The Brady Bunch

Cloud Dough

2012-02-10T15:11:00.001-07:00

What did we all do before Pinterest?!

Cloud Dough

8 cups flour

1 cup baby oil

(I used mineral oil)

This was a hit! I halved the recipe because 8 cups would have been way too much.

It is a lot like wet sand because it easily falls apart. It feels really cool though.

I even added some spearmint essential oil to make it smell yummy and a little more oil than it called for so it would stay together better. Jay had fun burying toys, cutting out shapes, and just making a mess in general. The nice thing about this stuff is that it doesn't get sticky or dry out like playdough so it cleans up easily! (Don't let your kids eat it though.)

Epiphanies

2012-02-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

In the past few days I have had two very important realizations. Both happened to occur while I was watching TV.

The first struck me while I was checking for GOP updates on CNN. Instead, I found Suze Orman on Piers Morgan Tonight. I don't like Piers Morgan, so I was about to change the channel but then I realized that they were talking about the economy.

Basically, they were talking about what they thought could fix our economy and put people back to work. Suze's answer hit me right between the eyes. Here's what she said:

(In case you can't get the video she says, "I think the answer is people are going to have to become entrepreneurial. They are going to have to become their own bosses. The day of working for a corporation, you get a pension after thirty years, and health benefits--gone! So if you really want to be secure, you are going to have to be your own boss.")

Now, you may be thinking, "But, Stacy, that's exactly what your family is doing." Yes it is. But I have always looked at it wrong. Up until this moment, I thought Joe and I were behind everyone else. I thought our struggles were a sign that we should go back to school, look for another job, etc. But then I always remember that we have looked for work. We have added Joe's resume to a stack of 5,000 other hopefuls'. Usually this is hours and hours wasted with no results. Once he did get a job that treated him terribly, made him work nights, and promised him hours that they didn't deliver so they wouldn't have to give us health insurance. Once he spent months studying and taking tests to qualify for a job that ended up making nothing.

So my point: I now realize that I can name a dozen people off the top of my head who are unemployed, underemployed or working in an unrelated field to their degree and are unhappy. According to Suze, most of these people are going to have to make their own jobs. So this whole time I thought we were behind and we were actually ahead. Joe loves his job. He loves building a business with his own two hands, getting to be involved in every aspect, and watching it grow each month. Sure there are ups and downs. Sure we struggle some months. But I can honestly say that I am proud of what Joe does. He is good at what he does. I love that he wants to grow a business and give other people jobs. I love that we get to do this together. And I especially love moments like these when Heavenly Father lets me know that we are exactly where we are supposed to be, doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing.

On to Epiphany #2:

(Image from eonline.com)
This one will be shorter, I promise. I was watching 19 Kids and Counting and I heard Michelle Duggar say that gall bladder pain/surgery was worse than any of her 19 labor and deliveries and even worse than kidney stones. She said (and I quote), "It was the worst pain I have EVER felt!" (emphasis added).

Now growing up, I was known as the wuss in my family. Anytime I was in pain I was reminded that what I was going through wasn't actually that hard, it was just that I was not very tough. And sure, I passed out a few times getting shots, starting a lawn mower, and once in Clairs getting my ears pierced when I was 19. But according to Michelle Duggar I am a superhero. (She didn't actually say that but I'm assuming she would think so.) According to Michelle Duggar, I have been through the most painful thing a human can endure. (Again, assuming but not far off the actual quote.) So I think I deserve an apology from my family. That's all.

4 Months

2012-02-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe this little boy is 4 months old. It's that weird feeling of "How did it go by so fast?" and "Really? He's only been around for four months?" all mixed together. But it's true. Four. Months. Old.

Here's the stats:

Weight: 16.05 lbs (65%)

Length: 26.97 in (95%)

Head: 17.1 in (76%)

Basically his length and head size are going up in percentile and his weight is going down. Pretty soon he might look more like a blow pop than a baby but he sure is cute!

Since turning 4 months old Ty has tasted carrots, green beans, and sweet potatoes... all a few days apart to test for allergies of course. I started him on solids earlier than Jay in hopes of helping his reflux... and because he was acting really hungry! So far so good. I actually feed him through a medicine syringe though because he's so used to taking medicine and it's way less messy. We'll get to the spoon maybe in a few weeks. He's also addicted to his binky, can't sleep unless he's swaddled like a straight jacket, and rarely laughs unless you're changing his diaper. But he's full of smiles and he can't get enough of his big brother Jay. They are adorable together.

I love this kid!

In Other News

2012-01-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

This week at the Brady house:

Ty learned to roll over!

(4 months 1 week old)

Jay and I made cookie cutter french toast.

For the record, naming your child a letter makes things like this SOOO much more exciting.

And so does eating it with "Fork-ceratops"! (Thanks again Traci!)

As you can tell, he's pretty stoked.

And if you're wondering where he gets his creepy happy face...

Um...

I have no idea.

Jay still adores his little brother.

Which is because he is adorable of course...

And Ty is developing a strange spot on his cheek that makes me think his face is going to fall off.

That's all folks.

Dear Alli

2012-01-20T14:40:00.005-07:00

I have a friend that recently wrote a blog post about feeling overwhelmed as a new Mommy. With home responsibilities crowding out work and church responsibilities, she wonders if she's alone in feeling like doing one thing right (taking care of her baby) shouldn't make up for neglecting all other areas of her life. Well here is my response to that:

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!

I'm sure that every Mom that reads your blog or mine can relate to that feeling. I am at this moment sitting in the messiest my house has ever been, I am tired from a middle of the night feeding, and I stopped looking at my to-do list because it's just depressing... BUT Jay is fed and (half) dressed, and Ty is peacefully sleeping in the next room. Sometimes it's hard for me to look at these things as accomplishments. Scratch that... 99% of the time I don't. But there are moments.. usually in sacrament meeting, the temple, or evening prayers... where the Lord allows me to see myself as He does. In those moments I am renewed. I can do this one more day, one more diaper change, one more tantrum. You know the expression "living paycheck to paycheck"? Well, most days I feel like I'm living prayer to prayer.

Maybe I'm glamorizing the life I had before kids, but I don't remember struggling to feel accomplished, talented, or appreciated. Any self-esteem issues were usually related to stupid boys... obviously before kids for me also means before marriage since Jay came so quickly. But I'm slowly learning that the words "Thank you" don't feel as good as, "I love you, Mommy." Feeling beautiful doesn't feel as good as the way my baby looks at me. Memories are vastly more important than a clean house. And I would rather snuggle up with a sleeping toddler, listening to his tiny breath than hear how awesome the world thinks I am.

Also, in my opinion, the internet is single handedly the most destructive force in tearing down a Mother's self-worth. No longer does Satan have to wait until church or social events for us to compare ourselves to our seemingly perfect colleagues and whisper in our ears that we will never measure up. Now, each and every day, at any given moment, we can peek into the filtered lives of our friends as a constant reminder of our shortcomings. My new mantra: People only post things on the internet that are out of the ordinary. So when Suzy Homemaker posts a picture of a dazzling Christmas wreath that she crafted from recycled toilet paper tubes and thumb tacks, I can appreciate her accomplishment knowing that she is probably blogging in her bath robe while her toddler is eating glue.

So Allison, yes I feel this way daily. I struggle to feel happy in the chaos of Mommyhood on days when all I've done is keep my kids alive. But the worst thing we do is then feel GUILTY that we feel that way. Not only are you under accomplished and under appreciated but now you are also ungrateful. That's two points for the devil. (Now do you feel guilty for feeling guilty?)

I hope this helps you feel a little less alone, my friend. Love you.

Cell Phone Gallery

2012-01-18T13:09:00.009-07:00

I was going through Joe's phone last night and realized how many cute pictures he had. So I thought I'd share:

The Many Faces of Jay

(Go Broncos!)

(This next picture cracks me up)
Cute Ty

...and His Binky

Bedtime
(Jay wants to be just like baby Ty)
Brothers
(Jay giving Ty a blessing)
Jay's Style Inspirations
(Jay wearing Ty's 3 month old pants)
(Jay loves Joe's work shirt, so for Christmas he got one of his own)

And this list would not be complete without...

Joe
(no explanation here)

I am so lucky.

THE Bed

2012-01-16T17:38:00.006-07:00

Over Christmas, I was in Boise for nearly a month! And do you know what I missed most from home?... (I should say Joe huh?) Okay do you know what I missed SECOND to Joe?

Our bed. Now, this is not any ordinary bed. This is a very special bed. Before you can appreciate the awesomeness of this bed though, you must know something about me. I have what is called a hiatal hernia and reflux that forces me to spend a lot of time sleeping in a recliner. That is until a Christmas miracle occurred and Joe and I happened to be at the right place at the right time. By chance we found out about a neighbor of ours that needed to sell his bed with only a few days until he had to move. We heard that it was a king size bed that could raise up and down and immediately I jumped in to ask how much. So get this: Our neighbor bought the bed for $4,000 a year ago but he was in such a hurry that he was selling it for $350! And it was still in the plastic until a week before!

Well now it's ours. Here's Joe's family trying it out.
(And loving it.) This bed is AWESOME! It is remote controlled, pillow top, and can massage you in 3 different modes. It's basically the best part of my day. Sometimes it makes me feel old though because it's technically two separate twin beds. Yes, Joe and I now sleep in two separate beds! Go ahead and make fun. I never get to think about that too long because I'm usually drifting peacefully to sleep with 30 minutes of massage mode #1.

Finally!

2012-01-16T16:58:00.005-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I HATE having long hair? I do. I really do.
Well, did...

After probably 7 years of trying to grow my hair out to donate, I finally did it!

This is a pretty personal thing for me because, as most of you know, my older brother died of cancer almost 10 years ago when I was a senior. That experience left me wanting to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families. This was by far the hardest thing I've done in that effort. Since I usually cut my own hair, leaving it alone for this long has been torture. Not to mention the fact that I made it through a St. George summer (9 months pregnant!) without hacking it off. Yeah, I'm pretty amazing.

But not amazing enough to ever do it again. Like I said, I hate having long hair. As a person who has spent the better part of my life with short hair (and I do mean the better part of my life) I can tell you that long hair changes you. For instance, I'm pretty positive that I learned to get in and out of a car differently than someone with long hair. Why? Because I cannot count the amount of times that I've shut my hair in the car door in the past year... or rolled it into the window... or how many times I've spit tooth paste in my hair... or zipped it into something. I felt like an amputee that suddenly grew his leg back. (Except maybe not so grateful and a little more willing to chop it off again.)

So there you have it. A long, hard journey finally come to a joyful end.

The Brady Men

2012-01-16T16:36:00.005-07:00

Here's my boys a few days ago.

You know, I would love to have a baby girl someday but when I look at pictures like this I can't help but want more boys. I just love them. And Jay's facial expression... who wouldn't love that? I have no idea where he gets it. (Ha!)

Speaking of Jay I better record his latest stuff... and as always most of this was on facebook:

Today Jay told me that he always shares all his promises. Apparently if you can keep them, you can share them.

My mom was feeding Ty a bottle and Jay and I were in another room:

Jay: "Mom, why can't Ty be in here?"
Me: "Because he needs to be eatin'."
Jay: "He needs to be eaten?! By a monster?!"

Before giving Jay a haircut:
Me: "Alright Jay, eat your pancakes and then I'm going to buzz your head."
Jay: "Okay!" Then looking nervous, "Mom, what does buzz my head mean?"

Jay thinks the Book of Mormon is about Dinosaurs.
Last month, he was carrying around one of those little military Book of Mormons and telling the cable guy, "This is the Book of Mormon. It's red. Red is my favorite color. Look I'll read it. Tyrannosaurus Rex is chasing all the dinosaurs. He eats the slow ones. Oh look... here's a Brachiosaurus dinosaur. That's my favorite..."

He's pretty fun to have around.

Brothers Part 2

2012-01-01T21:22:00.003-07:00

Here's the latest comparison.

Ty is not used to having his picture taken every second of every day like Jay was. Smiling for the camera is not something he does which makes his face look thinner than Jay's. Really they are soooo similar it's scary. Jay just has a bigger nose.

Brothers

2011-11-21T15:02:00.002-07:00

Are these two related or what?

I always thought it would be so fun to see how different my kids looked. So far it's not working out. (Which, by the way, I'm okay with. I mean they are so cute right?)

Quick Photo Shoot

2011-11-02T13:15:00.003-06:00

I had a few minutes the other day to capture my boys' cuteness.

Ty (5 weeks old)

Jay (3 years old)

I love these two. Now I just have to figure out how to keep up with them!

Halloween!!

2011-11-02T12:19:00.004-06:00

So I really thought as Ty got a few weeks older that things would slow down and I would have time to blog... Pah! Life was like, "Psyche! Lol." (Yes life talks to me like a teenage girl from the 90's.) Anyhow, life is crazy. Between trying to catch up on everything I missed, including sleep, from the past six weeks and trying to literally catch my three year old, I'm wiped out!

I'm attempting to do better today though. So without further ado, I give you.. "Halloween":

I started the day by heading to Kid-to-Kid for costumes (procrastination!). But it might become a tradition because everything was 50% off, including these jammies: Jay loved them! Trying to get him to smile, I made the mistake of saying, "Say Eee like when we brush our teeth!" This is what I got... And adding to the failed photo-ops of the day is this beauty: Poor Ty. But he did calm down in time to make a brief appearance in his real costume. He's such a cute head! I also got Jay a brand new giraffe costume but he liked his $2.00 pajamas better! So that's what he wore Trunk-or-Treating.
Jay loved having trick-or-treaters come to the house, handing out candy and yelling "Happy Halloween!" to all our visitors. It was a fun day. Kids make holidays sooo much better!

Just Chillin'

2011-10-14T22:43:00.004-06:00

Our cute Ty boy:

Introducing...

2011-09-25T08:48:00.005-06:00

Ty David BradyBorn: Monday, September 19, 2011

Weight: 9 lbs 6 oz
Length: 21 in. long

I have to say that a repeat c-section was scarier than I thought it would be. With my first c-section I had about ten minutes to prepare, we were worried about Jay, and I already had an epidural in. It was over before I even knew what had happened. This time I knew three days in advance and had about 2 hours of prep at the hospital before the surgery. I had to have a spinal block put in while sitting up. (Now this was not as painful as I thought it would be but I was up really high on a small operating table and it took ten minutes. I'm not a needle person and I wanted to pass out.) Before surgery began I got really scared and almost ran for the door. Luckily my legs were numb by this point and I couldn't move. Then, by some miracle, the surgery began and I was completely calm. I felt this wave of peace rush over me and within two minutes I heard Ty cry for the first time.

(Here's my first time seeing him.) He was huge but perfect.

Watching Joe become a Daddy to two boys has been really fun. He's in heaven. And Jay loves having a little brother. (This was a shock to me.)

He loves how everything about Ty is little and he is always trying to "help" by giving him his pacifier, waking him up when he's been sleeping too long, and putting toys in Ty's swing so he can be happy.

I love my little family. Oh and I'm healing well. I'm still in pain but this recovery is cake compared to the first time!

It's Official

2011-09-17T10:16:00.005-06:00

Baby Boy Brady will be born, one way or another, by this Monday. The doctor was worried that he was big so we did an ultrasound yesterday (that's where this cute picture came from) and it measured him at 9 lb. 4 oz.! They said that their machines are accurate to a pound, meaning that this baby is anywhere from 8.4 to 10.4. They also hooked me up to some monitors and confirmed that I am in fact having real, regular contractions but I'm not progressing.

So the decision was made that I would give my body until Monday to have this boy and if not, it's c-section #2. I asked about some kind of slow induction but the doctor said that the failure rate of induced Vbacs is 75%... not so good. Also the chances of having a baby this size as a Vbac are not great... not impossible... but not great.

Anyhow, I'm very excited to meet our sweet boy. And to finally name him! Wish me luck.

Scenic Saturday - Kolob Reservoir

2011-09-10T16:29:00.002-06:00

Well, I was tired of sitting around waiting to go into labor so we packed up and went for a drive. Joe decided to take me on a road behind Zion National Park (to Kolob Reservoir) and I'm glad he did. It was gorgeous and perfect picture taking light and weather. Good job Joe.

Now I'm ready to be taking pictures of my baby... so come... now... anytime. Really.

Budget Luxury

2011-08-23T18:18:00.004-06:00

A few years ago I became addicted to Dove body wash... the expensive kind. Now I didn't pay the $6.00 or more per bottle because I was extreme couponing. I think I paid around $2.50 a bottle. Life became a little less wonderful when I ran out. Since then I've been buying the cheap stuff at Walmart that still costs over $3.00. Boo.

Today my life became a little more sunny. I am back to using dove body wash. But, again, I didn't pay $6.00. I figured out how to make it myself for only $1.72 a bottle! I know you may instantly be skeptical of how you could replicate the lavish liquid but really it's the exact same thing! How?...

All you do is reconstitute dove bar soap. That's it. Really. I bought a six pack of the Dove Go Fresh Burst Beauty Bars ($6.88). I grated three of those bars into six cups of water in a pot on my stove. Then I turned it on to medium and waited for the soap to dissolve (be patient). I transferred the resulting liquid into a glass bowl with an airtight lid until it was cool enough to pour into plastic bottles (it thickens as it cools). It is a little thinner than the real stuff but works and feels the exact same! I promise.

In the end it made twice as much as a normal bottle for half the price! (48 oz. for $3.44) And just in case you are not convinced this is worth it... this makes body wash for $0.07/oz. Even the cheapest Walmart body wash is $0.18/oz. No brainer people.

Next I'm going to make some yummy boy soap for Joe. I HATE the little pieces of bar soap left all over the shower and the residue that you have to scrape off.
Now I just need to find a manly loofah!

Growing Pains

2011-08-21T05:30:00.003-06:00

It's early and I can't sleep.
I have so many thoughts running through my head.

Now that we're finally in our new house and I can begin to prepare for this new baby (3 weeks!), I can tell that all of this change has been hard on Jay. He's become incredibly clingy and doesn't understand why baby gets to use all of his old stuff that he isn't allowed to play with anymore.

To be honest, though, I'm having a hard time too. Having a child like Jay makes me terrified of what this next baby may bring. I remember in High School, when my brother died, I thought that I'd been through the worst thing ever and that Heavenly Father wouldn't put me through something like that again. But after the first trip to the ER, frantically running my barely breathing child into St. Lukes hoping someone could save him, I realized life wasn't that simple. Bad things happen. Multiple times.

I wish that the normal second time mom fears were the only fears that I had to face... How will I get enough sleep with this one? What if they don't get along? etc. But this morning I find myself wanting to go into Jay's bedroom, hold him close, and tell him things that he can't possibly understand... things like "Mommy will still do her best to protect you Jay."

I was talking to my mom the other day, possibly one of the only people who can really understand my fear, having lost a child herself. My mom is really strong and smart. I told her how I loved Jay so much that it hurt. How I didn't know I could love a child so much and at the same time be so afraid of losing them every second of every day. And most importantly, I told her that I didn't think I could do it again... worry so much, cry myself to sleep, take another child to the ER begging the doctor to please just make him better. I told her sometimes I'm angry with God. She didn't judge me for that last one. I'm sure that she sometimes felt the same way. But she told me not to borrow sorrow. She said that she thinks Heavenly Father allows things to happen in our lives more than He causes them to happen. I needed to hear that. It helped with my anger issue.

So here I am. Still scared but working on having a better perspective. I hope and pray this child is perfectly normal but if not... I'll make it. At least I know that whatever happens, he's mine forever.

Craigslist Project

2011-08-11T00:43:00.003-06:00

I have a love-hate relationship with Craigslist... mostly because I hate cheap creepsters coming to my house to look at my stuff even if they do end up buying it. But today's tale is a love story.

I found this: For only $50!!!

And I turned it into this:

For only $20 more!
(Fabric and Old English... Oh and the fabric is not stapled on yet so don't look too close.)

The house we are moving into has almost no closet space so this was a miracle find. Also, growing up, my parents had a cedar chest where it seemed like they stored very important, secret items. I think the fact that it was always locked and felt forbidden made me want one in my house someday to torture my own kids. Just kidding but I do feel very important now.

Highlights

2011-08-03T11:40:00.006-06:00

It's been a long time since I've blogged because life has been CRAZY! We've had two family reunions... one in Boise and one in Las Vegas. We're moving in a week and a half! And we're fixing up the house that we're moving into while trying to move out of this one. Oh and did I mention that I'm having a baby NEXT MONTH.

So to keep myself sane I decided I better blog while I have a minute. I went through my pictures today and here are some highlights of the past month.

Jay turned 3!
I made him a Handy Manny toolbox cake.

I think he liked it. We also had most of Joe's family in town so they came and showered him with awesome gifts. Thanks guys!

Here's a day when we made Blue's Clues pancakes. I was a bit disappointed that my blue batter turned so brown when I cooked them. Duh Stace!

Jay is growing up so fast. We're potty training him. And some days he even dresses himself...

Um yeah.

As for the house that we are fixing up...

Here's a sneak peak of the colors that we had to paint over...

Our room:

(Joe was all ready to paint it half orange and have a Bronco room!)

Jay's room:

Joe's parents bought this house in Hurricane (20 min. from St. George) and we're going to rent it for a while. It's actually a pretty cute house... just very bright and very dirty. Fixing it up has been really fun. I'm pretty sure I've broken every rule of pregnancy while doing it though. There I am balancing on a ladder, breathing in paint fumes and cleaning products, only to take a break to eat my unmicrowaved deli meat sandwich. And at the end of the day I go home tired and sore and do what?... take a hot bath. I could really use some sushi right now. (I kid.)

Anyhow, the house is almost done and my next post will probably be before and after pictures!

Goostrey Family Reunion 2011

2011-08-03T11:09:00.006-06:00

It's that time of year again... reunion season! In July we traveled 10 hours to Boise to have our annual Goostrey reunion. It was great to have everyone together. Can you tell I'm ready to explode? This baby needs to come now!

The weekend was filled with fun activities for the kids. My mom even rented a bounce house. Hence why Jay couldn't keep his eyes open after playing in the heat. I was really bad at taking pictures this year but I did get a few on a night we had a fire pit and smores.

Laney and Grandma John Daniel Spencer As the sun went down, Eric and Laney had some fun taking silhouette pictures. Cute Daddy/Daughter shot And Eric pretending he's Michael Jordan... with the help of a strategically placed chair.

It was so good to be back in Boise and spend time with my family!

Scenic Sunday--Grafton, Utah

2011-06-26T22:30:00.005-06:00

Joe and I started taking Sunday drives again. Last Sunday, however, I not only forgot to take any pictures but we "winged it" and ended up taking what we thought was a loop for two hours before turning around! That was a LONG drive.

Today, we decided to go out to an old LDS ghost town about 45 minutes from St. George. It was a pretty drive and had some interesting buildings. It would be fun to shoot family pictures out there sometime. Some polygamists actually showed up while we were there which made it feel like This is the Place National Monument in Salt Lake. You can see them if you blow up this next picture...

(Okay they are really tiny. But there are two women just above and to the left of the picket fence.)

Jay was just happy to be out of the car.

You couldn't go inside these buildings but you could look in through the windows. There had to be a million dead flies on the schoolhouse floor.

Fun day. Even with the heat, I still love this place.

"Stay Little"

2011-06-23T21:41:00.006-06:00

Joe and I are lucky enough that our Moms' birthdays are only two days apart. It makes remembering super easy. This year Mom Brady requested pictures of all her grandkids. Since we all live within 45 minutes of each other this was also super easy. We got together one night here in St. George and had a photo shoot. It was really fun. Here are the pictures we actually printed out and gave to her:

Group Shot
(I love Jay's little legs in this one!) Ailee Maya Jay

And Gage
(This is the cousin that Jay says "needs" him so much) And I just knew how much my mom would like this next picture so I printed one off for her birthday too.

The rest of these get honorable mention...
(Love this one!) (Ignore how Jay has a blue shirt on and everyone else has white... bad timing.)

What cute kids huh? I can't imagine living in a time when you couldn't capture these moments in photos. We're so blessed to live close to Joe's brothers and to have two of the greatest Moms ever. Happy Birthday Mom!... (That means both of you.)

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T10:09:00.004-06:00

Happy Father's Day Joe! Jay and I (and baby brother) are so lucky to have you in our lives. Thanks so much for working so hard. You really are a great Dad and I love watching how you are with Jay. I can't wait to see what adding another little boy will do to our family. You're the best. I love you!

Oh and in case anyone (ahem... Mom Brady) wants to see what we gave Joe today, we made him a video. I uploaded it to Youtube so that you could see it. It's my first time using Youtube so hopefully it works. Anyhow, here's the link:

Happy Father's Day Joe

Secret Keeping

2011-06-17T22:06:00.003-06:00

FAIL! I gave Joe his Father's Day present last night. (Sorry about the terrible picture. It was dark.) I have yet to not ruin a holiday or birthday surprise for Joe. I just can't help myself. I get so excited about whatever I got him that I either give it to him early or tell him what it is or give him dozens of hints until he guesses. What is wrong with me?! I know that if I could just wait 24-48 hours (okay sometimes a whole week) until the actual holiday, it would mean sooo much more. But I can't. I'm simply not capable of doing it.

Anyhow, I decided I would post about it in case anyone was struggling for an idea for their husband or Dad. This was actually quite the adventure since the craft store only had unpainted letters in this size. It was already almost 100 degrees outside so I ran home, left the car running with Jay inside, spray painted the letters on a box on my driveway, and then threw them in the trunk to dry on the way to the park. We managed not to ruin any clothing in the process. I call that a success.

It was hard to choose which pictures should go in the frame. Jay is just too cute...

Fanks and Bonedozers

2011-06-16T18:47:00.005-06:00

Jay has been saying such funny things lately and I don't want to forget them. (Some of these I posted on facebook.)

He calls Bulldozers "Bonedozers".

Jay really loves his cousin, Gage, who lives here in St. George. Whenever we leave Gage's house Jay says, "We have to go back. Gage needs me!" (A little prideful and dramatic... but thoughtful.)

The other day, Jay refused to eat his lunch. So I told him that he could either eat his lunch or take a nap. He said he wanted to take a nap. (Not the way I thought that would go!) He must have seen my disappointment because then he looked at me so sincerely and asked, "Mommy, are my choices not happy?"

He calls bungee cords "Hookers" because of the hooks on each end. This was a little awkward but last time he called one a "Corder" and I made sure to laugh really loud. (Usually the more I react, the more he says something!)

The other day, he told me that hugs and kisses make little boys happy.

In church a few weeks ago, he stood up during the passing of the sacrament and yelled, "I ate all my toenails!"

During prayer one night, Jay corrected Joe's English:
Joe: "Help us to sleep good."
Jay: "Help us to sleep well."
Then when prayers were over, Jay asked, "Is Jesus happy now?"

He can't say some of his letters and sounds. My favorite, though, is the word "Thanks".

Anytime I say, "I love you Jay" or "You're such a good boy" he will just look so happy and say, "Fanks, Mom!"

He will randomly stand up, turn around, and say, "Watch me shake my bum" as he wiggles his hips. (Not sure where he got this one... Maybe from watching too much "Full House" with Joe? Little Michelle does that sometimes... minus the announcement!)

Anyhow, Jay's a lot of fun and we love having him around!

Twins!

2011-06-04T16:42:00.002-06:00

Okay, I just now realized that titling this post "Twins!" when I'm pregnant is mean. Sorry... I'm not having twins. Jay and Joe just dressed alike today and I took a picture. That's all. Sorry if that disappoints anyone.

Shampoo Paint

2011-06-04T11:13:00.004-06:00

So thanks to my friend Sharlee, I discovered a wonderful little site called Pinterest. It's a way cool social media site that allows you to "pin" awesome things that you find on the internet onto different boards. I've only pinned once but I love looking through and seeing what amazing things other people find.

There are a ton of ideas for everything from cooking to fashion. I love all the ideas for kids though and that is where I got this one: It's shampoo paint! (Found here.) 6 Tbs. Shampoo
2 Tbs. Water
(Mix with electric mixer until thick like shaving cream)
Add food coloring.

I let Jay "paint" on the sliding glass door and then hosed it off and tossed him in the tub.

Next time I'll set up the kiddie pool and put him in swim trunks. Oh and the glasses are because he was splashing the soap all over the place and I used adult shampoo. I was imagining the fit that would occur if he got any in his eyes!

Oops!

2011-05-19T10:02:00.002-06:00

We borrowed Chuck Seasons 1-3 from Joe's brother a few weeks ago and apparently someone was in the room watching more often than we thought.

Look at that face! What happened to my little boy?

Surprise!

2011-05-16T17:36:00.004-06:00

Joe took Jay out to run some errands today and when they came back Jay had a new haircut!

I guess Joe decided that I was too busy to cut it and took him to the barber.

The barber said he was the best 2 year old she'd ever cut hair for. I was shocked at this until Joe told me that they brought his tiger (named Tiger) in and Jay hugged him the whole time. What a big boy!

Halfway There

2011-04-29T15:47:00.003-06:00

Here is your official belly shot, Janelle. Finally 20 weeks! I thought it would never come.

Jayisms

2011-04-27T13:56:00.005-06:00

(Jay "helping" me pick weeds)

Joe, Jay, and I were all riding on the bench seat of Joe's carpet cleaning van with Jay in the middle. Jay grabbed both of our arms and made Joe and I hold hands. Then he started playing with my wedding ring.

Jay: "Mommy, take off your ring."
Me: "Jay, I can't take off my ring. Do you know what this ring means?"
Jay: "No."
Me: "It means Mommy and Daddy are married and we'll be together forever. And you will be ours forever too."
Jay: "Oh... Where's my ring?"

Today, I was lazy and wore my hair in pig tails.

Me: "Jay, do you like Mommy's pig tails?"
Jay (grabbing both pig tails): "No... this one's an elephant tail and this one's a monkey tail."

I'm trying to not take the elephant tail comment as a reference to my growing belly. But it's hard not to when more than once lately Jay has referred to me as his "Big Mommy".

"Sisters, Sisters"

2011-04-26T10:14:00.004-06:00

My sister, Amy, finally came to visit St. George! It was a blast. She brought her four adorable little boys... And her husband of course. Unfortunately, I only got a few pictures of the adults in the background with no real proof that we were actually having fun. So you'll have to take my word for it. But I got plenty of the kids.

We did a ton of fun stuff...

We went hiking in Zion's.

Had an Easter Egg Hunt.

And went to a super cool park in Colorado City.

The best part about the park... and probably my sister's visit... was a huge slide that ran down the side of a hill.

If you slide on a blanket, you go really fast.

Those polygamists know how to party.

We also hit a splash park on Saturday while the husbands went to Las Vegas, but I didn't bring my camera. We had fun at the park but not as much fun as the guys who went to three or four buffets in a 10 hour period of time! Apparently, they both got sick but somehow still loved it.

Oh well, it was so awesome to have my sister's family here. Come again anytime Amy!

It's A...

2011-03-31T07:32:00.004-06:00

Boy!!!

We are so excited!

Now if only I had an excuse to go buy more cute baby clothes... too bad I have enough boy stuff to outfit septuplets through the age of four.

Released!

2011-03-28T11:58:00.002-06:00

I was released from Nursery yesterday!.. After a whole year! I pretty much feel like I haven't been to church in that long. Yesterday, I went to Sunday School and Relief Society for the first time since we moved here. So that's what the Spirit feels like. Just kidding. Hehe.

I have to say... and this will probably come back to bite me... I hope that I don't get that calling again until my kids are out of the house. Does that make me a selfish, toddler-hating human? Cuz I really do love my own toddler.

Darndest Things

2011-03-26T12:16:00.004-06:00

Cute things Jay's been saying:

We were in the car and Joe was explaining how to make a Ford truck more fuel efficient by putting a computer chip in it.
Me: "Is that illegal?"
Jay (in a high pitched voice): "A bagel?"

Yesterday, I was falling asleep on the recliner and I hear Jay and Joe playing in the other room.
Jay: "Daddy, you are my best friend."

Love this kid.

Updates

2011-03-22T12:43:00.003-06:00

#1) We ended up taking Jay to a new doctor in Draper last week. Awesome experience. They did a new scratch test and ordered a blood test which we are still waiting for the results of. It looks as though Jay is definitely allergic to beef, lamb and pork but NOT peanuts. It's a long story but the first jerky doctor lied to us because he thought that feeding a child with food allergies peanuts is a bad idea. So instead of just telling us to avoid them, he made up a reaction to the scratch test (actually recorded the size of this "reaction") and told us that he was in fact allergic to peanuts. I felt really weird about that. Now I know why.

#2) In better news, my ward did a reenactment of the first Relief Society meeting two weeks ago and they asked me to play Emma. (I'm on the right end.) It was a super cool experience. It's one thing to hear stories about Emma in church. It's an entirely different thing to hear stories about Emma when you are pretending to be her. And the best part is that I found out Emma actually was 5'9", with dark hair and olive skin. Hello... that is so me.

#3) Jay is growing and eating better. Oh and he needs a new jacket...

He goes through phases of food he likes. Right now it's sliced turkey and aliens (frozen peas).

Those are pretty much the highlights. Exciting right? I do, however, get to go to Boise for TWO WEEKS at the beginning of April! I get to see my nieces, my sister's family, my brother Eric, my parents, and hopefully some friends. (Oh and Joe's family of course!) As much as I love St. George, I am always thrilled to go home for a visit.

How I Feel Today

2011-03-08T23:03:00.008-07:00

For those of you who missed my last post (or stopped reading because it was much too long) here's a quick intro: My son Jay is deathly allergic to milk... as in he could literally die if he goes untreated after ingesting any part of milk in any form. Last week, Jay's whole body broke out in hives and a rash and we had no idea why. (Now you're caught up.)

So today we took him to the only Allergist in town and despite all the negative things I had heard about him, I decided I would go in with a completely open mind. It started out okay. He was loud and slightly abrasive but nothing I couldn't handle. Well, they ended up doing a scratch test on Jay... AKA razor blades dipped in allergens stabbing your child repeatedly in the back. Lovely. Poor Jay screamed his guts out but the stabbing part only lasted a minute. Then my dear sweet boy stopped crying and actually said "Thank you" to the nurse who had done the test. After that, we just had to wait to see if he would break out. All was going well until about halfway through when the nurse came back in and acted confused as to what allergens she had put in which places! Seriously?! Then the doctor came in a little later and he looked confused as well! He finally gave us a list of things that Jay had reacted to but how on earth do I trust that?

Now I don't really know what to do. There is one other Allergist that travels to St. George from Salt Lake one day a month and I will for sure be going to see him as soon as possible. My biggest question is, do I trust the results of this test or do I put Jay through another test to make sure?

According to this test, Jay is not only allergic to Milk but also PEANUTS (!), Beef, Lamb, and Pork! I just want to cry. And the doctor said that because Jay has allergies the chances of this baby having them are pretty good! Sigh.

Okay, end of pity party. Thanks for coming.

I'm A Big Kid Now... Sort Of

2011-03-04T10:32:00.004-07:00

Well, it has been an interesting week here at the Brady house.... fun and scary.

On Monday, we had a "Big Kid" party for Jay with a few of his cousins. This was to get him excited for a few changes that we want to take place before the baby comes. We took the railing down on his crib to make it a big boy bed. We took the gate down in the kitchen... because of his allergies he has not been allowed in there other than meal times and very special occasions. And we took away his sippy cups, hoping that would help his appetite and make him eat more.

The results?

The first two nights he slept in his bed just fine without getting out once! BUT his naps on the other hand have been a nightmare. He has been so cranky and then he conks out at about 4:00 p.m. in the middle of whatever he's doing. Like eating...

It's hilarious but his attitude has been awful... he might not be ready for this change. We'll see.

Letting him in the kitchen has been stressful but fun. He's pretty good in there and we moved the trash can in another room. We bought him some magnets for the fridge and he's loving this change. This one will stay.

Taking away his sippy cup, however, has not stayed. For the first few days it worked great. He was eating more often... not necessarily more food though. Well, I was excited to see if he would progress but then two days ago he woke up from a "nap" (falling asleep in the living room) and he was covered almost head to toe with a horrible rash and hives. This was the same type of rash he had the first time he touched milk. It was a bit scary. He wasn't throwing up but we took him to the ER just to be safe. They sent us up to the Pediatrics Unit where they have a late night pediatrician's office. Long story short... Jay might be allergic to something else in addition to milk! Great. And to make it worse, we have no idea what it is. I'm scared to feed him anything until we take him to the Allergist next week. Based on his milk experience, if this is something other than milk and he is exposed to it again he'll be in the ER next time. The doctor said that allergies can develop at any point in someone's life, meaning that it could be some random thing that he hasn't been exposed to until this week or it could be something that he's been eating all along.

It's frustrating but we can handle it. Even if Jay has to have a mostly liquid diet until Kindergarten! At least he's safe. I'll keep you all posted.

It's Official

2011-03-01T13:43:00.003-07:00

Yes my smart friends... we are expecting number two! I'm due September 15th and we are very excited. I should find out in just over a month what we are having.

The downside to all of this is that I have been sick as a dog! Which makes going to school a little tricky. The upside is that I have felt great for the past 5 days and I'm hoping that morning sickness is over. Now if I could just stop having migraines I wouldn't even feel pregnant other than my growing tummy.

Now I do have to add that amid all the excitement, there is a small part of me that is so sad to take any attention away from Jay. I know that sounds naive but we have had so much fun as the three of us. He'll be three when the baby is born and he knows something big is happening. He's so sweet. The whole time I was sick he would bring me blankets and turn off the lights if I had a headache. One day, he told me he was sad because Mommy couldn't play with him anymore! How do people do this more than once?!

Mad Gab

2011-02-21T13:29:00.005-07:00

Who doesn't love this game?
Well, it can't be that hard to come up with clues... so I thought I'd try my hand at one:

Conga Rat Chew Lay Timmy.
Eye Half Abe Abe Ian Might Homey.

Anybody?

Daddy's Girl

2011-02-19T06:52:00.006-07:00

At first glance, my parents are polar opposites... my dad, the free-spirited, prodigal teddy bear married to my mom, the socially timid, ever-faithful bookworm. I was very young when I realized that this was an unconventional match up. Some of my earliest memories were watching my parents in public situations and I think, even then, I found it humorous. My dad would be all over the place talking to anyone and everyone until he made some joke, to which everyone listening would laugh, except my mom. She would simply smirk and look around for a pair of sympathetic eyes. I later came to understand that her look was not embarrassment or pity even, but rather her acknowledgment that she had very little control of what her husband said. This honestly is one of my favorite things about my parents. Because no matter how many times I have seen that look from my mom, I know (in their own odd, little way) my parents are perfect for each other.

Recently, I have suspected that my own marriage may be following in my parents' footsteps. I realized last night that the number one thing my husband says to me, besides "I love you", is "You're not funny." Now, I don't take offense to this because he is almost always laughing when he says it. (That kind of negates his point.) But I'm 90% sure that my husband is either embarrassed by me or for me. He insists that before I post ANYTHING on this blog, I must run it by him first... which I rarely ever do. He nearly died when he saw the post about our new dishwasher. I guess I can only hope that my own children find this as endearing as I did growing up.

My Funny Valentine

2011-02-15T15:27:00.004-07:00

According to Joe, this makes him the best husband ever.

Now if four older gentlemen in pink vests showing up at my door singing love songs is what it takes to be the best husband ever, just wait until you see what I have planned for St. Patrick's Day Joe! Oh ho ho... we'll see who's the best spouse after that. It's on.

Oh and I love you too.

Pondering

2011-02-10T22:22:00.004-07:00

I'm feeling reflective.

(Reflective is a funny word because what I mean is thoughtful but I'm sure I conjured up mental images of sequins and body glitter. So please refer to the former explanation and I'll start again...)

I'm experiencing a phenomenon relating to or characterized by deep thought.

Today, I was watching Joe read "Danny the Dinosaur" to Jay and I thought, "Is this what life is all about?" I think I get caught up in so many unimportant things. I've watched a lot of people close to me struggle and suffer through their life's trials and I can't help but wonder what makes their life bearable. Who makes their life worth living?

For me, I live to hear Jay tell me that he has a secret and then cup his hands around my ear and in the sweetest little voice whisper, "Dinosaur." (He really likes dinosaurs.)

I live to see what a great Dad Joe is and how his eyes light up when he plays with Jay. And to see the same light in Jay's eyes.

I hope everyone has that. Sappy, I know. But those are my thoughts tonight.

My Sunshine

2011-02-03T14:30:00.002-07:00

So after posting the last video of Jay (screaming tantrum), I felt a little bad because I would hate for you to think he is like that all the time. In reality I have the sweetest son ever with a few moments of craziness. This is the real Jay...

Bye Bye Bieber

2011-02-03T14:16:00.003-07:00

Waaaaaaaa!

Oh and here's an example of the tantrums Jay's been throwing lately. They are so over the top that it's hard to not laugh... or record them. This time he wanted to play with the iPod.

Technology will be the end of us.

Time For A Haircut

2011-01-29T10:32:00.004-07:00

Alas, the time has come. I looked at Jay in the bath last night and realized that I was dangerously close to letting my baby boy look like a baby girl.He's just so cute though. I have the hardest time ever cutting his hair because he looks so much older after. Does anyone else have this problem? I just want him to stay this age forever... minus the tantrums. Is that too much to ask?

A.D.D.?

2011-01-26T13:53:00.003-07:00

Should I be worried?

I don't know if anyone else finds this video as funny as I do but I laugh so hard every time. He is so hard to keep up with. What a monkey!

A Reminder...

2011-01-24T18:30:00.003-07:00

Of why I love St. George.

T-shirt weather in January.

"Beebs"

2011-01-23T10:50:00.003-07:00

Jay has a lot of hair. And sometimes it falls forward in such a familiar way... Kind of like...

So yes, we call him "Beebs".

Jay obviously has no clue who Justin Bieber is though, because he calls us Mommy and Daddy Beebs. Now I just have to pray Justin Bieber doesn't end up in rehab or jail! I could have some explaining to do someday if that ever happens... "Mommy, why do I have the same nickname as that bad man?"

The Truth About Getting What You Want

2011-01-21T16:46:00.003-07:00

Life is funny. We all grew up hearing that getting what we want is about believing and achieving, practicing unto perfection, and putting our minds to things. We were also told to be polite and composed when dealing with others...

After today, I firmly believe that the founders of those principles died long before the days of automated customer service and overseas call centers! Do you know what really gets you what you want? Complaining, pressing zero a hundred times until you get through to a real live person, asking for their supervisor, asking for that supervisor's manager, more complaining, total impatience bordering disrespect, and repeat... this time with more complaining.

What are we teaching our children?! I mean, have you ever solved a problem with a call center in India by believing and being polite? Nope. Not gonna happen.

Anyhow, that was my day today. I was on the phone with Apple (normally very helpful). My computer crashed after only 5 months. (Hence the lack of blogging lately.) Well, they were happy to fix it for free and give me back my computer just like it was brand new... except without all my programs and files. They wanted me to pay $200 to transfer all my stuff over! Yeah right. So I complained, almost cried (this always happens), talked to four different people, and finally they told me Apple "approved" a free file transfer. Sheesh!

I don't think I'd mind it as much if I didn't come so close to crying every time. It's so embarrassing!

I Need Addresses People

2010-12-15T17:44:00.002-07:00

Hey guys. So I'm in Boise right now and I don't have anyone's addresses with me to send Christmas cards! Lame, I know. So this is me asking you guys to email me your addresses or leave me a comment on here with them. My email is basegoose@yahoo.com. Thanks and sorry for this mass style message. I have plenty of Christmas cards too, so don't be shy!

I'll Be Home For Christmas

2010-12-07T12:26:00.006-07:00

Jay and I leave the day after tomorrow (on Thursday) for Boise and will be there until almost New Years! Joe will come later. I'm really excited to get ready for Christmas at my parents' house... especially for Jay to help decorate the tree just like I did growing up, and play in the snow. Jay LOVES snow. Me... not so much. (In case you haven't ever read one of my death to winter posts, I'll just say that I don't appreciate winter much. It's beautiful but mostly unbearable.) The weather will be an adjustment. Today, in St George, I had the AC on in my car! I love Christmas in Boise though, so I'll sacrifice. I am most excited about waking Jay up before it's light, and letting him run down the hall to a brightly lit tree with presents underneath. Jay will actually get to open presents FOUR times this year... Christmas Eve with my brother Eric and family, early Christmas morning with just my parents, later Christmas morning opening stockings with Joe's family, and later that afternoon at Joe's Grandparents' house. What a lucky kid!

Anyhow, in case I don't blog the whole time I'm in Boise... MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Sad Day

2010-11-27T12:10:00.002-07:00

=

The closest I have ever come to crying while watching a football game.

Happy Birthday Joe

2010-11-24T10:08:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, Joe turned 27! This is pretty much the ONLY picture I have of this momentous occasion: Doesn't he look happy? This year Joe's grandpa came to St. George to celebrate their double birthday... 112 candles and nearly half of them were burned down to the frosting by the time they were lit and blown out.

Now, this is usually the part of his birthday post where I express my love for Joe. But this year I have received explicit instructions from Joe about how this expression of love should be formatted. (Some background: Last month, Joe's little sister posted a list of 24 things she loves about her husband for his 24th birthday. By the way, when Joe saw this list his exact response was "Gross." Lo and behold, every time I've been on the computer in the last 24 hours, Joe has asked me if I was busy writing 27 things that I love about him. I thought he was kidding until today when he told me that I couldn't post about his birthday without that list. Thanks Janelle!)

So here are 27 things I love about Joe:

#1. His subtlety.
#2. He's sooooo handsome.
#3. He's a man.
#4. He's the man.
#5. He's my man.
#6. He does the dishes a lot.
#7. He hates being late... we always are anyway, but he hates it.
#8. He can't grow facial hair. (LOVE THIS!)
#9. He writes songs about absolutely everything and keeps Jay very entertained.
#10. He loves college football.
#11. He loves Boise State.
#12. He adores his family.
#13. He adores me.
#14. He's the best dad ever. (also the loudest)
#15. He opens jars when the lids are on too tight. (He's also the one who screws them on too tight in the first place.)
#16. He drives a truck.
#17. He's a dog person... I don't like dogs but dog people are nice.
#18. He loves to travel.
#19. He loves to help others.
#20. He's a hard worker.
#21. He'll eat anything... and compliment me on it.
#22. He likes the Disney channel.
#23. He knows about musicals.
#24. He is a worthy priesthood holder.
#25. He supports my dreams.
#26. He's a loyal friend.
#27. He's my best friend.

The end. There are more Joe, but you're only 27. I'll save the next list til you're 100. You'll be so impressed then. Love you!

Dear Jay,

2010-11-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

Never grow up.

Ever. Love, Mom

So Late... Sorry.

2010-11-15T10:27:00.003-07:00

Here's my cutehead on Halloween. You can't tell in these pictures but he had a blast. We went to our ward's trunk or treat and we let him pick whatever candy he wanted from people. Unfortunately, not many people brought dairy-free candy so Jay ended the night with a bucket full of chocolate and about 5 pieces of candy he could actually eat! That's okay because we had a plan: we traded it all out with stuff we had bought for him when he wasn't looking. He had no clue.

It was so fun. As a mom it was nice to see that this holiday wasn't ruined because of his allergies. He's such a special boy.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

2010-10-27T10:57:00.003-06:00

Here's our little nun...And here's his face when we told him he looked like a girl...

So we took the pj's off his head.

That's better.

And funny apparently.

One Year Older And A Fever Too

2010-10-24T10:29:00.002-06:00

Well, I turned 26 this week. (That's 1 in woman years since I officially became a woman last year.) Sadly, the night before my birthday (Monday), my throat started throbbing. Then Jay got sick in the middle of the night and didn't sleep at all. Joe was so nice and stayed up with him because I had school on my birthday. By the time I woke up, my whole body hurt. I walked out in the living room to find both of my boys crashed out on the couch. Joe had a fun day planned for me but we couldn't do any of it because Jay and I were so sick. And to top it all off I couldn't even skip school because I had to take a midterm. By the end of the day, my throat hurt so bad that I ended up taking some "strong pain killers" (a.k.a. leftover Hydrocodone from last year's bout of Strep) and I pretty much passed out on the couch for the rest of the night.

I wouldn't say it was a horrible birthday though. It was just weird. But it did make me appreciate my husband. He was more upset than I was that we couldn't go out for my birthday, which was cute, and he took care of Jay all day for me. And for a few days after that. He also bought me some BEAUTIFUL orange flowers to make me feel better. (Which I was too sick to take a picture of and now they are dead. Sorry.)

So that's it. I'm older, a bit wiser, and still pretty sick. "Happy Birthday to me."

(That last part was intentionally sarcastic. Not because I feel sorry for myself but because it's a joke between Joe and I. We have this extremely unhealthy belief that you are supposed to get whatever you want on your birthday. When that doesn't happen, and it never does, you are allowed to look down and mumble, "Happy Birthday to me." That is the cue for your spouse to give in and get you what you want, like the last slice of cake, the tv program you want to watch, a midnight run to Dairy Queen, etc. If the thing you want is out of your spouse's control, it still serves to make you both laugh. 99% of the time it makes you feel better.)

"Because I'm Asian, For Heaven's Sake!"

2010-10-15T12:57:00.004-06:00

Being married to Joe, I have learned a lot of important things about Japanese culture. (He's one quarter Japanese.) First, and most importantly, I have learned that there is a big difference between normal, long grain rice and sticky rice. (Oh and making Minute Rice is a crime against humanity.) Anyhow, shortly after marrying Joe, I bought a big bag of normal "American" rice and was quickly set straight for doing so. Joe prefers sticky rice because... and I quote... "I'm Asian, for heaven's sake!"

Needless to say, I still have that bag of "normal" rice. Today, I found a very good use for it though. I gave it to Jay. Not to eat, mind you. He's an eighth Japanese, and I didn't want to get chewed out again. I made him a sand box out of it. We brought out all of his littlest toys to bury and dig up.

He's still in the kitchen playing with it as we speak...uh, as I write.

In other news, it's bath day.

Jay only gets a few of those a week because of his eczema. He gets very excited.

What a ham.

I Can Admit It

2010-10-13T22:46:00.004-06:00

I sometimes get emotional in bookstores.

There. I said it.

Today, I went to Deseret Book. There is just something about that place that makes me feel like a kid in a candy store--an overpriced candy store, but that's a different story. I walked down every isle, some twice, staring at the crisp, yummy smelling books. Sometimes I imagine that one of those books is mine... my contribution to society. I picture my name at the bottom of the front cover in that bumpy, embossed way that sticks out from the dust jacket. Stacy M. Brady. Or maybe S.M. Brady. That must feel super cool to walk past a display of books and see your name.

It's secretly a very real wish of mine to become an author. I think it's supposed to happen too, because I have these characters living inside my head. (I should never blog at night because I sound like a schizophrenic. Pa!) I'm serious though. (But don't worry... they don't talk to me or anything.) I daydream about it constantly. It's just like what Sister Mary Clarence told Lauren Hill's character in Sister Act II:

"If when you wake up in the mornin' and you can't think of anything but singin' first... then you're supposed to be a singer. Girl."

I hear ya Sister! Anyhow, there's really no point to this post. I came home, told my husband that I almost cried again at a bookstore (luckily this time a concerned salesperson didn't look at me like I was crazy and ask if I needed any "assistance"... but Joe did), and now I'm blogging, hoping to feel some form of validation. The End.

Attention: Music People

2010-10-12T09:08:00.006-06:00

That means you Amy, Jen, Teann, Marie, Rachel, Abrie, Julie, Janelle, Laura, and anyone else that likes music.

I need help. I'm singing in Sacrament Meeting in two weeks and I need a good song to sing. I feel like I always sing the same ones. (Window to His Love, For Our Day, Never a Better Hero...) Any ideas would be appreciated. I'm a second soprano... anything above a high "e" is entering dangerous waters. I don't have a suggested topic so it could be anything. Oh and I could find another female to sing with me if it was a duet. Please help. Thanks.

Tour De Dixie

2010-10-09T12:40:00.005-06:00

My parents left yesterday. It was pretty sad to see them go because this week was so much fun. We drove all over the place.

Wednesday, we ignored the weatherman and went to Zion's National Park: It was a bit cold and cloudy. But it was still beautiful. Dad helped watch Jay so that Mom and I could snap tons of pictures. (I'll spare you most of those.)

Friday, we tried yet again to go to Cedar Breaks... and we made it!

As you can tell, there was still snow on the ground. It was chilly.

Cedar Breaks happens to be right on the road to Bryce Canyon. So that's where we went next. On the way, we saw these huge patches of lava rock with aspens growing all around it. The bright fall colors on the black rock were so pretty.

Just before you get to Bryce, you pass a place called Red Canyon.

You get to drive through cool red arches too.

But even with all of the beauty we saw along the way, nothing really can compare to Bryce Canyon.

It's massive.

And breathtaking.

I love Southern Utah soooo much.

I think Jay does too.

I hope I have convinced you all to move down here and hang out with me.... or at least come visit.

Red Rocks, Fall Colors, and Snow Storms

2010-10-04T21:58:00.003-06:00

My parents are in town so we decided to go exploring today. We drove North to Kolob Canyon. It was overcast but it made all the colors rich and deep.

I love red rocks!

Then we headed to Cedar Breaks and realized that even though it's still Summer in St. George, it's Fall everywhere else.

I love Fall!

Then we got to Cedar Breaks and didn't even get to look at it because we hit a snow storm.

No love for the slushy, snowy, shivering cold.

It almost felt like we experienced Summer, Fall, and Winter all in the same day! I hope this means Spring is coming.

Jay's Occupations

2010-09-27T09:26:00.007-06:00

Jay has been looking into several fields for his future career. Possibly the most promising has been his recent interest in dentistry:

Joe's tooth was hurting him a few weeks ago and Jay took wonderful care of him. Jay told him to open wide. And when that wasn't wide enough, Jay helped him open wider. He took a close look at Joe's teeth.

And then a closer look:

He felt around a bit...

...found the problem tooth...

...and tried to pull it out. He even gave Joe a foot massage afterword for being such a good sport. (Reflexology perhaps?)

Joe said it was very relaxing and Jay thinks Grandpa Brady should consider giving foot massages at his office.

Jay has also explored culinary arts so he can be like his Aunt Traci. He loves tasting his food,

..and mixing.

But mostly tasting. If these career paths don't work out though, he is sure to have a job in construction. He loves to build temples. All day long. Everyday. Here's a sample of his work:

When you ask him what he's doing, he'll tell you, "I building a temple mommy."
What a spiritual kid, huh? We're so proud.

School Project

2010-09-23T20:55:00.001-06:00

I just did this as a project for my photoshop class. This is Jay a year ago. The project itself is not that spectacular or difficult but he's just too cute not to share.

Ramblings

2010-09-18T23:47:00.002-06:00

It's late. I had a migraine today and most of this probably won't make any sense at all. I can't sleep so I figured I'd jot down a few of my thoughts lately.

School started a few weeks ago and life has been very busy. I go to school every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 in the morning until 8:00 at night with two breaks for lunch and dinner. Poor Joe takes work off to watch Jay, except Thursday mornings when Katie (bless her heart) takes Jay for a few hours to let Joe work. It's been incredibly hard, especially for Joe who is trying to build a business only being able to work Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. For a while it felt like Joe and I were living two very separate lives with very separate goals. But then something pretty incredible happened. I realized that our circumstances were not going to change. I am supposed to be going to school right now. Joe is supposed to be starting this business. And, as a couple, we are supposed to come together and get through it all. All of a sudden, the idea of us being a partnership just clicked. We could be selfish with the our time, trying to accomplish our own goals, or we could do everything possible to help each other.

Before this realization, I was starting to feel sorry for myself. You see, I have always wanted to graduate. I adore school. I get very excited to learn new things and turn in homework and take tests and get shiny little A's on my transcript. The problem is that I have been to three other schools (when I was single) and none of those experiences were this hard. Doing homework during the day is nearly impossible with Jay needing my attention. I would love to have time to go to the lab, or library, or chat with professors, but as soon as class is over, I dart home to put Jay down for a nap or spend a few minutes with Joe before I head back to school. I kept thinking, "I have been praying for the opportunity to go back to school for years now, and now that it's here I can't even enjoy it." And I know Joe feels the same way about starting his business. He's wanted to do this for a very long time and my school is kind of putting a damper on that.

BUT our attitudes are changing. I've realized that I need to live more in the moment. When I'm at school, I need to be at school and not constantly thinking about home or feeling guilty. When I'm at home, I need to focus on Joe and Jay. Joe has the opposite problem. He focuses too much on the moment and forgets the long term.

This week has been so much better. I feel at peace. I appreciate school more, and most importantly, I appreciate Joe more. This is going to sound so dumb, but I felt a little older this week, like a real married couple. I thought, "Man, this is a mature attitude I'm having right now." And then I realized that only an immature person would think they were being mature. Oh well. It's gotta be a step in the right direction.

Are You Ready?

2010-09-06T14:24:00.004-06:00

We are. Katie and I just made shirts for Jay and Gage to wear tonight. We made two for each boy and they turned out super cute. I can't wait for Jay to try his on. We're having a party over at Rick and Katie's (Joe's brother). It's tough to find Bronco gear down here but we're being creative. Joe actually found Boise State, blue and orange tortilla chips in Grantsville, UT. Random, huh?

Anyhow, Go Broncos!
(I realize that I sound like an obsessed fan... I'm really not. I just get excited when they get to play in a game that means something.)

We Did It!!!

2010-09-06T09:21:00.004-06:00

We made it through nearly two full months of 100 degree weather or above! And now (reportedly) those days are behind us and we get to enjoy wonderful weather until next summer. Bring it on.

And speaking of bringing it on, we're all very excited about the BSU vs Virginia Tech game tonight...

Go Broncos!

Bla

2010-09-01T16:57:00.002-06:00

Does anyone else feel like cleaning your house is like eating an elephant one bite at a time... only it's a magical, self-regenerating elephant that refuses to go down without a fight?

Today the elephant started eating me. Ug.

Dinner Tonight

2010-08-27T19:32:00.002-06:00

Since I posted earlier today about Jay's allergies, I thought maybe I'd also share a goal that I've been working on lately. I'm attempting to cook as much as I can without dairy. It's tough but possible. You'd think that having a son with food allergies, I would just always cook that way-- but it's not that simple. First off, Jay hardly eats... at all. He's extremely picky and on top of that he's scared to eat new things because he's afraid he'll react to it. Second, eating dairy free can be expensive and it is time consuming considering most processed foods have some form of dairy in them. Third, my husband could not live without Ranch Dressing, provolone cheese, and chocolate milk.

But in order to prevent my son from eating pancakes and popsicles exclusively for the rest of his life, I'm attempting the impossible. Today, I found a recipe for Honey Orange Tilapia, another recipe for Garlic Red Potatoes (minus the Parmesan cheese) and two individual boxes of Green Giant Italian Seasoned Vegetables in the back of my freezer. Put it all together and Voila:

A totally dairy-free, totally yummy dinner. Jay actually ate some of the fish! I was shocked. For right now this goal is mainly for my peace of mind, knowing that we aren't eating dairy around Jay and that we can kiss him whenever we want (see post below). So far so good. Now if we can just get Jay to eat it....

P.S. Does anyone else totally waste romaine lettuce by putting it underneath a hot piece of meat just to make the plate look pretty?... I do.

Oh, and I sprinkle dried parsley on absolutely everything.

The end.

What Happens When...

2010-08-27T15:08:00.007-06:00

So about forty million times a day I get asked questions about Jay's allergies. Things like, "What happens when he eats something with milk in it?", "What do you feed him?!", "Milk comes from cows?" etc., etc. Okay, I was joking on that last one but sometimes it makes me laugh how people fail to put two and two together. I cannot count the amount of times people are surprised that he can't have ice cream or cheese when I've told them a million times he can't have milk.

Anyhow, the other night I ate a piece of chicken, which apparently had contact with milk somewhere, because later that night I kissed Jay's forehead and this is what happened:

Kind of hard to see but it's hives people. His whole forehead broke out in hives from a tiny kiss, hours after I ate. Don't worry--Jay didn't mind. He got to stay up way past his bedtime, sucking on a benadryl spoon (handy pre-measured doses of benadryl), and watching TV with Mom and Dad. Lucky kid! I thought it would be a good idea to snap a picture. Maybe next time someone asks me a "What happens when.." question I can bust this one out.

Oh, and speaking of "What happens when" questions... here's what happens when Daddy watches Jay: Note the panda bear stamp on Jay's nose and forehead. Not the dorky haircut... that was my fault.

"Terrible"y Cute Twos

2010-08-02T23:55:00.004-06:00

I can't believe Jay is TWO!!! Aaagggh! He's growing up SO FAST! His birthday actually happened while we were in Phoenix but we had a party for him this past Saturday. It was great. All of Joe's brothers and sisters came, which made it very special. It was a "Cars"/"I can't believe it's not dairy" themed party. I made him a chocolate cake with chocolate fudge frosting and oreo crumbs... It was a monster truck cake.

Totally dairy free and soooo yummy. We also had Mexican Turkey burgers and coconut ice cream... not together but in that order. Anyhow, it was the greatest that everything was dairy-free and little Jay was totally safe the whole time. I can't thank everyone enough for coming and helping make that possible. I'm sure Jay won't remember it but I definitely will.

I also decorated the house with roads taped on the ground (which you can kind of see in the next picture) and street signs. Here's everyone watching Wipe Out before Jay opened his presents.

A few funny things about this picture.... first notice how the birthday boy is off by himself playing with a cup while the rest of us watch TV, second notice how delighted Janelle is to see someone fall and probably get injured, and last notice the pair of legs far off to the left that belong to Katie who is not even facing the TV because she thinks the show is ridiculous. (Which 80% of the time I agree with but sometimes I can't help but laugh.)

Seeing everyone together was so much fun. Jay was in heaven. He hugged just about everything he could get his little arms around.

And he got some great presents... bubbles, cars, a ball toy, sidewalk chalk, an alphabet puzzle, and a helmet and trike from Joe and me. He's been playing with all of these non stop since Saturday.

Today his obsession was the sidewalk chalk. And he insisted on wearing his helmet outside!

What a cute head! We just love him.

Jay is pretty much the greatest little kid ever. He is talking up a storm (full sentences now) and he narrates his whole life. (I don't know where he got that from!) When he's not talking, he's singing--which is hilarious because he'll sing a few words and then hold out his last note like an opera singer. He also gives the best hugs. We love this little man so much and are grateful everyday that he came into our lives. Happy Birthday Jay!

Phoenix Baby

2010-08-02T23:19:00.003-06:00

So as if St. George was not hot enough, last week we hit the road headed even farther into the desert! Joe's uncle asked us to go clean one of his rental homes in Phoenix for him. It was so much fun. We piled into Joe's work van, which was actually quite comfortable, and drove nearly 7 hours each way, passing through construction and hours of traffic over the Hoover Dam. It was my first trip to Phoenix and my first time seeing the Hoover Dam. I have to say that the dam was not nearly as impressive as the GIGANTIC bridge they are building to bypass it. This picture does not do it justice. The thing is massive. It feels like your eyes are playing tricks on you when you are up close.

We ended up spending two nights in two very different hotels. The first night we stayed in a Red Roof Inn which was alright but was sorely lacking in the pool department. Jay and I went swimming and I became the pool skimmer. I spent most of the time picking out leaves and bees!

The next night we bid on priceline for a hotel.... only ten dollars more than we had spent on the Red Roof... and we ended up in a Hilton Resort! It was AWESOME! This was the view from our room: It was muggy the entire time we were in Phoenix and I could have sworn we were in Hawaii. This place even had Hibiscus flowers. I have no idea how they keep tropical plants so green in Arizona but they do a great job. Our room was actually a suite with a living room and bathroom/sink area. Here's our room:

The resort had everything... golfing, tennis courts, and even a water park with a giant slide and waterfalls. I'd totally vacation there. Joe says that next time we should probably stay in a Marriott instead. When I asked him why he said, "Would you rather support a good LDS man or Paris Hilton?" Good point Joe.

All in all our trip was a blast. I do have to say though that driving through Arizona is like watching paint dry. Any state that has to have roadside tables (aka a picnic table and an emergency phone) because there is nothing for 100 miles but fire hydrant cactus (not the scientific name) and dirt is a state that should be seen by an airplane... except the whole "Grand Canyon" part of course. And I had to laugh that 99% of Arizona's highways have been adopted by a generous man named "available". Good times.

Results

2010-07-17T09:04:00.003-06:00

Joe got his MRI results yesterday and they came back clear! We are very relieved even if we don't have any answers. The eye doctor thinks that it was caused by a really bad headache Joe had this week. Apparently, severe migraines can cause a similar effect. Anyhow, we can rule out the major causes that would have shown up in an MRI. At least one good thing came of all this...

Jay loves the eye protectors the doctor gave Joe! And in case your wondering, the "no milk" on Jay's shirt is for a purpose. We went to a family reunion on Joe's side that was camping with a ton of other people. We made him enough shirts to last the whole time.

We announced that he was allergic to milk the first night but it was a good reminder to people to be careful. It also took a little bit of pressure off to know that people would see his shirt and then come ask me questions about it.

Anyhow, thanks again everybody for your thoughts, prayers, phone calls, comments, fasting, etc. in our behalf. We are blessed to have such a great support system.

Creepy... and Worrisome

2010-07-14T19:06:00.004-06:00

So what would you do if your husband walked up to you and his eyes looked like this?.. Freak out? Good, cuz that's what I did. Actually, his eyes were much worse than this when I first noticed how uneven his pupils were. We took him to an Opthamologist who didn't offer much more than what I researched on Google. Basically it could be a random, unexplainable medical mystery that will clear up on it's own, or it could be really bad. We are going to get an MRI tomorrow to test for the worst case scenarios... aka tumor, abscess, aneurysm. I'm hoping this will all end with us laughing about how we had to spend $3,000 to find out nothing was ever wrong and he's just weird like we always thought.

Sigh...

2010-06-24T08:47:00.007-06:00

Well... it's official. School is out for the summer. I miss it already. It was so crazy and hard and wonderful and I want to go back so bad.

I learned so much. In my computer programming class, we made a program like a tamagotchi pet.... you know those little electronic pets all the girls had in middle school? That class was HARD! I think my teacher was a little perplexed by me because while everyone else was trying to program their pets to do cool things, I was worried about programming my pet to LOOK cool. Needless to say, my brain does not work like a computer.

My other class (intro to web development), was life changing. I LOVED this class. We made 8 websites in 5 weeks. Not all of them were that exciting but for my final project, I made a website for Joe's business. Check it out. If you click on the picture below it will take you there.

Let me know what you think. Any feedback would be appreciated.

So in closing, school was amazing. I can't wait to go back in the fall and become a better designer.

BUSY BUSY BUSY!!

2010-06-04T19:10:00.002-06:00

Dear friends,

Sorry I haven't posted in forever and that I haven't posted anything yet about school. I have never been so busy in all my years of college. I'm doing around 6 hours of homework a night on top of the 4 hours that I'm in school a day. I have been going for three weeks now and I only have two weeks left (with the exception of one online class that will go for a month after that.) It's nuts but I LOVE IT!! I'm learning so much. I've already built five or six websites in one class and made a few simple computer programs in the other. My brain feels like it will explode nearly everyday. I'm excited for things to slow down in the fall. And my family is excited to get their wife/mommy back.... at least I'm assuming they are excited... maybe I should ask them. Anyhow, things here are awesome but busy. I'll try and write again soon with pictures.

Love,

Gage-A-Rooney

2010-05-21T14:27:00.007-06:00

Jay's cousin, Gage, turned one last week!He's a doll. His mom (Katie) threw him just about the best birthday party ever. Mmmmm... it was so cute. Everything was orange and blue (Go Broncos!)... and green. There were cupcakes that matched Gage's cake and they were really good. Here's Gage previewing the fun to come: When he first got his cake, he didn't really know what to do. After a little bit of help, he started to get messy.
(Love this face!) Look how cool the inside of that cake is! And here's a birthday smile: A lot of people showed up to join the fun. And it wouldn't be a day in the park if Jay didn't drop his pants. Uncle Devin and Maya tried to teach Gage how to walk. And Uncle Brent gave Gage a few fashion tips.

Jay had so much fun playing with his cousins.

Especially because this park had a splash pad.

Joe didn't think Jay was wet enough so he put him right under the water.

Jay didn't think that was very funny, and neither did I a few minutes later when he did it to me!
Here's cute Gage in his swim gear: And here's poor Janelle getting wet:

Look at Brent's evil laugh.

After Janelle got wet she grabbed Jay and they had a great time.

He loves his Aunt Janelle... and I love his face in this picture.

What a fun day! Good job Katie.

Happiness is...

2010-05-15T13:51:00.004-06:00

Bike trails.

Springtime in the desert.

Crisp new notebooks waiting to be filled.

I start school in TWO DAYS!!!

Love You, Dummy

2010-05-14T09:36:00.005-06:00

Jay is so funny. He is always saying, "Thank you, Mommy" or "Love you, Daddy" or "More marshmellows, Mommy". He has to say Mommy or Daddy after everything. Well, sometimes he forgets who he is talking to and calls me "Daddy" or Joe "Mommy". Today, I think he came up with a solution. He has now said, "Love you, Dummy" three times to me this morning. Joe and I are like the Trinity of parenthood I guess... except there's two of us... and we're separate... and we don't believe in that. Okay, so not really.

My View of the World

2010-05-13T22:35:00.003-06:00

I have a very patient husband. Everything we do takes twice as long because I have to stop and take a picture. Needless to say I have about a billion pictures of Joe's back. Sometimes, though, those pictures turn out to be my very favorite.

I get to catch moments like these... Or if I'm really lucky I get this:

The view's not always so terrible back here.
(Pictures from Pioneer Park in St. George)

Weekly Musings: Choose Your Life

2010-05-12T12:31:00.004-06:00

I've decided that once a week I'm going to try and write the things that are on my mind and the things that inspire me. I'll try not to bore you.

Today's thoughts are called "Choose Your Life".

Now this may sound like I'm going to talk about making your life whatever you want it to be--be a Rock Star, go skydiving--but actually that's not really what I mean. A few weeks ago, I realized that I was making choices for the wrong reasons. I think that it's so easy as wives and mothers (and women) to feel like there is a singular path that we must follow. Any straying from that one path results in harsh judgments from others. So I was trying to fit myself onto that path. I found myself justifying every choice I made to everyone. Then it hit me: It's my life! It serves me no purpose to live it for anyone else. How can I feel good about myself if I'm making choices to please others? So what I really mean is to choose the life that you are already living. Choose to live it for you. Choose to love every choice you make because you know it's what is right for you. (Obviously this all involves the Spirit and following Jesus Christ but I'm writing this on the assumption that we are all worthy and capable of listening to the Spirit.)

So in closing... we all have agency. Agency REQUIRES action. You can't not act and being passive about your life is still a choice. Picture yourself on this journey. Are you following a crowd of people with your head down, kicking rocks along the way? Or are you being led by the Spirit, looking forward with confidence, regardless of what anyone else thinks?

"Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves--to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life."

-2nd Nephi 10:23

I hope you are all loving and choosing YOUR life.

Scenic Sunday

2010-05-09T21:54:00.005-06:00

It is becoming quite the tradition for us now to take a drive every Sunday. I am loving it. There is so much to see.

Today, we decided to stick with the Mother's Day theme and go somewhere where there are a ton of Mothers.

No not Provo....

That's right: Colorado City!

Home of the FLDS church... better known by some as Polygamists.

I didn't take a ton of photos of the people because I didn't want to offend them. And we kind of stuck out.

(A family playing soccer at a school.)

I actually have a deep respect for these people... especially the women. They believe that they are doing God's will just like I do.

Overall, Colorado City was nothing like what I expected. There were big houses...

but most of them were unfinished on the outside.

There were a few smaller houses and some run down places,

but almost everyone had really nice cars. I've never seen so many 12 passenger vans in all my life. And Joe was drooling over all the nice trucks.

The most surprising thing to me was how many kids I saw on four wheelers. I was weirded out to see so much activity on a Sunday. I thought that there were strict rules about Sabbath Day observance but there were people in the parks playing. I also saw a coffee shop so I'm not sure about their beliefs on that.

Oh and there is no temple in Colorado City. That was a bit disappointing to me.

But my favorite discovery was when we accidentally left the boundaries of the "church". We found a place with much more expensive looking houses. I thought for sure that this must be a totally separate belief system but there was a strange feeling about it. We called one of our friends, who actually left the FLDS church and is from Colorado City. He said that we were in an area where people lived who had left the church. I laughed out loud. These people left the church, abandoning their beliefs, and moved across the street!

One thing was for sure... they picked a BEAUTIFUL place to build a city.

It was a pretty cool experience. I wished that we could have talked to some of the people but I was very conscious of the fact that we were the "outsiders" there. And their beliefs and way of life are sacred to them.

As usual, Jay was oblivious to everything going on. He kept himself entertained with a water bottle.

Look at the focus. I'm so proud.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T15:54:00.003-06:00

(I'm posting this today because I don't want to forget tomorrow and I'm pretty sure our Moms won't see it before then.)

So... that video last week of Jay saying "Hi Grandma" was really just prep for this video. It is to both our Moms because we know that everything means more when it comes from a grandchild. WE LOVE YOU! And thank you for putting up with both of us and raising us right so that we could find each other and live happily ever after.

I Love to See the Temple

2010-05-05T23:26:00.003-06:00

Sorry for posting every five minutes lately. Joe and I just went to the temple tonight to take some pictures. He thinks I should sell my work. I'm still on the fence about it.

But either way, the St. George temple is very special.

We were standing pretty far from the temple, but as soon as we put Jay on the ground, he ran right for the stairs.

Kids are amazing that way. Jay was so happy when he got to the top, but he was too scared to come down alone.

Joe's a good Daddy.

Inspiration

2010-05-05T18:15:00.006-06:00

With school starting in less than two weeks, I've decided that I desperately need a daily routine. Last night, Joe and I stayed up talking about our goals and how we both want to be better people. So this morning, I woke up at 6:30 and went running. I also made it a point to read my scriptures early and get all the way ready... instead of my normal "wear whatever is comfortable because no one is coming over anyway" mentality. Well... it was hard. I was tired. I'm out of shape and I much prefer to wear sweats. BUT I felt better about myself and I accomplished a lot.

My point:

When I was in the MTC, there was a man (in my branch presidency) that became sort of a mentor to me. He told me once, "Sister Goostrey, you could live your whole life at eighty percent and no one would ever know. But you have so much more to give." That really stuck with me. I do have more to give, even if it's hard.

As I was recovering from my run this morning (literally), I wondered if it was worth almost killing myself to become better. Then this came to my mind:

"Disciples of Christ do great things not because that is what greatness requires, but because that is what He requires."

The spirit is pretty smart so I decided I better listen.

Anyhow, did I fool anyone into thinking that picture was a giant blue planet in space?... Cuz it was really a giant blue balloon from Home Depot in our backyard.

(I know what you're thinking... good thing you woke up at 6:30 to accomplish that today!)

Just Another Day in Paradise

2010-05-03T17:02:00.006-06:00

One of my favorite things that Joe and I have in common is a love for long drives. We both love to sit and watch the world passing by. I'm always amazed at the detail and scale of everything... EVERYTHING! The Earth is truly beautiful.

Anyhow, yesterday I googled scenic drives near Saint George and found a route called "Joshua Tree Road". It was so interesting. It wrapped around mountains, and over hills out in the middle of nowhere.

Well, actually in the middle of a Paiute Indian Reservation. It was called the Shivwits Reservation. To be honest, I was totally creeped out most of the way. First off, every fence we saw was marked with "No Trespassing" signs. Which was sad because there were some sweet hiking trails. And secondly, all of the Joshua trees were dead from a fire or something...

It kind of felt like the elephant graveyard on Lion King. Oh and did I mention that every sign looked like this:

We literally expected a line of angry Indians to appear, blocking the road in front of us. Here we are laughing in the face of danger:

Alright, Joe's just kind of smirking in the face of danger, but I was pumped.
Jay was too. It was awesome. I'd totally go again. But next time we're gonna take Joe's truck because there were some off roads that my car couldn't go on.

On the way to the road we passed the Fitness Ridge Resort from the Biggest Loser!

There's so much cool stuff down here. A few weeks ago we drove down through Arizona (just on the freeway). It's gorgeous too.

It's like the road is carved right down the middle of a mountain.

I love, love, love Southern Utah!

Cute Videos of Jay

2010-04-30T08:39:00.002-06:00

Here's an early Mother's Day shout out to Jay's Grandmas:

And here's the boy in the great outdoors (a.k.a. our backyard):

Awe..... precious!

A Sun What?!

2010-04-29T22:13:00.003-06:00

Jay's learning to sing songs with me at bed time. He obviously is too young to sing all the words but he has favorite parts or words that he'll sing. Tonight I decided to sing "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam." I think Jay has only heard that song one or two times. Well let's just say that Jay can't quite get the word "beam" right. So he ends up shouting "Bum!" as loud as he can. It's hard not to laugh when you sing, "Jesus wants me for a sun...."

"BUM!!"

He's so funny.

(Oh and apparently my comments aren't working right. I think I fixed it but I'm not sure. I'd really appreciate it if someone tested it out for me. Thanks!)

EXCITING NEWS!!

2010-04-27T08:19:00.006-06:00

(For those of you who don't already know)

I'M GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!

I just got accepted to Dixie State and I start NEXT MONTH!!

I am beyond excited. I'll be majoring in Computer and Information Technologies with an emphasis in Visual Technologies. That's a fancy way of saying Web Design. If I go full time (and year round) I can finish in two years. That means that by the time I graduate I'll have gone to 11 semesters of school for a 4 year degree! Oh well, I love school.

In other news, it's getting very warm here. Today's supposed to be 85 degrees. My poor, pale, idaho-winter skin is getting fried. But I love it. St. George is sooooo beautiful. Our ward is wonderful. (Even if we have been put in Nursery.... I've heard that guarantees us special treatment in heaven.) Our neighbors are nice too. And Joe's business is starting to get business.

So life is good. Joe and I both feel so blessed to be here. Everything is just falling into place.

A Day in Zion

2010-04-19T10:44:00.005-06:00

Did you know that it's National Park Week? April 17th through the 25th it is FREE to visit any National Park. We're pretty lucky to live so close to so many of them. Saturday we decided to head up to Zion's with Joe brothers' families. It was so much fun. (By the way Katie, Joe thinks it's super weird that I have my hand on your shoulder. Apparently that's not allowed.)

Anyhow, we love Zion's cuz that's where Joe and I got engaged. Straight above our heads in this picture is the top of the mountain (Angel's Landing) where Joe proposed.

And here's Jay pointing to where it all began. Well he's not quite pointing to the right one but the only way we could get this picture was to tell him to point to the sky.

We had time for two hikes. One was called Weeping Rock, which was short but steep! Totally worth the view:

The second hike was called the Riverside Walk. That one was nice because Jay could walk the whole thing. Or when he was a little grumpy, he could ride on Daddy's shoulders...

Pretty amazing he came out alive from that one. It was all so beautiful.

And green!

Unfortunately, Jay did not recognize the optimal picture taking opportunities and sat straight faced most of the day.

He really got sick of me following him around and gave me this face a lot:

But as soon as his older, cooler cousins were around, he brightened up a bit.

It was a great day. We are loving it down here!

"SKINNY!"

2010-04-17T12:37:00.003-06:00

"Skinny!" is what we sing/yell every time we put Jay in his cute skin tight PJ's. Jay really gets into yelling it and then he laughs and covers his mouth. He's adorable...
and skinny.

Today for instance we are going on a hike in Zion's National Park and this is how Jay is dressed:

Notice anything familiar?...

Yup he's almost 2 and he still fits in his 3-month shorts.

Dangerously Cute Pajamas

2010-03-24T23:33:00.003-06:00

I bought Jay some new skin tight footy pajamas cuz the nights are cold here.I'm in love. Watching him walk around like a Dr. Suess character makes my day.

2 Reasons

2010-03-24T23:27:00.003-06:00

I realized today exactly why my marriage is a good one.

#1) Joe and I successfully assembled a crib together without instructions... and without killing each other. This is much harder than it sounds. (Oh and that is not some kind of announcement... Jay is just way too big for his pack'n'play.)

#2) I accidentally put one of Joe's socks in with my load of lights. I handed it to him and he actually thanked me for washing it. Think about it. I unknowingly separated a pair of his socks. Who knows when the two socks will ever be put together again... if ever. And he thanked me for washing it. I love that man.

Jay's First Prayer

2010-03-22T17:13:00.002-06:00

Obviously we helped him out but this is how it went:

Jay: "Dee Heavy Fada,
Peez bess dis ood,
ird?
ird?
(making bird sign with hand over and over)
ird?"
Me: "No Jay. Food."...
Jay: "ird?"
Daddy: "Hey Jay. Time for prayer."
(Jay bowed his head and folded his arms excitedly as if the first part of the prayer had never happened.)
Jay: "We tank dee for arr besing
name Jeesis Kyest. Amen."

Good job Jay!

Since You've Been Gone

2010-03-20T09:17:00.005-06:00

A Post For Daddy

...And anyone else who misses this little man:

First, I guess I should explain that I am officially in St. George now but Joe is still in Boise getting all the last minute business preparation done. He'll hopefully be here TOMORROW! Jay and I are very excited because we haven't seen him in almost a week and a half.

Anyhow, when Jay woke up this morning he had a giant tweeker on the side of his head and I thought, "Man it's a shame that Joe has to miss such cuteness." But then it hit me... "Duh Stace!" (That's what I call myself...Stace.. you know like we're best friends.) Anyhow, "Duh Stace, get out of your cave and blog about it."

So here I am blogging about all the cuteness that you've missed Joe. Like Jay's "rock on" face that he whips out to impress the ladies in Nursery.

Or how much fun Jay's been having in our FENCED backyard. Or how Grandma Goostrey bought Jay a bubble machine.

He's in love.

Or how Jay runs outside each day yelling, "Meow!" trying to get all the neighborhood cats to come into our backyard. And then if they actually do come he runs back inside yelling, "Mommy!" with a look of horror on his face.

Or my favorite thing he does now is try to jump. I really need to video tape this one. He only succeeds in jumping with one foot and then he falls forward, barely getting his feet back underneath him, and laughs hysterically. He's adorable.

Come home soon Joe! We miss you!

Moving Day

2010-02-22T09:33:00.009-07:00

So I guess I need to post about WHERE we are moving to and why. Joe has wanted to start a cleaning company for quite some time. Really his passion is business but a cleaning company presented him with a low risk, low overhead opportunity to be his own boss. I thought he was nuts at first until I read up on the cleaning industry and now I wonder why more people aren't in it. So after a LONG conversation on the subject (two years) we both agreed that it was time to jump in. We also agreed that Idaho winters are too cold for two wusses like us. So....

We decided to move to ST. GEORGE, UTAH!!!

We drove down about a month ago to feel things out and I fell in love with St. George. I'd been there a few times before (Joe proposed at Zion's) but this time as we were driving down from Cedar City, past Zion's National Park, the clouds parted and a single beam of sunlight illuminated our first glimpse of the famous Southern Utah red rocks. I almost cried. It felt like home.

And now it is home. Last weekend we loaded up a Budget Truck and moved down all our material belongings. Goodbye, Boise! Well, okay.. not quite goodbye... we're actually back for a few weeks. We're staying with my parents until the first week of March. Hopefully by then we will have finished all the necessary equipment testing, logo/business card/flyer designing, card playing (when you live with my parents this is a must), and loose-end tying that is required to start a new business. Joe's a trooper. He's been training with several local carpet companies for the past few months. Every spare moment he spends reading business and marketing materials. I wish I could post all the different uniforms he had to wear but he FORBADE me. My favorite outfit was a pair of brown, 70's style pants that were about an inch too short and two inches too wide paired with a matching (equally as dated) brown polo. Precious.

We're very excited to get back to our house in St. George. We found a cute little house in a cute little neighborhood in a cute little part of town. It's very... cute. And nice. Coming from our last house I feel like one of the Beverly Hillbillies. "What's this?... Running water!"

Anyhow, our plan is to eventually come back to Boise. We both want to raise our kids in Idaho. St. George will hopefully just be a very warm adventure. Maybe 5 years.

This Old House

2010-02-18T14:26:00.014-07:00

It's official... We've moved out of our house in Meridian. I never thought it would be this hard to say goodbye to the place. For those of you who don't know, we lived in this horribly rundown cabin looking thing in Meridian for the past two and half years. When I first saw the place I about died. I walked in to see hundreds of dead spiders, mysterious carpet stains, holes in every wall and door, and the smell.... well two and a half years were not long enough to forget that. Anyhow, it took an entire month of work to fix the place up. I had some awesome friends that came and helped me almost daily. Our single's ward even came and helped for FHE. Fifty people crammed into our 1200 square foot house scrubbing, scraping and sanitizing. I am forever grateful to those people (especially the boys that cleaned the dead birds out of the furnace area).

Our families were a giant help arranging for the carpet to be replaced, a new window, and doors. It was sooooo much work. We painted every wall. Just to give you a little glimpse, the living room went from this:

to this:

(sorry this is after all our stuff was out except the couches)

and from this:

to this:

The kitchen went from this color:

to this color:

I wish I could have gotten the exact same angles but this at least gives you the idea. It was so cozy and wonderful inside. I'll miss so many things about it. Even the annoying stuff... like how our pipes froze every winter, and we had to bug bomb all the gigantic spiders, and how we couldn't put dishes in certain cupboards because that's where the mice lived, and how you could hear birds in our ceiling every morning when you took a shower. I will miss how we were basically all alone on 7 acres. I will miss the gorgeous view at sunset:

I will miss the flowers,

and giant yellow trees:

I will miss all the things about our house that made it ours. Like the note Joe wrote me on the wall where the baseboard was supposed to go...

It says, "I love Stacy". The baseboard never did make it over that spot.

I'm so glad that Joe was smart enough to make us live there. It was the greatest way to start our marriage. We have so many memories that I will never forget. Like when I was pregnant and Joe made me get a trapped bird out of our wood stove because he was scared, or how our first winter, when we actually used that wood stove, it was so cold that we would drag our mattress out in the living room and sleep by the fire. I just know I'll look back on this part of our marriage as "a simpler time."

I will miss you dear house.