Custom Painted Basketballs
2 days ago
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Family blessings
So I'm sitting at my parents house looking at the blogs of my sister and sister-in-law and I realized it has been a long time since I have posted anything. We are doing well...I guess you could say. Maybe I should say we are surviving because that is more what it feels like. I wake up each morning and tell myself I just have to get through this day. I am in my third trimester, 31 weeks, and feeling huge even if I don't look it. It is challenging trying to keep up with my almost 3 year old, as well as keep up with the house and everything that a "good wife" does. I think often of that saying "When you feel you are at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on." Unfortunately, I'm not very good at tying knots and it seems mine keeps coming undone. I find, however, that I am very blessed. I have the very best husband in the world, who knows me and knows how I get, and knows just what I need. He is very supportive and loving even when he has tons going on himself. He takes time for me, to make sure I'm doing ok and that I know he loves me. I have a son who, despite his energy, is probably the best behaved two year old I know. He really doesn't have tantrums very often and when he does they are mild compared to some I've witnessed. He says "please" and "thank you" and "you're welcome" and he obeys very well. He sleeps all night long and takes great naps. And he loves me. He frequently comes up to me and gives me hugs and kisses, or super hugs or super kisses :). He also loves his sister. I was sitting in the dining room working on Christmas presents and he was watching a movie, or was supposed to be. But every five minutes or so, he would run in to where I was working, put his hand on my tummy and say "Hi sister!" Not "Hi Mommy". At night when we put him to bed, he wants to sing her songs and he tells her he loves her. It makes my heart smile. He is such an amazing little boy. I am so blessed to live close to my family. Every three weeks or so, Ryan has exams and he sort of disappears to study. Even when he is home, we try to leave him alone so he can focus. (Sometimes it's easier than others, if you can imagine.) So Dainen and I usually just cruise on up to my parents house and spend a few days to a week with them. They are so great! They love Dainen and they play with him and they have a great time together. And I get some rest. :) They take time off of work and their busy lives to help us out and spend time with us. It truly is a blessing to be so close to them. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or just plain exhausted, they are there to help. Family is the greatest gift and I have been so blessed with mine. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful Christmas season!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Officially a "Student Doctor"
SO!!! You may all be wondering what has been happening to us. First of all, just so you all know, Ryan has to take the computer to school with him EVERY day, so I never have the access to update our blog. Today is a rare day when he was able to leave it for a few hours. So I have taken advantage of it. :)
Things are still going well. Ryan has finished his MPH classes for the summer and has started his DO classes. He is LOVING it! He came home one day the first week and said, "I got to cut through a human sternum with a bone-saw!" He wanted to tell me all about it, but I had to stop him from going into too much detail. Needless to say, they have started working with cadavers and he is really enjoying it. He has also been practicing his OMM (Osteopathic Manual Manipulation) on me a little bit, which is fun. He gets excited when he can find everything and move it the way he's supposed to. He stays pretty busy though, and we try to enjoy what time we do have together as a family.
Last week, Ryan had his White Coat Ceremony. This is where they are given their first white coat that doctors wear and they say the Osteopathic oath. It was really cool and exciting to see him become a "student doctor" and get his coat and everything. :) We are so proud of him and all of his hard work!
In other news....I am now 17 weeks along and feeling pretty good. :) I feel a lot better than I did in the beginning, that's for sure, but I'm still tired. I guess that's not surprising though when you're pregnant and have a two year old to keep up with. We are looking forward to the day we find out the gender of the baby, and we WILL be finding out. I am not the kind of person who can be surprised. Maybe if/when I have a boy and a girl then I can be surprised, but until then I need to know so I can plan. At 7 weeks, we had an ultrasound done. I was in the hospital for the second time with hyperemesis, severe morning sickness that causes dehydration and can endanger the baby. So the doctors just wanted to check and make sure everything was alright, which it was. I am taking medication now so I feel pretty good. I have heard the heartbeat several times now and the NP always tells me it is a good, strong heartbeat so we have nothing to worry about.
Dainen continues to be as active as ever and he keeps me on my toes. He is talking all the time and says the funniest things. Recently, he has wanted me to call him "Mister Dainen" and he calls me "Mister Mommy". I try to correct him, but he just laughs. When we stop at red lights in the car, he will ask in his sweetest voice, "Turn green, please!" and when it finally does he says, "I did it!" He still says Peace out Homey, Boom Sucka, and Boom Baby. He has added to it Rock on Dude. Thanks to Uncle Brad, he mostly says this after he toots, after saying excuse me of course. It is pretty funny, I have to admit. :)
Well, I guess that's it for now. I'll try to update again when I can. We love you all and hope you are doing well. :)
Things are still going well. Ryan has finished his MPH classes for the summer and has started his DO classes. He is LOVING it! He came home one day the first week and said, "I got to cut through a human sternum with a bone-saw!" He wanted to tell me all about it, but I had to stop him from going into too much detail. Needless to say, they have started working with cadavers and he is really enjoying it. He has also been practicing his OMM (Osteopathic Manual Manipulation) on me a little bit, which is fun. He gets excited when he can find everything and move it the way he's supposed to. He stays pretty busy though, and we try to enjoy what time we do have together as a family.
Last week, Ryan had his White Coat Ceremony. This is where they are given their first white coat that doctors wear and they say the Osteopathic oath. It was really cool and exciting to see him become a "student doctor" and get his coat and everything. :) We are so proud of him and all of his hard work!
In other news....I am now 17 weeks along and feeling pretty good. :) I feel a lot better than I did in the beginning, that's for sure, but I'm still tired. I guess that's not surprising though when you're pregnant and have a two year old to keep up with. We are looking forward to the day we find out the gender of the baby, and we WILL be finding out. I am not the kind of person who can be surprised. Maybe if/when I have a boy and a girl then I can be surprised, but until then I need to know so I can plan. At 7 weeks, we had an ultrasound done. I was in the hospital for the second time with hyperemesis, severe morning sickness that causes dehydration and can endanger the baby. So the doctors just wanted to check and make sure everything was alright, which it was. I am taking medication now so I feel pretty good. I have heard the heartbeat several times now and the NP always tells me it is a good, strong heartbeat so we have nothing to worry about.
Dainen continues to be as active as ever and he keeps me on my toes. He is talking all the time and says the funniest things. Recently, he has wanted me to call him "Mister Dainen" and he calls me "Mister Mommy". I try to correct him, but he just laughs. When we stop at red lights in the car, he will ask in his sweetest voice, "Turn green, please!" and when it finally does he says, "I did it!" He still says Peace out Homey, Boom Sucka, and Boom Baby. He has added to it Rock on Dude. Thanks to Uncle Brad, he mostly says this after he toots, after saying excuse me of course. It is pretty funny, I have to admit. :)
Well, I guess that's it for now. I'll try to update again when I can. We love you all and hope you are doing well. :)
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Ryan's update
SO!!! Things are settling down here for us. In case you don't know where "here" is, we are now in Vallejo, CA. Ryan has started classes and is loving it, but before I get into that, why don't I just share with you all his update...
Howdy one and all,
Rarely do we get a chance, or take the chance rather, to update folks on whats going on with us. So get this...
First, to moving: When we picked up the Penske moving van May 14th to get to California from Utah I got a quarter mile down the road before the coolant level light came on, flashed and buzzed three times, and than shut the engine off. I started it again and went back to the penske pick-up location only to be told "this is a common glich with these trucks, pay it no mind. Most say after the truck warms up 10 min. it never happens again." He then checked the coolant level just to be sure and sent me off. It didn't do it again that day but the next 2 days of driving, unpacking the truck, and returning it probably had 15-20 incidents, some of which happened in those killer mountain passes of Northern California. When your engine dies repeatedly as your screaming down a mountain in a 26' moving van with a car trailer it really ticks you off. If we hadn't had so many great experiences with Penske over the summers I sold pest control we would have a very poor impression of them after this move. Aside from that, we found our new home in Vallejo CA to be exactly what we were hoping for. (*I have to interject here, because what Ryan failed to mention with this story is that before we even started packing the truck, as he is trying to park it in the lot, we hit a car! Great way to start the day! We had to find the owner, call the insurance, call the police and file a police report... it was fantastic! Then, when we get to Vallejo, the truck gets stuck. To get into our complex, you have to go up this fairly steep hill. Well, let me tell you, a 26' moving truck weighted down with all of our earthly belongings and a steep hill do not go well together. The back of the truck gets stuck in the asphalt. Ryan couldn't pull it forward without digging it in deeper, or backward. People would try to pass, but the truck was blocking the entire road. They would see that the truck was stuck and say, "Oh yeah, that happens all the time!" which was evident by all of the gouges in the road. However, none of these helpful people knew how to get the truck unstuck. When Brandon and Jennilyn showed up, the truck was already being unloaded right there in the street into other cars, in hopes that lightening the load would help it get out. But Brandon, being Brandon, knew there must be a better way. He and the guys hook the truck up to Brandon's car, wedge stuff under the tires of the truck, including the extra leaf to our table, and Brandon guns his car forward while Ryan guns the truck in reverse. And you know what? It actually worked! There was minimal damage to the stuff in the truck and no damage to the table leaf, or Brandon's car, thank goodness. I don't know why Ryan didn't remember to include that whole story, but there you go.*) Vallejo itself was the first and largest city in CA to go bankrupt, which isn't great, but we used our connections with friends out here to score a great 3 bedroom 2.5 bath 2 car garage condo to rent for a great deal while we're here at medical school. The complex is just off the highway but far enough away from it to be very quiet. It has a fenced vacant lot between it and the highway as well as beautiful grounds and a vacant lot behind it which is also fenced and thus makes us sort of our own very private community. Because we are "bordered" by empty fields, it is also apart from any trouble hot-spots a struggling town may see. With exception to some of the parks and certain parts of town, the economic difficulties here aren't super evident to us, yet.
I actually start classes today at Touro University California. I was accepted into their medical Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) program as well as a masters program in public health (MPH). The combination of the dual-degree is not common in the medical field as a whole but adds an extreme amount of value to a physician that has also earned an MPH. (The MPH is a professional degree by itself which makes it an alternate career path/enhancer to a career as a physician.) The school itself brought life back into Vallejo after the navel military base, which was the life of this city, left in 1996. It is now recognized to have brought many economic strengths and credibility to Vallejo. Its masters in public health (MPH) program, was recently recognized by two accreditation agencies for its excellence. The second agency is a "big one," one that really means a lot. I quote : "Since submitting its first application in 2006, the MPH Program at Touro University California has received full accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) for a five-year term, effective October 30, 2009 extending to December 31, 2014. The Public Health Program truly appreciates and recognizes the valuable support of the Touro Community for their participation in the accreditation process." The significance of this 5 year accreditation from this particular agency is that it normally grants only 3 year accreditations to a university. The fact that it granted a 5 year term for Touro means they were extremely impressed with the program and its effectiveness. Touro University itself was just ranked 10th in "percentage of primary care physicians produced," as described by an articly in a May issue of the Times-Herald newspaper. That is an impressive feat for any medical school to accomplish when being compared to all other accredited medical schools. I have learned even more about D.O.'s since I applied to medical school and been out here at Touro. Basically, D.O.'s and M.D.'s can take the exact same board exams at the completion of their medical school experiences and hence are certified to practice in the same fields of medicine. There is no difference between what either degree will let you specialize in or accomplish in health care. The difference between the programs are an emphasis D.O.'s place on holistic medicine, which among other things tries to diagnose the sources and all interactions causing a disease as well as what preventative measures can be taken. D.O.'s also take an extra series of courses, outside the curriculum M.D.'s use, in hands on manipulation, learning skills that physical therapists and chiropractors implement in their practices. As far as I understand, because M.D.'s have existed longer than D.O.'s there are more residency opportunities in certain circumstances for M.D.'s. Fortunately the residency advantage for M.D.'s does not exclude D.O.'s from any kind of residency they would like to pursue. Any inequality has been constantly disappearing as statistics show over the years and an equality that seems to have started in the eastern U.S. continues spreading west. I have had the opportunity in preparing for medical school to work with D.O.'s in all kinds of practices from specialized to family practice and have enjoyed each experience that demonstrated some of the aforementioned skills D.O.'s stand apart in. In summary, I am extreamly excited to earn degrees in both programs as I love the subject matter and facing the challenges that exist in the ever changing fields of medicine.
Dainen has recently started acting very two lately. He has started tantrums, which are interesting seizures of wails and flailing. They are not often, but when they happen he gets to sit in his room by himself for a good while. On the flip side, he is developing quite a personality. He is a blast most of the time to be around as he talks much more and discovers innovative solutions to problems. Overall he is a fun and desirable companion to go on walks with, play games with, eat and live with. We love him lots. Shannon is doing great. Her allergies are not treating her great this time of year but she has persevered nobly, better than I have ever seen with how uncomfortable they really have made her. Overall we are all now very settled, surprisingly unpacked, and ready for action in California. We love you all and hope all is well with you!
So there you have it! I don't have much more to add. We are really enjoying being so close to family and have already been able to spend a lot of time with them. For those of you who have heard about our place, there will be pictures coming soon, I promise. All in all, we are loving our place and are making it our own. We love you!
Howdy one and all,
Rarely do we get a chance, or take the chance rather, to update folks on whats going on with us. So get this...
First, to moving: When we picked up the Penske moving van May 14th to get to California from Utah I got a quarter mile down the road before the coolant level light came on, flashed and buzzed three times, and than shut the engine off. I started it again and went back to the penske pick-up location only to be told "this is a common glich with these trucks, pay it no mind. Most say after the truck warms up 10 min. it never happens again." He then checked the coolant level just to be sure and sent me off. It didn't do it again that day but the next 2 days of driving, unpacking the truck, and returning it probably had 15-20 incidents, some of which happened in those killer mountain passes of Northern California. When your engine dies repeatedly as your screaming down a mountain in a 26' moving van with a car trailer it really ticks you off. If we hadn't had so many great experiences with Penske over the summers I sold pest control we would have a very poor impression of them after this move. Aside from that, we found our new home in Vallejo CA to be exactly what we were hoping for. (*I have to interject here, because what Ryan failed to mention with this story is that before we even started packing the truck, as he is trying to park it in the lot, we hit a car! Great way to start the day! We had to find the owner, call the insurance, call the police and file a police report... it was fantastic! Then, when we get to Vallejo, the truck gets stuck. To get into our complex, you have to go up this fairly steep hill. Well, let me tell you, a 26' moving truck weighted down with all of our earthly belongings and a steep hill do not go well together. The back of the truck gets stuck in the asphalt. Ryan couldn't pull it forward without digging it in deeper, or backward. People would try to pass, but the truck was blocking the entire road. They would see that the truck was stuck and say, "Oh yeah, that happens all the time!" which was evident by all of the gouges in the road. However, none of these helpful people knew how to get the truck unstuck. When Brandon and Jennilyn showed up, the truck was already being unloaded right there in the street into other cars, in hopes that lightening the load would help it get out. But Brandon, being Brandon, knew there must be a better way. He and the guys hook the truck up to Brandon's car, wedge stuff under the tires of the truck, including the extra leaf to our table, and Brandon guns his car forward while Ryan guns the truck in reverse. And you know what? It actually worked! There was minimal damage to the stuff in the truck and no damage to the table leaf, or Brandon's car, thank goodness. I don't know why Ryan didn't remember to include that whole story, but there you go.*) Vallejo itself was the first and largest city in CA to go bankrupt, which isn't great, but we used our connections with friends out here to score a great 3 bedroom 2.5 bath 2 car garage condo to rent for a great deal while we're here at medical school. The complex is just off the highway but far enough away from it to be very quiet. It has a fenced vacant lot between it and the highway as well as beautiful grounds and a vacant lot behind it which is also fenced and thus makes us sort of our own very private community. Because we are "bordered" by empty fields, it is also apart from any trouble hot-spots a struggling town may see. With exception to some of the parks and certain parts of town, the economic difficulties here aren't super evident to us, yet.
I actually start classes today at Touro University California. I was accepted into their medical Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) program as well as a masters program in public health (MPH). The combination of the dual-degree is not common in the medical field as a whole but adds an extreme amount of value to a physician that has also earned an MPH. (The MPH is a professional degree by itself which makes it an alternate career path/enhancer to a career as a physician.) The school itself brought life back into Vallejo after the navel military base, which was the life of this city, left in 1996. It is now recognized to have brought many economic strengths and credibility to Vallejo. Its masters in public health (MPH) program, was recently recognized by two accreditation agencies for its excellence. The second agency is a "big one," one that really means a lot. I quote : "Since submitting its first application in 2006, the MPH Program at Touro University California has received full accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) for a five-year term, effective October 30, 2009 extending to December 31, 2014. The Public Health Program truly appreciates and recognizes the valuable support of the Touro Community for their participation in the accreditation process." The significance of this 5 year accreditation from this particular agency is that it normally grants only 3 year accreditations to a university. The fact that it granted a 5 year term for Touro means they were extremely impressed with the program and its effectiveness. Touro University itself was just ranked 10th in "percentage of primary care physicians produced," as described by an articly in a May issue of the Times-Herald newspaper. That is an impressive feat for any medical school to accomplish when being compared to all other accredited medical schools. I have learned even more about D.O.'s since I applied to medical school and been out here at Touro. Basically, D.O.'s and M.D.'s can take the exact same board exams at the completion of their medical school experiences and hence are certified to practice in the same fields of medicine. There is no difference between what either degree will let you specialize in or accomplish in health care. The difference between the programs are an emphasis D.O.'s place on holistic medicine, which among other things tries to diagnose the sources and all interactions causing a disease as well as what preventative measures can be taken. D.O.'s also take an extra series of courses, outside the curriculum M.D.'s use, in hands on manipulation, learning skills that physical therapists and chiropractors implement in their practices. As far as I understand, because M.D.'s have existed longer than D.O.'s there are more residency opportunities in certain circumstances for M.D.'s. Fortunately the residency advantage for M.D.'s does not exclude D.O.'s from any kind of residency they would like to pursue. Any inequality has been constantly disappearing as statistics show over the years and an equality that seems to have started in the eastern U.S. continues spreading west. I have had the opportunity in preparing for medical school to work with D.O.'s in all kinds of practices from specialized to family practice and have enjoyed each experience that demonstrated some of the aforementioned skills D.O.'s stand apart in. In summary, I am extreamly excited to earn degrees in both programs as I love the subject matter and facing the challenges that exist in the ever changing fields of medicine.
Dainen has recently started acting very two lately. He has started tantrums, which are interesting seizures of wails and flailing. They are not often, but when they happen he gets to sit in his room by himself for a good while. On the flip side, he is developing quite a personality. He is a blast most of the time to be around as he talks much more and discovers innovative solutions to problems. Overall he is a fun and desirable companion to go on walks with, play games with, eat and live with. We love him lots. Shannon is doing great. Her allergies are not treating her great this time of year but she has persevered nobly, better than I have ever seen with how uncomfortable they really have made her. Overall we are all now very settled, surprisingly unpacked, and ready for action in California. We love you all and hope all is well with you!
So there you have it! I don't have much more to add. We are really enjoying being so close to family and have already been able to spend a lot of time with them. For those of you who have heard about our place, there will be pictures coming soon, I promise. All in all, we are loving our place and are making it our own. We love you!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Catching Up
Well, I was doing better at keeping this up to date, but this past month was busy. Here is a re-cap of what went on:
1. Brad's birthday was on March 7th! Happy Birthday Brad! His birthday wish was for Ryan and me to join him and Mallory at Brighton to snowboard. So I went snowboarding! I have been once before, but I don't think you could technically call what I did that first time snowboarding. It was more like scooting down the mountain dragging my hands behind me. This time, however, I snowboarded. Ryan was an excellent teacher, and Brad and Mallory were patient enough to wait while I learned. Then we conquered the mountain. (OK, I actually only went down the big mountain once, but I was tired. Can you blame me?) We had a great time and went to IHOP for hot chocolate afterwards.
2. Ryan, Dainen, and I took a trip to California to find a place to live when Ryan starts medical school. We found a couple of places we liked, and have since negotiated terms with an older couple who owns a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath condo. It is located right down the street from another couple our age who are also going to the school Ryan will be attending. They are also in the ward. We got to spend time with them while we were down there and we are excited to get to know them better. (YAY Matt and Chelsea!) We also got to spend time with Jennilyn and Brandon and their kids. They are so fun and we can't wait to be closer to them. Dainen had a lot of fun playing with his cousins. Nonna and Papa didn't get to see him much, but are counting down the days until we are closer.
3. Ryan started a new job working for his uncle. He is developing a door to door sales program for a computer support/anti-identity theft product. He is really busy meeting with the CEO of this company and a board of other employees trying to come up with a working program, and also taking ti door to door to see if the program works. It has been time consuming, but he has enjoyed it.
4. We are trying to sell our house and have "showings" once or twice a week, so I'm busy keeping up with the cleaning, and chasing after our kid. I've also tried to do a little packing now and then so that when the time comes, it won't be so stressful. Have I mentioned how much I loathe packing and moving? I lay awake at night trying to figure out what we can do without for the next month or so, what needs to stay out until we actually leave, and where we're going to put it when it is packed up. I also get rteally excited thinking about where it's all going to go in the condo in Cali. :) But one step at a time.
So, as you can see, it has been a busy month. Also, by way of excuse, Ryan has been taking the computer to school a lot so I haven't had access to blog. But, here is a funny story to try to make up for it...
Last week, Dainen and I got up early to take a friend to the airport. When we returned, I emptied out my pockets, put the diaper bag away, put Dainen's jacket in the closet, and got him some milk. As I was in the kitchen getting the milk, I looked in our backyard and noticed that some plastic bottles that we have in a bag to recycle were scattered due to the wind. So I went out to clean them up, shutting the door behind me so Dainen wouldn't come out, and because it was really cold. (I made sure it wasn't locked.) I cleaned up all the bottles and went to walk back in the house but the doorknob wouldn't turn. Dainen was standing by the door. I was suddenly struck by the realization that Dainen had locked the door. Frantically, I tried to get Dainen to unlock the door and let me in. I could see him and he could see me, so he wasn't freaking out, and I knew he was ok. I kept telling him to unlock the door until finally, I could turn the doorknob. But the door still wouldn't open. He locked the dead bolt!! Now, on our door, when the deadbolt is straight up and down, it is unlocked, and when it is horizontal it is locked. Apparently, he couldn't get the leverage he needed to get it back vertical. He started climbing up the door, but I was afraid he would fall and hit his head on the floor and I would have to break the window to get in and then call 911 and that just wasn't looking good. So I told him I was ok and that he should go watch a movie, I would be back in a minute. So I watched him run into the living room and heard the TV turn on and then I ran over to my visiting teachers house. Fortunately she lives right across the street from me. I called Ryan, who was at school, just about to start class, and told him he had to come home now because Dainen had locked me out. With a hug from Ruby (Thanks Ruby!) I ran back home to the back yard where I could watch Dainen. We played Peek-a-boo, he stacked boxes of Macaroni, asked me repeatedly to come in and make him some food and to turn on "Boo" (Monsters, Inc.), and he kept trying to unlock the door. When I still wouldn't come in, he got frustrated and said, "Uh-mon, Mommy! Uh-mon!" And then he threw himself on the floor and gave me the pouty face. That broke my heart. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, Ryan got home and let me in. He saved the day!
Oh, I love my little 2 year old!
1. Brad's birthday was on March 7th! Happy Birthday Brad! His birthday wish was for Ryan and me to join him and Mallory at Brighton to snowboard. So I went snowboarding! I have been once before, but I don't think you could technically call what I did that first time snowboarding. It was more like scooting down the mountain dragging my hands behind me. This time, however, I snowboarded. Ryan was an excellent teacher, and Brad and Mallory were patient enough to wait while I learned. Then we conquered the mountain. (OK, I actually only went down the big mountain once, but I was tired. Can you blame me?) We had a great time and went to IHOP for hot chocolate afterwards.
2. Ryan, Dainen, and I took a trip to California to find a place to live when Ryan starts medical school. We found a couple of places we liked, and have since negotiated terms with an older couple who owns a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath condo. It is located right down the street from another couple our age who are also going to the school Ryan will be attending. They are also in the ward. We got to spend time with them while we were down there and we are excited to get to know them better. (YAY Matt and Chelsea!) We also got to spend time with Jennilyn and Brandon and their kids. They are so fun and we can't wait to be closer to them. Dainen had a lot of fun playing with his cousins. Nonna and Papa didn't get to see him much, but are counting down the days until we are closer.
3. Ryan started a new job working for his uncle. He is developing a door to door sales program for a computer support/anti-identity theft product. He is really busy meeting with the CEO of this company and a board of other employees trying to come up with a working program, and also taking ti door to door to see if the program works. It has been time consuming, but he has enjoyed it.
4. We are trying to sell our house and have "showings" once or twice a week, so I'm busy keeping up with the cleaning, and chasing after our kid. I've also tried to do a little packing now and then so that when the time comes, it won't be so stressful. Have I mentioned how much I loathe packing and moving? I lay awake at night trying to figure out what we can do without for the next month or so, what needs to stay out until we actually leave, and where we're going to put it when it is packed up. I also get rteally excited thinking about where it's all going to go in the condo in Cali. :) But one step at a time.
So, as you can see, it has been a busy month. Also, by way of excuse, Ryan has been taking the computer to school a lot so I haven't had access to blog. But, here is a funny story to try to make up for it...
Last week, Dainen and I got up early to take a friend to the airport. When we returned, I emptied out my pockets, put the diaper bag away, put Dainen's jacket in the closet, and got him some milk. As I was in the kitchen getting the milk, I looked in our backyard and noticed that some plastic bottles that we have in a bag to recycle were scattered due to the wind. So I went out to clean them up, shutting the door behind me so Dainen wouldn't come out, and because it was really cold. (I made sure it wasn't locked.) I cleaned up all the bottles and went to walk back in the house but the doorknob wouldn't turn. Dainen was standing by the door. I was suddenly struck by the realization that Dainen had locked the door. Frantically, I tried to get Dainen to unlock the door and let me in. I could see him and he could see me, so he wasn't freaking out, and I knew he was ok. I kept telling him to unlock the door until finally, I could turn the doorknob. But the door still wouldn't open. He locked the dead bolt!! Now, on our door, when the deadbolt is straight up and down, it is unlocked, and when it is horizontal it is locked. Apparently, he couldn't get the leverage he needed to get it back vertical. He started climbing up the door, but I was afraid he would fall and hit his head on the floor and I would have to break the window to get in and then call 911 and that just wasn't looking good. So I told him I was ok and that he should go watch a movie, I would be back in a minute. So I watched him run into the living room and heard the TV turn on and then I ran over to my visiting teachers house. Fortunately she lives right across the street from me. I called Ryan, who was at school, just about to start class, and told him he had to come home now because Dainen had locked me out. With a hug from Ruby (Thanks Ruby!) I ran back home to the back yard where I could watch Dainen. We played Peek-a-boo, he stacked boxes of Macaroni, asked me repeatedly to come in and make him some food and to turn on "Boo" (Monsters, Inc.), and he kept trying to unlock the door. When I still wouldn't come in, he got frustrated and said, "Uh-mon, Mommy! Uh-mon!" And then he threw himself on the floor and gave me the pouty face. That broke my heart. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, Ryan got home and let me in. He saved the day!
Oh, I love my little 2 year old!
Friday, March 5, 2010
THE BEST Husband EVER
I just have to say that I have THE BEST husband ever. I know you might be thinking, or saying aloud, that your husband is the best, and I'm sure your husband is a good husband...but my husband is THE BEST EVER! Here's why:
I went to the doctor yesterday morning, urgent care in fact. They told me what I already knew, that I had a bad sinus infection. As if the pounding headache, sinus pressure, stuffy/runny nose, and sore throat didn't tip me off. I got antibiotics and a decongestant and went to pick up Dainen at Lesley's, who was kind enough to watch him for me. When we finally got home, Dainen threw a fit and threw his body against the front door repeatedly telling me he wanted to go. I took my medicine, regathered our stuff, and packed him in the car. Once inside the car, he proceeded to thrash around in his car seat telling me he wanted to watch cars. I went to get him out of his seat and he cried and told me to go. Anyone who has a two year old will know how I was feeling at that point, but add to it the sinus infection and we can just say I was less than happy. I decided to take him for a drive in hopes that he would just fall asleep. No such luck. (I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with Ryan and what makes him THE BEST husband EVER. Just hang on.) After 10-15 minutes of driving around listening to him scream and thrash his body around, I called Ryan, desperately hoping that he would answer his phone. I knew he had classes all day, but I hoped maybe I would catch him on a break. Just when I thought his voice mail was going to pick up, he actually answered!! I told him, through almost sobs, what was going on knowing he wouldn't be able to do anything about it, but just needing to talk to him anyway. Without hesitation he told me to meet him on campus and that he would take Dainen. It turns out he had a 3 hour break and was just heading to the library to study for a test. So I went to campus. As soon as I pulled up, Ryan took Dainen, packed a diaper and the wipes in his backpack, grabbed Dainen's cup of milk, kissed me through the window and told me to go home and sleep. For the nest three hours, instead of studying for his test and doing his homework, Ryan tackled our two year old. And I went home. Ryan and Dainen had a fun filled afternoon of playing with salt and pepper shakers, playing skee ball, bowling, and watching Aladdin in an empty classroom. When I went back and picked up Dainen, he was so tired, he fell asleep on the way home and slept for the next two hours. By the time he woke up, Ryan was home for the night.
I am truly blessed to have such an amazing husband!
I went to the doctor yesterday morning, urgent care in fact. They told me what I already knew, that I had a bad sinus infection. As if the pounding headache, sinus pressure, stuffy/runny nose, and sore throat didn't tip me off. I got antibiotics and a decongestant and went to pick up Dainen at Lesley's, who was kind enough to watch him for me. When we finally got home, Dainen threw a fit and threw his body against the front door repeatedly telling me he wanted to go. I took my medicine, regathered our stuff, and packed him in the car. Once inside the car, he proceeded to thrash around in his car seat telling me he wanted to watch cars. I went to get him out of his seat and he cried and told me to go. Anyone who has a two year old will know how I was feeling at that point, but add to it the sinus infection and we can just say I was less than happy. I decided to take him for a drive in hopes that he would just fall asleep. No such luck. (I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with Ryan and what makes him THE BEST husband EVER. Just hang on.) After 10-15 minutes of driving around listening to him scream and thrash his body around, I called Ryan, desperately hoping that he would answer his phone. I knew he had classes all day, but I hoped maybe I would catch him on a break. Just when I thought his voice mail was going to pick up, he actually answered!! I told him, through almost sobs, what was going on knowing he wouldn't be able to do anything about it, but just needing to talk to him anyway. Without hesitation he told me to meet him on campus and that he would take Dainen. It turns out he had a 3 hour break and was just heading to the library to study for a test. So I went to campus. As soon as I pulled up, Ryan took Dainen, packed a diaper and the wipes in his backpack, grabbed Dainen's cup of milk, kissed me through the window and told me to go home and sleep. For the nest three hours, instead of studying for his test and doing his homework, Ryan tackled our two year old. And I went home. Ryan and Dainen had a fun filled afternoon of playing with salt and pepper shakers, playing skee ball, bowling, and watching Aladdin in an empty classroom. When I went back and picked up Dainen, he was so tired, he fell asleep on the way home and slept for the next two hours. By the time he woke up, Ryan was home for the night.
I am truly blessed to have such an amazing husband!
Dainen's Birthday Party
We had Dainen's birthday party with some of his friends last Saturday. This is the first time I've had the computer so I decided to put up the pictures while I had the chance. We had a lot of fun! YAY Dainen!
Here are Dainen, Chloe, and Braeden coloring Toy Story characters
We played Pin the Sheriff's Badge on Woody. Here is Dainen taking his turn
Braeden had fun spinning
Dainen blew out his candles all by himself
Close-up of the cake. Are you noticing a theme?
Dainen got some Toy Story figures from Braeden and Chloe, in addition to the ones on the cake. He LOVES Toy Story!
He also got a shirt and pants from Braeden and Chloe. The shirt has a monster on it that says "NOISY". It's so Dainen.
Play-Doh from Nonna and Papa. We think he learned this face from Ratatouille. So funny!
Nonna and Papa also gave Dainen a little bowling set. Braeden was really excited to throw the balls at the frog-shape pins.
Buzz Lightyear and his evil nemesis Emperor Zurg! The outfit is from Nonna and Papa.
Have I mentioned Dainen loves Toy Story? Specifically Buzz. Emily and Mike and their kids got Dainen footy pj's that look like Buzz Lightyear. He loves them!
Thank you so much everyone, for making this a great birthday for Dainen. And thanks to all those who sent cards, it meant a lot. We love our TWO YEAR OLD BOY!
Here are Dainen, Chloe, and Braeden coloring Toy Story characters
We played Pin the Sheriff's Badge on Woody. Here is Dainen taking his turn
Braeden had fun spinning
Dainen blew out his candles all by himself
Close-up of the cake. Are you noticing a theme?
Dainen got some Toy Story figures from Braeden and Chloe, in addition to the ones on the cake. He LOVES Toy Story!
He also got a shirt and pants from Braeden and Chloe. The shirt has a monster on it that says "NOISY". It's so Dainen.
Play-Doh from Nonna and Papa. We think he learned this face from Ratatouille. So funny!
Nonna and Papa also gave Dainen a little bowling set. Braeden was really excited to throw the balls at the frog-shape pins.
Buzz Lightyear and his evil nemesis Emperor Zurg! The outfit is from Nonna and Papa.
Have I mentioned Dainen loves Toy Story? Specifically Buzz. Emily and Mike and their kids got Dainen footy pj's that look like Buzz Lightyear. He loves them!
Thank you so much everyone, for making this a great birthday for Dainen. And thanks to all those who sent cards, it meant a lot. We love our TWO YEAR OLD BOY!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Birthday Pictures
So when Dainen woke up this morning, Ryan and I went to get him from his crib and we sang the Happy Birthday song as we did so. As soon as we started singing, Dainen got this huge, ear to ear grin on his face and started jumping up and down in his crib. We got him out and were still singing when he started clapping and saying, "Yay! Yay!" It was so cute and so fun to see him excited about his birthday. We're not sure he really understands what was going on today, but he was getting everyone's attention and people were singing to him all day long, so he wasn't complaining. :) It was a good day.
Here are some pictures from Dainen's birthday:
This first one is Dianen talking on the phone with his cousins, Kali and Maci. They were singing Happy Birthday, hence the big huge smile.
Brad and Mallory gave Dainen an M&M dispenser.
Dainen loves Grandpa Gardner, affectionately called "Papa".
Daddy helped him blow out his candles. They were shaped in a "2".
Grandma and Grandpa Juchau sent Dainen some balloons with a card.
Thank you everyone for making this such a great day for him! He had so much fun and is so excited to be two!! We love you all!
Here are some pictures from Dainen's birthday:
This first one is Dianen talking on the phone with his cousins, Kali and Maci. They were singing Happy Birthday, hence the big huge smile.
Brad and Mallory gave Dainen an M&M dispenser.
Dainen loves Grandpa Gardner, affectionately called "Papa".
Daddy helped him blow out his candles. They were shaped in a "2".
Grandma and Grandpa Juchau sent Dainen some balloons with a card.
Thank you everyone for making this such a great day for him! He had so much fun and is so excited to be two!! We love you all!
All grown up
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAINEN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAINEN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAINEN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAINEN!
I can't believe my baby is two years old today!! He is getting so big! I love him so much and can't wait to see what this next year brings!
Happy birthday little man!
I can't believe my baby is two years old today!! He is getting so big! I love him so much and can't wait to see what this next year brings!
Happy birthday little man!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Valentine's Day Weekend
For Valentine’s Day weekend, Ryan, his brother Jordan, his cousin David, Dainen, and I went to Albuquerque, New Mexico to visit Ryan’s family. We had a fun and… interesting time, filled with moments we aren’t likely to ever forget. ;)
Memory 1: Going to church with Ryan’s grandparents. We were looking forward to spending quality time with them one on one, and then we would go to their house afterwards. Good plan in theory, choppy in the execution. We got to the building, were about halfway through the first hour, the first speaker was up giving her talk, and I see Dainen sitting on Ryan’s lap puking his little guts out… all over Ryan, his phone, the pew, and the chapel floor. I grab him to take him to the bathroom and he proceeds to puke all over me. I won’t gross you out with more details, but needless to say, we didn’t stay long. We cleaned up the mess after everyone left the chapel and went back to Ryan’s cousin’s house. Happy Valentine’s Day to us!!
Memory 2: Having a relaxing dinner with the family at Dan and Lindsey’s house. It had been crazy and they wanted us to just relax and enjoy a good meal. Who knew we’d get a water show spectacular to go with it? After dinner we were all sitting around talking, watching the Olympics, when water started POURING from the recessed lights in their kitchen. Come to find out, pretty quickly I might add, the upstairs bathroom toilet had flooded and the water had drained into the floor vent that goes between the two stories and the only place it had to escape was through the lights. Alex, Dan and Lindsey’s oldest son, was ecstatic to have a waterfall in his kitchen and thought it was so cool! Lol. (As it turns out, it seems the damage wasn’t as bad as it looked and won’t be too bad to repair. YAY!)
Memory 3: Driving home, sitting behind the wheel, looking in the rearview mirror and seeing Dainen choking on a mouthful of peanuts. Dainen has this weird tendency to not swallow carrots and peanuts once he has chewed them. He always asks for them and wants to eat them, but he will not swallow them. Instead he usually ends up keeping them stored in his mouth for awhile and then spitting them out in my hand. Well, because I was driving and Ryan was in the passenger seat, we had no way of knowing that he was eating peanuts and not swallowing them. Ryan’s brother and cousin had no way of knowing about Dainen’s weird tendency, so he just got more and more peanuts. All it took was one cough and suddenly he was choking on peanuts. With one hand on the wheel, I reached my other hand back, shoved it in his mouth and scraped out all the peanuts I could, until Ryan realized what was going on and took over so I wouldn’t crash. (Wait until you’re a Mom, and then you’ll understand my priorities.) It took some coaxing, but they were finally able to get Dainen to spit out all the remaining peanuts and he was ok.
Despite all of these wonderful memories, we really did have a good time. Lol! :) Ryan and I got to spend a night out just the two of us, which doesn’t happen very often anymore. We got to spend a lot of time with family that we haven’t seen in a long time. We got to go to the aquarium, and Ryan got to snowboard with his cousins. It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun!!
(I tried to post pictures and videos, but for some reason, my computer is having a hard time doing it. So….pictures and videos to come. Sorry!)
Memory 1: Going to church with Ryan’s grandparents. We were looking forward to spending quality time with them one on one, and then we would go to their house afterwards. Good plan in theory, choppy in the execution. We got to the building, were about halfway through the first hour, the first speaker was up giving her talk, and I see Dainen sitting on Ryan’s lap puking his little guts out… all over Ryan, his phone, the pew, and the chapel floor. I grab him to take him to the bathroom and he proceeds to puke all over me. I won’t gross you out with more details, but needless to say, we didn’t stay long. We cleaned up the mess after everyone left the chapel and went back to Ryan’s cousin’s house. Happy Valentine’s Day to us!!
Memory 2: Having a relaxing dinner with the family at Dan and Lindsey’s house. It had been crazy and they wanted us to just relax and enjoy a good meal. Who knew we’d get a water show spectacular to go with it? After dinner we were all sitting around talking, watching the Olympics, when water started POURING from the recessed lights in their kitchen. Come to find out, pretty quickly I might add, the upstairs bathroom toilet had flooded and the water had drained into the floor vent that goes between the two stories and the only place it had to escape was through the lights. Alex, Dan and Lindsey’s oldest son, was ecstatic to have a waterfall in his kitchen and thought it was so cool! Lol. (As it turns out, it seems the damage wasn’t as bad as it looked and won’t be too bad to repair. YAY!)
Memory 3: Driving home, sitting behind the wheel, looking in the rearview mirror and seeing Dainen choking on a mouthful of peanuts. Dainen has this weird tendency to not swallow carrots and peanuts once he has chewed them. He always asks for them and wants to eat them, but he will not swallow them. Instead he usually ends up keeping them stored in his mouth for awhile and then spitting them out in my hand. Well, because I was driving and Ryan was in the passenger seat, we had no way of knowing that he was eating peanuts and not swallowing them. Ryan’s brother and cousin had no way of knowing about Dainen’s weird tendency, so he just got more and more peanuts. All it took was one cough and suddenly he was choking on peanuts. With one hand on the wheel, I reached my other hand back, shoved it in his mouth and scraped out all the peanuts I could, until Ryan realized what was going on and took over so I wouldn’t crash. (Wait until you’re a Mom, and then you’ll understand my priorities.) It took some coaxing, but they were finally able to get Dainen to spit out all the remaining peanuts and he was ok.
Despite all of these wonderful memories, we really did have a good time. Lol! :) Ryan and I got to spend a night out just the two of us, which doesn’t happen very often anymore. We got to spend a lot of time with family that we haven’t seen in a long time. We got to go to the aquarium, and Ryan got to snowboard with his cousins. It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun!!
(I tried to post pictures and videos, but for some reason, my computer is having a hard time doing it. So….pictures and videos to come. Sorry!)
Monday, February 8, 2010
Resolution
So I have to say I'm probably one of the worst bloggers on the net. And it makes me sad that I haven't chronicled any of our doings this past year. SO! With a renewed sense of... something, I have decided to give it another go. :)
This past year has been really great! We stayed home, here in Utah, for the summer. YAY no summer sales! Ryan took classes, shadowed doctors, and did research for one of his professors. He also took the MCAT, and did really well. We bought a new car, a Honda FIT, that we absolutely LOVE!! Ryan applied to Medical schools and D.O. schools (Doctor of Osteopathy), and we recently found out, after interviewing, that he was accepted to Touro University in Vallejo, CA. It is a DO school that also offers a dual degree program, so he can get a Masters in Public Health along with his Doctor of Osteopathy. He still has an interview scheduled with a school in Arizona, so we haven't made any final decisions, but we are really really excited about this school and the possibility of living so close to my family. Not to mention that it is just an awesome school with a great program!
Dainen is now almost TWO years old!! He loves to jump around the house, literally, and climb and jump off of things. It scares his mommy to death, but he has a lot of fun. His favorite game to play is tackling daddy. He runs as fast as he can across the living room and tackles Ryan at full force. He doesn't even slow down. He loves wrestling and playing with his daddy. He also loves movies, talking on the phone, and playing on the computer. He isn't quite talking in complete sentences, but he is trying. I understand about 90% of what he says, and the rest he makes up. We have a lot of fun playing together.
I am currently just a stay at home mom, and loving it. I have been working on a lot of projects around the house. Recovering the couch, making curtains for the kitchen (thank you Mallory for your sewing machine), decorating Dainen's room with vinyl lettering (thank you Lesley for your Cricut), rearranging the furniture in the living room, getting rid of old furniture and replacing it with new stuff, going through closets and getting rid of old clothes, organizing and cleaning... etc etc. Have you ever gone through a "nesting stage" when you weren't actually pregnant?? Weird. But it feels really good to be getting things in order.
So that's pretty much what has been going on with us lately. I'll update again soon.... I promise!! With pictures. :)
This past year has been really great! We stayed home, here in Utah, for the summer. YAY no summer sales! Ryan took classes, shadowed doctors, and did research for one of his professors. He also took the MCAT, and did really well. We bought a new car, a Honda FIT, that we absolutely LOVE!! Ryan applied to Medical schools and D.O. schools (Doctor of Osteopathy), and we recently found out, after interviewing, that he was accepted to Touro University in Vallejo, CA. It is a DO school that also offers a dual degree program, so he can get a Masters in Public Health along with his Doctor of Osteopathy. He still has an interview scheduled with a school in Arizona, so we haven't made any final decisions, but we are really really excited about this school and the possibility of living so close to my family. Not to mention that it is just an awesome school with a great program!
Dainen is now almost TWO years old!! He loves to jump around the house, literally, and climb and jump off of things. It scares his mommy to death, but he has a lot of fun. His favorite game to play is tackling daddy. He runs as fast as he can across the living room and tackles Ryan at full force. He doesn't even slow down. He loves wrestling and playing with his daddy. He also loves movies, talking on the phone, and playing on the computer. He isn't quite talking in complete sentences, but he is trying. I understand about 90% of what he says, and the rest he makes up. We have a lot of fun playing together.
I am currently just a stay at home mom, and loving it. I have been working on a lot of projects around the house. Recovering the couch, making curtains for the kitchen (thank you Mallory for your sewing machine), decorating Dainen's room with vinyl lettering (thank you Lesley for your Cricut), rearranging the furniture in the living room, getting rid of old furniture and replacing it with new stuff, going through closets and getting rid of old clothes, organizing and cleaning... etc etc. Have you ever gone through a "nesting stage" when you weren't actually pregnant?? Weird. But it feels really good to be getting things in order.
So that's pretty much what has been going on with us lately. I'll update again soon.... I promise!! With pictures. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
