Kristin, Nate, and Elijah Morgan

Bloom Where You Are Planted

2012-01-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

When I left Seattle nearly two years ago a friend of mine gave me a card that read “Bloom Where You Are Planted.”

In the card she talked about her own struggle to make Seattle her home and how once she stopped feeling sorry for herself and started to “bloom” the blessings came pouring in (we are talking about Seattle here).

What an analogy.

That card is still hanging on my fridge.

It’s a reminder to reach out to others, and not wait for them to reach out to me. If I did wait, new friendships might never happen.

It reminds me to try harder to serve others. There are people all around in need of our help, even if our help is just being their friend. Trust the person who has moved twice in the last 1 ½ years, when you move somewhere new and are friendless, someone who tries to be a friend is priceless. And often an answer to prayer.

I think the “bloom where you are planted” analogy reaches even father than physical location. I’ve applied it to my role as a mother. It’s easy to be discouraged and frustrated when you’re on your own with two little ones all day, but this is the stage of life I am in. And instead of anxiously awaiting the day when they are in school, I want to enjoy this moment. Even the ones when we are in Costco and Elijah is screaming at me because he wants a pretzel (read: churro) and I don’t have a dollar and Halle weighs 527 pounds (read: 17) and is weighing down my shoulders in her baby carrier and I’m trying to lift ginormous amounts of toilet paper, diaper wipes, and laundry soap and everyone around is annoyed with how long it’s taking me to figure out how to get that oversized sack of flour into my cart without banging it into Halle and I’m almost in tears.

Well, maybe those moments aren’t so enjoyable.

But there are other moments when I stop the constant cycle of feeding, clothing, nose wiping, and carseat buckling and look at my kids like I’ve never seen them before.

And it takes my breath away. They are beautiful.

Elijah has the faintest dimple in his left cheek that I’d forgotten about. And the bluest eyes that showcase his every emotion. He smiles like his Dad. I can’t believe how lucky I am. He is mine.

Halle selflessly smiles a gummy grin every time I look at her. Her happiness is contagious. It’s as if her mission in life is to smile at everyone she sees and hope they smile back. They usually do. She’s hard to resist. Her soft brown hair falls over her forehead, no matter how many times I push it back. She has the same bright eyes as her brother, and although I don’t know if they will remain blue, I have a feeling they will. It’s a part of her.

These moments when I really see my children are invaluable.

Life is hard. Being a mother is hard. But every second of it becomes worth it when I stop everything and really see them.

This is the most sacred, most essential role I will undertake. And although I am certain I will make countless errors and have many more days where I stand in a Costco aisle crying, it will be okay. I will be okay.

I have been blessed with these children beyond anything I would have ever thought I was worthy of.

And for that, I will try.

I will bloom where I am planted.

St.George Winters

2012-01-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

...are awesome!

It didn't take long for us to get used to the weather in St. George. {Probably because we haven't lived here through a summer yet}, but we have loved soaking up the 60 degree days while we rang in the new year.

Since Nate had a 3-day weekend we decided to go explore our new-ish surroundings.

We went hiking on Saturday and found some petroglyphs {images carved into stone}.

While Nate, Elijah, and I thought this was cool and went searching for more, little miss Halle was not as excited and fell asleep.

Sunday evening we went for a drive through some beautiful canyons {you'll have to take my word for it}.

And then Monday we finished off the weekend by hiking through Snow Canyon State Park, playing in the sand dunes, climbing rock hills, and having a picnic.

It was a beautiful weekend.

One of my {many} goals this year is to start documenting our lives better, and this blog is going to help me achieve that. I want the memories. My children are only 3 and 6 months, but I already feel the time slipping through my fingers. I want to enjoy every second with them, and then remember it years from now.

So here's to a better-documented new year!

The 12 Gifts of Christmas

2011-12-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

Our little family has been through a lot of changes the past couple years. In addition to the moves from Washington to the midwest and then to southern Utah, we've also become older, more experienced and a teeny bit more established than we used to be.

Today I've been remembering Christmases from 6-7 years ago, when Nate and I were first married, poor college students, without any kids. We used to give each other candies and treats with a random gift or two that was something we really needed more than wanted. I remember one year Nate gave me two throw pillows for our couch. We didn't have any, and that was my big gift.

Christmas was much simpler then. We only had one or two stores we could shop at, or that we could afford, and we were happy with everything we received.

This year, the minute Thanksgiving dishes were washed and put away, I began stressing about Christmas presents. What am I going to get Nate? What should we get Elijah? Do we have to get Halle very much? She doesn't really need anything and she's still so small. I have several lists floating around my house that I've jotted down of what to get family members. And yet, none of it feels exactly right.

After going to the King of all Christmas stores this morning (Costco), and spending way too much money on gifts, and then driving home reminiscing about past Christmases that were much easier, I saw this:

The 12 Gifts of Christmas.

The premise is to remember the true spirit of Christmas giving by spending a few minutes each day (the 12 days leading up to Christmas) performing a random act of kindness. They even lay it all out for you so you don't have to brainstorm (sometimes I love not having to think too hard). Here's the list:

THE 12 GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS:

DAY 12: (DECEMBER 13)-- Buy food for a homeless person (or someone in need). This does not have to be expensive. $5 should cover lunch.

DAY 11: (DECEMBER 14)-- Write a kind, hand-written letter to someone that changed your life for the better. And no, I'm not talking about an email or a text...I'm talking about snail mail people. ;) (This can be to a childhood friend, a teacher from the past, or even an old baby-sitter that impacted your life for the better.)

DAY 10: (DECEMBER 15)-- Pay for the person's order in line behind you in either the coffee drive-thru, fast food, a tollbooth, train ticket, etc. (There are a LOT of options here...)

DAY 9: (DECEMBER 16)-- Put grocery carts away in a random parking lot for other shoppers or find carts that others have left behind. It will help the employees out by bringing them indoors where they belong.

DAY 8: (DECEMBER 17)-- Write a letter of thanks to the armed forces. (Yes, even if you don't support the war. Remember that these people are risking their lives daily in order to ensure our safety and Freedom).

Here is the address:

A Million Thanks

17853 Santiago Blvd. #107-355

Villa Park, CA 92861

DAY 7: (DECEMBER 18)-- Buy or bake something for a neighbor. You may know them well, you may have never even introduced yourself. So here's your chance;)

DAY 6: (DECEMBER 19)-- Buy a $5 or $10 gift card for a grocery store, gas station, coffee place, etc. Leave the gift card on a random park bench or windshield of someone's car.

DAY 5: (DECEMBER 20)-- Do something kind for the elderly. This can be anything from helping them to their car with heavy groceries, holding the door open for them, volunteering at a retirement home, or even raking their leaves.

DAY 4: (DECEMBER 21)-- Tape quarters to a vending machine. So simple, yet so convenient! I honestly cannot count how many times I have wanted a snack or a soda, but could not dig up that last quarter to satisfy my craving.

DAY 3: (DECEMBER 22)-- Leave a generous tip for a server, barista, or bartender--along with a nice note. This will most likely make their night. Having been in all three of these positions, I know how easy it is to get discouraged when guests are difficult and do not tip. This could turn their entire day around!

DAY 2: (DECEMBER 23)-- Purchase a gift card at a local grocery store (of any amount). Turn around in line, and hand it to the first person you see. Then walk away. No explanation is needed. I'm sure their expression will say it all.

Day 1: (DECEMBER 24)-- YOUR turn to choose a random act of kindness. I thought it would be fun to see the different ideas everybody comes up with for this last day before Christmas. Be creative. The sky is the limit. =)

Here is the link where I found this: http://www.chicagonow.com/chain-links/2011/11/12-gifts-of-christmas/

I'm hoping to include my family in these random acts of kindness and to help us focus on giving to others this holiday season. Who knows? Maybe we'll make it a tradition. At least I know we'll be brightening somebody's day, even if it's only ours.

And because I haven't done a blog post in awhile with any pictures of our family, here are some random shots so you won't forget what we look like:

It's More Than Just a Change of Address

2011-10-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

It's a change of life too.

When you move, everything you know changes. Your friends, your ward, your home and your surroundings. The only stability left is within your family, but even my kids have changed. They are growing so fast.

Check out the rolls on Halle's thighs. It's my favorite.

And a smile that causes my heart to melt into a puddle every time.

And this little boy has been having a rough time adjusting to our new life. It's been a lot of change for him and he is slowly getting back to being himself.

We lived in Iowa for just over a year. It was a hard year for us, but it was also one of the greatest years we've had thus far. I've never met kinder people than those that live in the midwest. They treat you like family and would do anything they could to help you. We learned so much from them. The midwest hospitality is real.

The people in St George seem nice too, but it will take awhile to get to know anyone. At least a couple months. That's the hardest part for me. It takes time to get to know someone, until you feel comfortable with them and like you can call them just to talk or see if their kids want to come over and play. Elijah is terribly bored and he's let me know many times over in the past few days. But I'm trying. And hopefully soon enough we'll have friends to play with.

In the meantime, I get the opportunity to catch up on my blogging! Which I'm embarrassed to say has obviously fallen to the bottom of my to-do list. And since I want this blog to serve as memories for me and my children, I need to make it more of a priority.

Please excuse my back-dating, but these two events are memorable and need to be documented.

Halle's Blessing.

We blessed Halle on September 25th on our last Sunday in our Iowa ward. It was a last minute decision to hold her blessing before we moved. We wanted to bless her in a ward with all of our friends, but we were also in the midst of moving and had boxes piled all over the house. We decided to have an Open House anyways, immediately after church, and provide an opportunity for us to say good-bye to our friends and celebrate Halle's special day.

Kisses for baby sister.

A (mostly) group shot of our friends who came to the Open House.

I enrolled Elijah into a preschool here in St George. It's starting out at one day a week until January, when it will go to two days a week. It's perfect for us right now. Elijah has been excited to go play with new friends and he excitedly shows us his latest artistic creation when he comes home.

I think we're going to like it here.

A Very Cool Story

2011-09-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

(Something very cool has happened to us; here's the complete story.)

Two and a half years ago I was sitting much as I am now, at a computer desk in my house looking around the internet. Except this time I was casually looking for jobs for Nate.

He was working his first job out of college and had been there a couple years. Although he liked the healthcare field, auditing had become mundane.

I was searching positions at several large healthcare companies around the country, trying to find a position that would fit his skills as well as interests.

Then I saw it.

Intermountain Healthcare had recently opened a position for a Revenue Integrity Manager in Utah. As soon as I saw that title, I had a powerful feeling this was it. I clicked on the link, read the job description and the burning in my chest grew.

THIS WAS IT.

Then I did something I don't normally do. I walked down the hall to my bedroom and immediately knelt on the floor to say a prayer about that job. And I felt a strong confirmation that this was the job for Nate.

With excitement, I forwarded him the job description and decided against telling him how I felt about it.

There was no need.

Because he responded with excitement, saying he had a great feeling that this was the right position for him as soon as he saw the posting.

He applied that night.

Over the next several days we said many prayers regarding this position, and felt the same good feelings each time. I began mentally organizing and packing the house for our move.

A week later the phone call came with a request for a phone interview.

Then a couple days later, another phone call to arrange travel plans for him to fly to Utah for another interview.

Two weeks later, another phone call requesting a third interview. This time with the Vice President of Revenue.

As the interview process continued, we were confident. We hadn't ever felt this way about a job before, but we were certain we were being given revelation about our future.

A few days later we received an email.

"Thank you for your interest in the Revenue Integrity Manager position. We received many qualified applicants, of which you were among the best. However, we have selected another candidate. Thank you for your time. "

Devastation doesn't even begin to describe the way we felt.

How could this happen?

We were absolutely certain this was the right position for Nate. We felt confirmation of it several times.

But we had no choice, so we moved on.

Yet sometimes, when we were sitting in bed, or sitting in the car one of us would casually say to the other "remember that job with Intermountain Healthcare? That was weird how we felt about that, only to have it amount to nothing." Then the other person would nod and say "yeah, I really thought that was going to work out."

A year later, Nate accepted a position with a healthcare auditing company in Des Moines.

The job didn't fulfill all the promises he was given from the hiring manager when he accepted the position, and to say he was unhappy is an understatement.

For the past year I have watched Nate come home from a job he hates. He walks in the door looking defeated, upset and exhausted. Although he tries to smile and play with the kids once he's in the door, I can tell the job is slowly eating away at him. He is miserable.

So I started the job search again.

And there it was.

Intermountain Healthcare was once again hiring a Revenue Integrity Manager, this time in St George.

I sent it to Nate, and he applied the next day.

A week later the phone call came with a request for a phone interview.

A few days after that travel arrangements were arranged for a face-to-face interview.

Then another phone interview with department directors.

Then one last interview with the Vice President of Revenue.

He gave it everything he had, staying up late most nights to research and prep.

Meanwhile, his current job continued to deteriorate, and Nate began to worry about our future. As things got worse, we prayed to know what we were supposed to do. We felt the most calming peace and assurance. We knew we would be taken care of.

Several days passed and we didn't hear anything regarding the position. The anticipation was killing us. Nate constantly checked his email, fearing the same fate as last time.

Instead he got a phone call, congratulating him and offering him the position of Revenue Integrity Manager.

The same position we had felt so strongly about over two years ago.

Now we know.

We have many things to be grateful for. And we know, without doubt, that we are given direction and guidance.

Even when we don't understand why at first.

July

2011-08-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

The name of this post is what Elijah would tell people we were going to name his baby sister.

I have no idea where he got that from.

The month of July went so much better than I anticipated.

{insert huge sigh of relief}

All of our family had left by July 1st, so we were completely ON OUR OWN with two kids. And let me tell you, it's harder than I expected. But we're slowly {and boy, do I mean sloooooowly} getting into a routine.

There are good days.

And then there are the days where I swaddle Halle and walk around the house rocking her to sleep for what feels like hours and right as I lay her down I hear Elijah waking up in his room, calling my name. I think they do that on purpose. The goal is to not allow mommy one second of free time.

I'm getting used to it.

But the month of July offered one huge break for me when the kids and I trekked {and by trekked I mean we rode on an airplane} by ourselves {I seriously hope you're clapping for me right about now} to Washington for a mini family reunion.

Don't ever go on a boat with me. I won't paddle. You will do all the work.

It happens every time.

My sister and her kids were here from Japan and since we never-ever-barely get to see them everyone tried to squeeze into my parents itty-bitty lake house at the same time to celebrate her 31st birthday, my brother's 30th birthday, and Elijah's 3rd birthday. All in one weekend.

It was awesome.

Nice Bryan. Very nice.

I had the time of my life. And because I am still recovering from having a baby (read: hormonal) my siblings, parents, grandparents, aunt, nieces and nephew were SO HELPFUL with my kids. Elijah was fully entertained from the moment he woke up to the moment he laid his head down again. The cousins took such great care of him.

And Halle? Well, Miss Halle never had to be put down. There was always somebody willing to hold her, so she was, of course, in baby heaven.

I love my family!

And then when we got home {you know, two days late because I missed my flight} we celebrated Elijah's birthday as our own little family by going to the zoo {The zoo in Des Moines is awesome. It's super small, but Elijah has no idea, so we only have to be there for an hour or two and you've seen it all.}and eating at Incredible Pizza Company, which is a slightly classier version of Chuck -E-Cheese.

He had a great day.

And since we love to see Elijah happy, we decided to throw him a birthday party the next weekend with all his little friends {and our friends too, who we are beginning to consider family since we don't have any here}.

And these kids taught me a great lesson. They don't need party games. All they need are a few balloons and they are beyond happy.

Elijah still hasn't stopped talking about "my party." We are now the coolest parents ever.

And Halle even had a friend over to celebrate. These little babies are only two days apart.

Oh and one other cool thing about July? Nate got us 40 Lbs. of fresh chicken delivered to our door, for FREE. {Don't ask}. So if you're ever sitting at home thinking "I wonder what the Morgan's are eating for dinner tonight?" Now you know.

Ok, and this is the LAST thing, I promise. But Halle started smiling last week and I seriously can't get enough of it. So here is her half-smile that she let me take a picture of:

And here she is when she saw a bear:

My Sunshine

2011-07-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is my little ray of sunshine.

Miss Halle Renee.

Oh, how we love her.

I have been trying so hard to catch up on things, and it's harder than I thought with this little girl around.

So this post is past-due, as Halle will be a month old on the 9th. But I wanted to write down her story before I forget it. I want her to know about the day she was born.

Several days before her due date, I was ready. I know that you understand.

I was done. Finished. Ready.

I mean, I looked like this:

I was so ready.

My due date was Friday, June 10th. I went to the doctor on Monday, the 6th and they asked if I would like to be induced the next day.

The next day?!

That suddenly seemed incredibly soon.

And I know this seems odd, but I really didn't want to be induced (although I was induced with Elijah and was fine with it). For some reason, this time I felt like I wanted the baby to come when she was ready. I didn't want to force her out and I didn't want her to come until she knew it was the right time.

You are probably thinking I am totally crazy right now.

And you are right. I don't know why I felt that way. But I did.

I also felt torn. Because I really wanted the baby to come and my mom had already been in town several days with NO BABY. So we scheduled the induction for Friday, with fingers crossed that she would come on her own before then.

We left the doctor and called my mom to tell her we scheduled the induction for Friday. She thought I was crazy. She knew how badly I wanted the baby to come, so she was surprised I hadn't scheduled it for the next day.

So I called the doctor and re-scheduled it for Thursday. One day sooner. Still hoping she would come on her own before then.

I felt major contractions the next couple days, but they were never consistent. On Thursday morning we drove to the hospital for our induction and instead of feeling excited that we would have a baby later that day, I felt sad that I was being induced.

We checked into the hospital and they lead me to the delivery room. As the nurse was instructing me about how to wear the hospital gown, I felt something trickle down my leg.

I was so embarrassed that I had just wet my pants in front of the nurse. I couldn't wait for her to stop talking so I could go in the bathroom and clean up.

When I did, I realized it wasn't urine. But I wasn't sure what had happened. And I was embarrassed.

I told Nate and he told me to tell the nurse when she came back. I didn't want to, I was sure it was nothing. But as I climbed into the hospital bed, I felt it again.

This time I told the nurse.

She checked and confirmed that MY WATER HAD BROKEN!

I was ecstatic!

The baby was already on her way - she was going to arrive that day whether I had an induction or not.

Since I was already dilated to a 4 and my water had broken, the labor went much faster this time.

We welcomed Halle at 3:30 that afternoon. She had swallowed meconium in the womb and had the chord wrapped around her neck, but she was beautiful. Perfect and beautiful.

And she had hairy ears. Which made us laugh.

We are getting used to our new life as a family of four. Halle is a good baby. A good baby that I wish would sleep longer at night, but still, a good baby.

Elijah adores her.

And so do we.

Welcome to our family Halle.

The Girliest Nursery You've Ever Seen

2011-05-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

When I first found out I was having a girl, I had a hard time with the "pink" thing.

Seriously, when looking for little girl things your only option - the only choice you have is PINK.

It's overwhelming.

And I have a little boy and had fully trained myself to not even glance toward the extensively massive pink section of the store.

I kept my eyes at the much smaller, almost pitiful, boy selection.

So you see why I had a hard time.

It took awhile, but I finally decided that every little girl MUST love pink.

Otherwise it wouldn't be so overpowering.

So I embraced it.

And tried to create a sweet, PINK nursery for my little baby girl.

Actually, I got a lot of help from my friend whose sewing skills are much superior to mine.

Like I could make a ruffled crib skirt on my own.

But I did make the print framed on the wall.

Here is a close-up.

And the curtains were made with only minor sewing assistance. {and they're lined!}

And although you can't see it well, there are two little pillows in the crib that I sewed. They look almost silly next to the beautiful pink knitted blanket my friend made for the baby, but my skills are limited.

The message board on the shelf is re-purposed and covered in grey and white zebra print.

It doesn't get much girlier than that.

Here's a close-up.

I also made the hanging coat rack with some fabric and my trusty glue gun.

It's all ready for a little baby girl.

And so am I.

The Random Ramblings of a Very Pregnant Person

2011-05-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

{36 weeks pregnant. Two quick disclaimers: It's a Sunday afternoon, so I dressed appropriately. And the mirror isn't crooked, the angle of the camera is. }

Oh the things you think about when expecting a baby.

I know you know what I mean.

Your mind goes slightly crazy, abnormal, restless.

The list goes on.

And I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to share some of these thoughts and get your opinion (help) because poor Nate, the guy can only stand to hear so many random thoughts from me in one day.

Ready?

{You have been warned}

I feel like this baby is going to come early.

Not crazy-early, but a little early. And I'm sure it's wishful thinking, but I KNEW with Elijah that he would be born late. Well, after-my-due-date late. I was induced two days after my due date with him so we'll never really know when he would have decided to show up on his own. But I knew it would be a late arrival.

The other night I went to a church activity and had 3 different people tell me they thought I was going to deliver early. One even said she thinks I'll have a baby before May is over. Yikes, if that's true, I have a lot of cleaning to do in the next couple weeks.

Sometimes I get scared at the thought of having two children.

I mean, that's DOUBLE what I have now and I often feel like I can barely manage the one I have. It's a little terrifying to me. I know, I'm a wuss. You don't have to tell me that.

I think the bigger fear that accompanies two children is not having anyone to help me watch them. We have AWESOME friends in Iowa that are helpful with Elijah when we have things going on, but I can't expect people to take on TWO kids. That's asking a lot, especially with a baby. And I worry about how we're going to handle that.

Nate's company posted a job opening in Tacoma, WA.

The opportunity to go home.

It would be a transfer and the one-year-commitment we made in Iowa is over next month. But we don't know how we feel about it. Nate doesn't want to stick in the healthcare auditing field for much longer, and we've both grown to love a lot of things about Iowa {oh, the people here are the best. Seriously, kindest people I have ever met}. But the prospect of being close to family is so tempting, and I know they would help out a lot with my two kids. Plus I really miss my friends in Washington.

Lately, I've lost my mind.

I wander around the house most of the day knowing that I am looking for something, but I cannot remember what it was. It's ridiculous. And it seriously happens at least 5 or 6 times a day.

I love it when Elijah rubs my stomach and talks about "little sister."

I have high hopes that he will like her as much in a few weeks as he does now. Today he told me little sister was in nursery playing with him. Nate asked what little sister was doing in nursery and Elijah said "No, little sister wasn't in nursery. She is in mommy's tummy." Apparently he's losing his mind a little bit too. Luckily, I can sympathize.

Did your brain go through this crazy spiral when you were pregnant?

And my dreams are even weirder. So strange.

I'm hoping it will all be over in 3 1/2 weeks.

And then comes a new crazy adventure...

City Beautiful

2011-04-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

{Can you guess where this is? Or who it is?}

Nate works in healthcare.

And there are very few perks that come with working in that field. Besides stability. Woo-hoo.

But we recently discovered that since he is working for a Catholic healthcare company they celebrate

Good Friday.

Which means he had a three-day weekend last week.

I have a whole new appreciation for the Catholic healthcare company.

So what did we do with our 3 days of freedom?

Did we tackle the nursery and prep it for the baby coming in 6 weeks?

Uh no.

Did we landscape our severely-dull yard with spring flowers and plants?

Yeah right.

Did we buy and install shelving units for the basement so we'd have some resemblance of storage in this house?

Negative.

We neglected everything on our to-do list and ran away to a beautiful city for the weekend.

Nauvoo.

The city of Joseph.

It's only 3 1/2 hours away

{I say that to entice you to come visit me}.

Our first stop was the visitor's center to grab some pamphlets about things to do\see. And, of course, to be nearly attacked by a dozen sweet sister missionaries when we walked in the door.

Poor girls. The visitor's center wasn't very busy this weekend.

LOVE this picture.

Nauvoo is set up exactly like it was in the 1840's. You walk through town and visit the bakery, the blacksmith shop, the red brick store, and the homes of many of the Saints.

And adorable, elderly missionary couples are in each one to provide a tour and tell you the history of that location.

It's awesome.

And thoroughly entertaining for the little ones.

We took a wagon tour around the town and saw some amazing views of the temple.

Some of us got more out of the wagon tour than others.

But it was all worth it in the end when the "teamsters" let us pet the horses.

And if you know my son, you know this was the highlight of the trip for him.

Many tears were cried when we walked away from those horses.

We walked down Parley Street, where the Saints lined up their wagons to wait their turn crossing the Mississippi River. The street is filled with plaques containing quotes from journal entries of those leaving Nauvoo and journeying West.

If you can, enlarge this photo and read what Wilford Woodruff said. The temple can be seen in the background as well.

Sadly, the temple was closed for cleaning while we were there.

In front of the temple stands the statue of Joseph and Hyrum, from the picture at the top of the post.

This inscription is printed under the statue.

We left Nauvoo reluctantly; there was so much more we would have loved to see and do.

But we wanted to hit up Carthage Jail on our way home.

And I'm so glad we did.

It was an indescribable experience to stand in the room and hear about the last days of the prophet.

Here is a statue of Joseph and Hyrum with the jail behind them.

The window Joseph fell out of.

The door with the original bullet holes still in it.

I am lucky to live so close to this amazing history. And lets be honest, I don't always feel lucky to live in Iowa.

But this is a great exception.

It was beautiful.

And did I mention it's only 3 1/2 hours away?

There's No Place Like Home

2011-04-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

We moved 9 months ago and yet every time I go back and visit Seattle, there are more people I wish I could see and more things I wish I could do. I love Seattle. But really, I just adore the people. My parents and little brother are there. My wonderful friends are there. It just feels right when I spend time with them.

But I realized something this trip. Seattle is my home. I'm certain I will always consider it so. But I have another home too, and that's wherever Nate is. I miss him terribly when we are away and it helped me understand that my place, my home is with him. We're a family, we belong to each other, and our home is with each other. Even if that means we live in Iowa.

I also realized that Nate and I are getting older and set in our ways. Can I say that at 27? I could be wrong, but I think that's what happens when you live on your own. You develop your own routines and schedules. Our little family is very scheduled, and it's hard to bend from it. But totally worth it when we get to spend time with Grandparents. We'll always change our annoying-scheduled-habits if we get to spend time with them.

Some of the highlights of our trip:

{I TOTALLY did not take enough pictures. I get so mad at myself every time for that}.

Danny was in the Phantom of the Opera at Kentlake {my old high school!}and I was lucky enough to go see the show twice. He did a great job. And my grandparents came for the weekend to catch the show on Saturday night and brought my cute little cousin with them too.

PS - It's okay to laugh at Danny's stage make-up. I do.

My Grandma is awesome. She is the best at making baby blankets {Elijah is addicted to the one she made him} and she crocheted this sweet little blanket for my name-less baby girl.

Do you see the ruffle around the edge with the ribbon through it? I'm in love. And just in awe of people who can do this kind of thing - which probably makes my Grandma laugh because she's tried to teach me more than once. I'm a bad student.

Danny and cousin Serena gave in to Elijah's pleadings and took him out on the lake for awhile. He was overjoyed, much like he is anytime he gets to hang out with Danny.

And while I was "home" I got to meet this little guy for the first time!

He is the sweetest little Colby you've ever laid eyes on. My best friend Natalie had him in January and it's been killing me that I hadn't met him yet.

And Elijah had a blast with big sister Rylee and all her easter eggs.

And since Natalie is totally wonderful, she planned a baby shower for me, and co-hosted it with another totally wonderful friend, Lindsey. They are awesome.

All of these girls are the greatest friends you could ever want. Including Natalie, who is taking the photo.

Lindsey made {MADE!} these cute onesies. I am surrounded by creatively-crafting-people and haven't learned a thing about how to do it on my own.

This is a woombie. Seriously can't wait to try it out. I love a tightly swaddled baby.

Lindsey asked everyone to bring a hair bow for the baby, and Shelbi brought one for me too. Oh I love her. And don't be surprised when I'm wearing it in all future photos.

I also got to see my OTHER dear friend Natalie {I have three GREAT friends named Natalie, and I've even considered naming the baby that because all three of these Natalie's are wonderful people that you can only hope your baby will turn out like}.

Natalie lives in Utah, and it just so happened that we were visiting Seattle {where we grew up together} at the same time. It was so good to see her, and our friend Jac. We went to lunch at the Black Diamond Bakery and I just love how we haven't all lived in the same state for 10 years, but we can get together and talk like we haven't been apart at all. That's real friendship.

And not a single one of us pulled out a camera while we were together. That's just dumb of us. But hey, all three of us are blondes.

I did manage to take a couple photos of Elijah having an easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We did one outside and one inside - and I think we fully prepared him for next Sunday.

See the egg? Wow, Grandpa got super tricky with his egg-hiding.

All the loot.

Luckily {or unluckily} Elijah doesn't care for candy too much. Which means Danny and I went to town on the laffy-taffy's}.

Grandma even filled some eggs with quarters, which is good, because Elijah has been begging for a "big, red ball" from the store. I think he has enough money to buy it himself now.

After the egg-hunt, he went to try on Grandpa's wading boots.

I think they fit.

I wish we could have done more - there's never enough time. But I was really happy to be back home with Nate last night, who by the way painted the nursery while I was gone. Bonus points.

There really is no place like home. Both of my homes.

Baby-Related Things

2011-03-31T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant.

Which means there are only 10 weeks left until baby girl makes her arrival. More or less. Probably more, knowing my luck.

But that's probably a good thing. Because as of yet:

- We haven't picked out a name.

- We haven't even begun to prepare her room.

- And we haven't kicked her big brother out of her bed yet {oh, he loves that crib}.

The bad part about being pregnant another ten weeks {or more} is that I am only going to get bigger. And bigger. And it's so hard to be pregnant and see all your cute, tiny friends wearing their cute, tiny clothes. And hear about everyone preparing to run in spring races. Or see people lay on their stomachs.

I miss that.

But that's okay. Because someday soon this huge body will be gone and I will have a cute, adorable little baby to hold and love.

So it's worth it.

And I want to do you a favor. I want to lift your self-esteem and help you feel good about your body. So view the pictures below. Laugh your head off. Then go and look in the mirror. You will feel so good about what you see. I promise.

So here they are: pictures of 30-weeks-pregnant-me.

This pregnancy has been easy. So was the last one. I am blessed to have easy pregnancies, although I can't promise that I won't cry and complain the last couple weeks.

Those weeks are hard on any pregnant woman.

The one thing I've worried about is that I am RH-Negative. And so I receive a shot of Rhogam to ensure my blood cells don't attack the baby. It wasn't a big deal with my first pregnancy. In fact, I don't even remember them mentioning much about it. But if it isn't cared for properly in the first pregnancy, it's the subsequent pregnancies that are affected. Hopefully all goes well.

Besides losing a little sleep over thoughts of crazed blood cells attacking the baby {does everyone have silly and strange worries when they're pregnant?}, I've been just fine.

And I've finally decided on colors for the nursery.

I bought this fabric a couple months ago when I was still terrified of the color pink.

Then I realized how hard that choral/orange color is to match.

So I'm returning it and beginning a love affair with pink.

The first step was digging this chandelier out of the basement.

I bought this over five years ago at a small boutique in Tacoma. Nate was interviewing for his job with MultiCare and I dropped him off and went shopping with a friend. I couldn't pass this up. Although I had no place for a pink, beaded chandelier in my home, I loved it.

The poor thing has sat in a box hidden in closets and basements for the past several years.

Finally, it's time for it to shine.

I'm going to hang it over the baby's crib. Paint the walls a light gray, and accent in light and dark pinks.

Here is some Amy Butler fabric that I would love to do curtains in.

And here is my goal:

To change this room

Into a combination of these rooms:

Ha! Well, a girl can dream, right?

As long as I have a quiet, peaceful place to rock her to sleep, I will be satisfied.

And I have 10 weeks to do it.

The Florida Keys

2011-03-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

{Enjoying the heat in Key West, Florida.}

Every year around the second of January, I begin to get a little desperate for a vacation.

True, most every year we have traveled for Christmas and so by January 2nd we have recently returned home from a trip to see family.

But I mean a WARM vacation. Where the sun is shining, the flip-flops can be dusted off, and the swimsuit released from it's hiding place.

Usually Nate makes me wait {not very patiently, I might add} for the Spring, so his time-off can recover after the holidays.

Last year we went to Japan. Luckily, that wasn't the plan for this year.

We went to the Florida Keys.

And the sun felt so good.

Especially because we were shoveling our driveway on the morning we left.

Here is our trip in photos:

We stood on the southern-most point of the continental United States...only 90 miles to Cuba.

We visited Everglades National Park and saw lots of these scary things. Although my two-year-old wasn't as afraid as I was.

And can I just say - it was very strange to me how their weren't barriers placed between the alligators and the humans in the park. Can you see this picture well? There are two alligators just soaking up the sun right beneath the miniature bridge where my husband and son are standing.

Someone told me the alligators were "well fed" so they wouldn't attack. Really? That would stop them? Seems a little risky to me.

I was slightly jealous of all the sun bathing these beauties get to do.

{PS - Again, no protective barrier}.

This little guy has a new favorite animal. But he doesn't know what an alligator says, when you ask him. Neither do I.

We were lucky enough to spend several days with these wonderful people {Nate's parents} and they were so kind as to allow Nate and I to sneak away by ourselves for a couple days without our child. Well, I still had to lug around the one in the womb, but that couldn't be helped. Yet.

So Nate and I stayed in Hollywood, Florida for a couple nights and RELAXED. It was wonderful. We read our books by the beach, and by the pool, we ate quiet dinners. And we completely missed our son.

Then we spent a little time on the beach. This scene makes me laugh. Grandma Kimmie went to take Elijah to the bathroom so Nate and his dad started working on the sand castle E had been begging to make.

I just found it humorous that two grown men were building a sand castle on the beach together.

But then Elijah came back and was so excited to help them.

Apparently the condo we stayed at had free kayaks for use. Or something like that. I'm still not sure what the situation was, but we borrowed them.

And this is what I did the entire ride. Sat there with the paddle on my lap while Nate did all the paddling. And he didn't mind.

And of course we had to spend time at the pool. That was a MUST-DO on Elijah's list.

It was a perfect getaway. And it completely satisfied my desire for sun.

Now if only it could satisfy my desire to take more vacations...

Training

2011-02-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

We have been doing some major training at our house.

If you consider "major" to be 4 days.

Which, after all this, I most certainly do.

Elijah was {is} sick and we have been quarantined to our house, so I decided we may as well accomplish something while we were stuck here.

So we began potty-training.

And wow, it's hard.

But we have made a lot of progress in 4 days and I hope to never look at a package of diapers again.

At least for the next 4 months.

I asked friends and family members for advice. I asked my mom twice if she would do it for me. She said no {twice}. So then I asked a lot of other people if they would do it for me. They all said no too. So I read every article I could find on potty-training.

And decided to do the 3-day method.

The basic idea behind the 3-day method is this:

- Cold turkey on the underwear. No pull-ups or diapers {although I am using them for sleeping}.

- Fill child with many, many, many forms of liquid. {this was his favorite part}.

- Watch child like a hawk for 3 days, trying to help them recognize when they have to go.

- Put child on the potty at set-intervals {we started at every 20 minutes and now we're at every hour to hour and a half}.

Since I decided to start late in the day, we began after his nap time on Thursday. He woke up at 4:30 in the afternoon, and by bedtime we had 4 accidents and 0 successes.

I almost cried I was so frustrated.

So I asked everyone I knew AGAIN if they would potty train for me.

They all said no again.

So I prepared myself for the worst on Friday.

And it was hard. But he did better. Only 2 accidents and this time, we had 2 successes!

I felt so much better at having 2 successful attempts, so I felt more prepared for Saturday. And let's be honest, Nate would be home, so it HAD to be better.

And it was!

Saturday he did great. Only 1 accident and 8 (yes, 8!) successful potty times.

I really think having Nate around helped him. He does a lot better with him than me.

Sunday he used the big potty at the church {with Nate, of course} and only had 1 accident in the evening

and today so far we have 0 accidents and 5 successes!

Can I consider this potty-trained?

I'm sure it will be an ongoing process where we have regressions {and lots of bad days and good days} but I'm THRILLED at how well he's done.

We're still working on it {mostly him TELLING us when he has to go}, but I am hoping that it only gets easier from here.

And if you asked me to potty train your child, I would say no too.

It's hard.

Thoughts

2011-02-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder what the purpose of this blog is. I've thought about deleting it a time or two because it can be a lot of work to keep up and I'm not very good at it. But then I think about trying to keep our families {who we don't live by} current with the pictures and stories...

The irony is that I love reading other people's blogs. And theirs {yours} seem to have themes they follow. Like some of them center around their families and what they have been doing. Some of them are journals where people share thoughts, ideas, perspectives, etc. Some of them are travel pictures, stories and things to look forward to.

And this blog is a bit of all of that.

Is it okay that I don't have a theme?

One time I heard someone talking about blogs and saying how they can't stand them because they are just a way for people to brag about themselves and their lives, and that 90% of what you see on blogs is fake.

It really made me think.

I don't want my blog to be a place to brag {and let's be honest here, there isn't a lot to brag about} and I don't want it to be all happy tales of what a wonderfully happy and exciting life we live. Because that wouldn't fool anyone.

But I want this blog to be a reflection of me. And our family. And where we are in our lives.

And I want it to be a record that I have forever, because I am truly horrible at journaling and scrapbooking.

I want Elijah and Baby Number #2 to be able to read this in the future.

So I probably shouldn't delete it.

But am I allowed to share my thoughts and tell you what I've been thinking about {even if there aren't pictures}?

Lately I can't stop thinking about the saying "everyone you meet is going through a tougher battle" or along those lines. I always ruin quotes.

It's something I really feel I've learned this past year.

Moving to Des Moines has been harder than we expected. We've struggled being so far from friends and family. And sometimes it can be hard not to feel very alone out here.

And I look at my friends with envy. They {you} are stronger than me. They have so many wonderful things going for them. They are happier than I am.

And you must know that I feel very blessed for our circumstances and for my life. I have the most amazing husband and sometimes I wonder how I was so blessed to have him. His patience is truly a gift. And a little boy who is sweet and sensitive and with one look will make me want to hug him and never let go. And I feel so blessed to have a little girl coming to our family. I know she will be special.

But sometimes its easier to look at others {you} and be envious.

And I have to remind myself that everyone is going through something they wish they didn't have to. I promise. Everyone.

And so if we are all going through something hard, then why are we so mean to each other?

Why do we purposefully hurt others and try to make them feel bad?

I don't understand it.

We all have insecurities and doubts about ourselves, so why try to make it worse?

Call this a New Year's Resolution (you know, in February) if you like, but I am going to try harder to be a better friend. To strengthen and uplift those around me. To be a better person.

And I think if I do that, then I am also changing myself for the better.

And maybe my trials won't seem so large.

I'll let you know how it goes.

That is, if you decide to keep reading my theme-less, random blog posts.

Kitchen Makeover

2011-02-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

When we bought this house last July, I told Nate I could live with the RED wall color in the kitchen for a little while. I wasn't a fan of it from the first time I saw an online picture of it. Too dark. Too bold.

{just for my personal taste}

And last week "a little while" finally ended.

I bought new paint for the walls that clearly resembled yellow. A light yellow. Almost a buttercream color. And I loved it so much that I bought a second gallon for the new baby's room.

Then Nate came home and asked why I was painting the kitchen green. So I brushed off his comment and murmured under my breath about how he must be color blind because the walls were undeniably yellow.

Then my friend came over and I proudly showed her my progress and she said "oh, so it's a shade of green."

I can't help but think that I must be the color blind one.

Because the walls still look yellow to me.

Anyways - I made new curtains {which you know is a major accomplishment for me, even though they aren't straight. I mean, sewing a straight line is HARD}. And I added new decor to brighten things up.

I must really be craving spring, because that's what the finished kitchen reminds me of.

So - here is the BEFORE.

And here is the AFTER:

It's a lot brighter, even though the pictures can't do it justice. The "before" photos were taken in August when the sun was burning Des Moines to 95 degrees. The "after" photos were taken at lunch today {hence, my little eater} right after our snowstorm/blizzard last night.

So you see the difference?

I promise it's yellow.

Baby Morgan # 2

2011-01-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

January 18th finally came.

We found out the gender of our little Baby Morgan # 2 this afternoon.

IT'S A GIRL!

I asked the ultrasound tech if she is 100% certain on the gender, because when we had Elijah they told us they could only be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN if it's a boy. With a girl, it's more like 98%.

But the tech laughed when I said that and said she is 100% sure it's a girl.

And that she's never been wrong in 15 years.

So I guess I'm safe to go buy a few things.

And have you seen the girl clothes {or the entire girls section at most stores}?

I think I'm going to be busy.

And broke.

Very soon.

We can't wait for this little girl to make her arrival.

She's won us over already.

And please don't laugh. But I realized this morning that I don't have any belly shots of this pregnancy yet, and since Nate was at work, I played photo shoot by myself.

Except not really by myself, because a certain somebody thought this was the funniest game ever and ran to be in every picture when the beeping began.

As you can see, sometimes he made it and sometimes he didn't.

What a funny big brother he is going to make.

Pink or Blue?

2011-01-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

From the second I found out I was pregnant with Elijah, I KNEW he was going to be a boy.

So did Nate.

We just knew.

In fact, we didn't even think of any girl names. Just boy ones.

And we began talking about the theme of the nursery for a baby boy.

And when we had our ultrasound, we weren't surprised when they told us we were having a boy. It was more of a confirmation.

And we were excited for our little man.

I even got a little cocky with my gender-predicting skills and told Nate (and a lot of other people too) that I KNEW (such a bold word) how our family gender pattern would go. Our first two children would be boys, and the third would be a girl.

Now I'm not so sure.

This pregnancy has been different.

Not in a I-feel-so-different-than-when-I-was-pregnant-with-Elijah-way (which is true) but in a I'M-GOING-CRAZY-BECAUSE-I-DON'T-KNOW-WHAT-THIS-BABY-IS-WAY.

I really don't have a strong inclination like I did last time.

And it's killing me.

It's so hard NOT KNOWING.

And even though I don't have a strong feeling that it's a boy or a girl (although I do know that it will be one of those) some of my family members DO. And I don't know if I can trust their judgement, because I know MANY times I have told friends or family members what I thought the gender of their baby would be and I was TOTALLY GUESSING. I had no inclinations. And most of the time, I was wrong.

But my ultrasound is scheduled for the 18th of this month. And I cannot believe the anticipation I feel over KNOWING FOR SURE.

I have a whole new respect for people that wait until the delivery to find out the gender of their baby.

Only 11 more days...

The Windy City and a Birthday

2010-12-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

This post is a little dated...sorry.

Since Nate had Thanksgiving weekend off work and we had zero plans, we decided to spend Thanksgiving day with some friends from our ward (can I just say this was our first BIG holiday spent without any family in the 6 + years we've been married and we were totally dreading it, but it turned out SO FUN. Seriously, we had a great time with our friends and now it's tempting to save on plane ticket costs to go see family and just hang out with our friends for every holiday...just kidding. But look how grown up we are now! We totally passed a milestone.) Anyways - that was a long tangent. Sorry.

So Friday morning we woke up early and drove to Chicago. We've never been there before, so it was fun to explore the freezing cold, windy city with our two-year-old.

We visited Millennium Park. There's this monstrous bean sculpture in the park that is pretty cool. We also watched ice skaters on the rink below the bean.

We walked the Magnificent Mile, and we really couldn't afford anything in the high-end stores (think Louis Vuitton, Armani, Burberry, etc) so we found the Disney Store and spent some time warming up with Mickey Mouse.

The city was decorated for Christmas, so we were really lucky to see all the lights and wreaths everywhere. It was beautiful.

We looked everywhere for a Santa Claus, with no luck. Our little guy has a slight infatuation with Santa this year (what are we going to do when Christmas is over?) and he searches for him everywhere we go, but we couldn't find any in Chicago. Darn.

The best thing about Chicago is the food. We ate at one of our favorite restaurants, Maggiano's. We ate a Chicago dog (which we were not impressed with) and of course, we had to get a Chicago-style deep dish pizza while we were there. It was so delicious. Now regular pizza just can't compare.

(This is a Chicago-dog. Doesn't look too appetizing, does it?)

On our way out of town we stopped at IKEA. I really REALLY miss IKEA since we've left Seattle, so it was comforting to walk through one and pick up a couple of things.

We saw the Mississippi River. It is HUGE.

And don't be jealous, but we also stopped at the World's Largest Truck Stop on the way home.

So that was our weekend in Chicago. We're glad we went, because we probably won't be going back again. The toll roads in Illinois killed our wallets.

To totally and completely change the subject now - on to Nate's birthday!

It was this past Saturday, so we found a baby-sitter for the day and Nate and I went to breakfast then drove to this little dutch town called Pella. It's about an hour away and it's a little like Leavenworth (for you Washington folks) except that it's Dutch, not German. They had all their Christmas decorations out and it was super cute.

We toured an actual working windmill.

Then we toured a Dutch Christmas Village.

Nate is enjoying Christmas dinner with Raggedy Ann and Andy. We were about the only people brave (stupid?) enough to conquer the freezing temperatures to explore Pella that day. So we had fun in the display homes.

One of the homes in the village we toured was Wyatt Earp's boyhood home. I didn't (and really, still don't) know who Wyatt Earp was, but Nate informed me he was a cowboy, somehow famously.

Then we were hungry, so we bought some Dutch pastries. They are divine. I'm about ready to drive another hour to Pella for a pastry. Right now.

When we got home that afternoon, we opened presents. And let me just say, I haven't had that many presents to open on my birthday since I was 5. Nate had 8 different gifts (only a few from me). He was totally spoiled this year, and he loved every second of it.

For his birthday dinner, we went to the Ward Christmas dinner. Hey, it was free food and a great program. Plus, we couldn't expect a baby-sitter to miss the Ward party so we could go out to dinner. And going to dinner with Elijah is sometimes just not worth it. Or fun.

When we got home we sang, blew out candles (which I had no idea we were out of candles, so we rounded up some tea lights), and ate banana cake.

Happy Birthday Nate! We love you!

My Letter of Explanation

2010-11-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

You may have noticed

I have been a little 'out of it' lately. Even more so than usual.

I realize I've gotten worse at returning calls, text messages and emails.

Or even updating this blog.

To be honest -brutally honest - I haven't been feeling well.

And I've had to keep a secret or two, which if you know me, is really hard to do.

{I've even made Elijah keep secrets. Don't worry, his lips are sealed. }

And I didn't want to spill the beans. You know, too early.

But before you write me off as a horrible friend, I wanted to explain.

You see, we have something to be excited about around here.

All of us.

So without further adieu, I'll let E break the good news.

Except when he really says it, it comes out more like

"Mma' be Beeg Bwother."

I'm on week 11, which means the baby will be arriving in early June.

Can you tell we love summer babies?

I'm starting to feel better too. Which means I will very shortly be returning phone calls, text messages, and emails.

I promise.

Love,

Kristin

My Happy List

2010-10-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

Confession time: I stalk people's blogs. Like all the time when I am bored during naptime. I even have some favorites that I check every time they update and I don't even know these people. In fact, they are probably your friends. Because I look at your blog list and then read the ones that sounds the most interesting. So thanks for sharing your friends and family with me.

A couple weeks ago, I was on one of my friend's blogs that I publicly follow, then I clicked on one of her friends' links, then I clicked on that girls' sister's link....and eventually I found out that this girl regularly posts a Happy List.

I love the idea.

And today I am going to copy it. She has no idea who I am, so I think it's safe.

Anyways, here are my "Five Things To Be Happy About"

1. My cowboy. I seriously can't get enough of his crazy-cowboy antics. In fact, we went out today and he insisted on wearing his cowboy hat. I thought it was a little weird, but hey, I've seen little girls wearing tu-tu's at Target. And at least he didn't ask to wear his cape too.

2. School. My master's program officially starts on November 1st! Now, if you remember, quite a ways back I announced I was going to be starting this Master's in Teaching program to get a teaching certification and a graduate degree all at once. Well, it was a little harder to get started than I anticipated. I took a couple pre-requisite classes and then fought with the school (seriously fought with them. I was so so mean.) when they tried to make me take more pre-reqs and blah, blah, blah I WON. So now I get to start next month.

3. Travels. We are looking forward to getting away a bit in the next few months. We can't visit family for Thanksgiving this year (Nate's bro decided to get married in Mid-December, but we still love him) so we are going to spend the long weekend in CHICAGO. I am so excited. Then we head to Utah in December for the wedding, and then Seattle for Christmas. Yay! Plus I am trying to plan a fun early spring getaway for Nate and I (sans E) but that is still in the planning stages.

4. Date Night. That's tonight! As much as it sucks to pay a teenager $20 so that Nate and I can go out (we really miss you Mom, Dad, and Danny) it is so worth it. I have been looking forward to this night for weeks. We are going out to dinner, without anyone throwing food or fake-crying to get out of the high chair, and then we are going to scare ourselves silly at a Haunted House. And on the way home, we are stopping at Starbucks for a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. Yum.

5. Parties. This weekend we are going to our friend's birthday party for their son, Tuesday I am hosting a Halloween Playgroup Party at our house, Wednesday night is the Activity Day Girl's Halloween Party, and Thursday night is our ward Trunk-or-Treat and Chili Cook-Off, which reminds me, I was going to call and enter Nate in the competition. He makes a great chili.

The Midwest Hospitality

2010-10-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

My sister used to live in South Carolina and would tell me how the neighborhood kids called her "Miss Danielle" and she taught her children the same mannerism.

She told me about the BBQ's, sitting on your front porch, and having your neighbors become your best friends.

Living in the Seattle area, this was pretty foreign to me.

We tend to not look people in the eye when we pass on the sidewalk. We hardly know the people living on our street, and (mostly because of the rain) we don't sit on our front porch.

At least that's how it was for Nate and I.

So we moved to the Midwest with the same expectations.

But the Midwest is different.

In fact, I've learned a lot about hospitality from these people and I hope I never go back to how I used to be.

Let me explain:

When Nate and I moved into our new ward, we were invited (in one week!) to a Family Home Evening on Monday night, a dinner on Tuesday night, and another dinner the following Sunday night. Oh and then another dinner the Sunday after that.

It was GREAT. We felt wanted and needed.

One family gave us a tour of their WHOLE HOUSE (oh, how I love it when people do that!). Another family had children who were all grown but they went upstairs and pulled out an old bin with a wooden train set. Then the whole family got on their hands and knees to put it together with E.

I wanted to hug each of them for being so sweet to my son. (But don't worry, I held back. No need to make them think people from the Seattle area are crazy.)

Another woman sent me an email with an attached document where she listed recommendations for local dentists, pediatricians, as well as the information for the local Welcoming Committee for the city.

Above and beyond?

Yes.

And really, my favorite story of Midwest hospitality has to be one that I've mentioned before. The man in front of me in line at the store who dropped a $5 bill on the counter to pay for my case of waters. Then he waved and walked away.

Nice people still out there?

Yes, they are.

They live in the Midwest.

PS - What are some things you've done for others that are new to the area, or that people did to you when you first arrived that left a lasting impression? I'm taking notes. Remember, I'm changing my ways.

House Tour Part III: Upstairs

2010-10-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

The upstairs of our house is not very big. In fact, when you get to the top of the stairs, it's kind of a mod-podge of doors to enter. There isn't really a hallway.

But one of my favorite things about the upstairs is the wall space under the upper ledge. So many options of what to put there! We originally put up a picture collage of (what else?) our only child but took it down to hang this vinyl quote; one of my favorites.

There is a small landing between the stair ways. It has this large, picture window. There isn't much of a view, but it brings in so much light, I love it.

I attempted to make a valance curtain for the window. It didn't work out very well. Please don't enlarge that picture to try and see all the mistakes. Plus, there are too many to count.

This is the view.

The laundry closet is at the top of the stairs. (the closet part was disappointing to me...and still is.) The vinyl lettering above the laundry was from the previous owners, but I like it. So it stays!

E's room is directly to the left at the top of the stairs. It was originally painted blue, but we went over it with this caramel color.

Wearing pajamas, a cowboy hat, a cape and jumping on his horse with a stuffed bear...that's my little buckaroo!

I made the curtains in his room. They are bad too. I should never, ever make curtains. But I like how dark they make his room when we close them for naps. So they stay too.

There isn't much of a hallway upstairs, so this is the little wall space that we have.

E's bathroom is just across the hall. Before you judge, that rubber-duckie yellow paint color was on the wall when we moved in. I'm too lazy to paint it now. But maybe someday.

The computer room is adjacent to the bathroom. This room was painted green and blue neon colors when we moved in. It was the one room in the house that I KNEW I couldn't live with for even 5 minutes. So we painted it immediately. Seriously, before the moving truck even showed up.

We found a full can of this light blue color in the basement, so we just saved our money and used that. I don't mind it. It's just the computer room.

These curtains came with the house. I know they are too short, eventually I will buy new ones. I don't think sewing should even be considered an option anymore.

PS - My Grandma painted that picture for me when I was a little girl. Isn't she amazing?

The master bedroom was another interesting color, which shouldn't surprise you by now.

It's lime green.

I stifled my urge/desire/rage to paint and decided to decorate the room in browns and whites, leaving the color in the room on the walls, not in our stuff.

Plus, my friend Natalie painted (hand-painted - from scratch!) the canvases with the brown and white zebra print. I love them. They add so much texture to the room.

The other walls include windows.

And closets.

Another bummer about this house, no walk-in closet. But we have more space than ever before with the
his-and-hers design.

The master bath is tiny. It's in black, whites, and red accents. The shower curtain is zebra. Can you tell I love animal prints?

That concludes our house tour!

Thanks for looking, and if you ever want to see the real deal, WE LOVE COMPANY!

House Tour Part II: Let's Go Downstairs

2010-10-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

The basement is much easier to keep clean than the rest of the house because we rarely go down there.

We're hoping the harsh winters will draw us down more often.

One of my favorite things about this house is the built-in shelf that runs down the stairs to the basement.

I love built-ins, and was tempted to buy an older home because of it. But Nate and I have a severe handicap when it comes to do-it-yourself projects, so that plan was quickly thwarted.

The door at the bottom of the staircase leads to the utility room.

At the bottom of the staircase, to the left is a small hallway with a storage area under the stairs. We fully utilize that space, since it's about the only storage area in the house. It's an open area, and to compensate we've temporarily hung a curtain to block our mess. We've discussed putting closet doors there eventually, but our handicap might sever that idea. We'll see.

The downstairs bedroom is right beyond the curtained storage area.

The bedroom has a decent amount of space, and we've used it primarily for visitors (that means you!).

The couch folds out into a bed, but Nate and I are hoping to get ourselves a new bed within the next year or two and then we will be moving our current one down here.

This is my crafting table.

I keep all my supplies in the green box and in the drawers of the end table by the couch. It works out well to come down here during naptime, knowing E won't hear the sewing machine or me chatting on the phone while mod-podging.

On the other side of the couch is E's favorite thing about this house. A little door just his size that leads to the storage area under the stairs. He has spent a lot of time going through that door to find his old baby toys to play with.

On the other side of the room is this large, OLD, television. My parents bought it when I was a kid, and they handed it down to Nate and I. It's a bit of an eyesore, but it's been good to us.

Remember? I love hand-me-downs.

That is the bathroom door next to the TV.

The original owner's of this house finished the basement a few years after the house had been built, and they added this bathroom. It's the only bathroom with tile floors and the fixtures on the sink and bathtub are a bit nicer than upstairs.

In the mirror image on this photo, you can see the door to the closet in the bathroom. It's a bit smaller than a normal walk-in closet, but you can store quite a bit in there.

The next couple photos are a little off in their color. I apologize, but there aren't any windows in this room so it's harder to capture any natural light.

When we bought the home, the flyer that advertised the house said "Media Room in Basement." We have continued to call it that even though we don't have any type of media hooked up in here!

In fact, we've done very little to this room thus far, but it's still one of my favorite rooms because of the mood lighting surrounding the trayed ceiling. It's unique to this room and I love it.

On the other wall is this large built-in entertainment center. Nate and I don't have a flat screen TV, but that will probably be our next big purchase. Until then, we just don't have a reason to use this room.

The basement is probably the most boring part of the house, because there isn't a lot to see or do down there. But I promise the upstairs will be a bit more exciting.

Want to see a little preview?

I made these letters for E's bedroom wall. Can you guess the theme? He loves it.

We'll go upstairs next.

My House Tour

2010-09-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our home; hanging in the entryway.

Since I'm realistic towards the fact that very few of you will be able to come visit our home in Iowa, I'm doing the next best thing:

I'm bringing my home to you.

Please come take a tour.

This is our first house, and we're very excited about it.

The front door has a vinyl "WELCOME" sign on it. I left it there, thinking it was original. Then I noticed almost half our neighborhood had the same thing. Perhaps not so original, but I still enjoy it.

Our entryway has a long, narrow window that parallels the front door. I have stood outside to "peek" in and determine what strangers can see, but it really isn't too much. And only when you crane your neck. Would you put up a curtain for more privacy? I can't decide. {See how the sunlight filters through?}

The entryway is almost like a hallway. Directly in front of you is a shelf, and the coat closet. To the left is the living room and to the right the kitchen.

The living room was painted this deep, burnt orange shade. I am much too lazy to paint it, but I was worried our furniture and decor wouldn't compliment it.

{Luckily our rug has some of the orange color in it, so we just had to tweak a few other pieces.}

The ottoman houses many, many cars, horses, balls, and buckets. All of E's favorites.

{PS - As you can imagine, it almost never looks like this with my little boy playing all day.}

There is another small hallway that leads to a half bath and the kitchen.

The half bath was painted the same burnt orange as the living room. I don't think it works as well in such a small space. And it clashes with the oak cabinets. Oh well.

The kitchen has two bold, red walls. I have never been a big fan of red walls, but I wanted to live with it for awhile before thinking about paint. We accented in bright greens and whites, which almost gives it a country feel.

{PS - I usually dislike country decor, but I didn't know what else to do with those red walls, and my white furniture. Any suggestions?}

My favorite thing about the kitchen is the size. It is large enough to house this beautiful hutch Nate's dear Aunt Becky gave us. She also gave us our kitchen table and 3 bar stools, all a matching set.

I love hand-me-downs.

{By the way, E went through a stage where he kicked and screamed if we dared try to put him in that high chair, so we removed it for the past 8 months. Now he adores it and asks to sit there all the time. Go figure.}

Well, that's the main floor of our home. Where would you like to go next?

Upstairs to the bedrooms?

Or downstairs to the finished basement?

If You Ever Wonder What We're Doing

2010-09-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

It's probably this.

We saddle the horses. We pick out the perfect jockey. {And in case you were wondering, only certain jockeys can ride specific horses. Just try to put the wrong jockey on the wrong horse. It's a tantrum waiting to happen.} We line them up perfectly. Then we pick them up every ten seconds as they fall over.

And repeat.

All day long.

I love my little cowboy.

Home Sweet Home {It Really Is...}

2010-09-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

The weary travelers. By the end of the trip, our expressions both matched E's.

Yesterday was painful.

My toenail fell off. Well, actually, the suitcase hit the previously-injured toenail and caused it to go from a horizontal position to a vertical one.

So I did what anyone else would do. I tried to ignore the pain and blood and pushed it back down.

Yesterday was also exhausting.

E and I bravely battled the Labor Day crowds at the Seattle, Minneapolis {and you must know how I feel about Minneapolis!} and finally, Des Moines Airports. And with only two meltdowns, one memorable, the other quickly sush-able. We made it.

Yesterday was a relief.

We pulled into our driveway and I walked through our house. Nate had cleaned it {vacuumed, even!} and it felt wonderful. Can a house feel wonderful? Because yesterday, I think mine did.

Yesterday, E and I had been gone for three weeks. Three adventurous, travel-filled, LONG weeks. Oh how I missed Nate. And I think E did too. He showed his longing for his father by being extra ornery to his mother. He has a unique way of showing emotions.

We started our travels in Las Vegas where my cousin Dan married his beautiful Shawna.

It was lovely.

And my Aunt outdid herself and threw a spectacular wedding. Have you ever been to a spectacular wedding? If not, I'm sorry you missed this one. It was truly memorable.

{There were many children there.}

Then E and I traveled to see Nate's family. We adore spending time with them and since it's not very often, we enjoy it all the more.

{This boy can be no happier than when riding a horse.}

And sometimes, when we visit Nate's family, we are also lucky enough to see my dear friend Natalie and her husband Cody. And this time, we were so lucky that we got to see their adorable baby girl, Londyn.

She is a treat. Trust me.

After our time in Utah, E and I headed to Seattle.

Why so soon, you ask?

Because my parents just sold the house they have been living in for 17 years and I went to help them pack, clean, and move into their new home.

And I know I should be sad they sold the house I grew up in, but I'm really not.

It was haunted. And often creepy.

And their new home is charming. And it's on a lake. So I prefer it much more.

And a visit to Seattle wouldn't be complete without seeing my wonderful friends. And E's little friends too. We miss them. A lot.

{I know this appears weird, but he loves her. I swear it.}

{Do these two look alike to you? The nursery leaders used to get them confused. And I think their personalities are similar.}

So Yesterday we came home. {finally}

And it feels wonderful, remember?

There really is no place like home.

What Do Stay-At-Home Moms Do All Day?

2010-08-12T06:23:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I read an article published in the Washington Post.

It was the Q & A section, and the childless reader was questioning what stay-at-home mothers do all day. She explained that she works 9+ hours a day and still has time to do all the laundry, house cleaning and errands that stay-at-home mothers claim to be so busy with.

{To read this Q & A, including the response from the Washington Post columnist, click HERE.}

My favorite part of the article?

Where the columnist explains that as a mother, it takes 45 minutes to do something that takes others 15.

My second favorite part?

When she delves into the MAJOR aspect of pre-planning that comes with motherhood.

"Trying to stay one step ahead of them, lest they get too hungry, tired, or bored any one of which produces the kind of check out line screaming that gets the checkout-line shaking its head."

That was Elijah and me yesterday at Hobby Lobby, thank you.

This article had such an impact on me because I {embarrassed to admit this} used to feel the same way as the reader!

When I was childless, I used to think it would be so easy to be a stay-at-mom. I mean, the kids nap, they play quietly with their toys, they are portable.

What could be difficult about that?

Then I had Elijah.

And life became a lot harder.

In fact, the first couple weeks after I had him, I had major jealousy issues with Nate.

Nate woke up in the morning, took a shower and headed to work. At work, you can take lunch whenever you want. You can go chat with co-workers during a break. You can sit in silence and not hear a baby crying 80% of your day.

In essence, Nate's time belonged to him.

My time belonged to the baby.

I was no longer free to do whatever I wanted. I had to do what he wanted, and at exactly the time that he wanted. No compromising.

Although it took some getting used to {and some maturity on my part} I've learned to LOVE my new life as a stay-at-home mom.

Yes, it's busy. And yes, many days I still count down to when Nate comes home so he can entertain E for awhile.

But I truly cherish the time that I have with my son. It's the most rewarding experience to be a parent, and although it's hard, I wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

Life as of Late...A Little Less than Normal.

2010-08-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been a bit crazy.

That was an understatement.

Really, the last few weeks have been filled with days that are random and spontaneous, busy, tough, enjoyable and exhausting.

And now things have slowed down.

Considerably.

So I am going to update you in this one (yes, ONE) blogpost. I am much too lazy to think about writing multiple posts right now.

I'm warning you, it will be random.

And probably boring.

Here goes:

E turned 2! For real this time. I can't tell you how happy I am that we threw a party for him in Washington. Because here is what his birthday in Iowa looked like: wake up in hotel room. Go to the new house with mom to wait for carpet cleaners. Nap in the basement. Go shopping with mom, where we buy ALL our food, including Buzz Lightyear cupcakes for birthday, and a toy since the presents we bought him were packed and our stuff doesn't arrive until tomorrow. Eat at IHOP for dinner (Hey, he really likes pancakes. Don't judge.) Play at an indoor Bouncy Place that is waaaay too old for a 2-year-old. (Now we know.) Huge storm comes. Power goes out for several hours. Happy Birthday to Elijah!

We are in our house. I like it. The other day Nate mowed the lawn for the first time (we live on a 1/3 acre) and it took him nearly 3 hours.

I think I like the Midwest. I'm not completely sure yet. You see, I hate the storms. They come every 2-3 days and the thunder is SO LOUD and the lightning SO INTENSE that it can seriously shake your whole house. And it wakes me up about every 2o minutes all night long. I'm over it. BUT I love that after the storm passes the sun comes out and dries everything so quickly that you would never know it poured all night. No overcast skies and endless drizzle? It's great.

People in the Midwest are really as friendly as you hear. The other day I was in the store with E and the man in front of me in line was chatting with him, and as he walked away he laid some money down on the counter to cover the one item I was buying. I was in shock. Nobody has ever done that for me before. I took the change and gave it to the local track team outside the store requesting donations.

My family came to visit! They were kind and oohed and ahhed over our new home while Nate and I searched and scrambled to find things to do in Iowa. They weren't the most exciting things (we're cheap and new here) but they filled our hot and humid (with the occasional storm) days. We toured the capital building, ate at a farm-themed restaurant, took a tractor ride, went sight-seeing at the Bass Pro Shop (ha ha), Experienced the rides, food, animals, and mini train at the Indianola Fair. Had a picnic and went swimming in the lake, saw Toy Story 3 (again), and my mom and I got a pedicure. Dear family, please come back soon. We're lonely.

Lately I have the most polite child! Seriously, he says 'thank you' about 7,425,527 times a day. He even thanks me for changing his diaper and for putting him in time out. Tell me this will last forever?

You have now reached the end of the longest post ever.

The Mishap in Minneapolis

2010-07-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

My travel companion and waiting-in-line buddy, yesterday in Minneapolis.

This move to Des Moines has been anything but easy.

Not in a we're-scared-to-move kind of way, but in that 1.) Nate's new company wanted him to start early. 2.) We can't get into our house until 2 weeks after the start date with the company. 3.) Our furniture, clothing, kitchen items, EVERYTHING won't arrive until next Saturday.

It's been one obstacle after another. And maybe this is just how moving goes. We aren't overly familiar with it.

Well yesterday was the creme de la creme of moving.

Elijah and I had a 1:oo flight from Seattle to Des Moines, going through Minneapolis for a quick change of planes.

I was prepared. I had 4 diapers, crackers, fruit snacks, granola bars, trail mix, licorice, cookies, and 2 sippy cups of juice. Oh and a portable DVD player with Toy Story 1 and 2.

And I needed every single one of those items.

We arrived in Minneapolis in a fury. As one of the last people off the plane, I worried we would miss our next flight that left in only 3o minutes (side note: you may not think so, but the Minneapolis airport is HUGE. Seriously, biggest airport I have ever been in.)

My worries were in vain.

When I checked the monitor in Minneapolis, I discovered Delta had cancelled my flight to Des Moines. CANCELLED. What does that mean?

I called Nate. He had already heard the news and jumped in the car for the 3 1/2 hour drive to pick us up. In the meantime, I was to go find a Delta representative and get a hotel voucher, food voucher, and hopefully a refund (wishful thinking, I know.)

The line was long. I mean, really long. We waited to speak to the ONE (Yes, ONE) Delta representative in a line of nearly 5o people. Apparently Delta had also cancelled a flight to Kansas City. Both problems were mechanical.

E and I stood in line for 2 1/2 hours.

And I learned something. He has more patience than I do. He ran around the terminal. He made friends with the elderly. He watched Toy Story on the floor. All while I stood in line fuming.

By the time I received our hotel and food voucher, it was 9:45 pm and Nate was downstairs trying to find my luggage.

We waited in another line to speak to another Delta representative and this one told us it would take over an hour to find our bags in this mess. So instead she lent us a carseat and told us we could pick up the bags (and E's carseat) in Des Moines tomorrow afternoon.

We checked into the hotel after 11:00 pm.

Although I may very well classify yesterday as one of the worst days of my life, my travel companion loved it. He thought we were hanging out in the airport to watch all the airplanes take off and to make new friends.

I wish I had his outlook on life.

But the good news is that we are HERE. We are in Des Moines, together as a family.

And our adventure can begin.

Little Buckaroo is {almost} Two!

2010-06-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Cutest cowboy outfit ever? Aunt Becky is amazing with her sewing machine.

This weekend we threw our little cowboy a birthday party, one month early, since we leave for Iowa soon.

We had a great time celebrating E with our friends and family while enjoying a rain-free Saturday at Kelsey Creek Farm.

Here's a recap of the day:

I designed these invites and sent them out a couple weeks ago.

Nate grilled hot dogs and provided a menu with 10 different ways to dress up your dog, including famous hot dogs from around the country (Dodger Dogs, New York City dogs, etc.). He provided all the fixings for a delicious hot dog {my personal fave? The Chilean Hot Dog: Guacamole, mayo, and tomatoes. Yum.}

There was a cowboy boot pinata that all the kids took a swing at. We lined them up and they took turns from youngest to oldest and I was AMAZED at how patient these kids were for their turn with the stick.

Our cowboy gave it all he had, but he wasn't able to break the boot!

After the excitement of 100 tootsie roll pops flinging to the ground, we sang 'Happy Birthday' and E tried so hard to blow out the candles. He almost sounded like a woman in labor with his short, quick breaths! With a little help from Mom, those two little candles were blown out and we cut the cake and served the little ones cupcakes.

I don't know which he liked more, the cupcake or the miniature horse topper. {He is clinging to it in his little fist.}

These images are a little smaller {oops, I downloaded them wrong.} But here I am with my sweet cowboy. Can you read his shirt? It says "Little Buckaroo." My friend Kami, also amazing with a sewing machine, made it.

The happy boy after all was said and done, playing with his balloons, please excuse the huge horse snout.

And I just HAD to include this short video clip. Seriously, you will understand why we needed to throw this little guy a cowboy party when you see it.

He truly believes he is a cowboy.

Happy {early} Birthday Buckaroo.

The 6th Year

2010-06-19T16:14:00.001-07:00

Today we are celebrating this.

And it all started with this.

{Yes, the worst photo quality ever. We didn't care about camera's in college.}

It's hard to believe how much 6 years has taught us.

And I still can't believe we are blessed enough to have this.

A little boy who eats too many crackers.

Today I am grateful.

Happy Anniversary.

Dear Seattle, We Will Miss You...

2010-06-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am aware this is the same picture as my header.

But it's Seattle...

We have called this area our home for 4 1/2 years .

Well, I have called it home for about 16 years, but Nate and I as a couple...4 1/2.

And although we are getting more excited for corn-country, we are really going to miss all that Seattle has to offer.

After you get acclimated to the rain, there are a lot of adventures to be had around here, and while we've done quite a few in the past several years, there is still a lot we feel like we've missed out on.

So we have made a list of all the "Unique-to-Seattle" things we want to do before we leave. Some we have done before, some we haven't.

Things like:

- Stroll Alki Beach (preferable on a non-rainy day)

- Take E to Seward Park

- Visit the Seattle Public Library (have you seen this building? It looks amazing.)

- Eat at Red Mill Burgers in Seattle...yum.

- Take E to the Rainforest Cafe (so the food sucks, but I think he will get a kick out of the animals).

- Eat at Chang's Mongolian Grill (this is an old fave that brings back a lot of memories)

Want to see some of our favorite Seattle things that we did these past several years?

Ok.

We love Mt. Rainier. Not as much as my parents do, but it's still filled with great trails, amazing waterfalls, and beautiful views.

Now I'm sure there will be many races to run in Iowa, but can I run them with some of my best friends or my Dad? Doubtful. I have run races with GREAT friends and several with my dad. Including a duathalon that we don't like to talk about.

This is a picture of Qwest Field (where the Seahawks play) and is right where the half-marathon I did last year ended. And on such a beautiful day!

Before E was born (B.E.) Nate and I ventured to a little gem called the Olympic Game Farm. There we watched slobbery buffalo's and whatever-that-animal-is-in-this-photo eat our bread and leave trails of thick drool all over our car. I know, makes you want to go visit, right?

Last summer we hiked Mt. Si on a beautiful September afternoon. We love hiking on heavily-wooded, green trails and Seattle is full of them!

So tell me friends, what are some of your "Unique-to-Seattle" favorites? What are some of the things we need to add to our list before we leave this area? Any favorite restaurants? Parks? Adventures?

One of the things that is making this move easier is knowing we will be back...often.Luckily my parents still live here and Nate's company is flexible with allowing him to work out of the Tacoma office so we can visit our family and friends without using all of his vacation time.

So even if we miss (thanks to this horrible weather) an item or two on our list, we know we will be back soon...as tourists!

Morgans on the Move

2010-05-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hanging out in Long Beach, WA this weekend, which is not where we're moving.

It began developing a month ago.

Nate had a job interview {which wasn't odd, in and of itself} for a position he didn't apply for. Well, I guess he had applied for a different position with that company before, but they called and asked him to interview for this other position {ok, ok, same position, different location}.

To be honest, we didn't think much of it.

Until he called me {I was in Arizona} and told me it was

THE BEST INTERVIEW HE HAS EVER HAD.

Gulp.

The very next day the company called again.

And we were officially in.

This past month feels like a whirlwind of emotions, trips {interviewing, house-hunting, trying to see family, and spending time with my family at the Beach this weekend}, and occasionally fear and/or excitement take over.

It's in Iowa.

That's right. I said Iowa. As in Des Moines, Iowa.

In case you were wondering, it's very farm-ey {is that a word?} there. And it's very quiet. Oh and there's no traffic and not a lot of rain. So that might be good.

Trying to look on the bright side here...

This really is an AMAZING opportunity for Nate. It's a great company, with great benefits, and from what we have seen his manager and co-workers are going to be awesome.

But it's still Iowa.

Who knows? Maybe we will learn to love all that corn. And maybe we will buy our little boy a John Deer tractor. And maybe we will enjoy having four seasons {snow anyone?} again.

We're going to try. This will be our home for the next couple years and who wants to waste time hating it? I promise to scope out the BEST of Iowa so that when you come visit me {you are going to come visit me, right?} we will have lots of Iowan fun.

Is Iowan a word? I need to keep up with the local lingo.

The Spokane Weekend

2010-05-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

I love throwing parties.

Almost as much as I love attending them.

And this weekend I got to do both.

We celebrated my Dad's 50th Birthday in Spokane with all of his family.

Which was fun because I really enjoy the eastern half of Washington.

Not only do I have wonderful grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins there, but it's also a lot quieter and slower paced on that side of the state.

And it rains a lot less, which I'm pretty sure I could get used to.

Here are some of the highlights:

{Sorry about the horrible photography. I need to work on that.}

I made my Dad a Memory Box with contributions {50, to be exact} from EVERYONE in the family.

Even Bryan. Kinda.

At his dinner, my Dad read aloud the memories. They were hilarious and tear-jerking all at the same time.

This was the adult section of the table, or as I like to refer to them: the lucky half.

The rest of us were at the other end with children.

A picture with my cousins.

I really have the greatest cousins ever. Seriously, they don't have kids yet {they were on the lucky side of the table} and they were kind enough to take my jumpy little boy and play with him, take him for walks all over the building, and have photo-shoots with him. Oh I love them.

We got to hang out with our Great-Uncle Roger, my Grandma's brother.

I absolutely LOVE this photo, because I think it captures E's personality perfectly.

Rachelle said he was all ready to take the photo and then right before they clicked the button, he grabbed her nose and wouldn't let go.

Before we left town, I wanted to show Nate and E the park we used to play at when we were growing up in Spokane. It's Riverfront Park and it is one of the coolest parks I've been to.

Danny and E were excited to go play on the wagon.

This is E hanging out solo on the wagon. Ok, Danny was holding onto him and ducking out of the shot. But it still looks cool.

They got a little dizzy riding the carousel.

It's always fun to spend time with family. And when you get to throw in eating cake too, it doesn't get any better.

Even when you have to sit on the kids' half of the table.

AWAY

2010-05-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Vacationing baby-free {since E wasn't born yet} in Venice, Italy 2007

Nate and I are about to embark on unknown territory.

Notice I said "Nate and I?"

That was on purpose.

We are leaving E with my parents {and his favorite person in the whole-wide-world, Danny}

And we are going away!

For three, that's right, three baby-free nights.

It's kind of surreal.

And although we aren't going anywhere fun, or doing anything exciting {in fact, it's for Nate's work} I'm just as excited as if we were going to Disneyland.

I have BIG plans for this trip.

Plans like reading a book...taking a nap on the plane...eating lunch with my husband...going for a walk DURING NAPTIME {gasp!}.

I am so excited.

Ok, and also a teensy bit nervous about being away from E.

We've only ever left him for one night before and although I know he will be having fun and loving time with Grandma and Grandpa {and of course, Danny}

I am going to miss him like crazy!

Any advice for this first-time-away-from-the-baby parent?

My friend mentioned the other day to NOT call my parents as much as possible, as calling would make me miss him more and that I should text message to check in.

I'm going to give it a try.

Maybe after I finish my book.

The First Time...But Probably Not The Last.

2010-05-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last night was our first experience taking a little boy to urgent care.

E fell sideways off the front step and hit his head on an upright brick in the flower bed.

He only cried for 10 seconds, so I just picked him up and told him we should go in the house.

Then he moved his hand away from his head, and A LOT of blood smeared down his face, and covered his head and hand.

I freaked out.

After we had everything all cleaned up, Nate and I debated for a couple hours if we should take him in to get looked at.

And we decided to play it safe and just make sure (with lots of encouragement from my mom. She is the Queen of telling us to go see doctors for any ailment.) So we went to Urgent Care, where they numbed it, cleaned it really well and delivered the verdict:

One stitch.

E screamed and screamed. He didn't like getting his head sewn.

We came home exhausted, and Nate and I couldn't help but think this won't be the last time this little guy sees an urgent care. He is incredibly active, and is constantly banging his head/other body parts into things. And he rarely ever cries about it. He's very tough.

Life with a little boy officially began last night.

Arizona

2010-05-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

My brother and his wife Whitney welcomed their long-awaited, much anticipated BOY in February. And I wanted to meet him.

And so did my friend Sarah {who is also Whitney's friend}.

So we packed up our babies {Sarah left her three-year-old little girl at home for some daddy-daughter time and brought her 6-month-old} and boarded a flight to Arizona.

And to be completely honest, we were also dying for some sunshine. Which I know you completely understand if you are living in Washington. Or have ever visited Washington. Or have even heard about Washington.

So here are the highlights...

{And I do mean highlights because between the three of us ladies, there were 5 children all 5-years and younger. You wouldn't have left the house either.

The plane ride there/back consisted of zero sleep and only one meltdown. Which is at least manageable. Oh and Sarah's baby doesn't cry. Ever.

Here is the adorable little man...Austin Stockman!

Sarah and I hanging out in Whitney's neighborhood. We took all the kids for a walk one day, and it just so happened to be the hottest day we were in AZ...about 95 degrees. We were practically running back to the house. We Washingtonians can't handle the heat.

E and I feeding the ducks at the park in their neighborhood.

Whitney's favorite thing to do is play with her i-phone. Here she is sharing the love with Emily and Avery.

One of my favorite things about this trip was getting to see my very first college roomie, Shayla. She lives in Mesa and we met up for lunch at Costa Vida {yum. seriously, yum.}

Doesn't her little boy look thrilled to play photo-shoot with us?

Here is what E did with Aunt Whitney and Sarah while I was at lunch. He kicked Austin out of the baby chair and adjusted the settings to 'vibrate' and 'music.'

When I got back from lunch, we decided to put together an exersaucer-toy for Avery. According to Whitney, it would just be a couple "snaps" and we would be done. Well, it ended up taking all three of us girls over 2 hours to put this thing together. It was beyond frustrating. Whitney likes to think of it as "bonding time."

Here are some other fun facts about the Arizona trip.

E loves Nutella.

And who doesn't? That stuff is divine.

Avery loves ice cream.

So we ate a lot of junk on this trip, can you tell?

E got a lot of quality cousin-time. And here's a tidbit just for my sister - he called Emily and Aubry, as one collective person, "Hannah" the entire trip.

And I had to throw in a photo of my big brother, Bryan. He was at work the majority of the time we were visiting, but it was fun to have him off on Friday so we could go out to eat and take the kids on a train ride.

And he's not angry. That's just how his face looks. Right, Whitney?

Oh and I've been FREEZING ever since I got off the plane in Washington. Seriously, shivering under the covers all night.

I'd never realized how cold it is here.

Free At Last

2010-04-26T15:20:00.001-07:00

That was the look in Elijah's eyes this morning.

I was in my room, chatting on the phone, and my bedroom door started opening.

After my initial mini-heart attack, I realized it was just Elijah.

Wait, Elijah?!

The little man who was supposed to be asleep down the hall?

Uh. Yes.

He did the toddler dirty-deed this morning and somehow scaled his little booty out of his prison/crib.

And from the debris in his bedroom, it appears he played with a few toys, books (and shoes) before proceeding to flee the crime scene by opening his bedroom door, walking his saggy-diapered-bum down the hall, and opening my bedroom door.

And there he stood looking at me with freedom ringing in his eyes and a binky in his mouth.

I'm pretty much assuming life is over now.

PS - The irony of the whole thing is that during this phone call I was talking to a friend about toddler beds vs. cribs and I was saying I think E will stay in his crib at least another few months, or until he figures out how to climb out.

I think I jinxed myself.

PPS- Don't judge me. We are working on losing the binky.

Where Have all the Knights in Shining Armor Gone?

2010-04-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I taught a baby-sitting class for the Red Cross.

This class requires A LOT of STUFF {baby dolls, diapers, bottles, games, backpacks, mannequins, etc} to be hauled into and out of the community center.

Seriously, like 5 full body bags and two large rubbermaid containers.

I couldn't help but notice on my 3RD trip from my car, struggling with my arms and back loaded down with so much stuff that I could barely walk, that there were men EVERYWHERE.

And not a single one asked if they could help me.

I made eye contact {with my arms full, trying to hit the handicap button on the door} with several of them and they just turned away.

And I started to wonder...

Is chivalry dead?

I thought the same thing last week when we were on an overcrowded bus at the Tokyo airport and there were older {and younger too, but it really bothers me with the older women} standing and clinging to a rail while the bus jerked around every turn. All while men sat in their seats next to them and looked out the window.

Seriously?

I know my husband was taught better than to do something like that, and I hope to teach my son the same thing.

So where does this problem originate? Are parent's not teaching their sons to be gentlemen? Or are the boys ignoring the teachings? Or am I just crazy and these two small instances mean nothing in the grand scheme of things?

So, I ask you friends...

Is chivalry dead?

And if it's not, please restore my lost faith in it.

Detour

2010-04-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

Our little family took a short detour last week to Okinawa, Japan.

My sister and her cute family live there and she graciously allowed us to stay with her {not to mention drive us ALL OVER her island, feed us, and turn her freezing-cold air conditioner down so we could feel our toes again}.

Don't you just love sisters?

Anyways, I know that vacation photos are super-boring if you weren't the one on the vacation, so I promise to only tell one or two short stories and only share a few of my very favorite pictures...ok?

Oh and these photos are in no particular order, meaning, this is not the order we did things in.

We toured an ancient Japanese castle, where the King-of-Something used to live.

{I'm not very good with Japanese names}.

Here's the throne.

Obviously, almost everything was written in Japanese, so it was hard to figure out what everything in the castle was with limited English translations. But this one was pretty self-explanatory.

Outside view of the castle. If you look closely, you can see my niece Hannah playing with Elijah. She is 6 years old and completely convinced that Elijah is her baby doll.

Here is one of my short stories: At the castle, we ran into this group of high-school aged kids on a tour. They were so excited to see us {Americans} that as we walked by a bunch of them started waving and calling out in English "Hi!" and "Hello!" They were thrilled to use the language they start learning in elementary school and to see Americans.

I have never felt like such a celebrity before.

My sister explained the Japanese are very baby-friendly {thanks E!}, especially to BLONDE babies since that is rare in their culture. I found this to be true almost everywhere that we went.

All over Okinawa, there are these random-placed vending machines with drinks. Seriously, like vending machines on a street corner. Everywhere. There's no way you could ever be thirsty. The really cool thing is the drinks themselves. Hannah bought a hot chocolate and it comes out HOT in a CAN. I bought a grape-flavored drink that had JELLO in it. It felt odd going down. {I'm holding the hot chocolate because it was too hot for Hannah to hold}

We spent a BEAUTIFUL day at the beach. We found hermit crabs, Hannah found a starfish, Danielle and Mario saw a blowfish and we RELAXED. It was great.

We spent an afternoon crusing Kokusai Street {I had to google how to spell that}. It's a cool place with tons of vendors, shops, a huge fish market and restaurants. Notice how the cars in Japan all drive on the LEFT side of the road. It freaked me out every time I was in the car with my sister.

We bought E this hat. We saw quite a few people wearing these in Okinawa, so when we saw it in a miniature size, it was a MUST-BUY.

Having fun on Kokusai Street.

One afternoon, Danielle took us to lunch at her favorite restaurant. It was really good. And we sat on little mats on the floor and had to remove our shoes. Doesn't Nate look like a pro with the chopsticks?

After lunch, we went to a park on the beach. The air was so humid and the water so warm that we let E dip his feet in, somehow forgetting that he is a ONE-YEAR-OLD and doesn't stop at the feet mark. He ran all the way into the water and got soaked. Luckily, Mommy-Hannah was there to take care of him.

This is a random photo, but Okinawa has a legend about these lion dogs, called Shi-Shi's. They bring good luck, and they are literally EVERYWHERE. In front of every building, on top of every sign...etc. So we had to pose in front of one.

We also hit up a huge aquarium. It has the second-largest holding tank in the world {or something like that}. Looks how massive it is. Oh and my nephew Logan is completely obsessed with that shark.

Outside the aquarium, there is a dolphin show. Now, I know what you are thinking "that doesn't look like a dolphin." I couldn't agree more. Danielle and I were so confused as to what that huge animal was, and since everything was spoken in Japanese we didn't figure it out until we were leaving the show and there was a plaque with {YAY!} English subtitles. It's a False Killer Whale.
I had no idea there was such a thing.

It was a great trip, and I'm so glad we were able to see my sister and her family. It's not very often we get to do that. And I already miss Mommy-Hannah taking care of my baby. She was so patient with him and entertained him ALL-THE-TIME. It's no wonder he learned a couple new words while we were there...AH-NAH {Hannah} and OH-NAH {Their bulldog, Fiona}.

Oh and I JUST HAD to include this video. E was pretty much a monster the whole time we were there {in his defense, he was WAY off his schedule}. And this video is being saved to remind Nate and I why we will NEVER AGAIN take our kids with us out of the country. As much as we love them.

No Bug-Repellent Needed

2010-03-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

We went camping last Friday night.

In our living room.

I was desperate for new date-night-in ideas and a friend mentioned she and her hubby had done this once and it was a lot of fun.

That was all the encouragement I needed.

Plus, E has never been real camping before, so this seemed like a safe introduction.

We set up the tent.

{This is a horrible view through the tent window}

Grilled hot dogs.

Went fishing.

Read stories.

Then Nate and I put E to sleep in his own crib

{luckily he has no idea tents are for sleeping, so we avoided a meltdown.}

And we roasted marshmellows for some delicious s'mores.
{I have a thing for s'mores, I eat them year round}

Then Nate and I played card games in the tent.

We were going to finish off our camping trip by watching the movie RV, but I fell asleep.

{And luckily we didn't see any yellow, blinking eyes when we got up to go to the bathroom.}

...other than Oreo's.