The Cunningham Family

Big Changes!

2011-12-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

I feel like such a slacker since it has been almost three months since I posted anything on this blog. Life has been a little crazy for us. In early October I had this thought. I thought, "It's a horrible time to sell a house...but that means it's also a GREAT time to buy one!" Shame on me for having thoughts at all...

So, Clint and I decided to take a stab at selling our house in West Jordan. We met with our realtor (who had helped us buy the house in the first place) and worked out the details. Getting the house ready for showings was much more stressful than I thought it would be. It required lots of cleaning and de-cluttering and some quick remodeling as well. When the house was finally ready to go on the market, I was exhausted. But keeping the house tidy with 2 dogs and a 17 month old (on my own since Clint was traveling) was even more stressful!

We tried not to get too excited every time a showing was scheduled. We figured that if the house didn't sell, it was ok because we still loved it and weren't in a hurry to move anyway. But we got an offer before the home had even been listed for 5 weeks. Naturally, the buyers wanted to get in and settled before Christmas. So we spent most of November packing and cleaning our lovely 4 bedroom 3 bathroom West Jordan house and moving into a tiny 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment in North Salt Lake while we search for a new home.

It's pretty rough to move back into an apartment after almost 6 years in a house. Every little noise makes our dogs bark and it seems like our upstairs neighbor wears combat boots around the apartment! Our upstairs neighbor also likes to get up at 4:45 am to shower for the day and since this apartment complex is pretty old, the pipes make SO much noise. It's not a pleasant wake up call each morning. But I do feel blessed that we even have a place for Christmas.

We are currently in negotiations on a home in South Jordan and if all goes well we will be moving in near the end of January. So hopefully "apartment hell" will be short-lived.

But I am still in mourning for our West Jordan house. I will miss it a lot. It was a great first house and we made so many memories there. Unfortunately, my camera is packed so I can't even find a nice picture of the house for this post. So this one below of Seth on the fridge will have to do.

Also....

Seth is now 18 months old! I can't believe he is already at this milestone! I have really struggled with Seth lately. I'm sure part of it is because he wasn't getting much attention while we were packing and moving but he has been such a little beast lately.

Do I sound horrible for being honest about this???

I don't really know how to sugar coat things. Seth has always been a very active child. He crawled early, walked early, climbed early...he has never been one of those mellow babies that just sits quietly with a toy or watches cartoons. He finds a way to get into everything...yes, folks. That is bubble wrap that he creatively used as a step stool to get into a drawer full of knives!

He doesn't really like playing with normal toys. He likes weird stuff. For instance, when we were packing things up I brought out a brand new dump truck equipped with legos and a lego man driver. I thought it was pretty nifty. Seth took one brief glance at it and then proceeded to carry a table lamp around the house. Weirdo.

So, suffice it say that I have really struggled to find toys that will stimulate my child. At daycare they say he is such a happy baby but the moment I come to get him he becomes an absolute terror and whines and throws little tantrums for the rest of the night. His pediatrician says he is just intellectually advanced and that just makes for more difficult parenting. Yay for me.

I shouldn't complain too much. He isn't bad ALL the time. He is learning to say 'I love you' and gives kisses at bedtime. He also says 'hi' to everyone he sees. He said 'hi' to a man in the parking lot today who just ignored him and I instantly felt bad for Seth so I said 'hi' back to him instead. And I am learning to be a little more patient with him when he would prefer to play with the cardboard box instead of the cool truck...seems to be helping.

I guess I'll keep him around for a little while longer.

A high school friend of Clint's took these pictures of Seth last week to celebrate the 18 month mark:

This is my favorite one...

Is he yawning? Screaming? Hungry? Or just smiling big? You decide.

The best attempt at a family photo. Seth just did not want to sit still.

Doesn't he just look like a "Harvard grad" in the making?

2011-09-26T22:18:00.001-07:00

The nights are now starting to feel cooler so I know that summer is winding to a close. (Cry!) But this summer we were able to do a lot of fun things since Seth was older and able to enjoy things more:

We went on bike rides....

We went to the West Jordan Fair and watched fireworks

and rode the Merry Go Round!

We went to the zoo several times...

We celebrated my 30th birthday...

I got a lot of great things!

We took Seth swimming for the first time. He loved it!

We went to Wheeler Farm...

We had a cookout in Millcreek Canyon with our friends Jon, Briana, and Matthew...

We waited in the horrendously long line in Payson for their annual Salmon Dinner. It was well worth the wait!

Overall it was a pretty eventful summer!

Ice Cream? Anyone?

2011-09-19T15:12:00.001-07:00

Yes!!! Seth will take an ice cream cone and devour it!

I couldn't resist taking pictures of him enjoying this messy ice cream cone!

And I just love this video. I love how his cheeks just puff out as he is trying to dig his face further into the cone. He is becoming so adorable!

2011-09-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

Seth's 15 month appointment went really well. He didn't really even cry when he got his immunization/flu shots. The doctor said he is looking great and was so impressed at how well Seth moved around the room. (He climbed up and down off an adult chair non-stop!)

His 15 month stats:

Weight 21 lbs 9 oz (15%)

Length 30 in (20%)

Head 45.9 cm (20%)

So he is still little but the doctor said his height/weight ratio was well balanced so there wasn't a need to worry.

It is surprising how much Seth has changed even since he turned 1. Here are a few of the things he does now:

He has (for the most part) moved to one 2-3 hour nap a day and sleeps 10-11 hours at night.

He has 9 teeth and I think a 10th one is trying to come in now.

He refuses to eat any sort of vegetables. I have tried them all and he eats around them. The only way I have gotten any in him is by buying the apple/carrot juice. Disguise with sugar!

He has learned to pull the chairs out from the kitchen table so he can climb onto the table and walk around. He is going to crack his head open!

He eats crayons...how can that taste better than carrots or corn? Seriously.

He hits me when he gets frustrated and then he immediately gives me a hug.

He loves to chase the dogs around and lay on them. They avoid him wherever possible.

He is saying a few small words...eye, uh-oh, and hi.

Still not saying mama or dada :(

He is becoming very interested in books and will climb into my lap to read one with me.

He hides in a corner when he knows he is doing something he's not supposed to but he doesn't look scared. Instead he has this little mischeivious grin on his face and he gets in this stance like he's saying, "Come on. Try and get me. I'm gonna run the other way as soon as you try to catch me."

He enjoys putting anything in the garbage can. I have caught him putting several new or irreplaceable items in the abyss. No telling what other valuable things have been thrown away.

He is really enjoying day care. The teachers there have said that he is just the happiest baby all day. He was pretty sick for the first little while (and has a cold now) but he actually seems to be handling the germs pretty well now.

Another Veggie Update

2011-08-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

The vegetable garden is doing ok...I think. A few weeks ago I was quite discouraged because none of my plants seemed to be producing any vegetables. But I sort of forgot about the garden for about 10 days and it turns out my neglect had a positive impact on things. The next time I returned my plants seemed to be double in size. Here are some pictures from a visit about a month ago:

Lots of red hot chili peppers were sprouting on this plant! I counted over 15!

The broccoli was looking more like broccoli. But to be honest, I don't really know how it's supposed to look or when it is supposed to be ready to harvest. I'll have to do some research on that.

A good sized anaheim pepper is on its way!

I visited the garden again about a week ago and things were looking great! Pictures below of the progress:

There are now over 25 red hot chili peppers on this plant and some are finally turning red!

What was once 1 nice anaheim pepper has turned into about 10 on each plant. Growing like crazy!

Same thing for my jalepeno peppers. I have about 15 on each plant!

My tomato plants are really the most exciting for me. Last month I was frustrated because my tomato plants were the only plants in the entire community garden that didn't have a single tomato blossoming. I had a few flowers here or there but nothing was happening to them. And as I was leaving one morning, feeling depressed at being such a poor gardener, my eye caught sight of the tiniest little tomato on one of my plants. I was so elated! I didn't care if that was the only tomato that ever grew. I was happy enough just to know it produced even one!

But when I visited yesterday, I was so happy to see 7-8 tomatoes on each plant. It was a great day!

So I took some time to pick a few of the peppers that were ready yesterday. The only bad thing is that Clint and I really don't like peppers unless they are in salsa so I don't really know what to do with them since tomatos aren't quite ready to get salsa going. Any one want any? :)

PS. While I was blogging this entry, Seth unrolled an entire roll of aluminum foil. I was so devoted to this post that I just let him do it to buy me a few more minutes of time without him climbing on me. This is also why my blog posts are so few and far between.

Extreme Haircut

2011-08-13T08:28:00.001-07:00

Seth had the misfortune of inheriting my hair. It is fine and thin and goes every which way. It's almost impossible to style. And I have NO idea how to do a boys hair! Isn't it just supposed to naturally look nice? So I must look like a pretty negligent mother when I do nothing to Seth's hair and it looks all crazy. On Thursday Clint took this picture of Seth after he took a nap. I decided then that this head of hair was too out of control and I took him to Cookie Cutters for an extreme hair cut.

I say "extreme" because Seth has already had about 5 haircuts since he was born. His hair grows so fast! So this time I didn't ask for a trim. I asked for a buzz cut. The stylist told me he would look like a cancer patient if she did that so I said, "Just cut it as short as you can without making him look like a weirdo." So she did.

Can I just say...I totally fell in love with my little dude all over again with this new haircut. This is the least amount of hair he has had in his life. I'm not kidding. He had lots more hair than this when he was born. But he just looks so handsome now! And much more blonde! I like it! Yes, I'm going to miss playing with the little curls on the back of his head but I'll make do giving him a little "faux hawk" every morning instead!

Crazy Grandma!

2011-08-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

Can I just say...I LOVE my mom! She is so funny! One of the things I love most about her is that she can laugh at her self and be silly and not be self conscious or apologetic about it. I don't know a single person who meets my mom that doesn't just adore her! She is kind and sweet and thoughtful to everyone. And throughout the years I have rarely heard her say anything negative about anyone.

Lots of sad things have happened to my mom over the years. And yet she is so resilient. She just always has such a positive outlook on life and never complains about her own troubles. I wish I could say that I was more like her. I'm not. But I'm going to try to be.

These are a few pictures that show my mom's free, crazy spirit. She is such a good grandma! Seth LOVES her! He knows when we are at her house and he reaches for her almost instantly. This is saying a lot considering he is so clingy to me. But I think he would rather my mom hold him than anyone else! She just has this magic touch!

4 needle pokes and 1 finger prick later...

2011-06-20T07:00:00.001-07:00

...and you have a very unhappy little man!

I snapped this picture just after Seth received his 12 month immunizations. Poor little guy! Normally Clint holds him for the needle pokes because I can't bear that part of his doctor visit but since he was out of town, I had the honors. (Disclaimer: I did cuddle and love him for a bit before I took this picture of his suffering...I'm not that mean!)

But the doctor said he's doing just fine! His 12 month stats are below:

Height: 28.7 inches

Weight: 21 lbs 2.5 oz

Head: 45.3 cm

All around, Seth seems to be in the 20th percentile.

He's a little dude.

At 12 months, Seth...

walks well all over the house

is sleeping less than at 9 months old. Boo! (about 9-10 hours a night)

still takes 2 naps during the day but he is trying really hard to get rid of his afternoon nap

has 6 razor sharp teeth that he still tries to use on Mommy

climbs on EVERYTHING!!! (as you can see from the picture below) He even gets himself stuck on the chairs when they are pushed under the kitchen table because he still insists on climbing onto them.

never uses a binky!

loves toy cars

is now drinking cow's milk from a sippy cup

still has little interest in TV or kid movies

has discovered my eyelashes and tries to pull them out any chance he get!

has learned how to "high five"

still isn't saying any words...just baby jibberish

loves loves loves to cuddle with his soft "blankie"

insists on standing during his entire bath time in the tub

loves my cell phone

just started daycare

Speaking of daycare...can I just say, his first day was SO hard for me! I have been so lucky and blessed to have two fabulous babysitters this past year that have watched Seth at their homes while I visited my clients. Seth loved being at their homes and playing with their kiddos. But I wanted to start working longer blocks of time during the day and these two amazing babysitters were both pregnant and so I just felt it was time to put Seth in a traditional daycare.

I was looking forward to having two whole days to myself to work and visit clients and be productive. And then his first day came. I took him into his classroom where he immediately ran off to examine all the new toys he had never seen before and I easily slipped out without him noticing. And as I walked away, tears just started streaming down my face. I couldn't control them! I became so emotional and was fanning myself with my hands trying to get a grip on things. The two women at the front desk just smiled at me, told me it was a normal thing. Well I had a good cry over the phone with my mom on the way back to my house after that and felt better.

But I digress.

Seth is a busy little boy, constantly changing and so much fun...most of the time. (Not right now though because he is pulling on my legs and whining for my attention.) That's my cue to end this post!

Seth's 1st Birthday 06.14.2011

2011-06-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

Clint and I survived the last 12 months...or maybe we should say Seth survived living with us for the last 12 months! I have literally been working on Seth's 1st birthday party for the last several weeks. It was quite stressful. I compiled a lot of video clips from Seth's 1st year and had a friend burn them onto a DVD and we had that playing in the background during the party. I also spent a lot of time getting his baby book and a 1st year photo album ready for display. And I put some cute FotoFly pictures out on tables for people to see as well. I probably went a little over the top...but that is just me! Here are some pictures from the event:

Thank goodness for sisters!

Kaylyn came over early to decorate the house while I prepped the food and decorated his cake. He loves Aunt Kaylyn!

Seth hanging out with Grandpa C

Kaylyn had added crepe paper to the ceiling fan above them and so the streamers were whirling around and Seth was quite entertained!

Seth = Ladies Man
He enjoyed all the attention from his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

The BBQ feast!

Clint manned the grill while I kept things stocked inside. I was so distracted with this that I almost forgot to feed Seth. Almost. He finally got a nice tray full of hot dog, watermelon, pickles, and baked beans.

The dreaded birthday cake.

I don't know why I feel this way but for some reason I thought it would be extremely "un-motherly" of me to NOT make his first birthday cake. Maybe it is because my mom always made mine. I don't know. I stressed over the cake for weeks. I ordered these glove and sphere cake molds online and made about four practice cakes until I knew exactly how I should decorate it. Disclaimer: I am not a master cake maker. All I had to do was pour the cake batter into the glove and it shaped itself. I just had to decorate it. My only complaint with the decorating on this final attempt was that I didn't lighten up the chocolate frosting enough. I wish those chocolate licorice lacings were more visible.
But we gave Seth the baseball on top as his first birthday cake. I also got a little chocolate "smash cake" from Macey's for him to dive into as well...so he would be extra messy. He loved his cake!

Singing Happy Birthday to Seth!

Baseball cake demolished and in baby mouth....CHECK!

Smash cake destroyed and all over baby, high chair, floor, walls....CHECK!

Seth smiling due to the affects of a sugar high....CHECK!

He loved his cake! Thanks Briana for filming while I passed out cake!

Clint hosed Seth down after his sugar-fest (the remnants of chocolate cake still reside in the bathtub. I haven't had time to clean it yet! Don't judge me.) After he was cleaned up we opened presents. You can see he preferred the bow more than the actual gift.

He got so many great presents:

A toy race car (above) from my parents. He played with it for hours the following day!

A gift card from his cousin Thayne to pick out his own toy from Toys R Us.

An inchworm from Jon and Briana and baby Matthew that glides across the floor...seriously the coolest thing ever!

Some race cars from his cousins Colette, Kylie, Camille, and Heidi.

A caterpillar bug with the alphabet letters on each leg. I mainly got this present for myself because I think it is hiliarious that if you try to spell out a swear word on the legs, the caterpillar giggles! I know, I'm mature.

And a little bike trailer/buggy that will attach to Clint's bike from Clint's parents. We are especially excited for this gift so we can go on some family bike rides.

So HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY! to our amazing little Seth-monster!

This first year was quite the adventure and we are looking forward to some great new adventures!

Seth's 12 month pictures!

2011-06-16T08:09:00.001-07:00

Last week we went to Foto Fly to have Seth's 12 month pictures taken. I was a little worried that there wouldn't be many cute pictures of him because the photographer would get him to smile and then the flash would go off and Seth's face would instantly change to one of surprise. But there ended up being SO many cute ones to choose from! I couldn't put them all on here but I picked out my very favorites:

I love how the photographer took some pictures that weren't directly centered or were angled a little askew. That is my kind of contemporary style!

I love this picture because Seth looks like my own little Casper the Friendly Ghost but also because it captured one of Seth's typical curious expressions.

Hello, adorable!!!! I love how his blue eyes pop in this picture!

My little heartbreaker!

I think this is my favorite picture of Seth because he is so happy when he is climbing and standing on things...like chairs and tables...you know, places that he shouldn't be standing. He sort of gets this mischeivious grin on his face like he's getting away with something he knows his mommy doesn't want him to be doing.

Veggie Update!

2011-06-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

I mentioned earlier that I was starting a vegetable garden for the first time EVER! Seth, Clint, and I go visit the garden a few times a week to see how things are looking. So I thought I would show everyone my vegetable progress.

Here is a green bell pepper looking pretty good!

Some cilantro seeds sprouted about a week ago.

And some precious little green onions made an appearance as well!
I know...contain the excitement, everyone!

Clint and I have also taken a strong interest in the yard this year. I have wanted to have a nice yard every year but just never seem to get around to it. There are still lots of things we would like to do but, alas, time, money, and experience seemed to slow our efforts this year. Hopefully next year will be better.

A close up of my front porch garden...which I scour every evening for bugs and wilted petunia petals. :)

Congratulations Kaylyn!

2011-06-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

Yes. I know.

Most of you may not believe that I have a sibling 11 years younger than me. Crazy! I like it though because she brings out mine and Clint's "inner teenager" with her stories and sense of fashion. Kaylyn just graduated from high school! It's crazy that she is already that old! Because that means I am even OLDER!!! But I love her so much and am proud of her for getting through this important milestone!

Good job Kaylyn!

Green Thumb

2011-05-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

For many years I have wanted to be a good gardener. Every year I try but I'm just not very good at it. All the indoor plants I have owned have died and my attempt at petunias in the front yard last year was abysmal. Which is why I haven't even tried to attempt a vegetable garden. But this year, my ward announced they had some small garden boxes available at a stake property for vegetable growing. So, without thinking, I raised my hand and said I wanted a box.

The very skilled and "all knowing" Brother Hemmert (as I now believe him to be) contacted me about my garden box and I shamefully admitted that I know nothing about growing a garden and that I was willing to give up my little bit of land to someone better suited for actually growing something. He assured me that he would help me get things going.

So I bought some plants and planted items last night.

My reasons for blogging about this is that I thought if I maybe had some accountability to others about my progress with the garden that I might make a better effort at making sure my plants don't die. So for the many readers out there that I know follow my blog (ha ha) here are my first pictures:
This is my garden box. Ready for my plants!

Here it is after I planted everything. I planted a little salsa garden: green bell peppers, Anaheim peppers, jalapeno peppers, red chili peppers, garlic, cilantro, green onions, and tomatoes. Brother Hemmert also had some extra broccoli plants so I added one of those as well.

Wish me luck! I'll try to post some more pictures as things start growing...I hope!

Greatest Actor of Our Generation

2011-05-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

Let me start this blog with an apology to anyone expecting cute picture of Seth taking his first steps or of a Cunningham BBQ. I have hijacked the family blog for one of my random late night posts centered on one of my stranger guilty pleasures....Paul Walker.

Don't judge me just yet.

Before anyone gets any incorrect ideas about how he is a guilty pleasure, let me explain: I absolutely love movies and he is the actor whose movie I would most likely want to go see based on his track record.

When I watch or judge a movie, I mainly look for 2 things:

#1) Whether or not I was entertained

#2) Whether or not I would be entertained if I saw the movie additional times.

Based on those 2 simple criteria, I cannot think of an actor with a better track record than Paul Walker (PW). Whenever I am channel surfing and come across a PW movie, I 100% guarantee I will end up watching the rest of the movie if I am able. Think of it as the reverse of any Sean Penn movie.

There are several key factors that cause PW movies to stand out and stand up to my 2 criteria. The first is PW as an actor.

PW the Actor(ish).

PW is a fairly bad actor, which is lucky because that is a key component as to why his movies are so watchable. Here are some actual movie quotes:

2 Fast 2 Furious - "I know man, its getting thick real quick"

The Skulls - "You've been digging, Luke, and if you keep digging, you'll be digging your own grave"

I could watch this movie every Saturday

Timeline - "The way I see it, we've got what, we've got 650 years of knowledge on these guys. If we put our heads together, there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to get out of here and home in 20 minutes"

Pleasantville - "I don't know if I ever told you this before, but I think you're just about the keenest girl in the whole school" **This is not even close to his best quote in this movie but it was the cleanest. He literally steals every scene he is in.

His scenes are the best of the movie

PW's lack of talent is an asset in these movies because it makes the delivery of his lines acceptable. Whenever a really talented actor is forced to say bad lines, it makes the audience uncomfortable. Whenever a lesser talented actor says bad lines it is more likely to be entertaining and believable because the lines are within the audience's expectations for the performance. If any of his movie scenes were actually taking place in real life, I could honestly picture PW saying the lines as they appear in his movies. This is a strangely unique gift and makes me think PW would have been perfect for a gem like Independence Day.

PW Movies

This is where the track record of PW shines through. Almost without fail, the plots of PW movies are heavy on action/eye candy and extremely light on thinking or complexity. This is normally a crucial ingredient for the repetitive entertainment value of a movie. I may love movies like The King's Speech but I wouldn't want to watch it a couple of times a month.

Lets summarize some of his movies in 2 lines or less just to prove my point.

The Fast and the Furious

PW plays a cop who has to race cars undercover to solve a hijacking crime spree. He quickly develops a magical bond with the bad guys and is unsure what the right outcome should be.

This poster was screaming for an Oscar nod

Into the Blue

PW is a beachbum treasure hunter with a hot girlfriend who stumbles across a lost drug shipment and ocean treasure in the same calendar month. He has to figure out a way to escape the drug dealers while keeping his treasure.

Timeline

PW is the rebellious son of an archeologist who has to travel back in time to save his father. While time traveling, he must manage to outwit an entire midieval army.

None of these movies really seem to strain the mind but all involve adventure, romance and a lot of classic lines that only PW could pull off. Here is list of all the PW movies I would watch tomorrow if I came across them on tv: The Fast and Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Fast and Furious (4), Fast Five, Takers, Timeline, She's All That (yup), Joy Ride, Into the Blue, Eight Below, Pleasantville, The Skulls, and Varsity Blues. Some of those movies simply have PW in a small or supporting role but it doesnt matter because his formula for success is consistent throughout. There are actually some PW movies I still need to see but am confident would immediately fit my criteria (The Lazarus Project, Running Scared and The Death and Life of Bobby Z).

He has some blips (Noel and Flags of Our Fathers) that appear to violate his proven pattern but I think his overall body of work would trump the exceptions.

This entire column only proves how strange my fascination with PW movies are but at least I spared you a column on my fascination with Cher's Do you believe in life after love. Besides, we all have our guilty pleasure...I just don't hide mine very well.

2011-04-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty lucky these past few months. I got to take a long trip to the Carribbean in January, Clint and I got to take a little two day trip to Vegas in February while our awesome friends house sat and watched Seth for us, and we got to take a short little Seattle trip in March.

We thought we would see how Seth did on an airplane when he was 9 months old. Seattle isn't too long of a flight so we thought it would be nice to go up for a "weekend" trip and introduce him to some of Clint's coworkers and visit the area.

I must admit I was pretty worried about Seth's behavior. He doesn't really like to sit still at all. So we brought some treats and new toys on the plane to occupy him.

On the shuttle headed to the airport. He seemed to do pretty well on on the bus.

In line at security. Those velcro shoes had him so occupied.

On the plane. He was so happy before take off. Everyone was smiling at him and telling us what a happy baby he was...

...and then when we took off he became an absolute nightmare. The take off didn't seem to bother him but he just didn't want to hold still. He didn't want his new toys, didn't want his treats, and didn't want to be held. He screamed for a good 20 minutes and I got several looks of death from people.

I vow from this moment on to NEVER again judge someone who brings a child on a plane and the child misbehaves. There was seriously nothing I could do to make him happy. When the seatbelt sign finally turned off, Clint stood up with him and he seemed to calm down. Amidst the dirty looks I did see one woman smiling at him and playing peek-a-boo and I literally started to tear up. I was SO appreciative that she seemed so understanding.

So, anyway, quite humiliating. Let me just say, it was during this time that I again realized how lucky I am to have Clint as my husband and how much I love him. He remained calm and kept me calm as we did our best to keep Seth happy and under control. I thought we made a pretty good team when it came to handling our carryon bags and all Seth's stuff.

Seth was pretty good at the hotel. The first night he did wake up crying (and couldn't be consoled) which has never happened before. I think it was just because he was not in his crib and he was in a new environment. But the other two nights he did fine.

He looks a little possessed here...

I didn't want to bring his high chair with me since we already had to pack a ton of other things so I decided to feed Seth in the bath tub for all his meals. It actually worked out REALLY well.

Seth and Dad just chilling in bed...

Just hangin' out in down town Seattle...

Outside the Seattle Aquarium

Blow Fish just creep me out.

Seth was somewhat entertained at the Aquarium. I think he is still a little young though.

On the pier...

Thankfully, it timed pretty well that when we flew home he was ready for a nap so he slept for about 45 minutes of the flight. He was MUCH better on the way home because of this.

It was nice to have a little family vacation but I think Clint and I both agree that we won't be taking anymore trips like this for a while.

Random Seth Faces

2011-04-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

Seth is just getting cuter and cuter every day. He has such animated facial expressions and is so curious about things. I thought I would share a little...

His eyes say, "That camera thingy looks like fun. I want it!"

Hello static! He looks like a balloon was just rubbed across his head.

This picture was taken after he slept 12 hours one night. I was getting a little anxious for him to wake up so I finally just went into his room with the camera. You could tell he was still a little out of it when I took this picture. He just rested his head against the crib slats.

He has such a fun time cruising across the railing that separates our kitchen from our den.

He couldn't quite decide if he likes the Jello or not

The funniest part of this video is that he was laughing over and over again when we first started playing this game. But the moment I started filming, he cried. What the heck?

This video had Clint and I laughing so hard. You can tell that part way through this that he suddenly couldn't hold himself up anymore and it scared him. Ha ha!

Snowshoeing

2011-04-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

In January we went snowshoeing with Clint's dad. Holy crap! By the end of it, my hips were numb. My muscles were so sore! It took everything in me to try to keep up with Clint and his dad throughout the trek. I usually still trailed behind by about 15 feet. But it was definitely a fun and beautiful experience.

I'm still all smiles here because the trek hadn't yet begun.

I literally almost face planted on this little "bridge" right before Clint took this picture.

Overall, it was a fun experience. I don't think my hips will allow me to do it again but I am glad I did it.

A Seth Update

2011-03-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Clint and I are plugging along as usual. We are still adapting to "life as a family" where there is no such thing as sleeping in and life revolves around our little bug, Seth. He is changing so much. I was looking through the photo album I have put together for him and it really seems like yesterday that we were holding this tiny little baby in our arms. Now he is cruising around the house and starting to communicate. It's amazing to see how much he has changed...and how much Clint and I have changed too. Here is a little summary of what Seth is up to at 9 months old:

He smiles at all the girls that he meets. (He is definitely a little flirt.) But he just stares suspiciously at men.

He crawls all over the house and is now very confidently cruising across furniture.

He stands on his own for a few seconds when he is very focused on a toy but when he realizes that he isn't holding on to anything he loses his balance and falls over.

He loves to bite his mommy...especially when she isn't paying attention to him.

Speaking of biting...he has two bottom teeth and I think his two upper front teeth are going to break through very soon.

He rarely uses a binky. (Yay!)

He is starting to mimick you when you wave good bye to him. Except that he waves his hand at himself rather than at you.

He screams and arches his whole body when you take a toy away from him.

He has been sleeping 10 hours at night since January. Love that!

He still takes 2 naps during the day.

He loves to throw everything: food, toys, clothes...I think he just likes to see what happens to it when it lands. (He recently threw my cell phone in the bath tub.)

He is definitely a "momma's boy" and always wants me to hold him.

He is obsessed with flushing the toilet and unraveling toilet paper from the roll.

He gets in very lovey-dovey moods and will give constant open-mouthed wet slobbery kisses during this time.

He likes to growl at people.

He seems to be learning something new every day. And while he is hard work, we just love him to pieces!

Vacation Time! What a Way to Start off 2011!

2011-01-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

I am taking advantage of Seth's naptime to blog about the Caribbean Cruise I recently went on. Clint was a great hubby (as always) and offered to stay home with Seth for 10 days while I went on vacation with my mom and sister. It was really fun (although I would have loved to have Clint with me) and I got to see a lot of great places. Here are some pictures below:

We sailed on the Carnival Valor.

Leaving Miami....

First day at sea. Kaylen snagged us a few chairs to "get our tan on!"

Actually more like "get our burn on! "

The Hairy Chest Contest. Why I wanted to watch this is beyond me. But it was pretty entertaining to see men humiliate themselves.

Sunset somewhere in the Caribbean....on our way to the Cayman Islands.

We dined in the Lincoln room every night. The dinner food was always AMAZING!

Every evening, our cabin steward came into our room and turned down our beds. And he always left us the cutest little animal creations.

At the Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman. They seriously just let you pick these turtles up whenever you want. I'm wondering how many of them die as the result of so many tourists handling them....sad.

That didn't stop us from picking up a few turtles though.

A view from our cabin of Honduras...Beautiful!

In Honduras, we went to a private island called Maya Key for a relaxing day at the beach.

My mom and I attempted to snorkel at the island but it wasn't great...

They also had a wild life reserve on the island with parrots, monkeys, crocodiles, etc. for us to see.

And we got an awesome traditional Honduran lunch. Those things on the top of my plate are banana chips. They were interesting...

This iguana was wandering around our table as we ate and so we threw it a few banana chips. He came over to us, licked one of the chips, and then darted straight for our table. We screamed so loud that everyone stopped and stared at us. I guess the little guy doesn't like banana chips!

I also had the opportunity to snorkel in this enclosed area of the bay while they fed some nurse sharks. Now don't get too excited. Nurse sharks aren't aggressive. But it was still pretty cool to be at arm's length from these 8 foot sharks!

Sunrise off the coast of Belize....

On the bus in Belize on our way to the Mayan Ruins of Xunantunich. We were told that people in Belize do not like to owe money to banks so they do not take out loans to build a nice home. Instead they purchase something small and then add to it over the years as they can afford it. So a lot of the homes were a mish mash of different materials and were very run down. It was a very different way of life than here in the US.

After a 2 hour bus ride, a ferry across a river, and a van ride up the hill, we arrived at Xunantunich.

The main castle.

At the top of the castle...Guatemala is in the background.

There are no railings...so it was pretty dangerous at the top. But I couldn't resist getting a picture from that view.

A view from below of what we just climbed.

While waiting for the ferry on our way back from the ruins, we saw this iguana/lizard thing. We were told that the more bright and vibrant the color of his skin was, the more attractive he was to the females. Poor guy...he must be the ugliest lizard in town...

We traveled back to a restaurant in Belize where we ate a traditional Belizean lunch. The rice and beans were SO good. And I really liked the fried plantain too. I have a thing for taking pictures of food, huh?

Sunset off as we left Belize and traveled to Cozumel...I loved how the rays of sun look like a crown above the clouds! The sunrises and sunsets on this cruise never got boring to me!

In Cozumel we relaxed at a local beach with some family.

The water was a little cold at first...

My cousin Mike, aunt Karen, my mom and I did some snorkeling. Despite this being such a crowded beach, there were actually quite a few cool fish to see. Mike and I would come up from the water for a moment to adjust our snorkel gear and go down again and these huge gray fish would just be swarming around us. Crazy!

They had a Christmas nativity scene set up. Kaylyn couldn't help herself. She had to go give Joseph a cuddle.

This was on the Lido deck of the ship where all the buffet food was. We would always meet up by this wall as a family to eat breakfast or lunch or play games. I love my uncle Brian. He is so entertaining!

A sting ray from our cabin steward...

In the Everglades in Miami after debarking from the ship.

Our tour guide on the air boat...I have to say...he didn't seem to know very much.

Eating some crocodile tail at the restaurant. It tasted like chicken!

And these last three pictures are of the crocodiles we saw while on the air boat tour of the Everglades. They are quite creepy!

I forgot about this!

2011-01-17T16:35:00.001-08:00

I forgot to blog about this.

Earlier this year, Clint and I decided to put a puzzle together in an effort to keep from going insane while being housebound with Seth. Now, when we put a puzzle together in my family, there is a rule that you cannot look at the picture on the box while putting it together. Which means this puzzle was pretty hard to put together. I got to the point where I was dreaming of puzzle pieces because we would stare at them for hours at a time right before going to bed.

Anyway, we plugged away at this puzzle for weeks and finally started to finish it up. And this is how it looked finished. Yes...you can see that one piece is MISSING! We seriously searched and searched and searched for this last piece and couldn't find it anywhere. Either the dogs ate it, it was never in the box in the first place, or we vacummed it up.

Speaking of vacuums...we actually pulled the bag out of the vacuum and searched through all the dust in a desparate attempt to find the last piece. I decided to play a trick on Clint and yelled "I found it! I found it!" And he came running over only to see me laughing at him. A few minutes later I flipped through some of the dust and, what would you know, there was the last piece! I screamed to Clint again that I had found it! I was so excited I was shaking! So Clint told me since I found the missing piece that I should be the one to put it in and complete the puzzle. And when I went to put the piece in, I noticed that we were missing ANOTHER piece! To get back at me for tricking him earlier, he had hid another piece of the puzzle in the dust to make me THINK that I had found the final piece. All I can say is...he got me good!

Seth's First Big Boo-Boo

2011-01-14T18:15:00.000-08:00

So, let me first start by apologizing for the "baby talk." I'm not a big fan of the word "boo boo" but that is the best way to describe Seth's unfortunate mishap this week.

I was working at my desk and he was sitting by my feet, happy as can be, just chewing on a rubber ducky. He still has a few wobbly moments when he is sitting on his own and in a flash he had teetered just enough to throw him off balance and he fell forward - right into a sharp edge of our bedframe.

I can't even begin to describe the scream that came out of this poor little dude's mouth. Above his right eye turned purple immediately. He stopped crying fairly quickly but I still felt so bad for him!

This picture was taken about 2 minutes after the "event" occurred. I was panicking and called Clint to see if I should take him to the doctor. (He was in Seattle for the week.) He told me to take a picture to see how bad it was. Poor little buddy is still quite upset as you can see in the picture.

And I have to also apologize for the poor picture quality. These pictures were taken on my cell phone and for some reason they wouldn't enlarge so I had to manually enhance them. This picture was taken the next day. He seems pretty happy considering he looks like he is wearing purple eyeshadow on his right eye.

Family Pictures

2011-01-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

For Christmas we received some money from my wonderful grandparents to be used for a gift for the entire family. It was made very clear to us that the moo-lah could not be used to pay off a debt or an upcoming bill but needed to be spent on something that the entire family could enjoy.

I thought getting some family pictures done would be a good way to go. Granted, Seth can't necessarily enjoy the pictures the way Clint and I can...but really, the kid would be happy with a ball of used duct tape, so I don't think his opinion counts for much yet.

We had the pictures done at Fotofly. I was really impressed - it wasn't too pricey and the photographer did a great job.

Here are a few of our favorites:

The only problem with this picture is that you've got a couple of fair-skinned whities in front of a white background. So yes, Clint and I feel like Casper the friendly ghost. You can barely see us, we are so washed out! But I still like the picture overall.

I tried to spike Seth's little "faux hawk" here but it went flat. Still, I love his little grin in this picture.

Clint comments that it looks like I am going to eat Seth. I was planning on it.

Seth and his daddy. My two handsome boys!

Clint and I are actually standing on either side of this chair with our arms out...just waiting to catch Seth should he decide to take a dive off the chair. He does that sometimes.

The photographer had a laugh at my shoes. He thought they needed some attention in one of the pictures. Come on! Just because I'm a mom now doesn't mean my feet can't look good!

Clint was standing above him in this picture. I just see it in Seth's face. He's saying "Hi Dad! What's up?"

And this is his "chill" position.

What a cutie!

Ok. So this is my mom's favorite picture. I'm not really sure why. I think the way he has us positioned reminds me of a picture from the 70's or something. I don't know. Dang we are white though!

This picture is awesome! Our precious little Seth is giving us "the finger." Naughty!

This picture is kind of boring. I don't have much to say here...

But let me just say a big THANK YOU
to my grandparents for being so generous and paying for these pictures and for a nice print to put in our home. They are the best!

I'm not dead...I'm just busy!

2010-12-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

I am so busy with work, housework, and taking care of Seth that I don't have a lot of free time to blog. All you out there who keep up on the blogging after having a kid are SUPER WOMEN! I get so behind! So rather than try to catch up, I'll just recap on a few things...

Clint turned 28 at the end of November. Sadly, that seems young to me since I am a year and a half older than him. But we had a nice day together. I made him breakfast and then we went to the movies and saw Harry Potter. Then later that night we had some friends over and we had pizza and cake and ice cream. I'm thinking he had a pretty nice day....he didn't complain to me about it, at least.

I went back to work part-time in August. It has been a challenge to balance things but I am finally getting the hang of it and am really enjoying my time at home with Seth and also being able to continue working in an industry that I really love. It also helps that I have two great babysitters who Seth seems to love!

Seth is growing so fast. It seems like just yesterday that he was so fragile and I was scared out of my mind over how to hold him, feed him, recognize his cries... He is 6 months old and crawling...that's right folks...he has been crawling for the last few weeks. He doesn't do the typical hands and knees crawl though. He just pulls himself across the floor. Seth has also cut his two bottom teeth. He actually handled that pretty well. Below are his 6 months check up stats:

Length: 25.7 inches 40th percentile

Weight: 16 lbs 11 oz 45th percentile

Melon: 42.4 cm 20th percentile

Here are some pictures...

We found the cutest little Dragon costume at Costco for Seth for Halloween. This is Clint and Seth with his Aunt Char and cousin Thayne. We went to Clint's dad's work for some fun "in-door" trick-or-treating. Seth collected the candy and Clint and I ate it.

I just happened to get a lucky shot of Seth one day. This is one of my favorite pictures of him!

We recently went to an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Thanks to my friend Jules, Clint and I had some hideous sweaters to wear. And I went to Carter's and found the ugliest sweater possible for Seth.

Seth is such an odd little sleeper. He has actually always slept really well at night. There have only been maybe 5 times that I can remember where he has woken up in the early morning hours. I'm definitely spoiled that way.

He now insists on sleeping on his tummy. I tried and tried to roll him back over so he would sleep on his back but he would normally wake up, look at me, and then roll right back onto his tummy. I gave up.

This is a classic picture of Seth. He definitely looks like he is in trouble for getting into something that he shouldn't be getting into. He seriously is on the move ALL day long and doesn't want toys at all. He likes wall outlets, TV cords, you know, the things that will kill him if I'm not watching him closely.

We started Seth on rice cereal at around 4 months. He hated it. But now that I mix applesauce and bananas with it he seems much happier. As you can see, he wants to feed himself.

And this is what happens when I let him feed himself. A BIG mess. Also, has anyone noticed that you can wipe your baby's face multiple times and STILL find baby food on him an hour later? That stuff is tricky to clean up!

And much to Clint's dismay, Seth seems so entertained by the piano. He just loves to sit on my lap and mess around. He's my little Beethoven in the making!

Here is a little video of Seth doing his army crawl. You will also notice that he has started to recognize his name when we call him.

Our little Sether is growing up!

2010-11-20T20:46:00.000-08:00

Seth is really growing up fast. He is a little over 5 months old now and is so close to sitting up on his own. He is also developing quite the interesting personality. This kid has got a SERIOUS set of lungs...and he has a pretty bad temper. Usually when I lay him down in his play pen or on the floor to play with toys he cries and screams like I have just done the most horrible thing in the world. Clint and I have gotten used to lingering migraine headaches as the result of Seth's daily tantrums. But when he isn't screaming his head off, we have been able to capture some cute moments with him.

I took this picture one Sunday morning last month. I just love his little church outfit! He's my preppy little guy!

Seth is so curious. He loves to take his wash cloth from me during his baths and eat it.

This is Daddy/Seth time. Clint was trying to explain to Seth how fantasy football works.

My dad bought this BYU hat at the hospital gift shop when Seth was first born. His head is finally big enough for it. Now that it is getting colder, I have a lot of excuses to put it on him!

Seth is rolling around so much now. We will put him to bed in the middle of the crib and in the morning I will find him squished into the corner. We find him asleep on his tummy with his bum in the air or with the blanket wrapped around his middle. The worst is when I find the blanket up over his head. We have discovered this a couple of time this week...which makes me really nervous. He's such a little weirdo.

We introduced Seth to rice cereal when he was 4 months old. That started off well. Now he really doesn't seem too into it anymore. Some days he screams and screams and screams when I try to feed him anything in his high chair. He just really loves his formual more. But we are slowly adding applesauce. That seems to help.

Labor Day Breakfast

2010-11-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay! I know this post is WAY late but Seth is a handful so I don't really get time to blog too much. Not to mention...Clint and I are pretty boring. We haven't really done much worth blogging about.

For Labor Day this year we drove up the canyon to a little camp ground and ate breakfast with some of Clint's family. Paul was our superb chef. He cooked Italian sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, campfire toast (which is delish!) and hot chocolate.

Seth was a champ! He was all bundled up and enjoyed hanging out with us while we ate. I'm hoping we make this an annual tradition!

Paul at the grill!
Thayne saying 'hello' to his baby cousin!

Seth cuddling with this Aunt Char

I know Clint doesn't like to hear it but Seth actually looks better in blue than in red. Sorry sweetie!

Random 99 or something

2010-09-04T04:08:00.000-07:00

I am overdue for more pictures and commentary so here are a few

This is Seth's "I made a poopy" face. Looks strangely like his mother.....

Emily and Seth at the Bees game. We were lucky to get this picture with all the people around interfering with our shot.

Seth is already disgusted with the play of local teams. I told him to get used to it, since he has yet to endure a Utah Jazz season.

Seth cheered up when I explained that we actually wanted the visiting team (the Triple A affiliate to the Oakland A's) to win. Actually I think he was just happy to be surrounded by bright shiny things. . . he gets that from his daddy.

This is one of those moments when I can practically hear Seth thinking, "Who are you and why is there not a boob in my face?"

Seth must have seen Emily standing off to the side. It was like ringing the dinner bell. Daddy is only interesting on a full stomach or when it is time to pee on something.

This is Seth's new favorite toy. Sure, it has alot of fun attachments and distractions but they only entertain for 4 or 5 hours...tops. I haven't let Seth go that long, but that is normally when I hit my wall. Afterall, I can only play with hanging butterflies and mirrors for so long.

Occasionally Emily is forced to let me baby sit. This is a common sight when I try to lay him down for a nap. I don't actually think his eyes close unless mommy is around.

This is adorable, right? Not so much. You don't see the slowly forming poop stain forming below him.

HobbleCreek Half!

2010-08-23T19:28:00.001-07:00

It's RUNNING time again, folks!

I feel like I'm having deja vu! A year ago I was standing in this exact same spot at the exact same time (4:30 AM!) taking a picture of my mom, dad, and Clint right before they ran the Hobblecreek Half Marathon. This year it was Clint and his friend Jon who were running the race.

Briana practicing with her camera to get the best live action shots before Jon and Clint came in.

Run Clint, Run!

Go Jon!

Whew! It's finally over!

Clint's time: 2 hours 15 minutes. I'm such a proud wife!

Briana and I needed to reinact our marvelous cheer leading methods!

Clint and Jon both did great! Especially since this was Jon's first race. But they were both pretty sore and "hobbling" around the rest of the day! Ha ha ha! I crack myself up!

Salmon Supper in Payson

2010-08-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

Apparently every summer Payson holds a Salmon Supper where they fly in this salmon from some place and the firemen cook it up and they serve this fun dinner. I LOVE salmon so Clint, Seth, and I joined some of my family for the dinner this year.

As you can see, this is becoming quite the popular event!

Lois Bacon (my grandma's friend), my grandma, and my mom all cooing over little Seth!

The family was enjoying their salmon so much that only grandma bothered to look up from her plate to wave at me when I took this picture! Side note: the woman in the right bottom corner and her husband who is not in the picture were such snots! Clint and I were sitting on the other side of them because they were not willing to move down so we could sit with our family. They also decided to act annoyed as we all tried to talk because we were talking around them. I'm sort of glad they were annoyed...serves them right for not moving!

Clint, who is not a huge fan of salmon, was still willing to make the long drive to Payson to make his wife happy. I'm so lucky!

A few videos to share...

2010-08-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post a few little videos of Seth. He sure is growing fast!

Seth at 7 1/2 weeks...enjoying his bumbo!

Seth started smiling around 6-7 weeks old. It seriously brightens my day when he catches my eye and grins. It makes the lack of sleep, countless diaper changes, and round the clock feedings worth it!

Seth at 10 weeks. He has just discovered his hands this last week and sucks on them whenever they find their way to his mouth. I just find it so entertaining to see him do this!

July 24th Parade

2010-08-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I took forever to post this...but come on! I'm busy these days! I haven't been to a parade since I was a little girl. My friend Briana goes every year with her family. They even sleep over the night before to get a good spot. So she invited us to sit with her family. Luckily, we didn't have to sleep over. Seth was almost 6 weeks old so we were a little nervous with how he would do, but he did great!

Poor Clint worked until 6 am and then came straight home and picked Seth and I up to drive down town. He was so tired but was a good sport!

President Uchtdorf drove by in the parade and he pointed right at Seth (who was sleeping in Jon's arms) and said, "Now he's precious!"

Seriously, President Uchtdorf is right. He is precious! We even dressed him in a festive little onesie!

Seth likes to take naps in Jon's arms. It's kinda nice to have a break!

Clint and I are such fans of bag pipes. I would never want to learn how to play them but I love to listen to them!

Bonding Time with Grandpa C

2010-08-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture of Seth and Grandpa C. (Clint's dad, Paul.) Paul came over to watch Seth last night. Seth was being pretty fussy so Paul took him off my hands for a few minutes while I went upstairs. I came down 5 minutes later to find Seth sound asleep on his shoulder. So cute!

I love that his grandparents like spending time with him already!

Seth's Baby Blessing

2010-08-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

Today was Seth's baby blessing. Seth was an angel on Saturday so I worried today he would be a grumpy little man. The day didn't start off well when he woke up at 3:50 am and as the blessing time got closer, Seth was still wide awake and starting to squirm and fuss.

Before the blessing there was a baptism confirmation. Seth started to cry so I stood up and walked to the door with him so I would be able to step out if he started crying. Two minutes later the confirmation was over and I was preparing myself for Seth to start wailing as I handed him over to Clint. But as I moved him off my shoulder, a prayer was answered! He was fast asleep and stayed that way through the entire blessing AND the rest of the sacrament hour!

The words Clint spoke to little Seth were so sweet. He ended his blessing reminding Seth of how lucky we were to have him in our life and to never doubt that we love him. For those of you who know Clint, he isn't shy around his friends but he isn't really social in large groups...especially groups of people he doesn't know well. I know he was nervous to give the blessing and so I am so proud of him!

This was right before sacrament started. My two boys are so handsome!

I absolutely LOVE this picture of Seth. He just looks like such a little man!

Seth with Nana!

Jon holding Seth and Briana holding Mia. Don't these two look like naturals with the kiddos??? I think they need to have one of their own...and SOON! :)

Shawn and Kim. So cute! I was so happy to have Shawn in the circle today with Clint while they blessed Seth.

Seth is giving us a thumbs up for a great lunch/party after the blessing...although he slept through the entire thing!

Emily and Kaylyn. Kaylyn got all the good looks in the family! She will be the one to teach Seth how to be stylish!

Seth with great Grandma and Grandpa Rasmussen.

Seth with Grandma and Papa. Thankfully, Grandma and Papa were kind enough to host the lunch at their house since their house is 1) bigger 2) nicer and 3) has WAY more parking!

Seth is one cool dude!

This Seth's cousin Colette. She will be 8 at the end of the month so she was trying on her baptism dress. How could we not get a picture of the two of them all in white?!

Four generations (from left to right: Seth, Clint, David, and Grandpa Rasmussen)

Seth with his mommy. Yes, I know. I look tired. I AM tired.

I was so excited for Clint to have this opportunity as a father. He is a wonderful dad already. I think he changes more diapers in a day than I do. I am so lucky to have him in my life and I am so thankful that we have little Sethy too.

One Last Hurrah!

2010-08-01T19:19:00.001-07:00

The weekend before Seth and Mia were born, Clint and I thought it would be nice to get our friends together for one last dinner without car seats and crying babies. We met at the Olive Garden and had an awesome time! I love our friends and am so grateful to have them in our life!

In this picture (Clint, Emily, Jon, Briana, Greg, Danny, Taryn, Melissa, Raquel, and Dre.)

Sorry boys, for the blurry shot!

Melissa is sandwiched between two prego girls! Ha ha!

Wall Art just for Seth!

2010-07-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

The wife of one of my clients loves art. So their offices are decorated like a museum. There are paintings all over the walls of the hallway! Some of the paintings are hers and others are works by local artists. Awhile back I was visiting the group and a painting caught my eye. It was a watercolor of elephants. I just loved it and would always make a point to look at it each time I visited.

When I found out I was pregnant and I started decorating the room for our baby I thought of this painting. So I emailed the owner's wife and asked her if it was for sale. This particular painting wasn't for sale but she was so happy to hear that I liked it that she offered to paint another one for my baby.

Yesterday I was able to go pick it up and I got it put on Seth's wall this morning. I love it so much! Seth might not care about it but I am always going to remind him that this painting was done just for him.

More Random Seth....woo!

2010-07-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

I know what you were all waiting for.....more Seth! WARNING! ADORABLE NUDITY!

Yo! Kiss my cheeks!

Check out the mohawk! That was Emily's idea, but I think it suits him.

The look of a future Ute....kind of absent but content.

Emily wants you to think that she bought this to celebrate the 4th of July but the truth is she just wanted to be able to remember what year he was born.

Look at those little monkey feet, he can already grab stuff as well with them as with his hands. Nana C couldn't be more proud.

Seth is contemplating his next move.....sleep, eat or poop? Poop and Eat? Eat and then sleep? Poop, Sleep and Cry? Cry then Eat? He settled on Cry, Cry and then Cry.

He is saying "Hug me!". So I did.

This looks so adorable until you realize a pee stain magically appeared after we were done taking his picture. I guess that explains his content look.

More sleeping Seth, haven't seen enough of those yet have you?

Gotta love this shot. We honestly took 100 pictures to get this one. We better delete our failed attempts before someone stumbles across them and gets the wrong idea. He does have a cute butt though, it just seems to smile at you.

Boy Meets Girl

2010-07-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the baby blessing of Mia Michelle Draper. It took place in the Saratoga Springs Spanish 6th ward and I was lucky enough to be in the blessing circle. The only downside to this was I was unable to wear my cool little "translation headphones" so I had no clue what Dre was saying.....I assume it was all good stuff.

Afterwards, we honored the tradition of eating free food at the blessed child's parents place. In between bites of mini sandwiches and brownies, we were able to introduce Seth to Mia. We are hoping that Seth will pass along wisdom to Mia, since he is a whole 2 days older. Here are the shots of their introduction.

Boy Meets Girl

Boy Courts Girl

Girl Rejects Boy After Boy Doesn't Spend Enough On The First Date

Quick Video Blog

2010-07-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a few videos of Seth.

Thanks Anserfone!

Tummy Time with Emily

This further proves my theory that women have babies because it is more socially acceptable than playing with dolls.

This Baby Thing is HARD!

2010-07-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I'd like you all to know that, probably to the dismay of my husband, I have forfeited taking a shower to post a blog instead. Yes, I know. That is gross. Be thankful that you can just read about my life instead of sitting near me and listening to me talk about it.

All I can say is...how the heck do the rest of you with children find the time to blog at all??? You must all be masterful mothers or I am just REALLY bad at this whole parenting thing! I barely find the time to empty the dishwasher or pay a bill before it's time for the next feeding for my little guy!

Don't get me wrong! I'm totally up for the challenge, but DANG! this baby thing is hard!

To those of you who want to know, I seriously had a nice, smooth delivery. Not kidding. My contractions were so manageable up until I was dilated to a 5+. At that point the nurse asked if I wanted an epidural. Hmmmm...Let's see...Continue to feel contractions? Or feel nothing from the waist down? I think I'll take your heavy duty drugs please. I wasn't in dire need of them by that point, but why be in pain when you don't have to be???

So, I sat in bed, pain-free, for five hours and watched the World Cup with my husband. (Which I have to admit, is not nearly as boring as I used to believe it to be.) Then my nurse came in, confirmed I was fully dilated, and helped me do a "practice push." The nurse had originally told me that first-time moms generally push for 2 hours or so. So when I did that first practice push she was quite alarmed to see that my baby was pretty much ready to come out. What my husband failed to mention in a previous blog is that he had insisted that he would be by my shoulder the entire time and was not planning to even take a peek "down there" for fear of being grossed out for the rest of his life. When I did that first practice push, the nurse said, "Clint, look. You can see the top of his head already." And Clint looked! And he looked at me and he had the most excited expression on his face. The fact that he didn't pass out or vomit on the floor surprised me and I got so emotional that I started crying. Which triggered my nurse to start crying as well. It was quite the scene! My doctor arrived ten minutes later and three contractions later, Seth was here. I think I pushed for a total of ten minutes.

My recovery, on the other hand, was not smooth sailing. I was feeling so good and desperately wanted to get back in shape so I took a short jog a week after my delivery...ended up in the emergency room the next morning. Clint has watched me like a hawk since and won't let me do anything too terribly strenuous. But I do get a good walk in every day.

And a few days after Seth was born he got thrush. So we had to get an antibiotic to treat it. Things were looking good but just last week his thrush resurfaced again. So I was back at the pharmacy today getting him a new anti-fungal medicine. So not fun! Poor kid!

Also, I have been reading the Baby Wise book and am on my 2nd day of establishing a routine for Seth. Yesterday was rather difficult. I had been feeding him until he fell asleep and then would put him in his bassinet but the book suggests that he have wake time after his feeding and that you put him down for a nap while he is still awake so he learns to soothe himself to sleep.

Yeah...that didn't go so well yesterday. Today, however, is going a little bit better. I did cheat and gave him a pacifier a few minutes ago as he went down for this nap. I know! I know! Bad habit. I'll work on that! But at least he didn't cry for 40 minutes like he did last night.

Finally, what's a blog without a picture? I went to a maternity store a few days ago to get some things and found this nice nursing nightgown. I didn't need it but it came with this adorable little matching sleeper and night cap for Seth. As soon as I saw that, I had to buy it! He looks like Snow White's missing 8th dwarf! Damn you, Motherhood Maternity! So not fair to trick mothers into buying outfits they don't need just because a cute matching baby outfit is attached to it! Oh, and by the way...if any of you are wondering...the night gown I bought is just knee-length and gray. It does NOT have a hippo on it like Seth's sleeper does. What formerly pregnant woman in her right mind would wear an outfit with a hippo on it. I mean, really...

Emily Birthday and Misc

2010-06-30T22:19:00.001-07:00

Wednesday we went to Emily's folks house to celebrate her 29th birthday. Here are some pics!
Em's comments are in red:

I tried to get this rotated, but I really didn't try very hard. In case you were wondering, it was a double layered white cake with raspberry filling and whipped frosting...her favorite. It says "Happy Birthday Mommy", it was obviously from Seth.

I know that Emily hates this picture but I love it. Emily had a baby 16 days ago and looks amazing! I am the luckiest guy in the world to be with her. She is mildly lucky to be with me, but I definitely married up!

I feel like such a fatty in all my pictures. I have tried to get out and exercise but that put me in the Emergency Room last week so Clint is being a little protective about how much physical activity I do for the next few weeks. Hopefully my face and stomach slim down soon.

Another case of me being unable to smile.

Grandma and Seth.....that bottle was meant to be delivered by me but was afraid to try and take it from Lisa. Never get between a grandmother and her grandchild. On the plus side, I was able to raid her pantry while she was preoccupied, too bad the only decent thing was some granola bars.

Can I tell you how great it is that Seth is taking a bottle already? I've been getting a little restless in the house and it was hard to get out when I have to feed Seth every 2-3 hours. With the bottle, we have a little more freedom to go places. Even a quick trip to Walmart or Target is so nice for me!

Emily in the pre-candle blowing position. She has failed the last 4 years in her attempt to blow out the candles in a single breath. Yes, I keep track. No, I am not normal.

This picture was actually prior to the one above, but I was too lazy to move it. Notice the spinning lighter directly above the cake, apparently David was proud of his ability to light all the candles. The lighter spin is a well known act of pride at a job well done.

Another Grandma picture. Seth's eyes open, Lisa's eyes closed.

What you talkin' bout, fool?

I love when Seth stares so intently at someone/something that he goes sorta cross eyed!

That's right, our baby sometimes sleeps topless. Got a problem with that?

The temperature in our house is SO hard to regulate! Poor little buddy wakes up sweating some nights. I'm always whipping out the thermometer to make sure he isn't running a fever!

Yes, I'm super paranoid!

We honestly try to bind his hand to his side but he throws a fit until he works it free. This is his favorite blanket. Why? Because we always use it.

Family shot. Emily, David, Lisa, Seth, Chloe (Dog) and Kaylyn (midget). Kaylyn is actually normal height for a girl but I love teasing her. She actually doesn't sit at a chair when we eat at the table, she just stands and is the perfect height.

Seth helping daddy draft some emails. He helped me keep my tone positive and appropriate. I blame any grammatical errors on him though.

I call this "The turtle". He honestly hates his car seat, but probably not as much as I do. As soon as we arrive at our stop, I always jump right out and make sure he is okay. I need to invest in the little mirror you hang on your back window to see into the car seat. I am a worrier.

What Clint didn't clarify above is that Seth's head is still so wobbly that we find his head flopped over to one side or kinked all weird when we get him out of his car seat. We have to find some way of keeping his head in a fixed position but the little head rest in his car seat is still a little too big for him. He takes after his mom, he has a small head.

Seth really enjoys looking out of one eye. Is it tiredness, laziness or is he just messing with us? It is good to know what he will look like if he were to smoke weed though. We can use this as a reference later in life if we ever have suspicions.

When he hunches his back and grunts along with closing one eye, we call him Quasimodo.

This is another one of my office co-workers. I have no idea how this position is comfortable, but Tess enjoyed it. Our poor dogs have gotten no attention since Seth arrived but they have handled it wonderfully. I think Tess is unsure how to handle someone smaller than her.

It is quite funny to see how the dogs are reacting to Seth. When Seth is screaming they get so anxious. They don't know what to do. It is amazing how gentle they are with him. It's like they know that he is still fragile.

Sleeping Seth. My dude.

We are trying to get Seth to sleep on his right side a little bit more because our pediatrician said that if we don't get him to rotate sides, he will have a lop-sided head. Clint masterfully turned his head during this little nap. Thanks Daddy for doing your part to make me look normal!

Hiccups! Seth had them daily while I was pregnant and is not giving them up now.

More of Seth, sick of him yet?

2010-06-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

More Random Seth pics and comments. I am a lazy blogger.

Cute candid shot of Emily kissing Seth. I promise, she was aware I was in the room. the picture quality makes it look I was hiding in the shrubs across the street.

This is Seth's best attempt at being a cameleon. Where did he go?

The calm before the storm...

The storm.

The storm has moved on. Is he 18 yet?

Seth sporting the muscle shirt. Look at those guns!

Seth is debating whether or not to spit up. When he remembered it was Emily holding him, he decided to wait until dad took his turn.

Seth sucking his thumb. This will be adorable until he is 4 months and we are unable to get him to stop. It seems like alot of things seem cute and funny now but will be very exhausting later....such as peeing on the wall during diaper changes.

I just love his tiny fist. Good angle.

Whoever says that babies are not creepy obviously has never actually held one for an extended amount of time. His eyes freak me out.

More Pictures

2010-06-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

Here is another batch of photos and my comments. Apparently I was mistaken about baby stories, I have received a wave of outrage for trying to limit our baby stories. Emily will be sharing more of those later on. Enjoy!

The hand position looks menacing but we are actually holding him upright to get him to burp. As you can tell by his expression, he is working hard.

He kind of scares me when he looks like this.

Tess has calmed down a bit since Seth arrived. Only a bit, but it is an improvement.

Peek - a - boo!

Tess meeting Seth. She doesnt know what to do with someone smaller than her. Notice the breast pump and SNS device in the background. No story to go with them, I just wanted to point out the fun parenting devices.

Molly meeting Seth. She is deciding whether or not he is edible. He is not.

This is further proof that my baby is cuter than yours. Seriously, he looks like he is a small Senator or something. He would get my vote.

This is our first attempt at a bath. It did not go well. We brought every possible bath object downstairs, only to realize we had forgotten things midway through the bath.

Emily....always calm under pressure. Notice I am taking pictures, not helping....Em will thank me later.

Whenever I try to smile in a picture, I end up looking like Kermit the Frog. To avoid this, I always make a stupid expression that normally ruins an otherwise normal picture. Sorry.

Grandma Lisa and Chloe. Chloe apparently is deciding whether or not Grandma Lisa will drop Seth. She did not.

Grandpa David using Chloe to check if Seth pooped. Seth just goes with it.

After Seth passes the poop inspection, Grandpa David allows Seth to rest in his arms. Grandpa David is a bit confused what to do with a baby, expecting Seth to be a bit more entertaining.

Our first attempt at a walk. This walk lasted about half a block before Seth decided he wanted to go home. He really dislikes his carseat.

Greg and Seth. Seth and Greg. Already bossom buddies.

Melissa and Seth. Melissa is already trying to think of an escape route for when she tries to run off with Seth.

The baby test. Melissa is judging how Greg is handling the baby to decide whether he would be a good father later on. He got a 6 / 10, which is passing but with room for improvement.

Melissa still planning her escape route.

Thank you for everyone who has stopped by, brought dinner or done many other things to help welcome Seth into our lives. We appreciate it!

Seth Clinton Cunningham

2010-06-20T01:09:00.000-07:00

WARNING!! This blog will contain extreme baby content. Please proceed only if you wish to possibly experience proud parent overload and biased opinions.

Seth and Em

As many of you know, we celebrated a new addition to the Cunningham Family - Seth Clinton Cunningham. I know, the name isn't Noah....but Emily made the mistake of asking me for the official name moments after his birth. I could have been greedy and attempted "Louie Sakoda Cunningham" but I decided to go with a name we had in our top 2. My real naming plan was simple : If it was a chubby kid who looked like a pushover, it would be Noah. If it was a kid that looked like he would be a handful, it would be Seth. His first few minutes confirmed it was the right choice.

Daddy's Little Boxer...so named for his sweet little gloves

The overall labor experience went much better that we could have hoped, with Emily only having to push through 4 contractions once she was properly dilated. While risking too much information (and possibly a punch from my wife), she actually did a practice push prior to our Doctor arriving and the nurse had to stop her quickly when the top of Seth’s head started to pop out.

There are many more stories to go along with the birth and subsequent days but I seriously doubt most people reading this would truly care. Parents tend to think everything related to their kid is amazing/fascinating to other people but in reality, its not. This doesn’t stop me from being extremely proud and borderline weepy when Seth had a bowel movement after 36 hours of nothing but it keeps me from sharing even more of the story. Instead, I will just leave a bunch of pictures and video for you to enjoy. Side Note – Seth is the cutest baby I have ever seen….and I am unbiased. Emily agrees.

He was 7 pounds 12 ounces, and was 19 1/2 inches long.

No, I am not really a Royals Fan but I like the shirt.

Aunt Char and Seth. Yes, we are related. We both get asked that all the time.

Jon and Bri. This duo brought us Subway and conversation. Both very needed.

Poor Emily's home for 2 days.

Seth had a cone head for a few days, but I mainly wanted to show the side part that Bri gave him. Thanks Bri.

Aunt Kaylyn and Grandpa David. Seth is already as tall as Kaylyn.

One of the first times I held Seth. Notice how snugly I am holding him, think I was afraid of dropping him?

Me watching TV. Poor Em got to watch the World Cup while in labor....and ever since.

Bri, Coney and Jon's hands.

Another Aunt Char and Seth. For some reason, all of her shots turned out well while the rest look like they were taken during an earthquake. Char must be photogenic...or I suck at taking pictures.

I love this shot, Em and her son. Both did amazing.

Nana C and Seth. I have a suspicion she managed to sneak him sugar without me seeing.

Grandpa C and Seth. Looks like Seth already had more hair than you...I know baldness jokes are easy but I can't resist.

Me and Seth. My hand looks huge.

This is one that Em will probably get mad that I put up but I think they both look beautiful.

The Seth Team. She had the baby, I ate all the complimentary ice cream and diet Coke I could find in the "nourishment room".

No, those are not my legs. This is Em holding Seth at home. He is drowning in that bib.

This was his face shortly after delivery. His face was somewhat swollen.

Proud Dad and Utah Seth at his first Pediatrician's appointment. I think that look on his face was left over from his rectal tempature check.

My baby is cuter than yours. Admit it.

Seth shortly after birth. No, he didn't come out with the hat already on.

Mom and Baby. Baby pooping while mom holds him.

Mom being awesome with her little boy. He is a lucky kid.

Seth

Oh Baby, Baby, Baby!!!

2010-05-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

Obviously, these last few months have been spent doing nothing but thinking about, talking about, and doing stuff for our coming baby. It is a little crazy that the weird baby countdown ticker thing that we have on our blog is already down to 19 days. It's amazing that it's so close now even though this pregnancy has gone very VERY slowly.

Clint and I have spent a lot of time getting the nursery ready.

Clint repainted and replaced the ceiling fan and I hung a few fun pictures. I think the room is just about ready for our baby to come!

Some very kind people threw me some baby showers in the past few weeks. I can't believe how generous people have been. We got some really really great things. Here are a couple of things that Clint was able to take pictures of before I got in my nesting phase and got everything put away.

Look at ALL the clothes we got!

I've got some pretty talented friends!

My friend Marie stitched the white onesie and my other friend Holly made the yellow one. I think these are so cute and can't wait to put our baby in them!

My friend Holly also made this adorable car seat cover. I love it!

Clint's friends from Anserfone bought this cute baby swing for us as well. I love the pattern!

So interesting story...I went to Carter's with my mom a little while ago and saw this little shark outfit and took a picture of it to show Clint. I didn't end up buying it though. My good friend Briana stopped by a few days later with a gift and, what do ya know, one of the outfits she had picked out was the shark outfit! Love it!

This little kid is off to a good start! Check out all the fun shoes he already has!

His mommy is so proud!

Just a couple of pics...

2010-05-29T13:28:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures. I've been a slacker and haven't really been posting much:

This has become Molly's new favorite spot to hang out. She will stay on this couch all day long. I'm wondering if she has arthritis or something because she refuses to move from this couch unless I have food to give her. Very odd.

Clint found the "take home" outfit for our baby. He doesn't put his foot down on ANYTHING! Until now. He has absolutely refused to allow me to put our baby in a BYU onesie. I'm thinking that's a little unfair!

I hate the belly shots but I knew I needed to take them for our baby to see later on. This is in my 30th week...

This is in my 37th week...you can't tell in this picture but my feet are starting to swell! It's almost comical to look at them. When the weather gets stormy (which it has been lately) my feet look like two loaves of french bread with little toes on the end. So awesome! Let me tell you.

This past Saturday Clint talked my little sister into coming over to help with our yardwork. I have been anxious to get some flowers planted and the beds weeded. Between the three of us we got everything done in 3 hours. Not bad. The only problem was that the little kids next door (who are babysat by the fire hydrant) decided it would be fun to trample my flowers the next day even after I asked them not to. Clint and I caught them red-handed when we came home from church and found them pulling petals off the flowers in the corner of the yard. I was pretty furious and we marched right over there and talked to their parents about it. They have stayed out of the yard since then...for the most part. Then we had some unlucky snow the following day but Clint dashed outside in his barefeet and covered all the plants with grocery bags. They are still alive...for now!

Long-time Goal Accomplished!

2010-05-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that I have been working in the Human Resources profession for awhile. I debated telling the whole long story of how I ended up in HR in the first place but decided it wasn't all that interesting to anyone but me. Long story short...a job that was haphazardly thrown in my lap several years ago became a career I really enjoy.

In the HR industry there are a few national certifications that can be acheived. It's a way to be recognized in the industry as one who has a high level of practical experience and knowledge of HR practices, laws, etc....all that boring stuff that the rest of you probably don't care to know. When I learned of the PHR certification (Professional in Human Resources) I really wanted to get it. Why? You ask. Pretty much because I'm weird like that.

In my previous job I worked so many hours a week that I never had time to prepare for the test. In my current job I don't work quite as many hours but there always seemed to be something going on that would make me push the PHR certification to the side. But early this year one of my coworkers told me she was going to take a class to prepare for the PHR test and asked if I wanted to take it with her. I was about 6 months pregnant and decided if I didn't bite the bullet and try for the certification now, I would probably never do it! So I signed up for an 11 week class, studied and studied, studied some more and then took the test on May 6th.

Let me just say...this is NO easy test. You have to have a certain number of years' experience in the profession before they will even allow you to take the test. And it isn't one of those where you spend several days memorizing things just so you can regurgitate it on the test and then forget it once you walk out of the testing center. The test relies heavily on the practical experience you should already have and incorporates all these crazy hypothetical situations where you have to apply everything you know.

BUT...

I'm proud to say that I passed! It's official. I am now

Emily Cunningham, PHR.

Here's the official certificate I received in the mail:

And here I am almost 9 months pregnant and SOOOO glad that I have tackled this project now before my life will be forever changed by this little "thing" growing inside me! I'm sure Clint is super happy this test is behind me now as well. Because I was nothing but a stress ball as I studied for the exam. And he was so incredibly supportive through the whole thing! Gotta love having a husband like that!

Sports Blog

2010-04-24T03:03:00.000-07:00

Just a quick blurp about Clint's sports blog. The sidebar has a link but it can be found at www.tclintoncunningham.blogspot.com

Another Bathroom Beautified!

2010-04-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

Ever since Clint and I remodeled the master bathroom, our hallway bathroom has looked awful in comparison. We decided it was time to take on another bathroom project before our baby was born. We probably won't have the time or the money to take on the project afterward.

Here are some before and after pictures:

before...

AFTER!

before...

AFTER!

before...

AFTER!

before...

AFTER!

Thanks to our dear friends Jon and Briana for their help with the tiling! Briana seriously laid almost all of it and did an awesome job! We couldn't have done it without you two!

Ch-ch-ch-CHIA!

2010-04-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

I always wanted a chia pet when I was little. I happened to mention this to my mom and sister a few months ago during some random conversation. They saw some in the store not long after and decided to fulfill my childhood dream. How nice of them!

Ok. But can I just say how hard it is to actually grow those darn things like they do in the commercials? Perhaps it's because my kitchen is on the cold north side of the house or maybe I'm just not very good at growing things. But my chia pet just looked sad! I gave up last week.

My nieces came over to play one Saturday in March and so I had them help me seed the chia. I tracked its progress in hopes that I would have this glorious green little pet to show off. (sigh)

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way.

And the seeding has begun...

Looking good...

Now we wait...

I was so excited to see these first sprouts!

Unfortunately, the only sprouts that chia Washington ever got were on the sides of his head and a few on his neck. He just looked like a sad, balding man.

I have some seeds left. I think maybe in a few months when the weather gets warmer I will try again!

Recent Date Nights!

2010-03-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that I'm already in my 3rd trimester. The 1st three months seemed to drag on forever but the last three months went by a lot quicker. Let's just hope that these next three months go by quickly!

But in the midst of all the pregnany talk and thoughts and preparations, Clint and I have still managed to get out of the house for a date night here or there.

We recently decided to go see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. I laugh every time I see this picture of Clint. He was really digging the 3D glasses! So much so that he put them in his pocket after we left the theater instead of recycling them in the designated container. Thief!

I married such a hottie!

I got another picture of the both of us. It's a pretty bad shot because it's hard to take pictures with a touch screen phone. And don't ask me what I was doing with my hand. I look like I'm about to claw someone but I was just so focused on making sure we were both centered in the picture!

We were also able to go see Daniel Tosh perform at Kingsbury Hall a few weeks ago. Forgive me, but I find his humor so incredibly funny despite all the swearing. I laughed so hard I cried! This guy will make fun of ANYONE! For anyone who has seen his show Tosh.0 on Comedy Central, his stand up comedy is SO much funnier. Clint checked his blog religiously earlier this year and as soon as tickets opened up in Salt Lake he bought them. So we got really good seats. Below is a picture of him...although you can't really tell. But it was still way cool to see him in person.

Again, it is incredibly difficult to take a picture with a touch screen phone. So this was the best one that I got of the two of us. At least I don't have a claw for a hand in this one...I'm just all blurry instead!

While I'm at it...

2010-03-01T18:35:00.001-08:00

ok, ok, OK!

I have been asked where my pregnant "belly" pictures are. Now, I'm not really one for side profile shots. Especially to show off the basketball that now resides where my flat stomach should be but I thought I better post something. I know I should be embracing all aspects of pregnancy...especially since it was so hard for me to get pregnant in the first place! But truth be told, I have some mixed emotions about my changing shape. Yes, it is exciting to feel Noah (that is his name for now)kicking and moving around and seeing me get bigger means he is getting bigger too, which I am very happy about. But I have been small my whole life. To suddenly be packing on the weight and not be able to fit into clothes anymore has been quite challenging.

At 20 weeks...

At 24 weeks...notice I am also finally wearing maternity jeans!

We also bought a crib. My friend, who used to work at a baby store, told me you don't have to spend a lot on a crib...it's the mattress that really counts. So we found this crib at Target for a pretty good price! Here is Clint putting it together with the help of the dogs...

Molly cleaned the floor...

...and Tess picked up the styrofoam and carried it around on her whiskers...

Ta Da!

Way Behind!

2010-03-01T17:59:00.001-08:00

I keep reading facebook updates of people who have finally caught up on their blogs! It made me think that it might be time for me to play catch up too. As I am too lazy to reorganize the pictures here, I am going to work backward in 2009...

New Years Day!

It is a tradition for our family to meet for breakfast on New Years Day. I love being with family and I love to eat so it's a hard one to say 'no' to...even though we stay up LATE the night before. (This last year we had an awesome time with our friends. But I forgot to take pictures so check out Jon and Briana's blog for the fun we had!) Clint and I are always grumbling as we get into the car and make our way down to the Provo area at 8 am but it is always worth it! This was at Jim's Restaurant in Pleasant Grove.

Christmas!

Clint and I LO-OVE Christmas! Without fail, each year we set a budget of what we can spend on each other and each year Clint goes WAY overboard! (Notice the KitchenAid???) We have begun to watch all of the Lord of the Rings movies (extended edition) over the course of the Holiday break! It is so much fun to be home cuddling with my best friend, watching movies!

I have begun collecting the "Willow Tree Nativity Set." I just about have all the figurines now. I love having this set up in the front room by our Christmas tree! It's so peaceful and timeless!

I have been begging Clint to put up Christmas lights every year since we moved into this house! He FINALLY did it! I have to admit...it was a much bigger pain than I realized. Sorry babe!

BYU vs Utah Football Game!

Notice how cheerful these U fans are when the game first started? Oh, if only I had captured the disappointment on their faces when BYU made that last touchdown to win the game! But I was too busy cheering and screaming at the TV to document things. Go Cougars! This win resulted in letting me put the BYU ornament higher on the Christmas tree than the Utah ornament. It's the simple things in life that give me pleasure...

Of course, there must be food when watching a football game!

THANKSGIVING!

The first "belly" shot of me. Just starting to show that I'm pregnant...mostly I just look like I'm getting fat!

A while ago I mentioned that I would be cooking the turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house. Now, my turkey didn't look nearly as good as the one that I posted on my blog (I googled that one) but Clint did say he isn't much of a turkey fan but mine was the best he had ever had! Thanks to Food Network for all the turkey cooking tips!

There were only 5 of us eating dinner on Thanksgiving. Did that stop my mom and I from going overboard with the food??? No way! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because of all the leftovers! The only bad thing is that I was still in my "morning sickness" phase so I didn't have quite my normal appetite!

HALLOWEEN!
Clint loves to decorate pumpkins! He carved the cute little white one! We also hung a gi-normous fake spider above the door and found that just about all the "little" kids would not come up to our door for candy because they were afraid of it. oops.

2009 Wrap Up

2010-01-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

So I thought I'd take a moment to look back on the interesting...and maybe some uninteresting...things that happened in our life in 2009. Here goes:

After what seemed like an eternity, Clint got his BA degree from the University of Utah

We remodeled the master bathroom

Clint ran a half marathon for the first time

We found out we were FINALLY having a baby

We went on a fun, relaxing trip to San Diego, CA

Clint had LASIK eye surgery done. Say goodbye to glasses and contacts!
We planted a tree in our front yard! (I have been wanting to put something in that huge open space for so long and finally got around to convincing Clint to plant it. It will probably be big enough by the time we decide to move out of the house!)

I realized Clint did A LOT of things this year and while I was there supporting him, I didn't really accomplish a whole lot. So 2010 is MY year to make some things happen!

We are having a girl!

2010-01-19T21:47:00.001-08:00

No, we aren't having a girl. That title was to get all the women that read this blog (2 I think) that happy little feeling that all women get when they think of little baby dolls, err girls.

Emily and I went to the doctor last week to find out what gender the baby was. After a 35 minute wait in the room, Emily pulled up her shirt and got "gelled" up (In case you haven't caught on, I like to make things sound more extreme or edgy than they really are). The Dr started moving the Ultra Sound Wand thingy around and both Emily and I thought we saw a weenier. To be fair though, we could have been looking at the ultrasound of a Big Mac and it would probably look the same to me.

Finally, the Dr stopped looking at the lining or whatever he was looking at and he went on the ball(s) hunt. It only took a second before he declared that we could keep the baby because it would be a boy. We both got really excited and hugged each other....we couldn't really believe it was real. I honestly would have been thrilled regardless of the gender, but I always teased Emily that if it was a girl that I would just let the baby stay inside her for a bit until it grew his bits and bops.

After a few seconds of joy, I started to remember the horror stories I have heard about Dr's mis-identifying the gender. Somewhat tentatively I asked the Dr how sure he was about the gender. The look he gave me strangely resembled the look Emily gives me whenever she walks into a room and catches me doing a strange Egyptian version of the Robot or some other strange dance. He told me that he was sure.

So, there it is. We are having a boy! The next logical question people ask us is always "Have you thought of names?" Yup

Ishmael Jamal Cunningham has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

It's About Time!

2009-12-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

So some exciting things have been happening at the Cunningham house. As some of you may know (and others who may not) Clint and I have not been able to have children the "good ol' fashioned way." We have explored a few things and seriously considered adoption but we left the adoption agency feeling very discouraged for the following reasons:

It was going to cost AT LEAST $22,000
You have to wait to be picked...some wait more than a year!
There is a 20% chance the mother will change her mind once the baby is born
You have to prepare a scrapbook of sorts so mothers can view your profile and I do not have the talent (like my friend Carson) to produce gorgeous scrapbook pages that would get Clint and I noticed!

We were still seriously debating the adoption idea when last Christmas, a coworker of mine told me that, through artificial insemination, his son and daughter-in-law were having triplets. So I started researching the process and Clint and I met with a doctor in March to see if we could get pregnant through artificial insemination as well.

It took two months of tests, blood draws, ultrasounds etc. but they determined that with the right medications and artificial triggers we had a really good chance!

So we tried in May and it failed. We tried in July and it failed again. But as they say, "three times is the charm" because our third attempt in September took and we found out in early October that I was pregnant. When I took the test and it came back positive I almost didn't believe it. I took it downstairs to Clint's office and just set it on his desk and he looked at it, sprang out of his chair, hugged me so hard, and we both just started crying!

I am currently 13 1/2 weeks pregnant and while I find it sort of weird to be displaying pictures of my uterus for anyone to see, I thought it was pretty cool to see our baby developing from a little blob to an actual human form in such a short amount of time:

This first picture was our second ultrasound taken on 11.4.2009. This was the first time we got to see the flicker of a heart beat.

This is a picture of the 3rd ultrasound taken on 11.16.09. I was feeling really anxious and every little pang in my abdomen was freaking me out so my doctor told me to come in to see the baby again just to put my mind at ease. Poor guy. He is very patient with me.

Again, I was worried last week and my appointment with my doctor wasn't for another week and a half so Clint took me to Fetal Foto and they did an ultrasound and took several awesome pictures for me. This one below is the profile shot they took. It's amazing that it is already looking so much more like a person here!

At Fetal Foto they also recorded an amazing DVD of our baby moving around, sucking its thumb, putting its hand up to its face, etc. And we got to hear its heartbeat for the first time too!

So there you have it folks! We are so excited and are crossing our fingers that by mid-June we will have a healthy baby to take home! Wonder how the dogs will do with this...

Tess is a weird dog!

2009-11-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

Since Clint works from home, the dogs will spend most of the day down in his office with him. Just about every day I will get a text message from Clint with a new interesting picture of Tess sleeping or doing something really weird. Thought I would share a few here...I laugh out loud every time I look at these!

For some reason Tess really likes to have her face and nose covered while sleeping:

This pictures is just plain weird!

I promise Clint did NOT put her in the sleeve of his hoodie...this time. He came downstairs and she had gotten stuck on her own!

This is cyclops Tess...

Tess has now learned how to hop up on the bar stool in the kitchen. That dog has springs in her back legs, I swear!

Turkey Time!

2009-11-23T20:03:00.001-08:00

I have decided that this is going to be the year that I attempt to cook a turkey for the first time! I have been watching any episode I can find on Food Network that discusses the art of cooking this little beast and have a few pretty good ideas! Hopefully my turkey will look like this...

Stay tuned for results of what my friend Heather calls "domestic braggery" or, possibly in my case, a failed attempt at domestic braggery!

San Diego

2009-09-26T19:47:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures of our trip to San Diego. I went a little crazy with the camera at San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld so I thought it might be a little easier to put all the pictures on a slideshow and then just talk about a few of my favorites:

Here is a picture of our rental car...Clint's dream car. He was in heaven for the whole trip!

Clint and I saw a lot of animals that looked a lot like our little furballs at home. This pot belly big looks a lot like our fat little Molly...

...and this sea lion looks so much like Tess!

I'm a sucker for sunsets. This is a view just outside our hotel.

On the tram at San Diego Zoo. This park is HUGE! It was nice to be able to take a little rest and get from one side of the park to the other.

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to enjoy Hogle Zoo again. The animals at the San Diego Zoo are so much more active and their habitats are so great! Hard to believe only a piece of glass separated me from this hippo!

Just waiting at the dock before we go out on the boat behind us for dinner and a cruise around the harbor. Just an FYI...I was FREEZING on the boat! It was so cold that my server found me a table cloth to wrap up in!

Our "taxi" driver to the dinner cruise was quite interesting. The music you hear on this video is actually coming from his bike. He had gold teeth and he smiled and rang his little bell at all the passersby. Then he gave us his business card. It said his name was "Lance Legstrong!"

The Shamu show at Sea World was so cool!

Here is Clint waiting for the dolphin show to begin. We waited for quite a while but he was happy because he got his frozen lemonade.

Petting the bay rays was BY FAR my favorite part of the trip. They swam right up to us and put their squishy little heads right under our hands. I loved it!

The sea lions were pretty fun to watch too! These things even whine for food like Tess does!

What the...?

2009-09-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

Isn't it interesting that dogs can have very distinct personalities? It has been fun to learn the habits and mannerisms of my two dogs. And even though I know they are odd little balls of black and white fur, I am still continually surprised at the weird things they do!

Clint sent me this picture yesterday of Tess relaxing in the red chair in his office.

(To get the full effect of this picture, you should open it full screen.)

I am VERY curious to know what she was dreaming about when Clint took this picture. She is such a weird little creature!

Jane Eyre

2009-09-22T23:24:00.000-07:00

This year I decided I was going to read a lot more since I have become a little bit of a reality-TV-loving couch potato. But you will probably notice that a lot of the books I have read this year have been murder mysteries or fantasy-based novels. I thought it might be good to try reading something a little more "classic" so I bought Jane Eyre a month ago.

I have to say....I'm a little disappointed! Once I got used to the Old English flowery language, I found that Charlotte Bronte writes about love incredibly well! But the story just didn't quite end the way I would've liked.

I think I'll stick with my Twilight-type books from now on! I'd rather read about handsome, romantic vampires instead!

Julie and Julia

2009-09-21T15:18:00.000-07:00

My wife loves Meryl Streep (what woman doesnt?) She has some sort of appeal for women, similar to Glenn Close and Sarah Jessica Parker. All 3 women do not embody what I would consider to be good looks (or even female looks) but are thought of by other women to be attractive. I don't understand it, but it helps explain why I ended up at a showing of Julie & Julia last Saturday with our good friends Jon and Bri.

In all fairness, the movie was okay. It was hardly action packed or suspenseful but it still had its moments. I did have a few issues with the film that distracted me. I will list them below, so that you can be aware of them before watching it.

Meryl Streep is meant to portray a 37 to roughly 45 year old woman, with a husband who is 10 years her senior. This bothered me the entire movie because Meryl Streep looked 60 years old, while her husband looked 10 years younger than her. I realize there needs to be some artistic flexibility given to movies but this is pretty distracting. I felt extremely uncomfortable during every sexually suggestive scene. This could have also been caused by the fact that the husband was more feminine than Streep.

Another annoying distraction was the 2002 Julie's haircut. What the...??? I realize the real life Julie has that haircut, but did they really need to insert it into the movie for "realism"? I doubt everything else was perfectly portrayed in the movie, so why stick to making your leading actress look like a mop? I never understood the practice of making attractive people "ugly" by giving them glasses or a bad haircut.

One other noticable flaw, was the fact that the characters (in their late 20s and early 30s) ate french food nonstop over the course of a year and did not put on a single pound. I don't know about most people in my age demographic, but by the end of month 3 I would be bulging out of my clothes and as lethargic as a sloth.

Finally, the ending sucked. This was meant to be a feel-good movie but the entire high created by the movie was destroyed by the last 10 minutes. Again, accuracy doesn't always have to be prominant in an big screen adaption. Why would they bother saying that Julia Childs thought her blog was disrespectful and rude? It completely undermines Julie's view of Julia and destroys the protrayal of Julia Child's character!!

It was still an enjoyable enough watch, something that most people could feel good about paying $1 to see. To be honest, watching Meryl Streep on a smaller TV screen would be preferable than on a big movie screen. This ranks in my top 10 worst movies to possibly see in IMAX.

HobbleCreek Half Marathon

2009-09-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

So you all probably thought Clint would be STRESS FREE after he received news that he had officially graduated from the U of U. Unfortunately, he did have one more BIG event on the horizon. Several months ago he allowed my dad to convince him that running a half marathon would be a great idea! So he signed up for the HobbleCreek Half Marathon on August 22nd. Now for those of you who cannot wrap your head around the distance of a half marathon, let me help you out...

13.1 Miles

or
21,097.5 Meters

or
69,168 Feet

or
23,056 Yards

or
230.56 Football Fields

Whew!

That's a lot of RUNNING!

So the night before the race we stayed at my grandparents house in Provo. I was so nervous for Clint that I tossed and turned all night! Clint will add his comments in green so you know his thoughts compared to mine!

Here are the runners ready to go! It's 5:30 am! (This photo was actually closer to 4:50)

I don't know why I got a kick out this sign but I did! I guess because I was proud that Clint was considered one of these "runners on the road!"

And here comes my Dad! He finished at about 2 hours even!

David is over 50 years old and he beat me. I feel no shame in this, however, because he is a fairly big runner and was training for the St. George Marathon. I actually kept pace with him until about 9 1/2 miles, when I hit my runner's wall. It probably didn't help that I ran only 2 times in July and 4 times in August. My final school semester occupied WAY too much of my time.

And here comes Clint not far behind David! (He's smiling here because I was screaming and yelling and shouting for him as he ran by!)

I was actually smiling because I had been trying to conserve my energy by dragging ass the previous 1/2 mile so that I could jog at a decent pace past Em. She never suspected a thing!

Then I did a mad dash across the park and got to the finish line just in time to take a few more pictures of my man! He looks good, doesn't he?

I am glad to know she did some running. That standing around with a camera must have been exhausting!

Here he is just passing the finish line. His actual time was closer to 2:07:00 because he did not cross the starting line right as the time clock started.

Quick story. There were roughly 1100 people waiting at the starting line for the race to begin. When the gun finally sounded 40 minutes late, everyone cheered and pushed forward about 10 feet when everything came to a complete halt. Turns out the serious runners in the very front were trying to space themselves out a bit, causing everything to hit a wall of flesh 10 seconds in. This is also why I was 30-45 seconds late crossing the starting line.

And here comes my Mom! She is hilarious when she runs to the finish line. She was blowing kisses to the crowd and teasing some guy running next to her. When I made the mad dash back to the to the finish line she was coming around the corner with her arms out like she was an airplane coming in for a landing! She's so weird!

As hard as it was for me to run this race, I have no idea how Lisa did it. Lisa's bladder is famously the size of a small pea. She made a bathroom break (or shrub break) 4 times before the race but none during! Very impressive.

My Dad is so sweet! He jumped in to run the last little leg of the race with my mom!

It would have been sweet if my spouse had run the last leg with me..........

And here they all are after the race is over!

I am so proud of Clint for running this race! He wants to run it again next year and I think I just might join him. We are thinking about getting a whole bunch of people to run it with us! Let us know if you want to join in!

Here are some final notes

Having actual running clothes made a huge difference. When I was wearing normal sports clothing to run, I was losing 4 or 5 pounds in sweat every long run I did. After getting actual running clothes, my body temp. stayed much cooler and I was able to stay hydrated.

I had a great time running, even though I couldn't walk right for a week after. I need to train better next year but look forward to doing it. Hopefully I can get some friends to join me.

Sun Valley Trip

2009-09-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from a little overnight trip Clint and I did in May with the rest of my client services department at FirstWest. We had a "farewell dinner/trip" for my boss Ken. (He resigned to explore new opportunities. :(

Here is Clint's and my room for the night!

Hanging out before dinner!

Aw Clint!

At dinner with the rest of the CSR's: Holly and her husband Dave...

Kym and her son...

My boss, Ken, receiving the goodbye presents we put together for him...

Taking a ride on the ski lifts the next morning...

Graduation

2009-08-19T22:47:00.001-07:00

Repent all ye sinners, armageddon is upon us......

T Clinton Cunningham graduated

(pending arrival of actual diploma)

I had an entire post written that summed up my school experience quite nicely but I decided to postpone it until my official diploma arrived. I have invested way too much of my life to blow it before getting that stupid piece of paper. Thanks to my family and friends for support etc. Thanks to my wife for putting up with me during numerous test weeks.

A special thanks to the lazy, good-for-nothing idiot professors that wasted most of my time learning stuff that is completely irrelevant to everyday working life. I loved learning how to do statistics over the course of a semester that could be done in 30 minutes in Excel....it was so fulfilling! I loved getting a taste of the "real world" by being forced into student groups for projects that made up a large portion of my grade. I especially loved learning from professors who failed in the business world but who get paid to do "research" and teach young minds. Thanks. ---I realize there are probably several grammatical errors in that paragraph that reflect poorly on my education....but if you read the paragraph, you can understand why.

I Love Shoes!

2009-08-19T17:26:00.001-07:00

I found this sign at Target and had to have it! It now sits on my desk at work!

Another One to Cross Off the 'Honey Do' List

2009-07-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

So you may remember that on New Years Day, Clint and I (along with my mom and dad) started the daunting process of remodeling our tiny little master bath. Well it is finally finished! Hooray! Only 7 months later! I thought everyone would like to see the before-and-after shots:

BEFORE...

AFTER!

BEFORE...

AFTER!

Sorry...I don't have a before shot for this...but this is a nice view of the floor tile, trim, and cool toilet paper stand and double towel bar!

Also, since I named part of this bathroom project the "Niche from Hell" I figured it would be nice to show the evolution of the once old, ugly medicine cabinet to a pretty nice lookin' decorative niche! Most of the credit for this part of the bathroom goes to my dad who took the mudding of the niche to a whole new level! This sounds lame but working with mud/compound like this is really an art!

It looks like such a harmless little project here...how naive I was...

Then came the task of creating the arch...

Next, we had to secure the arch and build the front facade...a lot harder than I thought it would be...

Then we had to mud the niche. I did a little bit of this but I got too impatient. It's a lot of mudding and sanding, mudding and sanding! I finally needed my dad to come over to finish it!

And here is the final result!

We must thank everyone who helped us complete this project:

My dad David, my mom Lisa, Clint's dad Paul, Cam, Loren, Hector (who tiled our tub), and all the nice people at Lowe's! We couldn't have done it without you!

Now...on to the next bathroom?...

Our Babies' First Swim!

2009-07-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

Clint and I went to Daybreak on Sunday and decided to test the doggies out in the water for the first time. It was actually pretty cute to see them "doggie paddle" by instinct.

Here goes Tess...

Here goes Molly...

I wish I had caught it on video but Clint "gently" tossed Tess in the water and, I'm not kidding, she froze underwater for about 5 seconds! She looked dead! So Clint jumped in after her thinking he had killed her and just as he jumped in to save her, she paddled to the surface. When we realized she was ok we had a good laugh.

Another Year Under my Belt!

2009-07-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

So I turned 28 yesterday. One more year...flew by way too fast! When did it happen that I started dreading my birthday rather than looking forward to it??? Clint was as sweet as can be though!

As soon as the clock hit 12:00 AM, he gave me a birthday card with tickets to a Hale Theater play. In the morning he took me to breakfast. Then some fabulous long stem roses arrived. Then we went to dinner with my family and had cake and ice cream at their house.

Clint let me buy some new shoes and a purse on Tuesday and he gave me the linens below on Sunday. (He always gives me my presents early because he gets too excited to wait!)

I love these linens! The sheets are so soft!

Crazy Weather this Year!

2009-07-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

We have had some pretty stormy days these past few weeks. I snapped this picture on my phone a couple days ago! Very eery! Don't worry! Clint was driving! Not me!

2009-06-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to post this for several weeks but was having some trouble for some reason!

Misty would have been 30 on May 15th. So my mom gathered up some friends from the neighborhood and we took 30 roses down to her grave the next morning. Since Misty was an avid runner and biker, we decided that that was how we would spend her 30th birthday. So some of us biked the 4.5 miles while others ran it while each carrying 2-3 roses. We miss you, Mist!

Run Tess, Run!

2009-06-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Clint and I have way too much fun with our little doggies!

Tess shows some pretty serious determination when dog treats are involved.

Could this be considered animal cruelty?

Smorgasborg of Pictures!

2009-05-10T02:42:00.000-07:00

Since I have been so terrible at blogging lately, I decided to post a few pictures from the last few holidays!

St. Patty's Day!

3.17.09

We went to a Jazz game with Cam and Ellie

Clint and I tried to be festive and wore green!

See those people at the VERY VERY top? Yeah, that's us!

Valentine's Day!

2.14.09

Clint gets me roses every year! Then we went to Jasmine's (a restaurant with special sentimental value) for dinner.

Christmas

12.24.2008

We have decided to hold an annual Chrismas Eve breakfast. (This was the first year!) I just love decorating tables and cooking for people! We had a few friends come over for some yummy breakfast casserole, bacon, fruit, and hot chocolate!

Clint, Christian, Nick, Kari, Jon, and Briana

Dre, Danny, and Greg

Tulips Tulips Everywhere!

2009-05-09T23:35:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late. My tulips are no longer in beautiful bloom. In fact, most have lost all their petals. But I still wanted to show off my very very basic "green thumb" skills.

Last year I dug up a bunch of red tulips that surrounded the pathway to the house and then in October, I replanted them along with some other fiery tulips in the side yard flower beds.

So as spring approached this year, I was anxiously awaiting the blooming of these tulips to see if I could actually make something grow.

The crazy thing is that the red tulips that I replanted somehow came up yellow this year on the side yard. There were still a few that bloomed around the pathway to the front door and they bloomed red but the ones on the side yard did something crazy underground this winter and bloomed yellow.

Ta Da!

Here they are!

The first buds starting showing up in March

These are the same red tulips that have been coming up every year around the pathway to the front door.

This is one of the bulbs that was originally by the front door that I moved to the side yard flower bed. You can see the faint traces of red on the edges of the petals! Science amazes me!

My new fiery tulips!

In full bloom!

Clint's Graduation

2009-05-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

So this post is a little anti-climactic because Clint isn't going to be truly done with school until August but he was still able to participate in the graduation ceremonies at the University of Utah on Friday May 8th.

I won't begin to delve into the many arguments Clint and I had over the idea of him walking for graduation. He did NOT want to do it. And I can sympathize. I was so exhausted by the end of my schooling that I just wanted to be done. Mail me my diploma and I'll put it in a nice frame and that's it! But my mom told me I'd regret it if I didn't walk. So I did it. For her. And for my dad. But I look back now and I realize that I would have regretted not participating in the ceremony. So I begged Clint. I pleaded! And then, when I realized we were going to have to agree to disagree, I guilted him into walking. I told him to do it for me and for his parents and for my parents. So he relented.

That did not stop him from being grumpy as I dragged him to the U of U to order his cap and gown. They had these nice red U of U stoles (those sashes that go around your neck) that you could buy. I asked Clint if he wanted one but he was very adamant that he didn't want any of the extra little "fluff." I decided not to push him on the matter and just be grateful that he was willing to walk. But then, when the day came and all the graduates started gathering at the Emma Eccles Jones Plaza, we saw most people wearing the stole. And Clint, bless his frustrating soul, says, "Hmmmm. I probably should have gotten one of those red things." AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I love you babe.

The ceremony wasn't too bad. There was no speaker. Yea! Just some short recognitions of alumni, staff, and a few students. And then the diplomas. Here are some pictures of the event. Clint looked so handsome!

Clint - waiting for the other graduates at the Emma Eccles Jones Plaza - wondering if he should have purchased a stole.

Clint is trying to channel some of the wisdom he has learned these past few years in front of the FAMB

Look how cute! He's waving for the camera!

Here is Clint's fan club!

From left to right: My dad David, my mom Lisa (pointing at me), Clint's mom Carolyn (trying to see where my mom is pointing), Clint's dad Paul (holding Clint's nephew Thayne), and Clint's sister Char.

Clint receiving his "fake" diploma:

Right before they call Clint's name you can see him smile at the lady and say something. I later found out that she looked at him, rather confused, when she saw his name was "T." He said, "Yeah. It's just T."

Whew! It's over!

With my mom and dad

Now, don't think I'm a traitor because I'm wearing a U of U jacket. I still bleed blue! I just had to wear something to be supportive!

Clint with his family.

We are ever so grateful to Clint's mom and dad for their financial support of Clint's schooling. Having had to pay for school myself, it was a huge relief to not have to worry about the cost of tuition for Clint. It definitely made our lives easier!

Clint and his dad

What goofs! This is my favorite picture of the night!

Congratulations Clint!

One more semester and then it will all be over FOR REAL!

Four Years!

2009-05-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CLINT!

FOUR YEARS!

I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on the things about my man! that I love most:

He has got gorgeous teeth and a sexy smile. It's the first thing I noticed about him when I met him.

He always makes me laugh.

He is a great athlete. We went to the batting cages last night and he looked so great in there...hitting every fast pitch. I was a proud wife.

He is willing to read the same books as me, even if they're kinda girly, so we can talk about them after.
He puts up with me treating him like my life-size Ken doll.

He'll entertain himself at the grocery store by pretending he has a limp. Trust me, he really commits to this limp the entire time we are in the store.

He doesn't get mad at me when I "overcook" dinner. Which happens a lot.

I always know he'll listen to me vent when I've had a bad or long day.

He loves dogs.

He plays with my hair until I fall asleep.

He always says "I'm sorry" first.

He thinks I'm beautiful...even when I have just rolled out of bed.

He is so great with our nieces.

He would do anything for my family. Especially my little sister.

He can't stand it when cars pass him on the road. Even if they pass him on the left like they're supposed to.

If I'm sick and sleeping in the bathroom, he'll sleep on the floor right next to me.

He convinces me to take bubble baths so he can sneak downstairs to play video games.

He gets SUPER excited for midnight showings of new movies.

He lets me buy shoes but he tells me if he thinks they are ugly.

He loves to goof around. He nearly ripped his toe off one night trying to hurry inside before me. As he was standing in the tub bleeding and cursing, he admitted that he was trying to get up the stairs before me so he could jump toward me, off the top of the stairs, with a blanket over his shoulders, like a giant bat. The fact that he can admit that that was what he was doing still makes me laugh so hard.

He is very affectionate.

He is very loyal to his friends. He would do anything for any of them. Any time.

He is ticklish.

He ALWAYS puts the toilet seat down!

He finds my OCD tendencies endearing...most days.

He is very FORGIVING!

Clint, you are my VERY BEST FRIEND! I am so lucky to be with someone so great!

I LOVE YOU!

Great Minds Think Alike?

2009-04-07T22:17:00.000-07:00

Can I just say... I love Jules!

Julie antd I worked at Arkona together for several years before I decided to change jobs. I have to admit, Julie is on a VERY short list of what I miss about Arkona. Thankfully, she and I still go to lunch every now and then!

Not too long ago, we met for lunch at a sandwich shop that we both love at South Towne Mall. We had a pretty good laugh at what each other was wearing...

I promise! This was an unintentional act! We did NOT plan to be "twinsies" (even down to the same color of dress slacks) that day! But it was pretty interesting to see people casting unusual stares our direction the whole time!