Bret Alicen McKinley Taitan & Josie

I Heart Food

2011-11-04T09:18:00.004-06:00

Hi. My name is Alicen and I LOVE food. Any kind of food, any time of the day or night, you put in front of me and I will eat it.
As many of you already know, I have never been what "they" call thin. But my babies have done serious damage to this already not so perfect body. I swear I am the only person that gains weight AFTER they have babies. After I had Tait I topped the scale at a whopping 236.4lbs! After losing a lot of that I swore I would never go back. It took me 5 months to lose 43lbs. It took a lot of hard work, no cheating and a lot of dedication.
Well here I am again, not weighing that, but too close for comfort. I gave all my 'fat' close away and now I have nothing but sweats and pjs to wear because that is all that fits. So what I am going to be doing? Well to start, I joined weight watchers I have tried this before, but never with as much determination as I have now. I am going to do weight training at LEAST 3 days a week and cardio 5 days a week, even if it means going for a simple walk or bike ride with my family. And this time I SWEAR I am not ever going to see the 200's again!

Because I want my body that looks like this

to look like this!

The Taiter Monster

2011-10-31T12:22:00.002-06:00

I have a three year old son. Which means I am constantly ready to pull my hair out. He is cute, he is loved, but he is a monster at three.

I know you are thinking to yourself, how could a face like this be a monster? Let me do a run down of what a normal day with Tait is like.

7:00 am - wake up demanding his morning chocolate milk
7:15 am - having a melt down that he cant find his shoes and wants his HUGE lightening mcqueen blanket for the car. in the mean time has since lost his sippy cup of chocolate milk
7:20 am - Bret getting him in the car
7:25 am - having another melt down over the fact his blanket has not been wrapped around his back and that the movie is not on. (I am driving to xing at this point)
7:30-8:20 am - somewhat watching the movie, throwing his sippy cup, hitting McKinley across Josie waking Josie up then pokes her until she starts crying
8:35 am - runs like a mad man into McKinleys school opens her locker and locks himself inside
8:40 am - needs to go to the bathroom, goes in the girls bathroom to get soap first, washes his hands than goes to the bathroom
9:00 - 10 am - at the gym (reprieve for mom)
10:05 am - yet another melt down over mom picking the wrong stamp for his hand
10:20 am - rumaging through the candy dish because he is "hungry"

Convo between the two of us

Mom: Tait, get out of the treats, are you hungry? I will cut you up an apple. Do you want an apple?
Tait: No, I want cheese crackers
Mom: How about crackers and an apple or grapes?
Tait: No, I want chocolate
Mom: No chocolate. How about an orange?
Tait: NO! I am hungry. I want a treat!
Mom: Sit at the table I will get you a snack

10:25 am - smashing is grapes in the table and throwing the rest on the floor, and then goes back into the treat bucket.
10:50 am - trying to find his shoes.
11:10 am - another trip inside McKinleys locker
12:00 pm - going to the bathroom and needs his bum wiped (I am feeding Josie) I tell him to wait a minute and he then proceeds to dump the whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet
12:10 pm - standing in the corner in time out singing the ABC's or I love to see the temple
12:12 pm - Mom explaining he needs to wait when I ask him to wait and not dump the whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet
12:15 pm - back to the treat bucket. Conversation above repeated only this time with suggestions for lunch
12:30 pm - eating lunch, wiping it all over the table, the chair, the floor, the wall. (Its no wonder he is always in the treat bucket. All his food ends up everywhere other than his mouth)
1:00-2:30 pm - play time which often includes arguements over toys, hitting, crayons on the walls, wrestling Mckinley and the dog, time outs and lots of I'm sorries
2:30 pm - another search for shoes
2:40 - 3:15 pm - another bout of somewhat watching the movie, throwing his sippy cup, hitting McKinley across Josie waking Josie up then pokes her until she starts crying
3:20-5:30 pm - NAP TIME
5:30 pm - dad is home now so he plays with dad
6:00 pm - another trip to the treat bucket
6:05 pm - Same coversation as above only this time about how dinner is almost ready and he can have a treat after dinner.
6:10 pm - Eating dinner. Another fit about not liking what was made and how he is hungry and wants a treat
6:35 pm - playing in the sink after helping with the dishes. Water is getting every where he is soaked and so is my kitchen
7:00 pm - after cleaning up the water mess, we run errands where he screams the whole time because he wants to walk. Bret usually gives in at some point and lets him down and he begins running all over the store and knocking things over and BEGS to go to the toy section. (really? WHY would I let you see the toys)
8:00- 8:30 getting ready for bed, in the bath splashing water everywhere.
8:30 pm - reading books where he is not paying attention, but poking his sisters, and doing circles on the floor like a dog chasing his tail
8:50 pm - Prayers. Now if this kid does not get to pray he talks or cries during the whole thing. Or his is pointing out spiders crawling up the walls, trucks driving by or whatever else he can think of.
9:00 pm - bed time. Which usually is another battle back and forth. I need a drink, I need to go to the bathroom, etc. We finally threaten him before he eventually falls asleep.

I try and think of ways to discipline this kid, but nothing is working. Time outs are pointless, taking toys away does nothing, even when he gets spanked (which I really dont do all that often) he laughs through. Someone PLEASE help me!!! I just might check myself into the mental hospital!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2011-10-20T15:37:00.006-06:00

Life with three has been crazy! But it seems as if we finally have a routine... phew! I might actually spend time updating the blog while all three (yes, ALL three) of my children sleep away!
I LOVE this time of year. Fall is by far my favorite season. Here are a few of some of my other FAVORITE things.

Clorox wipes

Seriously, how did our mothers survive without these? I use them for every surface in my house, several times a day. I am a clorox wipe aholic!

Family Fun Magazine

I look forward to when this magazine arrives in the mail. I love to see all the creative things people do with their kids. One day I hope to be a cool mom like the ones in this magazine.

Ipod

I love my ipod (which was recently lost, but has been found) I use it everyday during nap time. Cleaning my house, mowing the lawn, yard work outside and of course while I am at the gym (which I hope to make a more regular habit) Music makes me happy, a clean house makes me happy, My trusty little ipod bring these two things together!

boogie wipes

I thank my sister in law Robyn for introducing these to me. My little man has never not had a runny nose. These are great and dont make his little nose red! They come in a little package and I have them in the car, in the tahoe, in my bag, in the church bag! You can even buy them in bulk at Costco!

Scentsy

Honestly who doesnt love a house that smells good? Enough said.

Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy - stress relief body wash, scrub and lotion

At the end of the day I love this stuff. It smells minty fresh and while it might not relieve all my stress. It sure is nice to think about being stress free!

My Adorable Baby

2011-09-04T09:27:00.002-06:00

I know that everyone says this, but I cant believe how fast time is flying by. I think with each new baby brings another clock that speeds up time. Josie will already be 6 weeks old on Wednesday. I am loving every minute holding this precious little new baby in my arms. I look at my other kids and realize just how not important other things are like always having a clean house, laundry folded, dishes done, and how much time I really waste on Facebook. These little babies grow up too fast.

I have slowed down a bit, especially since she LOVES to nurse and takes her time. I have had many people say things like, "but bottles are so much faster, you get so much more done", which is a very true statement, since my other two were bottle fed, but I am loving basking in every moment I have with Josie. And my messy house proves it.

McKinley and Tait are great with her. They always fight over who gets to hold her and love being right up in her face (all the time) We are working on personal bubble space.. McKinley is a great helper and I am going to miss her when she starts pre-school next week.

Tait is way into Spiderman and thinks he is him, literally. We were watching the movie in the car one day and he said,"look at me go mom, I am getting the bad guy". This kid is the funniest little man ever and I never know what is going to come out of his mouth next. He is always saying funny things and is a HUGE tease, just like his dad. He loves soccer, football and baseball. And insists on wearing clothes that have anytime of sports theme to it. I am sure that Bret is thankful that he is this way since he is now out numbered.
McKinley is growing up in to a little girl. She isn't a baby any more. She is obsessed with Justin Bieber, and loves to dance. Even though I am not able to get her to actually dance at dance class. If anyone knows of a dance studio that is great with little kids PLEASE let me know. She loved playing soccer this summer and is really looking forward to going to the BYU football games this year with mom and dad.

Its a...

2011-08-09T15:40:00.004-06:00

GIRL!!!

Josie Sue Kettenring is here! Born July 27, 2011 @ 3.21pm 7lb 11 oz and 20" long!

The morning of the 27th I called the hospital, they told me to come in and we ended up staying! We checked in at 1030am, they started some pitocin and 1130 and I was only at a 3 and 75% effaced. At 1215 I got the epidural and I was only at a 4 and still at 75%. I seriously thought that we were going to be there forever. But I had the epidural and I was going to get in a nap... or at least I thought. The nurse came in again at 145 and checked me again, this time I was at a 5 and 85% effaced. She begged me to have the baby by 3 so she could find out what we were having, I jokingly said "ok lets do it". Around 230 I was starting to feel my feet again, so I switched sides I was laying on and hit the "extra" button. The nurse came in at 245 and checked me, this time I was at a 7. She stayed for a while and said she would bring in the nurse that was going to take her place. They both came in around 305 and we talked for a minute, the new nurse stayed, we talked about our dogs and kids. She left and said I will be back in about an hour, unless you need me sooner. She left and I felt the baby move down... WOW! PAIN! Sudden unbelievable pain! I looked at Bret and said its time, he laughed until he saw that I was having a hard time breathing. I hit the nurse button and she came in right away. She checked me and immediately paged my dr.. twice to be exact and called the resident doctor in the hallway because she wasnt sure if my doc would make it down the one floor from her office to my room in time. They got the room set up, my doctor walked in, and I pushed 3 times, once for the head, and twice for her shoulders.
Bret and I were convienced we were having a boy and when she held her up we both looked at each other in shock that we had a girl! She had the cord wrapped around her neck and was definately the bluest of all my babies, but she was beautiful and absolutely perfect!

We absolutely love her! The kids are adjusting well and I am feeling fantastic. Although, I had forgotten what it was like to have a newborn at home. I think she is a perfect combo of both of my kids. What do you think?

Josie

Tait

McKinley

Something a Little Commical... I Really Do Love My Kids

2011-06-02T19:53:00.003-06:00

I was blog stalking and found this. I wont lie, I copied it because it was just too funny not too.

11 Step Program for those thinking of having kids
Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4

Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.

Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.

Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

Design

2011-05-09T13:57:00.006-06:00

I am in LOVE with this bedding for the baby.

And this Crib

And with the walls painted gray, I think it would be so stinking cute. Perfect for no matter what gender the baby is. If its a girl I will do hot pink accents and a boy this color blue.

I cant believe that we are only 11 1/2 weeks away for little Baby Maycee or Krew to join our family!!

4 Already!

2011-03-03T16:49:00.002-07:00

Its been 4 years (and a couple weeks) since I held this little one...

And now she is getting, in her own words, "bigger, bigger"

More to come on her birthday bash at Chucky Cheese.

Announcing....

2011-01-31T09:07:00.001-07:00

We will be adding a new member to our family sometime in July!

A Quick Look Back of 2010

2011-01-03T10:09:00.006-07:00

Funnest Event:
I would have to say our much needed trip to AZ. We got to stay with my cousin Lisa and celebrate Thanksgiving (one of my most favorite holidays) We also toured the AZ Cardinals Stadium which was SUPER cool. Stopped at the Hoover Dam twice and took the kids on the fastest trip to Vegas ever. Where I got locked into the hotel room, met batman, the Coca-cola bear, and a mini m&m.

Biggest purchase of 2010:$8,200.00 in tuition... YIKES! Hope one day it will pay for itself.

Favorite movie of 2010:
Bret and I didnt make it out to many movies this year. Which is pretty unusual for us, but being on a tight budget and both going to school full-time makes movies just for fun pretty hard. With that being said, I would say that my favorites were

Tangled
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception

Least favorite movie of 2010:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Before you all judge, I just wish I would have waited until the movie theaters do a marathon where I can see part 1 and part 2 together. Part one was just a filler and very anticlimactic.

Favorite celebrity for 2010:
Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. He is oh so yummy and she is as cute as a button... enough said.

Least favorite celebrity:
Lindsey Lohan

I blame most of her problems on bad parenting, but still...

Guilty Pleasure:
Netflix

Saddest moment of 2010:
Getting laid off from my job. Very very sad.

Sickest moment of 2010:
Hitting a bird in the car. It hit the windshield full wing span and everything. It took a few car washes it get the residue off.

Favorite Song 2010:
Today was a Fairytale

Also I started my new found love for Lady A. LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

Least Favorite Song 2010:
Billionare - dumb lyrics and it ALWAYS got stuck in my head.

Achievements:
completing 2 semesters of school with a husband in school, while working part time and raising 2 little ones.

1 Word for 2010 was:
Hasty

1 Word for 2011 will be:
Demanding

My hopes for next year:
baby #3
Making healthier food choices for my family
Cooking dinner at least 4 times a week (this may seem funny but often time we dont eat because I dont cook)

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T09:58:00.003-07:00

This is how we rang in the new year... and at 12:15am we were all tucked in bed.

Yup, That IS My Kid

2010-10-08T14:41:00.006-06:00

Today has been one of those days. I am sure that all of you will laugh at this post, but I am still dying over this and I want to make sure that I remember this when my kids are 0lder.

We started toilet training Tait this week... let me change that.. I started toilet training Tait. For those who have ever potty trained you know that your life gets put on hold so you can focus all your efforts on training. Today I had a bunch of errands to run and we have had a pretty successful last few days so I decided to go out and get some of important stuff done.
We get to our last errand stop of the day, the post office and I pile the kids out of the car, again, and we go to the kiosk machine because the line is FOREVER long (which with 2 young kids out of a stroller is a mothers WORST nightmare) As I put one of the packages on the scale Tait tells me he needs to go to the bathroom, I tell him that I am almost done and we will go once I pay... Pretty soon this man asks me if that is my kid...

This cute little innocent face looks up at me as I turn around to see him with his pants and pull-up down PEEING on the floor.

Yup... That is MY kid.

We're Back

2010-10-07T13:19:00.003-06:00

I promise myself every time I write a new post that I will post more often than I did the last time. Just know I have great intentions....
Life here has been super crazy! I guess that everyone can say that about their lives, but I feel like our schedules are just out of control. Its a good thing that Bret and I at least have 30 minutes on Sundays that we can sit down together and schedule out our next week. Its too bad that is about the only 30 minutes that we have to even have conversations, other than through text messaging, all week.

We have done a few things lately that were a lot of fun and I have a bunch of pictures that I need to post.

In August Robyn and I went down to 2 dollar Tuesday with the kiddos. They seemed to have a lot of fun. And now that they are getting older they seem to understand more about the animals. McKinley now thinks she needs to feed every animal she sees with corn.

McKinley also had her first visit to the dentist... only one cavity, YEAH! and Dr. Funk did a great job fixing it. Its too bad it took her a couple weeks to warm back up to him when she would go next door. (he is our neighbor and also our relative, if you need a good dentist... just let me know)

BYU football has started again and while this season is not-so-good, Bret and I still have fun being kid free for an afternoon!

Tait has become quite the photographer lately and I find many pictures on my camera like these...

I sure do love that kid...

This past weekend we went to Mesquite with Brets family, I still haven't uploaded the pictures on my computer, Hopefully I will get them posted in the next week or so.

Schools Out and Another One Begins

2010-08-13T15:09:00.004-06:00

Wow. Is it really already the middle of August? This summer has just flown by! We havent really gone anywhere or done anything since I was in school, but we have enjoyed the warm summer days and sunny late nights.
I finished my first semester back at school since 2005, just 45 minutes ago. It is such a relief to have school over with (for another 10 days) and another semester under my belt. How am I going to spend the next 10 days school free you ask? Doing nothing.. yup you heard it right, I am planning on doing nothing! I want to spend time with my kids, get back in the habit of going to the gym, clean my house (it needs it pretty bad) and spending some much needed time the the man of the house. Since he is starting school again this fall we will both be full-time students. 26 credits total, 2 kids, 2 animals, 1 full time job, 1 part time job and 2 church callings together it might be a little crazy in the Kettenring house.

Last weekend we spent Saturday and Sunday up at Rockport with Bret's mom and dad. It was a nice little not-too-far away get-way. The kids had a good time throwing rocks in the lake and we had a good time just relaxing.

Thursday McKinley started her 2nd year of early intervention pre-school. This year she is at a different school so she has a new teacher and new classmates. From what she relayed she had a good time at school but mostly loves the bus.

Tait is getting to be quite the little man. He loves playing with his trucks and balls, even if his sister had dressed him up in a tutu and high heels. Maybe he does need a brother... not any time soon....

The Summer

2010-07-07T13:04:00.004-06:00

I have so much I could blog and no desire to do it. We have been enjoying the summer and spending a ton of time outside. So here is a quick overview of what we have been up too.

The Zoo...

The park, flying kites...

I went to Backstreet Boys!! Thanks Ash for the fun night out!

The 4th of July parties, swimming....

and fireworks!

My little Taiter-bugs 2nd birthday!!

His Muno (Yo, Gabba Gabba) cake I made... which he loved!

May oh May

2010-05-25T12:32:00.004-06:00

Seriously where has May gone? I cant believe in one week it will be June. Which means that 2010 is already half way over!

I have been excited about my new desire to run.. but really that is as far as it goes. I have ran at least twice a week (yea!) but the I blame the rest on the weather (since I HATE treadmills) and school. After it SNOWING yesterday I made a promise to myself that no more ifs, ands, or buts about it, I am going to exercise everyday. So this morning after work I went to the gym did the stationary bike (since I had 3 chapters to read for English) on level 5.. random. It seriously kicked my trash! After 25 minutes on the bike I had gone almost 10 miles. Its amazing what happens when you don't read the numbers as you are exercising... I then felt as if I couldn't stop so went and did a little upper body weights and by the time I left I was glad I went.
If any of you (I mean this seriously) ever want to do a little jogging let me know and we can work something out. I still cant run a full 20 mintues yet, so it would mostly be a run/walk, but I would love the company. I am in Orem every Saturday for school, so those of you in good ole Utah County, we can get together too.

I have been really busy with school too. After working on biology (YUCK) for hours last week I finally gave up decided to be happy with the grade I already have in that class, drop it and add another English class. Needless to say I am feeling much better about life right now. But in August when I have 3 papers due I dont think I will be liking this decision much. Its interesting to me how having a few more years of life under my belt I am taking school much more seriously this time around. Its nice and I am enjoying my classes and learning new things that have nothing to do with my kids. Its nice to have the separation.

I some how got roped into helping with a ward activity and directing the parable of the 10 Virgin program. Its been very demanding and time consuming but after our first official practice last week, I am looking forward to the production and cant wait to see the end product of everyone's hard work. I still cant believe I am doing things that I actually did in high school. Who ever would have thought I would be the ward choir director and putting together a play? If only Mrs. Willmore could see me now! She would be proud.. or maybe more scared. ;)

McKinley is loving going to school. She started riding the bus in April and thinks she is pretty neat stuff. The bus picks her up and drops her off at our house every Tuesday and Thursday. She loves the assistants that help her get all buckled in and safely from our doorstep to school and back again. Her speech has also come leaps and bounds from where it was a year ago. I am so proud of her and am glad she enjoys learning! Now if only we could get her to understand colors...

Taitan is the goofiest little boy ever. He is so different than McKinley in every way! He talks my ear off (wonder where he gets that from) all day long. He makes jokes and laughs all the time. He is always doing funny things.

Bret starts school at the U in August! Yipee!!! He finally decided on a major, Sports Management, and its something he loves. Which ultimately is the most important thing. It will take him 4-5 more semesters to be done but if he doesn't take any more breaks we should be done May 2012! Maybe by then both of us will be graduating with bachelor degrees! Now that is something to smile about!!

An Ode to Mothers

2010-05-10T11:56:00.003-06:00

I am so happy and feel so privileged to be the mom of these two cute kiddos...

And the daughter of these fabulous ladies...

(Jay and Laura dressed up as Mr and Mrs Dursley)

Really, moms are the best!!! I hope you all had a wonderful Mothers Day! I know I did.

Marathon May

2010-05-03T13:13:00.002-06:00

Lately I have been feeling a little nudge to start getting back into a routine of things and start losing more weight. With that I have really had a desire to run.

Now let me just tell you I have never been big into running. I believe that some are naturally born runners while everyone else has to work hard at it. A few weeks ago I was asked to work the Salt Lake City Marathon. I wasnt too excited to have to work at 530am on a Saturday morning, but we need any money we can get so I said yes. To my surprise my perception of those who run was WAY off. I always thought only "skinny" people run. While most people who are skinny do run, I realized that all people of different shapes, ages and sizes run. You don't have to get skinny before you can start running.

Since this is the beginning of my running adventure I am going to write down some of the things I noticed and took mental note of while watching others run the SL marathon.

GU just looks nasty
If your stomach is not flat wear a long shirt!
guys that wear short-shorts make my legs chafe just looking at them.
lots of different types of people run.... my Lamaze teacher and my orthodontist were among those running
bigger people pass smaller people. Just cause your skinny doesn't mean you got it!
Remember to listen to your ipod at a reasonable volume. You do want to be able to still hear without hearing aides at 50
snot rockets are just plain gross!
bad knees are not a good enough excuse not to run
What is the purpose of a pace car? -- for those of you who are runners can you please answer that for me?!?!

After working the marathon I decided that I have no excuse as why not to run. I have always wanted to do it and experience a runners high. And the only way to do that is to start.

A couple in my ward talked me into signing up for my very first half marathon in September which gives me plenty of time to start to train and it also gives me a goal. Training begins next Monday for me (since I am still technically in the recovery stage from surgery) And I honestly am way excited! I would love for anyone else who wants to run this with me do it. It would be fun to have a buddy to train with too!!

Post Op Day 1

2010-04-27T10:39:00.007-06:00

Well, I am home. Have been for 24 hours now. So there was no overnight stay! Yea! And there is no drain! Double Yea! Surgery went better than was expected and they are pretty sure that they got it all. Triple Yea!

I am now at home "resting". At least my form of resting. Which means I am probably doing more than I should. I promised myself that the next two days I am confined to the couch for at least 8 hours a day. Its a full time job. And this full time job is taking it easy for a good and full recovery!

The Bretster is home with me the next two days and we are kidless until Saturday. I miss them already so so much, but know they are in good hands and are being taken care of while mom is taking care of herself with Bretster at my side. Its fabulous.

On my list of things to do while taking it easy...

Sleep

Finish season 2 and start season 3 of Lost.

Watch Sherlock Holmes

Update the Blog on Bretster's 28th birthday extravaganza

Sleep some more

surgery... again

2010-04-25T16:52:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow I go in for my second and hopefully last surgery. I am counting down the hours... 13 to be exact. In 13 hours I will be at the hospital being prepped for surgery and in 23 hours I hopefully will be home in my bed, neck mass free.

And able to see these guys... Because I love them... A LOT!!

Its Been A While

2010-04-08T08:03:00.004-06:00

So I have been a little MIA as of late. A lot has happened but I am a total slacker mom and have not taken many pictures during all of these events. I am sure to tell you that rather stand behind a camera I am there with my kids helping in the activity usually covered head to toe in whatever it is that they are doing. If its not that, I am chasing one one way as the other runs the opposite direction.
Here is a a highlight of things that have happened over the last month.

St. Patty's Day - which is always a huge day at our house. This year the leprechaun came leaving footprints and colored our milk green. Later that night mom went to Bunko and Dad and the kids went to GG Laura's to eat cornbeef and cabbage.

My Birthday - 26... I dont know what it is but I am having a hard time with 26. I think its because I still feel 19. But now I am closer to 30 than 20 and I have kids which just makes me feel old.

Easter - Coloring eggs, staying up all night (thanks to the kiddos), finding eggs, eating our colored egg and biscuit breakfast. Finding our baskets not only once but twice (or for me 3 times... oops!) watching conference, finding baskets again, then bed... finally!

For an update on my post/pre surgery. I am doing ok, my neck doesnt hurt, I feel like a normal person until I look in the mirror and see that my neck is bigger than it was the day before. I can no longer touch my chin to my chest when looking down because the blasted thing gets in the way. But, Thanks to a 2nd opinion and some tests I will be going in for another surgery within the next month. Hopefully this time they will get it all and I will be neck mass free soon.

On another note, when I started this blog I intended on it being my online journal. Funny things that happen in life, my random thoughts, thoughts on my kids, things that happen, etc. But since then and almost 200 posts later it has turned into an update blog for friends and family to be kept up to date on things that are happening in our lives. So because I want to be able to "journal", for lack of better words, I am going to be starting a new blog. One that I will update hopefully daily that is open for anyone and everyone to read. This blog will be of my thoughts, my likes, funny things that happen, and random things I am feeling. So I would invite all of you to become readers of my hopefully funny, but probably not so much blog.

Disney On Ice

2010-03-18T16:32:00.002-06:00

Last week we took the kids to Disney on Ice. They seemed to have a lot of fun (the first half anyway) We rode trax in so that we didnt have to pay for parking and I almost think that this was Taits favorite part of the night.

Yesterday with the kids in the car we drove past the Energy Solutions Arena (so weird saying that... its the Delta Center! HA) McKinley asked if we could go see the Little Mermaid again. Obviously they had a good time if they want to go back!

Post Surgery Update

2010-02-25T21:21:00.004-07:00

** this is a disclaimer to those with weak stomachs, if you have one I highly suggest not reading this post **

Its been almost a month since my surgery. Good news is it was cancer free! YEA!!! Bad news, its got infected or so the Doc thinks (I'll get to this part). They had to reopen the incision, put me on antibiotics and I (really its Bret) get to pack it until it heals from the inside out. Awesome... well kinda.

Two days after the stitches were removed I woke up to this....

And no that is not a goiter or a second chin, its the infected area. So I called the Doc and he said come in asap. I got there and he felt it, said we have to open it up. (what?) He numbed me up and where he poked me liquid almost immediately started leaking from the area. I waited in the room for about 5 minutes (long enough to go numb) when he came back in handed me a metal bowl and asked me to hold it under my neck just in case... good thing he handed me that bowl because as soon as he cut me open the bowl started filling up with this mixture of infection residue and an oil looking substance. (Perfect) As the bowl continued to fill he began saying how unusual this was and that he had never seen anything like it (oh even better) He then started in on what I needed to do to hopefully get it taken care of. (hopefully?... okay) Packing it daily with medicated gauze and covering it up with a massive piece of gauze for the leakage that would be coming from the wound. But to also keep in mind that since he had never seen the type of liquid that came out that it could be part of the cyst still producing fluid. (awesome)

not the best picture, but you can see the HUGE piece of gauze that is attached to my neck

I have been going in 2 times a week since and yesterday when I was there my hole is smaller (yea!) But when he was cleaning it before repacking, he removed what looked like a really long clear elastic unbreakable spaghetti noodle. He said he needed to ask another doc about whether this was a normal thing to be coming out of the area and that after talking to him he would let me know whether or not they need to go back in and see if there is still part of the cyst that is producing this strange substance. (Great) He then thanked me for being such a good sport about the whole thing (HELLO what else can I do?) And said he would call me by Friday to let me know what the new plan was.

So tomorrow I find out my fate.. to be honest I dont really care what he says as long as I dont have to wear these the rest of my life!!

McKinley Baby is 3!!

2010-02-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that 3 years ago my life forever changed. This beautiful little girl was brought into this world and I now see the world completely different.

For her birthday we celebrated by going to Chucky Cheese and then had a few friends over for a little party on Saturday.

Happy Birthday Kin Kin!!! Mom loves you!

Happy Love Day

2010-02-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

For Valentines Day we decided it would be fun (and to hopefully avoid the crowds) to take the kids out. Since it landed on a Sunday this year we went out on Saturday night to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point.

They both seemed to enjoy it and McKinley was very afraid of all the BIG BIG 'Roars' as she called them. Tait loved being able to run around and see the fish and next time Bret and I go we will leave the kids home so we can read all about the different animals.

McKinley's First Day of School!

2010-02-11T13:24:00.003-07:00

I can hardly believe that McKinley is going to school. Most parents usually have preschool before real school. But because of McKinley's speech therapy which she had graduated from (the Speech Therapist that comes to our home) She is now in actual public school Tuesday and Thursday mornings. We met her teacher on Tuesday and she invited McKinley to start today. She handed me a packet with all sorts of papers to fill out and a calendar with what the class has planned for the rest of the month. I was a bit overwhelmed and had a hard time believing that this was happening so soon.
I was excited to take her picture on our front porch with her backpack on. (which she absolutely LOVES) But mother nature had different plans and snowed on us so we took the picture inside. Here she is ready for her first day!!

Over all she seemed to enjoy it. For her first day they passed out Valentines and it was also spring picture day. I enjoyed some one on one time with Tait too. Tait on the other hand cried when we left without McKinley and now all they have done is fought since she's been home.

She's a Big Girl Now!!

2010-02-11T13:22:00.001-07:00

Yup she's toilet trained!!! WAHOOO!!!!
She was more excited for her Mermaid doll that FINALLY came off the fridge!

Miss McKinley

2010-02-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

Little Miss McKinley loves to get all dressed up. As her mom I have to say I love the dresses and bows, flowers, boots, etc. that make her look so dang cute.
So here is my ode' to cute little girls!!!

Pink Eye

2010-02-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

This morning our kids woke up with Pink Eye. It was very sad to see them with all the green goop that pink eye brings. We took them in to the Dr. and she quickly gave us a prescription and told us to get the heck out of there.
When we got home my family was there disinfecting and cleaning our house and they even cooked us lunch.

We were pretty sad that we were able to go to the Super Bowl party we had planned. But instead we made 7 layer dip, homemade chocolate chip cookies and watched it just the 4 of us.

The Cyst

2010-02-05T09:02:00.003-07:00

Tuesday I went in for surgery to have a cyst that was in my neck removed.

I thought I would take a minute and write the story behind the cyst. When I was in high school I was in choir.. not just one choir, a lot of choirs. I also performed out side of high school, not including the extras that high school choirs brought (ensembles, solos, special choirs, etc.) When I was a senior I was selected to be a member of All-State Choir. I cant even begin to tell you how excited I was to be a part of this amazing choir with other students from around the state that were selected to go. We went to early Saturday morning 6am practices at Alta High School with other students from our district to learn our parts. On top of all state I was a member of the A Capella and Madrigal Choirs. I also had a vocal coach who I met with weekly and performed with him and my 'class' after school every other week. It was in the middle of doing all of this.. which at the time I did not think was all that much since I seemed to manage my time and still hang out with friends on the weekends and get good grades... that I had a swelling in my throat. It was HUGE... I would easily say that it was the size of a golf ball if not a Clementine. I went to an ENT where he told me that my vocal cords were swollen due to "excessive use" He put me on steroids for my vocal cords and I was not allowed to talk louder or softer than my regular voice or sing for 3? weeks, until further follow up with him. The steroids seemed to work magic and cutting back on singing... I was after all a complete choir nerd and couldn't imagine not singing for weeks... seemed to do the trick. I never thought about the bump again until...

I was pregnant with Tait. I walked in the mornings with a neighbor friend, even on red burn days. I figured it was swelling again because of things like singing in the ward choir, a solo I had just done a few weeks before, and the smog. Either way Bret told me to go see a doctor to get it taken care of. I tried to find the doctor I had originally gone too so he could pull my records and see. After seeing about 4 doctors and speaking to many not so patient secretaries in attempt to find him. I found out he had since retired and his son had taken over the practice. So I went to him. None of these crazy doctors could tell me what was wrong. They never gave me any medication, any treatment, no tests to do, nothing. I gave one final attempt to see and found Dr. Bradly. He figured it was because of heart burn, due to pregnancy, but just to be safe wanted to run a CT scan. But since I was pregnant the techs wouldn't do the test.

I gave up and it never went away.

After losing weight last year the bump became more noticeable, at least to me. In some pictures I could see it and it really began bothering me. After mentioning it to my dad.. who has had tumor in his salivary gland.. he told me I really needed to go get it checked out. I went back to Dr. Bradly and he said instead of running test after test to see what it is, if I really hate it to just take it out and then run the tests. That way if it was something serious it would be gone and if it wasn't serious it wouldnt bother me again.

So here I sit with a huge bandage over my throat, with a 4 inch incision, part of my hyoid bone now gone (since the cyst had attached itself to it) and I couldn't be happier that in a few weeks I wont even be thinking about this silly cyst that has been with me for the last 8 years of my life. Now I am just keeping my fingers crossed that it is cancer free.

Jobless...

2010-01-26T14:00:00.003-07:00

Its been a long time in the making, I knew it was coming, but I guess I didn't think it would be so soon. Today I was told that as of the end of this week, I am no longer going to be an employee at Valcom.

I am Bummed!!

I really liked my job.

Our Saturday

2010-01-23T18:03:00.004-07:00

After living here for 3 and a half years, putting in the sink and such in the bathroom downstairs, doing electrical work and putting up the insulation we decided to start finishing the room downstairs. I will tell you it has been quite the amount of work and every saturday this month has been spent doing something down there.

(the kids playing downstairs a few weeks ago)

The kids today were pretty sad that dad again was working on the basement. But luckily papa Mark (my dad) showed up to help so they were more excited then. But they seemed to be more in the way then they were any help. My effort trying to have projects for them yet get my Saturday stuff done has been quite the chore today. So I after getting the house semi-cleaned I brought the kids upstairs and we made these...

While the men were downstairs doing this....

Oh How They Have Grown

2010-01-19T16:00:00.008-07:00

Bret and I have started going through all the pictures we have on our computer and deleting ones we dont need, keeping ones we do, making copies, getting prints, cds and backups for all of them. I cant believe how many pictures we have!!! As I started going through them I started reminiscing over my kids. I cant believe how fast they grow up!!! McKinley will be 3 in a month and Tait will be 2 in just 5! It doesn't seem like I have been a mom that long.
Every day is a new adventure with these two and I would never trade going to work everyday in for seeing the funny things they say and do. Their first smiles, the first time they laughed, or crawled or walked, their first words and soon enough their first day of school, then graduation, then marriage, missions... oh man!!
So as a ode to things of the past here are a few pictures of my kids growing up WAY too fast!

McKinley 2/19/07

one day old

3 months old

6 months old

9 months old

12 months old

15 months old

18 months old

2 years old

2 and a half

Taitan 7/5/08

3 days old

3 months old

6 months old

9 months old

12 months old

15 months old

18 months

Arent they cute? I think they are!!!

Its Just Tradition Now

2010-01-01T14:52:00.009-07:00

So I now have done this the last two years... why not make it 3? Here is a look back at 2009

Funnest Event:
I think its the same as last year and that would be BYU games. This year was my very first in stadium BYU vs Utah game. Thanks Max and Andrew for making it a game that will go down in history forever!! Go Cougars!!

(taken on our way to BYU vs Utah game)

Biggest purchase of 2009:
Our Couch!! LOVE it!!!

Favorite movie of 2009:
This was really hard for me to choose. It was such a great movie year it even made me think (or apply) to work at a movie theater just so I didn't have to pay to go see them. (if you ever want to hear that story, I will gladly tell you of the 4hrs I worked and wore the color purple. haha)

The Blind Side
G.I Joe
This is it

Least favorite movie of 2009:
Knowing

Favorite celebrity for 2009:
Micheal Jackson... his death brought back so many memories and is my top 2009 celebrity

Least favorite celebrity:
Lady Gaga.. for some reason she really bugs me. She may be talented and I do like her music but she is WAY too out their for my liking.

Guilty Pleasure:
Facebook
Diet Cherry Coke

Saddest moment of 2009:
Bret being diagnosed with Diabetis.

Sickest moment of 2009:
Other than sick kids and Taits gross always runny nose.. cant really think of anything else.

Favorite Song 2009:
My life would suck without you - Kelly Clarkson... or pretty much that whole cd. Lets be honest though, if I could be her I would be!

Least Favorite Song 2009:
Justin Beiber - on time. While I do kinda like the song, the music video pretty much ruined it. He is this 15 year old punk kid who thinks he is from the 'hood, who hasnt hit puberty that is singing about his #1 love. What the heck?

Achievements:
losing 43lbs and keeping 38 of it off... I gained 5 lbs through the holidays. OOPS!!
4 years of marriage

1 Word for 2009 was:
Demanding

1 Word for 2010 will be:
reassuring

My hopes for next year:
Maybe baby #3?
lose 43 more lbs
a house
Pay off debt (so far this will happen in March)

Christmas Time

2009-12-31T14:09:00.002-07:00

Christmas this year was a bit chaotic, but it was nice to be able to spend time with friends and family. McKinley was really into opening presents this year and it was fun for her to start to understand Santa. This morning was the first morning since Christmas she hasnt checked for presents in the front room when she wakes up. For those of you without kids, you really are missing out on Christmas. They bring such a new added joy and excitement to Christmas morning.

Christmas was great, I hope that yours was great too. Here are a few pictures from Christmas morning. I do have to apologize there arent many of all the Christmas mornings we had. I was having too much fun playing with the kids and seeing their reaction rather than taking pics...

Snow!

2009-12-08T11:03:00.003-07:00

This morning we played in the snow..

now we are watching Polar Express getting warm!

I just love wintertime!!! Its even more fun with cute kids!

Remember When...

2009-12-07T09:02:00.015-07:00

Hey Bret, remember when you text me for the first time? Your sister and mom pretty much made you and your text was in all caps? that was cute. And remember when we met for the first time after texting/talking for a couple weeks? I was at work and you were on a pickup, we passed each other in the hallway and I had no idea who you were. You tried to make your signature as legible as possible and I still couldn't read it? I should have known by how bad you were shaking that it was you. Later when we talked you asked if anything exciting had happened at work or if I had met anyone new.. thats finally when I put it together. You were so handsome!

Do you remember our first date? I told you it was going to be a hard house to find but you are so good with directions that instead of showing up early you waited around the corner until it was time to pick me up? Then we went ice skating and I had no idea what I was doing and you gently held my hand so I wouldn't fall. Later that night when neither one of us wanted to go home we went out and laid in the freezing cold on top of your truck and talked while looking at the stars? That was so romantic.

Do you remember my birthday that year? You bought me 2 dozen long stemmed roses and they were delivered to my office. They were so beautiful. Later that night you took me to the top of South Mountain where we danced in the rain. I knew at that moment that you were the one, that I loved you and wanted to love you forever.

Do you remember the Stingers game? You were acting so funny that day and I couldnt figure it out... it wasnt until the fireworks started after the double header game that you pulled out the most beautiful ring I had ever seen and you didnt even get to ask me because I said yes yes yes and kept kissing you. I was so happy that day. I remember looking at the ring constantly on my finger over the next few months and remembering all the reasons I loved you.

Remember that wonderful day in November that we got married. Surrounded by the people that we loved the most? We got a glimps that day of what the eternities were going to be like. I am so glad you chose me to spend eternity with. And that we have a forever family.

Remember that day we went to the hospital to get blood work done and it came back positive? We were so scared and so excited to add a new addition into our lives. Do you remember that pregnancy? I was so so sick and we had only been married for a short time, you took care of me. All we ate those 9 months was Mexican and pineapple. I appreciated you so much. I needed you and you never left my side even when I was super grouchy.

Do you remember the night before your vendors conference taking me to the hospital to have our little girl? We played phase 1o to try and detract me from the awful contractions and watched the NBA allstar game. You tried getting as much sleep as you could on that dreadful recliner. But never left my side, you held my hand when the contractions got worse and went and got the nurse when the pain was more than I could handle. Even at 2am you were still awake holding my hand and telling me that I could do it. I remember holding McKinley the first time and having you right next to me. I knew that this was the way it was going to be for the rest of forever. Us.. you and me and our sweet family that we made. I loved you even more at that moment.

Oh and do you remember when I called you telling you that you had to come home. I showed you a positive pregancy test and you just held me as I cried. You told me it would all be ok. Even though McKinley was still so small, you told me it would all be ok. I needed you and you were there.. you always are. Even when the postpartum hit. You always stood right next to my side. I know it was just as hard for you. You were steady and you were my constant. You held me when it was so hard.

A few months ago you transfered to Orem. You drive more than 30 minutes to get to work and you never complain. You just do it because you love us and want what is best for our family.
Together we have made our own family. We have a life of our own and its wonderful, happy, quirkey and funny. We have our hard ti mes, we get sick of each other every now and then but we still love each other. And at the end of EVERYDAY love you more than ever and I will continue to love you my whole life. I hope we grow old and saggy together... I love you. So much. FOREVER..

Best Cornbread EVER!!

2009-12-03T14:15:00.005-07:00

My mom's neighbor Kimberly has makes the most outstanding cornbread ever. Growing up I was never a cornbread fan, I don't know if it was just something I thought old people ate or what. But it wasn't until I tried this recipe that I feel in love with the pure delishiness of cornbread. We had it last night with chili and I thought I would share this great recipe so others can enjoy!

Kimberly's Cornbread

1 cup Flour
1 cup Cornmeal
1 cup sugar
1 TB baking powder
1/3 cup oil
1 cup milk
1 egg

Mix together and pour in 8 x 8 pan. Place in preheated oven (375 degrees) for 20-25 minutes.

Also, I wouldn't be me if I didn't say something about the BYU/Utah game last Saturday. It was a nail biter at the end... and I am SO, SO glad that BYU pulled it out! Surprisingly enough BYU is high enough in the BCS polls, #14 that depending on who wins and loses this week if they move up another 2 spots they could be BCS bowl eligiable (maybe far fetched, but I can still hope)... otherwise I am hoping for San Deigo rather than Vegas. GO COUGARS!!!!

The Day Has Finally Come...

2009-11-24T09:06:00.003-07:00

that we are going private. I never wanted my blog to be private, I wanted anyone to be able to read it that wanted to. But that all has changed in a matter of days.
A few weeks ago I was looking online to see where I could buy the Nuk spouts for sippy cups for Taitan. I found another mom who posted on her blog that she too like me, had been searching high and low for these dang spouts. She finally found that you had to call Gerber to order them since they dont sell them in stores. I made the mistake of posting on her blog a Thank You and ever since I keep getting junk commentson my blog. Luckily I have the setting on so I view the comments before they are published, but they are not going away only getting worse. So to protect my family and your blogs as well, if you would like to continue to read my blog please leave a comment with your email and I will add you. Or email me at allieket7 at yahoo dot com. One week from today we will be private.

At this time..

2009-11-18T12:19:00.006-07:00

4 years ago I married the greatest guy ever! I know it sounds so cliche to say it, but Bret really is the best husband a girl could have. I love him more everyday and look forward to spending more days with him!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-02T13:21:00.004-07:00

The kids had a great time this Halloween! I am so excited for my kids to be growing up and loving the holidays as much as we do.
Although their outfits were last minute and super cheap I think they turned out ok. McKinley loved being a "wish" and Tait liked the bird on his shirt. They got a TON of candy Trick or Treating!! By the end Kinney was saying Trick or Treat (the best she could) and Tait would say dank do and bye. After Trick or Treating we went to LD's for her Halloween party. Good food and good friends = a good time.

Now that Halloween is over its time for my favorite holiday! Thanksgiving! CANT WAIT!!!

Happy Little Pumpkins

2009-10-28T11:42:00.003-06:00

Monday Night for FHE we took the kids to Cornbelly's to have some fun and pick out pumpkins. It was a lot of fun, WAY overpriced but I think we will make a tradition to go there every year anyway. They loved the tractor rides and the bouncy blankets. McKinley was FREEZING and begged to go home once it got dark. But we pretty much made her try on the princess clothes where the had the pumpkin princess and even though she didn't really smile, she was enjoying trying on all the dresses. Overall it was a good time and I am glad that we have pumpkins to carve for Halloween.

Oh Where Oh Where Have the Kettenrings Been?

2009-10-15T16:08:00.003-06:00

Oh where oh where could they be???? (pictures are random and have nothing to do with this post)

Its been a while. I apologize now. I wish I would say I had a good reason for not blogging, but really I dont. A lot has happened in the last month since I last blogged, non of which is all that exciting or thrilling to hear.

It all started when Bret and I applied for Bret to get life insurance. We canceled our old whole life policy and started shopping for term life policies. I found one right away, but shopping for Bret has been a little bit harder. We had an underwriter come to our house and do the usual, urine, blood and weight measurements and was waiting for the the results back when we got the call... The insurance provider had DENIED his application because of his blood sugar levels. WHAT? I kept asking are you sure. Bret has just dropped 65lbs. and you are now telling me he is a diabetic... impossible, right? Well after a few more blood tests, trips to the dr and all that jazz, its confirmed Bret is a freakin diabetic. It took quite the emotional blow to both of us. The good news is the Dr thinks he will never be insulin dependent, lose any extremities, his sight or die of diabetes. He just has to moderate it with diet and exercise for the rest of forever. :) Oh and need I mention cut stress back. Easy enough while he's not in school right?!?!...
While all of this is still processing Bret goes to work and gets called in to the executive meeting at his office. When he gets out he calls me and says that we have some important decisions to make and he'll tell me more about it at lunch. They have projected a meager winter and are eliminating his position at work. So because he "is an asset to the company" they are giving him the option to go back out to the yard (same pay as now, just be demoted back to where he started) or be the store manager in Orem and not get lunch's and have to travel. They needed to know by the next day. Its been a while since I have seen Bret under so much stress. I didn't like what his work was doing to him, but was grateful that they at least kept him around. His mom gave him great advice and I told him the same thing. We both talked about the pros and cons of each job and then never talked about it after. He came home the next day and told me he chose to go to Orem. They did give him a work truck, gas card and a raise(slight), but I really do miss having him around the house more. This is only week 2 and we both are adjusting to the change.

Other than that we have been enjoying BYU games and vacations. This past weekend we went to Mesquite with Brets family. It was nice to just be able to do a whole lot of nothing. We went to Tuacahn Monday night and really enjoyed their performance of Footloose! This weekend we are off to Park City for some more RandR!

The kids have been feeling a lot of the stress that has been weighing in around the house as well. Since getting back from Mesquite (and watching Stephanie Neilson on Opera) I have promised myself to spend more time with my kids, enjoy the little things and not be so caught up in the messes of life. I hope that if you guys did not see that episode of Opera that you take the time to see it. It really was one of the best ones I have EVER seen! I have since become of fan of her blog. Its great, I recommend you do to!

lots of updates and pictures

2009-09-18T15:58:00.008-06:00

Its been a while since I have posted really anything worth reading. Although the salsa recipe is a must do if you haven't done it already.
My kids are growing up so fast and Taitan is finally starting to get a little personality of his own. He is sweet, funny and is ALL boy. McKinley is learning (finally) how to talk after getting a speech therapist she is beginning to talk more and more each day. She is very independent and says to me often "no, I do it"

A couple weeks ago the kids got the stomach flu. It sure made for a very long night, but I was able to capture this very tender moment of little Taiter sleeping on our bed.

McKinley loves to dress up. She finds whatever she can, moms clothes, hair accessories, shoes you name it she has tried wearing it. I loved this picture of her with a headband on. She then put it on Tait... I have very cute kids!!!

I was selling this skirt on KSL and McKinley came running across the room jumped in the picture with the perfect smile, of course I posted another pic on KSL, but I had to keep this picture. She LOVES to have her picture taken.

Last weekend my sister turned 8. For her birthday party my mom made these fabulous aprons for the girls to take home and they all made a batch of cookies. It was a blast watching 7-8yr olds baking... some cookies turned out okay while others were missing a few ingredients.

We took Robyns kids that night so she and Mike could go on a date. My nephew Matthew was sitting on the floor playing with a baby doll and when Bret looked down this is what he saw, needless to say when he is older we might be able to blackmail him with this shot.

Tait loves messes. Mom hates messes. But I couldn't resist taking these pictures of the battle of the yoguart and Tait.. I am pretty sure the yoguart won.

Last night we went to the fair. It was a lot of fun to see the kids look at the animals and get to touch them. When we were looking at the pigs there was a pretty cranky one. I think my kids will be scared for life because of this mean pig. I asked Kinney if she liked the pigs later that night and she said "no, scary".

I just wanted to post of picture of my weight loss journey. This isn't the best picture to post, but I am going to take different pictures soon. I still have another 10 weeks left, but I want you all too see my dramatic transformation that is taking place. Seriously though, I even though I do look better, I feel great!!!

For All You Salsa Lovers

2009-09-10T14:46:00.002-06:00

My neighbor gave me this recipe and it is one of the best salsa's I have EVER tasted. I am a salsa addict so when I can find a new recipe I always try it. This is in my top 5 for sure. So try it and let me know if you love it as much as I do.

Homemade Salsa

1 qt. Tomatoes (I use Romas)
1 lg Green Pepper
2 tsp. Cilantro
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp. salt
3 clvs. garlic
3 large onions (if you aren't a huge fan of onion you can always substitute with green onions)
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
4 Serrano peppers or 6 jalapenos

Seriously you will be addicted!!!

Still Excited!

2009-09-06T14:03:00.004-06:00

I do have to say that I was one of the few people that thought that BYU could pull of a win against OU... and it really happened! It REALLY did! So Rise and Shout and cheer for the Cougars and the MWC!!! I LOVED watching Bronco Mendenhall get excited when the defense held them to go 4 and goal and I LOVED LOVED reading Max Halls lips when he said "oh my gosh" at the end of the Game.

Wathcing Sports Center and hearing them talk good about BYU is not getting old. And as a fan I am basking in the high of the Cougars win over the #3 team. The team that just happened to play in the national championship last year! I hope that this is a start of an amazing season and another stepping stone for the MWC. I can't wait until the 19th to cheer for them as they run out of the tunnel onto their very own field!!
GO COUGARS!!!!

2 Dollar Tuesday

2009-08-26T16:07:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I took the kids to the last $2 Tuesday this year at Thanksgiving Point. When we got there the rest of the state also had the same idea so instead of going to the Dinosaur museum we went to the petting zoo. I think that the kids enjoyed the zoo more than they would have liked the museum, so it worked out great.

Playing in the Sandbox

2009-08-19T15:13:00.002-06:00

This turtle has been on the other side of the duplex for years. It belonged to Jayson when Brets family used to live in the duplex. We have always talked about cleaning it out for the kids and putting new sand inside. Well, Monday I had ambition to get it done. Now the kids BEG to go outside to play in the sand.

Swim Lessons

2009-08-14T13:39:00.004-06:00

This last month McKinley and I have taken a mommy and me swim class with cousin Ethan and aunt Robyn.
Kin did really well and she LOVES the water, but mostly the slide. Next year she can take a swim class without mom. :(

Tait and the Dr.

2009-08-04T13:26:00.003-06:00

I took Tait to the Dr for his 12 month visit. He did SO good, he was a perfect little boy for the Dr. He was being such a little goofy kid while we were there and it did me proud! I sure do love this little manskies!!!

Here is his stats.. He dropped a ton on the weight scale but because he is walking around and went to soy milk (which evidently has less fat than whole milk. Surprise Surprise) the dr isn't worried. She also told me to go get a hotel room and go to the spa for a few days so that Bret can deal with Tait going off the bottle. I knew there was a reason I LOVED our Dr.

Weight - 19lbs 12 oz - 5%
Height - 30.7 inches - 67%
Head - 47mm - 60%

The Last Couple Weeks...

2009-07-27T17:48:00.006-06:00

Went to see the floats for the parade Kin got her face painted.

Drove through Idaho and saw this CRAZY big Budweiser sign

Stopped to see Jack and Margaret

Saw a car flying in the air in Montana

Rode to the top of Big Mountain in Whitefish, MT

Saw how pretty Montana really is

Went swimming in Foyes Lake (kids skinny dipped so I only posted one picture)

Played outside

Sat on a giant rocking chair

Went inside a real Tee Pee

Visited the House of Mystery

Went to Glacier National Park

And Ate Huckleberry Ice Cream Cones

It was a good time, we are glad we were able to go. Our hearts and prayers go out to my Aunt Martha who found out while we were there that she has cancer. Thanks to Doc and Linni for letting us crash at their place for the week and putting up with us.

Bret and his cute face!

2009-07-15T09:32:00.003-06:00

Bret has been losing weight like crazy. I guess for me since I live with him, I haven't noticed the dramatic transformation that is taking place. Everywhere we go people mention Bret's weight loss. This past weekend my brother was at our house and we were talking about how much Bret has really lost. We started comparing pictures of him a while back compared to now. I can't help but post this... it is AMAZING! I am so proud of him for doing it and although I thought he was hot before... he is now dang sexy!! Just as a side note, I think he has lost from his highest weight to what he weighs now is 55lbs!

(picture on left this weekend, picture on right about a year and a half ago)

He is making a goofy face because he was mad that I was going to take a picture so we could compare pictures.

Seminar!

2009-07-13T17:34:00.002-06:00

Hey guys I just wanted to let all of you know that my dietitian/trainer is doing a free seminar for everyone who is interested. I know that a lot of you have been asking what I have been doing, and here is a great chance for you guys to find out! The best part about it is that its FREE!!

When: Thursday July 16, 2009
Where: 10808 S Riverfront Parkway Ste 394 South Jordan
(its by Muligans and Market Steet Grill in one of the business buildings)
Time: 7 pm

I can't guarantee that refreshments will be served, but it is really worth your time in going! Let me be your proof that it really does work! I have lost almost 20lbs in 6 weeks!

Tait is 1

2009-07-06T15:21:00.003-06:00

Yesterday my little Taiter turned one! I seriously cannot believe how fast this year has flown by. He is growing up so fast and is getting his own little personality. Some of my favorite things about Tait...

He LOVES to tease - He will wait for Kinney to get in the room, pick up her toys and hang on to them as tight as he can as he takes off for the next room... while Kin is screaming behind him. He just laughs and laughs.Its super cute!
He loves nap time!!!
His favorite toys are cars - he pushes them around the house for hours. His knees are always black and callused over from pushing them around.
He loves his mom the most
He loves the tub
He laughs whenever you laugh even if he doesn't know what your are laughing at
His giggle is contagious
His grandpa's are his favorite people - next to mom of course
He never gives up on whatever it is that he wants - which is good and bad!

For his birthday we had a BBQ with family and a few friends at a park. Tait was so cute and he LOVED being the center of attention. He hasn't stopped playing with his new toys and is glad to finally have some more "boy" toys around the house.

The Cake was my favorite part of his birthday. It was perfect! He loved his cake and made a complete mess! Frosting was flying everywhere he was so excited that everyone was laughing he was clapping his hands and shoving his face full of cake. McKinley had already put a dent in the cake from the store to the car, but I am just glad that it was free and got all messed up anyway.

It was a great day, I love Tait and am so glad that he is here and a part of our family!!

Happy 4th

2009-07-06T09:35:00.003-06:00

I absolutely love this time of year, BBQ's, fireworks, days where Bret is home, late nights, golf, swimming pools, parks... the list can go on forever.
It was the annual Davis/Duehlmeier family get together. We went to LD's and Kentlee's for the weekend had BBQ's, tractor rides and so much more. I made this salad that I got off of this website! It has great ideas for the family and for holidays (plus its created by a friends from a family that truely is fabulous in every way)

After the BBQ Kent took the kids on a tractor ride, Kinney loved this!

We then watched Forever Strong in the backyard and then slept under the canopy because of the rain. Tait would just not go to sleep so I had to take him on a ride at 1am to get thim to sleep.
At 6 we woke up to go golfing, where I won ladies closest to the pin!!! Only because most of the other females that ususally go golfing either are pregnant or slept in. So it was between Katy and I and Katy one longest drive.
We had slip and slide, naps, more food and crafts. Then came home for the fireworks at Jordan park.
I wish I would have taken way more pictures, but we were having too much fun for me to remember. A big thanks to LD and Kentlee for doing this every year!!!

My Kids...

2009-07-02T12:32:00.001-06:00

Are cuter than your kids! :)
(although you all do have very cute children too)

Weddings, girls camps, oh my!!

2009-06-29T11:23:00.007-06:00

June has been a pretty crazy month around here. A couple weeks ago Bret's cousin Krista got married. Wednesday was the endowment session and chuckarama after, Thursday was the rehearsal dinner and Friday was the wedding. It was good to be able to spend time with family and see Krista so happy. Since this was my very first Davis wedding, Bret warned me to be prepared to work. And boy did we work!!! Bret, me and my kids actually slept until almost 11 the next day. It was a beautiful wedding reception and Doug did a great job at sealing them. Not too many people can be sealed for eternity by a relative and Bret, Danny and Krista all were sealed by their uncle Doug.

I stole this picture from Krista's facebook page.

Also, I LOVED the cake. Kelli and Cheryl made it themselves and it was beautiful!!

After the wedding and sleeping, I didn't really have too much time to recover because I had girls camp the next week. I love girls camp and was excited to go this time as a leader. The kids stayed at G-ma and G-pa K's house and G-pa came to pick them up after his shift in his police car. Its too bad that the kids were still half asleep at the time (it was 6:15 AM) or they would have thought it was pretty neat.

Girls camp was quite the experience. We had everything from getting stuck up the mountain, changing places, snipe hunts (my favorite part... where we had the girls snorting like pigs at one point! HILARIOUS!!!) skits, late nights, camp fires and much much more. I never realized as a girl that the leaders put in so many hours to make girls camp run smoothly. Robyn Veater (our camp director) did an amazing job and our girls had a good time as well as the leaders. Here are a few pictures from camp. The one that says RIP is a funeral service held for the poor little ant that was burned to death by match... at least the girls gave him a nice place to be buried.

In less than 1 week Tait will already be one!!! More to come on my handsome little man! Until then enjoy this way too cute picture of him standing on the time out chair. (yes I know what an oxymoron that is)

The Bike

2009-06-15T11:49:00.004-06:00

My dad is a pretty creative, fixer upper type of guy. He built my parents house, he finished the basement by hand. He even made his own cupboards for the kitchen. About a year ago he and my mom were at our house and we were watching videos on youtube. He showed me this video of a 4 wheel bike and wanted to make one. He looked at buying all the parts and building it but the kit to make it was around $4,000. So being the "build it myself" type of guy he is, he did just that. He started shopping at the local DI's and picking up bikes, tearing them apart and building his very own 4-wheel bike. It has been quite the project for him, but it is finally complete enough to ride. It is funny to see the amount of attention this bike brings to those riding it.
My kids LOVE this bike and even though I made fun of my dad at first for the bike I do have to say that it is pretty dang cool. If you are ever driving around and see this bike, its one of a kind built by my dad.
He is totally in his prime when people stop and ask him questions. But I think he is most proud of it is when younger kids want to sit on it and ride it. He is such a good grandpa!!!

My dad and little sister Anna

With the Bike Trailer

Riding up the street with G-ma and G-pa

Baby Names - random post

2009-06-09T15:14:00.003-06:00

No, I am not pregnant. But Bret and I have been talking a lot about when the next addition to our family will come. This time actually being PLANNED! Since we have a girl and a boy already, we have decided the next time we get pregnant we will wait until we have our little one to know the gender.

I really want a October baby. I was just having a hard time debating if I wanted a 2010 or 2011 baby. We finally decided to go for the gusto and have a 10/10/10 baby. But, now that I am loosing weight and loosing it fast (and paying money to do it), I don't want to get skinny and then have a baby. I want to enjoy fitting in skinny jeans and tops for a while longer. Is that bad? Maybe an 11/11/11 baby will do?!
Along with the talk of when to have babies has come discussion of names. And FINALLY we agree on a boys name... why could we have not done this a year ago? As for our girls name, its been picked out for a while. So guess now you all have to wait and see what the names are when we have another baby.

Nothing New

2009-06-04T09:56:00.005-06:00

So I don't really have anything new going on. I did however start the new diet. Although I didn't stick with Jared Hansen. I went to the same guy that worked with my moms boss and his wife, Danny. He broke off and started his own fitness program from Total Health and Fitness. The name of his business is Stepping Stone Nutrition, its pretty much the same concept of Total Health and Fitness, just his own company. So far, its easy and fun. I like that I don't have any decisions to make. I don't have to choose what to eat, what strength training to do or cardio when I go to the gym. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that if I go out to eat all I have to do is send Danny a text and he tells me what to order! Its like having my own personal decision maker and its wonderful! Everything is all planned out for me. I started the program on Saturday morning and have lost almost 7lbs so far. The weight is not going to come off as easily the next 23 weeks as it did this week, but just the fact that I have seen results and its easy (and by easy I mean, hard, but easier for me) makes me really want to stick this out. Each week I get a new diet and exercise routine as well as get my before and after pictures taken. I am excited to see what the difference of 7lbs really is on my body. I go back Friday morning.. maybe if I am brave I will share the before and after pics. MAYBE... until then here is the picture that I have hanging all over my house of what I want to look like. Yes, I do understand that her boobs are huge, maybe I will be able to keep the boobs I have and this is what it will look like on a skinny body ;)

(keep in mind if you are interested at all in this I will be happy to share with you all of Danny's contact info so you can go in and talk to him about.)

On a side note there is only 94 more days until BYU football.. and I am starting to feel the excitement setting in.

Weight-loss vs Fat-loss

2009-05-28T09:37:00.002-06:00

I have been looking into losing some serious weight for some time now as most you know. I have tried weight watchers (tried for like a month) I did the curves 30 day study and I still weigh more than I did 9 months pregnant with Tait.
My moms boss and his wife went to a place called Total Health and Fitness. They have both lost an incredible amount of weight but not just weight, fat. So being as intrigued as I am about losing weight I went last night and talked with guy, Jared Hansen, about Total Health and Fitness's program and how it is different, why it works, yayada. I was very pleased after I left with their program. It make complete sense to me on why weight watchers, atkins, slim fast, and other diets don't work or rather work for a short amount of time, as long as you stick to following their "diet" which means you will be a dieter your entire life.
Total Health and Fitness is a lifestyle change, each program is designed to fit each individual based on other things besides weight and height. Which seems forgien to some since for years all we have known is if you are this tall you should weigh this. When ultimately the goal is to have less fat, not weigh less. In their program they boost your motabilism first then go into fat loss.It also is great for those who are diabetics because it maintains your blood sugar. I would love to share this with everyone, especailly Brets family (just cause I know what weight loss freaks they all are) I just know that after listening you too will understand why this works.
After talking to Jared about how much I would love to share this, he said if there are some of you who are interested in how it all works, he would be glad to come to my house and share with you this program. If anyone is interested please let me know and I will have him come, send a text, post a message whichever.

Aunt Coleen's Wheat Pancakes

2009-05-22T08:45:00.003-06:00

Laura (brets mom) makes these per our request whenever we stay the night there. They are SO SO SO good. I made them this morning for the kids for breakfast and I think that Tait alone downed two of them. Try them you wont regret it!

Coleen's Wheat Pancakes

1 c sifted wheat flour
4t baking powder
1/2t salt
2T brown sugar
2 Eggs separated
1 1/4c milk
1/4c oil

Mix everything together except eggwhites beat eggs whites until stiff mixture.

1c sugar
1c water
1/2c brown sugar
about 1/2 teaspoon maple

mix together in medium sized saucepan and bring to a small bowl. serve over pancakes warm.

I found that I really like these if I use freshly ground wheat. But since I have a lot of wheat flour already ground I now do half and half.

Mothers Day -late

2009-05-21T09:43:00.006-06:00

Its been a while. Lots of things are happening and lots of things on my mind. I still cannot believe that it is already the end of May. Time flies by so fast and I wish days would last as long as they seemed when I was younger. That way I could soak up every minute I have with my kids at this age. They are so much fun and I LOVE being a mom. Although I wont win the mother of the year award anytime soon, I am learning more about myself daily and more about how to enjoy the small things. Everything that seems big right now, will turn into just a small portion of lifes lessons learned.
Mothers Day this year was a crazy busy one. We started out at our own ward where we were given gifts made by a great lady in our ward. (although she didn't want the recognition for making them) I thought it was a nice gesture since our ward hasn't done gifts for the mothers since I moved in 3 years ago.

After church we went to Brets parents house and had our half (only half because we didn't go to the park) "gentile Sunday" where we ate KFC. I am not a big KFC fan, except for the coleslaw, but their grilled chicken is really good and I highly recommend trying it if you haven't. Although Laura and I don't always see eye to eye, I love her and am grateful for the part she plays in my life. I am so glad that she raised a son who is kind, caring, compassionate, loving, giving, hard working and a great husband and dad. I am grateful for her testimony of the gospel and her passion for it. I love her strong will and get it done attitude. She is very service oriented and is always helping others. I know she would say that it is because its part of her calling, but I know that she would willingly serve anyone who is need of help. She is crafty and SO very creative. Holidays are always full of fun and lots of traditions.

It was then off to my moms house, where we sat outside and then had a BBQ. I love my mom she knows it too. My mom is my best friend, She is a great friend to everyone know matter who they are or what their circumstance. If you know my mom, you love her. She is friendly and caring, giving, understanding and has a very strong testimony. She is always listening the the spirit and following what it is saying. We used to joke about my mom being able to relate a bowl of spaghetti the gospel. I am grateful for my mom and her teaching me right from wrong and knowing how to fix my mistakes. I am grateful for her always being able to make my feel beautiful and giving me self confidence. She never once told me I was too fat, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not talented enough. To her I am perfect in every way. I hope that I will be able to raise my children to know that as well.
I almost forgot to brag about the gifts we made our moms. I got the idea from the best magazine ever "Family Fun" (ps if you would like a subscription let me know and we both get 2 years for DIRT cheap) They are called Pizza's To-Grow. I wish I would have taken a picture, but it turned out super cute with plants for each of them to grow their own things to make a pizza. The pizza box had holes cut out for each plant to go in oregano, tomato, onion, pepper plants with hand made "flour" finished it up. Each one also got a certificate saying they get one friday night with us to make homemade pizza.
This year for mothers day I got flowers for the yard and plants for the garden (hopefully we will be living her long enough to reap the benefits of the pants we are growing)

Being a mother is something that can only be described and understood from one mother to another. It brings heartache yet happiness, sadness yet joy, disappointment but excitement. It is the most rewarding difficult job ever. I am so thankful for the moms in my life and to be a mom myself. It really is the best job in the world.

Something He Will Hate Me For Later

2009-05-07T15:01:00.003-06:00

I love this picture. I know that Taitan will be mad at me one day for this, but I hope that you all will laugh as hard as I did. (excuse his out of control hair and GROSS runny nose)

Lately...

2009-05-05T22:34:00.002-06:00

It seems like it has been a month since I last posted anything, when really its only been two weeks. I am glad to say that it is because we are really busy, enjoying the weather and having Bret finishing up his last semester at SLCC.
Since I last wrote, Tait has had pneumonia, got his first tooth and started walking around the furniture. I really don't remember McKinley growing up as fast as he has been growing. And I am sure that I will say that with the rest of our kids as well (no that is not announcement... phew)
McKinley is dancing and singing around the house, causing much havoc and throwing temper tantrums over the littlest things... today it was go-gurt, yesterday was shoes, Sunday was bows... the list goes on. She brings so much joy to my daily life and I am grateful for her smiling, temper tantrum-ness.
Bret has finished and PASSED (stats about kicked his butt, he didn't think he was going to pass) all his classes for his final semester before he gets a degree. 6 years later we can now say that he has an Associates Degree and are looking into universities that offer the program he has decided to go into, Health Administration. So far its Utah State, University of Utah and BYU-Idaho. With this decision it means that we are no longer looking for houses, but rather schools. Lots of praying and lots of things to figure out this summer.
Life is taking an exciting new turn, I am happy that we are finally starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I am so excited to finally have a husband at home for longer than 2 weeks and looking forward to a wonderful summer. Hooray for Bret! I am so proud of him!!

What happens when you leave your kids....

2009-04-22T13:06:00.003-06:00

unattended for longer than 10 minutes.

Luckily for me we have a carpet cleaner so it all came out. My kids on the other hand are lucky to be alive.

17 Again

2009-04-16T16:56:00.002-06:00

Anyone want to see it with me? Leave a message or send me a text. The more the merrier.

OH SO HOT!!!!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-14T09:59:00.003-06:00

This past weekend we had so much fun celebrating Easter. This year we celebrated Easter on Saturday with the Kettenring family instead of Easter day, like we usually do. We colored 10 dozen eggs Friday night, slept over and had our egg hunt in the morning. This year the adults helped the kids find the eggs. I honestly wasn't too sure how McKinley was going to do since she still is pretty young to understand the concept of finding eggs. Surprisingly McKinley and Ethan (my nephew) had a blast finding the eggs.

Then we had our annual Easter breakfast which of course was too good and I am sad that we have to wait a whole year before we can have it again. The kids found their Easter baskets and had fun playing with all of their toys the grand-bunny brought them.

Sunday morning the Easter bunny came to our house too. McKinley was very excited about the basket this Easter bunny left her and Tait. She then searched the house for the eggs that were hidden and was quickly distracted once she figured out there was candy inside.

McKinley loves the blanket the Easter bunny left her of "mer-mo" and carries it EVERYWHERE we go! Its too bad that the blanket it is bigger than she is!!

McKinley's first hair cut

2009-04-08T18:36:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we spent the day at Aunt Robyns getting our hair done.
Mom got a new color and McKinley got her VERY first hair cut. I think that it turned out pretty dang cute... but I am the mom after all.

Here are some pictures of the adventure.

And my CUTE little girl after it was all done!

Just for Bret

2009-04-03T09:20:00.002-06:00

This is incredible! Maybe one day I will be able to surprise Bret fly him to South Africa and take him golfing here. That would for sure be a once and a lifetime experience! He would love me even more than he does now! I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to have a helicopter fly you to the next hole!
A girl can always dream right?

When they should have been sleeping...

2009-04-02T15:02:00.003-06:00

I put McKinley and Taitan down for a nap today, I heard them making some noise and this is what I found when I walked in. (the blanket is so the room stays dark so they sleep longer. Thanks Kelli for that tip.. it really works)

Tait is even waving at me.

And NO they do not share a bed!!!

McKinley realizing that I am taking pictures and then has to pose!

Sickness, Dr. Appointments and Houses

2009-04-01T12:25:00.004-06:00

Life seems to be so crazy! I can't even imagine what my life was like before I got married and had kids. It seriously seems like a dream being single, working full time, going to bed late, shopping, driving around, hanging out with friends, living life so "care-free". I wouldn't trade what I have now for the "care-free" life any day though. I love it, I love the craziness, I love my husband, I love my kids, and even though life isn't so "care-free" any more, I never have been happier with my chaotic life and where I am. Sure I am 30lbs heavier than I was in high school, and I hardly ever get to putting make-up on, and my expensive taste in clothing is all now too small and seems like a heck of a lot of money that I could be spending else where on my house, my kids, my husband, etc. I like the fact that I have snot and drool and poop all over me 90% of the time... ok maybe I shouldn't go that far, but life is pretty dang good. And I am happy.
McKinley has come down with every sort of sickness you can catch this winter. I just wish that the dang snow would go away so that the sickness that comes with the cold can go away. This past weekend Kin had a really high fever and we were up all night Saturday and Sunday and most of Monday tending to her needs. I am so thankful for a husband and a dad that honor their priesthood so that when ever in need a blessing, they are right there to help. Kin is better now, I hope. She woke up this morning singing and dancing and is actually eating so I think we are now in the safe zone. I made an appointment for her to go see the Dr. on Monday, but then canceled it in fear that they would just tell me the usual... sleep, liquids and alternate Motrin and Tylenol. And because she and Taitan both had their wellness visits today. I am glad I stuck it out and didn't end up paying and extra $25 for nothing.
They both had their appointments this morning, but they only got to Tait thanks to lovely UDOT and stopping traffic on I-80 this morning for 45 minutes!! Here is the latest on the cutest little boy ever...

9 month check up

Weight: 18.31lbs 18%
Height: 29 in 75%
Head: 17.9in 59%

My little man really isn't all that little anymore.. but he sure is dang cute!

Honestly who could not love this face?

Last Friday Bret and I went and looked at more homes. I think our realtor is getting sick of how indecisive we are. I finally found a house that we like and are in the process of putting in an offer. We are having issues with our dumb lender, so we are changing lenders and then submitting our paperwork. The only thing that stinks about this house is that it is a short sale home, so we can wait up to 4 months before we hear anything back from the bank. Bret and I are ok with that though since if it comes down to it we can move in with my parents and save more $$$, which never hurt anyone. I guess I just am still very unsure with what to do still. I don't want to buy a house that I am just ok with... I really want to like it. Is there something wrong with me? Do I just need to settle for something just to have a house? I don't think so, but maybe I just need to not be so dang picky...

The Zoo

2009-03-24T08:59:00.004-06:00

Saturday for my birthday we took the kids to the zoo. (you know that you are getting older when a good birthday is had by the joy in others)
We got up kinda early, thanks to Spence, my brother... another story for another day. And decided to get out before everyone else was at the zoo. Thankfully we did just that, by the time we were leaving everyone else was getting there.
It was a lot of fun to see McKinley get excited over the animals. The monkeys were her favorite.

Later that night we went to my parents house where my dad had cooked us up some killer smoked steaks. We ate until we couldn't eat anymore, had cake and ice cream opened gifts and hung out the rest of the night. It was a great birthday and I got some really nice gifts! I couldn't not post the flowers Bret bought me. I love the added touch of spring that they add to our house.

Thanks Hunny for all you do! You are the best!

A Week of Cards

2009-03-19T18:41:00.003-06:00

I know that I am serious need of an update on the blog. The weather has been so nice here its just hard to actually not be outside.

Bret has been crazy cute this week by leaving me a card everyday telling me thank you. Each day is filled with a new thing that he is grateful for me for. Its nice to wake up and see the card sitting on the computer waiting for me. I just hope it doesn't end tomorrow with my birthday.

McKinley is starting to talk more and it is long awaited from her parents. Yes I know that she will be talking for the rest of her life, but just being able to communicate the simple things like what she would like to eat, what hurts, etc. is nice. Brets mom often reminds me that LaDonna (her sister, who is fabulous) didn't talk until she was 3 and has never stopped since. HA! McKinley know sees animals and can say the sound they make, I almost wonder if that is what she thinks they are. She tries to copy words we say and it is so dang much fun. She has a big heart and it shows in almost everything that she does. She also LOVES her brother who has to go with her everywhere.

Tait is growing like a weed! I guess I am just used to TINY McKinley. He now weighs a whopping 19lbs and is almost 30" He has started moving around, not crawling, but not army crawling either. His way of getting around is funny and I am glad he is finally mobile. He is a much happier baby since. He is trying so hard to stand by himself, I think its mostly so he can be like his sister. I hope that he will start walking soon, that too will be a happy day in our house because I know it will in return make him much happier. He has become a much happier baby in the last few months. If anyone shows him attention he will smile and laugh.

Bret is half way through his last semester at SLCC. I am so excited for him to be able to have a much needed summer off. This will be the first summer off in 5 semesters. His work is going well and with some rumored changes, it looks as if he will be moving up. Hopefully with the move will also come more $$.

We are still looking for a new place to live. Come June we might be homeless. Eagle Mountain is looking better and better to me the more we go out there and look. I love everything about it except Brets drive into work everyday. (which is a pretty big downer, although he will tell you that I could care less how far he has to drive) Plus you can get a KILLER loan. We are going again tonight to look at a few homes, I am hoping that there is one that Bret will like too. He is still not too convinced that we are going to be homeless in a few months. Plus he HATES change. We keep praying hoping that we will know what is best for us to do and where we are supposed to go. I hope (fingers crossed) we will walk in a house tonight and get that "this is right" feeling.

On a happy note, we bought our season tickets for BYU football! Can't WAIT!!!

Houses

2009-03-13T11:10:00.004-06:00

Bret and I have started looking at buying our first home. Since we don't really know what the future holds with the duplex (the place we live now) and right now is a perfect time to buy we figured we might as well start looking.
I am quickly finding out that I am the pickiest person ever! I have this idea in my head of what I want, and nothing is fitting that description in our tiny budget. Here are a few obstacles that we have run into so far.

1. I don't want to live in a bad neighborhood or on a busy street - mostly because I want it to be safe for my kids to go outside and play. Right now we live on a busy street in a not so kid friendly neighborhood. So this is a MUST in a house. We will be there long term at least 5 years so both McKinley and Tait will be going to school. I don't want them going to school needing to speak Spanish as a second language. (and no I am not as prejudice as that sounds)
2. I would like a yard. - So I can plant a garden, have Dash play outside without being on a chain, the kids to have a nice area to play.
3. The kitchen and what it looks like. - I HATE houses where you walk in and see the kitchen table. I don't want people to ever feel unwelcome in my home. The first way I feel that happens is if they can see your family eating as soon as they walk in. Plus the kitchen table is a "landing zone" for all the junk that gets carried in from outside or stuff that doesn't get put away. I don't want others to see my junk pile that is usually on my table.
4. It needs to have at least 3 bedroom and 2 bathrooms. - I would prefer 4 bedrooms so that guests have a place to stay (or my brother can live with us) or make it a play room/office. Plus they all have to be on the same floor. So if the kids wake up in the night I am not climbing stairs in my zombie like manner to attend to their needs.
5. I want an unfinished basement. - for storage, and so in the future we can make more rooms or a bigger family room. We can do what ever we want with this extra space and have endless possibilities.
6. I want it to be close to family and close to Brets work and school. - This is important so that I know that Bret is safe and not driving on a 2 lane road to get to and from work/school. I want to be close to my mom and his mom so that we can see them often and so our kids know their grandparents and cousins. Although this I am finding is something that we are a little more lenient on.
7. I DON'T want a fixer-upper. -Bret is already too busy with school and work. I want our home to be move in ready so that he has a nice place to come home too, not more work.

As you can see I am pretty picky. We looked at a house in Tooele I LOVE it. Its got #1, 3,4,5 and 7. But it is missing 3 and 6. Which means no yard and we are about an hour away from family. The no yard thing is really the deal breaker. Although I LOVE the house plus it has the laundry on the main level and 4 bedrooms 2.5 bath. And its in our price range.
We are going out to eagle mountain tomorrow to look at some other homes. Hopefully we will be able to find something. But still are missing out on the whole #6 its about 45 minutes away for Bret to drive to and from work and school, but it is closer to family. Anyway here is a model of the house we like that is in Eagle Mountain.

Found

2009-03-12T11:48:00.001-06:00

We found it. In the one place I didn't look, her carseat. I have NO idea how she possibly could have had it in her hands without me noticing while I was buckling her in. But it was there just laying on top of her seat in the car.
Since it has been found we are making up for lost time and she is happily watching it again right now for the second time today.

Sad Day

2009-03-11T09:30:00.002-06:00

It is a sad day in our home. McKinley has officially lost High School Musical 3. I have looked EVERYWHERE for this silly DVD in my house. Under and in the couches, under the lovesac, in the DVD holders, in the trash, in her toilet, in the tub, in her toys, in her dressers, under the beds, in the beds... and it is still MIA. I ask her where it is, she says "yeah, mi mi" or in our language "yeah I get to watch High School Musical".

This morning she went to the DVD's and kept saying "Mi Mi" I told her it was lost and she then started walking around the house saying "We... We" or "where, Where". I am all out of ideas on where to look for this movie. So, to all you women out there who read this, (women because you can always find your husbands lost his keys that you never touch but when asked you know exactly where to look and find it) is there anywhere I haven't looked that your children hide things? I am up for all and any suggestions.

Today I am Thankful For...

2009-03-08T20:19:00.006-06:00

Bathtime!!

The Bachelor

2009-03-05T10:51:00.007-07:00

Many of you like me, watch the addicting show the Bachelor. I have only ever watched I think two seasons ever. Mostly because I know that if I start watching it I will be hooked and then be disappointed when they breakup or he doesn't pick the person that I want him to.
The first season I watched faithfully.. it was the season with the incredibly good looking Brad Womack,

and he didn't pick Either DeAnna

or Jenni. (who was my personal favorite)

I swore after that season that I would never watch another one again. Then it happened, too many people were talking about this wonderful new bachelor Jason

or Bachelorette DeAnna's reject. Since there was so much buzz this season, I couldn't help myself and started watching. I like everyone else who watches the dumb show started picking their favorite girls and debating over which one would be the best pick for Jason. My personal favorite was Jillian

but Melissa

came in a very close second. Since Jason sent Jillian home which left Molly (who I liked too)

and Melissa I was on team Melissa. She was cute and bubbly and was able to express to him her feelings for him, unlike Molly, who was more reserved but still fun. I of course was very happy that he chose Melissa and was SO not prepared for what a jerk Jason turned out to be. In the final rose episode, he dumped Melissa and asked Molly for a second chance. Although it seems as if Molly and Jason are very happy,

I am flabbergasted by the way the he handled the situation. He dumped Melissa on National TV and the moments later asks Molly for a second chance. Then they start kissing and being all lovey dovey. Ok I get it you are happy that she was dumb enough to take you back, but seriously have some respect for the person that you just broke up with. I am glad that he followed his "heart and mind" but he could have done it in a much more respectful manner. Break up with Melissa before you even come on the show, give it a little bit of time and then ask Molly for a second chance. I think everyone is more upset over the way it all went down, not so much how it ended. I really liked Jason and thought he was a decent guy, but to do what he did, the way he did it made me loose a lot of respect for someone who I thought was a "nice guy".

Draper Temple

2009-03-03T08:45:00.002-07:00

Saturday Bret and I went with my parents to go through the Draper Temple. It was nice to have the time alone without the kids and enjoy the beauty of the temple. I loved the chandelier in the celestial room along with the mini ones in different rooms as well. We are lucky to be a part of such an amazing church.

Who Is Your Favorite?

2009-02-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while we were in the car McKinley and I were talking. I would ask her to point to things we saw as we were driving and then I started the favorites questions... here is how the conversation unfolded

Mom: Kin is mom your favorite?

Kinley: YEAH

Mom: Is Tait your favorite?

Kinley: Yeah

Mom: Is dad your favorite?

Kinley: YEAH

Mom: Kin, who is your most favorite?

Kinley: (without any hesitation) DAD DAD DAD!!!

Ha! so there you have it.. Dad is her favorite.

The Sun

2009-02-25T09:54:00.003-07:00

Is anyone else enjoying the sun that we have been getting here in Utah? It seems like it has been years since we have seen the sun. Only in Utah after a cold winter do you see people out in shorts and capris on a 50 degree day. Anyway, I am LOVING it!!!

Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays

2009-02-23T08:36:00.007-07:00

This weekend was full of excitement with the celebration of two big birthdays in our family. My mom turned 50 and McKinley is now 2!

Thursday was McKinley's birthday, although we didn't really do much for her on that day since dad had to work and we had lots of other things to do for Grandma Sally's 50th. But I decorated the house with balloons and made some little cupcakes for her. That morning we went to pick my aunt Julie up from the airport, who flew in from Arizona for my moms birthday. We went to lunch at 5 Guys and then headed home for nap time. After the kiddos woke up Bret was home and we ran some errands and then met everyone at Wingers for dinner.

Friday was my moms birthday and Bret had the day off. In the afternoon we headed out to my moms house and set up for her party then went to Cafe Rio for dinner. We had a good time at her party and enjoyed everyone that came. After the party was over my mom wanted to play musical chairs... no one was too thrilled at first but once we all got playing it was a BLAST. McKinley enjoyed it more than anyone I think!
Sunday, we had McKinley's party at Grandma Laura's house. She made her a BEAUTIFUL barbie cake and McKinley loved it! She kept saying "preeyey" (Pretty)

Before the party started Bret and Jayson would blow up the noisy balloons (I don't know the real name) and let them go and fly around the house. McKinley would scream and giggle at these balloons.

The families all got together and we enjoyed watching Kinley blow out the candles on her "earth cake" about 10 times, because she loved doing it so much.

We opened presents and ate cake.. it was a good time for everyone.

I seriously cannot believe that McKinley is already 2. I look back at how fast time flies by and I wish that I could just keep her little. She is so full of energy and happiness. She brightens my everyday and I could not even imagine my life with out her.

Happy Birthday Kinney!! We LOVE you!!

Twinkle Twinkle

2009-02-16T14:46:00.003-07:00

Every night when I tuck McKinley into bed I sing to her. I like to switch it up a bit with the songs so that she isn't addicted to just one song. Little did I know that it doesn't matter how much mixing you do, little kids like certain songs and that is what you always end up singing.
McKinley's favorite song right now is twinkle twinkle little star. We sing it together every night and she now even does the actions with it. I wanted Bret to see how cute it was, so the other night I had him come in during singing time. She of course got stage fright in front of daddy and wouldn't do it. Last night, I was in the shower and Bret put the kids to bed. He started to sing Twinkle Twinkle to McKinley and she pointed her finger at him said "no, no, no... MOM".
Here is McKinley today at lunch doing the actions to Twinkle Twinkle, I still cannot believe that she did it.. but I am so glad she did so I could brag about how dang cute she is. Oh and don't mind the shoe that is on the table, they are her dress up princess shoes. She has to wear them EVERY WHERE!!!

Update...

2009-02-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

Went to the dentist yesterday, my migraine is gone!! I have lost 9lbs since I have been sick, which is good, but bad because it's not the right way. Anyway, my body is pretty weak and I am WAY lightheaded. It seems to me that I am finally on the up and up!! HOORAY!!!

Where I have been...

2009-02-11T07:23:00.002-07:00

The couch. Last Tuesday I started having a severe migraine. Nothing has seemed to help and I have been unable to do pretty much anything, including sleep.
I went to the Dr Friday to see if there was anything that he could do. He gave me daily medication and additional pain killer to help me out. Plus a shot before I left.
Yesterday I went to the dentist to see if it was a tooth, come to find out I need a root canal and its very possibly the problem. I am supposed to go in on Thursday to get it done. I am thinking that I am going to call when they open and see if they can get me in today.
I am seriously loosing my mind, my house is a wreck and my poor kids miss their mom.

The tag!

2009-02-04T11:03:00.009-07:00

Sorry Nicole that you had to remind me to do this tag. I am supposed to write six random facts about me. I have put much thought into this so hopefully some of these things are things you don't know about me.

1. I can fit my fist in my mouth. So I guess I have a big mouth in more than one way. When I had my interview to be an EFY counselor they asked everyone in the room to say one unique thing about them. Most people said I have been here or I have a bird that sings church songs. I was the second to the last one to say something about myself, and I told them this. Needless to say I must have stuck out because I got the job.

2. I have a younger sister that is 17 1/2 years younger than me. Anna was born September 12, 2001 (my senior year) and is a funny little girl. Spence and I were both in high school when my mom had her. I remember all these people telling my mom that they had a baby 10 years after their youngest so they understood. HA I doubt it, I was a senior and Spence was a sophomore. Even though at the time I was first, in shock and second, mad about it, I couldn't imagine our family without her. People who we hadn't seen or talked to in a long time thought that she was mine and that my parents adopted her.. but she is my mom and dads. My dad still brags about his swimmers still working. HAHA GROSS!

3. I LOVE pj's. I hardly ever wear normal clothes at home. I dress up to go out (sometimes), but the minute I walk in the door the first place I go is to change my clothes back into pj's. Bret actually has banned me from buying anymore pj pants. Although I still do secretly because I have so many pair as is that he wouldn't know whether they were new or not.

4. I really do have a celebrity crush on Zac Efron. I know that is dumb and that he is about 5 years younger than me. But after watching High School Musical 3 on the big screen I feel in love with his gorgeous eyes! Most people laugh when I tell them because it is such a teeny popper thing, but I really do think that he is WAY hot! Go ahead make fun of me, but secretly you think he is hot too. (its ok it can be our little secret)

5. I am obsessed with The Rio , aka Cafe Rio, and could eat there every night and never get sick of it. I crave it, I love it! In the last few months we have eaten there so often that Bret doesn't really like it anymore, yet I still crave it (no I am not pregnant). I love it so much that if I could I would open my own franchise of it so I could eat there for free!

6. I love my house being clean, but I hate folding laundry! I usually have no problem with getting the laundry done. i.e. From the dirty clothes bin to the washer and from the washer to the dryer. But once it is done drying, I never get it folded and always end up washing the clothes again. There are many times (usually on a daily basis) I end up running downstairs from the shower to get clean G's and clothes. It isn't usually until Bret gets sick of the clothes being downstairs in a huge heaping pile and brings it upstairs in the front room and drops it that it gets folded. He knows that way it will get folded because I hate the house being dirty. I always end up cussing him and waiting until the very end of the day to fold the clothes. Just so you know how true this really is, here is a picture of my front room, and a picture of the clean clothes from my basement right now.

Anyway, this tag was fun and I now tag 6 people... Heather O, Whitney, Kristie G, Robyn, Kateka, and Christy L

My little Taiter

2009-02-04T08:14:00.003-07:00

Last night Tait and McKinley were watching Baby Einstein before bed. Tait has always LOVED these movies, but Kin is usually distracted after about 10 minutes (she is only 23 months) I was sitting on the couch next to Kin watching Tait on the floor. Tait was being so dang funny I had to record it. I used my cell phone to capture this moment, so its a little dark and blurry. I know that he is trying so hard to crawl, but this is just the best!!

Superbowl Sunday

2009-02-02T13:30:00.004-07:00

Yesterday we had a great time at Brets mom and dads for the Superbowl. Jayson, Brets younger brother is a Steelers fan, so the family was all pretty excited to have them in the superbowl. I for one could have cared less who won, but was hoping for a good game. Which it turned out to be!! (Although, I do think that some of the officiating was horrible) It was fun to spend time with the fam and relax and enjoy some good grub. Thanks Nicole for the recipe for the hot wings, they were a hit!! Here are a few pictures from the game. McKinley and Ethan were so funny playing together and during half time they too were playing guitars and dancing to the music.

Social Security - The Story of the Druglords

2009-01-29T12:40:00.005-07:00

Since we have changed Tait's name from Tatum to Taitan, we still haven't made it into the Social Security office to get his name changed on his card. Well, since it is tax time and we like to file our taxes early, we had to get it done. This morning my mom came in to watch the kids while I made that adventure over to the Salt Lake branch Social Security Office. First, they moved and I had to pay $5.00/hour for parking!!! If I would have planned it out correctly, I would have rode trax, but since I thought that it was at the old building I drove. I took a book and wore comfy clothes because I knew that I would be sitting a long time. Boy if I would have known how my experience would have been, I never would have brought a book because I didn't get much reading done... just a lot of eavesdropping.
For those of you who have ever been to the Social Security office you might know exactly where this story is leading. For starters I need to set the scene... here are just a few things that I need to explain first.

Most people who go there are going into file claims to collect social security. Which gives you a WIDE variety of people.
It reminds me a lot of the DMV you get a number and wait in this room full of chairs, that usually are occupied, that all face the windows and wait for someone at the window to call your number. The room is pretty bare no pictures, just painted a plain color, kinda blah-ish. So even if you are there for 15 minutes it feels like an hour!
Given the neighborhood I live in (approx. 1300 S and 900 W) and the culture shock I endured when I first moved here, it takes quite a bit to scare me and other people to scare me. (keep this in mind)

But this morning most of the people who were there smelled like they hadn't showered in a week, let alone washed their clothes this month, even brushed what teeth they had left, combed their hair, or put on deodorant. I got my number, filled out the paperwork I needed to and tried to find a place to sit that was somewhat in a "neutral" zone. I found some people who looked like they had showered recently and sat in front of them. I opened my book and began reading. Soon after my first page, the people behind me (we will call them lady #1 and lady #2) began talking to each other. Pretty soon I couldn't read anymore because they began talking pretty loud and I found it hard to concentrate on my book. Lady #1's phone rang and she began talking to a guy (I know this because of the conversation that they had about him getting a tattoo of the superman logo on his chest). After she hung up she told the lady #2 he just got out of jail and is glad she is now able to spend time with him. (*WHAT?*)
While this was going on the room began to get fuller and I ended up sitting next to a lady with no front teeth who smelled like she just smoked the cheapest cigarette she could afford and a cute little old man who most likely hadn't showered in 2 weeks.
The girls behind me continued talking and telling each other their life stories. I found their conversation quite interesting as I was eavesdropping. They began exchanging stories about drug rehabs they have attended, crimes they have done time for, what crimes they are still on probation for (lady #1), drugs they used to do, and felons they have dated. All which they were very proud of. (*odd?*) The longer I sat and listened to their conversation I was getting uncomfortable with the fact that these women took pride in the way their lives had unfolded. As they continued talking about drugs, they started talking about their "druglords", when they sold, when they stopped selling and where they get their drugs now when they need a "hit". Lady #2 told of a few places she gets her drugs from and then Lady #1 decided to exchange where she gets her's from, she then said around 13TH SOUTH and 9TH WEST!!!! Luckily for my peace of mind, my number was called. PHEW!!!

Ipod Music

2009-01-26T13:52:00.003-07:00

So today while I was at the gym, my ipod died.. which left me with a 55 minute workout music-less. I found myself having a hard time trying to workout and read the subtitles on the TV's and my hour work out turned out to be the longest hour workout ever! (note to self... next time your kids get sick and you don't go to the gym for a week, make sure you plug your ipod in to charge)

Since I have only had my ipod since Christmas (best Christmas gift to date) our itunes is full of music that only Bret listens too. Don't get me wrong, in a lot of cases we like the same music, but while I am at the gym I don't find Rammstien very motivating.

I have been thinking about creating a playlist for my ipod for working out only. So, I thought I would ask, what do have on your ipods that motivate you while working out? I hope that with everyones suggestions I will be able to listen to something other than Rammstien.

Just a Post to Post

2009-01-20T12:20:00.005-07:00

So nothing new and exciting has happened in the last week of our lives, but I have made it a goal to post something weekly so I am posting just to post.
McKinley has been sick, she has an awful cold and Tait is starting to sound just like her when he coughs. It is actually pretty scary for me because McKinley never really got sick as a baby and I am terribly afraid of RSV. So I have spent the last two days camped out on the couch doing nothing but holding my babies and making them drink drink drink. Who would have thought that sitting on the couch would be so exhausting!

There is one good thing that has happened and I should be shouting it from the rooftops... Tait is FINALLY sleeping through the night!!!

At his 6 month appointment I asked the dr about sleeping and she said there is no reason for him not to be sleeping through the night and the only way to get him to do it is make him cry it out. So Friday we started.. well kinda we got home late (2am) so that is when he went to bed and he didn't wake up until 8. Saturday night was a little different, he woke up around 2 and cried for about 30 minutes and then went back to sleep and slept until 8. Sunday he fussed a little but not much and slept until 8 and today he slept until 6 with not a fuss at all!!! I am SO glad!!! Its just too bad we haven't been able to take advantage of getting real sleep since McKinley has been sick.... Maybe next week.

6 months and the Gym

2009-01-15T12:37:00.002-07:00

I seriously cannot believe that Tait is already 6 months old. This picture was taken about a month or so ago, and now his hair is filling in and is as red as red can be. I took him in for his wellness visit and to get his immunizations today and he was so good for the dr it did me proud.
Here is where he is as for the charts, and just so you know... this kid eats like a mule and I am surprised he doesn't weigh about 40lbs!!

Height - 27.3" - 70%
Weight - 15lbs 2oz - 7% (which is up from his 2% he has been in up until this point)
Head Circ. - 44cm - 46%

Since he is 6 months and I thought I would say 6 things that I love about Tait.

when he smiles he smiles with his whole body
his red hair
his absolutely addicting laugh
how much he loves McKinley
his big blue eyes
when he gets excited its almost more than he can handle and his whole body shakes!! This is hilarious!!!

As much as this little man has been a test of my patience, I am sure glad that he is here and I sure am grateful for the joy he brings me each day.

On a different note, Bret and I signed up with 24 hour fitness last October. I went a few times, but it was hard because McKinley didn't like to stay in the kidscare and Tait had to be 6months before I could leave him with her. I went to a few mommy and me classes with Tait, but usually had to leave early because McKinley couldn't handle the kidscare or they were always during Taits feeding time.. which made him crancky adn impossible for me to work out!!
Anyway, this year I am motivated to finally get healthy. I have extra weight that I NEED to loose, and I need to eat better not only for me, but for my family as well. Since the beginning of the year I have been to the gym almost every day. I guess I figured that since I am so out of shape that the pounds would just start to fall off... which is not what has happened.. I have lost 2lbs (give or take which time of the day I weigh in) Which is so stinkin frustrating because my body is SO sore after each workout. So I am now pledging that I will only weigh in once a week. If I weigh in more than that I think that I will just get frustrated and quit. Anyway, I am guessing that one day I will weigh in and weigh a lot less... maybe? hoefully! If anyone else has a 24 hour fitness membership let me know and we could go together sometime!! I would love that!

2008-2009

2009-01-09T10:36:00.006-07:00

Last year I did a overview of the year and I liked thinking back to the things that happened and looking forward to the things that are changing for the upcoming year. I know that we are now almost half way through January already, but I wanted to take a couple minutes and take a look back at 2008 and look forward into 2009.

Funnest Event:
The 4th of July, movies, golfing, spending time with family, oh yeah and my water breaking!!! And BYU football games!

Biggest purchase of 2008:
Our car! Which I never blogged about... SAD!! I love it though!!!

Favorite movie of 2008:
Batman
High School Musical 3

Least favorite movie of 2008:
Narnia
Journey to the Center of the Earth

Favorite celebrity for 2008:
Britney's comeback!

Least favorite celebrity:
Spencer Pratt

Guilty Pleasure:
The Hills
90210

Saddest moment of 2008:
Probably Grandma D dying. She by far has been my favorite neighbor

Sickest moment of 2008:
My water breaking and the stupid nurses not acknowledging my exsitance at the check in counter... there was a puddle of amniotic fluid left on the floor where I stood because it took them so stinking long to help me!

Favorite song of 2008:
4 minutes
Like This

and Anything Cold Play (Their new CD is the BEST)

Least favorite song of 2008:
That Thriving Ivory song.. The song itself is not all that bad, but his voice drives me crazy!

Achievements:
Mom of 2
3 years of marriage

Lessons Learned:
Patience really IS a virtue
Everyone's feelings are valid

In 1 word 2008 was:
Challenging

In 1 word 2009 will be:
Ever-changing

My hopes for next year:
A house????
Bret to graduate
Be a great mom and wife
Make a difference

The Mom

2009-01-08T15:44:00.001-07:00

Brets Mom emailed me the link to this and I about died!!

Enjoy!!!

My Dang CUTE Kids

2009-01-07T17:17:00.003-07:00

Today I wasn't able to get a shower in while the kids were sleeping and since I have been going to the gym daily, getting a shower in is a MUST!
I turned on a movie so I could slip away for ten minutes to shower. I came back in and this is what I found! I have the CUTEST kids ever!!!

The Gingerbread House

2009-01-06T11:09:00.008-07:00

Bret and I bought this gingerbread house on Christmas clearance and thought it would be fun to make. Here is how it turned out... I will let the pictures explain themselves.

(and yes that is my daughter with Kitchen Shears... which were taken away RIGHT after this picture)

Maybe next year we wont buy one that is half price!

Go Utes! (coming from a Y fan?)

2009-01-03T13:46:00.003-07:00

Last night I could not have been more proud of the Utes, and that is coming from a true blue through and through Cougar fan.
I honestly hoped that they would win for the conference, but loose for all of the fans that never have anything good to say about the Y.
Well, last night, the Utes proved to the rest of the nation that the MWC is just as good as any other Division I conference. And as much as I hate to say it they really should be #1. Bret's boss who is a huge Ute fan said "this season has been a miracle season. We shouldn't have beat TCU, we shouldn't have beat Oregon State, and Michigan. But they did, and why not beat Alabama too? Its in this teams destiny to win." I couldn't agree more with this statement. This season for the Utes truly was destiny. And I congraulate them for their winning season.

Anyway read this article, I found it quite interesting and agreed with it.

On a side note, I just wish those stupid people on discussion boards would enjoy the winning season rather than bad mouth the Y. Maybe next year will be the year for the Cougars?!?!?!?

Christmas Time is Here and Gone

2008-12-31T14:04:00.005-07:00

I guess that since it is almost the new year I should take a few minutes and let everyone know how wonderful our Christmas was.
Christmas Eve was spent with my family during the day because Spencer had to work on Christmas. We enjoyed a great meal cooked by my mom (who doesn't love Grandma Sally's cookin?) and watched and exchanged gifts with Spence. We then went to the annual Duehlmeier Christmas party at Doug and Susan's. I am very thankful to them and the hospitality they show by hosting this event every year. The 3 wise guys came and delivered gifts to all the children and Derek made cute shirts of Oma for everyone in the family.

Christmas day was very low key and we weren't rushed into going or leaving. We started the morning off with Santa gifts and stockings at home. McKinley was a lot of fun this year and she enjoyed opening gifts. She didn't really care too much about what was inside, but she loved unwrapping. Next year she will begin to understand Christmas and Santa a little bit more and will still be a joy to have around the house at Christmas. Tait loved the wrapping paper as well along with his truck. After opening gifts at home we were off to my parents and then to my grandmas and then to Brets parents house.

The Kettenrings do Christmas, not on Christmas. We went on Saturday and slept over and opened gifts. Kinney was terribly sick and I sure wish that she wouldn't have been. She is too much fun when she is well and we missed out on her spunky personality while at Grandpa and Grandma Kettenrings. (we later found out she had strep... 5 fevery days later) We ended up with much more loot then I ever could have imagined. The grandkids all got Curious George jammies, fruit snacks, books and monkeys. And last but not least a WAGON!!

Bret has been home everyday since Christmas Eve without needing to go to school or work. It sure has been nice to have an extra set of hands to help out around the house (especially with Kinney being sick) and to be able to stay up late (I don't think we have gone to bed any earlier than 2am) watch movies, laugh and play with the kids. Monday at our home will be sad when dad has to go back to work.

We hope that everyone enjoyed their Christmas' as much as we enjoyed ours!

Viva Las Vegas!

2008-12-23T10:17:00.003-07:00

So this past weekend Bret and I went down to Vegas for the Las Vegas bowl. It was a lot of fun for us to get away. We were supposed to leave Saturday morning, but Bret's boss was nice enough to let him leave on Friday. So we packed up in a hurry and dropped Kinley off at grandma Laura's and we were off. We stayed at the Luxor the first night and then BYU headquarters, Planet Hollywood the next night. I LOVED Planet Hollywood and after staying there I would totally pay full price to stay there again.
I forgot the camera at the game and all of our trips out on the strip so the picture that I am posting came from my phone. The only thing that I got pictures with on our camera was the new City Center... man that thing is CRAZY big!
Instead of writing details of each thing we did I will just do a quick list...

went to the M&M facotry
ate at the bar at PF Changs.. I don't know who was more fascinated.. us watching the bartender or the bartender with us not drinking.
Belagio water show... AMAZING as usual
Tailgating
Las Vegas Bowl - which sadly BYU lost... UofA showed up to play... BYU ?????
walked the strip
froze our hinneys off
stayed up until like 3:30 each morning
waited for an elevator for 20 minutes (planet Hollywood seriously needs to figure something else out)
saw and talked to coach Anae

Overall it was a lot of fun and I am really glad we went even though BYU lost. I was pretty excited to be at the game since it seems like forever since I have watched them play. Sadly we have another 8 months before we get to watch them play again but until then I have added a countdown... even though their schedule is still up in the air I am pretty sure their first game will be on the 29th of August.