Valentine's and Little Mozart

Valentine's Day was so much fun this year! When Joey and I got married I made sure that he knew just how important this typically disappointing, over-commercialized holiday was to me. I have NEVER liked Valentine's Day. I thought it was stupid... mostly because as a single person it was just another reminder that I was still single! So when I got married I was determined to make this day as exciting and disgustingly sappy as I could to compensate for all the years of disenchantment... Deep down we all want a fairy tale.

This year Joey assured me that he had it all taken care of. I was instructed to leave the house with Jay for a few hours while he took care of dinner! When I returned home, I opened the door to find roses and Sparkling Cider on our coffee table in the living room! Oh and the smell of something baking in the oven... He had a little help from Papa Murphy!

It was so cute. We sat at our coffee table eating heart-shaped pizza, sipping sparkling cider and watching "Pure Luck". (It's up there with "Gone With the Wind" as far as romances go! Can't you tell by the movie poster?)

In other news, Jay has started to compose...

He's quite good actually.

The creative process really takes a toll on the boy though!

Are You Annoyed Yet?

$14.97
... that's all I'm gonna say.

Confession

I'm pathetic.

I have suspected this for quite some time but today it became an inescapable reality. I saw my husband at 9 a.m. yesterday morning. He then proceeded to travel to McCall and has been gone ever since. It is now 1 a.m. Sunday morning... an absence of barely 16 hours and I'm going crazy. Honestly, Joe and I have gotten to spend a lot of time together over the past month or two and it has been sooo much fun. He leaves for one day and I'm a waste of flesh. The truly pathetic part of all of this is that he will be home in one hour! I can't stand myself sometimes.

Anyhow the wonderful news is that I realized today what a great guy I married. (Don't worry I knew that before I married him... I just felt especially grateful for him in his absence.)
Okay before you read on, you should know that this could get mushy. That's right.. good and mushy. But I will try and hurry. Not because I don't want to gross you out but because if he arrives home and sees me writing this he will NEVER let me post it.
I was thinking today about what a shame it is that in today's society, gushing about your husband is unpopular and usually met with rolling eyes from those who think you are being idealistic and naive. Well I'm sick of that mentality. Why is it that the whole world wants to know about him when you are dating but when you are married no one cares?! I just don't get it. So here's my attempt to change the world:

I shall call this list
REASONS WHY I LOVE MY HUSBAND
by Stacy Brady

#1) (in no particular order) He's unfathomably good with children. Especially Jay. When Jay was first born he would lay down on a blanket with him and tell him all about the life he was going to have and everything they were going to do together. He's a super cute uncle too. He's not worried about looking silly at all. This is one of my favorite pictures. He traded ties with Zach right before church to make him feel like a big kid. He also teaches a primary class that just adores him.

#2) He's the biggest goofball you will ever meet... and only those closest to him know it. I wish I could elaborate but he would KILL me. Let's just say there is NEVER a dull moment at our house.

#3) He encourages me to do what I love (even at his expense sometimes).
For instance, he agrees to pose for silly or embarrassing pictures because he loves me.
(M&M Factory... read the sign above his head... he loves me.) (Who hasn't seen "Big"?!)
#4) He gets excited about the cutest things and makes me appreciate the small things in life.
(This year at Christmas it was a red rider bee bee gun... oh and a speedo but I won't post pictures of that one.)
#5) He tries to kiss me in public even though he knows I hate it. I get so embarrassed but at least I know he loves me right?
#6) He is ridiculously good looking in a pair of swim trunks... especially while driving a boat.
(Here he is the day after we broke up... ...we got back together the next day!)

#6) Family is SOOOOO important to him and he would do anything for them.
In fact, the first time I realized I might be warming up to the kid was when he was helping his cousin change her bike chain at a ward activity. That doesn't sound significant but if you knew our history... well let's just say it was significant.

Oh and he'd be mad if I didn't add that my exact thought in the moment was "That's hot."

#7) He honors his priesthood and loves the gospel. This is really #1.
(This picture has nothing to do with that... I just like it. We're on our honeymoon.)
#8) He is my perfect balance in so many ways. I'm such a stress case and he loosens me up. For that reason I love this picture.
#9) We're buds. Really. We laugh all the time. We never get any sleep.

(There are so many more reasons but he's gonna be home any minute! Yeah!)

So there you go world! I'm not ashamed. I love my husband. I know it. He knows it. And now you do too.

Lessons Learned

So it's been a while. Well a lot has happened in the past month and I guess I should probably fill in a few blanks. It's been crazy at times, boring at other times... heartbreaking.... deathdefying... okay not really deathdefying. Unless you consider what might have happened between me and a customer service rep at the Red Lion Inn deathdefying. It could have been ugly.

Anyhow it's impossible to relate all that has happened in one post (we took a bunch of trips). So I think I'll just tell you what I have learned in the past month mingled with few pictures and stories. (Don't worry I'll start with the Red Lion Inn... I know you're on the edge of your seats here)

LESSONS LEARNED

#1) I learned that if you decide to stay at a hotel in the middle of January based solely upon the fact that it has a pool... because you haven't been swimming in over a year and it's all you've been hoping for and dreaming about for quite some time... make sure that the pool is an indoor pool! (And make sure you check that out before you buy the whole family swimsuits, get all geared up and make your way to the pool area.) Then if you decide that the only way to make up for such disappointment (not to mention embarrassment) is to cuddle up under some warm blankets and watch the dvd you just rented, make sure that your hotel room has a dvd player! And above all else, never order room service as a desperate attempt to save your vacation. This never helps. But do leave a nasty review to get back at the customer service lady who hung up on you... cuz she'll probably never see it and that'll show her!

#2) If on that same vacation you decide that a trip to an overpriced aquarium would be a fun idea, make sure that the roads do not look like this: ...or else it might take you an hour to get there. Actually even though it was over-priced... with half off for family night... it was still fun to get out. Jay was oblivious to the road conditions and he let me test out Joey's new camera on him the whole way there.I think maybe he was hungry!

The aquarium was a good way to test out our new carrier backpack for Jay though. (Thanks Monica for finding the good deal. As soon as yours actually gets to you.. you'll like it too.)

All in all it wasn't too bad. We got to pet stingrays... 

stare into a glowing sphere... 

and we found Nemo... a few times actually. 

And even though Jay didn't look too excited about anything, he at least thought a few things were pretty weird. 

#3) I learned that when you do finally get to go swimming in a hotel (a different hotel) and you get really excited to take pictures of your baby's first ever swimming experience... don't get too excited because inevitably steam from the hot tub will fog up your camera lens and you won't be able to see a darn thing. 
It was super cute though.

#4) I learned that there is no point in packing bedding for Jay.

#5) On a different note: I learned that the windows of heaven truly are opened when you pay your tithing. (We learned this in the form of an unexplainable refund check from an old insurance company dated Dec. 8, 2008) 

And finally...

#6) I learned that Children's Tylenol works wonders on a teething baby in more ways than one.

The past month has been great. We have grown together as a little family... especially on those eight hour road trips stuffed in Joey's little truck. (Babe, if you're reading this... I meant to say manly truck!) 

Couponing... I get it.

Up until a few months ago I thought that couponing was for little old ladies or obsessed soccer moms.... not that I have anything against soccer moms... I fully intend to be one. Anyhow, it was certainly never anything I thought I would take part in. Then one day I watched Suze Orman on Oprah telling America how stupid we are with our money. She really got me thinking of ways that I could cut back. Not long after that I watched a special on couponing and thought maybe I should try it. That same week my sister-in-law, mother-in-law and several friends tried it for the first time. It seemed like EVERYONE was doing it. I felt a little overwhelmed by all the strategies and strange lingo so it took me a few months to actually try it. But this week I finally succeeded! Most of you know how AMAZING Albertson's sale is this week. I went twice and spent $160 for $500 worth of groceries! And I'm not even that good at this. This picture doesn't do it justice. It was impossible to fit everything on the table without hiding half of it. There are boxes and boxes of stuff under all that. My favorite parts of the sale were the baby wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, and laundry detergent. Pretty much half off everything before coupons! That's not to mention all the cake mixes, frosting, cereal, shampoos and conditioners, yogurt, all-purpose cleaner, dish soap, soup, granola bars, muffin mixes, frozen vegetables, fruit snacks... the list goes on and on. I can't tell you how good it feels to know that we have some food storage.

This amazing lady in our area teaches a class on couponing. The one thing that she said that stuck with me was that she felt like saving money on groceries was her part time job to help out her family. It's so true. My husband works too hard for me to be irresponsible with the money he earns. I love him for his sacrifice and commitment to helping me stay home with Jay. A little bit of time and headache (no really it hurts sometimes) is well worth the end reward.

Random Things Worth Smiling About

I was talking to my sister the other day about being a mom and how great (and challenging) it is. It got me thinking about that General Conference talk speaking to new moms. I loved the part about living in the moment and remembering the happy times instead of the 2:00 a.m. screaming sessions. Lucky for me, I heard that talk BEFORE Jay was born. It has been a goal of mine to live in the moment ever since. And man does it make life easier!

Anyhow, today I was just reflecting on some of those little moments (I woke up a little sleep deprived!) and I thought I'd share a few...

#1) I love thinking about the first few days after having Jay. He was so little and fragile. Here's his hospital wrist band: His wrists were so tiny. (Not his hands though... those were always huge!)

#2) Speaking of his hands.. I love those too!

They are constantly moving, grabbing at anything in reach. It makes me laugh to watch him try and figure things out. It's amazing how every problem... whether it's his hand being stuck in his sleeve, or not being able to separate his toy chain links... can be solved by putting it in his mouth. I'm sure there is some life metaphor we can all draw from that. (That was a joke!)

#3) I love watching how much Jay adores Joe. Here they are after a large Thanksgiving feast. Just look at how he's sucking his thumb on one hand and hugging his daddy with the other.

#4) I love how Jay is always learning new things. For instance, he just discovered his feet! This makes changing the most disgusting diapers a little more amusing.

#5) And finally, I love bundling him up to go outside...

Nothing beats that hat!

Jay's Jumper

For my baby shower my sister-in-law, Teresa, got me one of those jumpers that hangs from the doorway. Jay was too little for it until a few weeks ago but now it is his absolute favorite thing on the planet! Thank you Teresa!
He is sooooo cute in it...

What a little flirt huh?
His hands get stuck in the leg holes sometimes. Usually he cries until I come fix it, but this day he wore himself out and just sat there.

One day Jay was in his jumper and Joey and I were watching some TV program. Well after a while we realized that we hadn't heard jumping for a very long time. We turned around and he'd fallen asleep!