the JOY of friendship

At the photography workshop we all took pictures in a made up photo booth. It was a great time and loved being able to see a new side of some friends. 1st is Joy and I.

2nd me, Jessica and Megan

3rd is Me, Jessica and Laura

A week of being thankful

Wow, what a week we had. Our little family had a whole set of new adventures last week. We drove down to Utah Friday evening and hung out with family until Saturday afternoon where we had Thayden’s first airplane ride! I must say I was 150% prepared and Thayden did a great job. Although we didn’t know it a the time of the booking, but the flight had a stop in Reno, NV so Thayden got 2 plane rides before even getting to California.
The week seemed to go by really fast; it was full of bubble baths, baking and lots of eating! Thayden had a great time in the big bath tub with Shane, he wanted to eat all the bubbles! I had a lot of fun baking with my mom on our traditional Wednesday bake day. We made a pumpkin pie from scratch, triple chocolate pumpkin pie, and pear tart. It was tiring, but totally worth all the yummy treats to eat.
Thursday was a very full day! Apart from it being Thanksgiving, it was also my dad’s birthday! So we had a double celebration with all my family. We had lots of talking, laughing, presents, and picture taking. I am so thankful we got to go and spend this quality time my family.
The week was way too short, but well worth all the effort. We left Saturday to get back to our lives and finish the semester out, hopefully the week off gives us a boost. It was great for Thayden to be able to spend quality time with my family, as well as Shane and I, we miss them dearly since we are so far away and can’t wait to see them again!

Carriage Ride

Monday night the Wink’s invited us to go on a carriage ride with them. It was so much to get out and do something as a family and with friends. The ride was about 45minutes long and took us around campus and around the temple. It was gorgeous out, with the sun setting and the weather was great. I even think Thayden might have had a great time. He wasn’t quite sure what to think of the horses and being in the carriage, but Shane held him most of the time and that helped. We are so grateful to have such great friends to make memories with and to be able to do fun things with!

Our Second First Date

Last week a friend of mine was talking about a preference dance happening the following weekend, thinking this would be fun but would never happen I casually brushed it off. A few days later we were talking again about the dance and how her husband and she were going and that we should go to. Still dreading the thought of leaving Thayden and thinking how the heck I could pull it off, I once again didn’t think much of it. The following day I get a phone call about doing a big group dinner and then going to the dance. Finally I was thinking, there has got to be a reason I am being reminded so much of the dance, so I caved in. After hanging up, a flood of emotions over take me; I can’t do this, I need to find a sitter, I have nothing to wear, what the heck am I going to make, etc. so, I get on the phone to a friend who graciously says she would love to look after Thayden, and looking at my fridge of food, I figure out a plan.

As Saturday approaches I still have this pit in my stomach, so I call the handy sister who knows everything, and of course I feel 100% better after talking to her. I knew I was leaving Thayden in good hands, it was only for a few hours, we weren’t that far, and we always have cell phones.

About 7pm Saturday night we drop Thayden off, I do a spin to show off my dress and shoes, and were out of there! For the first 3 minutes I question every action and every thought, I was so nervous about leaving Thayden. A few minutes later we get to dinner and all my fears just float away, and I realize that Shane and I are on our second first date.

It was so much fun to be with friends for dinner and we had a great time talking, Youtubing, and just being out of the house. After which, a few of us made our way over to the MC to go dance the night away!! It was packed to the brim in the ballroom, which of course means it was hot, but that didn’t deter us from having a great time. We danced like a crazy married couple and forgot about any other care in the world. Having that special alone time was just amazing. It was so great to have just the two of us and be around great friends.

An hour and half later Shane and I are getting tired, the heat is getting worse and we are starting to miss our little one. We make a gracious exit and leave to get Thayden. The whole way back to get him we are just grinning from ear to ear and reviling in the great night we’ve just had. After getting Thayden, and finding out that he pretty much slept the whole time we get home, feed him, and put him back to bed. Shane and I were so exhausted that we both crashed and slept until Thayden woke us up the next morning! It was a great time, and we were so glad that we went, its nice to have those quite moments to reflect upon how great your life is and how much love we contain in our hearts.

His first Halloween

This year, Halloween meant a lot more to us than normal. It was still a little goofy, but we had a great time dressing up Thayden. The saturday before Halloween we had a ward party where we carved our pumpkin and were able to mix and mingle. We decided to dress Thayden up in a costume we bought when we were in Florida Feb of '07. He was a Thing 1 from Dr.Seuss, which made a lot of since to us because he was our first child! Anyways, we had a lot of fun that night, it seems like most of our ward was there and dressed up in all sorts of silly costumes. Shane was a construction man and I was a farm girl.

Halloween night was a lot of fun also! Our apt complex always has a chili dinner and trunk-o-treating. All the cars line up in 2 rows right outside our building and we can go around to eachothers' cars, mingle, and get candy! It was great because we had the excuse of Thayden to get candy! that night Shane and I dressed up in our matching MASH pj's with boots and jean bomber jackets. It was fun dressing up Thayden again, however we had to quickly bundle him up as it got really cold. I hope to have more fun next year as Thayden might be able to understand Halloween a little better and be able to get his own candy. It was the start of a great tradition, and we hope to share more with you next year!

What a Wonderful Weekend

This past weekend was one I will not soon forget. It was a little hectic and totally emotional, but it was ours and I wouldn't change it for anything. My parents came up on Friday and Shane's mom got here Thursday night for our big baby blessing. All the planning leading up to it reminded me of a wedding party we were getting ready for. With all the invitations and people bringing food, I was so excited for the day to get here. Friday night we all went out for Chinese food in a hurry; Shane and I had to get to a baby blessing at the hospital. Then Saturday was spent shopping and getting everything ready for Sunday. It was so great to be able to have everyone together and see how much we could all love such a small child. Sunday was just an amazing day, apart from the frantic dash out the door, we had a great morning. Shane gave the most poetic and beautiful baby blessings that I have ever heard, blessing Thayden with wisdom and a desire to do well.

After church we had a big shin-dig at uncle Lydon's house. We packed about 50 people in the house and it was actually quite roomy. Thayden just hung out and stared at people while we were all googling at him. After the day turned into the night, my parents joined us back at our house for some reminissing before bed. It was so wonderful to have them here and to be able to share those memories. I sure wish I had pictures and video of me with my grandparents, that is always something I would have loved. Now I can make sure that we do it for Thayden and all the kids to come. I'm so thankful for everyone that was able to make it, and for those who weren't we hope to see you soon or next time!

A good nights sleep

Well, about a week ago Shane and I decided it was time to put Thayden in his room. It was a little nerve racking because I loved having him so close and I could peak at him at any time during the night, but he was sleeping well, so we thought it was time. The first night went well, he woke up twice, and I had to go into the other room to feed him instead of doing it in bed, but that was fine.
Monday night, after lots of playing, Shane put Thayden down in his bed for the night. At about 4 am I woke up in a panic because I hadn't heard all night! I went into the next room to check on him only to find that he was sound asleep. I went back to bed only to find that I couldn't sleep immediately because of the adrenaline rush. I had to get up at 7am for a class, and Thayden decided to get up about 7:15. He had slept from 10-7:15! It was a miracle. Shane later asked me if Thayden had woken up that night, I told him no and he commented that that must have been why he felt so rested. I too must admit that I got my first really good nights sleep since having Thayden. Two more nights have followed this routine and I hope like crazy that he will be able to keep it up. I'm so blessed to have such a great son and husband. I'm looking forward to our next step with Thayden; I'm hoping for a laugh soon and for him to roll over. We'll keep everyone informed on all the new developments.

Almost settled in

I must say that moving with a 7 week old baby is definitely a new adventure for me. This past week has been a test of my organizational skills and still learning how to be a mommy. I did feel up to the task, and I think so far I have done a great job at it.
Last Saturday Shane's uncle helped us move into our new apt, along with some guys from the ward and other family members, they were able to move in 1/2 our apt in less than an hour. It was great to be back, but the daunting task of unpacking again seemed not as much fun this year. We are really excited to be back, but our stuff seemed to have babies while we were gone and everything has multiplied. We only added one kid, yet we seem to be to our eyeballs in stuff and we're having a hard time finding a place for everything. Now, 5 days later, our apt in looking pretty decent and I have actually put up some decorations. The bad news is, we have yet to find the hardware to put together our kitchen table! I just can't seem to find it! Anyways, the past few days have been exciting, getting to know new neighbors and seeing old friends.
We're both looking forward to this new semester and can't believe how different school feels with a baby. We took a walk to school on Tuesday, it was a lot of fun to get out. The new bookstore is amazing, it is so beautiful and bright. I can't believe how much the school has changed in the past 5 months. The huge auditorium is almost framed in, the addition to the MC is looking pretty complete, and the school is looking bigger than ever.
Thayden is doing great, everyday he seems to smile more and be more interactive. He's holding his head really well, Shane has even butt balanced him! We can't believe how big he's getting, we're already having to pack away some of his newborn clothes because he is just too long for them. I can't wait for when he chunks up and gets all the rolls.
Everything else is going pretty well, we hope to keep everyone updated with whats going on and more pictures of Thayden.

Six weeks later...

Well, its been six weeks since the birth of Thayden. If all were normal, this is anything but. Living out of a hotel room for the past 2 1/2 weeks has been anything but the best time. Other than watching TV, I'm pretty limited to what I can do. The mornings are nice because I can go out and get a few errands done before Shane has to go to work. Thayden has been a great baby, he really only cries when he has gas, poopy or needs to eat. I couldn't have asked for a better baby and he is such a trooper through all these changes. Shane's company had a bunch of people leave this morning because they were starting school, everyone who was staying, got to stay in the same room; except us! This was okay by me because it was for a good cause, the president of our church and some colleagues would be staying in that part of the hotel! So, while Shane was on a job, I packed up the room and his boss helped me move everything to a new room.
This whole experience is one I hope to look back on and smile, being able to live in a hotel room and learn how to take care of a new born is no easy task. There are many things I could have never believed I would be thinking about or doing. Thayden is such a great baby, all the poopy diapers and crying are all worth it when I see him smile. I can't wait to get back up to school and have a real home again, this semester should be the most memorable yet!

Almost Ready!!

Well, Shane and I are anxiously awaiting the new arrival of the little one. Pretty much everything is ready; we have the swing up, clothes washed, and stroller put together. The only thing left to do is put the car seat in the car and grab my hospital bag. I still can't believe that 9 months has gone by this fast, it seems like just a month ago we looked at the double lines on the pregnancy stick!!
Shane is doing great at his job, Monday he got 3 installs (the only one who did) and jumped a bunch of people. Since they started this new area last week, he's been a lot busier which has been great.
The weather has definitely warmed up, most days are around 95-100. It doesn't really affect me because I try and stay inside most of the time, but on the occasional shopping trip, I can really feel the heat!! I feel so bad for Shane who has to wait around between jobs in this weather.
Anywho, I hope to keep this updated a little more, letting everyone know about whats going on and the baby!! Hope your all well.

Up and running

Well, Shane was on a role last week. He was able to install 13, which ties himself for the best week this season. He is still number 1 in the office with 56 installs going into this week. I'm so excited for him! He's not liking the waiting, or the heat, but when he gets those jobs hes all over them!
Me, I'm hanging out. I was able to finally start my wedding scrapbook. Jilene and I were able to hit up Joann's and get some stuff on sale. I really like working on it, it reminds me of that special day and all the fun we had. There are some great candid shots I hope to incorporate. Its been fun trying to set up some of the more themed pages, so much that goes into it!
I waiting for the office secretary to come by and check our apt, APX needs to have clean checks so they won't get fined at the end of the summer. I hope to get a lot more scrapbooking done this week and maybe even find a swimsuit so I can hang at the pool! I have my next doctors appt on Friday, something else to look forward to! Hope this turns out to be another busy week!

A slow day

Well, our first blog post!! Yah!! I thought I would get on the band wagon and get a blog too.
Yesterday was Shane's slowest day yet. It was pretty urke-some for him because he left at about 10:30am and didn't get a job until 9pm! Needless-to-say it wasn't that great of a day. The whole office only got 8 accounts. Corporate called and wanted to know if we were even working today! Shane spent the day with the techs. at a park, and they were all pretty bored I guess.
I spent most of the day with Jilene and Ryan, Shane's cousins. We went for Thai food then to Kyle's birthday party (Shane's cousin and best man at the wedding). Afterwards we hung out and watched the Indiana Jones marathon. It was pretty late by the time Shane got back.
Last week while I was out with Jilene I got new handles for our changer/dresser. They look really good, I had to get really creative since I couldn't find anything to match the holes.
Thats about it for our life right now, hope to talk on the phone soon!