The Miller's

More on Brycen

2012-02-16T08:54:00.002-07:00

Brycen is growing up way too fast and doing all sorts of funny things these days. Here are a few:

He started saying "shhhh" while my mom and Amber were in town back in January. I held my finger up to my mouth to say "shhh" and he did the same thing back. It was quite a surprise!
Brycen was really attached to me for about 3 days and I loved it. When he was sad he always wanted me to hold him and not Tyson. Usually this is the opposite. He wanted me to hold him when he woke up crying, he wanted me to pick him up during the day...It was wonderful while it lasted!
Brycen gets put in timeout at least once a day. Timeouts involve sitting in his crib with nothing in it for one minute. I learned in a parenting class that timeouts should be one minute for every year they are old. So for now they are one minute long. But he better watch out, he's two in April!
He calls graham crackers "cookie". If he wants a graham cracker he'll point to the box and say "cookie".
Brycen loves putting money in his piggy bank. My mom and dad have provided him with probably $10 worth of change just because they love watching him take it to his room and put it in his bank. Thanks for contributing to his mission fund, Mom and Dad! :)
He broke something for the first time on Monday, January 23, 2012. He had a glass and dropped it. I know. Why the crap did we let him hold a glass? It was one of our rocks glasses, which get used more than anything. Oh well. It's just an object. He was trying to put it on the entertainment center and it dropped, breaking on the carpet. I still worry that we didn't get all the glass picked up but that's another issue!

Brycen likes to sit on the counter while I bake. He'll grab things like measuring cups and pretend like he's putting something in the bowl. On January 24th I was making banana bread and he grabbed my bottle of prenatals and pretended to pour them in. He also grabbed a spoon and pretended to stir. He loves to be in the kitchen with Mom. On the 27th we made a Texas Sheet Cake for Tyson and he sat on the counter and helped me mix the flour and sugar. He loves to pretend like he's helping.
Brycen really likes to get in the cupboards and pull out the big plastic mixing bowl and all of the wooden spoons. He'll sit on the floor and pretend like he's mixing things. Sometimes I'll throw a few peanuts or raisins in the bowl and he'll stir them around. He loves it! It makes me smile when I'm sitting on the couch at night watching one of my favorite shows and I see a wooden spoon sticking out between the cushions. He loves to play with wooden spoons.
On February 12th he started saying "bu bye". I called my mom to see if he would say it while I was on the phone with her and he ended up having a 10-minute conversation, ending it with "bu bye". I was so glad Tyson got the video camera out during that time!

The other day he walked into our bedroom and came out with a sock on each hand and holding my deodorant. He also took his pajama bottoms off during that time. Funny kid!

He loves to sit in his highchair and watch cartoons on Tyson's lap top. We just pull them up on YouTube Sometimes we'll let him sit up to the table in one of the chairs. Lately he's been watching "Small Potatoes", "Tiny Toons", "Looney Tunes", "Pound Puppies", "Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers", and old Mickey cartoons.

Last Night's FHE: Appreciating Music

2012-02-07T09:43:00.006-07:00

Normally for family home evening Tyson and I end up discussing a topic and making it about us. Brycen has no idea what is going on. He is getting older now and starting to understand more so we decided to start holding family home evenings for him and focusing everything on him.

I've always been overwhelmed at the idea of planning a family home evening around a child, even though it sounds really fun to do. When I came up with this outline for last night I decided I would share for any other parents who are in the same boat, unsure of what to do for these family home evenings. So here's what I did!

First I discovered the Family Home Evening resource page on the Church website. Wow, that is a huge help! Not sure why I didn't look here before. This page has lessons by topic, activity ideas, videos, music, and many more other helpful resources.

I clicked on the Lessons by Topic tab and decided to start from the beginning with "Appreciating Music". After clicking the topic I found a whole list of articles, lesson ideas, a picture kit, etc. to help me prepare. Since Brycen is still pretty young I decided to go with the story from the Friend listed in the articles titled "Service with a Song" (found here). It was a short and very sweet story about a three year old singing good music at a rest home. Very cute.

When it came time for the lesson, I read the story then I had Tyson read two scriptures: D&C 25:12 and D&C 138:24. We talked to Brycen about how good music is important and what those scriptures mean. Brycen loves music so it was fun talking to him about it.

The activity for the evening was a coloring picture for Brycen:

"Music Makes Me Happy" coloring page found here

And for dessert we had Cake Batter Blondies. You can get the delicious recipe here!

And that was our family home evening! I hope this was helpful for anyone who is like me and trying to get into the groove of teaching the little ones. :)

Got It!

2012-02-02T20:36:00.004-07:00

Today Brycen put two words together for the first time: "Got it!" We were playing with his car ramp in his room when one of them went flying. He reached back behind the toy box to get it, and when he finally reached it he said, "Got it!" It took me so off guard, yet it was so exciting! He said it three or four more times before going to bed at 8:00. Most of the time he says a lot of fluent jibberish with a real word mixed in. So this was a big deal! What a milestone for our little man! I'm such a proud mama. :)

Christmas Day

2012-01-25T14:34:00.015-07:00

We had such a great Christmas this year! We're lucky to be able to see both of our families on Christmas day. This year we stayed the night at my parents' house and spent Christmas morning with them. We opened presents, had breakfast, then went to church at Amber's ward. Amber, Amy, and I sang "Away in a Manger" for the Christmas program.

Before presents, we all looked in our stockings:

From Santa, Brycen got:

the Little People Wheelies car ramp with four extra cars
Little People tractor
"Toy Story" ball
"If the Savior Stood Beside Me" board book
Mickey sing-a-ma-jig
candy
sippy cup (This cup is fabulous! But Brycen doesn't quite understand how to use it. Once he does we will be in heaven!)

Tyson and I only did Santa gifts this year. From Santa Tyson got:

Jeopardy! on the Wii
an electric toothbrush
the second season of "Modern Family"
the first two seasons of "Parenthood"
Express button up shirt
Florence's chocolates
and a few other things!

Santa brought me:

red TOMS
Jane Clayson Johnson's book "I Am a Mother"
necklace from Express
oodles of makeup
See's chocolates
and other fun goodies!

Brycen loved his stocking!

Especially his "Toy Story" ball.

He wanted Boston to play...

...as well as everyone else!

Boston was as cute as ever.

He wasn't sure what to think about his duck from Aunt Amy.

Brycen loved his new Mickey coloring book and crayons from Aunt Amy!

Thanks, Aunt Amy!

Mom got a new coat. Super cute!

Dad got some Utes pj pants, as well as a Utes sweatshirt.

Che' got some tools. He's a pretty handy guy to have around!

We made mom and dad a new book from the 2011 year. They really liked it. So did Brycen!

Brycen got a little spoiled this year. With the presents from us combined with presents from grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins, he had more presents than anybody!
He got clothes and these new shoes from Grandma and Grandpa.

Boston got a stuffed cow, a ball, some clothes, and a book from Grandma and Grandpa.

Brycen checking out his Fridge Phonics

Adam and Amber high fiving about his gift card with Mario on the front of it ha ha.

Dad made mom a pretty new bookshelf. Brycen loved it too!

Adam under a pile of boxes and paper

Picture time! This little sweety was such a good sport.

Then it got a little old. Brycen was not interested in getting his picture taken! Poor kids.

After presents and breakfast we got ready to go to church as a family. Sunday is the perfect day for Christmas to land on. It felt so nice going to church with my parents and siblings and showing gratitude for the birth of the Savior. Such a great day!

Brycen taking a coloring break later on

After church we went to Tyson's parents' house for a delicious Christmas dinner and presents. We had Easton's name this year and got him a dodge tag game.

Dustin and Erika got Julie a really pretty picture of the temple.

Kate got a makeup kit from Lillie this year. Can you tell? :) Cute girls!

Jack got a football and Brycen really wanted it.

Christmas with this clan is always a riot! All of those kids have such a blast. It's so much fun!

We had a great time with both of our families this year. We feel very blessed to be part of such wonderful groups of people. We love our families!

Buddy Boy

2012-01-19T11:41:00.004-07:00

Our little Brycen is just growing up way too fast! He's been doing some memorable things lately that I wanted to write down:

Brycen is so funny when the vacuum is on. He's like a dog around a vacuum that doesn't bark. He runs up to it and runs around it, then he tries to run away from it when it gets closer to him. He talks the whole time, kind of awkwardly like he's afraid of it but doesn't want it to look that way. Funny kid.
He likes to color on EVERYTHING! We can't leave a pen out or he'll go crazy with it. We have to really watch him while he's coloring in his coloring book or something else might get colorful.
Brycen loves to play the piano with me. We play everyday after he wakes up from his nap and has a snack. He'll either sit next to me and "play" (pound) or he'll sit on my lap and "play". I'm hoping this continues so I can put him in lessons when he's older.
There is a new show on Disney Junior called "Octonauts" and Brycen LOVES it. I think it's really cute and there's always a lesson about an ocean creature, so I like it.
Brycen really likes the video camera. Whenever we use it he immediately wants to watch what was just recorded. Or if we are recording him he'll want to see what we're doing. Yesterday I recorded him talking in his jibberish that we just love so much. He wanted to see what was going on so I turned the screen during recording. He was able to watch himself while being recorded. He thought that was pretty funny and kept laughing and making silly noises at himself.

Tyson and I decided this year on our anniversary that it would be fun to make our cards instead of buy them. I made mine then had Brycen color it.

He was pretty proud of his work! And yes, that laundry basket had all sorts of pretty colors on it by the time he was done.

12-Week Baby Appointment

2012-01-17T16:15:00.004-07:00

Thank you first off for all of your comforting words after my rant yesterday. It feels good to have my feelings justified and that there are so many of you that understand how I feel.

This morning I had my 12-week baby appointment. I'm having a hard time enjoying going to these appointments because I'm not going to a women's center like I did with Brycen. I'm going to a clinic, which feels very impersonal and cold. Not to mention all of the sick people that are in there in the same waiting room as me. The OB/GYN part of the clinic is right next to a family medicine office as well as a pediatrics office. It's been nothing like my wonderful experience at Dr. Leavitt's office in Idaho Falls. I miss that very much. However, once I'm in the sanitized rooms and we're having an ultrasound or something similar, I'm happy as a clam. This will work for now.

By the time I made it back to one of the rooms today all looked really well. I am even on the right track for weight gain. Happy day! That has worried me with how fast I've started showing with this pregnancy. Dr. Dixon (the nurse practitioner) answered a few of my questions then she got out the Doppler to listen to the heartbeat. She had a hard time finding it, which scared the crap out of me. I was getting really nervous when she was looking around the room in concentration trying to find it. Minutes went by before we heard one of the most wonderful sounds in the world. It only last seconds before we lost it again. A second time she found the heartbeat and again it only last seconds. Good enough for me! I was just so glad that we heard it. She assured me that by next month when I have an ultrasound I will be able to hear it much better. Yay! I already can't wait for that appointment.

So far so good with our little one!

All By Myself

2012-01-16T13:35:00.008-07:00

My mom and Amber just left my apartment after a weekend party full of fun and a lot of laughs. And yes, there are tears running down my face right now. I find myself once again by myself and it is hard. Tyson is at work and Brycen went down for a nap so I'm alone with my thoughts. We had such a blast this weekend with Mom and Amber. Not a single picture was taken. But each moment with them was filled with so much fun and more memories were made. We went shopping, went out to fun places to eat, watched movies, played the Wii, and so much more.

These days some of my toughest moments are when either family leaves our apartment or when we leave Idaho. I cry every time no matter where we're at. Sometimes I'm able to hold in the tears until our front door is closed or until we're in the car pulling out of the driveway of one of our parents' houses. Today Amber and Mom left at a little after 1:00, but my tears started at around 12:30. I always dread the day when people have to leave after such an awesome time together. These times together are always cherished and filled with such wonderful memories.

I know what you're thinking right now and you're right. We do only live 2 1/2 hours away from our families. It could be so much worse, as it is with so many of you and your families. This move has just been a lot harder on me than I thought it would be and it's easy to feel lonely. I feel incredibly blessed that our families live so close to us. For what Tyson is doing for his job, we got the best deal possible. I feel like the Lord was watching out for us in this way. I feel like He understands our need to be close to family and how important it was for Tyson to take this awesome job. It's a pretty great situation and I feel very blessed that we were able to take this opportunity.

Tyson and I are both really close with our families. My parents and siblings are my best friends, and the recent death of a friend of my family's has made Tyson and I appreciate our families even more. It also puts in perspective how true it is that no matter how hard I think my own life is, someone else's life is much harder. Life is precious and we never know when someone we love is going to leave it. I'm so grateful for our families and for that close relationship we have with them.

Tyson and I are speaking in our ward this Sunday. The topic we were given is "Increasing Our Faith". Funny that this is the topic. This is something I always hope will come up in sacrament meeting and someone will get up there and teach me. But it appears that I will be teaching myself. And there is no better or harder topic for me to talk about in front of all of those people. I need to learn how to increase my faith so badly. I just hope I can get my words across without crying the entire time. I have faith that I can. :)

It is moments like these, these moments where I have so many thoughts and emotions running through me, that I need to rely on the Lord. He has a plan for all of us and I'm grateful for that. I find peace and comfort in knowing that He is watching out for my little family and I and He knows our needs. We love our families so very much and I don't ever want to take them for granted.

In reality, I'm not really "all by myself." I am grateful for the power of prayer and the blessings it brings to my life. I know the Lord hears and answers each one of my prayers. Life is good. And as the saying goes, "If life gets too hard to stand, kneel."

We Have Been Married for 3 Years

2012-01-10T09:35:00.005-07:00

"We have been married for 3 years," says the ticker on the side of our blog. Three years, wow, how time flies!

I recently went to my cousin Chloe's wedding and the sealer was talking to them about the love you have for your spouse. He said something along the lines of, "You think you love her/him now? Give it another 10 years and you'll be amazed at how much more you love them. 20 years. 50 years. The love for your spouse will grow and grow." I looked around the room after he said that and could see a couple of things: couples looking at each other and smiling, and hands in the process of clasping together. It was wonderful. If Tyson had been able to make it to the sealing I know he would have grabbed my hand too.

I loved the message from the sealer. And it's so true. It's hard to believe that a person could love someone more than they already do on their wedding day. But it happens. And it's wonderful.

In the last year of marriage we have:

been blessed with the excitement of another baby on the way.
lived in two homes in two states.
experienced two different jobs with Tyson.
traveled to New York City for many fun adventures and a lot of fabulous food.
celebrated Brycen's first birthday!
celebrated a lot more of Brycen "firsts", including walking and first words.
had to give up a lot of things we love by moving to Utah, including family, friends, piano teaching, and our comfort zone.
gotten a new church calling. At least I have. I'm the primary pianist in our new ward.
been through many trials and hardships with more to come, only to make us stronger and closer as a family.

I love my little family so much and they are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Without Tyson I would be empty. I love you, Tyson! Happy anniversary!

How We Celebrated Christmas Eve

2012-01-09T10:47:00.013-07:00

We spent Christmas Eve with my family this year. We had a blast with everyone and laughed our heads off a lot of the night. When my family has a party we don't mess around. We make SO much food, you'd think we were feeding twice as many people. We also announced our big baby news to my family on Christmas Eve. We put Brycen in a t-shirt that said "Big Brother In Charge" on it. Amy saw it first and very quickly. They were all quite surprised!

See what I mean about the food?

I made the meatball recipe of Tyson's that everyone loves (recipe found here), as well as these mint Oreo truffles. These puppies were divine.

Grandma and Grandpa Murri came over for a little while, enjoyed some food and some games, and took a picture with these two cutey heads.

This year was our nephew Boston's first Christmas! This little man is 4 months old and very popular at all the parties...

We sure do love this little squish!

Brycen loves his uncles and aunts.

Amber & Che'

After eating and visiting, my mom gave each of the grandkids a present. Christmas pj's, of course! Amy helped Brycen open his.

Aaron and Britney gave Brycen this blow up zebra and he just loves it. It has water in the bottom of it to keep it from falling over, so it turns into a big punching bag for him. He tries to climb on it but the zebra always wins. One of these days Brycen will defeat it! For now, he really likes to push it and watch it come back up.

The babies opened up their pj's then went to bed. They both had quite the night.
On to game time! We decided not to do Bingo! like we've done in the past so Mom came up with some other fun games to play.

Like "Name that Christmas Song"

And this hilarious game where we had to draw a Christmas tree, fireplace, etc. on a paper plate on top of our heads. We got points for how close we got to drawing the different things in the correct places. Too funny!

We had a great time at our Christmas Eve party! What a blast!

A Family Update

2012-01-05T13:10:00.014-07:00

First off, thank you SO MUCH for all of the sweet congratulations we have received after announcing our baby news. We just love and appreciate all of you!

Before all of the holiday pictures and activities behind the pictures take over our blog, I wanted to do a family update. There has been a lot going on with our little family that I really want to document so this post will take care of that. Then onto the holiday fun!

Brycen

It's hard to believe that my little guy is going to be two years old in three months. He is 21 months old today and it's just all going so fast. I've loved every moment with this little boy over the last 21 months. It's hard to describe in words how much Tyson and I love him. He's our best little friend. It makes me excited to start all over again and experience all those fun stages with a new little baby. (Is it crazy that I'm already starting to make plans for his birthday?)

Brycen has been having a blast with all of his new Christmas toys. He has quite a few to choose from! He was a little on the spoiled side this year, which is totally easy to do with kids and so much fun to do. Between us and grandparents, Brycen made out with a haul. It was definitely a Brycen Christmas this year!

We brought out all of our Christmas books when we put up our Christmas decorations. Ever since then the book Brycen always wants to "read' is The Christmas Box Miracle by Richard Paul Evans. Not Goodnight Moon or Clifford the Big Red Dog or Daddy Hugs...just The Christmas Box Miracle. We end up just saying random things about Christmas as we flip through the pictureless pages.

Brycen started saying more words while we were in Idaho and also before we went. He is now starting to say:

kitty
cat
woof
He tries to say "book" but it always comes out as "ball".
He says "vroom vroom" while playing with cars.
He's still really in to saying "uh oh".

Brycen has his own little language. He says individual words that we can understand. But a lot of the time he says things like "blogadid" and "oideeoideeoidee" and "bogidy". Yes, this looks (and sounds) like jibberish. But it's the same jibberish every time. He knows what he's saying for sure! And it's hilarious listening to it.

Brycen loves the Toy Story movies. Especially the third one. One of the nights I was at my parents' while Tyson was in Utah Brycen couldn't sleep so we watched "Toy Story". I kept dozing, but every time I looked up to hopefully see him asleep he was 100% attentive to the movie. We were watching it on my bed on my mom's portable DVD player so Brycen had it on his lap a lot. I'd position him on his back so he could hopefully go to sleep, but every time I'd wake up from a short doze he'd be sat up and wide awake watching the show. He watched the entire thing before going back to bed. A couple of hours after going back to bed he woke up screaming again. Mom told me to get some sleep and she'd watch him. They watched "Toy Story 3" on her TV. He ended up falling asleep during that one and sleeping on my mom's bed the rest of the night. He slept in till 10:00 that morning. He loves those movies. I think we know what his birthday party theme will be this year!

He loves to give kisses. If you walk up to him or you're holding him and say, "Kisses" or "Kiss you" he'll go right in for an open-mouth smack-a-roo. Sometimes he'll pucker up really big and give you a kiss that way. And usually at that point he wants kisses from everyone else too. If you're holding him and you get close to his face he'll go in for a kiss. Or just out of nowhere you'll be holding him and he'll just randomly start going in for one. He's a lovable one, that one!

Brycen sure does love his daddy. When he wakes up in the middle of the night crying he would much rather have his dad snuggle him than his mom. Whenever Tyson picks him up Brycen gives him a big hug and lies his head on his shoulder. When he hurts himself he'd rather be consoled by Dad. Is this hard for Mommy? It sure is sometimes. But I'm glad that he loves his dad so much.

Brycen is getting better and better at eating. He started eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all by himself, picking up the sandwich on his own and biting into it. I take the crust off for him so he doesn't choke on it, and he makes a huge mess getting jam all over his hands. I also give him a few chips with his sandwich.

When Brycen is walking down the hall and we're behind him, all we have to say is "Get you" or "I'm going to get you" and he'll take off running. It turns into a little game where we follow him around the apartment. He loves it!

Brycen has six pairs of casual shoes and one pair of dress shoes. I guess a toddler really doesn't need that many pairs of shoes. But apparently I like to buy shoes for him as much as I like to buy them for myself! I just can't help it when I see a tiny pair of Toms or Air Walks and think my boy would just look stellar in them. I have to have them! Both sets of grandparents got him shoes for Christmas so that added to the bunch. My next boy is going to be set on shoes.

Brycen has really taken a liking to "Curious George". He laughs at the way George talks and he pays close attention whenever it's on. I admit that every now and then I use George as a babysitter so I can get something done. Like right here at this moment typing this post. :) Other favorite TV shows include:

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Little Einsteins
Jungle Junction
Timmy Time (It was pulled off the air last year so we've watched the DVD. Thanks, Mom!)

Tyson

Tyson is really enjoying his job working as a therapist at the McKay-Dee Hospital Behavioral Health Institute. He already has a constant full schedule that keeps him very busy. Some days are definitely better than others with this job. His uncle worked at the same place years ago so they really enjoy talking to each other about Tyson's job. His uncle really loved it there so Tyson has been extra hopeful. Moving away from Idaho and our friends and family there was one of the hardest things we'll probably ever do so it helps that his uncle loved it here so much. Tyson leaves the BHI and sometimes visits hospice patients afterward. He's been doing some of the work he did in Idaho Falls with the same company on the side, as it is based out of Utah.

Our TV shows picked back up this week so we have both been pretty happy campers. When you don't do a lot in the evenings except hang out as a family it helps to have a new episode of "Revenge" or "Modern Family" to look forward to. We normally start those after Brycen goes to bed. We also watch "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune", which makes for some good family time during/after dinner. Tyson got the first two seasons of "Parenthood" for Christmas so we've started watching those from the beginning. We love that show.

Alli

I will be 11 weeks pregnant tomorrow. Week 10 marked the baby being the size of a kumquat and he or she has started kicking those tiny little legs. Our little one has teeny tiny finger nails and the feet are just about out and where they should be. The baby is about 1 1/4 inches long. I'm getting excited to get to the point of feeling movement! That was by far my favorite part of pregnancy and a struggle to have disappear after Brycen was born. (But that's a whole other story!) I have a doctor appointment next week, and the February appointment will hopefully determine if we're having a little Phoebe or Phoebo! I'll be 16 weeks then so it may not be possible to tell. But I'm excited that my doctor likes to have an ultrasound done that week so we can at least try to see. So exciting! The last time I went to the doctor I learned a new detail that made me pretty happy. Deli meat is something pregnant women shouldn't eat, yes? Well actually I had heard that during my first pregnancy and when I asked my doctor he said that women all throughout history have been eating deli meat and have been fine. But my current doctor straight up told me it could be harmful. WELL...my doctor told me that if I go to Subway and have a ham and turkey sandwich, if I get it toasted it will be fine. The meat needs that 30 seconds to heat up a bit and then it is fine. Good to know!

Foods that I am LOVING right now (the bold represents my besties):

popsicles
enchiladas and other Mexican food (Costa Vida or Cafe Rio pork salad or burrito...indeed!)
slushies
Red Robin Gourmet Cheeseburger with American cheese and 86 the onion - but ONLY this burger. It was once any kind but now we're just down to this one. Every other kind makes me want to be sick.
fruit snacks
oranges
pb & j
Chex cereal
Cheerios
water
cheese and crackers (Ritz with Reed's Dairy cheese only)
chocolate - nothing has changed there!
vanilla wafers
juice

Foods that make me want to cry:

deli meat
ice cream - frozen yogurt (like Orange Leaf) is good but not ice cream
opening the fridge in general
pizza
Chinese
burgers that aren't from Red Robin
pasta
red sauce with meatballs
Subway (which really makes me sad)

Besides being pregnant, I'm keeping busy with being a mom and housewife, as well as an avid food blogger and photography school student. Sometimes I feel like I have a full-time job outside of being a mom. But it's all totally worth it! And I love that I can do it all in my pajamas. My recipe blog started earning revenue last summer and it's been really nice having that extra chunk of change in our checkbook. I've had a hard time blogging about new meals because I haven't made any new meals in a LONG time. Weeks six and seven were SO hard with this pregnancy and I thought I was dying. I was extra sensitive to smells and could hardly make dinner. Poor boys. After our Christmas vacation I've found myself rejuvenated and I've made three meals this week. Two of which are already on the blog, but tonight's meal is a brand new one. (Stay tuned tomorrow for the recipe!)

And that's the latest on our family! Thanks for reading!

Brycen's Being Promoted to "Big Brother"

2012-01-02T08:30:00.001-07:00

Yep, it's true!

Miller baby #2 is on its way and due to arrive in July! The due date for our little one is July 27th. We're so excited!

It was a long 5 weeks of not being able to tell anybody after finding out right before Thanksgiving. But the days finally came when we told our families on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was such a relief to get it out there! And so fun to share the fun with all of them. We've had a lot of fun talking about it with so many people!

And here's a crazy thing. I started showing at around 7 weeks and it's been so weird! With Brycen I didn't start really showing till around 12 weeks. I took this picture at 8 weeks.

This pregnancy has been completely different in so many ways. With Brycen I felt sick in the mornings but was fine by lunch time. With this one I've been nauseated all day and have had a hard time. During week 6 I felt like I was dying and so so sick. I called and asked for a prescription but they had me try Vitamin B-6, ginger snaps, and gingerale. That didn't work AT ALL so I called back. They gave me a prespription for Reglan and it has changed my life. I can take it up to four times a day, and so far I haven't needed to take it more than twice in one day. That stuff is wonderful!

So far so good with this pregnancy! We're so happy for our family to be getting bigger this summer!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T08:41:00.003-07:00

From our family to yours! We hope you have a wonderful Christmas weekend and enjoy the time you spend with family and friends. We know we will!

Brycen These Days

2011-12-21T13:57:00.005-07:00

Brycen has been doing really well with a spoon these days. As you can see from the pictures below, he's still pretty messy with it but he's getting better. He loves eating with his little spoon and fork.

Brycen has really started liking "Curious George" lately. He watched it yesterday morning while I got ready for the day, and he didn't move from where he was sitting. He likes George's voice and laughs when he talks. We've also watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" about four times in the last two days. He loves it and it makes me so happy that he does. "Toy Story 3" is still at the top of his list as well.

Brycen does the fist pound thing now. Uncle Bob taught him how to do that, with Adam starting him off with the "boom" thing (sometimes Brycen says "doom" instead). If you put your fist out he'll be giving you a pound back!

He can eat a large slice of pizza by himself. We'll cut it up in pieces and he'll polish off the entire thing.

Brycen is still really loving to color. He'll drag his large coloring book and pencil box full of crayons to us so we'll color with him. He'll hand us a crayon and watch us color, then he'll take the crayon away and start coloring in the same spot. I'll grab another crayon and start coloring, then he'll do the same thing. Silly boy!

Brycen has this cookie jar that he's really loved playing with. It has shaped holes in the side that you put the cookies through. It also makes sounds as the cookies go in. He'll bring that to us as well to play with him.

Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

2011-12-19T13:54:00.005-07:00

Tyson and I were lucky enough to not only attend the First Presidency Christmas Devotional at the Conference Center, but we also got to go to Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Friday night. Tyson's sister, Angie, and her husband, Steve, came with us and we had a fabulous time. Guest vocalist Nathan Gunn performed, and Jane Seymour was the guest narrator. The dancing was awesome and exciting, and the choir along with Nathan Gunn was phenomenal. Jane Seymour did a great job as well. The whole performance was very exciting and held attention. I'm so glad we had the opportunity to go! Thank you, Grandma Hill, for the tickets!! And thank you, Julie, for watching Brycen for us!

Final bow after the performance

Steve, Angie, Tyson and I after the concert

We hope you are all having a great week getting ready for Christmas this weekend!

**FYI - Lately PBS has been showing "Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir" featuring David Archuleta and Michael York. We recorded it on Tuesday night and I've watched it three times. It is so good! If you haven't seen it yet and would like to, there will be four more showings this weekend on PBS: Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday afternoon. It is an hour long and so awesome.

Our Weekend with Amber and Che'

2011-12-14T10:03:00.015-07:00

Amber and Che' came and stayed with us from December 8-11. We had so much fun with them! It's so hard being away from family when you're used to seeing them all the time. But we end up appreciating the time spent together even more so it's a pretty decent deal. We had a fun few days with Amber and Che'.

It wouldn't be a Utah weekend with one of my family members without a visit to Bajio! Brycen enjoyed eating his rice and beans all by himself, as you can see. He's doing pretty good with that spoon!

On Saturday we did some Christmas shopping and took Brycen to see Santa. He was really quiet while sitting on his lap but didn't cry at all. He did eventually say "ball" though. We decided to cave and purchase the cheesy mall Santa picture we got. Happy holidays from Brycen!

On Saturday night we went to City Hall in Ogden to walk through Christmas Village. The whole place was decorated with lights, and local businesses decorated miniature houses on the outside and inside. It was so much fun!

Tyson, Brycen & I

Che' & Amber

The houses all looked so good! There was a fun display inside each one.

We all loved the lights. Brycen was especially content and loved it!

These big lights remind me of Grandma Murri. She has always said that one of her favorite things about Christmas time is seeing the shrubs covered in the big lights with snow on top of them. She loves the way the lights shine through the snow. I think of her every time I see big lights like these.

I loved these carolers!

So pretty! I love Christmas light displays.

We couldn't leave without a picture by the toy soldier!

One of the displays

The ice skaters were fun!

And I loved this huge moose!

We had so much fun! If you're in the Ogden area in the next week and a half, stop over to City Hall to walk through Christmas Village!

The First Presidency Christmas Devotional

2011-12-11T18:56:00.009-07:00

Tyson and I were able to attend the First Presidency Christmas Devotional with friends Billy and Tonya. We had a great time with them! It was a great evening with a little story to go along with it...

Tyson and I got there at about 5:00 and we had to be in our seats by 5:30. We stood in line to get in and waited for Billy and Tonya. We had their tickets so we couldn't go inside without them. The line was going really fast so we stepped out a few times till they got there. I was amazed at how fast we were able to get in. The four of us got in line, went through security (I got beeped AGAIN. I always get beeped!), then made our way into the conference center. We were in section 6, which is one of the middle sections on the main floor. Exciting! We expected to be in one of the balconies. As we approached, a guest service member told us it was full so she directed us to section 7. We started walking over there when a man in guest services stopped us and asked us how many we had in our group. Tyson told him 4 and the man said, "Follow me. And put your tickets in your pockets." So down the walkway we went. Farther. And farther. And farther, until we got to a red velvet rope at the VERY front of the conference center. The gentlemen then says, "You will be sitting with the general authorities and their families so please respect their privacy." We sat down on the fourth row and excitedly watched as the general authorities (Elder Oaks and others) with their families came and sat all around us. It was so fun! We had better seats for the First Presidency Christmas Devotional than we ever get in sacrament meeting. And we always have a bench in sacrament meeting, if that gives you an idea. It was so wonderful! We had a great time with Billy and Tonya. It was nice to get out and do something with friends!

We had left Brycen with my Uncle Bob and Aunt Penney in Farmington. My grandparents were there visiting as well so it was especially fun for Brycen. That week we had a GIGANTIC wind storm across the Wasatch Front. Ogden winds topped at 93 mph, nowhere close to the over 105 mph winds Centerville and Farmington got. When we drove through Farmington to take Brycen we couldn't believe how many trees and fences were blown apart and all over the place. That Sunday the wards in the area were cancelled after the sacrament was passed so the members could go out and clean up in preparation for another storm that was expected to arrive the night of the concert. A couple of inches of snow was expected along with the winds. By the time we left Bob and Penney's house the winds and snow had begun. Yikes!

Brycen had a blast at Bob and Penney's. Not only did he have them to play with as well as my grandparents, but my cousins Kayleigh and Ashleigh were there too (Ashleigh for just part of the evening). But he loved it! By the time we got there he was in the basement with everybody playing on a banana chair and throwing a ball around. He was giving the ball to my grandma to throw up the stairs and it would come bouncing back down. When someone picked it up and gave it to him he'd give it right back to Grandma to throw it back up the stairs. He ate dinner with them and they watched the broadcast of the devotional together. The power went out for a bit while he was there and he was mad that the Christmas tree went dark. Silly boy. It's so nice having family close to watch him. They loved having him there and he really enjoyed it. Thanks again, Bob, Penney, Grandma, Grandpa, Kayleigh, and Ashleigh!! We really appreciated your help!

Did Anyone Order Me a Plain Cheese?

2011-12-03T16:26:00.005-07:00

I don't know about you guys, but this kid is on our priority list every Christmas.

image via flickr.com

I can speak for many of our family members when I say that Christmas without Kevin McCallister is like Thanksgiving with no pumpkin pie. Lucy without Ethel. Me without diet pepsi and chocolate.

The first two Home Alone movies (don't get me started on the others-what a waste) are a big part of our Christmas celebrating. We love having our list of Christmas movies that we look forward to watching every year. Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Christmas with the Kranks, The Grinch (both versions), A Christmas Story...the list goes on and on! We love it. We could have a movie night every night in December and it would never get old.

There are a handful of movies out there that are full of quotations that when said make me, along with other family members, laugh right out loud. The first two Home Alone movies are two of the best quotable movies I've seen! I love being at family parties and hearing someone randomly say, "I hope you didn't just pack crap, Jeff."

Today we were skimming through the guide on our TV and noticed Home Alone is on Encore today. In High Def. Where's the couch! Where's my diet pepsi! We are so there. We need to find both of the REAL Home Alone movies on blu-ray. That would be perfection.

I hope you are all enjoying this Christmas season and having a blast enjoying all of your fun family traditions with your families. I know we are!

And with that said...

"Guys! I'm eating junk and watching rubbish! You better come out and stop me!"

Our Fourth Annual Christmas Decor Post

2011-12-01T00:48:00.021-07:00

I can't believe it's already time for the annual Miller family Christmas decor post! This year looks pretty different than last year's post and those before it. It's hard to look at those past posts and our house. I find myself missing our house and Idaho when I do look at them. I loved how it looked at Christmas time. That's one of the things I miss the most about our house. BUT we are happy to be here in Ogden and setting up Christmas was a breeze this year! I think it took us about 3 hours total to get everything up and the tree decorated. We didn't even use half of our usual decor. It helps to be using the same stuff we used in Idaho. Sounds silly, but it's comforting. I'm grateful our tree made it through the move so we could use it again.

So without further delay...here's our apartment all ready for Christmas!

If you were to head over to building B in our apartment complex and look at the north side of the building you would see 6 doors and only one with a wreath on it. Easy way to find which place is ours! I hope you like hiking up to the third floor!

This is our little entry. We didn't hang up our mirror we used to have in the entry way of our house so we put the stockings on hooks behind the front door.

This is a close up of our table. I've never used these "Believe" blocks so it was fun putting up something new. I didn't bother looking at pictures from last year to see where stuff went so we just went with whatever!
(Couldn't leave out the jingle Santa on the closet door!)

This is our tree, glowing and lighting up the room. It makes me happy to see it, I just love our tree. It feels like home.

Brycen loves the tree, too. Probably a little too much sometimes.

I keep the Christmas books under the tree so he likes to sit by the tree and look at them. He especially likes this book called Little Elf.

He also likes to lie down and look up at the tree.

Tyson and I exchanged ornaments before we decorated the tree. We like to stick to something that happened in the year, so I got him a New York City TAXI ornament.

And naturally he got me an Empire State Building ornament. I love it! And I love these two ornaments to remind us of our wonderful trip to the Big Apple in May. Can't wait to go back!

We got Brycen this snowman with the bird on his nose for his ornament. We just thought he was really cute.

We decided to decorate the tree the same way we've done it in past years. Call me old fashioned, but I love the classic Christmas colors on a tree: gold, green, and red. Grandma Murri gave us the gold balls last year and we've loved them!

We also put Tyson's old ornaments he's gotten from his Grandma Clawson every year since he was born. This little sled says "Tyson 1981". It's fun to guess what year each one is from! You can tell which year the ornament styles were popular. I remember having a lot of the same kinds of ornaments on our tree growing up on Michelle St.

I love the pine cone garlands. They add a nice touch.

As I said before, Brycen likes the tree a little too much sometimes. We've had to repair a few ornaments already. Here's an illustration in photos of how it all goes down:

First, there's the general approach to the tree.
(Tyson at this point as I was taking the pictures: "Brycen...")

He knows he's not supposed to touch so he slowly reaches his fingers out to barely touch something on the tree. In this case it was a branch.
("Brycen, no no.")

Then he pulls away and giggles, knowing fully that he's not supposed to touch the tree but it's funny to do it anyway.

Then he throws his arm out and just grabs for whatever he gets his hand on. Then he pulls. If it's a ball he grabs he pulls it right of the tree and throws it on the floor (most of the time he throws it). Or he'll just pull a branch really hard, which is what he did this time.
("Brycen! No no!")
At this point he is physically pulled away from the tree and reprimanded a little more.

Then back his hand goes to the tree. But this time he looks at you with a face that says, "What are you going to do, huh? I know I'm not supposed to do this but I want to see what you'll do."
Tyson then says: "Brycen!!"

And that's a daily occurrence at our house! The little turkey. Our tree doesn't even look the way it did when we first decorated it because so many ornaments and balls have had to be moved to different spots. Silly boy!

We moved the chair to sit right next to the tree, with the table in between the chair and the couch. We put up our picture of us on our honeymoon like we've done the last couple of years. And we really wanted to put out the nativity we have from Tyson's parents that came from Germany but there was NO way we could put it somewhere without it being creamed by Brycen. So we went through our other nativities and chose the nativity Tyson's brother Dustin made us last year for Christmas. We love it and it's the perfect size.

And right behind the table on the wall sits our Santa advent calendar. Today marks the first day that it will be used this year! December 1st. This year has flown!

The ledge in our kitchen is really the only other place that we can put decor. I picked out my Santa train that I got from Thai Pan and love oh so much. I also put up that tall snowman (also from Thai Pan) and our Elf on the Shelf, Charlie, sits next to him.

Amber and Mom got us Charlie as a housewarming gift and we adopted him into our family on November 19th. We love Charlie! He's going to help Brycen be a good boy as much as Brycen will be willing to care. He'll be returning to the North Pole on Christmas Eve to tell Santa how Brycen has been. Hopefully he'll be good all month so Santa will come! :) Normally Charlie would go to a different spot every day, but Brycen loves him too much. We went a whole day with Charlie on the entry table and Brycen left him alone. It was when Charlie sat under the tree with the books and then on the entertainment center that we decided to keep him up high till Christmas Eve when he leaves. Brycen kept trying to play with him, which is a no no because his magic will go away. So he sits up higher and Brycen points him out every morning. We say, "Where's Charlie?" and he'll point to him. It will be a fun tradition for our family that I'm really excited about!

Charlie and the story book came in this nice box. We signed the back of the book and went online to officially adopt our little elf. If you want more info about adopting an elf of your own you can go here to check it out!

Our little trees that once sat on our front step in Idaho are now sitting on our balcony. We love to look for them when we're across the street at the Harrisville Walmart.

And our snowman nightlight has been so fun to have around! Brycen loves it! (And so do I, I must admit!) Those sparkles inside move around. It's a really fun nightlight. (Purchased at Kohl's, PS.)

And that's it! I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season. We love and appreciate all of you!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-28T13:15:00.021-07:00

We were able to go to Idaho for Thanksgiving and see both of our families. I didn't take NEARLY enough pictures. I'm getting really bad these days. But we had a blast while we were there! It's always hard when we have to leave.

WEDNESDAY:
We left Wednesday as soon as Tyson got home from work. Our first stop was to Great Clips so Amy could cut everybody's hair.

Brycen does really well when he's getting his hair cut! He never cries. Amy gives him a brightly-colored comb and he's happy and smiling.

We got to Tyson's parents' house around 7:30 and we were greeted by them, as well as Dustin and Erika and Angie and Steve, as well as all of their kids. It was a great surprise!

We ate tacos and played Loaded Questions. The kiddos had a great time playing with each other. Brycen was especially happy to be there with his cousins!

Lillie and Kate were putting on their "makeup". They're such cute little girls.

THURSDAY:
We went to Rexburg to Tyson's uncle and aunt's house for Thanksgiving dinner. His aunt DeeAnn makes the BEST rolls ever. She always makes them for Thanksgiving, as well as extras for everyone to take home. Brycen didn't want to eat anything but one of DeeAnn's rolls for dinner. Tyson, Brycen, Tyson's parents, and I were the only ones present from the Milan Miller family. We missed everybody who couldn't be there. But we had a great time with everyone who could be there!

DeeAnn's table scape was so pretty. She does an awesome job decorating for dinner parties. Brycen even got his own table setting (pictured above left). We eventually traded for a plastic plate and a sippy cup, for obvious reasons. :)

Tyson and I made the place cards. We made 23 of these little Reese's Pieces-filled corn husks. After making about 15 of them we finally had control of what we were doing and got the hang of it.

After dinner we took Brycen home to take a nap. When he woke up we went to my parents' house to visit them. They had Amy, Adam, and my grandparents over for Thanksgiving dinner. Grandma and Grandpa had already left by the time we got there so we didn't get to see them. Brycen was really happy to see everybody else though. Especially Uncle Adam!

And it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a little YouTube. We spent a portion of the afternoon watching bad American Idol auditions and laughing our heads off.

Brycen watched Timmy Time instead.

FRIDAY:

Erika, Angie, Julie, and I left Thursday night just before 10:00 to get going on the Black Friday shopping. We went to Walmart hoping to score a PS3 for Angie. We were very doubtful that she'd get one, considering the deal started at 10:00 and we walked in the door at about 9:45. Dustin and Tyson (home with the kids, bless their hearts) were online seeing if they could get a PS3 on Walmart's website for that price, seeing as how Angie would most likely not be getting on in the store. When we walked up to the gentleman in charge of the PS3's he told her she had the very last one and gave her the voucher. It was amazing! We couldn't believe it.

{PS I'm about to go into detail about our Black Friday shopping experience because I never ever want to forget it! I won't be offended if you skip this part!}

Just like that we had one of the big ticket items we were out to get checked off the list. Amazing! And totally lucky. While Angie stood in line in the cereal aisle, Erika, Julie, and I decided to split off. Julie had some groceries to buy so I went with Erika to find the Bissel vacuum on sale as well as 600 thread count sheets. We found the vacuums with no problem. I stayed in line while Erika went to find the sheets. She came back pretty quickly. By the time she had gotten to the sheets and asked if they were the ones on for the great price a woman said, "Yes, these are the ones but they're all called for." There were women standing around the crate of sheets like they were blocking someone with the ball during a basketball game. Erika quickly gave up on those and went back to the vacuums.

I was pretty much just coming along to help the others grab what they needed, unless I found something along the way. Otherwise I was there to run. So Erika stayed in the vacuum line and I went to find the Play Doh packs that Erika wanted. We would meet at the front of the store by the cash registers as soon as I found them. I ran in to my high school gal pal Kaylie's mom by the vacuums and she said Kaylie was there somewhere. So I called her and went to meet her in the automotive section where she was in line for something for her little girl. I was making my way over there when the whistle blew and the sheets came off the 10:00 sale crates. And then all heck broke loose. There were people everywhere: yelling, throwing things, pushing, crying, yelling some more...And I just needed Play Doh!! I was laughing so hard at how chaotic the whole place was. And they hadn't even unveiled the midnight TV and blu-ray sales yet. These people were just after Ants in the Pants games and Rubbermaid containers. I grabbed three Play Doh packages just in case and went up to find Erika at the cash register.

On my way to find Erika a woman asked me where I found the Play Doh. I told her but also let her know that it was most likely gone. She looked really sad so I gave her one of mine. I only needed two anyway so I was glad I could help her out. I passed a lot of people I know during all the chaos. And things got even more chaotic when I reached the front of the store; particularly the produce section. There was a mass of people and arms in the air, holding movies up high and pushing through the crowds. The big-sale movies and Wii/Play Station/XBox games were all in the produce section and people were going NUTS over it. At $1.99 a piece it was apparently the biggest moment of all of their lives. Especially for the jerk who punched a pregnant lady right in the face to get the movie she was holding. The poor thing (probably 7 or 8 months pregnant) had a bloody nose and a cut lip, all because that idiot wanted her movie. It was horrible!

I found Erika in line already, having found everything but the Vtech lap top for her little girl. I gave her the Play Doh and told her I needed to go find my friend. I would meet Erika at the front of the store past the checkout where she would be waiting for me. I headed back down from the way I came and was almost to the electronics department when I saw Erika come flying around the corner. It was so loud in there so I had to yell, "Erika, what are you doing!" She yelled back, "Bissel Shark!!!" I turned around to see a pile of Shark steam mops disappearing before my eyes. I saw Erika quickly do a drive by pick up for one of the mops and run off to the front of the store. I impulsively grabbed two of the steam mops and put one under each of my arms. At that point I realized I probably wouldn't be able to find Kaylie. I was an extra wide load carrying those two boxes in my arms and I wasn't getting far. I also spotted Rose Art coloring kits for super cheap so I grabbed one of those. A miracle occurred when I turned a corner and saw Julie standing there with a cart full of groceries and Angie's findings. I put my two steam mops in the cart and stayed there to stand guard while Julie went to go do some more finding.

It wasn't too long before a woman came up to me and asked where I got the Sharks. I told her, but when I grabbed mine there were only 5 left. So I gave her one of mine and kept the other one. She was so thrilled and it made me happy. (I told my dad about the two incidences of giving stuff away and he had the idea of going Black Friday shopping just to give everything back out in the store and make people's day.) Julie and Angie came back and found me, and in great time too. There were a lot of people walking by and eying my Shark and the PS3. I was scared! We pushed the cart and eventually found the line to the checkout. It was clear back in the middle of the store. We thought for sure we'd be there all night. Then out of nowhere Julie comes back and waves us to move. We ended up going clear up to almost the front of a checkout line. I'm still not sure how that happened but wow, we were happy about it! It was here that I watched a girl in the checkout line next to me put something down. It was big and pink, and I immediately recognized it as the Vtech lap top Erika was looking for. So I asked her if she wanted it. She said no and I took it. Score! Perfect timing.

We eventually paid for our stuff and found Erika. We were laughing the whole way out of the store, carrying our bazillion bags and boxes of loot. We got in the illegally parked car and discussed our next location. It was only 11:00 so we were just getting started! We decided to give Kohls a try. We dropped Erika off to stand in line while the three of us went to Maverick and refueled. We got back and sat in the car for a few minutes until about 11:55 to go walk up and get in line. The store would open at midnight so we were just going to join up with Erika. We started approaching the crowd when people started yelling at us. "You better not cut!!" "Get in the back!" "We've been here for hours!" It was an angry mob at its finest. Obviously we weren't going to just cram our way in at midnight with the people at the front of the line. On our way back to find Erika we saw other people coming from the parking lot getting ready to just join in with the front. There were people coming from out of the line yelling at those approaching the building, using a lot of questionable words that aren't very Thanksgivingy. We found Erika and didn't wait very long before the line started moving. She had made a couple of friends in the line who were really nice and kept her company. We all crammed our way in the door and split ways. I found exactly what I was looking for and fast. I then found what I thought was the line to the checkout but later found out it wasn't. Of course the people all around me were yelling and swearing at the associate because obviously it was her fault that hundreds of people decided to go shopping there and made us all get in that line. I felt so bad for the employees there. It was like every angry person in the greater Idaho Falls area decided to come to Kohls that night and just rip into everyone who even looked at them wrong.

I sat in the middle of the chaos pretty sure I would be spending the night there (the line wrapped all the way around the store and the bad line we were in was clear back in the dishware). I considered getting in the jewelry line but I would have to buy jewelry to do that. Not that I oppose jewelry in any way. Pretty soon my phone rang and it was Erika. Her call made me feel like we were in a Mission Impossible movie. She said, "I'm at the front of the line with the two friends I met outside. Get up here as fast as you can. I'm by the chocolate. You have one to two minutes." And that was it. I ran up to the front of the store and found her behind the Godiva chocolate stand and we laughed and laughed about her dramatic phone call. Eventually Angie and Julie joined us and we all checked out in record time. The girls Erika met outside and who saved us a spot in the checkout line saved over $900. It was amazing! We ran in to DeeAnn, Meg, and Annie checking out (Tyson's aunt and her daughters) and DeeAnn's husband was still outside of Target waiting to get in. They were only letting 25 people in at a time there. So we all crammed into Julie's car with all of our loot and drove them to Target to meet up with him. We laughed and laughed about our crazy experiences and all the "pleasant" people around us.

After dropping off the girls at Target, the four of us went back to the house to get some sleep. We woke up at 4:15 to head into Fred Meyer where Julie was hoping to score a TV and blu-ray player at some really great deals. We got there at a little after 5 am when the store opened and Erika and I ran right for the electronics department. She went for the TV and I went for the blu-ray player. We were both successful and worked our way back out to find Julie and Angie with a cart. We also passed about 5 PS3's for the same awesome price that Walmart had them, as well as the $99 Wii systems. We both asked (or yelled, rather), "Should we grab one!" in all the confusion and knowing how high in demand those things were. We passed on the game systems and made our way back to the "Buy One Get One Free" board games. We got the games we needed then headed back to the socks. You can't go to Freddy's on Black Friday and not get socks for half off! We met up with Angie and Julie and went back to the toy section to find Christmas presents for the grand kids. It was nice being able to get so much Christmas shopping done!

After Fred Meyer we went to the mall for $10 Stafford shirts at JCPenney as well as a few other excellent finds for those in our group. I bought a black skirt on a whim as well. I ran in to a few high school buddies while there (Robyn and Jarae, it was SO good to see you both!! I miss you!). We were exhausted and got home by 8:15.

I took a 3-hour nap that afternoon. I was so exhausted! We had so much fun shopping though. I can't wait to do it again next year!

That night I had a movie night with my mom and sisters. We watched Christmas with the Kranks and we just laughed and laughed as usual. Tyson stayed at his parents' house with Brycen. Brycen got to take a bath in Grandma's bathtub and he loved it! She's got a really fun tub.

SATURDAY:
The next morning Brycen and I went shopping with my mom and Amber. We went to Real Deals and Shopko then we stopped at Wendy's to grab some lunch. After Wendy's we went and saw our bf Ashlee's new baby, Maddox. He is so cute and I just love him!

Brycen was worn out from shopping so he relaxed in front of the TV with Timmy Time. Please ignore the mess ha ha.

That night Tyson's parents ordered pizza for everyone for dinner and we had another game night. These two little girls didn't want pizza so they had cereal. They're too funny!

After dinner we made friendship bracelets. Easton learned to make them in scouts so he taught us all how to make them. We now call them Buddy Bands. ("Hey. They work.")

Lillie and Brycen decided to go in the play room and draw after they were done with their bracelets.

SUNDAY:

We left Tyson's parents' house on Sunday morning to go see my parents one last time. It's always really hard having to say goodbye to our families and we really appreciate their hospitality and letting us stay with them.
The night of the pizza party Brycen was really fussy and didn't eat much. He really hadn't eaten much the entire time we were in Idaho. He slept HORRIBLY on Saturday night. We visited with my parents and siblings for a few hours before we decided we should head back home to Utah. Brycen had just gotten cozy on my mom's lap at this time and fell asleep on her.

We needed to change his diaper before we left so we decided to take a chance. It didn't even phase him and he snoozed the whole time. The poor kid was exhausted!

Brycen stayed asleep all the way back to Tyson's parents' house to get the bottles and then to Pocatello. The rest of the way home he watched Timmy Time and was such a good boy. He was a little fussy when we got home and was tugging at his ear a lot. He went to bed at about 7:15 and woke up this morning with a fever. We gave him some Tylenol and he watched cartoons in my bed with me till about 7:45 when he fell back asleep. He didn't wake up till 11:30. He still has a bit of a fever but hopefully we can get it under control soon.

All in all we had a really great Thanksgiving weekend! I am so thankful for family, friends, and all the wonderful experiences I have with all of them. We already can't wait to come back to Idaho for Christmas. Until then we have the First Presidency Christmas Devotional and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert to look forward to! Can't wait!

Sometimes It's Nice to Be Reminded

2011-11-22T11:00:00.005-07:00

"One of the greatest challenges is to overcome the feeling that we are unimportant, that we are not special and unique. Do you think for a moment that Heavenly Father would have sent one of His children to this earth by accident, without the possibility of a significant work to perform?...

"My dear friends, you are a royal generation. You were preserved to come to the earth in this time for a special purpose. Not just a few of you, but all of you. There are things for each of you to do that no one else can do as well as you. If you do not prepare to do them, they will not be done. Your mission is unique and distinctive for you. Please don't make another have to take your place. He or she can't do it as well as you can. If you will let Him, I testify that our Father in Heaven will walk with you through the journey of life and inspire you to know your special purpose here."

"Your Life Has a Purpose," New Era, May 1979, pp.4-5
- Bishop H. Burke Peterson

Brycen at 19 Months Old

2011-11-20T15:05:00.012-07:00

Brycen is 19 months old these days. He is a really funny boy and very happy. I'm not exaggerating when I say that any time we go to a store someone comments on how happy he is. He's very friendly with strangers (which MUST be addressed when he's older!!!) and he loves to talk talk talk. He just blabs. Every now and then we understand a word, such as ball, mama, or dada.

More things about Brycen these days:

He loves to color. We'd had a rough day at church since Brycen could start walking and he has really struggled during sacrament meeting. A couple of weeks ago I decided to bring a notepad and crayons with us. And he LOVED it! He lasted over 30 minutes before having a meltdown. Record! He only went out twice that meeting. Ever since then he has colored almost every day. I have a "Davey and Goliath" coloring book for him to use at church and a Disney one to use at home. Most of the time he sits on the living room floor to color, but every now and then he sits in his highchair for it.

And speaking of church, Brycen went to nursery for the first time two weeks ago. He did awesome! I filled in at the piano in primary that day so Tyson stayed with him. He ended up leaving though because Brycen was doing just fine. He played with the toys (he loved the kitchen), had a snack and dumped his cup of water all over him, and colored. He was confused when it was time to put the crayons away and move onto the next activity. Last week he left early because he seemed to be getting a fever and was really fussy. But he seems to really enjoy nursery. So far so good!

Brycen loves to stack things and take this off of that. In the case of the picture above, he was taking the little plastic lids off of bottles of liquid protein in the hall closet. He was thoroughly entertained for about 10 minutes.

After the cups were all taken off and put back on he'd clap. ("Yay!")

And a few more things about Brycen:

When Brycen hears upbeat music he starts to dance. This dancing includes bending his knees and swinging his left arm like he's at a hoedown. He can really get that arm going! He also swings it when he's running. He's too funny.
Normally we put our Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving when Christmastime officially starts. This year we will be in Idaho for Thanksgiving so we can't put it up after Thanksgiving. We wouldn't be able to put it up till the first Saturday in December (which is also a busy day) so we caved and put it up yesterday. It took Tyson and I three hours to do it and Brycen slept the whole time. Brycen woke up as we were getting the boxes put back out in the storage closet. He was in awe when he walked out and saw the lit tree and the lit garland on the TV stand, saying "ooh" as he saw it. Brycen loves the tree and likes to touch the ornaments. We're always telling him "no" and saying "Brycen...Brycen...don't touch. Brycen...no!" The whole time we're saying these things he's staring at us with a big grin on his face and his hand reaching out to touch. And we're not exactly using a nice tone either. Then he'll do one of three things: 1)Hit the tree a few times before we stop him, 2) grab one of the ornaments off and shake it, or 3) pull on one of the branches. And all three are done with a big smile. At this point he is taken to his crib for a one-minute timeout. He cries the whole time and screams. Then we take him out and he's back in his crib a little later for another one. He went in his room for a timeout six times yesterday. Today he's gone twice. The little turkey!
Brycen is wearing size 5 diapers now. He's our growing boy!
Brycen loves to stand on the scale. I hope this isn't a bad sign for his future! :) The last time I was able to see a number while he stood on the scale he weighed 27 lb. 6 oz.
Brycen is saying a lot more words these days. He now says momma, dadda or daddy (last night Tyson came in the room and Brycen said "Hi, Daddy."), water, ball, balloon ("boon"), ow, grandma, and grandpa.
He likes to pick up my phone and "talk" on it. He'll hold it against his ear and say "Hewo?" It sounds more like "Awo?" but we get what he's trying to do. He loves to talk to people on speaker phone when Tyson and I are talking to someone. He'll get really chatty and start pointing at stuff. He things our travel electronic Yahtzee is a phone too and he holds it to his ear and talks.

We are really looking forward to Thanksgiving this week! We can't wait to spend time with our families!

When Mom Came to Town

2011-11-07T11:22:00.007-07:00

My grandparents were coming down to Brigham City last Wednesday and my grandma had the brilliant idea of bringing my mom to stay with us. They came Wednesday afternoon and my mom stayed with us till Sunday morning. And we had a blast!!

When they arrived my grandpa had a box of tools with him. When he walked in the door he said, "Ok, what can I fix for you?" Our bathroom door is super annoying and doesn't stay open. We've had to put door stops on the floor to keep it from closing. So he went back there and fixed it for us. We've also had a problem with our front door not closing well. So he fixed that too. My grandpa is a Mr. Fix-It BIG time. He can fix anything. He's amazing! They stayed and visited for a little while then left to Brigham City to see some friends. I love all of my grandparents so much! It was so good to see them. I probably would have cried when they left if my mom wasn't staying with us. That night we had roast, veggies, and rolls for dinner then lounged around in our pj's and watched Wednesday night TV, including "Modern Family" and "Revenge". With diet pepsis and M&M's in hand we were set!

Thursday, November 3

That morning we woke up and had breakfast, got ready for the day, and headed out the door to do some shopping. First we went to Sam's Club and my mom did a little Christmas shopping for my brother, who is leaving on his mission in March to Brisbane, Australia. (Exciting!!) I found Brycen a pair of Levi's while we were there. Brycen loved the aisles with all the Christmas trees and toys. He was holding a little Christmas book through the store so my mom ended up buying it for him when he wouldn't let it go. After Sam's Club we went to lunch at none other than Warren's. We love their burgers and shakes! So does Brycen. He especially loves their fries dipped in fry sauce. After Warren's we went to the Carter's store. Brycen LOVES the Carter's store. For one, they have a Lego table and little chairs for the kids to sit and play. They also have little things to play with against the cash register desk. He is in heaven every time we go. And this day was no different. He also loves to just run around the place. And these days he's fast. I let my mom shop while I followed Brycen around. He had tripped six times as I was following him. Multiple times I picked him up and tried to hold him and shop with Mom. But he tantrumed and kicked so I let him down to follow him some more. I stopped for a minute to talk to my mom when I heard Brycen make his seventh fall. But this time I knew it was bad because he started to cry. Hard. He was lying flat on the floor by the Lego table, and when I looked down I saw spots of blood on the carpet. His mouth was full of blood and he was screaming uncontrollably. We opened his mouth to find a gash against his bottom lip. He had bit right into it with his bottom teeth. At first we thought the teeth went through because he was bleeding so much. One of his bottom teeth also felt loose. One of the employees gave us a paper towel and we cleaned him up as best we could. Mom took him outside while I hurried and made a small purchase. His poor little lip was starting to get big in the spot where he bit it. When they walked outside and the place went quiet again I realized everyone in there was looking at me. They all felt really bad about what happened. One lady was really nice and gave Brycen a Tootsie Roll. I bought some Christmas jammies for Brycen and set my mom's stuff on the counter for them to put aside for her to come buy later. The drive home was a sad one. Brycen cried the whole way. The bleeding had stopped so by this time he was in pain and tired all at the same time. By the time we pulled up and went to get him out of his car seat he had fallen asleep and his lip looked like this:

Poor thing! I had to get a picture while Brycen was still. I sent it to my dad and my siblings so they could see it too. We gave him some Ibuprofen and put him down for a nap. He slept ok but kept waking up sad. After about 3 hours he got up and was pretty happy, fat lip and all. We decided not to take him to get stitches and hoped that we made the right decision. Poor little guy!

That night was another laid back night. Tyson got home from work and we made beef sandwiches with the leftover roast. Then Mom and I ran back over to Carter's to buy the clothes she had set aside earlier and also to head back to Sam's Club to take the Christmas book back that she bought for Brycen. It was a pretty dumb book. In fact, when my mom took it back and the guy asked her if there was anything wrong with it she said, "Yeah, it's stupid." I thought that was pretty hilarious. We also stopped in at Seagull Book and bought a few things there. When we got home we put Brycen down for bed then watched some TV. Brycen slept really well that night, we were so glad.

Friday, November 4

We went shopping at the mall on Friday. Mom got a few more Christmas gifts and we did a lot of oohing and ahing at all of the things we loved in all of the stores we went to. I bought Brycen two new pairs of shoes, including a size bigger than what he wears now. We had lunch at Chik-fil-A and it was yummy as always. Brycen shared with us and made a mess with the fry dipping. He's such a funny kid. We put Brycen down for his nap and watched the Thursday night TV we'd missed the night before. Tyson got home and we skyped with Amber for about an hour. It was so fun! And really weird for Am to have Mom on this side of the screen instead of on her side. After skyping we decided to go to dinner at Applebee's. We were put on a 25 minute wait, and before we knew it there were people being seated before us who came in after us. Eventually they called our names just to tell us they were waiting for a table that they could put a highchair at. Brycen was getting really restless. By the time we were seated he didn't want anything to do with it. After over 30 minutes of waiting at Applebee's we ended up going to Bajio down the street. Brycen did better there but still threw a fit during dinner. It was kind of a joke. We took him home and got him ready for bed, including a bath. The three of us stayed up and watched TV and visited. The newest episode of Grimm was on and it was awesome. It snowed that night for the first time in the valley this season. It was so pretty.

Saturday

We got ready Saturday morning and left to do some more shopping. We went to JC Penney and took advantage of some coupons we all had. Mom ended up with a new outfit, Tyson a new work shirt, and Brycen some more socks. After JC Penney we went to Applebee's for lunch (tried it again) where Mom treated us. It was yummy and I'm really glad we tried it again. Then we went over to Target to pick up eggs and graham cracker fish for Brycen. We ended up with the eggs, graham cracker Teddy Grahams, and a whole bunch of clearanced Halloween candy. I couldn't believe the variety they had! It was great. We stopped at Sam's as well for Tyson to pick something up. We went home to put Brycen down for a nap and get back into pj's. Tyson, Mom, and I played Wheel of Fortune on the Wii where Mom won $1,024,950 in cash and prizes. She picked up the million dollar wedge throughout the game so we made sure she got to the final round to see if she'd win the million. And she sure did! It was a lot of fun. We made breakfast for dinner that night. We had the cinnamon and sugar pull apart rolls that Mom used to make in the bundt pan when we were growing up, as well as scrambled eggs and sausage. Then we watched Home Alone 2 and laughed and laughed. That movie is awesome!!

Sunday

Grandma and Grandpa came to get Mom at 9:30 Sunday morning. We visited for about 20 minutes before they left. I hated seeing them go. I was trying my hardest to hold back the tears as they were packing up all of my mom's stuff and getting ready to leave. We said our goodbyes, and I didn't feel like I was as genuine as I usually am. I didn't want to cry. As soon as the door shut behind them the tears came. And came. And came. I went to Brycen's bedroom window and watched them pull away. All three of them waved to me as they drove away.

I love my family so much and I'm so grateful for all of them. We had so much fun with my mom while she was here! Lots of fun shopping, eating, laughing...it was a fabulous weekend. I already can't wait for this coming Friday when my parents and Amber come for my cousin Rachael's wedding in Logan. Then after that...Thanksgiving with Tyson's family! Great times lie ahead.

We love you, Mom! Thanks so much for coming and staying with us! And thank you, Grandma, for having the brilliant idea to bring my mom with you this weekend!!

Brycen's First Trunk-or-Treat

2011-10-31T01:24:00.006-06:00

Happy Halloween!
I love this holiday! We took Brycen to his first trunk-or-treat on Friday night with our ward.

Brycen went as Winnie the Pooh.

We started the evening with soup and bread sticks in the gym.
Then we put Brycen in his costume for the trunk-or-treat. He was only embarrassed for a minute before getting distracted by all of the kids running around.

Getting shoes put on to get ready to go outside

He had to get his picture taken at the photo booth before going outside for the trunk-or-treat. He wasn't too thrilled about this part, can you tell?
{Thank you, Parrish's, for the awesome photo booth!}

Getting a picture with Dad before the trunk-or-treat started

And he's off! He went to five cars with me before he decided he wanted to just run around with his bucket.
Gotta love that side profile!

I was grateful to find this in Brycen's bucket when we got home. Naturally we bought all of our favorite candy to give out and we ran out by the time it was over. The commercial is so true: "The scariest part about Halloween? Giving away all your Reese's." I was so happy to find a Hershey bar as well as other chocolate treasures in Brycen's loot!

. . . .

I hope you've all had a fabulous October and enjoy your Halloween! Be safe!

Lost and Found: One of the Best Days Ever

2011-10-28T12:51:00.010-06:00

Allow me to introduce you to a few people:

These are "Our Kentucky Boys"

Joe, Josh and Nathan
Or as we once called them, Kentucky 1, 2, and 3.

And the other person behind the "Our", my Texas gal pal:

Amanda and I
(Excuse the fact that I look hideous in this picture.)

Now I need to tell you an oh so wonderful story:
(This is mostly for me to always remember so I won't be offended if you don't read this!)

It was September 2006 and I was on my way to Lexington, Kentucky to assist in a Johnny Carino's opening there. I would help train the servers there. The Johnny Carino's was located in the parking lot of Fayette Mall, surrounded by the beautiful grass and trees that cover Kentucky. I love it there and miss it often. At the time I was SO nervous to go. Being away from my family for 2 weeks seemed impossible. And I only knew one other person going on this opening. My friend Cory from the Johnny Carino's where I worked was going as a chef trainer. I was happy that he'd be there.

I'd never flown alone so I was really nervous for that. The people who booked my flight assumed that Idaho Falls was close to Boise so they scheduled my flight through that airport. And naturally they scheduled the flight for 6 am. I made the drive to Boise the night before and stayed in a Best Western suite, right next to the airport. The room was nice and big but lonely. I loved sleeping in a king size bed by myself and right in the middle. I'd always wanted to do that. However, I didn't get much sleep because I was worried I'd miss my flight.

The next morning I woke up at 4:00 to get ready and head over to the airport. I parked my Toyota Camry in the long term parking and nervously headed to my gate. My good friend SanDee gave me the advice to just follow the signs if I felt like I was getting lost in an airport. I wasn't worried so much about the Boise airport or even the Lexington airport. It was my next TWO stops before Lexington I was worried about: the Denver airport and Chicago O'Hare Airport, the latter being one of the biggest airports in the world. Gahh!! The flight to Chicago was a long one. I sat between two guys and the one by the window kept trying to talk to me. I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. I ended up going through all of the airports with ease. In Chicago there was a lot of walking, but I found myself loving the fact that I was walking down the same halls the McAllister family walked through in the "Home Alone" movies. My layovers were all at least 2 hours in each airport. It was a long day.

I arrived in Lexington late afternoon and hitched a ride to the Candlewood Suites Hotel we'd be staying at. The other trainers were all at the restaurant so I stayed at the hotel by myself and read a book. We shared a room with one other trainer and the rooms were HUGE. They all had a separate kitchen and living room, then the bedroom was off away from those with a large bathroom. It was fabulous.

*Speaking of our room, I have to tell this quick story: A couple of days later my roommate and I (I hate that I can't remember her name) had to switch rooms because we had a TON of crickets in it. We'd turn the lights off to go to bed and hear them chirping. It wasn't until we were lying there in bed and we could hear them ON our bed. Oh. My. Gosh. We were on the main level and they had been a problem throughout the summer. Lovely. The front desk felt bad so they moved us to the very top floor into one of the suites. It was like the one we had before but bigger. It had another bedroom with two more beds and a bathroom on the other side with an ever bigger kitchen and living room. Needless to say, the other trainers always wanted to hang out in our room.

Back to the main story! The training leader, Brilynn from the Meridian, Idaho Johnny Carino's, came back to the hotel to get me to bring me over to the restaurant. I had butterflies in my stomach thinking about all of my responsibilities and hopeful that I would make friends with these people. It was exciting at the same time. We pulled up to the restaurant and walked in the front doors and I was greeted by the hostess trainer and five other girls who were training.

"Hey, y'all! Welcome to Johnny Carino's!"

And that was only the beginning of "y'all". The employees were SO nice, it was heaven. All so friendly with that southern drawl and charm. It was wonderful. Brilynn introduced me to Christina, the hostess trainer from New Jersey, and we continued on so she could introduce me to a few others, including the three I'd be training for the evening. There huddled by table 63 were four people that I had no idea would forever change my life:

Joe, Amanda, Josh, and Nathan all turned around and with the warmest smiles greeted me and introduced themselves. Amanda was a server trainer from Dallas, Texas. Joe, Josh, and Nathan were all trainees from Lexington (originally from Pikeville) and they were my first group of trainees. They were all three good friends, and Josh and Nathan had been a couple for almost two years. These are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet in a lifetime. Amanda was hanging out with these guys quizzing them on food knowledge while they waited for me to get there. These four made that opening such a fun and memorable time. Amanda and I got to be good friends, and we ended up becoming close with these boys, Kentucky 1, 2, and 3. :) It was SO FUN training these guys! They were a hoot. I could listen to them talk all night long. As a trainer we had to make sure they were doing everything spot on and saying all the right things at their tables. These three were naturals and did a great job all the time. I found myself laughing a lot at some of the things they'd say and how they'd say them. Here are some of my favorites (picture a thick southern accent):

"I just love you, girl."
"Oh my heck, you're the cutest."
"Have you ever tried sweet tea? Oh girl, you've got to try sweet tea!"

Amanda and I loved training and being at the restaurant with "our boys". We weren't always their trainers, but the high fives and hugs we got from them as we walked by were wonderful. We weren't allowed to leave and go off by ourselves (especially with the rental vans) so the boys would come pick us up in Nathan's Volkswagen Beetle. We'd go to Josh and Nathan's house and look through photo albums, talk, and just laugh our heads off. We loved the time we spent with them. Saying goodbye was ridiculously hard. The three boys gave me a present before I left that I've cherished since they gave it to me: a stuffed Heart Shine Bear Care Bear and a book about Lexington. They wrote me the sweetest note inside the cover that I've read over and over. Brycen has loved that Care Bear. I hated saying goodbye to those boys.

I was the first to leave Kentucky between Amanda and I. She stayed almost a week longer than I did. My flight home was early like before. Amanda took me to the Lexington airport early in the morning and we said our goodbyes at the sidewalk. It was so hard to leave Kentucky. The people I'd met there were so wonderful, especially my four buddies. When I got home I called Nathan to let him know I'd made it safely, as he had asked. I put him on speaker phone so my family could hear him talk to me. They laughed as he asked about the trip and if I was safe, if I stopped to take breaks while driving, etc. It was so fun and I missed them already.

I stayed in touch with my four pals, so much so that we all decided to spend the weekend before Thanksgiving together. I would fly to Dallas and Amanda and I would drive to Lexington and stay with Josh and Nathan. I was SO excited, I could hardly stand it. I booked my flight out of Boise (it seemed appropriate) and Amber and SanDee drove me there. The night before we stayed with our friends Rachel, Pristine, and Marita at their apartment. It was so fun! Amber and SanDee dropped me off at the airport and drove away. With excitement I walked inside and arrived at the counter to check in. When I told the girl my name I was horrified at what came next: I wasn't on the list. They had no record of me buying a ticket for this flight. I checked my paper that I had printed and made sure I had the right date, airport, etc. It was all correct. All there. But they had no record of me. And the flight was full. All other flights to Dallas that day were full as well. I broke down right there. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! It was horrible. I called Amanda and let her know what happened. She was disappointed but supportive. Then I had to call the boys. It was the WORST. They were so sweet as I cried on the phone. I couldn't believe this was happening. I called Amber and SanDee and they turned around to get me. They were so nice and helpful, knowing I was devastated by what had just happened. We ended up stopping at the Twin Falls Johnny Carino's to see some friends. Jeremy, the GM there and our old manager, bought our lunch and did his best to help cheer me up. It helped, yes. But I felt so sad inside. It was such a hard day.

After that incident I stayed in touch with Amanda and the boys, but it slowly started to disappear. Even with Amanda. There was a long period of time where none of us called each other, we didn't send cards...then nothing. I decided one day to get back in contact with Amanda. We stayed connected ever since (this was about fall 2007). During Christmas time 2007 I decided to try giving the boys a call. But to my surprise all three of them had different numbers. None of them went through. I was so sad and realized that I didn't have any contact with them. Joe and I had been friends on Facebook for awhile so I still had that, but Josh and Nathan were nowhere to be found. I searched and searched then gave up. I thought about them constantly for years. I hate the word "years" when you're trying to find someone. It feels like a lifetime. They were always on my mind. I had asked Amanda a few times if she had heard from them, and every time she said no. It was hard for both of us.

I decided to try searching again in May 2011 after having a very vivid dream about coming in contact with them. The next day I was searching for them online when I came across their MySpace page. It was a page they shared. Perfect!!! I was so excited. I didn't have an account at the time so I created one to add them as a friend. Then I noticed it had been over a month since they had last been on MySpace. In June when I still hadn't heard from them I started to get desperate. I looked at their top friends list to see if there were any relatives listed. I found three and wrote them all messages telling them who I was and that I was trying to contact Josh and Nathan. I checked back constantly to see if they responded, but nothing. One person read the message but didn't write me back, and the other two never opened it.

At the beginning of September I was beginning to give up again when one day I was talking to Joe on Facebook. I mentioned that I'd tried finding them again but it didn't work. Joe, Nathan, and Josh had since lost contact and Joe didn't even know where they were. HOWEVER, Joe did know that Nathan was on Facebook and gave me a link to his profile but he didn't seem to get on Facebook very much. I followed the link and sure enough, it was definitely him. I added him as a friend and wrote a message with it. Then I looked through his pictures and got teary looking at him and Nathan. I was happy to see that they were still together and doing well.

A month passed and he still hadn't responded to me. I gave up again this week, on October 25th to be exact. The next day on October 26th I was online and got the most wonderful notification ever: "Nathan Brown has accepted your friend request." I squealed with joy and tears instantly came to my eyes. Tyson came into the office to ask what was going on and I explained. It was such a wonderful feeling. I immediately got on chat and started talking to Nathan. And it was the best!!!! We were both so excited to have found each other. He and Josh had been looking for me as well and had looked all over just like I did. I couldn't believe it. So many prayers were answered.

While chatting with Nathan I sent Amanda a message on Facebook:

"Look who I found!! Thanks to Joe, Kentucky 1 and 2 have been found. I'm chatting with Nathan right now and it's fabulous."

I also left a link to his profile. This is the response I got from Amanda:

"Shut. Up! I'm going to go log on my computer now!!!"

Nathan and I talked for about a half hour. It was so fun catching up! I never want to forget what he said to me in his messages, it was so sweet:

"OMG you have no idea how SWEET that just was, you were with out a doubt the easiest person in the world to LOVE!!! We miss you so much and really hope to get to see ya again, I know were East and West coast but Josh and I are gonna take a vacation after we get moved in and I'm pushing to head out West for a couple weeks... If I can convince him that Cali isn't going to slide off into the ocean maybe we'll be in LA for a little while....Your totally not a STALKER, we've been on here 1475894744574 times looking for you...Sooooo I think we might seem more like a stalker, it was seriously like we lost a SISTER that we would never see again.... It was awful!!! I'm so GLAD that you found us:))))"

In response I said this:

"You are just the best!!! Talk about make me cry. That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me! I would totally come out to LA if you guys came west. I'll definitely see you two again, I'm going to make sure of that! Do you remember that Care Bear and Lexington book you gave me? My 18-month-old son loves that bear and takes it around the house with him. And I look at that book and read the note you wrote me in the front all the time. You're right, it was like losing a sibling! It's felt like a movie over the last few years and I'm wondering where my lost brothers are. I just love you both and I can't tell you how happy I am! I can sleep tonight knowing my brothers are found!!"

And then he said this:

"We just said that we feel like we found our long lost sister...I can't believe it, we even think alike:)) Josh would cry sometimes thinking about you and if he would ever get to see or talk to you again. I can't believe you still have that Care Bear and Lexington book, thats so sweet. We have the card you sent us and we scrap booked it so we would NEVER loose it, its open and the only thing on the page!! We read it every now and then to reassure ourselves that there is still people in the world like YOU, your 4SURE OUR SISTER and ALWAYS WILL BE...Your little famliy is sooooooooo ADORABLE and blessed, you have such a beautiful litte boy!! Its like you guys were made for each other, soooo darn CUTE!!!! Josh and I have talked about adoption here the last few months, hoping this move will put our family together:))) If we do come to LA I will let you know far ahead of time so we can figure out how to see each other... We have to keep it touch and WE LOVE U VERY MUCH and MISS YOU MORE THAN U KNOW!!!"

Talk about make me cry!! Who wouldn't want to know these guys? Later that evening I was tagged in a Facebook status by Amanda:

"Today was all smiles! I Met and had breakfast with a new friend Heather Ponce Lowry... Then Allison O'Connor Miller reconnected me with some lost loves Nathan Brown and Josh!!! how fun! =)"

I felt the urge to change my status to this:

"Feeling super blessed to have found two friends I've been looking for over the last few years. Such a great day!! Sure do love you, Nathan Brown and Josh!!"

Then later that day Nathan tagged Amanda and I in his status:

"I just want all my friends to know that I found 2 ladies last night that mean the world to Josh and I!!!! Allison O'Connor Miller and Amanda Robertson Gonzales you guys were and still are the sweetest angels and we can't wait to GET TOGETHER, we've missed you girls SOOO MUCH!!!! I feel like I've got my sisters back and now we get to meet their incredible new families... You girls are VERY PRECIOUS to us and ALWAYS WILL BE:)))))))) WE LOVE U!!!!!"

And later commented on his status with:

Allison we got out our scrap books and was reading over your 4 cards again... You have the most angelic heart, never met anyone with soooo much care about other people and without prejudice you became our best friend soooooo FAST!!!! I wish they're were a full 1% of people in the world JUST LIKE YOU, it would make it alot easier for Josh and I and others like us who get soooo much bad rep's....I still can't believe we found each other again and we'll NEVER LOOSE this connection....FRIENDS FOREVER!!!

. . . .

I feel like so much weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. For the longest time I felt like there was a piece missing in my life because I had lost contact with Josh and Nathan. I felt a little empty. This week has completely turned that around for me. I am so happy to have found them again and I can't wait for the day that we get to reunite in person. I love those guys so much! All four of these people are some of the greatest friends ever. It's amazing how you can go so long without seeing someone then it all comes flying back once you reconnect. I feel so blessed! What an amazing week.

We Have an 18 Month Old

2011-10-27T14:11:00.011-06:00

It's hard to believe that Brycen is 18 months old. He's actually going to be 19 months next week so we're just inching closer and closer to 2 years old. His age will soon be stated in years and no longer months. Bittersweet!

This week I took Brycen over to the Ogden Botanical Gardens for his 18-month photo shoot. These are some of the results! He's at the age where attempting a photo shoot by myself is nearly impossible. Let's just say I followed him around and just took what I could. I still like what we got though. They're good memories. Enjoy!

He was so excited when we got there he just took off on an adventure.

Every now and then he'd turn and look at me when I said his name.

There were lots of falls and trips to get up from...

...but he kept on smiling and moving!

Lots to do at the gardens!

He loved the apples that had fallen off the trees.

Eventually he'd had enough of the picture taking.

But the tears went away when Dad came!

A Little About Brycen at 18 Months:

He knows his stuffed animals by name. At least the ones that have names. His giraffe Jerry, lamb Lambert, and puppy Franklin are the three that he really knows and loves. We'll say, "Where's Jerry? Go get Jerry!" and he'll go get him.
Yesterday he shared a six-inch ham and turkey sub from Subway with me. He ate three inches of it. I was impressed! He's a pretty good eater.
If he's in another room and he hears one of his favorite shows come on he'll run (with a big smile and arms a goin') toward the TV.
He hates wearing long sleeves. He loved the summer and all the short sleeves and shorts he got to wear. He'll tug at the sleeves and cry when we put a long sleeved shirt on him. It doesn't take him long to get used to it though.
He started saying "grandma" last week. I tried all weekend to get him to say it in front of my mom or Tyson's mom, and it wasn't till Sunday afternoon that he finally said it. It was at my grandparents' house and my mom was there too. They loved it.

A Story About a Full Moon

2011-10-24T12:17:00.005-06:00

We got home from Idaho last night after spending an awesome weekend with my family and Tyson's parents. (Pictures to come later!) After getting our suitcases unpacked we got Brycen in a new diaper and his pajama shirt to put him down for the night. After putting Brycen down for bed, Tyson and I decided to catch up on a couple of shows from the week and wind down before going to bed ourselves.

An hour later Brycen started whimpering in his sleep. He's been doing this a lot lately and we always let him just go back to sleep. Eventually he started full out crying and getting really upset. We decided to bring him out in the living room with us for a few minutes to let him calm down. Tyson went in to get him and brought him out in the living room. Brycen smiled and laughed when he saw me. He looked so cute in his pajama shirt with those pudgy legs hanging out.

Then Tyson turned around and I noticed something.

Brycen's shirt was pulled up in the back so his bum was in full view. Instead of a diaper I saw Brycen's cute little naked bum squished, wrinkly, and dimply as it sat up against Tyson's arm.

Through laughter I said, "Tyson, he doesn't have a diaper on."

Tyson lifted him up to see that Brycen's bottom half was completely exposed. He and I both started laughing, followed by laughs from Brycen. We went in his room to find his diaper on the floor and his bed soaking wet. We changed his clothes (with pants this time) and bedding then put him back to bed. He slept great the rest of the night.

This morning I went in to get him to find his pants on the floor but his diaper still on. Phew!

So Brycen has started taking off his diaper. Oh, the joys that lie ahead! We'll be putting him to bed with pants on from now on!

Welcome to Our New Home!

2011-10-20T16:46:00.013-06:00

Welcome to our home in Ogden!
We've been here for one month this weekend. I can't believe it's been a month already.
So far we really love it here in Ogden.
We're starting to be to the point where when we drive down the road it feels like home.
We've made friends with a couple in our ward and they also live in the same building as we do. They have two little kids, a 2-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, and they're super fun and nice. We'll be having fhe with their family this Monday and taking each other's family pictures. (The first couple we meet in our ward and they're photographers. Go figure!)

Let's go on a tour of our new place!

Welcome! This is the front of our building-that's us on the top left. We were bummed about getting the third floor but it hasn't been bad at all so far. So far! We'll see how I feel about it when it's super cold and snowy. (Do you see Brycen down there in his car?)

This is the view when you come in our front door. The kitchen and dining area is actually pretty open. I was pleasantly surprised when we moved in.

This is the entry to the apartment. That's a coat closet right there that's currently full of board games. Anybody up for a game night at our house??

Here's the full view of the dining room. Our bar stools don't fit up against the bar area so they're sitting back in the corner. Brycen's highchair is in perfect view of the TV so he's happy. We had to get a microwave for the place, and since we didn't want to use up counter space for it we made a little table for it. Right at Brycen's level. And any day now he's going to learn how to push the buttons so we'll have to come up with a Plan B. For now it works right there!

Another view of the kitchen
That door back there is the laundry room / pantry. We've loved having a pantry! This kitchen has been a lot more spacious than we thought it would be. It's still smaller than what we're used to but it's bigger than expected. The appliances...well...these models are older than I am. Either that or we're the same age. All I know is that they're the same ones we had growing up on Michelle St. I guess you could say they bring back some memories ha ha. I've had difficulties with the oven and stove, burning one dinner and over baking a batch of Chubby Hubby Bars (recipe to come tomorrow at Cupcake Diaries!) Not good for someone who loves to cook and bake, and also runs a recipe blog. That will take some getting used to!

There's not a lot of space to decorate in the living room and kitchen area, so this small space is my holiday area! I have the tops of the cupboards to decorate too though. It's been tough trying to figure out what to use and what not to use for fall/Halloween. I'll let you know how Christmas goes! Our annual Christmas Decoration Post won't be as exciting this year!

This is our living room. It feels open and homey so we like it. Brycen loves dumping his toys out all over the floor. He also really likes our balcony.

Time to head down the hallway! The first door on your left is the guest bedroom/office. You could also call this my mom and my sisters' room ha ha.

The next door on the left is Brycen's room. We set it up similar to what it looked like in our house in Idaho, minus the curtains, bead board, and nice paint (tear). I miss Brycen's room in Idaho. And not so much because it looked better there than it does here (even though it does by a landslide). It's the love that went into the room that makes me sad. My dad, brother, mom, and grandpa all helped make that room what it is by building and installing the bead board and painting it, and it was so hard to say goodbye to it. Brycen still enjoys his room here though, which makes me very happy. I'll always have a special place in my heart for his old/first room.

Right across the hall from Brycen's room is the guest bathroom.
(No pictures)

Straight ahead down the hall is the master bedroom. This room is huge, it's weird. We couldn't fit the piano in the living room so it's in our room. It hasn't been used once since we got here, it's sad. This Christmas it will get a lot of use though. I love Christmas music on the piano!

To the right of the piano is the walk-in closet (door right there) and a vanity area. However, I can't really use it to get ready because there aren't any electrical outlets. So it serves as bathroom storage. The bathrooms don't have drawers in them (so weird and frustrating but that's another story) so everything we put in drawers is now in plastic drawers in the vanity area. It's working out just fine though and it hasn't been tough to work with. The door to the master bathroom is on the right of the picture right before that table. It's a nice, big room!

So that's the apartment! Let's head back outside:

This is the back of our building. Our friends live in the middle apartment right there on the left. Back here there are basketball courts, lots of grass, and Brycen's favorite part...

...this lovely playground! He loves to go out here. We'll take his car and I'll push him to the playground. Then we'll walk around the complex on the small sidewalk that goes all around it to go back home. So fun!

Right behind the playground is the main office, swimming pool, hot tub, and gym. Super close to us, just how we like it!

. . .

So that's where we live. It hasn't been as hard of an adjustment going to an apartment from a house as we thought. And one day we'll be homeowners again. But for now, we're happy to be renting this apartment. We've really enjoyed it so far and we're really loving Utah!

The Little Dipper

2011-10-13T00:57:00.005-06:00

Tyson decided last Friday that we needed to go out and celebrate surviving our first two weeks here in Ogden. Not that it's been bad at all, but it's a reason to go out and do something fun!
So we decided to give Warren's a try. And we LOVED it! It's a burger place in Ogden and the food is so delicious and fresh. We each had a burger and shared fries and a little peach shake. It was so filling and delicious!
Brycen LOVES to dip his food. Especially chicken nuggets and french fries.
(I know, right? Healthy. We all need to be treated every now and then!)
We ordered him a little kids meal of chicken nuggets and he ate three of the four. He loved the crinkly fries, too. He had chocolate milk for his drink (the usual). His dinner came with a side of ranch so he was in heaven.

Sometimes he'll take a fry or piece of chicken and barely get it in the ranch or fry sauce. So he's really just doing the dipping motion in mid air. He's a funny kid.

Brycen makes a big mess of his face and hands when he's eating chicken nuggets with ranch. But we really don't care about the mess. He loves it so we love it!
Brycen has learned well from his Uncle Che' and cleans up at the end of the meal. Why keep up all the cleaning all through the meal when you're going to have to do it at the end anyway? Great advice, Uncle Che'!

After dinner we went to Carter's in search of a Halloween costume for Brycen (which we ended up finding later at Babies 'R Us). Brycen loved being at Carter's! They have a Lego Duplo table with tiny chairs and netted holes to put the blocks in. Brycen was in heaven! Either Tyson or I sat with Brycen while the other shopped for 24 month clothes for our growing boy. He's starting to push out of 18 months and 24 month clothing is a little scarce at our house. They had a great sale while we were there so we got Brycen a few things.

A Visit from Gramps and Grandma Miller

2011-10-12T13:40:00.004-06:00

Tyson's parents came down for the day on Saturday and we had a blast with them!
It's funny how when you move away, the time spent with family turns into much more quality time and you appreciate it more. It was so good to see them!

We drove up to the hospital so Tyson could show his parents where he works. Then we drove down to Salt Lake and ventured around. Our day included:

Lunch at P.F Chang's - We all ordered something different then shared. It was perfect!
A visit to the new Deseret Book across from the temple - That place is amazing! It's so big inside and we all loved the art work. His parents got us our very own copy of "17 Miracles" and a cute "I Am a Child of God" book for Brycen. We stocked up on candy (Heavenly Caramel's - divine!) and ventured across the street to Temple Square.
Temple Square - We walked through the visitors center and enjoyed the familiar sights inside. I had never seen the model of the Salt Lake Temple before. That thing is so cool! It shows you all the different rooms of the temple. I've never been inside that temple before so that was especially cool.
Shopping at Gateway Mall - My birthday is on Tuesday so Milan and Julie wanted me to pick something out at the mall to add to what they had already gotten me. I'm such a spoiled girl. I had been on the hunt for the perfect pair of Toms but haven't been lucky enough to find anything I like in my size. Thanks to Lola Bella I found some! Happy birthday to me from Milan and Julie! That was so nice of them and I love my new shoes.

Brycen was a really good boy, and by the time we got back he was exhausted and ready for a nap. Our server at P.F Chang's even mentioned that he is the cleanest kid she's ever seen at one of her tables. Go Brycen! Being a former server, I told myself I would never let my children get as messy as the kids I'd have to pick up after. But I've never had to really try with Brycen. He's a very clean kid.

We had a great time with Tyson's parents and we really appreciated them coming to see us. Even if they only got to stay for 5 hours. We love our parents so much and we're grateful to have such a great support group in them. I can't wait to see them again!

Couch Potato

2011-10-11T00:02:00.006-06:00

Brycen loves to watch TV. He has his favorite shows and he loves to sit on the couch with a snack and his water watching TV.

Some of his favorite shows:

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Little Einsteins
Third and Bird
Small Potatoes
Timmy Time (the DVD my mom gave him)
Jungle Junction
Special Agent Oso

September 27, 2011 - Watching "Timmy Time" and eating mini M&M's

September 30, 2011 - Watching "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" with Clifford while reading a "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" book. He's good at multitasking.

October 3, 2011 - Watching "Little Einsteins" while eating a Veggie Straws snack

Brycen These Days:

He throws the BIGGEST tantrums. When he gets mad or doesn't get his way he walks over to the wall or door and hits his head against it. After it happens he always cries, like anyone would if they hit their head. This is a daily occurrence at our house.
He turned 18 months old on October 5th so he is officially in the nursery! He does really well with other kids so we feel like he'll do fine in nursery. I guess we'll see!
He is starting to say a lot more words. Lately he's trying to say "thank you" (daydoo). He started saying "hi" at church on Sunday. He was told by members of the ward that he was the best greeter ever. He points to things that he wants and yells if we grab the wrong thing in the pantry. He's vocal, that one! If only he could use his words instead of screaming ha ha.
Lately he has been having night terrors. Tyson and I weren't sure at first what was going on but realized today it is night terrors. I hate the idea of my little guy having night terrors. But we know a few things to do to avoid them so we'll see how it goes. My mom was staying with us last night when he had one. She almost came out to check on him because of how he was screaming. She thought he was in pain. Poor little guy.
He loves the little Lorna Doone cookies in the 100 calorie packs. Those are a favorite treat of his. He also really likes to eat chicken nuggets still. We made homemade mac and cheese for dinner last week and he LOVES it. (Check out Cupcake Diaries on Friday for the recipe!!)
He loves to dip his french fries and chicken nuggets. It started one day at Carino's when he saw me dipping bread into the oil and garlic, as well as into a side of ranch. Ever since that day he has loved to dip stuff. Sometimes he's not even getting any sauce on whatever he's dipping. He'll do the motions right above the dip then eat it.
He loves to brush his teeth. He loves to watch us brush our teeth as well. He has a little Thomas the Tank Engine toothbrush and toothpaste. I think he has 12 teeth. He could have more.
Brycen is such a good kid in public. He smiles at everyone and waves at them. He's very happy when we're out shopping. Today at Kohl's he was told by three different people that he's a happy boy. It makes me feel good to hear things like that.
He loves to give kisses. If you say the word, "Kisses" to him he'll pucker up his lips. Or if you're up close to his face he'll automatically pucker his lips, assuming that's what you're wanting. He gives the best little kisses!
Brycen loves to dance. His latest dance style is bending his knees and swinging his left arm in and out like he's at a hoedown. He gives us a good laugh when he dances.

Another Reason Why Hermione Rocks

2011-10-06T15:26:00.003-06:00

"I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do an interview with photographs people desperately want to change me - dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that. Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt, have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder."

- Emma Watson

We're Here: The Picture Version

2011-09-30T23:57:00.008-06:00

I realize my last post was a bit sappy. I promise I'm actually doing much better than I made it sound! I won't deny that I miss our families like crazy. But I'm doing well and getting adjusted. All three of us are. Thank you for all of your support and kind words. :)
Here is the picture version of our weekend.

Friday, September 23rd:

It all became very real when Brycen's things went into boxes. I'm not really sure why, maybe because his room meant the most to me than any other in the house. Whatever it was, it brought tears to my eyes. But the picture above brings comfort to me.

Saturday, September 24th:

It was a perfect morning to be outside. One last, perfect morning in our house. We had so much help getting everything into the U-Haul. We are so grateful to those friends who came as well as Dad, Adam, Steve, and Dustin for helping us out. We love you all and really appreciate you!

We all made it down safely. Brycen came with Mom, Amy, and Amber a few hours after we got there. He was just fine staying out of the way while we unpacked. (He was watching either "Toy Story" or "Timmy Time" at this moment.)

My parents, little brother, and sisters were a HUGE help to us by coming down with us and helping us unpack. We'd for sure be surrounded by boxes right now if they hadn't been willing to come help us.

Sunday, September 25th:

Dad and Adam couldn't stay over night on Saturday night. We treated Mom, Amber, and Amy to dinner at Roadhouse for all their help. (Dad and Adam, we'll catch you later! :) )

Last night of laughs and tears for a few weeks. Well, maybe not the tears part ha ha.

I miss these guys sooooo much!! I can't even type this without getting teary eyed. I can't wait for them to come visit in a couple of weeks for Amber's and my birthday!

Monday, September 26th:

Bajio, baby! My twin in particular was ultra excited!

Happy day at Bajio!

After lunch was shopping at Newgate Mall. Brycen loved his chocolate chip cookie and the super cool car he got to ride around in.

Later that night...

After everybody left, Brycen and I decided to take a few goofy pictures on my computer. We had to cheer ourselves up somehow! :)

We'll post pictures of our new place as soon as the hoarding look is under control!

We're Here: The Wordy Version

2011-09-27T12:00:00.004-06:00

I can't believe we made it to moving day and we're actually moved in. We're nearing the word "settled" in our vocabulary, thanks to my parents, sisters, and little brother. This weekend flew by and I find myself missing my house and our families so much.

My mom took Brycen Friday night so we could get finished with packing and not have any disruptions. We finished at about 1 am before getting to bed.

Saturday, September 24th: Saturday morning we woke up bright and early at 5 am to make a run to Walmart for more packing tape and some donuts for the guys who would come to help us move. At 7:00 on the dot the guys started showing up. We ended up with 12 men to help us out. It was so awesome and we got done really fast. We are so grateful to all of them for coming over so early to help us get everything out of the house. We felt the love for sure! I got hugs from them and gave them much thanks as they left. At 10:00 Tyson and I finished doing a little bit of cleaning and vacuuming. We will be back in a few weeks to mow the lawn one last time and do some deep cleaning before the new family moves in. Dad and Adam were the other two coming down with us so the four of us went into our empty living room and Dad said a prayer. I started to cry as soon as he started talking. The thought of leaving my dear home behind was devastating to me. After the prayer the three guys got into their assigned vehicles. Tyson was driving the U-Haul, Adam drove Tyson's truck, and Dad drove his truck with his trailer attached and full of our stuff. I drove my car. I told Tyson they could go ahead of me and I'd meet them at Maverick. I took a few minutes to walk through all of the rooms and say goodbye to our house. I walked into Brycen's room and cried as I looked at the walls painted by my mom, the bead board built and glazed by my dad and older brother, then put up by my grandpa Murri. So much love in such a small space. It was Brycen's first room, and so many loving hands worked to make it what it was. Tyson came back in the house soon after my little walk-through and he finished it with me. We walked out hand in hand as we locked the door and closed the door behind us.

At 10:30 we drove away. With tears streaming down my face I looked in the rear view mirror and waved goodbye. I'm going to miss that house and our ward. We absolutely loved it there, and the family who moves in the house in November is very lucky to be in such a great place. We have many great memories in that house and we've met many great friends in that ward and neighborhood. We feel very blessed to know each and every one of those people and to have had so many fond memories. It was Brycen's first home and mine and Tyson's first homes as a married couple. We are truly going to miss it.

The four of us stayed in our little caravan for the three hour drive to Ogden. We were that group that you come across on the interstate going at least 10 miles under the speed limit. Tyson led the way, then Dad, then Adam, then me. I was in the back with my hand on my head with every bump in the road, thinking about my beloved piano in the back of the U-Haul. I was emotional at the beginning of the trip so I decided to distract myself with music. A little concert with the BYU Singers did just the trick. It was a great distraction.

We made it to Ogden at about 1:30 and drove up to see a couple of men from our new ward ready to help us move in. After checking in at the office and getting our key we unlocked our third floor apartment that we would call our new home. My heart sank slightly as I walked in. I took in my surrounds as much as I could in the short time I had before going back downstairs. The smell, the look, the feel...it was all foreign to me. By the time I got back downstairs there were 7 or 8 guys total helping unload stuff out of the truck and trailer. I went down to my car to bring up my computer and a few other valuables I took down with me. My next job would be to direct traffic inside the apartment and tell everyone where to put stuff. Before we knew it the truck and trailer were unloaded and everyone headed home. Dad and Adam rested while we waited for Mom, Amber, Amy, and Brycen to show up. They got here around 3:00 or so and it was so great seeing them. Brycen was happy and he had a great drive down here. My mom had bought him a DVD of "Timmy Time" and he watched it almost the entire way down. Thanks for the DVD, Mom!

Adam and Dad stayed long enough to help us get the beds put together. Before they left they gave Tyson and I a blessing. It was much needed and very emotional for all of us. I struggled saying goodbye to my dad and brother. It was so nice of them to pack us up then come down and help us move. We couldn't have done it without them.

Mom, Amber, and Amy stayed with us till Monday afternoon. We had a great time all weekend, even though a lot of it was spent trying to get things set up here. Amber took charge of getting all the food put away and helped Mom with the kitchen. Amy helped in other areas of the house and also watched Brycen most of the time. I don't know what I would have done without their help. We wouldn't be this far along in our settling if they hadn't come down. We ordered Pizza Hut for dinner and ate it at the apartment, with the little space we had to eat. We also made a run to Walmart for some breakfast food and a few other needs. We were exhausted Saturday night and went to bed at about 10:30. It was a long day! Nobody slept that great. We were all overly exhausted and struggled sleeping.

Sunday, September 25th: The next morning we slept as long as we could before getting up and putting more stuff away. We spent a lot of the day getting the place put together, then Tyson and I took everybody to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It was delicious and the leftovers have been fabulous. That evening Tyson went to bed early to prepare for work. He said goodbye to everybody beforehand, knowing he wouldn't see them before they left the next day. More tears, of course. After putting Brycen to bed, the rest of us got in our pj's and played a game of Loaded Questions. I love laughing with my mom and sisters. We have a blast when we're together.

Monday, September 26th: On Monday morning Tyson left bright and early to go to work at his new job. His day would be spent in orientation. Mom, Amber, Amy, Brycen, and I got ready for the day and went to lunch at Bajio in Layton. Yes, I said Bajio. Most of the Bajio's were bought by Costa Vida so there are very little Bajio's in the area. We love both Costa Vida and Bajio. The Bajio's in Idaho Falls and Rexburg were turned into Costa Vida's, so when Amber did research and found that there was a Bajio in Layton she insisted we go. No twisting our arms, we were sold! So we drove down to Layton to the Bajio there. When we walked in and started ordering our food I noticed one of the guys behind the counter. He looked really familiar to me, almost like a thinner version of Arthur from season 11 of "The Biggest Loser". It was driving me crazy the whole time we were eating so I begged Amy to go up and ask if his name was Arthur. (I know, I'm such a wuss.) Sure enough, it was him! Of course I didn't have the guts to get a picture with him. But wow, he looks good! It was fun seeing him there.

After lunch we drove back to Ogden and went to Newgate Mall. None of us had ever been so it was fun venturing around to see what stores were there. We were excited to see so many good ones. Amber was especially thrilled with The Quilted Bear. There were a TON of awesomely cute Halloween decorations inside. We made a few other purchases, including soaps from Bed, Bath 'n Beyond and a bag of cookies from Mrs. Field's (of course). I forgot a stroller for Brycen so Amber was gracious enough to pay for one of those cute car strollers they let you rent. Brycen LOVED it. He loves the car he has at home so this was right up his alley. He fell asleep on the way home and was totally exhausted from our big day.

We went back to my place after the mall and visited till everyone had to leave back to Idaho Falls. During that time we were talking I was dreading their departure. I didn't want them to leave but knew they had to. At about 4:00 they started taking stuff down to the car. It was time to say goodbye. Of course I had tears streaming down my face and just cried and cried. I wasn't the only one with tears as we all cried and said our goodbyes. It was really hard to see them go. As they closed the door to go I stood there with Brycen in silence. There I was, on my own. I went to my bedroom window so I could watch them drive away. With tears rolling down my face I said out loud, "Bye, family." and waved. I stood there in the silence as they drove out of sight and I realized this was the beginning of our adventure. I felt at peace with what was happening in my life and knew we were meant to be in Ogden.

I put Brycen down for a nap and sat down on the couch. My dad then called me and I broke down on the phone. He had heard from Mom that they had just left and he figured I could use a phone call. He was right! I was a mess as I struggled to keep it together on the phone. Thankfully Tyson came walking in the door soon after that. I got off the phone and sat on the couch with Tyson. He was sweet and said nice things as I was sad to see my family go. We spent the rest of the evening with Texas Roadhouse leftovers and more boxes to unload. I slept like a baby that night.

Today, September 27th: I woke up to a quiet and empty apartment today. I hated that. Brycen was asleep so his door was closed. I walked past the open door of the guest room to find a neatly made bed. The couch in the living room was also empty and two blankets were folded and sitting there alone. It was a sad and difficult moment for me, accepting that my family was back in Idaho and I am here without them. Thankfully I've had a lot to do today to keep my mind off of everything. I have a feeling that one of these days we're going to be settled and I'm going to find myself lonely. I'm afraid of that day. But that's just what happens when you move!

I know I sound a little pathetic right now. I'm only 2 1/2 hours away, right? I should feel lucky to be that close to our families, right? Yes, this is all true. And I do feel lucky. But the adjustment of going from seeing my mom and sisters almost every day and our families pretty much whenever we want to 2 1/2 hours away in a different state is going to be a tough one for us. We are both very close with our families, and I am especially close to my mom and sisters. It's tough for me knowing I may not ever live in dear Idaho again. This is my first time moving away from all of them, besides my 4-month internship in Salt Lake three years ago. But I am very happy to be here and to start this new adventure with my little family. We have felt the spirit very strongly in our lives as we've made the decision to move to Ogden and start this new job. Everything has fallen into place for us, including getting our house sold in less than two weeks and finding a place to live right away. We've been very blessed and we're grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who watches out for us and knows our needs. I am grateful to be here in Ogden and I'm excited for this time in our lives. As much as I'll miss our families, I know we're supposed to be here.

It Lives! / Brycen Update

2011-09-21T10:03:00.004-06:00

The Stacy Pasley blanket lives!!

In Brycen's 16-month-old post I mentioned that he has been in LOVE with this blanket since for almost a year and the tears and splits in it have gradually gotten worse and worse. Last week I brought the blanket over to my grandma's house to see if there was anything she could do to fix it. My grandma is a master seamstress so of course she could fix it. She's brilliant at these kinds of things. When my mom brought it over to my house Brycen was so excited to see it. We wrapped him up in it, put him in the rocker in his room, and took this picture. He is so happy to have his blanket back! Thank you, Grandma, for your service and helping us get this family treasure back to working ability. We're all very happy to have it in use again. Especially Brycen! We love you so much, Grandma! Thanks again!

A few other notes about Brycen...

Brycen recently started saying "foobaw" (football) and "boon" (balloon).
He LOVES Wendy's chicken nuggets. They're his favorite!
There is a new five minute show on Disney Junior called "Small Potatoes" that Brycen loves. It's a little show about kid potatoes with British accents and they sing about things like feelings, trains, what they want to be when they grow up, art, etc. It's a really cute show and Brycen loves it. Other favorite TV shows and movies: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Jungle Junction, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Toy Story (2 and 3 as well), and Monsters Inc.
He started hitting on September 19th. Yes, I know the date. We were in signing papers on our house with the realtor and he hit me right over the head. It's been a fun week with that one!
Yesterday was his 18-month appointment. He still has a week or so till he's 18 months old but since we're moving on Saturday we thought we'd better get him in at Dr. Smith's office one last time. At this visit he was weighed and measured and he also had a flu shot. Brycen had a fever for a couple of days so we were glad he had an appointment scheduled to get to the bottom of that one. (We've been really lucky to have appointments already scheduled around the times he's gotten sick recently.) He had a sore throat, but nothing too serious that he needed to take anything for it. Naturally we went to Wendy's and got a frosty after his appointment. :) Here are his numbers:

Weight - 26 lb 9 oz. (65%)
Height - 32 1/2 inches (68%)

Having a Snack

2011-09-07T21:09:00.005-06:00

Brycen's favorite door in the house is the one to the lazy susan next to the kitchen sink. That's where all the crackers and snacks happen to be located.

The other night I looked down from loading the dishwasher to find him snacking on oyster crackers and Lorna Doones. He gave me this nice cheeser squint face when I put my camera up to my eye. Love this boy!

{Can you tell it was laundry night?}

A few things about this kiddo lately:

He loves throwing things down the stairs.
He says "mom", "dad", "ow", "uh oh"and "ball" really well.
He's starting to learn to jump up on "beam" during the song "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam."
When we ask, "What does a kitty say?" he says "mow mow mow" (pronounced like "ow")
He likes to dance. When he hears music he starts bending his knees, and sometimes just his waist.
He got his first kids meal at Carino's the other day. He got a kids chocolate milk and a kids angel hair with alfredo sauce. It was very exciting!

Officially on the Market

2011-09-02T16:28:00.008-06:00

Think back to the late 80s when the movie The Brave Little Toaster came out. Remember the part where all the appliances are in the house and they can hear a noise? They're all super quiet as they're listening to what sounds like pounding. They all quickly but quietly scurry to the window to see a man hammering a For Sale sign into the front yard. All the appliances immediately look heartbroken to see that sign. (Amber and Ashlee, I know you two know what I'm talking about! It's a sad part of the movie.)

And THAT is EXACTLY what I thought of this afternoon while I was in my kitchen. I could hear that same pounding noise. And when I looked out the window the tears immediately came to my eyes when I saw our realtor putting the For Sale sign in our front yard. I definitely have mixed feelings about our adventure!

If you would like to know more information about our home or know someone who is looking for a place, click here to see the listing!

That sign and I already have a love/hate relationship.

On a more positive note, our gladiolus finally decided to bloom. I love that purple color.

And Tyson got the lawn mowed. We did some weeding and made sure the flowers looked their best. Just in time for the house to go on the market. Brycen likes watching his dad mow the lawn.

New Babies...

2011-09-01T16:55:00.002-06:00

...are simply the best.

I love my new nephew so much!

Boston Charles O'Connor

2011-08-31T00:35:00.004-06:00

There's a new little man in the O'Connor family! Boston Charles O'Connor was born August 30, 2011, at 11:04 am. His parents, Aaron and Britney O'Connor (my brother and his wife) are just thrilled to have him here and healthy. And he happens to be the first baby born to one of my siblings, so my first blood-related nephew. We just love this sweet little boy!

A few more stats:
Length - 20 3/4 inches
Weight - 8 lb 6 oz
A funny thing about his stats is that his dad was only 1/4 inch smaller than him and 2 oz heavier when he was born. He has his dad's hair and he has long feet. He also has the cutest double chin ever. Love him!! And my parents are so excited to have two grandkids!

My dad with both of his grandchildren

16-Month-Old Brycen

2011-08-22T21:36:00.007-06:00

Brycen is turning into a little boy right before our eyes. Every time we turn around he's doing something that makes him not so much a baby anymore. It makes me sad, but it's all very exciting at the same time. He had a big night with Amber, Kristine, and I at Carino's:

I decided to order Brycen a kids drink with a straw tonight. This was the first time I had ever ordered him his own drink. The other night Tyson had a Dr. Pepper in a cup with a straw and we wanted to see how well Brycen would do with a straw. He had learned awhile ago but soon stopped. We hadn't really tried it again till the other night. Pretty soon we saw the straw turn brown and Brycen was chugging the caffeinated, carbonated beverage. Tonight I ordered him a chocolate milk. And sure enough he loved it and was drinking from it really well. He didn't want to hold it though so I had to. When I got sick of it I hid the cup and tried to distract him with other things.
I tore pieces of the bread off onto a little plate for Brycen while we were waiting for dinner. (I ordered a meal that we would both share.) When he stopped eating and got fussy I dipped a piece of the bread into a little ramekin of ranch dressing. That worked out really well! Pretty soon he was throwing the pieces of bread into the ranch when I wasn't dipping them anymore. I would take each ranch-covered piece out and put them in his mouth. At one point I didn't realize he had thrown a piece in and Brycen put his whole hand in trying to get it out.
When he was able to find his chocolate milk on the table (the bright green straw was hard to hide) he would point to it and talk his little jibberish like he wanted it.
He was very well behaved and ate a lot of dinner. He ate most of the pasta landing as well as bread and 2/3 of his drink.
Lately when he doesn't want me to put him down he'll try to wrap his legs around me, making it really hard to put him down. Tonight was no different. He felt much older when he did this and I never realized how much strength he has!

Other notes about Brycen (For logging purposes - I won't feel bad if you don't want to read them!):

He points at everything and starts talking like crazy. When we see people he knows he'll point at them too.
He stands up in the middle of the room on his own without the help of a wall or chair.
Lately he's been really snuggly. I love it when he's like that. Today we were sitting on the floor in the living room playing with toys while watching a show. He soon crawled up my legs and wrapped his little arms around me, resting his head on me. He would start saying little baby things in his sweet little voice and very softly. It melts my heart when he does that.
He likes to hug us around the legs. He's been very affectionate lately and while we're holding him he'll give us hugs. He's very sweet.
He's recently developed a liking for Life cereal and Lucky Charms marshmallows. (Who wouldn't?)
He has 10 teeth: four on the top in the middle, two on the bottom, and a molar on each side.
He is a very happy boy and always seems excited about life. He wakes up smiling and has a smile on his face all day long.
We've recently started working with him on the different parts of his face. He's almost got "nose". Most of the time when we say, "Brycen, where's your nose?" he points to his chin, cheek, or mouth. Tonight he pointed at his nose for Amber and Kristine. It was really cute!
Last night Brycen was playing with a little stuffed puppy named Luke at my parents' house. He eventually set Luke down and left the room. When he came back my mom asked, "Brycen, where's Luke?" and he walked over to Luke and picked him up to give to her. He's getting to be so smart!
He still covers his ears during Peek-a-Boo. He's a little confused on that one still. Sometimes when we ask him where his nose is or where something else is he'll cover his ears. One of these days we'll get it right!
Today I had an incident with the Stacy Pasley blanket, which has recently taken a turn for the worse because of how much use Brycen has gotten out of it. We've had it in his crib and he lays on it. It has been folded in the corner of our bedroom because we don't have the heart to throw it out and we're trying to figure out if we can save the material. Recently Tyson came in the bedroom to see Brycen snuggled up against it. Today I came in Brycen's room to get him out of bed and he had wet it pretty badly. I had to wash the sheet, his blanket, and the blanket he's been laying on (Grandma Hill blanket). I threw it all in the wash and wanted to get it all washed and dried before I had to put him down for a nap when the piano kids would come. The sheet was finished on time but not the Grandma Hill blanket. So I went for the Stacy Pasley blanket. I put the clean sheet on his bed and then went into my room to get the Stacy Pasley blanket. Brycen followed me in and watched me as I picked up the blanket and carefully folded it so the ripped parts were on the inside. It was a struggle trying to fold it because Brycen kept wanting to snuggle with it. He followed me into his room where I placed it in his bed. He walked up to the crib and grabbed two of the rails, peeking in to look at the blanket. Then he looked at me, started whining a little, then lifted his arms so I could put him in his crib with the blanket. I hadn't gotten him any milk yet for his nap so we left the room. He literally kicked and screamed the whole way into the kitchen. I got his milk ready then brought him in his room. I've never seen him so excited to get into his crib. Needless to say, the Grandma Hill blanket is clean now, yet the Stacy Pasley blanket is still on the bed.
Brycen loves to clap. When someone starts clapping and saying, "Yay!" he joins right in, super excited about it. So cute!
Brycen gets compliments all the time when we're in stores, at church, and other public places. Yesterday my friend told him he is "the most beautiful boy ever." In Walmart a couple of days ago a lady came up to him and told him he was very handsome and going to "break some hearts" when he's older. He gets compliments on his eyes a lot.
We know not to get Brycen out of bed in the mornings when he's crying. If we get him out then, he'll have a bad day. If we wait till he's talking to himself then we know it's safe to get him out. His day starts off right when we wait for him to start talking to himself.
Brycen is a very sweet little boy and knows when something is wrong. If a kid takes a toy or something from him he'll look at us and not know what to do, except that he knows that someone was just mean to him. He loves to talk to himself while he's playing with his toys.

From the Best to the Worst

2011-07-27T23:29:00.005-06:00

Not too long ago I could call myself pretty much the best blogger around. I felt like for a person who had a busy life with a baby and a job I was doing pretty darn good at keeping track of my life. Now the best blogger award goes to my cousin's wife, Vandy, and my friend, Joanie. The point is I'm now the WORST blogger ever. And it's horrible because this is supposed to be my journal/family scrapbook. Gahh!! It makes me crazy to think about how much I've missed.

My life has been ultra busy. I started photography school in June and I've been so busy with other things that I'm still not done with the first lesson. Wow, I said it out loud. Feels good to get that one off my chest! I hate being so behind with that. It's an amazing opportunity that I'm taking totally for granted. This summer has been super super busy and now it's almost over. I'm lucky we were able to take a week long trip to New York in May, otherwise I'd be going crazy right now. With teaching piano, family parties, neighborhood parties, babysitting, Cupcake Diaries, along with many other things...it seems so hard to get other things done. A majority of what I need to get done involves my computer. I'm just now getting a jump on Brycen's first year album (on Shutterfly) and I feel like I need to start his second year just so I won't have to feel this overwhelmed this time next year. I don't take enough pictures of my little man AT ALL. I was queen of this category at one point or another, but now I'm just lame as ever at it.

Speaking of which, I captured this little moment at my parents' house on Sunday night. They had all their kids over for family home evening, root beer floats, and some ring toss. Brycen enjoyed the backyard and all the adventures out there:

Sure do love this boy! Here are a few little tidbits I should probably make note of:

He is officially a walker! He took his first steps almost a month ago, and on probably Monday, July 25, he took off. He is now ALL over the place. I love watching him toddle around.
His favorite movie is "Monsters, Inc." His least favorite movie is "Up." We tried watching it yesterday and he cried. I think the angry old man scared him a little.
He loves eating chicken nuggets, dry fruit loops, Veggie Straws, and string cheese. He also loves yogurt.
We're trying to get him off the bottle. Yesterday he did really well all day. Then I went with a friend in the evening and came home to find Brycen in bed with a bottle, given to him by his dad. We're back to square one.
I have to put him in his crib during piano lessons. Usually he goes down for a nap and it works out perfectly. But sometimes he is too fresh from a nap and wide awake so I have no choice but to keep him out. That doesn't last very long as he's trying to pound on the keys and open all the books. He usually goes right back to his crib where he plays for the rest of the lesson.
He gets compliments everywhere we go about how cute he is. I feel lucky to be the mother of one of the cutest kids around.
Only two more months till nursery!
He weighs 25 lb. and he's in the 65th percentile for his weight. What's funny is that he gets fat kid remarks from people, and these people have kids and grand kids who are super tiny and in about the 6th percentile for weight. Not that percentiles even matter. But pretty sure 65% is closer to being "average weight" than 6%! (Can you tell it drives me crazy?)
Brycen is a great sleeper. Every now and then he has a bad night and has a tummy ache or nightmares or something, but most of the time he goes to bed at 8:30 an wakes up at 8:30 or 9:00. We've been SO lucky to have such an easy-going kid all around. I love my boy.

As for Tyson and I:

We are in love with our Jack LaLanne juicer. We just bought one a few weeks ago and we've been juicing everything in sight since. We love getting a Bountiful Basket then juicing the crap out of it. We don't eat nearly as much veggies as we should so we are convinced that this juicer is a great investment.
We want to go back to New York. Badly!
I currently have 8 piano students and plan to have at least 3 more start up in the fall when school starts. I love the extra income and being able to refresh my mind on what I learned so many years ago.
I've started taking more pictures and have now had people start asking me to take pictures for them. This is very exciting for me but also incredibly nerve racking/scary/intimidating. I just appreciate the practice they're giving me though! I just took my sister-in-law Britney's maternity pictures and they were so fun to do. We got some really good ones from that photo shoot. I'm excited to meet my new nephew in a month!!!!!
We just had a garage sale and it was LAME. There were at least a gazillion other garage sales going on around us so we had a hard time getting people to come to ours. Thankfully our neighbor was having one right next door. (They're moving, PS, and we're sad about it.) We did, however, make some extra money so we're happy about that! Everything that didn't sell went to the DI. And it was fun to hang out with some of our family on a Saturday morning/afternoon.
Tyson and I are still serving as executive secretary and 2nd counselor in the primary presidency in our ward. We love our callings and our ward. I'm thankful for the friendships I've made in our ward. There are a lot of people I can call good friends and it is the coolest thing.
I just did cupcakes for a wedding for the first time and they turned out really well. Their colors were dark purple, neon green, and white so they were really fun to do.
We saw the last Harry Potter movie and it was wonderful. I want to go back and see it again!

I need to put blogging back on my priority list. It makes me sad to see the month of July with on 2 posts. Boo. I'm ready to get back into gear and get it together! You'll definitely be seeing more of me on here! (Those four people who still read this blog ha ha. Thanks for staying faithful!)

Grateful

2011-07-12T20:56:00.004-06:00

Since Sunday we've had a sick little boy at our house. The above picture has been common till about 2 hours ago. It started Saturday night when we were at Amber and Che's house for a Harry Potter party. Brycen wouldn't eat dinner (things he normally loves, like baked beans and watermelon) and we didn't really think much of it. He also felt warm, which got us wondering. We went to bed that night and stayed up most of it with a crying baby. He threw up once and ended up staying in our bed a lot to get back to sleep.

Sunday morning he woke up sick still and had thrown up again. We worried he had a stomach bug and decided he should stay home from church. My cousin Tanner's mission farewell was that day and Tyson was scheduled to sing with a group of men. We made the decision that I would go to the meeting and he would stay home with Brycen. After the meeting (which was wonderful and amazing) I came home to an even fussier and sick baby. He didn't have as much of a fever but he acted super irritable. I had talked to my besty Ashlee and her mom at the church about Ashlee's niece Averie and how she's had strep. The last round of strep for her turned into scarlet fever. Some of Brycen's symptoms seemed similar as Averie's. Tyson and I decided to take Brycen to see a doctor as soon as I got home.

We went to Ammon Urgent Care (I HIGHLY recommend it). The appointment was a tough one. Brycen was really upset and didn't want anything to do with anybody. We had to take his temperature under his armpit and it took a long time to finally get a good reading. He got really upset and cried harder than I've ever heard him cry. We had to hold down his arms and legs so he could hold perfectly still. We felt really bad for him and it was all just awful. The nurse was super nice (as was the rest of the staff, we were really impressed) and felt bad for him as well. By the time we got to the strep test I thought Brycen was going to lose it for good. We had to hold down his arms and legs again, which made matters even worse. Thankfully the test was quick. The results came back negative so we were happy, yet totally confused as to what was going on. The nurse practitioner asked us a lot of questions about Brycen's symptoms: diarrhea (yes), rash (yes), fever (yes), not eating or drinking (yes), coughing (yes), vomiting (yes), etc. Then he looked at his ears and discovered that Brycen had a major ear infection in both ears. This would make his first ear infection ever that we've been aware of. We were given a prescription and sent on our way. We were very grateful we could figure out what was going on with the poor kid. That night he spent a lot of time on his tummy. We could tell he had a stomach ache because he kept moving his stomach around and curling up to a blanket or his pillow pet bear, Moosh. The picture above shows what he looked like all evening.

We gave Brycen a lot of pedialyte and water but he just wasn't interested. He also didn't really care to eat. I decided to cancel piano lessons on Monday so I could focus my attention on Brycen. We were able to go out a little bit (which wore him right out) and then we went to dinner as a family at Costa Vida. He ended up eating rice and beans, as well as drinking from his cup. We were really excited about it. We figured he was on the mend so we gave him milk to go to bed.

He slept all through the night till about 7 am when he woke up whimpering. Tyson and I both went into his room this morning and as soon as Tyson picked him up he got puked on big time. I felt really bad for Brycen and realized we were starting all over again with his sickness. The fever was back and he was lethargic all day. He wouldn't eat or drink anything and it was difficult to give him any medication. He was able to take two naps, the second of which was two hours long. Sleep is so good for babies when they're sick. Or for anyone, for that matter. He got up around 4:00 or so and was acting super weak and wouldn't eat or drink anything still. It had been a rough day of a lot of tears and lying down. His diapers all day were just diarrhea and no wet. I ended up calling the pediatrician and talking to the nurse about it. His little lips were dry and he seemed weak. She said if he cried and there were no tears and if his mouth felt dry we needed to take him in for an IV. Every other symptom of dehydration was there and we had reason to worry. Not what a parent wants to hear about their child.

Tyson came home around 6:00 tonight and Brycen was still not wanting any food or water. My mom came over for the second time today soon after that and brought Brycen some orange pedialyte, thinking he might like a different flavor other than the grape that he has. She brought Tyson and I Cocoa Bean, which was very delicious. She seemed really worried about him as well and tried to help him with the water issue. He wouldn't take the pedialyte or any of his sippies so she gave him a "big boy cup". He did much better with that but still wouldn't take much.

At about 6:45 Tyson decided to call our friend Ryan to help him give Brycen a blessing. He came right over with his sweet kids (his wife was at mutual) and didn't hesitate. I love our friends and how willing they are to help us out. He ended up calling his wife Dani over to help with the kids so it was nice having her there too. The blessing was really nice. Brycen struggled through it, crying and trying to get their hands off his head. After the blessing we said our thank you's and goodbye's. Then it seemed like a miracle took place.

We decided to take him outside and sit on the grass for a bit. He sat there and was super happy. We started weeding and cutting down tulips while Brycen crawled around. He was excited and more energetic. We had gone outside a lot through the day and he cried every time. Soon after we went outside Tyson's mom came by with a slushy for Brycen and a fountain Diet Pepsi for Tyson and I. It was so nice of her to do that and for my mom to come over to help as well. His mom had also felt really bad to hear about Brycen's condition and was worried about him. She stopped at the Maverick down the road for a popsicle for Brycen to eat but thought a he would do better with a slushy. And he certainly did. He loved it and ate a majority of it. That was the most he'd had to drink/eat all day. He was in much higher spirits and really enjoyed being with Grandma Miller.

We came inside by about 8:40 and decided to put Brycen to bed. We filled up a bottle with some water, a sippy with grape pedialyte, and a sippy with orange pedialyte to get some more liquids in him. We changed his diaper and it was completely wet. No diarrhea. Yay! We took his pants off and let him sleep in just a t-shirt and diaper. We said our family prayers in his room and them put him in his crib. I gave him the water assuming it would be like it was all day and he'd push it away. But he immediately grabbed it from me and chugged it. We couldn't believe it. We were so excited to see such a dramatic change in him. I turned on his fan and his night light, closed the door, and he went right to sleep.

There is no doubt in my mind that the blessing Brycen received is the reason he feels so much better. I'm feeling grateful tonight for the priesthood. I'm grateful for friends who are so willing to help us out when we need it the most, and that we feel like we can call on them for such a sacred thing. I'm grateful for the power of prayer and for the spirit we feel in our home. And most of all I'm grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who is aware of my needs and the needs of my family. The last couple of days have been challenging, and who knows, tomorrow may be as well. But as for tonight and the present, we have felt truly grateful for all our blessings.

"Happy Valen-birth-iversary!"

2011-06-20T17:24:00.005-06:00

In other words, I am good to go with presents for the next year at least! I recently got this little treat. No, not the cute kid in the jacket. The big box he's standing next to. That's my new iMac and it is wonderful. I've been wanting one FOREVER and I reached my day a few weeks ago. And gosh, was that a fabulous day. I love this machine! It will be so great to work on photos and other related stuff. It is definitely going to take me places! Good to have you in the family, iMac!

PS If you haven't already, head over to my recipe blog to enter to win an autographed copy of the Our Best Bites cookbook!

Brycen and Kenadee at the Zoo

2011-06-15T23:27:00.001-06:00

Ashlee and I took Kenadee and Brycen to the Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls on May 13. We had a great time with those two cuties! And they had fun too. They’re good little buddies.

They sure liked this monkey. And the monkey was pretty interested in them as well.

The big cats are my favorite part of any zoo!

This is Andy, one of the llamas in the petting zoo. He is Ashlee’s mom’s favorite!

These two were EXHAUSTED by the end of our little trip!

Can you tell?

Bathroom Makeover

2011-06-09T00:36:00.001-06:00

We’ve recently been working on a few upgrades to our home. One of them was painting our guest bathroom. We had almost a whole can of paint leftover from when Brycen’s room was painted before he was born so we decided to use the same color in the bathroom. It’s amazing how the rooms look so different from each other, even though the paint is the same. I love that! This was a slightly challenging project at times. But thanks to the help of my mom and a few tips from my painter brother we were able to get the job done.

BEFORE

Have to love those bright white walls.

AFTER

It’s amazing what a new wall color and light fixture can do to a room!

{BIG thanks to Tyson’s brother Dustin for helping us install that thing! There’s NO way we could have done that without him.}

A Little Boy Joining the O’Connor Family!

2011-06-01T13:39:00.001-06:00

On April 20th we found out that the newest little member of the O’Connor family will be a boy! My brother Aaron and his wife Britney are expecting little Boston Charles O’Connor to arrive at the end of August/beginning of September and we’re all just so excited for them.

They invited Tyson and I along with my parents and siblings over to their house to announce the big news. Here’s how they did it:

They made rice krispie treats into Easter eggs and filled them with M&M’s. The color of the candy would represent if they were having a boy or a girl.

And the M&M’s were blue! Such a cute idea. We were all really excited for them.

The happy parents

Yay for new babies!

Torn

2011-05-20T23:13:00.001-06:00

It’s 11 pm and I plan to be up in five hours. Tyson and I are off to New York City in the morning and our little boy is staying behind. My emotions have been all over the place this week as I’ve gotten my little family packed and ready to go: us to New York and Brycen to his grandparents’ house. I’ve gone from feeling super excited to be leaving for my favorite vacation spot with my husband who has never been before, to feeling like a nervous wreck that my son will be away from us for an entire week. He is reaching a milestone by being away from Tyson and I for a whole week, which is exciting. But I really didn’t realize it would be so hard to leave my baby behind.

All in all I am torn. Torn between the happiness and sadness that I am feeling about this whole thing. But I know Brycen is in good hands. His grandparents all love him very much and are really excited for him to be staying with them. There are a lot of fun things planned that he will get to go to including barbecues, a birthday party, and a trip to the zoo. He’ll be fine. And we’re going to have a blast. I have to keep telling myself this to keep me sane! It’s going to be a big week for the Miller’s!

Simple Moments

2011-05-17T15:28:00.002-06:00

I love this boy and all the fun we have together! He’s such a good little helper with all the laundry. He’s my best pal.

Mother’s Day/Womanhood Day and Amy’s 22nd Birthday

2011-05-14T18:13:00.001-06:00

One of the greatest joys of my life has been being a mom. I am grateful that I was blessed with my sweet little boy and that I will be his mom forever. I’m grateful for my mom and for Tyson’s mom. They’re wonderful examples to us and we love them very much. I am also grateful for our amazing grandmothers. Not only have they been excellent role models for us but they’re responsible for the greatness that our parents possess.

I appreciated the words of the conducting member of our bishopric on Mother’s Day. He spoke about this day as not just being for moms and that it is more of a Womanhood Day. He talked about the importance of our roles as women and that this day is for all women to celebrate, not just for the moms. I appreciated that and realized there were tears in my eyes when he spoke these words. I want those women in my life who are struggling with the current inability to have children that I love you so much and I’m so glad you are in my life. And Brycen also loves you too!!! You help make our lives happy. Thank you for that.

I had a wonderful Mother’s Day! My boys spoiled me as usual.

Tyson and I are going to New York soon and he knew how much I love this camera bag from Jo Totes. He got me this lovely vintage-inspired bag a little early so I could break it in before the trip. And it will be perfect for our trip! It holds all three of my cameras and the video camera, plus my wallet, phone, and a few other things.

I received this stoneware cookie sheet from “Brycen” for Mother’s Day and I’m also super excited about this. I love to bake cookies on stone and for a few years I’ve just been using my pizza stones to bake them. While it has worked beautifully, I’ve always wanted a piece of stoneware made for baking cookies. “Brycen” was on the ball with that one! I can’t wait to use it.

And it wouldn’t be a holiday without Florence’s chocolates! Tyson got me a box and so did Tyson’s parents. The gift from the ward for the ladies was a little 2-piece box of chocolates. It has been quite the chocolaty week!

After church we went to Tyson’s parents’ house for dinner. I didn’t take a SINGLE picture of anybody there. I was so mad!!! I made sure I wouldn’t forget at my parents’ house. We’ll be seeing Tyson’s family this week so I’ll be getting a few pictures of Brycen with Grandma Miller then.

All the kids went in on a new digital camera for my mom. She was excited!

She was pretty excited to see that Dad got her a new computer!

Like last year at the O’Connor’s we celebrated a birthday along with Mother’s Day. This year it was Amy’s and she turned 22.

(Oddly enough her shirt says 22 as well. Funny!)

Brycen got to lick the frosting off one of the candles. Yum!

Dad thought a few M&M’s should go on the cake. Also yum!

Amy squeezing Brycen’s “squish”.

Just Waiting…

2011-05-11T14:42:00.000-06:00

Our spring flowers have come up for the first time, so they’re a little late to bloom. But they’re so close! So we’re just waiting…

We do have a little bit of color in the beds. These little beauties started out looking like pineapples, then they soon bloomed. We’ve had this bright burst of color for a couple of weeks now and it’s been so fun! These are also first timers.

As you can see it’s looking super green at our house! Just waiting for a little color.

That little sprout of green in the middle is my lily. I planted it as a tall plant last year and it bloomed to be a beautiful orangey pinkish red color. I chopped it in the fall and this is its first year coming back up. I was worried it wouldn’t make it. But here it is! (PS Try hard to ignore all the weeds!)

These tulips are the closest we have to blooming. Now that the sun is out I’m hoping they open up! I can see one is yellow and the other is red and yellow. Pretty!

One of these days I’m hoping to see a little more color than this when I walk out my front door!

Brycen’s First Easter

2011-05-07T23:08:00.001-06:00

Easter Sunday marked Brycen’s last first holiday. It was weird celebrating his last first holiday after he turned one instead of before he turned one. Our Easter was so great. Brycen went to his first egg hunt, we spent a lot of time with family, and most importantly we were able to reflect on the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ and the joy we are able to experience because of the Atonement.

We went to the Ucon egg hunt with Tyson’s parents, his brother Dustin and wife Erika, and their kids Lillie and Jack. We had a lot of fun! Only one parent was allowed beyond the fence so Tyson went with Brycen and I stayed behind the links to take pictures.

I felt a little uneasy when the announcer told the parents they weren’t allowed passed the line, only the kids could go. I thought, Good luck Brycen! Of course the parents didn’t stay behind. These little ones are just a little too young.

Dustin & Jack

Tyson’s parents helping Lillie and Jack open their eggs.

Brycen was pretty proud of the two toothbrushes he got at the hunt! He also got a free Arctic Circle ice cream cone coupon and some candy.

Our little Easter egg hunt champ

Brycen’s basket of goodies

Brycen was pretty worn out by the end of the afternoon.

It was such a nice weekend over Easter! We took advantage and went outside to weed the flower beds. Brycen enjoyed his time outside.

But he wasn’t too sure of the grass…

Can you tell he hates it? Yes, his feet and hands are in the air and he’s balancing on his bum.

We woke up Easter morning to see Brycen’s Easter basket full of goodies and fun things.

He got a new pair of shoes for summer, a Hershey chocolate bunny (solid-only way to go), a bouquet of tootsie pops, some Easter eggs with candy, an Easter book, a stuffed bunny, and a new outfit.

The plastic eggs were filled with peanut M&M’s so he could shake them. He loves to shake things.

He loves his new bunny!

And the suckers.

Now we did not teach our little guy to flip people off. We got between him and the TV when “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” was on to take a picture and apparently he wasn’t too happy about it.

That’s better! He really is a sweet kid, I promise. Brycen with all his fun new things.

My boys before church on Easter. (The bunny was there because Brycen was struggling to be happy during the pictures.)

After church we went to Tyson’s parents’ house for an egg hunt and to celebrate Dustin’s birthday. Two of Erika’s sisters and their kids came over as well. There were eggs all over the backyard. Most of the eggs had initials on them so the kids had an equal amount. Grandma and Gramps also gave each of their grandkids a package of peeps and a chocolate bunny sucker. It was so much fun!

Kate

Easton

Lillie

Jack

These girls were so cute. I loved how Kate was holding her basket!

All the kiddos

After the hunt we went inside and went through all the baskets to make sure the kids got their own eggs.

Cooper

Fun day!

Brycen’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party–Part 2

2011-05-02T15:51:00.001-06:00

Finally part 2 of Brycen’s birthday party! This half includes pictures from eating his birthday dessert, then pictures with all the family members who were able to come. Thanks again to all who made it! And while we’re on the subject, we missed a few people: Aunt Tacie and Uncle Ryan (home in Washington), Uncle Clark and Aunt Kristi, as well as cousins Bailey and Connor (home in Nevada), Grandma O’Connor (home in Utah), Grandma Hill (sick), and Grandma Clawson (sick). I hope you all know how much you were missed!

By the time the presents were all opened Brycen was getting a little fussy. Once we took those clothes off he was a happy camper once again!

Time to get ready for dessert!

Thanks again for running our video camera for us, Am!

I had bought those Mickey Mouse ears for Brycen to wear while he ate his cupcake. We would have completely forgotten about them if Cooper hadn’t grabbed them off the table. And I would have been SO sad if we had forgotten! Cooper definitely saved the day!

Singing “Happy Birthday” to Brycen

He wasn’t really sure what to think of the singing or the flame.

But then he was fine! And he LOVED this cupcake, unlike his jumbo cupcake we gave him on his actual birthday. And he was happy the rest of the party. We give the credit to all our family members at the party. He was very entertained by everyone!

Family Pictures with Brycen

Brycen with his mom and dad

Brycen with Aunt Amber and Uncle Che’

Brycen with Uncle Adam and Aunt Amy (my siblings)

Brycen with Uncle Dustin, Aunt Erika, and cousins Lillie and Jack

Brycen with cousins Easton and Cooper

These two really know how to make him laugh!

Brycen with Gramps and Grandma Miller

Brycen with Grandma and Grandpa O’Connor

We had a hard time getting him to focus on the camera. :)

Brycen with Great Grandpa and Great Gram Murri

He had fun with Uncle Aaron!

Brycen with Aunt Britney and Uncle Aaron

Uncle Steve and Aunt Angie were making him laugh as well. He loves all his family!

Brycen with Aunt Angie and Uncle Steve

A few people wanted to get cell phone pictures of Brycen and had a hard time making him laugh. I had to get a picture of it!

Cue Cooper! He knew exactly what to do to get a smile from Brycen.

We finally gave the kids their mouske-tool boxes after they had been eying them all night. And they loved them!

Brycen with all his gifts

What a spoiled boy!

Amber and I had to pose with the cupcakes we slaved over. Seriously, they were a pain ha ha.

Time to have a fashion show and put Brycen in all his clothes!

He’d had enough by the time we got him in his new swimsuit from Uncle Adam.

Nothing a little “Timmy Time” couldn’t fix!