Fun Week

Last week was very busy! Matt's cousin got married in St. George, but due to some work and church activities, I wasn't able to go. That didn't stop him though, he packed Lexi in the car, and off they went. Both Grandma's were happy to have her! They sounded like they had a great time and are back safe and sound.




Last Tuesday we went to the zoo with Stacie, Lauren, and Kyla. This is the one picture I took. It seems like we have tons and tons of pics at the zoo, but the girls were so cute in this little boat, I couldn't resist.





On Thursday we went to Barnem & Bailey's Circus with the Merkely's and Staker's. The kids were more excited about going on the trax downtown then the actual circus! Wyatt and Lexi were so good about holding hands!


Once it got going, Lexi was very into it, I couldn't even coax her to turn around and take a decent picture!





More fun poses! I really enjoyed the Elephants, they did some amazing tricks! They also had 6 motorcycles in a cage going around and around each other, that was pretty cool. And of course they had tigers, clowns, trapeze...pretty much all the works! It was a great evening and fun with friends.

On our ride home the kids were REALLY tired! They all piled in with Jessica and took turns crying. We were all really glad to be home in the end.

Tagged Again!

Tagged by Lisa For my last post today..I've been tagged again. Can you hardly believe I posted 3 times in one day??

7 Things I plan to do before I die:

1. Go to Italy
2. Sell all the caramel in our garage (500 lbs of it! So buy apples, please!)
3. Obtain a Masters degree, I'm not hard set in what, but I'm gonna get one.
4. Run a 5k
5. Celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary, to Matt of course!
6. See the 7 wonders of the world.
7. Shop like Katie (my mother-in-law) at Costco without flinching. (I'm always in awe of the way she can fill up multiple carts and bust out that credit card without looking back, I'm gonna be able to do that some day!)

7 things I do now:

1. Make caramel apples.
2. Read blogs.
3. Read books, both my own and Lexi's.
4. Walk with the walking group.
5. Work part time with IHC
6. Each lunch in the park with Matt, almost daily.
7. Take naps, again almost daily.

7 things I can't do:
1. Make my child poop in the potty (well she is doing better, and maybe next week I will be able to say I can do this!)
2. Put down a good book ( was up till 2am last night finishing one)
3. Save the stock market
4. Pass up an offer of ice cream.
5. Get my husband into UCLA (maybe he can do this for us!)
6. Win the lottery. (Can't win if you don't play!)
7. Ride Matt's bike. (He thinks maybe I can, but I'm sure I can not!)

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1. Cars-good thing Matt was driving a BMW. It's shallow, but I was impressed.
2. Eyes, not necessarily the color, more if they are sincere or not.
3. Sense of humor
4. Their family and friends (if I like them or not)
5. Ability to give me butterflies.
6. Kissing skills
7. Attention and interest in people around them.

7 celebrities that I like:
1. Reese Witherspoon
2. Kiera Knightly
3. Johnny Depp
4. Brad Pitt
5. John Cusak
6. Julia Roberts
7. Matthew Broderick

7 favorite foods:
1. Ice cream-just about any kind
2. Cobb Salad
3. BBQ chicken pizza
4. Cold cereal
5. Just about any meal my dad makes!
6. Just about any dinner cooked by someone else!
7. Good and Plenties and Candy Corn

7people who need to do this (sorry in advance if you hate tags!):
1. Amanda Lybyer
2. Natalie Permann
3. Lindsey Allen
4. Yannette Traver
5. Doug Hall-I know Tamara was already tagged, but Doug can do it too, ha!
6. Missy (I want to say Tippettes) Wagner
7. Jessica Staker-I want to see this when you get back from your cruise!

For the love of science...and easy money!

So I'd have to say I'm a sucker for research trials. Ya know that movie Dick and Jane, where they are so broke Jane has to go in and do studies and she walks out with fat lips, that's gonna happen to me someday. In college I used to donate plasma on a regular basis for some extra cash, I don't mind needles so much, and what am I doing with all that extra plasma?? They can have it! About a year ago I went in for Lexi's check up, and they wanted me to put her in a study monitering the effects of a shot they were already going to give her, so I signed up for that. And while the lady was giving me that information, she signed me up for a birth control study as well. So I took their pill for about a year, which worked out just fine and I made $300 doing it. But since I'm now trying to get pregnant I signed up for a new study to see how quickly their tools and tricks (and of course the help of my husband) can get me pregnant. Sure, why not! I'll fill out their questionaire and make a couple hundred bucks doing what I was going to do anyway. I think these research trials are awesome!

Angry Blogs

So I've decided to write frustrated blogs more often! After my last post in regards to Lexi's inability to poop in her potty, she managed to go all week long, without any accidents! That's three times in a row, which is definitly making some headway, whew! She's off to grandma's this weekend with her dad, so hopefully the new place wont through her off....maybe tomorrow I will make a post about why my bathroom wont stay clean!

I've been tagged

So I was tagged--thanks Dawn. There have been a lot of different tags going around, this one is asking for 6 quirky things about me, so here it goes....

1. I love to read, and I'm currently overly interested in King Henry VIII fiction novels. I think I've read about 20 of them in the last couple months.

2. I've never broken a bone in my body, and besides working, I've only been to the hospital once, to have a baby!

3. I love good & plenties, (I get that from my mother).

4. I'm a huge fan of Jane Austen, both movies and books!

5. I've visited Poland, I was there for 2 weeks, and I don't speak a word of Polish!

6. I've stayed in touch with friends I made in 2nd grade.

That's it! I'm suppose to tag 6 more friends...but since there are a lot going around, I'm not going to name individuals. I'll just say tag to you! whoever you are reading this blog :)

Diapers are out, Tinkerbell & Ariel are in!

Well, we've officially given up diapers at our house. However, when I'm cleaning up poop off the floor and the stairs, I find myself wondering, are diapers really all that expensive? or would it really be that bad if Lexi went to Kindergarten in said diapers? Lexi has #1 pretty much down, she gets through her naps dry and all day as well. We've started putting her in Tinkerbell or Ariel panties at night, and since I usually get up once a night anyway, I just wake her up with me. She's been dry all week! And while we are so proud of that, we are at our wits end over this whole pooping business. She tells us she wants to go, she sits on the potty, and then she firmly repeats 'all done', until we let her up, at which time she's bound to poop in her pants within a few minutes.

It is AMAZINGLY frustrating! On Monday we had an episode such as this, and I told her she is grounded from all TV and movies until she can poop in the potty. She cried, she wailed, life was just too much for her two year old self, but alas I held firm. It was a tough couple days leaving that TV off all day, I rely too much on Barney to give me enough time to shower and get ready for the day, and Curious George usually helps me make dinner, and then The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan help us get through particularly rough evenings...I thought we were on to something Friday morning though, she told me she needed to go, we went up to the potty, and miracle of miracles, she got a tiny bit in the pot, whew! We danced, we sang, we clapped, and Lexi ran straight for the TV and picked Annie for her prize. I knew there would be more though, and I just hoped and prayed we'd have another positive experience...but no such luck. Later that afternoon she started to squirm and even though she said she didn't need to go, the signs were telling me differently. As I picked her up to head up to the bathroom things went very badly...and shortly after that I found myself cleaning the stairs, wondering why diapers are so bad, and a potty trained kid is so good.

Quiet Morning

Well I don't usually find time to blog at 9am, but here it is, and since Lexi is still sleeping, I thought I'd make good use of my time. Yes, I know my child is a miracle sleeper, but if it makes you feel any better she was up at 7 this morning vomiting all over her sheets. Poor thing!
My sister-in-law Tamara does an appreciation moment on her blog, she just picks a person every week or so, and does a really awesome shout-out. I think it's awesome to publicly state all the things and people you are grateful for, so here are some on the top of my list this morning!

#1 My family, and when I say my family I mean my Mom & Dad (who've been there through thick and thin, helping me, teaching me, and loving me through it all), my brother-who I don't think know's I admire and love him as much as I do, and my sisters (including my totally awesome sister-in-law, Yannette). I also mean MY family, which is the three of us for now. I could never ask for a better husband or better father to my little girl. Lexi, excusing the fact that she's two, is my best friend! We hang out all day together, and I get to enjoy her crazy words and actions, and teach her and help her and get frustrated with her (cause we all get frustrated with our friends now and again). It makes for a wonderful life when you have great people around you!

#2 My Extended Family. I have the best in-laws a girl could ask for, they are enourmosly helpful, interested in our life, and sensitive to our needs. My brothers and sisters in-law are all unique, and all a blessing to my life. I've found confidants in both my sisters-in-law and great friends with those Hall boys. They make me laugh and sometimes cry, but all of our gatherings are eventful ones!
If I keep extending out, I'd say my cousins and aunts & uncles and grandparents, there isn't one of them I could do without! I have two cousins that stick out in my mind this morning, Alisa is my eldest cousin, and she has always been a role model to me. She probably doesn't know how much she has impacted my life with the choices she has made. She's also gorgeous, and funny, and knows how to have a good time, she's also got 3 of the cutest kids I've ever seen in one family! And Shara, I grew up with Shara and although we haven't stayed in the best contact through the recent years, we recently had a phone conversation that makes me so grateful to know her. She is an awesome mom, and since her husband is in the military, she has been doing most of it alone. She loves and cares almost too much! She'd give her right arm to you if you asked!

And since I can hear Lexi stirring in the next room-it is 9:30 after all-, I'll have to stop there...but I'll add another 'grateful' post again soon! Have a great day!

New Babies!!

There must be something in the air this week, two of my good friends had baby boys!

Congrats to the Wilde Family and their new addition, Seth Lawrence Wilde! He arrived Sunday morning at 8lbs 9oz and 21 inches.









My dear college roommate Amy had her bundle of joy this very morning! Beckett Isaac North made his debut at a whopping 10 lbs 14 ounces and 21.5 inches!

Congrats to both these ladies and two lucky little boys who have great families!

**Hope it's ok I cut and pasted these pics from you guys!**

Just like her mother....

We have 3 beds in our house, Lexi's bed, 'the big bed', and Christa's bed. A couple weeks ago, for a nap Lexi asked to sleep in the 'big bed', sure kiddo, as long as you're sleeping, I don't care where! This started a trend of rotating through all three beds for her naps or going to bed at night, whichever one might suit her fancy that day. I don't know how it happened, but my bed is now 'Christa's bed', not mom's bed, or dad's bed, but Christa's bed. Although it sounds a lot more like 'tista's bed'. Last night Matt put her down in our bed with a book, this is how he found her an hour later, totally out, hugging her book for dear life. She makes us smile!

And for those of you questioning our parenting tactics, don't worry, she always ends up back in her bed before we go to sleep. And one of the greatest things about Lexi is she'll stay put in that bed until I come get her out in the morning. If she wakes up, she just hangs out and sings to herself until Mom or Dad come in. It's awesome!

Playing On Our Children's Dime

Matt Here.

I'm on the hook for my father's Medicare, and now Alexis will be on the hook for my mortgage. And the beat goes on....

The big news in the financial markets this week is the government take over of the mortgage lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. As I understand it, both companies got in over their heads and were facing tough times that would have damaging effects on the entire housing industry and the financial sector as a whole. I get it, we were going to be paying for this for a while, but it seems awfully short sighted to me. Also, there are some interesting details that aren't getting tons of attention, but nonetheless will effect us all for years to come.

With this takeover, taxpayers (ME!!!) are now responsible for $200 billion in loan guarantees. Down in the fine print of the whole deal is wording that congress can now add additional subsidies to keep interest rates artificially low. This is surprising to me because the government has long been involved in guaranteeing loans, but never before in actual loan rates. So now the taxpayers (ME!!!) will be subsidizing their own loans while companies rake in more business. You can certainly expect Fannie and Freddie to spend plenty of money in Washington to make sure this happens, considering they have spent $174 million on lobbyists over the last 10 years.

In essence, this whole takeover is a lot like a bankruptcy, so I would expect to see the bond holders and creditors to receive some compensation because they hold promises of payment, while the stockholders should get wiped out because of the purely speculative nature of stocks. In this situation, the government has the right to claim up to 80 percent of shares, which would drop the price 20 percent of what they are worth now, but only if the government chooses to exercise this option (cue the lobbyists).

Anyways, here's how the Treasury Department spins the story: they are doing it to protect the financial markets and the taxpayers. Really? But isn't this going to cost the taxpayers (ME!!!) a big chunk of change to bank roll? Thank you very much, but I would prefer that you didn't reach deeper into my pockets and mortgage my children's future (not my future, that has already been mortgaged) to bail out private investors and large companies, encourage people who can't afford their reverse-amortizing-40 year-ARM loans, and provide job security for lobbyists. If this is the best they can do with my tax dollars, I think I would rather have it back, please.

On a side note, this is why I support the message of Ron Paul; lower taxes, minimize government, and make people responsible for themselves. How can we expect responsible actions if there is an understanding that the government and taxpayers (ME!!!) will simply swoop in and save the day? Isn't that the kind of irresponsibility that got us in this situation in the first place?

State Fair

On Saturday we decided to take Lexi to the State Fair. Matt was absolutely shocked that they charge to get in the door, but I don't think he was anticipating it to be as large as it was. If you haven't been to the Utah State Fair, it's definitely worth checking out!




















































Lexi is digging for vegetables in the first picture, they had a small farming section for kids. We spent most of the evening walking around and looking at the many many booth's of junk! Then we passed through the carnival rides...there were a few she could have ridden, but they were 3 bucks a pop, and she seemed happy enough just to watch the crowds, so we didn't let her ride anything, are we cheap-o parents or what?? We did splurge for the funnel cake! Seriously, how can you go to the fair without a funnel cake? It was a great evening at the fair!

Power Outage

I don't know what the deal is, but our neighborhood gets more then its fair share of power outages. It's not even our whole neighborhood, it seems like it is just our street. Last night I pulled into the neighborhood and everyone had lights, until I turned onto our street. I drove up to a dark house thinking it was rather strange for Matt to be in bed by 9pm...but alas the dumb power was just out again. It didn't come back on till after midnight, so much for the movie we rented! I remember several times being in the dark last summer. One day in particular it must have been in the 90's, maybe over 100 in the house, and the power was out from 1pm till after 2am in the morning. It was a LONG evening.
I'm going to stop my complaining right here and say the neat things about power outages, first off, you get to meet your neighbors. Matt and I walk around the neighborhood, A LOT, and there are hardly any people out in their yards. But when it's hot they all seem to creep on out, it was fun seeing all the people out and about. I also get to use all those candles I buy because they smell so good, but sometimes I forget to use them. Well when the power is out, the house smells awesome! The last fun thing is having one-on-one conversations, minus 'Scrubs' in the background, or Matt beind distracted by fantasy baseball or basketball (whatever the season may be). With no power, we really get to chat about the goings on in life, it's actually a blessing in disguise!

Don' let go of a good thing....

I started running again last week. I figured I don't have any really great excuses not to exercise anymore, and I really let myself go, thinking I could chalk it up to the pregnancy, and now it's coming back to haunt me. Earlier this summer I was really starting to get into the running thing, and it was actually getting easier...well all the momentum sure goes down the drain in a hurry :) The first day I ran, I seriously thought I was going to pass out, and that was just making it to the end of my street. Me and this guy in the cartoon had a lot in common! Then being the crazy girl I am, I went out and ran a second day in a row, by Saturday I could hardly stand up. It's funny how when you hurt that bad, it still makes you feel good, knowing you must have been working it pretty good to hurt that bad :) So I saved up my strength over the weekend, and headed back out last night. I made it all three miles, and felt much better. My legs do feel like jello today, and I'll have to wait another day or two to try it again. But the greatest lesson I learned is don't give up good habits, it's probably harder to have to start from the beginning when you know you used to be able to accomplish something so easily.