in parenthesis

I have news and updates and pictures galore but for now...

I stumbled upon this dreamy little website in cahoots with Anthropologie.

The Anthropologist

It has articles on wonderful people, places and things. A long with beautiful photographs. Look. Dream. Imagine.

Kethup

Here's a little catch up. We've been loving it out here. It's so nice to be back in school. I'm just soaking it up, so glad to be getting a good education! I love campus life and I'm trying to participate as much as my work/wifely/motherly duties will allow! Each weekend they have a free moving showing in the theatre on campus and this past weekend we watched "the karate kid" (yes the new one) with our friends Jason and Amber, Zach and Julie and Jozie (minus her other half Tommy, who was in Arizona for a wedding). Bannock didn't do to well during but after we went and nabbed free food (sushi and fruit and a chocolate fountain anyone?) from the Fashion Show while Bannock took his first ride(s) on a skateboard. We've made the best friends here and I'm going to be so sad when we they have to move in January, but the campus is small (shoot, the entire town is small!) so I'm sure we won't lose touch! It's just been fun to have potlucks and impromptu game nights and venting about landlord issues!

But moving on! These pictures are from two or three weekends ago (i forget to bring my camera everywhere!) when we went on a little drive in our beautiful 1988 toyota camry. I WILL post more pictures and more often!

This is the view from the Valley of the Temples

Our dashboard friend/sunglass holder KeAloha, she's legit


A mausoleum in Valley of the Temples

Chinaman's Hat off of Kualoa + random tourists

Another view from Kualoa

An address to these changing times

I have to speak up about these current events. I refrain from posting anything political or religious on facebook because I feel it just stirs up contention. I have so many friends and family members of completely opposite beliefs and sadly I feel that stating my opinion in such a public place as Facebook for all of them to see would merely pit them against each other.

Yet I can't remain silent about what is happening in this world. To start, Elder Boyd K, Packer of the quoram of the 12 Apostles spoke at the sunday morning session of General Conference. He reiterated the church's proclamation to the world and our beliefs about the organization of family. He in no way attacked. he said nothing hurtful. He merely re-stated what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' stance on marriage and the family as well as touching on various other points of church doctrine. I was sad and angered to hear that in response a gay activist committee rallied in front of the church headquarters in Salt Lake City and asked Elder Packer to "retract" what he said about the FACT that the Lord would never impose on us inborn tempations that are "preset and cannot be overcome". Our Heavenly Father does not tempt us beyond that which we are unable to overcome.

We do not go to the Gay community and ask you to retract your views that marriage is not a sacred God-given ordinance so do not ask the LDS church to retract its views on homosexuality. I am sorry that there were people who were hurt by these statements. But many in our religious community are hurt by the fact that we must change our laws (on state level, by no means do i mean on an eternal level) to accomodate your views.

I am becoming tired by the politics of this country. The United States of America was founded on the basis of religion - the freedom to worship as we please. How dare anyone try to take that away? So many have forgotten who the founding fathers were. They were God-fearing intellectuals and I aspire to be that someday as well.

I support the rights of the minorities. To an extent. When the rights of the minority are held superior to the rights of the majority, and therefore are subsequently imposed on the majority, thats where the line must be drawn. For now you are creating a minority out of the majority. And then the process must then be reversed, should it not?


I am afraid for the world to come. I fear for the society my children will inherit and I am sad for the destruction of the world which, judging from current events, is not far off. I am thankful for the Gospel and the faith that I have, it brings me an inner peace that I wish we could all have. I know the Lord is merciful and through Him all will be made right in the end.

I leave you with this:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light and ligh for darkness, that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" - Isaiah 5:20

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Dear ants crawling on the bathtub, wandering alone on the carpet, coming in through the kitchen window-

I hate you. I loathe your existance. Really, what ARE you DOING?! there is nothing on the bathtub to be congregating in that mass for. There is no reason to be scavenging by yourself on the carpet- if there were food i'd understand but so far you're out of luck so why are you wandering aimlessly around? And to you in the kitchen, I more fully understand your reasoning over the others, it is the kitchen after all. But I try to be as meticulous as possible and make sure there is NOTHING for you there. So please. Leave. Either get all your buddys, attack, swarm, have at it, get it over with - or just accept that there is nothing for you here and please get on with your measley existance. Or you will face mass death by my hand which I will not regret but enjoy to a full extent.

Sincerely,
the one whose sanity you are destroying.

My baby boy is not a baby anymore...

My little man is growing up. I need a post devoted just to all the new things he's been doing. I love this boy so much and everything he does amazes me. I adore him to pieces.

• He knows how to sign: more, again, please, thank you and all done
• He says: Mama, daddy, Nahna (grandma), that (his word of choice), what, Bopbop (bottle)yuck, rock, hi, buh bye and All D (all done)
• Just tonight Sean was reading him a book and he saw a sick person in a bed and put his finger to his mouth and said "shh"
• He gives the best kisses- puckers his lips and all
• He's started giving "group hugs" - he'll put one arm around each of our necks and pull us together (or if he's on the ground he hugs our legs)
• When he gets really excited about something (ants, crabs, waves, his Star Wars Lego jammies) he says "mahmah! mahmah! THAaaat!?" and points to whatever it is thats intriguing him
• He says "hi" in the sweetest voice - even to the birds (he waves at them too)
• When he's ready to go he just starts saying "buh bye" to everyone and waving at them and heads for the door
• He wears mine and Sean's shoes around the house
• When he wakes up in the morning and sees us he says "Mama, Hi" "Daddy, hi"
• He knows the difference between "mine" and "his"- when I ask where my nose/eye/mouth/ear is he points to mine and if I ask where his nose/mouth/etc. are he points to his
• He helps me pick up and sweep and put things back where he found them (when I ask of course)
• He loves little babies - he likes to touch their heads and feet and get real close to their face and smile at them
• He loves to hug other little kids he meets (sometimes knocking them over in the process!)
• He absolutely LOVES to read - he can pick up any book or even magazines, catologs, maps and sit down and flip thru the pages for over ten minutes - when we read to him he is completely enthralled
• He gives pats on the back
• He loves to dance - I can make a beat on the table with my fingers and he'll bop up and down and sway back and forth - the boy can pick up a rhythm from a blow-dryer (seriously)

Even though he gets a little too adventurous and curious, and sometimes I want to pull my hair out over the messes he makes, I love him regardless of any wrong he does because he has only to say "mama" and my heart just melts for him. Even though I am in school again and so happy to get a break and some time to myself, being a mom is first and foremost and it is the most rewarding thing I could ever do. It is truly impossible for anyone to understand this kind of love- you have to be a mother to know, there is no way of explaining it. I love being Bannock's mama.

We made it to hawaii...

I am excited to say that Sean and I actually made it to Hawaii! This is the first time here for both of us, and even though I am incredibly nervous about both of us going to school full-time and taking care of a baby I am also thrilled to be out here doing this. So far we've been able to just hang out with a bunch of friends, go to the beaches, eat Shave Ice (yes it says shave on the menu) and just chill. I'm excited for all the advetures we'll be having and I will definately keep you all updated!!!

This is the view from our little beach behind our house...


Our little beach, the tide is in in this pic but when its out its half sandy and turqouise blue waters, there are little crabs and fish down there too,
SO fun!

Couple of bros husking coconuts in the yard -Sean's cousing Tommy goes to BYUH too so he'll be spending a lot of time with us I'm sure :)

Our humble little home- we actually only occupy the left half but no one lives in the rest of it so we get free run. I love having a (gated) yard for Bannock to play in!

This is our campus! I know right?!

My newest addiction

One of my wonderful new friends Amy told me about Adobe Lightroom recently. So I went home and bribed Sean into downloading it for me and I am in heaven. I could spend HOURS ( and I have ) playing around and messing with this program!!! Its glorious and amazing and even if you don't want to play with the settings yourself you can download free presets from google from people who have made their own. I'm so in love. Now all I need is a better camera...

It's been a summer...

WHAT A SUMMER IT'S BEEN. I can't believe I haven't posted this whole summer! It's been so fun and eye-opening - a total roller coaster ride but worth every minute. I promised Cari I'd finally blog tonight so here it is. A (very brief) summary of our wonderful summer adventures.


Fourth of July - Sean has done great, while it hasn't been exactly how we hoped (at all) it's been so wonderful making new friends and experiencing a new city. Chicago is AMAZING. If i ever were to live in a city it would be Chicago. The shopping is awesome of course but there are beautiful parks, the Lincoln Park zoo downtown is not only great but free as well, the beaches are nice (though the water is cold), the eating is great and all in all its such a wonderful city - I'm only sad because we won't be able to experience everything Chicago has to offer but that means there will definitely be a next time!

Bannock's first trip to the beach! - The water was freezing but it was still fun. Bannock has been my little buddy, he's such a great little boy. He has the best spirit and he's calm and obedient for the most part (he IS after all still a little boy). And he's SO stinkin smart (like his daddy was at that age I understand...)- he has mastered a bunch of baby signs and loves to help me put things away (toys, groceries, he's a helper) and reading is his favorite thing (he even reads magazines too). It's truly been such a blessing to just be with him all the time and watch him learn and grow.

NAUVOO - was absolutely amazing! I got to go twice, once with my wonderful in-laws and again with my parents. It truly is a beautiful, spiritual place. We went to Carthage and to the old Nauvoo burial grounds (which were tucked in this gorgeous little wood way in the middle of nowhere) and found some ancestors buried there. I was able to go to the pageant too and it was SO fun - there was an awesome bag pipe band and old fashioned games and the pageant itself was spectacular. I have a renewed love and admiration for the early Saints.

Twilight Party - these are just some of the awesome girls I've befriended out here, I love them all! I think that has truly been the best part of this summer - the amazing people we've met! These girls are all so amazing and crafty and caring and sweet and each one is unique and fun! We have recipe swaps and jewelry/craft nights, play dates and pot-lucks. I have enjoyed every minute and I can't wait to do this again! it's been a summer...

The Windy City

The open road in WYO

Bannock found a tumble weed at a gas station in Nebraska

Sean did most of the driving

Just killin time on the 13 hour drive

WE MADE IT!!!!

So after 3 incredibly long days of driving (and an angel turned devil child being sweet and adorable then screaming out for no reason) we made it to Aurora IL. We left Saturday morning and drove straight through NV, UT, and then stopped in Rock Springs WY for the night. Next day we got held up in Cheyenne WY at a Wal-Mart to get an oil changed and I just have to say that obesity is an absolute epidemic in America. Especially the mid-west. Seriously folks, this is ridiculous. We saw so many morbidly obese people and little 2 year old to 12 yr old kids who will more than likely wind up with Diabetes in the frighteningly near future. I recently watched Food,Inc. and I recommend it to EVERYONE. It will change the way you think about food and the corporate food industries. But that's another rant.

Getting back to it. We drove through (boring) Wyoming and through most of Nebraska. Stopped in Kearney (Pronounced Carnie) for the night. Then on through Iowa the next day (it's actually quite pretty). So here we are now.

The apartment is great. One bedroom but its big enough so Bannock has his own little area. It came furnished...a nice long couch for my honey (not that I'll be making him sleep on it or anything!). Also cherry wood floors and cabinets and black granite counter tops-not too shabby. Though I would have taken anything less to call our own. It's so amazingly nice to just nest and be a mom. All the other moms/wives get together every other day for activities-going to the park, library, mall what not. Yesterday we went to the community rec center to check out summer activities for the kids and moms. I could definitely get used to this. Though not seeing my husband from 11 am to 11 pm is already starting to wear on me. It will all be worth it at the end of the summer though!

It's been awhile...

It's been over a month since I've updated but what a month it's been!!!

Just a quick re-cap...pictures to come:

*On March 5th our little buy turned the big 01! We had a big family party and he got spoiled rotten! So much so mommy actually returned a couple gifts...he won't be missing them!

*We had an AWESOME girl's weekend in LA for spring break- Sean's mom and sister Lynsie, My mom and I, and Sean's aunt Kelly and her daughter Courtney- shopped out little hearts out!!!!

*On March 18th my grandpa Woodie passed away at the ripe old age of 100 we had a graveside service on March 27th and then a nice memorial service on April 10. It was a great celebration of his long,full life. He as such a great man - a hard worker, lover of food, family and the Gospel. He will be missed but he'll also be welcomed by his 15 siblings and his parents. What a reunion!

*On March 26 Sean's "Aunt Netty" also left this world to be with Heavenly Father. She was only 54 and it was quited unexpected. She had a heart attack and was kept alive on a ventilator until her boys, siblings and parents could say their goodbyes. We celebrated her life on April 12. It was THE reunion. I think the entire family was there except Aaron (who's on his mish in Brazil). It was such a bittersweet day. She had some trials in her life but she was so greatly loved. Aunt Annette you will be missed!!!

After all of this it's such an awakening. It was a roller coaster month, highs and lows and more lows. I know I've said it before but it has truly taught me even more so how precious each day is to us. I cannot express how thankful I am for the knowledge that I have through the Gospel. I don't know what I would do without it. I just have to end by saying I LOVE my families, both sides. I have the best family around me, I've been so blessed. Thanks to everyone who is reading this for your friendship and support!!!

a Present

I just realized a moment ago that exactly one year ago tonight (the night of March 3rd...) I went into (active) labor. I was just telling Sean that a year ago right now (11:30 ish) I was squeezing his hand and making him stay up and count how long my contractions were. So weird that it was a whole year ago. It was such an epic, mind-blowing, life-altering event and the pain and exhaustion and swelling and fatness are just faint, dream-like memories.

I sometimes like to think about the years gone by. The days in high school where I would stay up all night doing homework thinking that the next day was the end of the world. Or worrying about whether or not I would see the boy I liked the next day. Or the times when I would fall asleep on my brother's bed while they played video games and think "it won't be like this for long". It makes me a little sad to think about those days, how quickly the present becomes the past. At work we were talking about certain people getting married and Ilene and I reminisced for a moment about how exciting it was to date and get engaged and plan your wedding and how it's all about you for that one big day. And then even being a newlywed is gone so fast. As I get older I start to really reflect on each day and its worth. Because the future will so soon become the present and the present will become the past. I've gained a whole new perspective since getting married and having a baby. I try (though more often than not I fail) to treat each day like it was the last. It's so terribly hard to do. We have so many pointless worries, appointments, schedules to keep that it all gets in the way. I wonder, if we really wanted it, if after we die we could relive some of the happy days of our lives. But I suppose our knowledge will be perfect and we probably won't want to because even the happiest day of our mortal life will be nothing in comparison to our life in heaven. Just a thought.



Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present.

Snotty Slug Tracks

I was wallowing in my congestion induced pity and feeling incredibly tired when I looked down at my sleeve and noticed a little slug trail of snot courtesy of my almost one-year-old boy. (We think it may be allergies to the animals in the house cuz his nose is always running but otherwise he's the happiest little boy). I had to smile as I heard him laughing with his daddy in the other room. I've been so incredibly blessed in the baby department. My little man has grown at mutant speed; he eats like crazy and has an amazing amount of energy (today he walked EVERYWHERE). And when he's not walking and babbling and getting into everything he's loving on his mama (or daddy or grandma or grandpa) and giving hugs and kisses. My favorite time of the day is when he's settling down for the night and reading a book. He turns the pages and his little eyes follow the words left and right. I've never felt so much love and joy as I do when I look at him. He's absolutely perfect. He'll sit for twenty minutes and just play with his toys and talk to himself and read his books, then he'll get up and look for mommy or grandma and play a rousing game of "gonna get you" wherein he then fills the house with little sqeals of delight.

I think I've finally found my calling. There are so many things I want to do in my life but being a mother is definately at the top of my list. Its been such a life changing event and everyday is a new adventure-sometimes a frustrating one but worth it most of the time. I recommend motherhood to anyone whos ever looked at a baby and thought "maybe". It's hard, it's scary, it's tough, it's exhausting, it's fun, it's stressful, it's joyful, it's silly, it's amazing, it's life-altering but it's all worth it!!!!

A trip to the duck pond

The weather has been beautiful this past week (yesterday and today regardless). It's that spring teaser we get in California before a month of rain. Sean had a day off so we took a little family walk to the duck pond. I just have to say I love my boys.

Welcome to Mommydom

Is it just me or do most moms feel like they're just winging it?

I really do think things through but in recent weeks I've felt more overwhelmed than usual. I guess it mostly has to do with Bannock's new-found mobility (he's crawling everywhere and starting to walk) and he has an endless supply of energy. Before I became a mommy I had all these ideas about making sure I had quality time to teach and play and read but now I feel at a loss to try and fit everything in. I know most kids need structure and consistency, which I do my very best to provide...breakfast by nine, bottle, nap, walk/play, lunch, play, read, nap, play, dinner, bath/read, bedtime. That's my whole day. And throughout the whole thing I'm feeling flustered and tense. It's like my brain turned into a clock the moment I gave birth and now my mind is constantly ticking, the only thoughts are "when did he last eat?" "when did he last get a diaper change?" "how long was his nap?"

I remember magazine's and websites telling me "You're the only one who know's best for your children so when all else fails go with your gut." I think thats only partly true just because I feel thats all I have left to "go with". But can that really be right for every kid? I mean there are some moms out there who could really learn a lesson or two in child rearing. I'm not perfect. I'm not the greatest. But I can't help but feel like that statement is made just to appease so as not to offend. No one likes to be told that they're wrong. And yes we all know what's best for our babies because what's best is what we want, and what we think society needs. Yet I still can't agree that all mom's should "go with their instincts" on everything, because not everyone is right and not every woman can give a child what they actually need. I guess it's a lost cause to argue both sides. What I'm really trying to say is that as a mother I give all the love and discipline that I see fit and just hope that by "winging it" I'll get something right.... eventually.

Miracles

So my best friend Cassie had her baby today!!! Congrats!!! little Emmett Erickson was 1 lb 14 oz. Her due date was in April but he decided to come quite a bit early, the Lord works in mysterious ways.

My mom came into my room this morning toting my little boy who kept me up all night >:( and told me Cass would have to deliver the baby today due to some complications. I wasn't even as scared for my delivery as I was for today - Cass, I just want you to know I was freaking out alllll day!!! Luckily both mommy and baby are doing good, from what i hear he's a strong little fighter.

Giving birth is such a miracle. It's amazing the technology we have today, that a 3 months pre-mature baby can have a big chance at the world, to grow healthy and strong, it's amazing. I can't express how thankful I am for all of it. It's made me realize how incredibly lucky I am to have my beautiful, strong, healthy little boy. All my thoughts and prayers are with Cassie and Jared and little Emmett. Congratulations guys, I'm so happy for you!!!!

A quickie before bed...post that is ;)

So we had one spectacular and much needed weekend in San Fran! We spent last saturday at the Academy of Sciences and then shopping and then dinner at the Cheesecake atop Macy's-so romantic. And then Sunday we got to see Josh and Sarah's place-an eclectic quaint little flat by Golden Gate park. And then we all adventured to Pacifica for the afternoon-most of it spent in a nifty little antique store. Fun Fun Fun.

But then it was back to the real world, plus I sorta missed my baby. It was such a nice weekend. I wish we could do that once a month. It's weird how a little day trip can put things back into perspective. It was like the moment we got back I launched into mommy-mode and it was back to the same old routine = boring old Ashley. So here we are again...