Nueve.

I can't believe that, tomorrow, I will have been married to this guy for nine years. Obviously he's adorable, but I really couldn't have asked for a better husband.



I won't actually get to see him for more than a few minutes tomorrow (we're both working...rats) so in honor of him and our anniversary I thought I would share 9 random memories I have of him (and us) over the last 12 years I've known him.

(1) The summer that S and I really started to become close was the summer that I was introduced to Cocoa Puffs. They became a staple of my diet for a long time and, in fact, after I moved up to Rexburg for school I was so homesick (and S-sick) that Cocoa Puffs were the only thing I could eat for days. So whenever I see Cocoa Puffs now they make me miss S. Even if he's standing right next to me in the grocery store.

(2) The first day I really remember meeting him for the first time was in Human Biology junior year of high school. I was dating someone else at the time (and as it turns out, he was too,) but I remember thinking "Dang, he's cute!" Later in the year we were partnered up in a project which involved something that one of us forgot, so he ran to the store to buy what we needed (I think M&M's) but parked my car illegally when he came back. He is to blame for the only parking ticket (and only ticket, period) I've ever received. He says I was really mad at him. I do remember demanding he pay me back the $5. But technically (and this is the first time he remembers meeting me) our sophomore year I went up to him and asked to borrow his [last] quarter so I could eat lunch, at the expense of him not getting lunch that day. So we're even.

(3) Right after Bean was born, I was so out of it that I missed the majority of the "how to take care of your baby" lesson. S had to run some errands on the second day and he was very hesitant to leave me and Bean alone. I told him we would be fine and that I would call the nurse if I needed any help. He then walked me through her feeding, sleeping, and diapering. I thought it was so sweet! Here was a 2-day old dad walking me through all of the basics on our daughter like a pro. I could NOT have gotten through that first month without him. He was an amazing dad then and still is.

(4) S and I have made numerous plans to go to Hawaii but have yet to end up there together. On one of our first dates, he borrowed the minivan from his parents, bought a palm tree and lights, and the plan was to go to the beach at the Great Salt Lake to recreate Hawaii. But it was the middle of February and we chickened out and went and got burgers in Morgan instead.

(5) I can't remember if I've mentioned this before on my blog (several readers already know the whole story) but S donated his kidney to my dad. The need for my dad to get a new kidney basically excluded all of his kids because we all carry the possibility of the same genetic problem. So S stepped forward and volunteered to get tested and they were a match. Talk about a stressful surgery! Two of the closest people to me in surgery at once! But S has a way of taking the stress out of situations. The day before the surgery, they took the four of us (including my mom) into a conference room to prep us. Talk of an enema came up and we got a case of the giggles. Before we left the room (and after the doctors had) S wrote "What's an enema?" on the whiteboard. To this day when I pass by a conference room here at work I think of that moment. It's been seven years and they are both still doing great. Also, when they sewed S back up, they didn't quite line up his muscle and tissue correctly so that if he is doing a stomach crunch, the lines are off-centered. I think it's kind of cute :)

(6) S is really good at making sure that our kitties (yes, we do still have kitties) are taken care of. Seriously. If it were all left up to me, well...anyway. He decided to start bathing them more regularly to see if we could reduce some of the MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF HAIR these cats seem to shed. So picture this: we put Bean down for a nap so she won't be traumatized (not that it helped since her room is next to the bathroom we used.) S is pretty much straddling the cat in the bathtub and I am on water duty. And we really didn't realize just how skinny Mally was until we got her wet. She kind of looked like a rat. In case you are wondering, it really does take two people to wash a cat. Not the funnest experience, but they sure looked a lot better afterwards.

(7) Whenever we go out with our group of friends, S is always the comic relief. This is particularly fun when we go to Lake Powell. Case in point.

(ABBA was on full blast and there were some boaters going by at this very moment. Classic.) Anyway, one time we decided to go up to Flaming Gorge and we invited along an...interesting (?) guy who was dating another one of our friends. We took our trailer with and, after an exhausting day, all decided to crash for a few hours. I fell asleep in a full (I thought) trailer as a storm was coming in. I remember some wind suddenly shook the trailer so that I woke up and realized that EVERYONE ELSE had left except for me and this guy (luckily he was far on the other end of the trailer, snoring.) I was ticked that no one had thought to rescue me. This guy became the center of most of our jokes for awhile (I would say I felt bad but some people really do deserve it) and no one imitated him better than S.

(8) When I was first hired, I worked the swing shift (3 pm to 1:30 am.) S was working from 6 am to 2:30 pm so we literally never saw each other on the weekdays of my week on. I would tiptoe in to bed, sleep for a few hours, wake up long enough to tell him goodbye, and go back to sleep. You might think this would be a strain on any relationship, but it actually became fun as we would creatively try to find time to spend together. S would drop me off and pick me up after work on the weekends so we could go to Village Inn and have breakfast in the middle of the night. These are some of my fondest memories ever. Also, when you don't see someone too often, it makes the times that you do see them, or talk to them, all the better. It's funny that, after 5 years, we suddenly find ourselves in very similar circumstances. The only difference is that we've added Bean to the mix. S was able to go back and pick up a few days at this job so he meets me at my car as we are trading Bean and drives me up to the door. These 5 minutes that I spend with him probably mean more to me than spending 2 hours watching a movie together.

(9) The other night I told S that I still hadn't really seen our finished deck so we went outside to check it out. We ended up laying down on the deck and looking up at the stars and talking. We must have been out there for awhile. It was so peaceful and I felt so happy to be at home, with him. I feel so blessed to have S in my life and that we have this beautiful daughter to share it with as well.

So in the words of one of Bean's favorite books:

Nine is very good, but then, come on and we will make it ten!

Two-year review.

I can't believe I'm the mother of a two-year-old. It sounds cliche, but it literally seems like she was born yesterday. But then I think of all of the things I've learned from being a mom and I realize I have probably grown more in these two years than she has.

Here are some more mommyisms I've picked up in the last two years:




I have learned the true meaning of patience in watching Bean try to put her pants or shoes on by herself.



I accidentally taught Bean what a train wreck was (in case you don't know what it is, it's opening your mouth to show someone all of your unchewed food.) It started as a means to make sure she was swallowing what was in her mouth before taking another bite. She thinks it's hilarious.



I got as excited this week as if I had won the lottery when Bean went poop in the big-girl potty all by herself. The things that make me happy these days...



Just today, a deliriously tired Bean was throwing the tantrums of all tantrums. She ran down the hallway and totally biffed it and I had to cover a giggle so she didn't see me. Laughing is the only way to break the tension sometimes!



I've learned to recruit Bean for some of my daily chores. She loves pushing the buttons to start the dishwasher, washer and dryer. She likes to feel like she's helping and I like having help.



I can cook macaroni and cheese blindfolded and make a cheese quesadilla in under a minute. Also, I've learned that it's not going to kill her to have a cookie as long as she finishes her grapes first.



I am always 10 minutes late now. Always. I can plan an extra 10 minutes into my schedule only to have Bean insist that she take the slow way down the stairs. Again, the patience factor.



I have hidden a few of Bean's books because they were driving me bonkers.



There is only a slight variation in pitch between Bean's excited scream and angry scream, but I am actually able to tell the difference between the two now.



I can't imagine a night going by where we don't give her entire family of lovies kisses goodnight, along with the butterflies hanging from her ceiling (although lifting a growing toddler above my head is getting more and more difficult.)



Her eyes really are still this blue in real life.



Putting her hair in a ponytail is more difficult than I would have imagined, but so much fun!



The location where she sits to have her shoes (and socks) put on every day really does matter to a toddler.



It is easier to decipher toddler speak if you actually let her go show you what she is talking about. For example: today, she kept saying "spoon." I thought she said "balloon" so I kept trying to bring the balloon over to her chair where she was eating (this made sense to me since it had been tied to the chair on her birthday.) Finally, after I could tell she was getting frustrated, I just took her out of her chair and asked her to show me what she wanted. It was a major aha moment.



Just as it's getting easier and easier for her to tell me bye-bye, it is getting more and more difficult for me to tell her bye-bye. I will be a wreck by the time she starts kindergarten.



She was a great example to me recently when I sat down to eat my lunch with her and I looked over and she was folding her arms. We haven't said the prayer yet, mom!



It surprises me a little to see her already showing such empathy towards others, whether they be in her nursery class or to her mom after she bangs her leg in a table. "Owwee!" she exclaims and runs over to give me kisses better. Kisses always make everything all better.



There is really no more beautiful sound in the world than your own child's laughter. Especially when her and daddy are engaging in tickle wars. (Until they both turn on mommy, that is.)



Everything in this would can be communicated through 3 phrases: All done! Bye Bye! and More?



Life is so simple for her. It doesn't take much to make her happy. And she is so observant, often noticing beautiful things that I never would have paid much attention to. I could probably benefit from following her example more often. After all, who doesn't love balloons, coloring, and looking at the moon before bedtime?

~

These beautiful pictures were taken by the talented Cristi Nelson. She was so patient with us that night! I found out the next day that Bean had been coming down with a cold and likely felt rotten that night. She still was able to capture Bean's infectious personality!

Oh, what do you do in the summertime...

This summer feels like it's gone by in a flash. S picked up some extra hours at his old job and my hours changed at work (actually, everything changed at work) so it feels like July was just plain hectic. We did manage to have some fun, though. Here is a bit of what we've been up to.

Bean and I helped Gma and Gpa J buy a new car (and got a free IPad out of it.)

My parents have been toying with the idea of getting a new car for awhile now. They took a loaner from the dealership while their car was being appraised. They needed to take it back and Bean and I happened to be over there so we decided to go along.

Five hours later we left the dealership in a new car.

It was a really long wait but Bean and I made the most of it by sitting in every single car on the showroom floor. Multiple times.

Here is their new car. I love new cars. They smell so good.



And the free IPad? The dealership was having a promo to give away a free IPad with every new purchase. I'm guessing the conversation went something like this...

Sales person: "And here's the form to get your IPad."

Mom and Dad: "Oh, we don't want an IPad, thanks."

SP: *slightly confused* "Well...you get it anyway."

MD: "Do we have to keep it?"

SP: "Uh, no, you can do anything you want with it."

(this is where I come in)

MD: *calling across the showroom to where I was with Bean* "Hey, do you want an IPad?"

Me: "Uh, sure! Thanks!"

I said goodbye to a coworker (and good friend!)

My evening transfusion shift partner-in-crime moved to AZ a few weeks ago (I guess her husband wants to go better himself by going to school or something...I just don't get it.) Among all of the other changes that have gone on at work this was probably the hardest because the evenings just seem kind of lonely now. (I hope if you are reading this that you feel guilty ;) ) Anyway, before she left we all went to the Melting Pot.



We had a blast and I believe at one point someone said "Why haven't we been doing this all along?!?!" It's definately good to get away from the kiddos every now and then. Also, we may or may not have finally made some plans to become fabulous etsy-entrepeneurs so we can all get rich and quit our jobs.

We celebrated the 24th holiday with family.

This was Bean's first introduction to sparklers and, despite the concerned look on her face, she loved them.



And I just had to put this picture up. I think the look on Baby K's face is priceless.



We built a deck.

And by we I mean S. He is amazing. More to come on this one.



We've been to the farm. Several times.

On the nights that S has to work at the station, Bean and I have made it a tradition to go to Wheeler Farm with my parents. We buy dinner, sit out on the lawn to eat it, and then Bean, mom and I go look at the animals.




This girl still has a huge fascination with tractors.




We've had mommy-daughter dates.

I have made my own tradition with Bean that, on the Saturday nights that her daddy has to work at the station, she and I go out to dinner.

We go to Arctic Circle's for chicken rings, fruit punch and fries. Then when we're done eating I let her play in the playplace for awhile.



After dinner we go to the firestation to see daddy and the firetrucks. I'm pretty sure she has sat in a firetruck more often than any other little kid her age. She loves this time with daddy.



Here she is on incident command with her "phone."



So there you have it. Our fun summer wrapped up in one blog post.

After a really, really (really, really...) long, wet and cold spring, we were finally able to return up to our family cabin for a long weekend.

They are building a new cabin close to ours. And the county came in to do some major work on the river to prevent our property from flooding again like it did last year. Consequently, there are two new roads: one behind the cabin and one immediately in front of it. It looks very, very different. The road was flooding again this year when we went up. I hear it has dried up now but all of the construction and flooding has sort of turned the whole property into a mess.

But it was still beautiful and green. And the smell. You could blindfold me, take me up there, and I would know exactly where we were just because of the smell. It is fresh, country air and I love it.

We took the trailer to see how Bean did sleepwise. It was nice knowing we had the cabin as a backup just in case. She had a rough time the first night but did much better the second night.

We introduced Bean to our neighbor's swingset and she thought it was the greatest thing in the world.



See what I mean about it being so green?



It's hard to tell how much work they did on the river without having a before picture to compare it to. It is significantly wider and deeper. All of the rocks were brought in. Before there were just cottonwood trees and alfalfa. There was also a bench that my brother put in so my Grandma could come sit and enjoy the river. The spot where it was no longer exists, but they did manage to save the bench in all of the construction. Now we just need to find a place to put it.



On our second day up there we decided to take a drive up Mirror Lake Highway (my new favorite drive :) ) We stopped at Provo River Falls. I've never seen so much water running over the falls this late in the year! And it was chilly, too. We used to go to girls camp up in the Uintah's 2 weeks earlier than when this picture was taken and it was HOT! Have I mentioned I don't buy into global warming anymore?

Anyway. There was definately no scaling the falls today. They were so impressive!





We opted to keep going over the highway to the Evanston side. Here is the Bald Mountain. There was so much snow! (S is going to love that I chose this picture to show you the snow levels.)



It ended up being a much longer drive than I had anticipated. I was prepared with no food or water. Bean got a little cranky. I wished we had chosen to go back via Soapstone.

Until I saw this picture.



I wish that I could escape to a place like this on a daily basis. It's pretty easy to get caught up in the craziness of life. When I think of serenity, this is what I imagine. Now that really long drive doesn't seem so bad.

While I hope that this isn't our only trip up there this year, it feels like summer is coming to a close really quickly. I feel a little cheated that bad weather prevented us from going earlier this year when we had time. But I am grateful that we at least got up there for a couple of days.