Private

Hatin' it, I know. We've made the decision to go private on the blog.
I'm turning it private on Monday (7/5/10).
So, if you want to be able to keep up with us either comment and leave your email, or shoot me an email with your email and I'll send you an invite to the blog.

ECHO

What a sad day. We sold our Toyota Echo. It's not like we lost a member of the family, or anything, but it was still hard to part with our reliable little car.
















Using the online classified ads for UT (KSL) was an interesting experience, to say the least. It is nice that it is a free service. Anything "new" that has been purchased to furnish our house has come from the KSL classifieds. But this was the first time I had used them to sell something. Blessing or a curse? The jury is still out.

I listed the car last week, and the phone calls I was getting were annoying and laughable. The top 3 were:

#1- a phone call from a guy who (partway in to the convo.) disclosed that he was a used car salesman from Karl Malone Toyota, and wanted to persuade me to bring the Echo in as a trade for something else on their lot. I DESPISE Karl Malone Toyota (bad experience with one of their salespeople dating back 10 years ago, but I am still hanging on to the grudge). My ears automatically turned off the second he told me his employer. But trying to get off of the phone with him was a total chore! And HE CALLED ME! How "hard up" are used car salesman these days if they spend their time scouring the local classified ads and calling people who want to sell their cars? Nick told me I should have said "Sure, I'll bring it in, we can do a trade for a Tundra, straight up!". Sometimes I wish I could be as "quick off of the cuff" as Nick is. Instead I practically had to hang up on the guy. I thought it was a total fluke, until....

#2- a nearly identical phone call from a sales guy at a Toyota dealership in Ogden, UT. Really? REALLY?

#3- a phone call from a hearing aid company. Wanting to know if I would agree to trading the car for hearing aids. This lady took the stance that I would get all sorts of tax deductions for a transaction like that. Um, no thanks.

Most of the week passed without any serious calls for the car. So, Nick and I thought we'd drop the price a bit and see if that got us any decent "bites". Result: HELLO Piranha's! My phone was ringing off of the hook with interested parties inquiring about the car. I had people wanting to come look at the car at 11PM last night! It was insane (but in a good way, I guess, because it got our car sold). We ended up selling it to the first people that test drove it. They went to an ATM to get a 10% down payment for the car, and then came back again with the rest of the money.

I'm glad that experience is over with. And I think the mouse-motor Echo went to a good home. All's well, that ends well.

Our plan now, is to look for a good deal on a truck with 4-wheel drive, for Nick to use as his primary vehicle when it snows. We aren't in a big hurry, but I'd like to have it by October. Our budget is limited, so I am going to have to be on top of things while I look for a car so that I can snatch up a great deal when I see it. And yes, I'll be using KSL classifieds to find said deal.

Little Einstein

It seems like every other week Reagan's favorite movie has changed. For a while we were watching Finding Nemo at least once a day. Then it was: Elmo in Grouchland. Then: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

It was making me crazy trying to figure out what kind of a theme to go with for her upcoming birthday, since her "obsessions" were changing faster than her outfits.

For once, however, Reagan decided to help me out. For the past few weeks her #1 choice of movie has remained constant.

Reagan can't get enough "Rocket" AKA- Little Einsteins.

If there were some way to climb in to the TV she would do it.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the most adored Daddy in the world.

It's been almost two years since Nick officially became a Dad. It is a job he has been very well-cut-out to do.

He is the guy who works hard every day so that I can stay home with Reagan and (very soon) Elsa.

He has had to sacrifice a lot in the past two years, and yet he still seems to enjoy his job as a parent immensely!

There are a couple things (OK, more like; a MILLION...) that I am sure Nick didn't realize would change when Reagan was born. Just to name a few:

#1. The Days of sleeping in, or even getting an uninterrupted night's sleep, were LONG gone. Saturday morning Reagan was up bright and early so we took a trip to the Farmer's Market at Pioneer Park.

#2. That he would never get a meal all to himself again. Since the day Reagan started on solid foods she has had the: "what is yours is mine" mentality when it came to whatever Nick was eating. Yum, Pei Wei!

#3. That the hours he used to be able to devote to doing activities he deemed enjoyable (such as playing XBOX) were going to be few and far between. Instead, he now has put countless man hours in to such projects as: putting together a play-kitchen for Reagan, for Christmas. And most recently, assembling a swing-set (you can see it in the background of this picture).

#4. That he would have a little "helper" *cough, hinderer, cough* on hand for every project he was engaged in.

#5. That his life was no longer his own. He now belongs to princess Reagan, and does a good job of answering to her every "beck and call". He plays with her, cares for her, and protects her.

Those observations are just a small sampling of the things Nick does, and that make him such a great Dad.

I know he, and I both enjoy the rewards of parenthood. But today, I want to shower praise on the man that is #1 in my book. Reagan and I both appreciate Nick, and I couldn't think of a better person to share parental responsibilities with.

These pictures are evidence enough that Reagan agrees with me. We're happy to celebrate the day devoted to the best Dad in the world.

Should Know Better.

"Silence is Golden". Any parent (especially of young children) can tell you this is baloney. Silence usually ='s naughtiness.

I know this. I know this. I know this.

Or, maybe not.

I swear, my IQ decreases by the day. I am no longer using my brain at a 40-hour-a-week job anymore- there go IQ points. Once you become a parent it is a "given" that you get stupider (I have heard this is especially true once you have teenagers in the house- I know I spent a lot of time, at the age of 17, thinking that my Mom knew nothing. I was wrong. Sorry, Mom, for thinking you weren't smart).

Suffering from the "pregnancy disease" does nothing to help my intelligence. I will be lucky to come out of labor and delivery with any sort of brain function.

Anyway... where am I going with this? Give me a second (or minute) to think. Ha Ha.

I took Reagan to run some errands last night. By the time we got to the last stop, at the bank, she was D-O-N-E. I was struggling to get her to sit still while I tried to sign paperwork. One of the employees at the bank saw my predicament and brought Reagan some paper to color on, and (what I thought were) some crayons.

I was getting through the paperwork, and had the thought, "Wow! Reagan is sitting so quietly coloring. That never happens!".

LIGHTBULB!

That never happens, because Reagan does not sit quietly unless she is doing something mischievous. I looked over and realized that Regan had a pen, and was using it to color on her arm. She had blue ink everywhere. From the point above her elbow all of the way to her fingers. And of course, it was on her clothes too. I am sure everyone loves getting ink out of clothing as much as I do.

I loaded Reagan in to the car and headed for home. But was sidetracked by Dairy Queen... I have been craving ice cream lately.

I justified it by telling myself that I'd get some for Reagan too. At the drive-thru window I specified that I wanted a baby-small ice cream cone for my kid. They obliged. I gave Reagan the cone and was pleasantly surprised to find that she didn't spill any in the car on the short ride to our house.

Once home, I set Reagan on the tile in the kitchen to eat her cone, while I put things away and did some cleaning. I thought I was pretty clever. If she spilled on the tile it would be easy cleanup. Too bad I forgot that Reagan is no longer a newborn and DOES NOT stay where I put her.

For the second time in a matter of hours, I realized that I wasn't hearing anything. I went to the kitchen and found it empty. This is what I found in the family room, adjacent to the living room:

It's my own fault. Good thing I was going to clean the carpets this week anyway.

It's not like I ever had aspirations to go on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, but at this point I don't think I'd win a thing because I am not even smarter than a 23 month old.

Reagan's Day

When I was a child I once asked my Dad: "There's a Mother's Day and a Father's Day, so when is Kids' Day?". He told me: "Every day is kids' Day". Technically, he was right.

Nick and I have been drowning in projects lately. Between working on things around our house, my parents house, and Nick's parent's house we haven't had a lot of free time to play with Reagan. She has been so patient with all of it and we wanted to reward her with an entire day of doing things she would like.

We started the day with a trip to the Hogle Zoo.

The morning weather was perfect.

We met Nick's brother, Nate there. Keeping track of a two-year-old is much easier when you have three adults devoted to the task.

We rode the carousel.

Took the obligatory photo-op at the Lion drinking fountain.

Reagan had to test the sharpness of the Lion's teeth, before she would take a drink.

Nate, ever a kid at heart, couldn't resist getting a drink too.

Nick took special care to show Reagan this monkey exhibit. Apparently, these were the kinds of Monkeys that were native to Ecuador. People kept them as pets, down there, and Nick had opportunities to hold and play with these little guys while he was there.

Reagan would have loved to have touched any one of the animals at the zoo. All day long she kept saying "I want to go in there", or "OPEN!" (in reference to the animal pens).

I was glad they were all in enclosures away from her though.

We finished the trip off, by riding the train.

On the way back to our house we popped in to Whole Foods. Ah, Heaven. Nick and I agreed that if we imagined hard enough, it felt very nearly like we were "home" in Seattle. Why isn't there a Whole Foods in Davis County, and why is Whole Foods produce more the "exception, rather than the rule" in UT?

Reagan took a nice long nap when we got home. She woke up happy and excited to go her little friend, Connor's, birthday party. At the party she played outside on the swing set, and we let her have ice cream and cake for dinner.

After all of that, I think that the highlight of her entire day came at the very end. The party broke up because of a sudden rainstorm. We took Reagan home and let her play outside in the Rain. She loved it. Happy Kids' Day, Reagan.

Hello Heat, Goodbye Feet.

For someone who despises the cold, the past few weeks (months?) of UT weather haven't been that bad for me. You could almost say they have been a "tender mercy", even the snow we had in our front yard on May 24th (I never thought I'd say something like that.)! The cooler weather seems to have kept me from swelling. Alas, no longer. The heat and pregnancy swelling both kicked in nearly overnight.

My fingers are so swollen and stiff. Over the weekend I was asked (at the last minute) to fill-in for the pianist in the children's primary at church on Sunday. I know I butchered a few of the songs, but in my defense, I seriously cannot get my fingers to move quickly over the keys when they are the size of sausages. Also, accompaniment never has been one of my strengths, and probably never will be (can't teach an old dog new tricks, right?).

At least I finally have a piano in my home now, so I can actually practice these days. Too bad Reagan thinks the piano is hers and pushes my fingers off every time I try to play. Ha ha.

The piano is all hers. The novelty hasn't worn off yet. Any time, day or night (or right after her bath); Reagan loves to be playing the piano.

So, back to the swelling.... I'll spare you pictures of swollen blobs that used to be my feet. You can thank me later. Because, anyone who has ever seen pregnancy induced swelling knows it is not pretty. 8+ weeks more of this misery.

But by the time I am granted the remedy (ie- labor and delivery), I ought to be more than ready for my little bundle of joy to make her appearance.

At last count I had 40 cans of formula, over 900 diapers (in varying sizes), the baby clothes are washed and hanging in the nursery closet. I feel just a little more prepared for this baby than I did for Reagan.

The nursery is in awesome shape. Even if I do say so myself. I had been planning on keeping the yellow safari theme. BUT... call it nesting, or whatever; I got a wild hair and decided I wanted to make the nursery more girly. I really wanted to paint the room pink, but Nick said that we have 40+ other projects that take priority right now, and that painting the nursery was out of the question. So, I went on the prowl for a way to make the nursery more feminine, even with the yellow walls. After all of the time and effort I put in to decorating, it probably would have taken less time to just paint the room pink. Oh well.

Without further ado... here are the fruits of my labors (so to speak :)

I ordered over 500 vinyl circles to decorate the wall. I'm not even going to tell you how much time I spent putting each individual dot on the wall in a random pattern! OK, yes I am- I want the sympathy and the kudos. It took this pregnant lady over three hours of going up and down a step ladder, assessing the design and applying the vinyl. If that doesn't show how much I love my new girl, I don't know what does (oh yeah, other than the hours of labor I am in for to deliver her, and the sleepless nights that are ahead of us).

Here's another view of the room Nick has deemed "The Pink Nightmare". Maybe he would appreciate it more if I had forced him to help me decorate it. But probably not. Nick loves to tease too much. Nick says that when the sun shines through the pink curtains the room gives off a bright pink glow, and he keeps referencing the Kenny Rogers Roasters; Seinfeld episode.

The crib is the last thing that needs to be put back together, but that won't take too much work. I love the crib bedding I found! Oh, and for those of you who didn't know (not that it has been any big secret...) We have already decided on a name. As you can see from the vinyl lettering over the crib. For both of our girls we picked first names that Nick and I liked. There isn't any too special meaning behind Reagan, or Elsa. Their middle names are the ones that are "family names". Reagan's middle name is: Kae. Nick's Mom's first name is: Kay, and my Mom's middle name is: Cay. So, that one was a "no brainer" for us. We only had to come up with a unique spelling. Elsa's middle name will be: Ruth. My Maternal Grandmother's name was Ruth. Some days I still can't believe that she has been gone for over 4 years! I miss her dearly. She was such a neat lady, that I think Elsa will be honored to share her middle name.

After I got the pictures of the nursery, I thought I'd try to snap a few of Reagan. Mainly, so that my Mom can see them, since she doesn't get to see her every day, like she used to.

Reagan was obviously having nothing to do with this plan.

This was the best I could get out of her. Lil' Stinker.

Birthday Weekend

It was a busy Memorial Day Weekend for us. Nick celebrated his 30th birthday and we visited Chuck E. Cheese. Although, Nick is a complete kid at heart; we didn't book him a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. The Chuck E. Cheese birthday party was thrown for my nephew, Lance's, birthday (his birthday is two days after Nick's)

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For Nick's birthday, we went to Market Street for dinner. Sadly, Chuck E. Cheese might have been a better place to eat. I guess Nick and I are total "seafood snobs" these days, because neither of us thought our seafood dishes at Market Street were that fresh, or delicious- especially for the price (I knew we should have done dinner at Bambara instead). This weekend, we are headed to Ruby River Steakhouse for another birthday dinner for Nick- it should be better. Ruby River is definitely no El Guacho, or Ruth's Chris (ahhhh, R.C's Lobster Bisque); but at least we know that going in to things; so we don't have unrealistic expectations. Everyone in UT raves about Market Street. I just wasn't feeling it. After a GREAT DEAL of research, the only place I have found good salmon in UT is at the Cheesecake Factory.

But seriously... I am digressing... About Food... Again. I think after being made sick by food for the first five months of this pregnancy I am over-compensating now that I am enjoying my meals (and snacks, and desserts) FINALLY. And the scale certainly agrees. I am still doing better (weight-wise) in this pregnancy, than I did with Reagan. But that isn't saying much, since I gained 50 pounds with Reagan :) AND I still have 9+ weeks to go. So, I may be speaking too soon. Only time will tell.

Here are the pic's from Chuck E. Cheese. They aren't very clear, due to the fact that I realized my camera battery was dead upon arrival at the Birthday Party. So, Nick used his iPhone to snap some photos.