We found a freezer–hooray!  When Dustin worked with Dave and Aaron, they came up with some dating principles that apply to life, one of which is DEP–the Drop Everything Principle.  We learned that this is what it takes to get a decent used freezer in Utah Valley.   We started praying hard and managed to find a great deal.  Dustin spent much of the Saturday driving to and from Layton to get it, but it’s a perfect fit and a great find.  I can hardly wait to get it filled up!

My sleeping has improved–thanks to a body pillow (only $8.88 at Wal-mart–I suggest you invest in one if you are pregnant or ever plan to be!) and Emily’s recommendation.  She said it all.  I was thrilled when my doctor said you could take Benadryl to help you sleep–we’ve had way too much of it taking up space in our medicines–I’ve been wanting to get rid of it for a while.  It’s allergy though, so I never needed to take it and Dustin said we should hang on to it.  Now I’m happily cleaning things out and sleeping better.

I realize that I haven’t posted any recent pictures or stories about our favorite little boy over here.  I have every intention to, lest you think we’ve forgotten about him.  Hopefully a fun and picture-filled post is forth-coming, but suffice it to say that he is talking and tons of fun with the words he knows.  Some of the more unusual and funny ones are “Boggle”, “pasta”, and “basil”.  It is so nice to be able to have him tell us what he wants, even if some of the time it was easier not to know what he wants than to try and explain that if he eats nothing but grapes, he’ll have some serious diaper rash.

We have a lot of things going on right now that are keeping us very busy, but I expect that things will settle down shortly and I’ll be able to do some more blogging.  I have a long list of recipes that need to be shared on reallifefoodstorage.com!

Lately I’ve been in the make and freeze mode–it always seems to happen during pregnancy when I start thinking about how I don’t want to have to cook or eat fast food with a new baby around.  JJ has become a pleasant helper (or plays by himself–what a miracle!) and so I’ve been able to make more without it turning me and the kitchen into an absolute disaster.  The only problem is that my freezer is full to the brim and I don’t feel like there is really that much in there–you buy a couple of bags of Costco frozen vegetables, and you’re almost out of room!

I’ve been thinking that a smaller, half size freezer would be perfect for the amount of space we have and need for storage, but so far I haven’t been able to find what I want.  Costco has some good ones for $170 – $200 (can you tell I shop at Costco a lot–that’s what happens when you live right down the street), but I think the chances of me wanting to replace it in a couple of years are pretty good, so I’d really rather spend less and get one used.  Especially since a freezer is one of those things that you really don’t care if it’s dinged up, as long as it works.  But living in the food storage capital of the world is making that difficult.  There are a few that show up on craigslist and ksl.com, but it seems like they disappear before I can even call them.  So if anyone has had good luck at a used appliance store, or if they have a small freezer (or possibly an upright freezer) just sitting around that they would like us to pay them for and haul away, let me know!

Well, I spoke too soon about escaping last Sunday’s storm without any hail damage. It turns out we have a lovely large ding in the middle of our trunk. And maybe another one or two smaller ones. But we are so happy it doesn’t look like Swiss cheese and that we didn’t have any glass broken. Besides, since the car isn’t exactly fresh off the lot, it’s not a big deal. The beauty of older cars!

I don’t have a picture of the ding, but I do have a picture of another bit of damage we had on Sunday. Little JJ had a good trip and fall right into the leg of a table which earned him a nice big black eye:

It healed quite quickly though and he’s all back to normal.

We also paid a visit to the local “beach”–a man-made reservior and beach not far from my parents house. JJ wasn’t interested in getting in the water (it was pretty cold!) but he did love playing in the sand:

With my grandpa there, we had four generations:

And although JJ wasn’t crazy about the cold water, he did have an opportunity to try life as a fish thanks to an educational display:

We also got together for a little birthday party for grandpa–here’s the clan:

The trip wasn’t complete without a backyard project–Dad, Dustin and Grandpa managed to get this fence post pulled up and poured over 400 lbs of concrete to make sure that thing never moves again. The house will probably fall over before that fence post does.

We were having such a good time that we decided to stay an extra day–it ended up being a wonderfully relaxed day, and we were glad we did.

Lately I’ve had a few experiences that made me wonder why I would ever buy anything new.

A while back, when I realized that JJ’s only pair of shoes were on their way to destruction thanks to his obsession with the outdoors, I decided to check out the thrift store to the north to see if I could find any good garden-worthy shoes for him. I left with a pair of hiking boots, a pair of sandals, five shirts, two pair of shorts and a toy phone for $12.75. And they all look pretty good. See here:

I couldn’t believe it. Even on their best day, all of that would have been at least $50 at Wal-Mart.

Not long after that, we saw some friends at a BBQ and they had their toddler in a portable high chair. They said they take it with them everywhere. After a messy wrestling match with our little guy that resulted in more food on us than in his stomach, having a portable chair for him sounded pretty good. They said they got theirs at Kid-to-Kid. I wasn’t familiar with it, but basically they pay you for your like-new kid stuff and then they sell it in their store. I decided it was worth a peek, so I stopped in one day and found this little gem (the chair, not the kid):

It was under a sign that said bathing, so at first I thought it was a potty. A second glance though, and it was exactly what I wanted. Even more than I knew. I mostly wanted a chair that was portable, but it turned out that this thing was infinitely easier to clean and took up so much less space than the monstrosity of a high chair we were using. It has been worth every penny of that $12, probably four times that. You can buy one of these new for about $25 online. I’m pretty sure it would work fine to start your kid in one of these, as long as they can sit somewhat well. Just say no to the high chair, and yes to one of these!

These were invigorating finds. The kind that you are just so excited about, because not only did they solve a lot of problems, but they were also a fantastic deal. They were some of those happy little finds that seem to be just a wonderful little gift from above.

Thanks to my old roommate Amber for sharing this. Made me feel good even if it’s not real!

And I’m not sure about that new study. Pulling your hair back into a pony tail is almost as good as a shower, isn’t it?

We’re halfway through General Conference weekend and I was just sitting here thinking about how much I love and look forward to this weekend.

My parents always made General Conference a priority and established great family traditions – they gave us all notebooks and helped us establish note-taking habits, they bribed us to be good (we grew up watching it at our church building rather than at home on TV) with a McDonalds lunch between sessions on Saturday, and we usually had whole wheat cinnamon rolls to enjoy throughout the weekend.

Now we all remember those times with fondness–those traditions not only strengthened our family relationships, they ingrained in each one of us kids a testimony of and love for the Prophets and Apostles and the importance of their counsel. We’ve reflected on it now, and realize that there weren’t many other traditions that would have had as positive an impact as those did.

Watching conference with a little one makes for some adjustments. He likes to run around, talk to himself and do all things distracting, but he did manage to sit still and be quiet for a few short intervals here and there. There may be hope.

During Sister Lifferth’s talk about reverence, I watched him prance into the kitchen and begin noisily emptying the pans out of the cabinet. It seemed rather ironic. We’ll keep practicing.

He did get quite interested when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang. He stopped what he was doing, watched the T.V. and did a little dance. That’s my son!

My siblings came over to watch it with us, which we always enjoy. We love to recreate as many of our family Conference traditions as possible, although the McDonalds tradition seems to be on it’s way out. That’s okay with me.

Thanks mom and dad. You’ve given us a wonderful gift.

I’ve always had a problem with wispy hairs, but pregnancy really did me in.  It appears I didn’t lose a single hair for over a year–the entire pregnancy and about 4 months after.

And then I think it all fell out.

It was conveniently right around the time we moved, which meant that every time someone came to look at our apartment we had to take care of the hair carpeting our white tile bathroom floor.  Worse, when our new bishop helped move in our dark purple couch, I was horrified and embarrassed to realize it was covered in my long, blond hair.

Thankfully the hair is growing back in, but having that much hair grow in all at once has made for a much worse wispy hair problem.  There is no calming these babies, they just go wherever they want.   One night I came home from a youth activity only to discover that those hairs were particularly rambunctious.  I took these pictures myself:

It’s not so bad from this angle (although the look on my face is)

But the side view really spells trouble:

I’ve heard much worse stories . . . grateful this is the extent of my battle stories.  And I can safely say that that cute little guy was worth every hair.

We’ve been busy the last two weekends with Dustin’s sister Natalie’s wedding.  She and Mark got married last weekend in the Twin Falls, Idaho Temple and had a reception here on Friday.  They looked great!

Cousin T.J. was put in charge of keeping J.J. in the picture.  What a project!

Earlier this week I announced to Dustin that after over 2 years of marriage I was done sharing a cup with him. As soon-to-be cousin-in-law Casey taught me, one of the great benefits of a committed relationship is that it’s no big deal to share a glass when it’s convenient. And as we like to try and minimize our dirty dishes, we often shared one big cup for dinner.

Well, the other night, not really thinking about it, I gave each of us a glass. And after that meal was over, I realized that it was worth washing another glass, probably especially since sweet Dustin is usually the one doing the dishes. And here’s why:

Dustin is a chugger.

I am a sipper.

I realized that I would always go to get a drink, and the glass would be empty. Sometimes I filled it up, but a lot of the time it was simply too much effort to keep it filled (where was that waiter to earn his tip?!?) and I ended up not drinking much. But the other night, with my own precious glass, I could sip even after the meal was done and know that I had gotten my liquids for the night.

Contented Sigh.

But almost simultaneously, as if the boys are conspiring against me, JJ has decided that now HE wants to share my cup. He makes a half whine, half yell indicating that he wants a drink out of my glass. Of course we can’t get him to be nearly that enthusiastic about his sippy cup . . . any recommendations on your favorite sippy cup would be appreciated.

Anyway, now my glass definitely has water left in it after dinner is over . . . and a whole lot more.

The ultimate backwash.

Lovely.

So someday, someday I will again enjoy my own clean water at my own pace, but until then, let me know if I look dehydrated.

This morning Dustin asked me what my resolutions were for the new year.  Resolutions?  Oh yeah.  That’s what you do this time of year.  I think I’d forgotten.  I don’t remember setting any last year, having my life suddenly stirred up by our new arrival.  I do remember just wanting to get as much sleep as possible New Years Eve, but having a baby that seemed to suddenly know it was a night to party and staying up all night.

Anyway . . . I got to thinking that I really ought to have some resolutions to ring in 2009.  I’m still feeling like I’d like to work on the typical . . . better exercise habits, better sleep habits, better scripture study habits . . . yet I really don’t know what kind of a goal to set.  While having Bud in our family has been such a blessing and so much fun, it has left me confused about what I should expect out of myself.  It seems that just as he settles into a consistent morning routine and I think I have found a way to squeeze in some exercise and solid scripture study, something changes and it’s not happening.  Do I give up on my desire to have a semi-consistent routine for myself, knowing that having a little body around that’s still quite dependent on you makes life anything but consistent?

Thinking I’d get some inspiration from some running mom blogs, I found a few and read through them.  The thing that stood out to me was that I can do a lot, but not necessarily without taking a toll on my child.   I already have a lot of things going on in addition to keeping my boys fed and the house somewhat clean, but more than anything I don’t want those things to crowd out my role as a wife and mother.  During my post-college single years, I found all kinds of hobbies and activities to fill the void of a husband and family, now that my void is gone, I have a hard time knowing what should stay and what should go.

In short, I’m realizing I can’t do it all or be it all, and perhaps I should just resolve to be the best wife and mother I can be.  Can you quantify that?  Not really.  We’ll see what I can come up with between now and tomorrow.

What are your resolutions?