baby steps

Me: notice anything different about me?

Seth: um...(momentary look of panic) you look gorgeous all the time everyday? (is that sentence supposed to cover all bases?!)

Me: thanks, but no...i used my first coupon ever today!

~a couple of minutes later~

text to my mother: you'll never believe this but i just used a coupon...on my own!

text back from mother: all by yourself?

to mom: yes! i think i have that bargain shopper glow about me!

from mom: i am so proud!

~Explaination~

If any of you know my brother and I well, you know that we think anything unknown is "stupid and dumb", or in other words TERRIFYING! I don't know what it is, but we cannot, I repeat in all caps, CANNOT call people we have not basically grown up for any reason. We also cannot go someplace we have not been before (we're talking offices or banks etc) that we have not been before without someone taking us by the hand and directing our every move. And we most certainly cannot attempt anything new that has not been demonstrated several times or fully explained in a most detailed fashion as to cover any situation that might arise while trying to accomplish the task. I still cannot order pizza without having a mild panic attack and ordering way different than planned because there is no way I can possibly correct them if they heard me wrong so I just go with whatever come up with in response to my mumbled yes and nos. It's not that I'm a push-over. I just freeze up and forget all relevant/important/simple questions and information and it all goes down hill fast.

BUT I recently saw a quote by this obscure feller named Plato that got me to thinkin;

“The first and best victory is to conquer self; to be conquered by self is of all things most shameful and vile.”

Although Seth hasn't seen this quote yet I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes his official mantra. He is so good with overcoming (for lack of a better word) weaknesses, or anything that holds him back from reaching his potential. It's a trait I highly admire in him and have decided to try to emulate. However I'm going to use Dr. Leo Marvin's method of baby steps and hopefully I'll be able to take a permanent vaCAtion from my PROblems! Starting with coupons.

Ya Ya

This is Ya Ya

...most of the time. She also answers to Baby Princess Muffin Head, Hunners, Wittle Tiny, Gorgeous Sweetheart Princess, Princess, Teeny Tiny Princess,my Girl, Dork-wad Sweety Pie Face, and my personal favorite, Poop Monster. This last one I especially like because I think it has staying power. I can just picture her in high school, still being called that and having some cute stories as to how it came about.

This is what she looks like when she's extremely pleased with something

Now, you may notice in this picture that she is on the stairs and there is no one behind her to catch her. That is because several months ago Seth taught her how to back off of things when she needed to get down or off of something. She learned very quickly, but sometimes overlooks "minor" details such as our king bed is a farther drop than she may have initially anticipated. It's ok, mamas always close by. And as for the stairs, from the minute she took notice of them she decided the best plan of action is to go stiff as a board and push off with all of her tiny strength and zoom down them at the speed of light. Not exaggerating. She can get down those puppies in no time flat. She has yet to lose balance on them, but I still keep a close watch on her just in case.

This is how she helps her Grandpa Stan play guitar

She is very musically inclined, at least she has a sincere love for all kinds of music and instruments. She hits a surprising amount of correct notes, shakes her little booty whenever the radio is playing or a commercial comes on. She's learned how to manipulate my ihome to suit her needs. She conducts in church along with the chorister and sings in a very high soprano at the same time. Since she was tiny I've put her on my lap when I play the piano. I don't know if it was inspired foresight or what but it's been a lifesaver in my calling of RS pianist. She's a little what's the word...ATTACHED to her mother recently and won't let anyone hold her so I can play so I just sit her on my lap and she does just fine.

This is what her tiny bum looks like when she sleeps with it in the air

She sure loves her king size bed.

This is what she looks like on Christmas morning

Those would be baby wipes in her hands. Why? Because her favorite thing to do is take the wipes out one by one and throw them behind her. Look at the pure joy on her face. You won't find that with some stupid shiny new toy from the store. Oh no. That is why I have bought her a total of 3 actual baby toys in her lifetime. She would rather be throwing my fancy pens into a laundry basket, pulling all of the popcorn bags out of the lazy susan and placing them neatly in the strainer that is stored near by, pulling every single key off of mom's old laptop, etc. etc. Today I bought her an old computer keyboard at Value Village for 2 dollars. She can't get enough of it. Silly goose.

This is what she looks like after yelling for you because she decided she can't get back down off of the chair.

She is such a cheese-ball/poser. She kept yelling for me to come and when I did she looked mighty precious so I picked up the camera and she started bustin out some cute grins. And then proceeded to get down quickly and efficiently. She loves her camera time and attention. Lately I haven't been able to take any pictures on my phone because she wants to see the picture before I can take it. She knows it shows up on the screen but tries to turn the phone around before I can take one. Also when she fusses a little too much I know I can always pull up some albums of her on the computer and she'll be happy as a clam.

And finally, this is what Seth looks like when he's losing terribly at Yahtzee. He's been making this face a lot lately.

Once Upon A Time...

...I was pregnant! It seems like that was FOREVER ago. So long ago in fact, that sometimes I don't believe it actually happened. I really had a tiny human bean (hehe) inside me?! That's just crazy. I was looking through some older pictures and found this one that I never got around to posting anywhere public. This is one month minus a day before I gave birth.

I've noticed while reading other people's blogs that most people are way more detailed than I was about their pregnancies and labor. I'll try to do better next time around. I did record my "birth story" in Brooklyn's journal that I keep for her but I don't know if anyone else is like me and actually likes to read about someone else's labor. Fascinating stuff, says I. Also on my list to do better on:taking maternity pictures. I seriously only have like 5. This is the last one before Brooklyn was born. I think I might be starting to get baby hungry again...I'll keep you posted :]

Lovers survey

What are your middle names?

Nathaniel and Morgan

How long have you been together?

Let’s see…we dated for around 2 days, were engaged for 4 more days and have been married for 2.25 years. Sounds about right.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?

FOR-EEEEV-ERRRR

Who asked who out?

I'm going to say I did but seth will most likely disagree to save face.

Whose siblings do you see the most?

mine

Do you have any children together?

Yes we have a tiny little princess muffin head cutie patootie pie sweetheart face.

What about pets?

No, nor do I think we ever will. Unless I can domesticate a squirrel.

Did you go to the same school?

Same college.

Who is the most sensitive?

Totally seth. He’s a big whiner and is always getting his feelings hurt. It’s hard to handle all of his mood swings but I’m gonna stick it out for awhile and hope he gets over it.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?

i’ll just say my favorite place to go is olive garden or red robin (where I get a California chicken burger everytime, with a side of ranch for my bottomless fries and if I’m really lucky and the stars align, a chocolate malt shake…I dare anyone to say there is something better you can put in your mouth. No takers? Didn’t think so.) We don’t eat out much.

Where is the furthest you have ever traveled as a couple?

From Rexburg to pendleton

Who has the worst temper?

No comment

Who does the cooking?

Me

Who is more social?

It used to be seth but lately I would say me.

Who is the neat freak?

Haha seth. Freak.

Who is the most stubborn?

Seth would probably say him but he better watch out for the STORM.

Who hogs the bed?

Brooklyn.

Who wakes up earlier?

Seth. thanks hubby.

Where was your first date?

Official date hmmm…I’d say the hot springs was a turning point

Who has the bigger family?

Seth

Do you get flowers often?

No. I think it’s kind of a waste of money

Who eats more?

Seth likes to think he can eat a lot but I KNOW I can

Who sings better?

Seth

Who does the laundry?

Me

Who is better with the computer?

Seth

Who drives when you are together?

Seth usually starts out but if he’s tired or sensitive and whiny I’ll drive (hehe)

Who picks where you go to dinner?

I pick what we have for dinner every night. Like I said, we don’t go out to eat much

Who is the first one to admit when they are wrong?

I’ve never had to “admit” anything. This questions doesn’t apply to me since I would have to be wrong at some point. Next.

Who wears the pants in the relationship?

Seth probably wears pants more than I do since I’m kinda partial to wearing dresses.

Who eats more sweets?

Seth

Who cries more?

Oh man SETH. Such a crier. I thought it was cute at first, but not anymore.

What's your best day together?

When I can get him to stop crying we usually have a good time.

Where did you honeymoon?

Oregon coast. Ask me if the tourist attractions were cool. The answer is they weren’t. but exploring on our own was fun :]

Favorite date night?

I like a good ol’ dinner and a movie

Favorite TV show to watch together?

The office, American idol, wheel of fortune, family feud, jeopardy.

Couple I imagine us growing old like?

I imagine I’ll be the lady with bright pink lipstick and sunglasses that wrap all the way around my face and he’ll be the grumpy old man always yelling at me to quiet down. Cute.

BIRTHDAY GIRL!!!!

So....my tiny little sweetest teeny baby princess turned 1 on December 9th! AHHHH I can't believe it. How did this happen so quickly?! She requested a dance party because she loves to dance and sing. Turns out she only wanted ONE dance partner though...her Aunt Kenzie! It was hilarious and she had a blast. My parents and siblings and brother's GF came up along with Seth's parents.

Opening some presents

My dad made his famous double-layer chocolate cake for the occasion. Apparently Brooklyn is somewhat of a clean-freak (like her Daddy maybe?) and wasn't too sure about having all that cake to smear on herself and her highchair. She changed her mind after I fed her a few bites.

I love this little girl SO much and it has been a wonderful year having her in our family.

Can't decide...

Who does she look like?

Juuuuust kidding. Total Daddy's girl.

Wise

I had a birthday. It was lovely.

23.

I'm so grown up.

And I have a gray hair to prove it. Yikes.

SURPRISE!

...it's an update! ok i don't want to write a huge novel but here's what we've been up to;

• my dad had a heart attack (he's ok but it was not fun for me to get that call)
• we moved to yakima, washington for seth's work. it's a good opportunity for him, not my first choice of places to live but it's not as bad as i had anticipated. we're in a great ward and the first sunday we walked into church and one of my roommates from my first year of college was sitting there! her and her husband live here so we had instant friends, which was nice. we're been blessed in so many ways in this move.
• brooklyn has been crawling for a couple + months now and pulling herself up on everything (mostly me). she waves, claps, high fives, throws everything, begs for food, holds everything up to here ear like a telephone, gives slobber kisses, likes to be held upside down, makes funny noises, has a fake laugh she does if she didn't get a joke, tries to snap her fingers and do anything that you do in front of her. she loves to sing and dance with her dad and play the piano with her mama. she is the happiest baby i've ever encountered and i feel more than lucky to spend everyday with her.
• bought a washer and a dryer that was filled to the max with bird feathers. that was a fun day.

those are the biggies. as soon as i get to decorate a little more i plan on posting pictures of our little abode, but for now here are some pictures of someone i like to refer to as Hunners...

Boise

For the last couple of days Brooklyn and I have been visiting our friends the Johnstons/Nields. It was a nice little getaway and we had a blast. We(me/brooklyn/ash/parx) went to the big water park (Roaring Springs) and also played in a kiddy pool to make sure the tots were getting plenty of vitamin D. Our hosts were also kind enough to beat me in every game we played...SOOOO FUN! haha. On our last night there we decided to attempt a photo shoot with the babes(practice for their future engagement shots). Seth and I invested in a camera awhile ago but I haven't really learned how to use it beyond automatic so I was excited to give it a go. Also I'm not predicting a lot of free time in the near future to play around and get to be a legitimately good photo-taker (I feel like the word photographer is reserved for professionals that get paid), so I've tried my hand at editing. Nothing spectacular, just some enhancing here and there. Anyway here are some pictures that methinks are pretty cute.

When Brooklyn was about 2 weeks old, Seth bought her a little plastic golf set. I planned on never letting her see it(she's going to be a basketball player/musician, not golfer) but today she found it leaning against the couch and so I let her take a few practice swings. She looked awful cute so here's a few pictures for her Daddy :]

p.s. just kidding seth, she can golf if she wants to.

(she doesn't want to, she told me.)

Hey Dad...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Thanks for being the best father a girl could ask for :]