Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a great V-Day this year! It didn't involve grand gifts, just showing our love by words and service. We each wrote a poem to each other (not planned). I cried when I read the one Todd wrote for me. It was so cute.

TJ and I made a valentine for Todd while he was at school and I cleaned the house. I made him heart shaped pancakes for breakfast and Winger's sticky fingers and celery for lunch (we bought the amazing sauce)!

Then Todd took care of dinner which was huge slabs of prime rib, corn and cheesy potatoes. We gave TJ a bath and put him down and then we watched an episode of Monk. It was a great, simple Valentine's Day!

I love Todd so so much! He is my one true love and best friend. I'm so happy that I get to be with him for time and all of eternity!! Four years ago, on Valentine's Day, I received an answer in the temple to my question about whether I should marry Todd or not. It was a very powerful and sacred experience. I will always treasure Valentine's Day.

Sick Kid

TJ had never been sick and he has just gotten over a 2 1/2 week cold or something. Having a sick kid is the worst!! Never try it! Todd and I were both sick as well. We were all miserable. Todd still has a cough and I still have a little sore throat. 

My tools of torture, at least that's what it felt like

It was hard for TJ to sleep because of his cough and congested then runny nose. We had to get a humidifier which didn't seem to help much. I had to use the bulb syringe multiple times a day to clear out his nose. It was hard for him to eat when he couldn't breathe through his nose. He did learn to breathe through his mouth though which is a useful skill. :) It was sad; he would be sucking on his pacifier and then have to open his mouth to breathe and catch his breath but then he wanted to suck on his pacifier again and then repeat the whole process. Not fun. This made it hard for him to settle down and get to sleep because we use his pacifier to do that but he couldn't suck it. Anyway...it wasn't a pleasant experience. He didn't enjoy the taste of the Tylenol either but it seemed to help him sleep better. He definitely wasn't his usual self and we could tell when he was getting better because he started cooing and laughing and playing more. He seems all better now, which is why I'm writing now. I needed to see the end of the tunnel before I blogged about it. :)

A much needed TJ update

He now likes bath time! It’s a miracle! He used to scream the entire time, red faced and all. I don’t know if we have been doing the water at a bad temperature or because it was all of a sudden in the kitchen sink but he likes it now. Even in his normal infant bath tub too! He enjoys his baths more and more, has tasted soapy bath water and gotten some in his eyes and ears. He still likes it, thank goodness.

His hands now do what they want him to do! His brain and his hands are finally in sync at least mostly! He rubs his face and eyes when he’s tired. He grabs what he wants and brings it to his mouth. Like his pacifier and toys and faces and hair.

In his new Exersaucer he plays with each toy and really likes his take along tunes, chains, crinkle book, blocks, and balls. Mostly he just sucks on them since everything goes to his mouth now, but he’s trying to understand them.

He smiles even sometimes when you talk, he looks at you and smiles. He’s not too partial with who he smiles at but he’s beginning to be more clingy to Todd and I. He smiles and then turns away like he’s bashful. It’s adorable. He was smiling at this old lady in Church last week and she started crying and leaned over and told me that all babies cry when they see her. It made her feel so good that she cried. It was sweet and I was so grateful TJ could do that for her.

When we put him in his car seat, he’s started arching his back. He arches his back when he’s on the floor sometimes and especially when we change his diaper.

He's exploring his voice; he screams and yells sometimes even though he’s not unhappy.

He's got all his fingers in his mouth, well at least eight of them. He puts them up to his mouth almost all the time. Lately he's started to put one finger in his mouth and he hooks his cheek like a little fish. It's cute.

He’s getting better at sitting up. He topples quite a bit but when he’s really leaning forward, he balances pretty well. He also enjoys just sitting on my lap or on the bathroom counters.

He grabs at things he wants. If we bring him up to the table at dinner, he reaches for our plates, food, utensils, ANYTHING within his grasp. He loves our phones and has since birth almost. He reaches for those a lot. I have to secretly text sometimes so he doesn’t see the pretty light.

He’s getting really good at his hand eye coordination. Sometimes he pulls his pacifier out of his mouth and then tries to get it back inside. He usually just starts to suck on the outer rim or whatever hits his mouth first, like his hand. I’ve worn a sweatshirt a few times and if he’s on the ground and I’m looking over him, the draw strings swing over him. He reaches out and tries to grab them. He’s getting pretty good at it.

He’s laughing!! And they are like real laughs. It’s nice! He’s interacting with people now. He’s starting to play peek-a-boo and really laugh. We play by hiding ourselves and coming back into view like ducking behind the Exersaucer and coming up or covering TJ in a blanket and then removing it. He takes some time to build up to a laugh but it usually comes.

He’s still not gotten the hang of rolling over. He hasn’t done it since the first time. We keep showing him how but … someday. Speaking of rolling over, tummy time is going well. He can lift himself even further up and can hold it longer. He enjoys it for a longer period of time.

We’ve started and stuck to a routine and I love it! It’s the best thing and we should’ve started it from day one like I learned. For naps, we feed, then read a story (if he’s not passing out on the spot), swaddle him, then sing a few songs (usually Primary ones), and tickle his face (give him softly) and rock with him and put him to bed. He goes to sleep pretty fast. For bedtime we do the same thing, except add a bath and lotion massage (if we are giving him a bath that day), change him into his jammies and then feed. It’s great.

He’s started to pay attention to things and it looks like he’s trying to figure out how it works or why it does something. I think he’ll be really analytical (hopefully in a good way) when he gets older. Maybe an engineer or physicist or something.

He loves loves loves his Exersaucer and spends a lot of time in it during the day. He’s gotten pretty smart with some of those toys. Like when he wants to suck on the Holy Grail, he puts his hand behind it and pulls it toward him and him toward it. He can reach it so much better that way.

He gets our attention by squealing, crying or making a sound like clearing his throat/hacking. I don’t know where that one came from but all of a sudden he started to do it. Maybe because Todd does it a lot. I don’t know. It’s funny and like he’s hacking up something. We give him the attention he looks for. Sometimes I look, but Todd keeps doing whatever he was doing and TJ looks at him and then back at me and then him until Todd looks too. He’s got a cute little innocent personality.

When Todd walks into the room, TJ knows it’s play time. He either gets thrown in the air or spun in the air. Todd also likes to kind of gnaw but I know that’s not right, but make chewing motions on TJ’s neck or stomach and weird noises to make him laugh or cringe. Todd actually put TJ down for a nap today and I was surprised that TJ could settle down if Todd was even 5 feet away! It was nice to know that TJ can go to sleep without me.

We are going to start letting him cry it out to go to bed soon but we want to wait until he sleeps without being swaddled so he can soothe himself by grabbing his blanket or sucking on his fingers if his plug falls out. Any suggestions on how to transition him out of a swaddle?

What I'm up to These Days...

First and foremost, I am finally, officially done with school! I graduate in April with my bachelors, officially. I walked in July 2010 but have taken one class each semester since then to stay on the cheap insurance. It'll be nice to finally have that diploma in my hands.

We are on food stamps since we don't have an income and are poor. :) We are "technically" a family of three so we get the funding for a family of three, which is much more than we could ever spend on groceries in a month especially with 5 WIC checks a month too. Food stamps cooking is fun! We've been experimenting with recipes and buying name brand food items and lots and lots of MEAT! I just wish we had a large freezer to stock up. We'll get a lot of food storage items the first few days that we move to Texas before Todd starts his job and we become not eligible. We can buy whatever weird ingredients recipes call for and if we don't like it, there was no dent in our account. It's great.

I've also been co-writing a story with my sister Kristin. It's been really fun. She writes a portion and stops and I continue it. It's coming together really fast and easily. We are on the same brain wave or something. She is a much more talented writer (since she wants to be an author when she graduates and for me, it's just a fun hobby right now). We are at the climax of the story right now, so it should be done soon. Then we'll edit it and wah-lah! We'll have a story worthy of publishing.

Here's a little taste of what we've been working on:
The immense oaks seemed to close in over her, encompassing her in a shady, dark tunnel, flickers of light seeping occasionally through the dense branches. She walked slowly, though acutely aware of the diming sunlight. It would be dark soon. So dark. She should move quicker, search for some place to be protected from the bitter night. But her step would not quicken. Her feet would not increase their lagging pace. She was almost frozen; not from the cold wind that slapped her face, but from fear, terror, utter terror.


Gemma had walked this oak-lined street hundreds of times. There was something about this night, this scene that terrified her. The way the elevated oak trees took on a life of their own. The way the moon eerily peered down at her as if waiting for the sun to sink deep into the mountains and finally give up the light. Night was coming and the moon would have her, all to himself. Every sluggish step echoed down the street. She grabbed her jacket zipper and pulled it up to her neck. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Maybe she was in shock. Maybe she had imagined the whole thing, but her mind played it back in full detail as she continued down the street. The sun was finally gone.

The trees pointed at her as she walked, directing the police to her exact location. Gemma turned and looked back as the dark smoke began to billow over the tree line. Even in the darkness of night she could see it, its massive shape rising and curling high into the sky, searching for her. It was dark and thick as her saliva. She shivered. The smoke rose higher. Gemma could not believe what she’d done. It wasn’t like her. Neither were her thoughts as she wondered if he had made it out alive. Police sirens grew louder and louder and Gemma was finally able to find the strength to run, leaving her hometown. Perhaps forever. The smoke, the sirens chased her.


We will be moving to Texas the last weekend in May and are excited. We have been apartment shopping and trying to find something with enough room for us and somewhere close to downtown Dallas where Todd will be working. We also think that we deserve a nice place since we've had our fair share of small, old and roach infested apartments. After renting for a year or two, we plan on finding and buying (or building) a house, especially once we know the area and where the good wards are.
I've also been really proud of myself. I started the 8-Week Slim down and I am currently on Week 3. I've actually stuck with it and worked out just about every day, following their plan. I haven't lost any weight but I feel my muscles are more defined and toned and I feel better and a little skinnier which is nice. I want to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and size. It's hard to change my diet though with great meals provided by the government! :)

Christmas 2010



Four Generation photo



Christmas was great! Since both of our families are in Boise we get to see them both for the holidays. We even got to see Tiffany, Adam and Rock who came from Texas and Jason and Grace moved to Nampa so they were there too! We started at the Laney's and spent about a week and a half there. The boys (Gary, Todd and Adam) went to the Las Vegas bowl to see Boise State play. Of course, we won!

TJ's favorite present, the Exersaucer



TJ missed his first Christmas morning. He was taking a nap, of course. While we were at the in-laws, Rock and TJ were on opposite schedules. Rock woke up early, 5 a.m. (6 a.m. Texas time) and played until about 7:30 and that's when TJ would wake up for the first time. TJ would stay awake for about 2 hours and sleep again and Rock would wake up from his nap. We wanted to take a ton of pictures with the two boys, but they hardly ever saw each other. But we made sure they matched, just about every day. We got a few photos in though. We ate a lot of food and too many sweets, but that's what makes Christmas, right!?

Todd also helped teach Cali how to shoot her shotgun. They were throwing clay pigeons. Cali needed a break and they asked if I wanted to shoot. I said, "Sure why not!" I pulled the gun up and closed one eye (the wrong one) and I was like, "I can't see down the barrel of the gun! Wait! How do you do this?" Then I figured out it was the wrong eye. :) My bad. I hit all of them but like 2, doing much better than Cali was doing. I felt bad. They kept asking me what I did and how I aimed and where I put the gun and I just said, "I just point and shoot. I don't really think about it." I probably shouldn't have even shot because it made Cali a little bummed.



Todd's side on TJ's blessing day



We blessed TJ (finally). He was about 3 months when we did it. We waited because we knew everyone would be in town for it. It was beautiful and special. He wore Todd's baby blessing outfit (made by Calista), I added a vest and bow tie and my mom made a blessing blanket. It was a wonderful day!

At the Steelhead's game

At my family's house, we played a lot of games. My dad won a XBOX360 with Kinect and we played that a lot. I got so sore from dancing and doing track and field. Kristin, Jason, my dad and I went to an Idaho Steelhead's game. I've only been to one other hockey game I think and I don't remember it at all. My dad was explaining a few of the terms like "power play" and such. Kristin really liked it when they broke into a fight! She was thrilled that it was "allowed" for the most part, at least much more than football. She added something else to her bucket list, "Have 2 boys fight over me." It was nice to have a night out while TJ was home with Todd and my mom.

We were away from home for about 3 weeks. We left home and TJ was 3 months and got back and he was 4 months. Crazy! He has definitely changed a lot since the last time I posted. It's been about 2 1/2 months, my bad. I'll do a separate post about all the fun things he does now.

Overall, Christmas was fun and definitely a vacation from school and Salt Lake. Don't get me wrong SLC is great but it's just not Rexburg, or anything like Rexburg...at all. I don't care that the headquarters of the Church are here. Our ward is about 900 members, but only about 150 attend. We have 10 or 11 couples of Church service missionaries in our ward because there are not enough Priesthood holders for leadership or enough stable, non-transient, righteous people for major callings. It is a nearly dead ward. Not newly wed, nearly dead, just nearly dead. Well, there are about, let me count, like 5 couples our age with a little kid or just married, but we just got 2 more which is nice. On Sunday we had a combined meeting with the Priesthood and talked about home and visiting teaching. There are not very many women who can visit teach. It's not like in normal wards where if you are in R.S. you are automatically a V.T. All the older women teach each other because many of them can't leave their apartment complex. They have about 98% V.T. each month. Outside of that complex, there are 24 visiting teachers. 12 companionships for 214 other sisters. That's NUTS! I'm one of those girls and it's crazy. We have 9 homeowners and about 30 (that's probably pushing it) cars in the parking lot for our whole ward. Everyone uses public transportation or walks. They don't have cars. One week they asks for sisters to work at the cannery and many wanted too but none of them had transportation to get there. One sister who couldn't help out, said she could at least drive all the ladies to the cannery and back. There is 1 deacon, 1 priest and 1 miamaid. Pretty sure that's all the youth. Anyway...I wasn't planning on ranting and raving about our ward, but ... oh well.

Other sweet pictures: