Go Cougars!!

There's something about college football that I just love! Especially BYU football. I always get really excited when the end of August rolls around and the football season begins. When David and I were first married we lived on Stadium Ave, which goes right down past the Lavell Edwards Stadium. So every home game we got to be a part of the crazy traffic jams and crowds of people streaming past our house to make it to the game. We went, too, as often as we could. Now that we live further away we're good if we can make it to at least one game a season. Last year we took Matthew and braved the snow to watch the BYU/Utah game (which BYU won!!), but this year we chose to go early, brave the heat and attend the season opener. It was sooo hot, but still lots of fun. Here are some of the reasons why I love BYU football games...

1. Bronco and the team - I love that they've done so well the last few years, and I'm looking forward to another exciting season. I admire Bronco's emphasis on living right and the team motto - Traditon, Spirit, Honor.


2. The fans - after living in Ute country for a while now, I really appreciate being surrounded by blue every now and then. =) I even liked driving in the crazy traffic headed toward BYU, knowing that a lot of the people on the road were Cougar fans heading to the game w/ us. I'm entertained watching everyone in the stadium almost as much as I am by the actual football - everyone from old ladies in their faded royal blue and sun hats, to the hard core fans w/ wigs and painted faces, to the babies in their tiny cheer uniforms or football jerseys. David and I were decked out in our blue, but I'm not putting a pic of us because we were sweaty and not very cute... =)


4. The music - what's a game without the band?! I totally sing along w/ all the chants and songs and especially enjoy watching the drumline.


3. Touchdowns! As cheesy as it may seem, singing the fight song w/ tens of thousands of fans is so much fun! And I get a kick out of watching the cheer guys run the flags around the stadium, and the army guys doing pushups for every point on the board. And of course it's nice when they help them win!!

In awe of NieNie

A few days ago I became aware of a tragedy that struck the lives of a young couple in Arizona. Stephanie Nielson (Nie) and her husband, Christian, were in a plane accident and both were badly burned. They are recovering in a hospital in Arizona while their four kids are being cared for by relatives. Apparently lots of people "know" Stephanie through her blog, the NieNieDialogues, and though I'd never read it before, I now have and feel like I know her as well. She and her husband seem like such wonderful people, and while it's awful that this has happened, it has brought about an amazing response from people all over the world. Yesterday (Thursday) was declared NieNie Day by several people in the blogging world, and the last time I checked over 300 people or businesses are currently holding silent auctions to raise money to put towards Stephanie and Christian's recovery. I'm in awe of how these two have affected the lives of so many people, simply by sharing through their blog their stories, values, love, and faith. Reading about their lives and this accident has made me want to be a better person, and value even more every minute I have with my own loved ones.

If you'd like to learn more about the Nielsons and their recovery, visit the links below.





Design Mom - lists the different silent auctions going on over the weekend

C Jane - Nie's sister who posts updates of their recovery

Cute blog

I don't know what this says about me, but I think this blog is hilarious. It was featured in an article on ksl.com, and I'm just impressed that it's gotten so big. Seriously! ;)



(If you check out the blog, read the article first!)

Wildfire and the temple

There's a wildfire burning on the mountain near where we live. It was a total shock to walk outside and see all the smoke! Thankfully no homes have been threatened, but I don't think they have any part of the fire contained yet, so there's no knowing what the next several hours could bring. What's interesting is that the fire is only a few hundred yards away from the temple that's currently under construction here. I noticed last night that "strong southernly winds" were a part of today's forecast, and because of those winds the fire is moving in the opposite direction of the temple! While the winds may not be helping the firefighters contain the fire, at least they're protecting a soon-to-be-dedicated house of the Lord.

Matthew at 14 months

It's so fun to see Matty getting so big and learning so many things! He's quite the character! I've decided that Bryan takes after David w/ his outgoing personality, and Matty takes after me as he's really sensitive, but moody and hot-tempered as well! (Yes, I've been known to be pretty moody and hot-tempered at times...ahem...) He is a sweetheart, though, and such a special part of our family. Here are some recent pics and videos. He actually walks a little bit in one! He still prefers crawling, and he's in no hurry to say any words either, but that's okay. I've decided I'm finally going to start signing w/ him so that he can communicate w/ more than just grunts and pointed fingers.

Here he is in his favorite place - the high chair. He's a crazy eater! I can blend any number of foods together and he'll devour it regardless of how nasty I think it must taste. It's great, though, because it's not hard at all to get him to eat veggies! I love the look on his face here. =) This is what I found after Matty had pushed a chair over to our fruit bowl one day. I swear the kid will eat anything!
He's obsessed with our washing machine and gets super excited when he sees the water pouring in.
He's begun imitating us, whether it's putting on shoes...
...trying to unlock a door...
...or brushing teeth. He's always stealing Bryan's toothbrushes, as well as his toys. Poor Bryan isn't quite sure how to handle it. The two of them get into so many little fights throughout the day - drives me nuts. But w/ two little boys, what do I expect? In this video, Bryan's actually using Matty to go on a little ride. Matt loves pushing things, so I guess it's all right. =)

And here he is taking a few steps. It's not too impressive, but it's a start! Go Matty!

Be Still

I just want to write about my thoughts this past week, and this will probably sound like some of my previous rambling posts... Once again, I let my anxiety and obsessive need to be in control of things get the best of me! In case anyone's wondering, we STILL do not know where David's going to be opening his agency. Things that I think should take a day or two seem to take weeks, so this application process has been forever long. He does have an interview for a location at the end of the month (I won't say where yet, but for some crazy reason we're REALLY excited about it) so now we're just waiting w/ our fingers crossed.

I flipped out on David last week, though, because he told me that the training I thought would start October 1st really doesn't start until October 15th. It's only a difference of 2 weeks, but for some reason that just pushed me over the edge. I was so frustrated, mainly because I've been really anxious to move to a bigger house and we have to wait until he's started the training before we can start looking. So here I'd been thinking we'd move in October, and it hit me how unlikely that will be if David's just starting half way through the month and won't even be around to do all the things you have to do to buy a house. ANYWAY, I was frustrated that once again things weren't going the way I'd planned. (Do they ever?)

So David, being the wise man that he is, lectured me a little bit on being grateful for what we have, etc, etc. Unfortunately, I was not in the mood for a lecture, and ended up feeling like an awful person. I hated admitting to myself that I was being selfish and bratty and impatient. So I just forced myself to not think about how frustrated and bad I felt, and basically just tried to ignore the situation for a while.

Then Saturday morning at 5:00 am we got a phone call from David's sister and found out that David's dad had gone to the hospital for some health problems. Nothing like a family emergency to put things in perspective! Having never had a parent in the hospital before, it really scared me and made me realize how fortunate I've been. As much as I've been wanting change, I realized that sometimes when things are even just okay, no change is good! Thankfully, David's Dad is okay, but it was one of those things that makes you evaluate life and remember what's REALLY important. Having a bigger house and knowing where we'll be 6 months from now really isn't that big of a deal in the long run.

So Saturday afternoon we decided to make the most of our current situation and make our condo a little bit more liveable. We did what we should have done months ago and got a storage unit for all of the things we didn't have room for in the house. What a difference! Having more space makes me feel so much better - I love that I can open closets without worrying about things falling on top of me, or go in and do laundry without having to turn sideways to squeeze past all the junk. And we rearranged some furniture in the living room, and somehow that small change satisfied my need for something new. I won't say that I'm not still excited for the things that will happen in the coming months, but I'm not counting down the days like I was a week ago.

Then on Sunday my friend, Cathryn, taught the Relief Society lesson in church and did a fabulous job. One part from the Joseph Smith manual especially jumped out at me. When the Saints were anxious about establishing Zion and finding out where they needed to be, the Lord responded to Joseph Smith by saying, "Be still, and know that I am God!" I realized that that's what I really need to work on in my life - being still emotionally and mentally and not worrying so much about what's "supposed" to happen and when. Obviously it doesn't mean to be still physically, and for me it needs to mean just the opposite. I need to be living life where I am right now to the fullest - in my callings, w/ my family, w/ my neighbors, etc. The Saints were eventually led to where they needed to be, but not after much waiting and tribulation. Hopefully I won't have to endure much tribulation in the coming months, but I'm going to work on not minding so much the waiting. Life really is good, and I have SO MUCH to be grateful for!

So this past week has been a rollercoaster of emotions for me, but thankfully things are good now. We're so grateful that David's dad is okay, and we love every day we have with our beautiful boys and other friends and family members. We know that regardless of what happens, the Lord is in control and everything will work out as it should in the end.

2008 Olympics

David and I (like most people, I'm sure) are totally hooked on the Olympics! Our favorite events lately have been swimming and gymnastics. Michael Phelps is amazing! He's like a machine! I've never been much of a swimmer, but as much as Bryan and Matty like water, I'd love it if they got into swimming. Especially if there are people like Phelps to look up to! It's just so exciting to watch him swim. And I love his little smile - so cute!

We've also loved watching the men's gymnastics team, although I have to admit I was rooting as much for the Chinese. Those poor Chinese guys had so much riding on winning! I'm just glad the U.S. boys did as well as they did. Now I'm looking forward to the girls' gymnastics and track events. David's anxious to see his beloved Nadal compete for Spain in tennis, and he's rooting for Spain's soccer and basketball teams as well. We just can't get enough of everything! It's all so much fun to watch!

Updated 8/18: Wow!! 8 golden medals! Go, Michael!! (I just about started hyperventilating during the last relay, I was so excited!)

Added 8/19: Shawn Johnson is the cutest! I'm so glad she got her gold!

Bryan's Primary spotlight

I found out when I picked Bryan up from his church class today that he'd been one of the kids chosen to be spotlighted in Primary! Apparently they call up a couple of kids each week in opening exercises and let other kids ask them questions about their favorite things. Here's what Bryan said...

Favorite ice cream: chocolate

Favorite place: Disneyland

Favorite Primary song: the "marching song" ("We are marching...")

Favorite animal: a BUTTERFLY... because "they're beautiful" =)

I laughed so hard when I heard he'd said a butterfly! Of all the things for a cool three-year-old boy to say... Needless to say, David was disgusted. =) I am glad, though, that Bryan's learned to appreciate the finer things in nature (ha ha!!). We're so proud of him for being such a nice, big Primary boy!

Yay for Joshua!

He and Katee were my favorites on "So You Think You Can Dance!" I'm so glad he won!!

Lagoon!

Last night we went to Lagoon with Heather, Jake and Javi. Jake had a work day there and was nice enough to invite us along. It was Bryan's first time, so Heather and I spent most of our time in Kiddieland with the little boys, while the big boys went off and enjoyed the rollercoasters. I realized that I've gotten a lot more wussy since having kids... I wouldn't have thought twice about going on any rollercoaster a few years ago, but last night I was actually kind of glad to just stick around the kiddie rides. =) My favorite was the "Dinosaur Drop" - I was probably more scared than Bryan! Bryan wasn't scared of anything! He loved every ride and made lots of friends w/ the workers, and even some of the other kids in line. Matty went on the log ride with us all and got a little bit mad when he got covered in water, but he really liked going on the train and seeing all the zoo animals. He was happy the rest of the night as long as he had something to munch on. =) All in all, we had a great time and wish it just weren't so dang expensive so we could go more often!

Bryan's fashion icon =)

So, lately Bryan's been insisting on dressing like Jason Lee, otherwise known as Earl, or Dave in "Alvin and the Chipmunks." I don't know why Bryan likes him so much... it's not like we're huge fans or anything. I think he probably just watched "Alvin" one too many times in the car on our way home from Colorado. Anyway, it's hilarious to see him go to the effort of putting on so many layers! In case you can't tell from the pics, he's wearing a white t-shirt w/ 2 or 3 button-up shirts over the top. Before he was okay just wearing 1 shirt on top of any old t-shirt (as seen in previous hiking pics) but now it has to be at least 2 over his white undershirts. =) It's only when we're inside the house, though, so I don't mind. I just get a kick out of his sudden interest in fashion, if you can call it that!

Colorado Trip

Last week we went out to spend a few days with Jazmin (David's sister) and her husband, Landin, at Landin's family's house in Denver. Landin's family was here in Utah, so it was just us "kids" in their gorgeous home. We had so much fun!! They have just about everything you could think of to have fun - jacuzzi, pool table, foosball, ping pong, a Wii, home theater... We spent a lot of time just hanging out at the house and having crazy competitions. (I never would have thought that playing "Uno" and "Guesstures" could be so entertaining!) Bryan had a blast being with his aunt and uncles, and he really liked all the things they had in their backyard, including a "Phoebe" dog and pet duck! My favorite part about the backyard was the view - so serene and beautiful!


One of the highlights of our trip was going to Water World in Denver - the biggest water park in the U.S. It was kind of tough to enjoy all the attractions w/ the boys, since we had to take turns watching them, but we still had a good time. Bryan especially loved the little waterslide in the kiddie section. He probably went down the thing 20+ times! Both he and Matthew LOVE playing in water and were totally wiped out by the end of the day.
Even better than the water park was going out on the lake, which we did three of the four mornings we were there. Everyone had a lot of fun wakeboarding and hanging out on the boat. I hadn't been on a boat in years, but I got up on skis my first time and didn't crash once. I was too chicken to do much else... David did a great job on the wakeboard but ended up really sore after several bad falls. He loved every second of it, though. Bryan and Matthew's favorite part was the steering wheel, and both pretended to drive the boat every chance they got. They also enjoyed playing in the water, and Bryan even went tubing our last day. David's now determined to get a boat someday down the road... and I can't say I wouldn't mind it. We definitely had some good times out on the water.


When we weren't at the lake or hanging out at the house, we were eating in yummy restaurants. It was crazy w/ the boys - Matty throwing things and banging utensils, Bryan throwing up after gagging on a big bite... Oh, but the food was worth it, and the company was even better. We had such a great time and hated to leave! Thanks, Jaz and Landin, for a wonderful trip!