BGK

Potty Training Boot Camp

2012-01-03T21:01:00.004-07:00

Instead of listing all the many, many, many things we got for christmas, or posting about how I lasted until the late party hour of 9 on new years- I think i'll post about the thing that has taken up soooo much more of my time lately.

For the past couple of weeks Kenley has been showing tons of signs that she is ready for potty training; Telling me when she pees or poops, tries to sit on the little potty chair, tries to pull her pants down to pee in potty, watching me very interested when I pee (a little creepy, but i hear it helps?) Etc, Etc...
And somebody at every turn lending me advice (well meaning, albeit unsolicited) about how she's ready and "You know what you should do...." and "The sooner the better..."
So naturally I started feeling like a terrible mom for not potty training her sooner! How could I miss the signs!!
So I read up on the best techniques and asked friends, and decided to set the potty date!
I had the week after christmas off work so the timing was perfect!
I started by introducing the potty, having her sit on it clothed and get excited about it, reading books about the potty and watching movies about the potty.
A few days of this and we were all set with the regimen.

Day one-
We hunkered down in the kitchen so I could leave her bare bottomed to learn to notice when she pees.
This day sucked.
A lot.
I didn't even have time to shower.
But I had high hopes of progress!

Day two-
Still bare bottomed, we ventured hand in hand out of the kitchen to the bathroom.
She seemed to be understanding that Pee-pee doesn't go on the floor, although she couldn't quite hold it, but would just say "Uh ooooh" right before the warm yellow stream made its appearance.
I was able to trick her several times into going pee with the potty chair on the counter in the bathroom, the water running, while she played with the water.
We would scream, dance, clap, brush our teeth (she loves it) every time she pottied.
She's gonna get it!
The trip in the afternoon to see if she would keep her pants dry was a bust, but I still felt pretty good about it.

Day three-
About the same as day 2.
Only she would say "Pee pee!" So we'd rush to the potty she would plop down for 30 seconds, sing a song, then jump up clapping and shouting "Yaaayy!" as the dribble she just began pours all over the floor.
So in my mind, she's getting it right? (even though i'm slowly losing my mind, and have you noticed the word "Potty" has lost all meaning?)

Day four-
Better!
She even tells me when she needs to poop.
I have by this time learned the subtle body language telling me she's ready to potty.

Day five-
Same as day four, but i've realized there's no helping the little dribble preceding each pee.
Our trips come back with dry pants, HOORAY!
Uses the potty happily and tells me about 70% of the time when she needs to.
But I cave and buy pull-ups since she'll be going back to daycare and I don't want poor Tiffany to deal with pee all over her floors.

Day six-
Potty training... what potty training???
She refuses to use the potty or even sit on it clothed!!
She went back to daycare and (I guess) decided the big girl potty is not cool.
I don't blame Tiffany at all, there are just too many fun things to play with.

Since its counterproductive, we're not fighting Kenley on this. It frustrates me so much to have gotten so good, only to lose all momentum!
But we'll give it a bit, not push it, and try again when she starts asking to again.

Sigh... so close
By the way, I will be shampooing all the carpeted areas in our home.

Tis the season

2011-12-20T19:47:00.003-07:00

I haven't been very good at updating the blog lately, so let me try to catch up a little bit.
We went to see Santa at the festival of trees. I was a little worried that Kenley wouldn't want anything to do with him so I warmed her up to the idea by showing her Santa on the computer and we practiced telling him that she wanted a Dolly.
She LOVED him!! She was all smiles and even giggled when she saw him.
When Santa asked her what she wanted she said "Dawee puhweez!" and when she was given a candy cane -"Dank-oo".
I was so proud!!
Then she proceeded to destroy said candy cane, as well as her white top. (Thank goodness for Shout)

She's growing up so fast! It's so much fun!
She's reaching her "Terrible twos" and is becoming more independent.
Sassy pants tells me "No!" and "Top!" (Stop) regularly.
She's a really good eater, i'm amazed at the amount of food this dainty girl can put away.
She rambles on and on with stories that must be amazing, i just cant understand her. (I think she's speaking Chinese, yep that must be it)
She's learned to open and start the dishwasher.
She'll throw her toys out of their basket only to sing the clean-up song and put them back. She bobs around singing "Mean-up, mean-up, mean-up".
Elmo is her most favorite thing. She will dance around excitedly when he's on TV and yell "EHMOO! EHMOO!"
I'm amazed when she recognizes that little monster character everywhere. Even in the most abstract displays of him!
She's in a "baby-loving" stage, she wants to hug and kiss all the babies she sees :) Which naturally prompts many a cheek smooch from me, she puts up with it.

I will be posting again soon about all the toys she will be spoiled with this christmas! We actually have to move around some furniture to make room for all of it!
Lucky girl :)

Giving Thanks

2011-11-24T11:32:00.005-07:00

I feel like a blog post isn't complete without a picture, so here's Kenley playing in the snow for the first time this year:

She calls it "Nooowuh" in a reverent sort of way.

Isn't she beautiful?!

It's that time of year again when I really need to acknowledge all of my many blessings.

And there are a LOT to mention:

Discovering the cause of my migraines, and fixing it!

Boots

The fact that our cars have lasted as long as they have

Elmo

Discount supplements

Having so much family living so close

Heated seats

Part time work!

Awesome day care

Big hugs and kisses from Kenley

Time for my projects

Learning new and convenient technology

Temples all around

My sweet baby to share everything with

My man-child to make things more fun

Now i'm going to go eat my weight in mashed potatoes and then pass out in a turkey coma.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pa-weees!

2011-11-03T18:21:00.004-06:00

This Halloween, we took Kenley trick-or-treating for the first time. She still didn't quite understand what was going on, so we only took her to about 5 houses.

She insisted on holding onto a piece of candy in one hand, and one of our hands in the other.

We practiced ahead of time saying "Trick or treat" and "Thank you".

She was really good about saying "Pa-weees!" every time.

But once that door would open, she would freeze up, and say "Thank you" when the door was safely closed again.

Kenley thought each time she had to trade her candy for a new piece, so she would put the piece that was in her hand in the dish before picking a new one.

My dad came over to take Kenley around his office and he had white paint all over his bald head and face. Kenley heard her "Buhpa" and got excited, but once she saw him she refused to leave the safety of my legs.

She was totally fearless with all the scary stuff going on and would only look a little confused.

I think we had more fun showing off our cute baby rainbow bear than it was for Kenley.

She was the cutest plush-cheeked baby girl i've ever seen!

Punkin

2011-10-29T16:18:00.005-06:00

Today we went to the pumpkin patch.

It was gloooorious!

Kenley thought all the pumpkins were seats.

There was a pit full of corn for kids to play in.

(And adults in touch with their inner child)

Aunt Kari and uncle Jonathan came too

A small zoo-like area was amazing to Kenley! The giant pig was making all sorts of crazy noises.

It was super fun

Love-fest

2011-10-27T21:55:00.004-06:00

BJ has been kind enough to bring it to my attention that I am totally, completely and disgustingly in love with my baby girl.

But, how can you not be? I mean, look at this girl!! She's awesome!!

Haunted hay ride with creepy noises? No problem!

Ask me what a chicken says. I dare you. "Bawk bawk bawk!"

Then i'll giggle, cause I know i'm hilarious.

Lolli and Kenley, BFF's

A swing is called "Wwweeeee!!"

Touchdown!!

We're number 1!!

................

I rest my case.

Zzoooo!!

2011-10-08T17:15:00.004-06:00

Earlier this week it snowed... snowed!! And I panicked that I wasn't going to be able to go to the zoo this year.

So we packed up the car with coats and blankets, put on our warm hats and went to see the chilly animals.

Uncle Evan had his own stroller to push.

And yes. We played chicken.

Kenley ran all over that place and was amazed with the giraffes.

(See above right face for said amazement)

There was an exhibit of paintings done by the monkeys at the zoo.

Kenley ran her little self into exhaustion! She slept sweetly through all the noise, and transitions from stroller-to-car and carseat-to-crib.

On a side note......

I had thought that having my own baby would lessen some of my baby crazies.

But it has, in fact, gotten much worse.

Having my own sweet baby (especially such a healthy, lovey, giggling, cuteness smuggler) has turned me into mush.

I swoon over squishy babies.

I squeal in a high pitched baby voice over amazing stunts, like.... rolling over.

It's actually very annoying. My friend Shmeg even makes fun of me... which, if you know her, means i'm pretty ridiculous.

Also, Kenley is in the "Baby loving" phase. She sweetly says "Baby!" and wants to touch every baby she sees, everywhere we go.

Which of course I love, (because how cute can she get?!) and makes my baby-craze soooo much worse.......

Please forgive me when i tell you for the tenth time how adorable/sweet/smart your baby is..... I think it's a sickness, really.

Plus, your baby is really cute.

Paragliding

2011-10-03T20:07:00.003-06:00

Ever since the first time I saw those colorful parachutes at point of the mountain, i've imagined what it would be like if I ever got up the guts to do it.

And it was so much more fun than I imagined!

Here's BJ taking off.

It's the coolest sensation to just float up off the ground!

I really wanted a picture of me up in the air but I had the camera in my pocket, this was the best I could do.

(My instructor strapped to my back laughed at me when I said that "I shoulda worn cuter shoes")

I'm mildly terrified of heights and was more than a little nervous. I was afraid I would feel like I was constantly falling, but we just floated along at a surprising speed.

It was heavenly.

BJ's instructor was really funny, and did some tricks that woulda made me puke.

I asked him how he liked having a guy straddling him for a half hour.

He said: "I got his number. That's not weird, is it?"

Beyonce the metal chicken

2011-09-25T21:15:00.006-06:00

For some reason, for the past week BJ has been irritating me more than he normally would.

I can't really put my finger on why every syllable he utters = nails on a chalk board.

A few things have just gotten under my skin more than they would normally.

Like those socks he tosses half-heartedly and lets lie next to the hamper.

Or yelling at the football/xbox game.

I promise i'm a really nice person and haven't snapped at him or been (very) irrational! And I can't be the only wife who (very rarely) feels like this???

But yesterday morning, after a week of feeling irritated, I had my boxing gloves ready for a fight, I just didn't know what it was about yet.

We were getting ready to head to a birthday party at chuck-E-cheese, and I had pulled out clothes for Kenley.

After her bath, to my delight, BJ dutifully took her to get dressed. I walked into the living room to find them in matching outfits, with the clothes I had set out still resting on the arm of the couch.

They were in matching football jerseys.

I promptly threw a fit and demanded she be changed into the clothes I had sanctioned acceptable for our outing.

To which BJ responded by smugly snapping the final button in place on her top.

So naturally, this propelled me into a rage.

(Because who wouldn't be pissed that a loving husband got their toddler in clean clothes that would probably only stay that way for another hour at best??)

I stomped away to finish getting myself dressed and fumed for a few minutes.

That's when I heard the shower.

It was my chance!

I rushed into the living room and coaxed Kenley to let me re-dress her.

When i was done, I hid the mini jersey.

Yep.... really did hide it like a little kid.

I all but stuck my tongue out at BJ when he saw what she was wearing.

I got the cold-shoulder all the way to chuck-e-cheese, and I sat silently listing reasons why I was right and justified in my behavior.

But I couldn't really come up with a good reason why to get into a fight over it. I suddenly felt really dumb, childish, and ridiculous!

And I actually started laughing! Cracking up that THIS was the biggest problem in my life right now, and I had created it!

BJ looked sideways at me, i'm sure wondering if his wife had completely lost it, and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

I apologized and explained, and lost all feelings of irritation. (At least til my blood sugar dipped again)

I hope next time I wont be so bull-headedly stubborn and pick my battles a little better.

While thinking about picking my battles, I came across this story that made me pee-laugh cause it sounds like a fight we had a few months back about toilet paper :)

Hey, at least I didn't put a giant metal chicken in your way!

No more "Achy Breaky Heart"!

2011-09-14T20:19:00.006-06:00

I broke down tonight after weeks of debating.... and cut Kenley's hair...... It was time for the mullet to go!!

Had to include this pic -it's what she does every time she sees a camera :)

Now look!! No mullet and I think it looks great!

The only thing I worry about now is that she wont grow in any more curls. The mullet part of her hair had sweet little curls that I hope come back when her hair gets long again.

I kept one of those curls to paste into her baby book, that's what good moms are supposed to do right?

Lookie!

2011-09-12T16:12:00.003-06:00

I have been wanting a beach cruiser for soooo long! And a couple of weeks ago BJ saw a listing for this beauty on KSL which was within our (super frugal) budget.

So of course i needed it. It needed a little sprucing up though. Some paint and new hardware is well within my scope of capabilities.

(Notice the ugly purple sparkly-ness and can you see the cherries??? ew.)

And now it looks like this!!:

You're jealous I know.

I'm trying to finagle a way to make the baby seat sit back farther so I don't crowd Kenley, but i'm in love! I must work hard to get some good use out of it before it gets too cold. This'll be fun!!

Baby faces

2011-08-22T20:48:00.005-06:00

While admiring my giggling little girl, a lady from church told me that Kenley was "Losing her baby looks". Which made sad! But she's right, my beautiful baby girl is becoming a beautiful toddler-ette. I'll just have to learn to accept it.... sigh....

This is us waiting for the bath water to warm up and passing the time most effectively :) Pay no attention to the ratty t-shirt I'm wearing. Every day when I get home from work I immediately get dressed in baggy sweats. Sexy right?

Daredevil

2011-08-21T21:40:00.004-06:00

My dad's company had one of their annual shin-digs, and this time we got to tag along! It was up snowbird where we got to ride the alpine slide, zip line, chair lifts, bounce house, and chase those weird fat chipmunks around. Kenley LOVED it!

She couldn't quite stay upright in the bounce house, but kept giggling the entire time.

I kept her in her monkey backpack but didn't need it most of the time since she loves her uncle Evan and Grandpa so much. She actually demanded that they both hold her hands constantly.

Kenley got to go down the alpine slide twice. While waiting for our sled to go down the first time we stood watching as people took off down the hill, and she would cheer and clap her hands in delight. When I took her down first she kept yelling "Wooooaa!" and giving me big grins.

The second time she went with BJ and she had the most serene grin on her face the whole time, almost like it was even a little boring!

She's going to be quite the daredevil :)

The 16 Month Itch

2011-08-08T20:46:00.005-06:00

I've heard of this phenomenon before, but never thought i'd be so stereotypicaly mormon and want another baby so fast. But i've got the 16 month itch!

Every month that passes, I think of how old Kenley will be if I got pregnant right away. And then slightly panic for 3 reasons:

1. I want my children to have siblings close in years

2. I want to be done making babies by the time i'm 30

3. I remember how hard and painful pregnancy was and panic at the thought of doing it again!

My sister and I are 5 years apart and we're really close. But it's been difficult to always be in such different stages in life. And I want Kenley to have a sister!

I can't wait to be able to invite another baby into our family, but sometimes that horrible nagging part of my mind pops up and makes me wonder if I would be able to give as much love and attention to another baby as I have been able to with Kenley.

Family is so important to me and becoming a mom has helped me to look at life differently. My older brother and I have never been close, or even agreed on fundamental things. But Kenley is my first baby, she's the one that made me a mother, and she will always hold a special place for giving me that gift. And now, with that knowledge i've gained, I see my older brother through the eyes of my mom. It's helped me to gain understanding and make peace with my dysfunctional family relationships.

And if "what goes around, comes around" is the case with my daughters then bring it on! Because I still maintain that I was a treasure of a daughter, Mom ;)

Obsessions lately

2011-08-04T12:39:00.012-06:00

Lately I have been obsessed with following fashion and craft blogs. Especially the ones with tutorials on re-vamping or creating new clothes. I have a sewing machine that I need to learn to use better, so i'm searching for inspiration.

In my search i've come across outfit ideas that i'm in love with.

I am obsessed with this mustard-yellow color. Especially when paired with navy blue. I really want a pair of these yellow tights.

When I was little I had a jean jacket that I loved so I never really thought wearing one now would help me look like a woman instead of a girl. But the look of a jean jacket and a maxi dress is really growing on me, plus i'm a jacket girl for the structure they supply.

Every winter I cry for the warmth and the sun, once it comes and i'm sweating and uncomfortable I mourn for the cool autumn weather. I love the comfort and style of layering. Boots and scarves are my favorite accessories, it's true love.

I've been craving a pair of white jeans. I think they're so stylish and versatile. The only problem is finding the perfect fit-and-fabric pairing that won't show the line of my G's or my cellulite. (yikes!)

I LOVE shoes. Who says diamonds are a girls best friend? My shoe size has been the same for over twelve years and it wont change! I really like a little bit of style that's mens-wear inspired, and I would wear these brown boots every day if they were mine. And the yellow ones? I have no idea what to wear with them but i'm so in love it doesn't matter, right?

Also i've noticed that, without meaning to, i've been dressing Kenley and I the same some days. For example; if i'm wearing my plaid button down top, so is she. Or if I feel like dressing up, i'll get K all dolled up too.

Some days I see myself in her so much it feels like i've been cloned. Or..... maybe it's wishful thinking. I just want her to be my bff, is that too much to ask?

RunnerCross 2011

2011-07-17T22:28:00.006-06:00

I did my first actual 5k ever!

It was a relay and an obstacle course. We ran through a dirt course over hills, logs, fences, down a slip-n-slide and through paths of very sticky heavy mud.

It made me realize how out of shape I am and inspired me to really kick my own butt to get in shape for our triathlon this September.

By the end my entire body was caked in mud. It was the closest I've ever come

to looking tan. Kenley even loved watching and cheering with everyone. It was so funny watching her jump every time someone would cheer then see her face light up, scream in delight and clap her hands. Loved it!

I forgot my camera so the only shots we got were from BJ's phone but hopefully you can see the exhaustion and layers of earth all over us.

Karaleah Anne Prouxl

2011-07-17T21:43:00.007-06:00

Here are just a few of my favorite shots from Kari's wedding. Isn't she so gorgeous!

My sister was a beautiful bride and everything went perfectly

4 Inch heels and she was still teeny

My beautiufl mother (I was mildly obsessed with her dress)

My handsome dad

The happy couple.

The reception was held at Jonathan's dad's house and they did a lot of work to landscape and decorate. It turned out gorgeous and romantic. Kari and Jonathan looked so happy and couldn't keep their hands off each other. The photographer even got a shot of them grabbing each others butts (but the little girl in me said "Ewie! Cooties!" and I couldn't bring myself to post it).

Congrats baby sister! I hope this marriage is the crazy-about-you, madly-in-love, lasts forever partnership you deserve.

K-ranslator

2011-06-24T22:16:00.004-06:00

Now that Kenley is understanding more of whats being said to her, she is talking a whole lot more (on, and on, and on, and on...) But she hasn't quite mastered many words just yet.

I love her tiny voice and the way she pronounces these words. But for those of you who don't speak Kenley, I have developed this K-ranslator key for your convenience

Bup - Book

Nins - Nose

Moe - Mouth

Baaaohh - Ball

(For ball, her mouth remains open for several seconds after. Yes. She is special)

Mahma - Grandma

Buhpa - Grandpa

Ap - Paci

Toot - Cute

No no no no- I don't like it!

Nana - Banana

Dit - Drake

Tis - Toes

Dis - This

Pees - Please

Shuss - Shoes

Hiiiii! - Everyone look at me! I'm really cute! When you say Hi back, i'll prove how cute I am by giggling and waving!

When she leans in for a hug or a kiss it's usually accompanied by an "Mmmmmm"

And my personal favorite ----- Aaaah vooo - Love you :)

Um.... yay?

2011-06-09T21:27:00.004-06:00

My sister doesn't read my blog, but even if she did I don't think she'd mind this post.... very much.

Last week Kari was married to Jonathan Proulx and I would love nothing more than to be excited for them. But i'm not. I'm worried.

It was an exhausting week: Jamming in getting brides maids dresses, cooking for the reception, the bridal shower, making corsages and the bouquet, and many many more things.

Kari and Jonathan met just 2 short months ago. Two months!!!

You really think you can get to know someone well enough in two months (they were actually engaged after one month) to say you will be with them forever?? Well I guess you know where I stand with all this. It has been stressing me out.

It's not that I don't like Jonathan, It's just that I don't know him and neither does Kari. I have learned to rely on my instincts and my gut was telling me to worry.

Oh well.

They got married anyways, and i'm hoping for the best. My sister is kind of awesome and I have a hard time imagining anyone living up to my expectations for her. Maybe that's my problem?

Kari and I are really close and have always had a great relationship. Everyone knows how close we are so instead of voicing their concerns to her they were coming to me, pulling me aside or calling me to talk to me about how they feel this wedding is a mistake. THEN they would tell me that it doesn't matter how we feel, that it's her choice and we need to be SUPPORTIVE!!

Contradiction??? I think so!!

Anywho... I think it's pretty obvious that I've had a really hard time hiding my disapproval. But I really did want it to be a good experience for Kari. So at her shower I did my best to put on a happy face, mingle with all her friends from school, and take pictures.

At one point, when the party was winding down, I leaned in and whispered "When do I get my Oscar?" to Melody (my step-mom). My aunt Anne overheard and gave me a little grin.

Later at my house this little guy showed up!

It had my name on it with the caption "Best Actress". It made me laugh for real for the first time that week.

Thanks Anne!

I'll post more about Kari's wedding later, when I have all the pictures.

Alabama trip part 4- Carrie's wedding!

2011-06-05T16:51:00.004-06:00

It's been so busy for me that I haven't even thought about blogging about Carrie's wedding til this morning. But here's the short version:

We were able to be quite the team between the Driggers and Smithson's and create a beautiful wedding and reception for Carrie and Lee. I was so honored to be a part of it. I'm very thankful to have married into such a close family.

It was an amazing day for them. I have to say that Lee is a brave man to step up and become a step-father to two little boys. He's so patient and loving with them.

Carrie and Lee were sealed in the Birmingham AL temple, they were also sealed to Carrie's two boys Ethan and Malachi. It was such a special experience to witness this. When those boys came in wearing all white and silent (for the first time ever, I think) I lost it. I wish I could've bottled the spirit of that room, so that I could open it on hard days and feel better.

That night I was exhausted and all 3 of us slept a good 14 hours the following day.

BIG NEWS: Believe it or not.... Carrie and Lee weren't "not trying" to get pregnant.... and 2 weeks to the day of their wedding.... she got a positive pregnancy test!!! They've been married for almost a month now and looks like they will have an addition in 8 more.

.......And just got a puppy.... ARE YOU GUYS CRAZY??!!??

Alabama trip part 3

2011-06-05T16:31:00.006-06:00

After the aquarium we traveled to the incline railroad. It went up so high!! The boys were so excited to get on the train they were almost vibrating with excitement and rode the whole way up with goofy grins on their faces. It was a lot of fun.

Next we made our way to beautiful rock city. It was a gorgeous garden that the owner turned into a kind of theme park. Complete with little enchanted elf caves, and displays of fairy tails. It was so gorgeous I could have spent all day there.

Alabama trip part 2

2011-05-26T23:05:00.006-06:00

On tuesday Kim, Ethan, Kai, and the 3 of us made our way to Chatanooga. Or "Chaganua" as the boys would call it. We went to a HUGE aquarium. It was so much fun!

The boys were so excited that we were going to see sharks. Did you know that sharks growl? Ethan entertained us by snarling like a shark for most of the trek.

A few of our favorites were the baby alligators, sea horses, feeding sting rays and visiting the butterfly house.

The kids had a blast, and getting to cool off in the lazy river was the perfect end to our visit.

14 Months

2011-05-22T00:32:00.004-06:00

I've decided that I will forever refer to Kenley's age in months. If she continues to defy me and grow up I will show my disapproval in this small way.

She is constantly rebelling my wishes and progressing to such grown up things. For instance: Ask her where her eye is and she will say "Eyes!" and proceed to poke herself in the eye. Ask her to bring you a diaper or her shoes, without pointing at them, and she will.

We sent a video out to all the family of K. We were asking her where her tummy was and she was giggling and smacking herself in the belly. My dad called me and asked me who the little boy was in the video. He couldn't believe it was Baby K acting so grown up!

(I forgave him just this once for thinking my beautiful baby girl was a boy)

She has such a sweetness about her and I can't control myself from smooching her cheeks constantly. I'm sure every parent feels this way about they're own babies, but I know she's special and here with us for an important mission.

The other day we went for a stroll and K insisted on walking. She held my hand for most of the way, which I absolutely adored. She pointed at things, felt leaves, ran after Drake, and tried to eat anything that looked interesting. On the way back she noticed dandelion puffs, and was mesmerized by them. She was so gentle with them! I showed her what happens when you blow on them and she clapped then tried to mimic by blowing raspberries. :) Then the gentleness ended as she proceeded to tear them apart and throw them in the air. It was a sweet moment while it lasted!

Alabama trip Part 1

2011-05-21T23:32:00.009-06:00

We flew into alabama friday evening and stayed for a very jam-packed week. BJ had his 10 year reunion, and Carrie got married! In between I snuck in some site-seeing. But I'll talk more about that later.

BJ's 10 year high school reunion was great for him. But you know how it is when you get old friends together and you don't know anyone they're talking about. I felt a little awkward. I was also a little jealous, BJ had such a close senior class. We got to take a tour of the school and make bets on when Tiffany would cry (one of BJ's closest friends) They were a lot of fun later that night when we met at a bar to watch the senior video. I got to dance to some of the hits of 2001 while laughing at pictures of BJ in jorts, earings, gold chains, and socks with sandals.We did some porch settin' on a lazy sunday afternoon. I love hanging out with the in-laws :)

Everyone took a ride on aunt Teri's "car" as Ethan called it.

The new happy family.

This was the trip we discovered Kenley has allergies :( poor baby developed a cough, constant itchy eyes, and had a hard time breathing and therefore sleeping at night. We tried a few medications before settling on Allegra. What a difference it made! She was back to herself in no time.

This was just too cute: She got really hot running around outside so I changed her out of her clothes and she took off running and I couldn't stop laughing watching her run in just a diaper and tennis shoes.

She has a lil' swagger! Her hips swing when she walks with attitude. So of course I had to let her run free :)

4 Years

2011-05-20T12:57:00.003-06:00

4 years ago I made one of the biggest choices of my life. It was picking you BJ! And I will do it every day for the rest of forever. This year we were in Alabama for our 4th anniversary. BJ bought me these awesome running shoes, and surprised me with a night at the suite where we spent our wedding night.

Actually... I should specify that he dropped me off and left to go play basketball. It was glorious!

But before you think thats not as romantic as it actually was, let me tell you this: Since Kenley has come into our lives I have had ZERO minutes alone just by myself. I value my quiet time a lot more now. Also we'd been staying at BJ's parents who are extremely giving and loving people. But the house was packed, and the Driggers' consider everything in the house to be communal. Including space.

So I would be dead asleep and in walks someone wanting to watch TV in the room we're sleeping in. Or I will be in the bathroom and one of the boys will try to come in and be so upset that I lock the door, which I guess never happens.

Needless to say I was about to crack!

So letting me spend some time alone in a beautiful room with my good friend- midnight milky way- was a great way to celebrate four happy years of marriage. We stayed and slept in the huge bed until check out time at 1:30. Amazing.

I love you so much BJ and look forward to many many more happy years!!

Kari's getting married!

2011-05-03T10:13:00.009-06:00

^This pose was a joke. Promise.

My sister Kari got engaged super fast and is getting married super fast. She's a great catch and I knew that someone would come around and want to snatch her up fast for their own. But I'm not ready! Sorry Jonathan! You can't have her!

They're disgustingly in love. In that stage that makes me say "ew" a lot. But i'm really happy my sister was able to find a great guy that makes her so happy.

That makes for 3 weddings this year in our family. Carrie Driggers is marrying Lee Smithson next week. My brother Chris is finally marrying Kari Dolan this September. And now Kari and Jonathan are locking it down on June 4th.

Ready. Set. GO! Just finished my last final so on to the next project... Weddings!

Walking

2011-04-29T00:28:00.007-06:00

We live exactly 2 seconds from an elementary school, so when it was sunny we decided to go play on the playground.

What does a tiny girl do when she's mastered walking and its the best thing ever? A whole lot of this!

With all these fun things to play on all K wanted to do was walk back and forth from the concrete to the squichy playground ground.

She did, however, venture once or twice over to the slide.

Climbing out was a trick she hasn't mastered yet, but it was so funny to watch! She grunted and panted and did some pretty impressive yoga poses getting on/off that yellow slide.

She couldn't quite master the grass either.

When BJ was done with his run he joined us to walk us home. K loves her dad and giggled while riding on his shoulders.

I love her!

Husbands and other nonsense

2011-04-11T17:05:00.005-06:00

There's nothing like seeing a terrible marriage to make you appreciate your own imperfectly perfect marriage. Or make you want to run home to hubby, hug him and apologize for anything and everything, and make silly promises like "we'll never fight again! promise!". Not that we've been having any problems lately. But I've recently had the opportunity to witness up close and personal a couple that has problems. It makes me really sad.

Afterwards I immediately had to call BJ to tell him I love him. I don't think he understood where my mood was coming from. He always chalks that sort of thing up to me being a "girl".

Lets face it-

Couples fight

Bicker

Get sick of each other

If you think being married is all cotton candy and hugs, sorry to tell you that you're gonna have some of your worst fights with the one you love the most.

But I'm so grateful for BJ. There's no one I would rather argue with.

This has been sort of an off week for me. I've been grumpy and out of sorts. Not only because I've started a new job, but I feel like i'm drowning in my last few weeks of school.

So when the basement flooded, I did NOT want to deal with the mildewy smell and having to sleep on a mattress on the floor in the living room. Yuck. The clutter and jumbled furniture surrounds my space at home and makes me anxious and upset.

But yesterday, on one of the only days BJ has off, he bathed, fed, played with, and changed diapers for K girl. He taught our rowdy class of boys at Sunday school. AND he made dinner.

I'm so lucky to have such a loving and hard working husband.

Maybe I won't nag him this week.... Maybe

Kenley is 1!!

2011-04-08T10:30:00.005-06:00

Kenley turned one and we celebrated in style! She was not shy at all with that cake :)

Could she be any cuter?

I wanna send a big THANK YOU to all our family and friends that made it a fun success!

Dearest Kindle,

2011-03-22T22:52:00.004-06:00

I must admit to being a little shy and apprehensive when we first met. I would ask myself "Do I really need a Kindle in my life to be happy? Or should I learn to love myself first?" Those first few tentative weeks were full of "getting to know you" intrigue and excitement about what could be. I was amazed the first day you delved deep in your soul to show me the top 100 FREE books. That week was a turning point in our relationship, and we would stay up late at night reveling in murder mysteries and tales of magic. I realized my deep feelings for you when I couldn't imagine my future without you. But was it too much too soon? I was scaring myself with the admission!
But that was when you hooked me with a new series, and the joy grew.
The day we had our first fight was a memorable one. They say the first fight in a relationship can ruin it. I wanted you to stay in near-mint condition, and you wanted your face to be cracked. Such a sad day. Thank goodness we were able to mend our troubled relationship with the help of a warranty and some much needed time away.
Now we are inseparable! I ignore the ones who are jealous of us and want to tear us apart (BJ) Those glares and subtle "kindle hiding" aren't lost on me. Because the day came when I realized I wouldn't be the same without you. It was the day I looked in my archived content and noticed the number there.
36 books!
Could it really be? I have been changed and can't walk away from this unscathed any longer.
You have changed me forever with your never-ending supply of books.

I love you Kindle
Love,
ME

Stupid exercise...

2011-03-22T22:09:00.003-06:00

I used to be very fit. Being in track and two soccer teams forced me to be in prime condition in my teen years. Since then, having a desk job hasn't helped me maintain very well.
Being pregnant was impossibly hard to know how to "gain healthy weight". Which for my body apparently meant "save everything!". It took me until Kenley was 6 months to be back to pre-pregnancy weight. Hip size is another issue. How can you be the same weight but have such impossibly different measurements??
On top of that is my complete sugar addiction.
And I don't say that lightly. When I say "addiction" what I really mean is: I could eat a candy bar for breakfast and skittles, gummy frogs, and diet pepsi for the rest of the day. Which amazingly doesn't make me sick.
My favorite Easter candy has got to be Cadburry eggs. Yes, those giant creme ones.
The other day Fresh Market had a sale and I purchased five. Thinking that I had any sort of self control.
Silly me.
Later that day, I was surprised I wasn't hungry, when I realized to my disgust that I had eaten FOUR of them! Not my finest.
So to recap that day: Banana and cheerios for breakfast, FOUR Cadburry Eggs for lunch/dinner
It's amazing I've survived this long.

So back to exercising.... I realized that I had to pump up my physical activity if I wanted my weird body to snap back into shape. So I took up my old hobby and decided to run again.
I've never been one of those lucky petite girls. I've always been the tough, contact sports kind of girl. And I like to attribute my extra "thickness" to being kick-ass.
My stomach is still strange, since being pregnant, and every now and then I feel like I might jar something loose. Frightening.
I still feel like I'm punishing myself by running, and force myself to run mile after mile all while chanting "swimsuit season" which terrifies me enough to run a few extra laps.
I thought I might make myself feel better and buy proper (cute) running attire. I bought some running pants that are more of a flare leg that help me look less like a weeble as I run along, but they tend to collect more earth than I would like.
These miles have only recently been getting easier, which is really good since I'm starting to get incredibly bored with it. Do people really get a "runner's high"?? And of course, BJ has to come along and run faster an longer than me his first time out in months.
I'm starting to notice more tone and energy, but over all it seems I'm only exercising to keep my sugar habit. Sigh.

First Annual Kenley Extravaganza!

2011-03-10T15:32:00.006-07:00

Do you remember this sweet thing?

It feels like I was just barely pregnant and brought home this tiny sweet bundle, those first few weeks were a blur of short naps and drowsy smiles. It was a dream.

Every new stage has become my favorite. But I'm not gonna lie, I miss my roly-poly baby that would stay put. Now Kenley is much too busy to sit still for anything.

Some new things she does now:

First words-dada, mama, and now thank you!

Snuggles only with dad, he can do no wrong :)

Crawls like a maniac

Starting to walk, makes several reckless steps before face planting

Loves being chased

Insists you feed her what you're eating

Much more interested in things and tools than her plethora of toys

Gives hugs

Blows kisses
Hides things in our shoes

Will go to anyone

Talks herself to sleep

Hugs her stuffed monkey

Insists on turning the pages of her books herself

Loves cranberries and giggles while she eats them

Loves her reflection

Clicks her tongue to entertain herself

Laughs if you laugh

Fake cries

Fake Laughs

Laughs until she falls over

Reaches up when she wants to be held (and usually whimpers "mama")

Will yammer on for several minutes about something very important and serious

Thinks sneezes are hilarious
Has a TON of attitude.

I can't believe she's starting to become a little girl. I really can't wait til she starts to talk because those faces she gives us are priceless and I can't wait to hear what she means.
This little girl warms my heart in new ways every day and when I have time, we play until my stomach hurts from laughing.
BJ and I have always had an incredibly close relationship, but the bond of having a child of our own has brought us closer than I ever thought possible. And I thank our heavenly father every day for sending us this perfect little girl to protect and nurture.

Everyone is welcome to attend her birthday celebration this Saturday at 2. Come eat and play with us! Call/text for directions

Funny Girl

2011-03-02T22:54:00.003-07:00

Kenley thinks everything BJ does is hysterical. He was making a funny face at her, and this is how you can tell she's just about ready to pass out.

Love this girl!!! I can't get enough of her funny face!!

We bought the whole seat but only used the edge of it!

2011-02-19T00:19:00.004-07:00

What does a non-romantic couple do for valentines day? You might ask.

Well for this couple, we were able to sit under the moonlight, lovingly hold hands, and enjoy some quality time at a Monster Truck show!

It. Was. Awesome.

It was a surprise for B.J. that I was really excited to do for him. I'm not the best at keeping in my secret surprises for him :) yay me!

I'm usually too much of a people watcher to really know whats going on at an event, but my eyes were glued to the arena for every race and I got excited every time they would rev the engines. Those giant-wheeled trucks don't have the best turning ability, but it's amazing what kinds of stunts they can perform.

And the little kids behind us "ooo"ing and "ah"ing while wearing cute ear covers that looked like giant tires were the icing on the cake. So cute!

(Here we are pictured with everyone's favorite truck "Grave Digger")

My sister Kari came over to watch Kenley for us. We took full advantage of it and went to Bruges Waffle and Frites (pronounced Freets- as seen on Man v. Food) in Salt Lake. Amazing. I recommend the cinnamon waffles.

I love having these new adventures with my man-boy and look forward to years to come of many more adventures. It was a good valentines day.

I kind of like you B.J.

Holl-A-day

2011-02-04T20:16:00.006-07:00

We've moved! Hopefully the last time for very long time since I really like the house, and the area (plus I HATE the hassle of moving). Drake has a nice big, fenced backyard to play in and Kenley has a very cute little room for herself.

Our friend Tasha said it's a "happy little place" :)

I was excited to move to Holladay because my Aunt, Grandma and other family live here and have always told me how much they love it here.

We really got lucky finding this place, it's so close to work and school. There are a lot of young families too!

I am, however, a little worried about fitting in. What I mean by that is:

Our cars are an Accord and a Jetta + I haven't seen so many Subaru Outbacks with bike/snowboard racks in my life = I hope we can prove to be outdoorsy enough to play with these folks.

My morning jog in my sweater I've worn since high school and yesterdays mascara making me look at raccoon-y+ Tiny, beautiful women jogging in brand name sports attire in full makeup and hair done = Thank goodness for 24 hr gym memberships!

Our very modest furniture + the million dollar homes decorated to the 9's down the street = Holy inferiority batman!

We haven't even been here 2 weeks but I'm learning that Holladay is a whole new subculture of Utah that I never really knew about. People that have lived in Utah for years don't know exactly where it is, and misspell it like I did (but don't worry! know-it-all-BJ set me straight on the spelling)

Of course BJ is so excited about all the snowboarding peeps that I'm a little worried I wont see him at all in the winter months. But we're excited to be living in this cute place with our little fam and I'm especially excited to see what trouble I can get into here.

Mom

2010-12-08T13:59:00.006-07:00

There has never been a time that I needed my mom where I wasn't able to go visit. I've always had the chance to drive to her home and use the quietness or borrow her ear to complain. Now, because my step-dad has a great job opportunity, they're moving to West Virginia. It's actually a blessing for them since David has been struggling to open his own business in provo and hasn't been succesfull.

It's a tiny town called Lewisburg. My mom has always loved the "small town" kind of life so its pretty perfect. It hasn't really hit me til recently. Now she's leaving tomorrow and i'm going to have to get on a plane if I want to see my mom. I'm really going to miss her here, but at least she'll have fun with the little stores like this!

Happy moving mom! I not-so-secretly hope you guys hate Lewisburg and move back soon!Although I do hope everything goes great for you guys there, love you!

Santa!! I know him!!

2010-12-06T15:00:00.005-07:00

On Saturday we went to the mall and got to give Santa our wish list. Santa asked Kenley "Waht do you want for christmas, little girl?" With which she replied by grabbing his beard.

I was thoroughly prepared to see my baby scream once in Santa's lap. Santa, with his long beard and bright red clothing, can be pretty scary looking.

But she actually took one look at him, smiling at her, and giggled!

It was so precious!!

And she really enjoyed the rest of the day we spent christmas shopping at the mall.

Yup, she's my daughter!

Look what I can do!

2010-11-25T14:58:00.008-07:00

Kenley gets bigger and smarter every day! She's so beautiful and I can't believe I got so lucky to get to raise such a fun, sweet little girl. Each time she learns a new "trick" she does it non-stop for 2 days and giggles when you watch her.

A few of her favorite new things are:

Waving

Giving High fives

Clapping

Crawling

Pulling herself into standing

Feeding herself cheerios

Scratching/hitting things to make noise

Getting chased

Running her hands across the bars of her crib

Singing

Talking

Squealing

She just recently learned how to climb the stairs and will bee-line for them any chance she gets.

If you're not looking at her and she wants your attention (or singing to her, or have a beard), she will cock her head to one side and gently touch your face.

I can't wait til she starts talking and I can learn what those faces she gives me mean! It has got to be some funny stuff!!

My Thankfuls

2010-11-22T16:39:00.007-07:00

This Thanksgiving I have so much to be thankful for. Heres a quick list of some of my favorite blessings:

-My family
-Heating (especially the heated seats in my car)
-A Dishwasher (now that I finally have one to use I don't know how I ever went without one)
-Diapers
-Netflix
-Hot showers
-Kenley sleeping 12 hours at night
-Mineral Makeup
-My cell phone
-Cheerios
-Diet pepsi
-The end of football season!

And a very happy thanksgiving to Carrie Driggers!! Soon to be Carrie Smithson this coming May!!

Blog satisfaction

2010-11-21T23:04:00.002-07:00

I cant seem to fall in love with anything i've done to our blog. Please bear with me as I try once again to create something that I will be satisfied with for a while.

Money-Bags and Gold-Diggers

2010-11-11T13:11:00.005-07:00

I am hopelessly addicted to TV and love to have it on to keep me occupied or just as background noise. I cant stand to have a quiet house, if its not the TV I have my ipod playing while I flit about the house cleaning and doing homework.

I feel better about using my ipod since a lot of the time I'm listening to audio books. (thats better right? gotta keep these things balanced!) But my TV addiction has exposed me to the trashy-dirty-self indulgent shows I cant turn away from.

(I even gave Dr. Phil and the Trya show a chance, but even this addict cant stand those big mouth, self-righteous hot air balloons. Who gave them a microphone in the first place???)

But one show I started watching and now I can't seem to tear my eyes away from the carnage- The millionaire matchmaker. Which I lovingly refer to as "Money-bags amd Gold-diggers".

I really don't understand how this crude, intrusive, surly woman is so successful. Especially since I haven't seen an episode yet where the matched-up couple actually sticks.

But STILL, i'm amazed at the amount of men and women that line up and stand through her abusive scrutiny!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised what people with no self-respect are willing to do for money.

I joke with BJ that my next marriage will be for money, or maybe I should just have a rich baby-daddy.

But really, anyone that snags themselves a millionaire will earn every penny-Ms. Patti has proven that to me!

On a crafty note

2010-11-07T12:16:00.003-07:00

Look what I made!!

It was our wards relief society craft exchange yesterday and I learned how to do so many fun things!

Just a few of the crafts:

Little girl purse/baby doll carrier

Christmas sweaters

Beaded watch bands

Ruffle-y t-shirts

Hair bows

and these head bands...

We also had a "tasting table" so we could taste the recipe before taking a copy and trying it at home. I have so many talented women in my new ward. I'm looking forward to learning from them.

(not the greatest quality picture but I thought her face was priceless!)
Do you ever have those "blah" days? Where nothing is really bad or wrong but you're still in a funk? Well I have the cure for your "blah"s! Go bowling with fun people like Morgan, Phil and Maddie! And hopefully you will, like us, have a sweet little bowler neighbor girl who just wants to hold your babies hand, and Maddie will bust out her awesome break dancing moves.

Updates

2010-10-18T14:01:00.011-06:00

My last blog was back in september, yikes! I have a few updates so heres a quick rundown of our recent activities.

For Halloween: We helped my dad and step mom move into their new house, which is great because its one-level living so my dad (with all his back and weakness problems) doesn't have to use stairs! Which have been getting more and more treacherous for him.

Kenley had a hard time finding a quiet place to nap all day, so the hour+ long drive home was full of baby screams. When we got home she passed out in her crib for the night just after 6, poor baby :(

This was the first year BJ and I didn't dress up and go somewhere Halloween-y, and I love celebrating it but was just too pooped to do much else but stay in and watch something spooky.

Grandma made Kenley a flower costume which stayed on just long enough to take pictures.

Also- My baby crawled for the first time today!! She only made it about a foot but she's getting there! That shouldn't be exciting to me, I keep telling her to stay a tiny baby but she's getting so big. I'm tempted to tie her little legs to make her stay imobile, my sweet girl is growing up too fast!

I unpacked the last box!! There may be a few framed pictures still in it but i'm counting it! I hate moving and i'm glad we're done for a little while.

I've been trying to get through this semester. I really like my torts class but I dread public speaking. I leave almost every time with a headache. Can I just say I will never work as a public speaker? I don't know exactly why i'm such a wreck delivering speeches, singing or playing music I can do, but put note cards in my hand and every single insecurity I have in me comes blaring to life.

Lately, I've had the urge to be crafty. I made halloween blocks, necklaces, little onzies with ties on them for the brand new little boys in my life and matching burp cloths.

(Sweet baby Riley modeling)

I also tried my hand at some Bakerella Cake pops, which you can find here. But mine turned out to be chocolatey lumps of sadness. Along with a missing green thumb, I did not inherit the "Good Cook" gene... sigh.....

WANTED

2010-08-30T21:39:00.008-06:00

Husband for Football Season

Duties include:Attending family functions, Not flaking on date-nights, the occasional best-friends'-kids'-first birthday party, Saying "uh-huh" when you've actually heard what i've said, Wearing something other than the "lucky team hat" which is dirty and stinks, Never yelling at the TV or using the phrase "right in the kisser".

Qualifications: Must either hate or have a strong sense of boredom when watching anything football. ie: pre-game show, "the big game" (which, i guess, they all are) , half-time show, post-game highlights/discussion.
Must love to: hike, swim, bowl, spend time with good friends, have all-around fun.

Compensation: A strong feeling of fulfilment and well being, the chance to play with some fun people!

If you have any inquiries or interests in this exciting job opportunity, come on over! I will be the one wearing this--

Holy raspberries Batman we're in a jam!!

2010-08-20T20:09:00.003-06:00

Kenley did the funniest thing today and made us cry with laughter!

Babies are gross

2010-08-15T22:29:00.007-06:00

They put everything in thier mouths

They spew rivers of spit-up

And when they're done doing this ^ they don't smell like roses.

But they still manage to be adorable in the process, so its ok :)

Girls Trip!

2010-08-11T12:25:00.029-06:00

We had an impromptu girls trip to visit family in washington. It was so much fun!
On one day we went to dash point beach and it was such a beautiful day I couldn't help but take a bunch of shots.

Got to see my favorite Lindsey again!

Cousin Danelle loves the water

Sister Kari is so photogenic don't you think?

Kenley loved watching everyone at the beach but didn't like the water or the sand, but i'm holding out hope she will when she's older!

She loves her auntie Lindsey

This is a painting my cousin Danelle did for her last year at girls camp. She is so talented!

On another day we went to the fair

Kari found her favorite flowers, daisies!

The food at the fair is super-sized. Thats no donut, thats an onion ring

Kenley loved when we shared our mountain sized shaved ice

Cutest thing ever, Kenley was giggling and trying to grab the alpacas

We got to meet up at the park with family I haven't seen in years and I finally got to meet my new cousin Daphne, isn't she beautiful? I also finally met my 2 new aunts Amanda and Rachel, my uncles did good with these two!

Grandma oblivious to Kenley tearing up the table cloth :)

We spent a ton of time on the road and my sister was saying some pretty hilarious things, here are a few of my favorite:

The tanker truck advertising coffee and Kari Saying "is that truck carrying coffee?"
"Have you ever seen your reflection in a window or mirror and thought 'hey that person looks a lot like me!'?"

"You know which place I mean, the place where the dead people live?"

I'm glad we were able to go and spend some time together before everyone moves on; Kari and I going to school and my mom moving to west virginia.

Such a fun trip with some of my favorite girls!

Seriously

2010-08-07T20:55:00.016-06:00

How adorable is this little girl?!

She snorts when she laughs really hard and cries

She wakes up with a big goofy grin

She'll stick her tongue back out at you

She's fascinated by her toes

She sucks on all four fingers because one thumb is just not enough

She blabs on and on in her baby talk raspy voice

She always makes her eyebrows jump before a smile

She hates her car seat but loves watching things pass by the window

She gets bigger and chunkier by the day

And she was well worth the wait

Tonight

2010-08-04T22:31:00.005-06:00

I'm exhausted. It was a long busy day. One that makes me feel good and productive. But still exhausted.

It started with a trip to the doctors. It was Kenley's 4 month appointment, which means shots :(

She gave me this face on and off all day: It broke my heart. These weren't her normal cries with easy comforting, these were soft pathetic raspy cries that had me holding, singing and rocking her all day. The tears she has now make it 10 times worse! (if you've never notived, newborns dont have tears)

Her measurements told us this: Weight-50th, height-82nd and head-90th. I coulda told them she had a huge noggin!

When she would drift off to sleep for 20-30 minutes at a time, I would pick up the books to study for my last 2 finals (almost over!) But I'm burnt out and ready for it to just be done! So I took on the task of re-arranging all the furniture in the house. Our house is pretty tiny, but I moved and cleaned everything. So it kept me busy and running back and forth to the shed all day.

You know that feeling when every last dust bunny in your house is dead? Thats a good feeling!

I had just gotten Kenley down for another cat-nap and was in the process of moving the couch, when someone threw a rock at the window! Or so I thought... I ran to the back porch only to hear more hitting the front door. Then the pelting really began. It was so loud! I realized it was hail and remembered that I left the shed door wide open and ran to save all our junk through these huge suckers---

Thats the size of ice I like to have in my drinks! Those crazy clouds!

After it died down, the thunder and lightening started again that had been going all last night and Kenley was in need of another good cuddle. After a struggle I finally got her to sleep around 10 and then got all the furniture in place in time for BJ to get home.

So here I sit, tired and covered in the grime of deep cleaning, but satisfied and wanting to remember this feeling; In todays chaos, I was reminded that this is everything I have ever wanted-a life to share and make better with my own family. It was a good day-and tonight I'll sleep like a rock!

Kari, Kari, Carrie, Kris, Chris, and three Ray's

2010-08-03T22:43:00.004-06:00

I have a task ahead of me to distinguish all the aunts and uncles in my family for Kenley. It's kind of confusing as it is:

Kari Dolan (My brothers fiance, soon to be Kari Bryner)
Kari Bryner (my sister)
Carrie Driggers (BJ's sister)

Carrie is a hair dresser, and my sister Kari is going to beauty school to become a hair dresser.
What do you think I should do? Nick-names for all? Or # them 1-2-and 3?
Oh, and they just happen to all be adorable.

Kris Driggers (BJ's brother)
Chris Bryner (my brother)
These two also happen to have the same birthday. Crazy right?

Ray is a family name on both our sides. My grandpa was Ray so my brother Evan has Ray as his middle name. So do BJ and his dad.

We're planning on naming our first boy after BJ, so there would be 3 Bennett Ray's in the family.
I hope Kenley isn't too confused!

Road Rage

2010-07-23T22:22:00.002-06:00

With all the driving I have to do lately, i've made a few observations:

1. When i'm in my car I have a false sense of security that drives me to act in inappropriate ways.
2. I have very little patience for poor drivers
3. My impatience and feelings of invincibility prompt many horn honks and hand gestures to these poor drivers who could quite possibly be serial killers.

Although on some level, I'm worried that one day I might be tracked down by some unsavory character that i've offended. All caution is thrown to the wind when, in a single hour, I share the road with the following people:

-The person who turns his blinker on and is shocked that I don't magically disappear when he tries to merge into me.
-Somebody digging in a bag on the passenger seat and swerves halfway into my lane.
-Stopped at a red light, the person in front of me doesn't notice when the light turns green. Leaving me stuck for another rotation.
-The person going 20 in a 40 mph zone (always when i'm running late)
-The one who doesn't understand that, even though the light is red, after you stop you CAN turn right.
-The people who don't know how four-way stops work.
-The aggressive driver that likes to drive as close as possible to my bumper.
-The person turning left, that only watches to his left, as I come up the road on his right.
-The driver going much slower than me on the right, that decides to get into my lane just before I pass, forcing me to slam on my brakes.
-The person that SLAMS on their brakes the minute the light turns yellow.

This is about the time I come un-glued and you would never guess that i'm actually kind of shy and reserved. Are licenses given away in cereal boxes here in Utah??
Maybe I can learn to channel my frustration in some useful way.
Until then, if you pass me on the road and I give you a salute, I hope you will remember that I really am a nice person when out from behind the wheel.

TRAUMA!!

2010-07-15T22:35:00.004-06:00

Yesterday we caved and took Kenley to get her ears pierced. It was traumatic! ...for 20 seconds.

She was so good and didn't know what was going on until the piercer went in for ear #2. Poor baby wailed, and I felt like shedding a tear myself. But once she was done and I scooped her up in my arms she was over it and had some sparkly new trophies to show for it. I recorded it so my mom and sister could see since they were so curious as to how she would handle it. She's a tough girl and doesn't usually cry for very long, but the video is just too heart-breaking to post. So instead, here's a picture of her visiting her dad at work and how much she loves it!

Catch up!

2010-06-19T00:00:00.008-06:00

Lately I've been horrible about keeping up on the blog. These last couple months have been extremely challenging (not baby related) and I haven't made time for the little things.

So here's what I have neglected:

My VERY FIRST mothers day ever! It was amazing! It didn't even click that I would be celebrating for me until BJ gave me my first mothers day/anniversary present--A plane ticket to go for the weekend to see my best friend in Washington! Hooray!! (The second gift being flowers, but those were more of an "i'm sorry" which seems to be the only reason I get those things, but that's another story)
Getting to spend some quality time with Lindsey was so great. She's the kind of friend that makes me feel dwarfed in comparison to her amazing-ness. She uplifted me and made me feel so much better about life. Thank you Lindsey!
Among our playing, we made our way to the Glass Museum in Tacoma. It was really cool to watch the artists create these amazing pieces in the "Hot Shop"

And to the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, which was bee-autiful! Even Kenley loved it

Now what do I do for BJ's first fathers day??? Any ideas?

I'm also back in school full force trying to get my degree within the year. It's kicking my butt! At least the summer semester is only 8 weeks-- I feel better if I say that over and over. Constitutional law seems to be the one that will give me the most trouble because reading the text book cover-to-cover is not my idea of fun!
Cross your fingers for me... In fact, cross your toes too! I'll take whatever luck/help/magic I can get!

In the mean time, I'm IN LOVE with this weather. The sun and warmth is a very welcome change.
I'm also in love with my beauty of a daughter! She's amazing and I can't get enough of her sweet face. I'll post more about her and how much she has already changed later. For now, I'm going to try for something I don't get much of these days--sleep!

It's not that much

2010-06-04T10:06:00.002-06:00

I don't know how Gina does it. All she does is:

Raise a baby
Go to school
Raise an adult
Put up with that adult
Take care of the dog
Clean the house
Do the laundry
Wash the dishes
Laugh at my stupid jokes
Accept my faults
Forgive the same faults
Wake up in the middle of the night to feed and change Kenley
Operate on 5 hours of sleep
Tolerates my rabid Alabama fandom
Makes each day better

She's just simply amazing. I don't know what I would do without her in my life. I love you sweetie.

Baby K D-Day

2010-03-27T16:30:00.007-06:00

Kenley Taryn Driggers
March 24th 2010. 6 lbs 7 oz. 19 inches long

BJ and I went to the hospital Tuesday night being past my due date with pregnancy induced hypertension. We were so excited that my Dr was finally going to induce me and we wouldn't be leaving without our baby!
BJ was so excited he stayed up until 3 in the morning practically bouncing around.
I'm not quite sure what I expected, I was prepared to be there for a long time so it seemed to go super fast to me. By 5 pm on Wednesday when I was told it was time to push, I was feeling really nervous.
I had my mom and BJ in the delivery room with me and a ton of family in the waiting room. In between pushes, my mom would text everyone updates and BJ would update his facebook status. I got to know my nurse pretty well :)
Kenley was turned sideways which made for long, difficult pushing. It was exhausting. But when everyone suddenly got really excited I got a second wind.
When they laid this flailing little body on my chest it was so surreal, all I could do was stare. I'm still in awe that I could take part in creating such a perfect little person. We could just hold her and stare all day!

Happy Birthday to My...

2010-03-07T22:16:00.003-07:00

Best friend
Blanket stealer
Sports fanatic
Confidant
Fun seeker
Blasting snorer
Stress reliever
Constant teaser
and Greatest support

I hope this past year has been as amazing for you as it has for me, you made it that way! I know 27 isn't exactly a milestone for most people, but you've really reached one. I'm so proud of all that you have accomplished, and so glad to be able to call you my husband!

Cute Infestation

2010-02-17T20:31:00.011-07:00

Dear tiny person invading my body,

I'm very excited for your arrival, and get more anxious for it every day. I've had the urge to scrub every surface in the house in preparation of your homecoming. I have not only arranged your tiny clothes by age but also by color. I have also been; imagining what you look like, getting your arrangements all cutsied up, and writing you very sappy letters (I mean every word!). Although I do want you here as soon as possible, I know you are much easier to take care of in there and I'm enjoying this part of the process too much to interrupt it now.

There are, however, a few things I won't miss once you are no longer borrowing my body.

#1. The inability to sleep

(i understand i might not get the chance to sleep much when you're here, i simply miss the ability to do so)

2. The fact my feet have turned into swollen, useless sausage lumps

3. My crowded, inflamed rib cage and the way you seem to love kicking it

4. The sensation of getting a head-butt to the bladder. Unsettling.

5. Heartburn triggered by breathing

6. Having the wind knocked out of me 15 times a day

7. The complete exhaustion I feel when I perform simple tasks such as brushing my teeth

But until you make your appearance, I will continue to enjoy....

1. Your daily bouts of hiccups

2. How I feel I can completely protect you in there

3. Your obvious large yawns where your arms stretch out and quiver

4. Your reactions to loud noises and prodding

5. Having incredible, vivid dreams about you

6. Counting down the days until D-day

7. Understanding all these aches are totally worth it

Sincerely,
Excitedly and uncomfortably awaiting your arrival

Finer Moments

2010-01-25T16:56:00.009-07:00

As everyone who knows me will say, I am married to a man-boy. Frustrating as it can be, I am given so much more in return for what I put up with. The last few weeks have been (as always) play time for BJ, which have given me plenty of material. I don't understand how someone can take as much time as he does to play and still get a regular paycheck, but it keeps me on my toes. In between catering for me, school and work he still manages to amaze me with how much of a kid he is!
Honestly, this "adult" could out play any ten year old (and usually does)

Naturally, as any man-boy is, BJ is very curious about things. For example, when I received my breast pump he just had to know what all the fuss was about and try it for himself.

Thank you BJ, for making sure nothing in life is ever boring or monotonous :)

Canada..... You were right!!

2010-01-25T16:56:00.006-07:00

I must first admit that everything I know about hockey, I learned from The Mighty Ducks. However, everything I thought I knew was blown away by actually going to a professional game. It was awesome! I haven't been so enthralled in a sports event since in my own soccer games as a teen.

Not only do you need to pay attention because of the very solid puck flying around, but if you're really attentive you might be lucky enough to see a fight unfold (hopefully the ref's are far enough away that they'll get in a couple good hits before it gets broken up) Don't worry, they wear so much padding that not much more than feelings get hurt.

This game is so fast paced, it's easy to keep your eyes glued and interested in it. Unlike football that has only statistically 12 MINUTES of action (yep that's right, know your facts!) Hockey keeps you hooked til the very end.

And look at these little pint-sized players! They were so cute following the puck around on the ice and when one wobbly one would bump into another it was an inevitable domino effect of adorableness. My kids can definitely play hockey!

So Canada, I tip my hat to you for holding this sport in such high esteem. You were right to!!

Driggers Christmas '09

2010-01-04T10:21:00.011-07:00

This was the first year that BJ and I were able to go to Alabama for Christmas. We took off an entire week so we could just play and it was so worth it! BJ got to go hunting with his dad one day and I spent as much time doing nothing and shopping as possible. My kind of vacation! Here are some highlights from this glorious time:

My mother-in-law's birthday is on Christmas eve so we try to not let it fall through the Christmas festivities cracks. We went to the bakery with some grouchy boys who selected this cake. Only...... I don't think the decorator understood our request, the "&" is supposed to be a "/".

Without setting off any alarms and with help from the boys we got all the candles out.Watching Grandma get to open presents this close to Christmas was a little confusing for Ethan and Malachi. They kept asking when it was their turn. To keep tantrums at bay we brilliantly decided to wrap up a gatorade bottle for them to unwrap. I have never seen anyone so excited for a gatorade bottle as I have these boys, it was so funny!Some of my favorite things from this visit involve the boys. One night Ethan was particularly excited about his Spiderman mask, he kept "Rwar"-ing and running around. From down the hall he tells me to announce the arrival of Spiderman, so I say "Here comes Spiderman!" to which he comes running to me in perfect slow motion.

Another favorite was during our nightly family prayer; Malachi is always the happy helper and took it upon himself to say the prayer once everyone got quiet. Have you ever heard a prayer from a 2 year old? No? Then you're really missing out! His tiny voice was so cute saying "Pees bess Mommy, Ethan, Papoo....." he would unclench one eye and peer around the circle to see who he missed "Chesga, Ethan..." his final look around brought something new "and hat." to which he touched the hat next to him and said "Amen!" with a flourish and hands in the air.

These kids are seriously priceless!

Our annual cookie drop/clown car drive.

I LOVE this wrapping job, and look! So does BJ! Does anyone else smell cookies?My awesome sisters-in-law threw me a surprise baby shower! It was so sweet of them and it was so much fun. It was the day after Christmas so only a few people could come, but that made it more fun! The people I really wanted were there and it was so great to celebrate with them!

Thanks Carrie and Jessica! You guys are awesome!

You stay classy, 2009!

2010-01-02T10:51:00.007-07:00

Now that its 2010, I feel the need to give 2009 a proper farewell. It's been an amazing year and I would feel ungrateful not to acknowledge it. 2009 has given us some very tough struggles, where we've managed to dig in our heels and come out on the other side better and stronger than before. So here's to you 2009!

2009 Will be known to us as the year of:

Getting our awesome dog Drake

BJ finding a great job in his career field

CONSTANT car troubles

Gaining Jessica Thurgood to the Driggers

Hi jinks and all-around tom-foolery

& My all-time favorite; Finding out Kenley is on her way! (twice!)

As sad as I am to see the fastest year of my life come to an end, I'm looking forward to another unpredictable and fantastic year with my lil fam!

Christmas #1

2009-12-31T09:55:00.020-07:00

We had our first Christmas stop at my Mom's house where Christmas Chaos commenced. Of course the men had to all site together because us women wanted the warm seats by the fire, there was a ton of snow outside!

My mom gave BJ and I a baby heartbeat-hearer. It was really fun to listen to Kenley's heart, even though she decided it was time to do acrobats and make it difficult to keep track of.

This was my blessing dress when I was a baby!! My mom re-vamped it for me, its beautiful! Not even born yet and she gets more presents than me :)

I decided to be crafty this year and created an apron for my mom in her favorite color combo=blue and yellow. I hope she doesn't notice all the crooked stitchings

Leg warmers! For Kenley of course :)

Thanks Kari!

Evan is just a big kid enjoying the ribbon more than the gift

We had a Hawaiian themed Christmas dinner. It was yummy!

BJ and I made this gingerbread creation, which looks more like a monster and a haunted house

Kari and Evan's masterpiece!

Tragically it did not survive the winter

We also made yummy white chocolate dipped marshmallow people, they got along great!

I think I was more sad to leave Drake than he was to be left, he had buddies to play with (pester) while we were in Alabama. My mom gave her dogs stockings with toys, and of course puppy Drake had to tear them all to shreds. You were done playing with them right Henry & Daisey?

December Baby

2009-12-29T10:31:00.009-07:00

December 2009 has officially been named the busiest month of my life so far. It has been so jam packed, I haven't been able to update on all the awesome stuff we've been doing. I will post later about all our Christmases.

First I really wanna write about our Jersey Shores get-togethers. For the record-I HATE that we are contributing to their famedom. But I can't look away! They are the bottom of the barrel for reality TV, but at least they are dumb enough for me to believe none of it is scripted. I truly think they are just that stupid. Why in the world would you call yourself "Snooki", "Jwoww" or "The Situation"?? To be fair, I don't know if any of them can actually spell so they don't really know what they're saying.

We've been getting together to watch every new episode. So of course we needed nicknames too!
Me: Tan-Tric
BJ: Juice Box
Cali: The Rack

Shoney: S-Gel
Candice: The Appointment

Poke: Tan-Talizer

I cringe when I hear the things they say like "I'm not used to this work, I'm a bartender. I do great things!" and "All I want out of life is to find a nice, tan, souped up Guido and live my life."

I bet its the combination of the tanning beds, hair gel and silicon that have fried their personalities down to this. It's the longest public service announcement for "This is your brain on drugs." I have ever seen.

To help cleanse ourselves of this viewing experience we trotted down to temple square to see the lights and nativities. They are so pretty! It was packed and cold but we were able to enjoy all the sights and the babes had fun too! Aren't they two of the cutest kids you've ever seen!

Fun with Guns

2009-12-01T10:25:00.010-07:00

This weekend we were able to go shooting with some friends; Morgan, Phil and their nugget Maddy (aka Little Morgan). It was soooo much fun to get out and wreak havoc on a few targets, pumpkins and clay pigeons. We took Drake and I was worried he wouldn't do very well with all the shooting. But it didn't even phase him! When we were shooting the pigeons he would even go fetch the ones we missed! Can you say awesome dog!

Maddy even had her own pink BB gun, and was darling shooting at the targets and entertaining herself the entire time.

I even got a bulls eye! With the smallest (cutest) gun, and reflexively closing my eyes. But I got it!

Thanks guys for the fun escape! Lets do it again!

Say WHAT?!?!

2009-11-25T13:49:00.009-07:00

I've been on the receiving end of some funny reactions to finding out I'm pregnant. Some of them were just too great to pass on sharing.

Among the constant flow of:
"How do you feel??"

I got hit with this one:
"Yay!! Oh wait.... was it planned?"

One that was a little awkward and dangerous:
"I've observed you're looking pregnant."
"Um, yes..... Six months now...."

From a good friend:
"Whose is it?"
(I hope he was joking)

From a co-worker:
"Oh no!"

And my personal favorite:
"No you're not. You're ridiculous."
-Believe it or not that's from my baby daddy, he took a little convincing :) I guess he thought I was playing a mean joke.

My Birthday Weekend

2009-11-16T20:43:00.008-07:00

Saturday was my birthday and I was planning on doing some grown-up things, turns out this grown-up stuff is no fun on your birthday so I pulled out this antique instead!

This is a hand-me-down I was very excited about, until I set it up and all it did was make "whirring" noises. So after much cursing and fighting (and lots of help from BJ) I finally got it in working order!

I was so excited cause for a long time I've wanted to learn how to sew. So I bought some cute owl fabric and set out making these burp cloths and receiving blankets. Congrats me, I made lumpy squares!

I love this fabric, Joann's is having a sale on all flannel fabrics like this through the rest of the month for all you crafty people.

I went shopping at Target with a gift card I got from RE/MAX and got this cute outfit! Thanks RE/MAX! I also went in for a trim, but INCHES later I don't think you can call it a trim. I love weekends like this because it's so hard for me to find time to do things like this, it was so nice!

Thanks for all the texts/calls/birthday wishes!! You all really made my day!!

Does everything have to be PINK??

2009-11-09T16:06:00.007-07:00

After initial excitement and much rejoicing, I wanted to get geared up for our little arrival. I decided to go shopping and view all the things we will need and make mental lists. I also thought it would be a great idea to find a fun outfit to bring home in celebration...... that's where my excitement faltered.

Every single little girls outfit was either disgustingly pink or covered in flowers.

Is it really necessary to dress up our infant girls as tiny floral pepto bismol bottles? For the first time, I worried that I was going to be the one needing reassuring about having a little girl. Don't dads go through this?

For the majority of my life I have fought my mom on getting anything too girly. I even remember getting my very first bra, after I tried it on my mom asked me how it fit. I replied "Great, now that I've removed the stupid little flower in the front." Mind you, this was an all white plain bra, and you can imagine how small a flower would have to be to fit in the front of a training bra!

Maybe I need some "girly girl" training. But I think I've devised the right plan.

1. I can handle purple. I actually really like this color and wish they made more purple baby outfits.

2. I do accessories. I have been focusing on headbands and tiny bracelets. Sooo cute!

3. Finding awesome sayings on onsies such as "Does this diaper make my butt look big?"-How funny is that!

If anyone has any suggestions on some little girl things for me, please pass them on!

Un-Sexy Halloween??

2009-11-02T14:25:00.029-07:00

Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year. I love dressing up and having an excuse to get together with good friends and play some games and watch spooky movies. Little kids in their costumes are so darling!

But... one of the things thats really confusing to me is the mass of "Sexy" costumes (AKA: lingerie with a tail, or hat, or combat boots to complete the ensemble). Maybe its that i'm not a "flaunting" kind of girl, but some of these costumes are truly mind boggling as to why such characters were turned into something so provocative. I understand that showing skin is the goal with these.

The following, however, leave me with questions.......

Snow-woman

Simple white nightie with 3 buttons and a scarf for this one. Or if you prefer, white underwear with three dots plastered to your skin. I never imagined my lumpy snow figure with a carrot in his face was something to aspire to.....

Animals: Dog, cat, Fish???

Can you say Bestiality? Sexy heroins such as Cat Woman aside, just because you love your Mr. Whiskers doesn't mean you need to dress up like him. Cats lick themselves and cough up hair balls, nuff said. Fish?? Really?? How are slimy things known for their bad smell attractive?

Santa/Elf

Not only is it the wrong Holiday, but who knew matronly Mrs. Clause had a boob job to look good on Christmas eve in her Bustier.

Raggedy Ann Doll

This must get some girl thinking she's gonna make something quirky and sexy.... Awful! I don't think children's toys should hold any sex-appeal. Look at her name "Raggedy". Raggedy+Sexy= ?? Same goes for you Rainbow Brite!

Sponge bob

Sure he looks happy to be plastered across her chest, but lets face it-its creepy and ugly.

Football/Baseball

Everything in my past has proven to me that when youre playing sports, you want to do everything in your power to strap those sweater puppies down. But, this costume seems to have a double purpose-showing off your assets while simultaneously letting all those guys think you have something in common. "Hey look! I like sports too!"

Referee

Doesn't make sense to me either. I've never seen a ref that wasn't a balding middle-aged man. Once again, stop pretending to love sports to give the opposite sex a false sense of camaraderie.

Taxi Driver

Do you have a dirty mouth and a bad attitude? People will think its all a great act when you dress up as this. I still don't know how a woman can be considered sexy when she's chain smoking and cursing about the Cubs.

Eve

This is just lazy. Don't have a costume ready for the big Halloween party? Don't stress! Just glue a few strategically placed leaves onto yourself and Voila! Not only does it reveal your toned tummy, but you'll appear deep and biblical.

Zombie

Wanna be scary and sexy this Halloween? A zombie is a good way to go. Just slather yourself in green makeup so your skin looks like its rotting off and hike your tattered skirt up. You will be both terrifying and completely alluring!

Dude we look GOOD!

2009-11-02T10:56:00.012-07:00

I LOVE being a big kid on Halloween. This year we dressed up again- I was a banana and BJ was a spoon. I'm so glad we weren't the only big kids dressed up this year! We had a devil-Janessa, and some hippies-The Zharts. Work was festive as these ladies always are! Jessica was a Bed Bug- in footie pajamas and bug eyes! How cute is that! And we had an outhouse! (For taking all the agents crap!) For some reason i didn't get a picture of BJ and I all dressed up or even of BJ in his spoon costume-but i do have Brandon modeling it here so you can imagine BJ wearing it :)

Some of my favorite highlights of the weekend:

I had an unplanned Banana twin.
I won the pumpkin carving contest with this creepy looking toothy face.
I'm amazed we got the babies to sit still and take this picture-they were all so cute in their little costumes!

We played our favorite "fight-starter" game-pictionary. The wives won! Get used to it men, women are superior.
And I stole sweet baby Zoie for most of the night (i'm holding her in this photo even, while BJ is being his super competitive self and making sure no one is slacking on the timer)

All in all a pretty fun weekend.

Thanks again Candice for hosting our fun get-togethers! And for giving us a big laugh by framing our picture of last years Reno 911 getup-so funny!

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice....

2009-10-27T14:16:00.007-06:00

It's A Girl!!!

Finally!! It feels like we've had to wait forever! I had my big ultrasound appointment today, and after measuring and making sure everything is ok: No downs syndrome, heart is perfect, no cleft palate etc... We get down to the business of seeing if we're getting pink or blue, and of course it's our child and too stubborn to move their tiny feet! Much poking and prodding later the tech announces its a girl- we stared at the screen for about 30 seconds trying to see how she decided that, I couldn't make out anything in the blurry image. My first reaction was to ask Bj if he was sad about it, he seemed honestly offended that I even asked. He's already wrapped around her little perfect finger :)

It was amazing to see her tiny little body, it made it even more real. She looked beautiful to me even in those black & white foggy photos.

I can't wait to meet you little Kenley Taryn Driggers!!

I HATE Football

2009-10-19T11:06:00.008-06:00

I know who I married, and I knew what I was getting myself into when I said "I do". But lets be honest, this is ridiculous!

At first I tried to make this something fun we could do together. I would prepare the game time snacks and put on my best cheering face while we watched grown men in padding slap each other on the bum. Not knowing a lot about football, I would ask questions and try to get involved and interested. After almost 3 years of marriage-I still don't care! I don't understand how something he has no control over can ruin his day. But I still respect that its something BJ has loved his whole life and wont be changing, so I do my own thing while he's having a tantrum over some call the Ref made that "is just to make up for a bad call he made against the other team".

Why is it bothering me now? You might ask.

For one thing, BJ's best friend is having a birthday party for his son's first birthday. Guess who wont be attending because "the game is on"?

Also, in the past two weeks he has abandoned me not twice but 4 times to watch football! Yes, we had plans that I was excited about.

We have discussed how much we should take advantage of our time left as a couple before Little Driggers makes his/her entrance. But BJ is acting like these are his last few months of freedom and to do as much "dude" stuff as he possibly can. I shouldn't feel jealous of his hobby, suddenly I became second to everything football?

I am no longer going to sit through another game, or fake like I care about anything Football. It's not a fair trade for BJ to expect this of me when he refuses to be involved in things I enjoy. (And I'm taking down the Alabama banner we have hanging above our bed!)

Well tonight BJ is going out to watch football again with a friend while I do the grocery shopping and laundry. I might go out and get myself something fun and BJ cant say a dang thing :)

BJ, have fun with your mistress tonight!

This is just a rant, I am married to a very sweet, loving husband who goes out of his way daily to make me smile. But this is the one thing in our marriage that I really wish I could change.

Alright...

2009-09-23T10:47:00.009-06:00

So.... I need to get this out of my system..... I'm turning into a crazy, obsessive mom-to-be. I feel the need to bring up my pregnancy to total strangers, and at any opening when I'm with friends.

I must find an outlet for my madness!

I'm so completely overjoyed and elated that we are starting our family, and I am thrilled by every little development. This week's updates included that my baby is the size of a lemon and can now pee! That's right, he/she is floating around in pee, poor thing.

After a year of crossing my fingers (and holding my legs in the air) it feels like a huge weight has been lifted that neither of us is defective. Plus a year of stressing and praying feels like forever, it was really difficult to cope- I saw pregnant women and babies everywhere. I was surrounded and it was KILLING me.

But now, it's amazing! I'm heading into week 15 and I've been so lucky with no puking. I'm starting to realize now that I actually didn't feel that great that first little while, cause I'm feeling great and energized now. Excitement must have covered all that bad stuff up for me.

I have the smallest of pooches and have been good and only gained a couple el bees so far. It's uncomfortable to button my pants and I just feel chubby. I hope this awkward stage passes quickly though, because in the next little while the most exciting things are supposed to happen: I should start to feel kicking in the next few weeks, I'll get a roundness that people wont confuse with chub, and in a month I'm finding out the sex!

WARNING- Cheesy part to follow, if you are easily nauseated please end reading here.

I am so lucky to have such a sweet and supportive husband with all this. He has been so excited and has actually been reading about the process and his part in it! Every night, he kisses my belly and says "I love you baby". Sometimes he even unconsciously places his hand on the bump. I know we're in for some rough times, but I couldn't have chosen a better partner to have with me. I can't wait to make you a dad, and see you fulfill this role that you will be so good at.

Scatterbrain-oidosis Awareness!

2009-09-16T13:28:00.026-06:00

I am writing in hopes of raising awareness of this terrible problem!

Recently my symptoms of Scatterbrain-oidosis have become exponentially worse. I don't feel justified in blaming "Pregnancy Brain" for these memory malfunctions, since these are things I have been doing all my life. While I'm still not sure if its something in the water or if the changing weather has this much of an effect on me, I am sure that if I don't find a cure soon I could do some major damage!

My symptoms include:

A) Putting "away" B.J.'s ipod in the fridge.

B) Going to the grocery store and forgetting what for until i get back home.

C) Registering and attending the wrong class for 4 weeks. (Yes, that is correct)

D) Applying one side of eye makeup, but not the other.

E) Packing a lunch for myself and promptly leaving it on the table.

F) Calling B.J. repeatedly, then calling highway patrol when he doesn't answer-only to remember that Thursday he has his weekly evening lab.

Scatterbrain-oidosis (aka: hairbrained, birdbrained, airheaded, ditsy and simpleminded) can play havoc on your personal life- I once forgot to pick up a friend for a baby shower that was 20 minutes away. Luckily, she still talks to me.

I know there are other sufferers out there like me, maybe you are too ashamed and don't want to come forward. There is no shame in admitting your problem! The shame comes with going to the gym in the morning and forgetting your bra at home!

Lets come together and find a cure!

Guilty Pleasures

2009-08-27T16:46:00.025-06:00

I was thinking the other day as I rocked out to Miley Cyrus (don't judge, it's a party in the USA!) that I would hate it if anyone could hear or see me while I was being so completely embarrassing. It made me think of all the other guilty pleasures i have. I happen to have quite a few and I thought it was about time I admit to my time wasting, brain melting deeds.

Numero Uno: Manswers. If you've never watched this show, you can probably just guess from the name that this show is one of Spike TV's most desperate attempts to appeal to men and be somewhat informative. It gives answers to life's most pressing questions; such as Which military pays for a boob job? A-Australia's (who'd have thunk?) and Are midget strippers less money cause they're smaller? A-No, there are fewer of them and they fall under the fetish category so you will have to dish out some big bucks for this "Tiny Dancer"

I feel smarter already!

B: Gay, Straight or Taken? The normal dating shows like "The Bachelor" and "Rock of Love" are filled with intrigue and drama enough to fill any gals quota. However, for those of us with a limited attention span, we have a compact hour of guessing before we are given a reveal! My favorite thing about this obviously scripted show is that I can test out my Gaydar.
PS has anyone heard of the show "Littlest Groom" ?? Its a little person dating show where he dates LP's and normal sized women. How could I have missed this gem! It opens the doorway for so many other special-needs dating shows! "Who Wants to Marry a Conjoined Twin" could be next! Speaking of which.....

3: "Tween" Books. However perfect for your young pre-teens, to strengthen their love of reading. I have (hopefully) surpassed the need for such simple wording and simple plot lines. But, just like my love for Disney creations old and new, I have continued to read "Uglies" to the very last page. (I would like to also state that I do read many other very good books, but still enjoy these simple-minded easy reads)

Lastly: Personality Tests. It's not that I'm still in the "who am I?" phase. Sometimes I just like to hear an already pre-prepared form telling me how nice I am (its easy to get if you select all the cutesy answers). But sometimes I want to know which Scrubs character I am most like (JD yay!) or what my Redneck Name would be! (I hope there's a Bobby-Jo!) I do more than I'm really willing to admit, I don't even want to publish them on Facebook. My silent shame. Well I gotta go! I NEED to find out which Shoe Defines me. Ta -ta!

One tiny thing

2009-08-25T08:46:00.007-06:00

If you've never seen this picture before (like me until a few days ago) This is a REAL photo of a 10 week old fetus. Its been used by anti abortionists in their ads and they also created tiny feet pins that have become a highly recognizable symbol. It's really sad to me to think a woman contemplating abortion might not know that the tiny inch & 1/2 "fetus" they are wanting to get rid of is in fact a tiny person with fingers and toes, hair and fingernails.
I've become obsessed with following the progress of my own pregnancy and have recently gone to searching for real photos to get a better idea of the actual size. I've come across many of the jarred tiny ones that you might see at "Body Worlds" but this photo really struck me. There are tiny toes and details already in this tiny body that stun me. Although i cant feel or see anything yet, my little bean is starting to look like the cute little baby i cant wait to meet. I had the opportunity to get another ultrasound last week and i was able to see my tiny baby wriggling around, it was amazing! After a year of trying, we're gushing over every little detail thats happening. I'm so glad BJ is enjoying it as much as me, its been so much fun sharing this with him, as well as enjoying our time we have left as a couple.

B.J.'s vacation

2009-08-03T18:59:00.017-06:00

So we just got back from California. It was SOOOO much fun, but in 2 days you have to run to do everything you want. Especially when what you want to do involves 3 BASEBALL GAMES! Sheesh, I'm baseballed out.

This trip was B.J.'s trip. You see, its a goal of his to see every single major league baseball stadium before he dies. Its a cool goal that I support cause baseball is the sport that least bores me to watch, and we get to go to some cool places where I sneak in what I want to do :)
This time I snuck in a trip to Sea World! It was really cute.

We decided regular vacation photos are too boring and we wanted to have a little fun. So you will find all of the pictures with us in them have us doing the same pose. It made for some funny questions and shouts when we asked these perfect strangers to snap a few pics for us.

(We would actually start out as the normal smiling couple, and then just before they took the picture we would strike a pose)

Reunion Photos

2009-08-01T21:13:00.002-06:00

This is the t-shirt word game we played on our reunion, it was soo much fun!

Don't be fooled by B.J's expression, he put this all on himself!

Cute Alexis strutting her stuff

Pie eating contest! Kari hated us for making her do it haha

Way to go Adam!

The Vacuum Story

2009-08-01T21:13:00.001-06:00

So, this weekend while vacuuming i was reminded that I love this vacuum! I know it's strange, but let me give you a little back story- We've had this monster, heavy, green vacuum that spits out half of what it sucks up since we've been married and since I am the cleaner of the household, I have hated it and fought with it and complained for a long time. Then B.J. comes home with this awesome Dyson ball vacuum! It works amazing and is lightweight, AND it's fun cause it reminds me of those little toy vacuums I used to play with as a kid. You know the ones that have the beads and confetti that spin around in it when you push it.

This had me thinking of other fond vacuum memories. A favorite of mine is from a few years ago when B.J. and I were dating. It was his turn to choose the activities and SURPRISE, he wanted to stay in and have me cook and we watch a baseball game :) (Don't be fooled, he really spoils me) I can't remember what I made but a good portion of it ended up crumbled on B.J.'s t-shirt.
Now what he did next will show you how little game he has. Instead of trying to impress the girl he is dating and sit up while eating, he sits back and lets the pieces fall on his chest and belly. When he is finished with his meal, he realizes the predicament he is in-Stand up and make a mess on the floor of scattered crumbs, or carefully clean himself up. His choice is to look at the mess, then to me he asks "Can you vacuum me up?" in total seriousness. I could hardly keep from laughing!

True Love Stories Never Have Endings

2009-07-27T10:43:00.000-06:00

We had our family reunion last week and it was way fun. It was all here in Utah so that everyone could stay with family and spend their money on fun things. My Dad and Melody were in charge of it this year and they tried really hard to make it about my Grandma Merle and Grandpa Ray Bryner.

My grandpa died before I was born so I never actually got the chance to meet him, so I really liked the "Rays Reads" that were created and all the stories that were told about him. It was very sweet. I learned a lot about my grandparents marriage, something I had never thought to ask her about before. Melody asked her "Why did you never remarry? Was your marriage really that bad?" and my grandma answered "No. It was THAT GOOD."

I learned that my grandpa was a perfectionist and a great cook. That a swear word was never heard from him, and that he was totally in his element when doing temple work. My grandma even swears to seeing a halo above his head :) This is the kind of example of love that i want to leave for my children and grandchildren.

These are some of my favorite pictures of them together.....

This is probably my favorite picture. This is on their mission in London. Just look at the love on Grandma's face.

2nd year of marriage

Always the epitome of class

I will post photos of our reunion as soon as I can....

Call me DICK

2009-07-14T11:58:00.000-06:00

Have I mentioned ever that I love my job? I work with some fun ladies!
The topic of funny names came up, and to my satisfaction, these girls delivered! Given who i'm married to and some of the remarks he gets, I love hearing these stories. Like even today! A woman said to him "what an unfortunate name to have" Haha!
Who hasn't known their fare share of Dick Johnson's? While still completely funny, not quite up to the caliber of hilarity that I have found today.
One story involves a Mr. Richard Whacker, who would warmly introduce himself with a "Please.... Call me Dick". Yes, he knew it. He did it to make people laugh and I LOVE that.
Another story that had me hysterical, was about sweet innocent grandparents. Grandpa goes by Dick, which is "chuckle quietly to yourself" kind of funny. But throw in an "I Love Dick" pin that Grandma loved to wear, and full blown mayhem is sure to follow. Grandma never understands why people laugh. BONUS-Grandpa also had a belt buckle with "Dick" on it!
One of my favorites is about camp leaders! Kathy and Richard are camp leaders, except they like to be called Kat and... You guessed it-Dick. The best part is the combination of their names, Dick & Kat.... BALLS! You couldn't make this stuff up!

P.S. Imagine having a boss by the name of Harry Wong. 'Nuf said!
Sorry Mom! I promise, you really did raise a lady!

Campout!

2009-07-07T14:46:00.000-06:00

I LOVE camping. Especially with these fine folks. Our campsite was gorgeous with a river right next to us with fish, hot pots just down the road, hiking trails and horses with their colts not too far away. The weather was perfect and food really does taste better cooked in a dutch oven.
We got to catch up with friends we dont get to see much and play with their cute kids.

Tyce is a hilarious kid that copies the sounds of his dad's 4-wheeler. Mostly just grunts, but he's obsessed with it, if he sees it he has to go for a ride. B.J. loves this kid, it's way cute :)

Lolli loved playing with Drake. She would just watch him and laugh! She loved him so much she walked right up to him to give him a kiss. So sweet!

We roasted marshmallows and starbursts (if you've never tried this i highly recommend it!) and B.J. got to do what he loves: be the center of attention with the guys. Can you say "Bromance"?

This is Blake. Blake is 5. Blake told me she was going to eat 55 marshmallows and "get fat like daddy". She also knows just how pretty her hair is, along with her painted nails, and she will tell you all about it. When asked if she liked being a big sister, Blake replied "no, I'm five.".
Blake was fun to have with us :)

When Megan finally got Koa to fall asleep, i think she was afraid to move. Very sweet shot of them though.

Cant forget...

2009-06-30T11:39:00.000-06:00

So i dont have any cute kids to give you updates on, and if i become that person that starts giving updates on my dog-all i ask is its time, please put me down.
BUT, i was thinking the other day about how bad i am at keeping a journal and there are some stories that i would hate to forget. So i decided (in a moment of brilliance) that i should keep them all here for my family and friends to enjoy as well-since i dont get to see everyone as much as i'd like nowadays with our way busy schedules.
So i thought i'd start with one that involves some of my favorite people! My Bachelorette Party! My cute sister-in-law had already figured out how much i hate being the center of attention and just wanna play, so her brilliant idea was to take me and my closest girls: My best friend of forever who flew all the way to alabama for my wedding Lindsey, my favorite sister Kari, my great friend Megan, and of course Carrie #2.- Roller Skating! We busted a move to such hits as: Tootsie Roll, Whoop there it is! and Barbie girl :)
Carrie made me wear a veil with pink flashing hearts, and had the DJ (i use that term very loosely) announce my last night of freedom. All the pre-teens skated circles around me to congratulate me.
One cute little girl had no idea what was going on but gave me a hearty "Happy birthday!"
Afterwards my gals helped me nurse my wounds (do i really have to mention just how clumsy i am? let alone strapping rolling shoes to my feet) and managed to get a little pampering in there for all of us.
So much fun, i will have to post some of my favorites of us together cause i dont want to let myself forget.

Tag!

2009-06-29T11:39:00.000-06:00

Soo funny that you did that Candice! Just a few days ago, i was talking to a girl i work with about how dumb it is to take a pic of yourself at arms length. Especially the ones taken holding the camera above you, as shown above in my emo-like state. I am at work and really hope no one caught me in the narcissistic act of self-photography.
So i guess the game is i gotta tag more people now.. lets see... I wanna see SWOOD, Megan, and Jessica! And you have to take it at the time you read the post.
Come on ladies! Lets see what you're up to ;)

B.J. This goes out to you...

2009-06-23T09:37:00.001-06:00

I'm glad you're liking your new job so far but pay attention to this... and maybe you'll get cake! Hmm... maybe it would be more effective if it had peeps on it and the girl was actually a dude. :) Sorry sweetie couldn't help it!

Weekend fun...

2009-06-14T11:37:00.000-06:00

Among car shopping, B.J. working, and busy saturday duties, we were able to take Drake to our new favorite park. Isn't it pretty?

Happy First Birthday Tyce!
Friday we went to Glen and Amber's to watch Tyce make a mess with his huge blue cake. It was way fun :)

Tyce just loves Tekoa!

I will be better, PROMISE!

2009-06-08T09:49:00.000-06:00

So my family keeps asking me about my blog, and "I started one" just isn't good enough for them. So i will do my best to update it and keep you all informed on our not so glamorous life :) Starting with the last post about our new buddy.
One good update is: B.J. got a new job! Hooray! He'll be working for IHC as a Respiratoty Tech in a home care facility. Its right up his alley and it'll be great having the weekends back!
My Dad was so proud he called my aunt and grandma to tell them B.J. was an "inhalation expert" HA! Yes, he did.

We got a Dog!

2009-06-08T09:29:00.001-06:00

His name is DRAKE and he's a year and a half. He's so much fun! He's also massive, easily over a hudred El Bees. We've been having a blast taking him everywhere with us. He's B.J.'s son :) its really cute seeing him with the dog. On our morning jogs we go right by a couple of horses. The other day on our way past them, the horses ran up to greet us. I thought it was because they saw a person and thought they would get food, but they bent right down and both said hello to Drake who was so happy he tried to get them to play chase him. It was so funny, i wish i had my camera. <3

First Blog Ever

2008-12-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

I finally gave in and made a blog where i can put all the boring and trivial things of my life out there for everyone to read. Don't get me wrong i love my life, but i don't think everyone will get as big a laugh out of the stories i tell B.J. such as the time i bought a can of "potted meat" because, lets face it, the name is funny and confusing! Also, no worries about letting B.J. blog, he wont. Otherwise it would be all about football stats, fantasy football, and some players attachment to "jorts".
Anyways, we're both still plugging away trying to pass all our classes and pay all our bills. It's getting close to christmas and we're trying to finish up some shopping. I'm really excited about some of the gifts we got for family. We're going to alabama on the 11th and i cant wait to see everyone again.
We recently got a Wii fit which i like to call -The Confidence Destroyer- it weighs you and asks your height and it turns your little Mii character into what it interprets from those numbers. Mine came out a little chubby which wasn't surprising (i know i'm thick) but B.J. -hehe- his Mii went almost completely round and told him he was obese. So funny, cause although he has been growing a little belly he is in no way fat OR obese, and it gives me endless fun time!