a house. We are looking into the options of using Symphony homes or an independent builder. I guess whomever gives us the best price. Finding a lot is an issue too. There are many in West Kaysville for sale (it's beautiful in Kaysville) but I know we both would like to stay in Farmington, Centerville or Bountiful if possible. Lots are just so dang expensive. If you know of any...give us a holler.

Gary is busy studying for part 3 of his CIA (certified internal auditing) test. It's just extra certification to have and always good for credentials if he ever wants to look for a new job. He already passed the first 2 tests but studying takes months and dedication. He is so smart though. I'm just working away at Primary's getting geared up for the horrible RSV/Swine Flu outbreak that is supposed to hit any day. Hopefully I make it through the year without catching anything. The joys of being a nurse.

Besides looking at houses, lots and design centers, Gary and I have been to the last 2 home BYU games. I love going to see my boys in blue play...as frustrating as they can be sometimes. Gary doesn't love the games as much as I do but he is an awesome husband and has let me drag him to the games. He is excited for my dad to get home from his work trip so my dad can go to the games with me and he can be off the hook. He likes staying home to watch games so he can flip to the other games when one gets boring. And let's face it, not many people love crowds and traffic.

That's us in a nutshell right now. I head to New York the end of October with Gary's mom, sister's, aunt's and cousin for a girls trip. Gary heads out on his international trip the beginning of November and I will meet him in Australia the middle of November to play and explore. I can't WAIT!!!

A passion or a sickness?

2009-09-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

I believe I have what some people call...a sickness. I blame it all on my dad because of course the blame has to be put somewhere. What am I talking about? It's just a little thing called BYU football. Yes, that's right, BYU football. I am a junkie, obsessed, maniac, insane, bipolar person during football season. I would call myself BYU's #1 fan in all aspects of the word. I won't lie, I have cried when they have won the big games and I have cried when they lost the worst games. Sick, right? I know. I bleed blue in a big time way! I'm sure if the BYU team knew about me, I would get front row seats in the elite section of the football stadium or even my own box seats for being the most invested fan ever in the history of BYU football. I have gone to most home and many away games in my young, short life. I plan on being one of those older retired folks who have nothing better to do but follow their beloved team around the country to play. It would be a dream come true! (Not sure my husband will go for that!)

a SuMmEr DeLiGhT

2009-08-31T13:44:00.000-07:00

I always have the problem of buying a lot of fruit, fresh fruit...thinking if I have it at my house, we'll eat it. The apples usually get eaten but that's about it. I was throwing rotten fruit out like no other. Until...my brother and sister-in-law gave me the perfect solution. I now freeze all the fruit that looks like it is starting to go bad. Then, whenever I feel like a healthy treat, I pull out the frozen fruit and make a smoothie out of it. I love trying different fruit blended with each other. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, blackberries, banana's. I throw some vanilla in the fruit smoothies and then 1/3 of a can of some kind of frozen concentrate. Frozen pineapple juice, orange juice, Orange-Pineapple-Banana blend or Strawberry-Orange-Banana are some of the few I love. No sugar needed! Delicious! I also make it even more healthy and throw fresh spinach in my smoothies. You can't taste it and it's so good for you! Thanks Taylor and Annie for the great idea!!!

Favorite summer activity

2009-08-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

Awe, cute

One thing a good boat has to have...a heater! Yes, a heater...especially for those early morning ski runs

Gary wake-surfing

Nice rooster tail babe!

Me, trying to lay it down

Gary loves wake-boarding

Gary and I have a good friend who owns an awesome Malibu boat. We have been fortunate enough to go out and spend some days and early mornings on the lake. I will go with anyone, anywhere, anytime. I will drop whatever I am doing to go! I'm such a water/sun girl. My two most favorite things in the world? Waterskiing and watching BYU sports, especially football. But we'll save that for another blog.

We got to go out this last weekend to beautiful East Canyon lake. It was awesome water in the morning. Nothing better than skiing on glass. Gary is the all-around guy in the water. He loves to do it all and is very natural and good. Me? I stick to waterskiing. I've had a few concussions wake-boarding so I stay away. But I love even a ride on the boat. Thanks Curtie for taking us out!

A camping we will go...

2009-08-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

My family doesn't camp. Just ask any of us. Okay, okay, Taylor might...once in a while...but as for the rest of us, we don't do it. We don't like to get dirty or smelling like campfire. We like sleeping in our own beds. We like having flushing toilets and running water. We don't like bugs. So, we just don't camp. We don't own camping equipment. But, I got married to a man who loves the outdoors, camping, and the smell of campfire. So I consented and last weekend, we went camping with our friends.

My premonition was not to go. The weather report said thunderstorms and a low of 37 degrees at night. It rained the day we left and then on our drive to the Uintas. But I tried to be a "happy camper" and went along. We finally found a campsite and we quickly set up our tents because the sky was darkening quickly. No sooner as we finished did it start hailing on us. Great. I'm already freezing. Luckily I found some mittens in my coat I had brought. I had also talked my husband into buying and bringing an umbrella for our night out...because I had checked the weather.

The hail stopped and the rain came. Pouring rain. Rain that was putting out our campfire...the only thing keeping us warm. The few of us that had umbrella's had to stand over the fire so the rain wouldn't put our fire out. That caused a TON of smoke and the smoke inhalation was intoxicating. Our lungs were burning. We couldn't see. It was cold, make that FREEZING. I didn't even get to have a S'more (I love these!!) because my fingers were numb and we didn't have much of a fire. Good thing Gary had brought our BBQ grill to cook some hamburger and hot dogs.

I was wet all over and Gary and I decided to call it a night. We went to our tent and mud got everywhere. Then I had to go to the bathroom...in the rain...with no outhouse. Jeez. After getting settled and putting our 5-6 layers on us, we settled in for the night. I was COLD. I ended up putting my extra pair of sweat pants OVER MY HEAD to keep some heat in. Ya, it was awful. I had a restless night and woke up to a flat air mattress. When I finally had the courage to get out from the covers and go out to get some breakfast, I was numb. Everything was frozen! We had pancakes with frozen butter and syrup. My husband informed me that his watch said it was 42 degrees that morning. Sweet.

Breakfast was just about over and I wanted to get out of there...fast. More dark clouds coming in. I begged Gary to take our tent down and to leave. We did but as we were cleaning up, SNOW. SNOW! SNOW!!! I HATE SNOW! In the middle of August? Really? Depressing. We finally got cleaned up and left. I couldn't have been happier. I was wet and chilled to the bone. For those of you who know me, I don't do well with cold.

Moral of the story, doubt I will be going camping for a long...long...LONG time. The one positive? The Uinta's are gorgeous!!! Wish we could have hiked them in warm weather...

Right before snuggling down in our many layers of bed covering. Trying to look happy.

Me putting on my happy face

The tarp covering our firewood to attempt to keep it dry

Gary grilling up some burgers and "Mexican" hot dogs

The hail that plagued our campsite

The crew, trying to keep warm by the fire

Me with my sweatpants over my head, just waking up. Don't know why I am smiling

The pretty Uintas. You can't tell but it is snowing pretty hard in this picture

Um, ya. This is Gary chewing charcoal. For those of you who aren't smart enough to know, chewing charcoal actually cleans your teeth. Who knew?

Just before leaving for home. Can't you see I'm estactic?

2009-07-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

So about 3 weeks ago I was at the gym minding my own business. I had my ipod on and was using some arm machine when a lady gym trainer came up to me and wanted to talk. I stopped my exercise, took my earphones out and geared myself up for the pitch I knew I was about to hear.

The trainer: "Have you ever had a trainer before?"

Me: "Um, no."

The trainer: "Did you know that with your gym membership, you can meet with a trainer for a free hour? They talk to you about your goals, talk about what a trainer does and will work you out for 30 minutes, all for FREE!!!"

Me, thinking in my head, how do I say no and get out of this? I know it's going to be a sales pitch and as much as I have always wanted to have a rock-hard body, trainers are SO EXPENSIVE! This is what came out of my mouth, "Okay, sure. That sounds great."

Well, it's now 3 weeks later and guess what I have? A trainer!!! I was a sucker for the sales pitch. And secretly, I have always wanted a trainer. I'm not sure if it was the promise of a 6-pack in 9-12 weeks or what but I start my workout this Monday. Let me explain for all of those that are rolling their eyes and saying, she doesn't need to lose weight or, why do you need to pay someone to get you in shape?

Being married is great! I love it...but I don't love the 10 pounds I put on in 6 months. I have been the same weight for about 6-7 years now. I don't know how I stayed so stable because I wasn't a big gym member. Even when I did get my membership 3 years ago, I only made it to the gym about 2 times a week and I that was purely because I felt more guilty NOT to go. I would do a little cardio and lift some weight here and there. But I had no real game plan.

Well, I find it very important to feel good about myself. And if I don't love the 10 pounds I put on that went straight to my waist, hips and thighs, I don't feel good about myself. I'm not trying to lose a ton of weight but I do want to get back to my pre-wedding size and tone my body up. I don't want to "let myself go" now that I'm married. I think it's important to stay healthy and fit and since I don't play soccer or softball anymore, I need the gym in my life.

So my cute husband consented to me getting a trainer if that's what I felt I needed to do to get in shape. I talked my friend into going in on this trainer with me. We get 6 sessions a month for 4 months. We are splitting the pay which will help a ton. The first three times we met with our new trainer, he talked nutrition with us.

Nutrition. Now that's a sore subject. I have never had to diet or cut back on greasy or sugary food. My metabolism is pretty good so that's my excuse for being able to eat whatever I want. Somehow marriage...or maybe the birth control...changed all that. After keeping a 4-day food journal, our trainer told us we need to eat less ice cream, treats, and carbs and more protein, fruits and vegetables. YUCK!!! How fun is that anyway? Who wants to be told what they can and can't eat? I'm struggling with the nutrition part. I guess if I want to eat Olive Garden's salad and Alfredo sauce whenever I want to, I should!!! But I guess nutrition and getting in shape go hand in hand so I must try. I won't enjoy it though!!!

I WILL enjoy starting an intense workout Monday and can't wait to see the inner tube around my tummy start to slide off. I had a big talk with our trainer though and told him he had better kick our butt and not let any of our whining that we're sore or hurting keep him from pushing us. I may change my mind in a few weeks though. Wish me luck!!!

Our Blog

2009-07-21T13:06:00.001-07:00

We have a blog. We are still figuring it out so bear with us.