The Athens Family

Warm-ish weather fun!

2011-04-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday William!

2011-01-05T14:04:00.001-08:00

William, you have grown into such a big boy this year. We can't believe you are 2 years old! You are such a joy to have and watch. William you are so funny and loving (in your own way)! We love watching you give pets to baby Adam and tickle him, we're so glad you like him. Your vocabulary is expanding everyday and your sense of humor is really great. Your current obsessions are monster trucks, motorcycles, cars and Mickey Mouse. We love you so much and think you are the stinkin' cutest and best 2 year old anyone could ever ask for. Happy Birthday Bubba! Here's pictures from 1 years old to 2!
1st birthday party, he wasn't feeling great. Can you tell!

This boy can eat!!!

He is obsessed with any kind of ball.

Those red crocs were the only shoes that would fit his fat, wide feet. He wouldn't wear anything else.

This is the first kiss he ever gave to Adam. He is a great big brother.

I'm in love with this picture

He just learned how to make silly faces! Can't believe we actually caought this on camera.

Christmas pictures we got taken! We love you Bubs.

The zoo!!

2010-10-22T08:08:00.001-07:00

We had a great time at the zoo last weekend! We went with Yia-Yia and Papou and all the cousins. William really liked the animals and mostly he loved just running around.

Adam- 4 months!

2010-10-22T08:00:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe it but our sweet Adam boy is 4 months old! Time really is flying. We went to the dr for his check up and he measures 26 in long (90%), he weighs 15 lbs (50%) and his head is in the 10th percentile. A small head!!! That is such a foreign concept to my family, it worries me! He is right on track with all his developmental stuff. He smiles and talk all the time and he can roll from stomach to back. He is finally starting to giggle and it is so cute! We love our cutest Addy.

Although this picture looks like his cereal eating was successful...he hates it and has only had it 3 ish times. So different than his big brother!

3 years!

2010-08-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

This was really such an amazingly perfect day! I can hardly believe it was 3 whole years ago. Thanks for making them the best 3 years ever.

Who knew how quickly 2 would become four!!! We are awesome! I love you!

The cutest ever!

2010-08-04T20:20:00.001-07:00

Naked basketball is awesome!

Adam!!!

2010-07-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

Catching up

2010-05-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is our William boy. He is now 16.5 months old, weighs 25 lbs and is 31 in tall. He has 12 teeth, including 4 molars. He is obsessed with balls, doesn't matter what kind, or if it actually is a ball i.e, apples, oranges you get the point. From the second he wakes up in the morning until bedtime he plays and runs, throws and kicks balls all around the house. He is a good boy(besides the occasional smack he gives his aunts and uncles) and full of laughter. He can run, and he is trying to master feeding himself. He loves to uncover mommy's belly and say hi to the baby, as well as give him/ the belly zerberts(raspberries/bubbas). Anytime he sees a baby he gets super excited so hopefully he will still love babies when he gets one at home in the next 4 weeks! He constantly makes us laugh. He loves all food but would live on fruit and crystal light alone if we let him :) We love this stage and how much he is learning each day amazes us.

nose issues...

2010-05-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

I started having nose issues in march and discover there was something up there! So I went to an ENT and he cut it out...3 weeks later it was back and huge! I was given the option of surgery under general anaesthesia(which is frowned upon while pregnant) or wait until after boy #2 arrived. After consulting my OB I opted for the surgery. I had the mass removed on Andy's birthday(poor guy) and am now doing great! They don't know why it grew and grew back but thankfully it is now gone!

this is my normal nostril

This is my not normal nostril the day before surgery. Gross I know!

i want to win!

2010-03-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

These shoes are so cute!

A few pictures of our growing Bubba

2010-03-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

This William boy is now 14 months old and walking all over the place! He is so much fun and so happy all the time. He loves to snort to show you where his nose is and any animal he sees is a dog which makes him bark! The boy never stops moving and loves to be chased, it makes him squeal with delight.

Notice his hands in this picture??? He has recently discover something VERY interesting!

William stuffed his face with steak tonight! We really think he ate about 6 oz. He's only 14 months old, how on earth are we going to feed him when he is a teenager? oy!

A big boy haircut...

2010-02-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

William got his first haircut last weekend. He's needed one for quite a while and so last saturday when I saw him having to brush his hair out of his eyes, I decided it was time. Andy said he could do it and we decided that was best considering the fight we knew William was going to give us. Here is a before picture to show exactly how much hair he had :)

At first he didn't mind too much...

Then he was very sad/ ticked and needed both binky and bottle to calm him

AFTER!!!

It's a great haircut and it totally makes him look like a big boy. However on this day I was ticked that it was so short and sad sad sad that he looked so old. I believe this was more traumatic for me than it was for him. Darn these pregnancy hormones!

Just for fun!

2010-01-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday William boy!

2010-01-05T20:01:00.001-08:00

Where does the time go? Our boy is 1! Today was quite normal for William: breakfast, play, nap, lunch, play, visit grammy, nap, play, dinner, tub and bed! But it has been really fun for me remembering exactly one year ago.....

I felt so huge and tortured, William was 9 days over due. Oy! I had to get induced because the bubba was very comfortable where he was. After an induction, water breaking, epidural and about 21 hours he was finally here! 9 whoppin' pounds and 22.5 inches long!

William is and always has been very easy going, a voracious eater, loving, busy, full of smiles and personality and an all around easy boy to get along with and handle. Here are a few (haha) pictures looking back on his now 1 year of life.

William we love you so much. We can't stop kissing you or licking your toes and armpits. Your giggle is priceless and you fill our life with so much joy. Like the grinch, our hearts grew three sizes the day you entered our family. Happy birthday Bubba!

his favorite monkey

Yes, he is playing with exactly what you think it is!

He was not a fan of having frosting everywhere

oh, I almost forgot...

2009-11-22T21:40:00.000-08:00

We are expecting! June 19, 2010! This is the first picture of our little Gummy bear!

Lots of pictures.

2009-11-22T21:23:00.000-08:00

I have officially been the worst blogger ever. I can't believe it's been so long since I updated. Anyways, these pictures document are super fun trip to Florida and Disney parks. We had a blast and William especially loved everything new to see.
Not too much is new with us, William is almost 11 months old! crazy. He is a very speedy crawler and is attempting to walk more each day. He has 6 teeth and talks and jabbers all day long. He is always happy and so are his parents since he sleeps 12+ hours a night! He is so full of personality and we find ourselves laughing all the time at his funny faces and noises.

This was a very humid day and it made William's hair super curly!

He eats like a ferocious, starving beast!

Can you tell our Bubba loves him some powdered sugar donuts?!!!!

Catching up

2009-09-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

These are just a few (ha) pics of what we have been up to :) The Greek festival, Kids rodeo and enjoying summer fruits! They are in no particular order b/c my computer is being lame. William is now 8 months old and is just growing and changing every day. He is trying to walk, he has almost 6 teeth and eats everything!

2 years!!!

2009-08-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

We celebrated 2 fantastic years of marriage on the 25th! That's a lot of love!

A peek at our goofy bubba!

2009-08-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

We went swimming earlier this week with all the uncles! 3 Packards and 4 McNeils, definitely makes for an adventure. William loves the pool as you can tell. He has just recently become a ham for the camera, it sure makes things easier. He is crawling and quickly. We love him!

I love these boys!

7 months old today!

2009-08-05T09:03:00.001-07:00

a cute dress maybe!

2009-07-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

I want to win this drawing! So I am posting this link

One happy boy!

2009-07-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

William is developing so quickly and has so much personality. We went to the dr last week and he is almost 18 lbs(50th%) and 26 inches long(50th%). He also has 2 teeth on the bottom. He is almost crawling and full of laughter! Here are a few of his joyful moments caught on video.

A fun age!

2009-07-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

This is our William boy at 6 months! He is getting so big, I'm guessing about 15ish pounds. He has recently mastered rolling over and can't get enough of it. He loves playing with toys and being played with. William is extremly ticklish and giggles all the time. He just cut two bottom teeth last week and now thinks he should eat whatever we are eating. He has tried and liked: tomatoes, bread, steak, nectarine, apple, pineapple, cantaloupe, spaghetti, olives, lime and lemon...this list will never end I'm sure! He is such a joy and anyone who sees him is amazed at how happy he is all the time. We feel so blessed and love being parents!
There are also a couple of pics from the 4th of July. My dad was in the parade because of his
Veteran status. I love you Dad and am so proud of you.

Camping at the lake

2009-07-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

This is from our trip to Flaming Gorge with the Athens family. William enjoyed it because he loves being outside. He however was not a huge fan of taking a bath in 68 degree water! It made him hyperventilate.

WOW, 5 months!

2009-06-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

William turned 5 months old on friday. He can now rollover both directions and front to back and back to front, he loves his cereal, he jibber-jabbers all the time, he is so happy and he is starting to get a little chubby. Just last week he found his tongue and so it is constantly sticking out. We are loving this age, he is so full of personality. He is also getting his 2 bottom teeth! He is growing up too fast.

random

2009-05-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

I just really love this picture. I was just off the plane and home from Tahiti. I love these girls!

Wow! 4 months already.

2009-05-06T12:48:00.001-07:00

William is 4 months old as of yesterday and we can hardly believe it! He is growing and changing everyday. He is currently teething, trying desperately to cut his 2 bottom teeth. He also has started holding on to toys and of course, tasting them. He just got an activity center and it's really helping him with his hand-eye coordination. He also loves to squeal, it's not a cry or a laugh, it's a strange inbetweener noise. He has started sleeping through the night! He wakes up once or twice but just needs his bink and then he is out again. We are loving watching him grow and develop and being an integral part of that. We look forward to all that is to come!

This is how a very fair skinned baby plays outside!

He is skinny despite the cereal with fruit we give him twice a day.

He has also just really discovered his feet and he loves them.

We LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture. It's totally him, he is such a happy baby.

Happy birthday my love!

2009-04-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Andy, you are the love of my life and I'm so happy that we are sealed together for all eternity. I can't believe that it's already your birthday again! We met 2 years ago tomorrow, 2 days after I got home from Tahiti. I didn't know that you would be the most important person I'd ever meet, but I do now. I love you so much, and I admire you for all that you are. You are an amazing daddy, sometimes watching you with William brings tears to my eyes. We are lucky to have you. As a husband, I couldn't ask for anything more (and coming from me you know what that means!). Plus you are HOT! You are so kind and loving, patient and understanding. I admire your faith and endurance. Thank you for loving me. I want you, I need you. Oh baby, oh baby!

Texas and 3 months

2009-04-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

William and I went to Texas the first week of April to visit family and have a little vacation. We had a lot of fun. It was warm and sunny most days and we were able to do a lot of shopping! William turned 3 months while we were there. He is getting so big! We started him on cereal this week because we felt like maybe he wasn't getting enough food, plus he was really skinny. He LOVES his cereal with applesauce. He has really started cooing and talking. He also has become quite the drool monster. He just discovered his feet this week and starting to giggle outloud. We are loving it!

Happy St. Patrick's day!

2009-03-17T10:35:00.001-07:00

Have you ever seen such a cute, little leprachaun?!

I can't believe it.

2009-03-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

Today was William's 2 month check up. He is weighing in at a mere 10 lbs and is 23 3/4 inches long. He seems to only know how to grow longer not any chubbier. (What a trial!) He also had to get 3 shots today. I NEVER thought I would be the teary eyed mom but I really almost cried as they poked his little thighs. We gave him some tylenol and as you can see in the 2nd pic, he is doing just fine. I however, am not taking him to his check-ups alone again. I think it was more traumatic for me then him. He's such a good boy, he was even smiling at the doctor and nurses today. He's growing up, he rolled over 2 nights ago and slept through the night. We are definitely loving the 7-8 hours of sleep in a row. We love our William.

Tubby time!

2009-03-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

William loves bathtime! He likes warm, warm water and loves to just sit and relax. He's so cute all naked and in the bubbles! He is really starting to be vocal and he spends a lot of time making enough noise to just gripe at us. He is showing more of his personality all the time and we are really enjoying it and him.

2 months old

2009-03-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a few new cell phone photos and a video of William at 2 months. I know the video is upside down, but I think it still achieves the desired effect. Make sure to turn your volume all the way up and try to ignore his giant man-hand in the foreground. Enjoy!

1 month old!

2009-02-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

Happy 1 month birthday to our little William!

I can hardly believe that he is already 1 month old. It seems as though he just got here, and yet, like hes been with us forever. Will is a really mild-mannered baby(unless he's hungry!) He eats about every 3 hours and sleeps with mommy and daddy. He is already wearing 3 month clothes and is working on learning to rollover. He also has just started to coo and talk and is starting to smile. We love you bubba!

A couple pictures

2009-01-18T13:10:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's almost been 2 weeks already! We love our little Will and are having fun with him. Some nights are more sleepless than others but we're all doing great.

He made it! The love of our life is here!

2009-01-10T08:23:00.001-08:00

William Andrew Athens! He weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs and 22.5 inches long. It was quite the experience. We went in sunday for a non stress test, to test my amniotic fluid levels and they were low again, so the dr was called and said we would be induced! We were told to come back that night at 8:30 to receive a cervical ripening agent as my cervix was only open to 1.5 cms. Well once we got there it was decided to just start the pitocin. They started it around 9pm and came in at 2 to break my water. After that the contractions started getting stronger and closer together. Woo! Then after quite a few intense contractions I decided it was time for the epidural. I love modern medicine! The anesthesiologist was really nice and talked me through the whole thing. I was kind of nervous for this but all went well and after it started I felt great. They continued to check my progress which was SO slow. My mom came at 7am monday and I was only at a 4. Anyways after what seemed like an eternity I was finally complete or 10 cm dilated. My nurse had me start pushing, which is torturous but feels better at the same time. It wore me out for sure. I pushed for about 2 hours, oh and did I mention that my epidural for some reason was done, gone, disappeared. ;) After pushing all this time and waiting for the dr, I was told to not push and just relax through contractions. Yeah right! Well I didn't push for about 30 minutes but my body knew what it was doing and helped the baby progress. The dr came in (he had been called into an emergency c-section) and he got ready, another dr pushed on my stomach and I pushed for maybe 9 minutes and he was born! So amazing. He had the weirdest shaped head ever! He looked a little alien ish b/c of his cone head and squinchy eyes! We got a hat on him quickly! He was weighed and measured and everything was great. I can't believe it, after all this time, our baby boy was born. Here are some pics from delivery and in the hospital. I will put up more later. To create life is so amazing and to be able to hold it in your hands and know that you share in one large way God's power is amazing. I feel so blessed.

I'm due...today!!!

2008-12-27T14:29:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to express exacty how I am feeling...see below!

Now that we've covered that, I really should talk about christmas and how good and fun it was but I'm not in the mood. I'm feeling sorry for myself and so ready to just hold my little boy! Any self induction ideas would be great and feel free to guess when he will actually make his appearance and how big he'll be.

The finished product etc...

2008-12-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

In the 100 million years that I've been pregnant, we've had lots of decisions to make...where to live, where Andy should work and everything for the baby. Well, one thing we chose was to make the quilt for the nursery. This happened because I could not find anything that I really liked especially since our nursery is going to be black, white and green. I got all the fabric and then tried to find a pattern but nothing was like I wanted :) Maybe I'm just difficult??? Anyways, after Andy designed the pattern exactly according to my wishes (except probably better), we jumped right into making it. Let me just say that it is a good thing we love our son because this was not easy! (neither of us had any experience in making quilts). So after everything it turned out so cute! We totally love it, and mostly we are glad it is finished!!!

Also, we watched Kung Fu Panda the other night and really liked it. It is super cute and funny. We laughed out loud a few times and just really enjoyed it. :)

I went to the Dr yesterday and here are my current stats: measuring 38 weeks, soft cervix, 1/2 cm dilated and thinning. Woo! So nothing too huge but we're getting there! We will gladly welcome "the boy" any day he chooses to come! He's considered full term as of tomorrow, so if anything happens, they won't stop it.

Week 34!

2008-11-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

Since pretty much everyone I know has been pregnant this year and I've followed the growth of their belly's through pictures, I decided to give a visual update of my belly! Right now I am 34 weeks along and "the boy" is measuring at 36 weeks. The dr thinks he is going to be big. Yikes! I'm excited that I only have 6 more weeks! Being pregnant is awesome, I love watching and feeling him move and knowing that I helped create him. It's going to be even more awesome when he is....OUT! I'm so excited to see him and hold him.

This is a picture of me in my "uniform". Every night when I get home from work I put on my one pair of PJ pants that fit and Andy's sweatshirt!

Veteran's day

2008-11-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was indeed Veteran's day. I believe this is my dad's fourth year being a veteran. He and my mom celebrated by going out to breakfast! They lead an exciting life! Then because of our crazy life, Andy and I ended up in SLC last night and were able to go to the Huntsman center for a concert. It was so good. All the high school choirs in granite district sing as well as guest soloists, including Alex Boye who has an incredible voice! It was a lot of fun and we're both glad we went. Here are a couple pictures of the orchestra that was made up of vets and those currently serving and the choir of high school students and also of my cute brother and dad.

I just wanted to mention how proud I am to have a dad that has served and continues to serve our country. I know it's people like him who protect our freedoms and allow us to live as we do. I am so grateful for him and all his hard work. I know he wishes he was going out again but I'm glad he isn't. :) Call me selfish but I like my dad home and safe. I'm also really happy he'll be around for the birth of his grandson. I love you dad!

Also, Andy and I are really lucky and proud to have so many family members who currently serve or who have served our country. Thank you all!

Good times!

2008-10-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

We decided to get in the spirit of halloween this week and carve pumpkins! Andy did a great job of picking out 2 super pumpkins. This is our 2nd Halloween together as a married couple! Where does the time go? We wanted to be creative with our pumpkins but well...they are pretty normal. Andy's is goofy and mine is girly! We like them! Enjoy the pics and Happy Halloween!

Pregnancy...

2008-10-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ok so this is kind of a random post but it's something to help me remember some of the strange things that I crave or have craved. The first was in my 1st trimester and it was purely for comfort and its stomach settling abilities. Good ol' chicken noodle soup, only Campbell's. :)

Next, and not all that surprising considering I LOVE and have loved my whole life, bubble gum ice cream! Sweet Andy went to at least 2 different grocery stores to track this treat down!

Oh my love for bubble gum...I craved big, huge mouthfuls of any bubble gum I could get my hands on! I had packages and packages of it, in all flavors. I still have a stash of quarters in my purse so any time we pass a gumball machine I can get one!

Last and not least, in fact all the other cravings only lasted a short period but this one continues. I want mexican food!!! I love, love, love it! I can't get enough. I could eat it everyday, twice a day. I'll eat any kind from a restaurant or homemade. In Provo, I can fulfill this by Taco bell but when we are in SLC and I'm lucky I get to go to BARBACOA! Oh just thinking about it makes me happy!

Andy has been so good about it. Luckily he isn't too picky and his motto is "Happy wife, Happy life!" Woohoo! I'll be in SLC a few times this week and so I need to devise a plan as to which day I'll get to indulge my mexican food loving baby boy!

On a side note, we have a doctor's appointment next week. Then we start our every 2 weeks appointments. We're excited. Also, last time I was measuring big so we'll see what this week brings. Also, the baby has found a new trick...it is to stick his head or some other body part under the right side of my rib cage and stretch. Let me tell you, it's not the most comfortable thing and the only way to avoid it is to sit up super straight. The little stinker, full of attitude already!

Photos

2008-10-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

So, we want some pregnancy photos, but kinda don't want to pay for them. This is our attempt at free pregnancy photos with a cheap camera and blankets hanging in the doorway. Her belly is very cute, but.......maybe we'll pay.

Yes, this is a real update!

2008-10-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Ok so it's been forever...Andy is a slacker! In his defense he has a lot going on. This is his last semester and he is taking 18 credits and working and so he's super busy. This past weekend we had a birthday party for me, it was so not my idea but it was really fun. We held it at my parents house and just had some hamburgers and brats. It's always fun to get family and a few friends together. Here are a few pictures from that night.

This is the friends table...us, twinings, Ariel, min and Mckell.
The Sevies and Mary chatting under the carport thing.

The parents all sat together and chatted. Don't they look happy?

My 2 best girls! I'm so glad that Minda and Mckell were able to be there. I love them and it's just like old times with the 3 of us together. We're all at different places in our lives(my stage being HUGE) but we have so much fun together. I love you both!

For my birthday Andy cropped this picture for me and blew it up to 11x14 and got a really pretty black wood frame with a double black matte and gave it to me. I love it! It's now hanging in our family room. I love you honey! Thanks for making my birthday special. I especially love the inside jokes that were present in your gifts...fairly odd parents, stick boy and pirates!

I put a couple of bridals on here because we celebrated our 1 year anniversary in August! Also because we actually just picked them up and have been looking at them. I just want to say that Matt Christensen did them and he is an amazing photographer!! The final and maybe main reason I'm putting them on here is because pretty is the last thing I feel about myself these days. I love these pictures and I loved my wedding day, it was perfect.

We've had a couple of scary moments in the past month. The first being that this stubborn little boy who is currently dwelling in my uterus decided to stop moving for 24 hrs. SCARY. We called the doctor, and he had us come in and gave us a quick ultrasound to check everything. Of course he was fine, just turned weird so I couldn't feel him. Just because of how my life is, the second we left the dr's office, he was squirming and moving all around. Then this week, i had sudden shortness of breath and a racing heart and once again called the dr and this time they instructed us to go to the ER. We were there for 7 hours! I had to have an EKG and a CT scan to make sure I didn't have a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in my lungs). I did not, thankfully. It was still a semi traumatic day. Everything is good now, I go to the doctor next week for my 7 month appointment. It's getting close. Ok this post is super long so I'm done. We'll be better at posting I promise. One last thing, I'm making a quilt for my baby and I've got everything I need. I'm just a little nervous so if you have any tips, feel free to tell me. Thanks!

I don't know why there is this huge gap butI can't get rid of it!

An update?...No, just two pictures!

2008-09-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of "the belly"! I'm 25 weeks right now and getting super excited! Andy is blogging tomorrow for an update on everything that has happened in the last month.

Drum roll please!!!

2008-08-12T07:46:00.001-07:00

I'll post more later once we get the pictures uploaded. YAY!

I was tagged...

2008-08-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

Ok so my dear friend Katie Higbee tagged me and so I feel obligated to respond :)

8 RANDOM things about Katie Leigh Athens

*First, I finally started to feel the baby moving this weekend! It's so awesome and it makes me so happy every time. I don't know what "the jellybean" is doing in there but it's active! YAY! 4 more long days before we get to see it and find out!!!
*I believe most people know this but...I LOVE PICKLES! I could eat at least one everyday forever and I would love it! Of course I do have to add that I only LOVE Claussen pickles(yes, honey, the snooty ones in the refrigerated section). They are so crunchy and tasty. yum.
*I also LOVE country music. I was born in Texas and that's where it all began but especially after getting home from my mission I really just fell in love with it again. My first concert was after all Reba!
*I have no real talents. I can't draw, sing(yikes), dance, play any instrument, and I definitely don't do sports! I have people skills right??? :)
* When I was little I only had to be rushed to the hospital 3 times. If you know my family or read my mom's blog you'll see what a good record I have compared to my siblings! Once was for being bitten by a snake that luckily ended up only being a garter snake. (lucky b/c we had to wait for over 2 hrs to be seen and had it been poisonous, well, you get the point!) Next time was around Halloween when i was 4-5. My aunt let me carve a pumpkin and I cut my hand open. The last time was when I decided to drink a whole bottle of Dimetapp. :)
*I hate beyond all words the sound of teeth scraping on a fork. UGH! It gives me the goosebumps.
*I'm an avid reader. I love to read, doesn't matter what except books that are super scary. I get nightmares. If I had the time and no other responsibilities I would read day in and day out. I get this from my mom, she loves to read as well.
*This is random and I can't actually believe that it's true, unfortunately for you reading this it's not some deep, dark secret...it's my job. I'm a College Savings Consultant and a stock and mutual fund trader. This is random because it's most definitely not my passion and not a job I want forever. I love the medical field and hope someday to employed within it.
I guess that's all for now. Andy should be posting sometime soon.

What's your vote?

2008-07-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Ok so I know the voting feature has been up for a couple days already, but I wanted to add this. I really appreciate everyone's votes but I want to know who voted for what! So please spill! We go for our "big" ultrasound on Monday August 11th! Vote before it's too late.

what fun...

2008-07-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I decided it was probably time to see the dentist after...gasp almost 3 years. In my defense, 18 months of that was the mission! I made an appointment for Thursday, my day off and was nervous about the number of cavities they would find. The weekend passed and Monday night my jaw started to ache a little bit but nothing too terrible. However, Tuesday I was taking painkillers all day just to survive. That night it got so bad that it woke me and I had to put ice on it. Which by the way doesn't help when trying to sleep, although it does help cool off an overheating pregnant body. The next morning I called the dentist and luckily they could see me. I got an x-ray taken and they proceeded to show me the reason I was in so much pain...a big dark spot and a sad looking root. The diagnosis was I needed a ROOT CANAL! Oh the joy! They really took great care of me, numbed me right up and drilled and filed the heck (literally) out of my tooth. The picture above is how I felt, nearly 2 hours with my jaw wrenched open. I am feeling great now though and am so glad that someone is interested in teeth and knowing how to fix them. :)

A wedding in Idaho Falls

2008-07-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had the opportunity to head up to Idaho Falls and participate in the sealing of one of Andy's mission friends, Briant Giles. I'd met him a few times before and we actually met his now wife at our wedding last year. Neither of us had ever been to Idaho Falls but we really enjoyed our time there. It's such a beautiful little place. With flowers everywhere, I became totally obsessed with the town's hanging plants that were on every corner. So beautiful! The snake river is running right through town and its huge! I was just amazed at another beautiful place we have to enjoy on the earth.

The wedding went perfectly, they were sealed by Elder Groberg who is the temple president there and it was awesome. He said 5 things to do to keep your marriage strong. They are:

Daily family prayer
Daily family scripture study
Full tithe payers
Regular temple attendance
Supporting each other in callings

They seem simple enough but I definitely don't have them mastered and I imagine it only gets harder as your family expands. :)

You can kind of see the "belly" in this pic! It's coming right along! I like it though, it's an awesome experience. I'm super excited to finally feel the little jellybean move. Just for an update we get to have an ultrasound and find out the gender August 11! We're totally excited.

Weddings are fun, especially temple marriages. It's always great to be reminded of your covenants and how powerful they really are, if we can just be faithful. Andy and I were both reminded of our own special day not quite a year ago.

We love this picture! I'm so grateful for my husband, I couldn't have dreamt up anyone better for me. The Lord definitely knows me and exactly what I need. I love him for so many different reason but here are just a few: for the way he looks in his apron, his giggle, his quick forgiveness when I'm bratty(yes it happens). I'm so grateful for the desires of his heart that are pure and worthy goals. I love that he wants to have a family with me and that he chose me. Honey I lub you!

Flaming Gorge, it's a lake not something else!

2008-07-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

I know its been forever since we blogged but, we've been busy doing mostly nothing :) Anyways, so far this summer we have enjoyed a couple of trips up to the lake with Andy's family. It's great because it's only 3 hours away and SO beautiful. I went up there frequently as a child and youth but with the Athens it's a totally new experience! in a great way of course. With them we stay on a boat or camp on King fisher island. They have wave runners and other families come up that have smaller boats we can go out on. Plus the fact that the sun is 50 times stronger there, you can get tan quickly. I love that! We also did henna tattoos this time on the bottom of our feet(in case they didn't work!) Another highlight of the lake is fishing. I love to fish! Andy is the best, he always catches the biggest fish and just of the dock! Here's the proof...

After he caught this 3 1/2 pound rainbow he sent his line out again...well truth be told he was using my pink fishing pole! Anyways, he offered to let me reel in the next fish, of course I agreed. I was excited when not 5 minutes later he called me over from my uno game to get the fish. I was expecting a similar fish to his and here's what I was lucky enough to reel in...

I was so proud! The first small mouth bass I've ever caught. He was approximately 3 inches long! It definitely made us all laugh! And grateful I wasn't responsible for catching our dinner! Other highlight of the trip include my belly deciding it was going to pop. It must be camping that does it to you! Also my mother in law made a new special friend, you'll have to ask if you want to know more! We just had a great time and had a fun 4th of July weekend!

Andy's Random Thoughts

2008-06-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

I don't really have anything exciting to blog about and it definitely is my turn, so here are a few things that I think are worth discussing.

1- Who was the genius that decided that pickles and olives deserved their own section at the grocery store? It was probably the same guy who brought you "good luck ever finding marshmallows without asking the awkward, pizza-faced, teenaged employee" and "729 loaves of the bread you want when you're grabbing an extra loaf to put in the freezer, but only one on the shelf when you're completely out of bread that turns out to not really be the kind you want, just one that was discarded when someone realized they accidentally grabbed cracked wheat instead of 12-grain." Seriously though, when was the last time you ate pickles and olives at the same time? Possibly even stranger is the fact that, at my house, we can only buy the fancy schmancy refrigerated pickles that are next to......the bacon. I enjoy slapping together a good, ol' fashioned BLP as much as the next guy, but there has got to be a better way to organize said foodstuffs.

2- Note I'd like to leave on the gate to the pool area on the way out:

Dear large girl on the floating pool lounge,

You might want to give that bikini a second thought. If after that second thought, you still want to wear one, here's a little advice. When shopping for the bottom, stop clinging to the M sister. Go ahead and step up to the big girl L and no one will think any less of you. In fact you might even get the kind of attention that you want at the pool instead of that pleasant face people make when they've just thrown up a little in their mouths. While you're at it, grab a top that is actually a full D. That medium C is not doing those girls any favors.

Sincerely yours,
The married dude that isn't a resident and technically should not be swimming in your pool

PS- The reason why my wife made the previously mentioned face several times today was because she's pregnant and has an overactive gag reflex.

3- I love IKEA and I'm not ashamed to admit it. In fact, my wife won't even let me go alone because I have little self control. I mean, we may not have need for it now, but you never know when we might need a flexible, multi-colored lamp or a wall mirror the size of a postage stamp. I've heard they have good food too. I wouldn't know. I've never been able to divert my attention from the deliciously Swedish merchandise. On a similarly girly note, I don't have a problem buying feminine hygiene products by myself. When I get to the checkout with a variety pack of tampons, no one in their right mind is going to think that they're for me. Why should I be embarrassed? In fact, I might even get a little respect from the cashier when I get up there with the pads that come with those little soothing wipes, because....come on....those are the best.
(The record shall also show that I still love thick steaks, sports, working out and blowing stuff up)

And I'm spent.

IT'S ALIVE!!!

2008-06-05T09:40:00.001-07:00

Science has invented many wonderful things and I've always been glad to have them but I can't remember a time when I appreciated them more than today. This little machine here is a fetal doppler and allows you to hear your unborn child's heartbeat.

Today we had the priviledge of meeting our doctor, who is strange and super nice and we also got to hear our little jellybean's heartbeat. It was going about 180 bpm. From what I hear that's fast and means it's a girl. I guess time will tell.

We're both happy and a little relieved that only one heartbeat was heard.

CARPOOLING...

2008-06-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

To carpool or not to carpool, that is the question.

When I started my job in October and knew I would be driving to Salt Lake four times a week, I figured that being in a carpool was a great idea. Not only for convenience, but to save miles on the car and save money. Had I known the mental anguish it would cause me in the months to come, I'm quite sure I would have spared myself and Andy all the horrors!

My carpool was made up of some interesting (to say the least) characters. There were 2 women and 3 males. Only the males drove and that in itself was frightening enough some days, as at random times, one driver exclaimes "WOW! I was just going 105 mph" Some things can be overlooked, such as speeding or over zealous honking habits but I soon discovered major character flaws that I just couldn't handle. Besides the fact that 4 of 5 were over 5'10" and being squished into a 2 door Honda, or even worse a VW jetta. Oy! Needless to say, I always was in the back seat considering my short leg syndrome!

One morning, we were on our way and the car was reaking of some horrid odor that was all too familiar...morning breath. When the assailant was questioned he cheerfully admitted that since he had skipped breakfast, and would be eating at work he'd also skipped brushing. YUCK!

So my friends, my advice is that no matter how desperate or frugal you are...SCREEN your carpool particpants carefully. You have no idea how much you will learn about them on your commute to and from work! I did end up with one good friend through the carpool experience but some other members are definitely on the list. (you know mom, they're dead to me!)

General Annoyance

2008-05-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

So, we live on the bottom floor of our apartment complex. Just after moving in, we went to meet the neighbors that live above us for two reasons: 1. to give them an opportunity to welcome us to the neighborhood (we figured they wouldn't do that without some coaxing) and 2. because we heard they allowed everyone to piggy-back their wireless internet. They seemed pretty nice, besides the fact that the wife has a striking resemblance to Skeletor (I'd like to take credit for the He-Man reference, but Katie was the first to point it out). They charge us $15/month to use their connection. We don't mind the cost too much, but according to my calculations, they're making out like bandits if all 8 apts use their internet. Shortly after our first visit, though, we discovered that we could hear just about everything Skeletor and the Master of her Universe were doing through our ceiling. That sounds markedly dirtier than I meant it to, but.......We have no idea what they do up there at 4 am, but here are a few options of what we think it sounds like: blind-folded roller derby, greco-roman chocolate pudding wrestling, the new Billy Blanks tap-dancing Tae-bo video, etc. They also get really irritated if we make any noise. Any time I put a nail in the wall to hang a picture in the middle of the day, they bang on the floor as if we are disrupting their invisible sleeping baby. We sometimes turn on music on Saturdays while we clean the house and they always turn theirs on louder so they can't hear ours. The icing on the irritating cake came when I got en email a few weeks ago from Skeletor's weasel husband because we hadn't paid for May's internet yet. I got it on May 2 and somehow it got erased, but I'll paraphrase: "I'm sick of you paying for your internet late. I have to pay for the internet on the first of the month and so should you. From now on, if I don't get your payment by the 2nd of the month, I will disconnect your connection. I'm tired of waiting for you to pay." I decided to take the high road and assume that they were having financial problems and that was why they needed our payment. So I wrote a check for 3 months worth of internet and went to talk to my confrontational web admin. Surprisingly enough, he sent Skeletor to the door to deal with me(I know he was there, I heard him hiding in the kitchen). Undetered, I offered to pay them the last week of the month so that our check would clear in time for them to pay this ominous internet bill. They declined. I'm not sure how they'll react in 3 months when its time for us to pay again, but you'd better believe I'll be knocking on their door with a $15 check at 11:57 pm on the night of the 2nd.

Yes, we're expecting, and it's sooo fun!

2008-05-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, Andy and I were looking after my siblings while my parents were in Florida and really reconsidering any thoughts of reproduction! (which i think had been my parents goal!) Anyways, we took a pregnancy test and found one doodle that couldn't be undid! We were pregnant. It's crazy and still surreal to me but the symptoms are enough to help me remember. Andy is doing great and we are both really excited. I'm almost 8 weeks along and I feel like the baby is the size of a watermelon instead of a grape! oy! What will the future hold? Also, I found out that my Dr doesn't do ultrasounds until week 20. I swear waiting that long might kill me. Has anyone suffered or been suffering through all day sickness? If anyone has tips to help ease it, they would be greatly appreciated.

First Post

2008-05-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

After much deliberation we finally broke down and decided to start one of these things. We don't have anything really interesting to write at the moment, but here is a video explaining where our blog name came from, if you don't already know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWDgQPSomGk&feature=related