A Lot on my Mind

I don't really know how to start this post, I have so much going through my head. I need to take a few minutes and just right it all down.

First and foremost... I am ecstatic and BYU busted the BCS, considering that BYU was the reason that the BCS was created in the first place (since they won the championship in 84) I am also glad to see so many Mountain West Conference teams in the top 25. And as much as I hate to say it the fact that the UofU number 15 makes me happy as well. Is there really light at the end of the tunnel? Will the BCS actually let the little schools (that have just as much talent) be apart of their big money bowls? I am not quite sure about this but it still makes me very excited for our little Mountain West Conference to be making such a difference in the polls this year! Go Cougars!

Parenting... I don't know if it is just me that has the whinniest children in the world or not, but there are days I absolutely love being a mom and days that I would give them away in a heartbeat. Maybe its just the combination of two very young children together that has done me in.

Tate, who we are changing his name to Taitan, is overall a pretty high maintenance child. I know, I know all children are high maintenance, but Kin was SUCH a different baby!! Tate requires me to be holding him at all times. He still doesn't sleep through the night yet and he cries almost every minute he is awake. I swear I feel like I am always taking him to the dr. asking her what is wrong with my baby. She always tells me lets try this... call me in a week if it isn't working. Well everything we have done never makes him better unless he is swaddled and held. On top of all of this McKinley is in the stage now where mom has to do everything with her, which is fine, but I can't take care of Tate and make McKinley happy at the same time. If its not one, its the other. And for those of you who don't have kids, don't listen to all my complaining about my kids. They really are my greatest joy, but the most challenging job I have ever had. I just need to vent. Anyway after listening to both of my kids whine all day, I am supposed to be happy to see my husband and make him feel like he is the most important thing to me, which he is, but I don't show it. I am just ornery with him, because he is the only person that I talk to all day long so he gets the brunt of all my frustration building up. I think that he is glad that he goes to school every night so he doesn't have to deal with me or the kids. I just feel as if I am being pulled in so many directions, I don't know how to handle things. Which leaves me little or absolutely NO time to myself. Which could drive anyone crazy. I started taking anti-depressants for my post-partum, but I stopped taking them because I gained 20lbs after starting them, 20lbs I didn't have to gain. Which just made me feel even worse about life.

Anyway because of the 20lbs I gained, I joined weight watchers Friday. Cooking is a whole new experience for me, but its good. I figure its a good thing for everyone in the house. I always told Bret that I didn't want to be the fat mom and I am on my way to achieving that goal. I see that my friends have done it and it gives me inspiration to do it too. Christy and I used to share clothes in high school, she has lost weight since then and looks extremely good. Me on the other hand, gained weight and looks like a mom who has let herself go and is in serious need of a makeover. Anyway, since Friday I have already lost 4lbs. Which I am pretty excited about and its given me an inner strength to keep going. For dinner last night I made the best homemade pizza I have ever had, and it was only 4 points a piece. I have to say that this is bringing out quite the homemaker side in me. I am excited to try new things and am just as surprised as Bret when they actually taste good. I think that I am going to start a blog of weekly recipes and pictures of my weight loss. I of course will make it private so if you are interested in it, let me know and I will add you so you can read it.

On a different note, I want to do a get together with all the old madrigals. We can have a little BBQ before it gets too cold out and everyone can bring their spouses and children. There are a few that I don't know where they are, but I need to get addresses so we can do it and find those that are 'missing'. Please just email me and I will get things rolling.

MaKe Up AnYoNe?

I always put my makeup on right after Kin wakes up from her nap. (this is usually because when I do get a shower in, its toward the end of her nap.) Kin usually sits on my lap and watches me put my make-up on and then starts digging in my endless bag. The last few weeks she has taken my eye brushes and pretend to put it on.
Today she got out my eye shadow and then hid on the other side of the coffee table. After applying my make-up I noticed her hunched over trying to hide something. This is what I found.... I knew she was too quiet!


This is her 'I've been caught and I don't know whether to laugh or cry' face

Her new found smile... with the added makeup she looks evil


My favorite picture! I just love her!

You're It!

Thanks Nicole for this tag...

Four random things I love about my husband...
1. His sense of humor, He always knows exactly what to say in a tense moment
2. The way he is with our kids!
3. How hard he works to provide for the kids and I, while going to school full-time
4. His compassion



Four jobs I've had...
1. Valcom - administration helper
2. Office Manager at ITS
3. EFY counselor 2004
4. Stay-at-home mom! The best EVER!



Four movies I have watched more than once...
1. Transformers
2. Encahnted- thanks to McKinley
3. Sweet Home Alabama
4. 27 dresses



Four TV shows I watch...
1. House
2. Greys Anatomy
3. Ellen
4. Law and Order SVU or Criminal Intent



Four places I have been...
1. Denver
2. K-town (Kalispell)
3. San Fran
4. LA



Four of my favorite foods...
1. Chips and Salsa
2. Anything Pasta
3. Chicken Cordon Blue
4. Anything Chocolate


Four places I would like to visit...
1. New York
2. Germany
3. Italy
4. Greece



Four things I am looking forward to in this coming year...
1. Tate finally growing out of his fussy stage
2. McKinley talking/potty training
3. Bret Graduating!!!! YEAH! with his first of 2 degrees
4. BYU/Utah game GO COUGARS!!!



I tag Christy, Melynda, Jo and Whitney hehe

LOVE IT!!

HaHaHa this is a bellyfull of laughs! ENJOY!

I've been tagged!

I guess that since I have been tagged by both Whitney and Christy, I should do it.... so here goes nothin!



High School Tag

Did you date someone from your school? Never seriously, I was hot to trot boys that went to Copper Hills. (haha and I married one)
What kind of car did you drive? 1994 Subaru Legacy.. LOVED that car!
What was the most embarrassing moment of HS? I think it was when Jared and I were in the Olympics assembly and I had to push him around the gym, and the seat that we used scratched the floor all up...
Were you a party animal? Not really
Were you considered a flirt? I dont think so, but correct me if i'm wrong
Were you in band, orchestra or choir? Oh yes, I was a full on Choir nerd!
What is your High School's full name? Riverton High School
Were you on any Varsity Teams? Nope, way too busy with Choir. I never would have made any teams if I tried out anyway... I'm not coordinated enough to play sports well.
Did you ever get suspended/expelled? Nope
Can you still sing the fight song? haha I don't think I ever did, but I could sing the school hymn still cause I sang it so often... SO SO sad!
Who were your favorite teachers? Mr. Mark (that is what we called him, I honestly don't remember his real last name) and Brother Freeman
Where did you sit at lunch? Depended on the day, most of the time we didn't even eat at the school
School Mascot? Silverwolf
Did you go to Homecoming, if yes with who? Junior Year I went with Cameron Brown and my senior year I was in All-State Choir so I missed it
If you could go back and do it again would you? I would love to go back!
What do you remember most about graduation? Sitting on the front row, I thought I was SO cool.. LAME!
Where did you go for Senior Skip Day? I don't think we even had one
Were you in any clubs? Um, no.
Have you gained some weight since then? Yes, sadly its true. But I do have two kids and one was just born 2 months ago so I am on my way back down... hopefully!
Who was your Prom date? I don't even remember his name, goes to show what a great date it was huh?
Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? I would love to go back and see everyone eventually.
Looking back, what advice would you give yourself? Just to be more friendly and to get into more trouble

I tag... Bret, Chelsea, Nicole and Heather Oxborrow

Mom why are you crazy?

I can remember as a child once thinking to myself that my parents were crazy. After a sleepless night like tonight, I now totally understand why, my parents were....
Parents are walking sleepless Zombies!!

!

2months and 18months

Thanks for all your input for the whole name thing. Bret and I still don't know what we are going to do. I think we might just change it to Taten... Then it's still Tate and not a girls name. Although I did finally find one baby name website that said Tatum is a unisex name... all the others say its a girls name. But they also say that McKinley is a boys name... maybe Bret and I are just all backwards with names.
Here is the latest update on the kids....

Tate at 2months

Weight 9lbs 3oz - 4%
Height 23" - 63%
Head 39.5 - 42%

McKinley at 18 months

Weight 21lbs 1oz - 2%
Height 31" - 26%
Head 47.5 - 75%

What can I say I must starve my children... haha
Combined they both had 7 shots. Surprisingly though it wasn't all that bad of a day. I think its because I was preparing myself for it to be bad. Kin didn't even cry when she got her shots.. she was way more excited about getting to wear band-aides. Tate did really well too, yes of course he cried but he calmed right down after and wasn't any fussier than normal.

Here are a few pictures that I have taken of the kids in the last few days...
McKinley LOVES cafe rio's black beans and this is usually what she looks like when she is finished.

Old Navy is having a baby sale where all of their baby clothes are 40% off and because I do the online surveys I get an additional 10% so its 50% off of baby clothes I picked out this little outfit for Tate, I love it.

I finally got my stroller that I bought online and went jogging the first time since I have had Tate or McKinley today. Its a start to finally fit back into my jeans that I wore in high school! (and those were even bigger than I would like) And way here is a picture of the kids enjoying their new ride!

New Toys, Two Months, State Fair.. Oh MY!

Well Tate is officially two months old. And his colic is finally getting under control or I can just handle it better... I can't really decide. Bret and I have been talking about changing his name to Korver like we had originally wanted too. He just didn't look like a Korver when he was first born, but now I think he doesn't look like a Tate... and the fact that I guess Tatum is technically a girls name. So I decided to start a poll... what do you think? should we keep Tatum or should we change it to Korver. We haven't blessed him yet so really the only things his name is on is his birth certificate and his SS card.

Tatum or Korver?
Keep Tatum
Korver Fan


(View Results)

Create a Poll

This weekend we went to Layton to pick up a new toy for the kids. Thanks Kelly for letting us know about this and giving us a crazy good deal on it!!! McKinley loves it!

Last night we went to the State Fair. Its tradition in Brets family to go on Monday night for the all you can eat Ice Cream. Unfortunately I forgot my camera in the stroller so I didn't get any pictures of us eating ice cream. But I did get some of the pigs, sheep, cows and the most important thing... the butter sculpture!

Weekend Fun

This past weekend we had quite a bit of excitement. Saturday was BYU's opening game!! WAHOO! I can't even believe how excited I was to go... I love this time of year and the smell of football is part of it. Bret and I decided that buying season tickets would be a very good investment for us and the family in the future... ok not really Katy, Danny and I talked Bret into getting them. Thanks honey for being so easily persuaded. Although we have the cheapest tickets we could get and we are 5 rows from the top of the south endzone, the seats aren't that bad and if it ever snows we will be in the sun the longest. :) Anyway, we headed down to happy valley with Danny, Katy, Tate, Bret and I in our little escort.. haha Good Times. The game was nice, it was really hot that day, but towards the middle of the 3rd quarter the clouds rolled in and it was nice. After the game (which BYU won) we went to eat at Los Hermanos... yummy! What a great start to the first of many games and trips to Happy Valley!

Monday Bret and I wanted to take Kinley to the Zoo, but since it was raining we went to the discovery gateway. McKinley had such a blast! They have an area called the 'Beehive" where they take balls and use them in a bunch of different activities. This area was her favorite. I think we spent about 2 hours just in the beehive.

On a different note, I don't know if any of you have the same problem with your feet as I have with mine. It seems like at the end of summer my feet are just torn to bits from flip flops and sandels. But I have found the solution, the Ped Egg.

I can remember seeing an infomercial about it and laughing that people would be dumb enough to use something like that. But in desperation to save my feet, I bought it for $10 at Walmart. I suggest if your feet look like this....

to go get one. I did and it really works. My feet were not this bad.. but pretty close to it. and now they are nice and soft with the cracks almost gone!!