January
- Sam got his first haircut. This was a really hard thing for me. It marked the turning point of my baby becoming a toddler. Sam did really well with his first hair cut though; since then, not so much.
- Our wedding anniversary is January 23rd and this year Nic took me to see Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband at BYU. The highlight for me was dancing on the bridge, listening to our song on Nic's I-pod. I married the best guy ever!
- On Valentine's Day, we made the big announcement to our family and friends, and the world in general, that we were going to have a baby. Best Valentine's Day ever--even better than the ones in Elementary school with the the Valentine's shoe boxes and treats galore!
- In Feb. and March, Sam and I went on a few road trips with daddy to Reno and Idaho. Sam and I agree that the hotel life is the way to live.
March
- Our good friends, Chris and Kristine and their two kids, Abbie and Nic, came for a visit. Chris is in the military, and they've recently moved from Ohio to Colorado. It was fun to see them again.
- This was my last year to help coach the mock trial team for CVMS. When I was teaching, coaching the mock trial team became a passion of mine. It is high-stress, exciting, a lot of work, and I love it! The kids are amazing at how well they compete and are able to think through things. I will really miss coaching, but I hope CVMS continues competing. Maybe someday I'll go back to coaching at some school or other...in my free time. =)
- Our big highlight: Sam started walking at the end of March. Watching as Sam runs through the house, destroying everything in his path, it seems impossible that it was just this year that he started walking. I remember wondering if he would ever learn to walk by himself. Now I'm thinking I would have been okay with him taking a little longer to learn!
April
- Easter: Sam had a lot of fun with Easter. He is the only grandchild on my side of the family and was the youngest (until Mark) on Nic's side. He got to find a LOT of eggs this year.
- The cousins from Washington were in town for a triathlon. Aunt Heidi, Uncle Mark F., and Aunt Holly all competed in the triathlon and did really well! We had fun cheering for them!
- While the cousins were in town, I did my annual book club with the girls. I started a tradition a couple of years ago, where every at Christmas, the girls get the same book for their present. They then read it and whenever the WA cousins come to town, we do some sort of activity to go with it. Last year, we read Little House in the Big Woods, went to Wheeler Farm, ate old-fashioned candy, and made rag dolls. This year we read Chasing Vermeer and went to the art museum at BYU.
- We also went as a family to the Carl Bloch exhibit at BYU. It was a wonderful, uplifting experience.
May
- This month we began, in earnest, our BIG PROJECT (besides having a baby, the other project): the Yard. Nic completely tore up the lawn (which was more weeds and stickers than grass), leveled everything, and basically started from square one. Sam loved playing in the dirt and in the trenches.
- I had the opportunity of attending some classes in what is called SoJo University. We learned all about our city, including public works, recreation, and government. We met once a week and at the end of eight weeks, we even had a little graduation ceremony during the city council meeting. It was a lot of fun for me, and I learned so much. I would really like to be more involved in my community, and maybe some day run for school board or city council. You heard it here first, folks, I'm announcing my candidacy! =)
- For Memorial Day, we went on our annual camping trip with Nic's side of the family to Out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere, UT (somewhere in the deserts of around Delta). During our camping trip, we got snowed on which sent us packing to Lehman Caves. All in all, it was a fun adventure!
- In May, we also got a new neighbor, which began a whole new adventure in of itself. We miss our old neighbors, Tom and Diane, but are slowly getting to know our new neighbor and appreciate her and her quirkiness. Because, hey, we're all quirky in some way, right?!
- At the end of May, beginning of June, we had a little bit of a scary experience with Gus. He kept throwing up and wasn't looking very good, so we took him in to the vet. After our experience with Gimli, it's always so scary to go to the vet. Well, Gus ended up with an infection with his pancreas. Poor guy! He had to fast for two days--no food or water, and he had three different medications he had to take. This is how I learned that I can do anything. I was in charge of giving Gus his medicine which required me to set an alarm to give one medicine three times a day, the other medicine one hour after each dose of the first medicine, and the third medicine twice a day. We also couldn't use any bread or anything like that to help him swallow the pills, so that meant I had to pry open his mouth and literally put my hand down his throat to get the pill down. I don't know who had the worst time--Gus or me! But now, anytime I'm faced with a difficult situation, I think, "If I can get a pill down a 130 lb. dog's throat, I can do this!"
June
- We had our annual girl's weekend in St. George. Except this year, we invited four guys to come with us: my dad, my brother, my Uncle Allen, and Felicia's dad. We all had a lot of fun 'under the sea' (it was the Little Mermaid at Tuacahn). Next year, however, to save the guys from the endless shopping and girly giggling, I think we'll go back to just girls. =)
- Sam and I began swim lessons together. It was called 'Parent-Tot' swimming class, and I think we both learned so much, including to overcome our fears of the water. I took swimming lessons as a kid, but never passed. I actually have a certificate that says I didn't pass. Something about sheer terror of water. So this was a great opportunity for me to redeem myself and have some fun with Sam. Plus, everyone was fortunate to see the sexy-pregnant-me in a swimsuit.
- A definite highlight of swim lessons and this year was that we made friends with Shannon and her daughter, Shayla. Shayla is two weeks younger than Sam, and at the time of swim lessons, Shannon was a few weeks behind me in pregnancy. They have proven to be the best of friends and we have had many adventures together. I think that it was divine providence that we met and became friends.
- Starting this month and through out the summer, Shannon and Shayla, my other friend Heidi and her daughter Addison, and Sam and I tried to try different parks in our city. We tried to go once a week (though, admittedly, as I got more pregnant, we didn't go as much) and had fun trying and rating different parks. We'll definitely need to do this again next summer and get all the parks we didn't get to this year.
- This month we also finished our BIG PROJECT. Nic worked so hard on the yard for so many days and nights. I think it was a never ending ulcer for him. Then one Saturday we had a sod party with lots of wonderful helping hands, and the yard was done (mostly). Now we just need to do the finishing touches. But we have grass--hip, hip, hooray!
Gus loves the new yard!
But daddy and Sam found out that it just means more work! =)
July
- This month we had a lot of fun with the 4th of July, Draper Days, and Pioneer day. I was 100% ready to pop, but we still managed to go out and have lots of fun. And now, Sam has a fascination and love for police cars and fire trucks. Sometimes we'll be driving down the street and Sam will suddenly yell, "Woo-woo-wooo--Yay!" which always makes mom promptly check the speedometer to make sure she is going the speed limit!
- To cool off, we got one of those classic plastic swimming pools. It was enjoyed by the whole family, including Gus.
- At the end of the month, we got another visit from our WA cousins and Aunt Heidi & Uncle Mark. We had so much fun playing with them. Two highlights were a trip to the zoo and floating down the canal.
August
- This was a really big month because this is the month when Baby Mark arrived. I can't say much more than it was a life-changing, absolutely awesome MIRACLE! I can't imagine our family without the little guy! Is that all that happened in August? Yeah, pretty much! =)
September
- This month we had some major lowlights and highlights! Who knew so much could happen in just one month? When Mark was just ten days old, he ended up in Primary Children's Hospital with hemoraging on his brain. He was there one day short of two weeks. It was an experience full of ups and downs, great heart ache but even greater blessings. Very soon, the monster post about that experience will be posted! Suffice it to say, he is doing really well now.
- A major highlight, that deserves more than just a few sentences but this will have to do, is that my baby brother, Jason (known to us as J.D.) married his beautiful sweetheart, Felicia, in the Salt Lake Temple for time and all eternity. It is so weird to me that my little brother is married! But they had been dating so long, that I can't really remember the family without Felicia. She is a wonderful, sweet new sister, and I'm excited to continue to get to know her. She is a mighty woman to put up with my bro every day! =) The ceremony was beautiful and really touched my heart. It was such a tender experience to be in the temple and feel of the spirit and see a new family beginning. It also reminded me of the wonderful blessing of forever families while my baby was struggling in the hospital. It was a moment of great love, peace, and joy. And it was the first time I got to be in the temple with my parents and both of my siblings. What a wonderful experience!
The past couple of months were rough on Sam. He got a little brother that he has to share the stage with and he lost one of his sweethearts to Uncle Jason!
- At the end of the month, on September 29th, a good friend from Nic's work, Wade Bills, passed away. He was only 45 years old and just died in his sleep, leaving behind his teenage son, Tyler. Nic had the opportunity to speak at his funeral and did a wonderful job at paying tribute to a fun, big-hearted man. It was a difficult thing for Nic, but he really did a great job. Wade will definitely be missed!
October
- This month, we made our annual pilgrimage to Witchapalooza at Gardner's Village. We had a fun time shopping and looking at all of the fun witch displays. One of these days, we'll get Grandma M to run for Queen Witch!
- Halloween was fun with a little Peter Pan and lost boy Indian. Nic was Captain Hook, and I was Wendy. Sam turned into a sugar fiend and continued his sugar addiction well into January (so did I, so I'm not judging)! We had so much fun trick-or-treating. Sam couldn't figure out how to say 'Trick-or-treat' but by the end of the night would say, "Thank you. See you. Happy Halloween!" Nanny Manda also went with us to Boo at the Zoo, a tradition we started last year.
- We also had another home fun project-re-shingling the house. Nic can now say that he has literally put a roof over our heads!
November
- At the beginning of this month, we blessed our baby boy, Mark. It was a wonderful blessing. It was kind of a bummer because I was trying to write down the blessing, but the microphone kept cutting in and out, so I missed some of it. But from what I heard and knowing that Nic listens to the Spirit and gives wonderful blessings, I know that it was a good blessing. Mark is such a blessing in our lives, and he brings light to everyone who comes in contact with him. Once again, the house was packed with family and friends who came to support little Mark. Aunt Heidi and the kids even came from Washington just for him. It was so good to see so much love and support! We love our baby Mark!
Mark was blessed in his daddy's blessing outfit, complete with daddy's baby blankets and everything!
- I got a new job as a reporter for the South Valley Journal. It's just part-time, but it's just right for me. The first articles that I wrote were quite the learning experience. And while I'm still learning, hopefully, I'm getting better. I cover the education beat, and I love that it keeps me involved with the school world still. I have a press pass and everything!
- For Thanksgiving, we went on a road trip to Washington for Daisy's baptism. Mark did really well with the road trip but I think next time we'll think twice before taking a two year old on a 11 hour car drive. I learned that when you think a toddler will go to sleep, he will stay awake the entire time, and that it is not easy to keep him entertained for that long of time. But once we got there, we had a great time. Sam was in hog heaven with having so many cousins to play with constantly and a giant play room. I don't think I really saw him the entire time we were there! Nic had the opportunity to baptize Daisy and it was a very special experience. Daisy has so much spunk and personality--I love that kid!
- We also celebrated Sam's birthday this month. This year our turkey's birthday was on Thanksgiving, so we ended up celebrating before and after Thanksgiving. It wasn't the Sam-tacular event like last year, but Sam was spoiled rotten nonetheless and enjoyed his birthday. I can't believe he is already the terribly terrific TWO! He's getting to be such a big boy! And already so independent (and stubborn)! The Sunday before his birthday, we celebrated in G-ville with my family. Uncle J and Aunt Felicia gave him some stylin' new clothes which, every time he puts them on now, he says, "Thank you, Felicia!" Nanny gave him an Elmo and Elmo movies. Sam loves Elmo! The first few days, he took Elmo everywhere with him and we are constantly watching the Elmo movies. In fact, he is watching an Elmo movie right now as I type this! Nanny sure does know what Sam likes! Grandpa and Grandma gave Sam a motorized car. We laughed so hard watching Sam learn how to ride it. He has to push a button to make it go, and he's a little bit of a jerky driver right now. But he likes to give his stuffed animals, including Elmo, rides. It probably won't be too long before he's giving Mark rides down the drive-way!
While we were in Washington, we also had a party for Sam, the day after Thanksgiving. We had a Cars party with all of the cousins. We played games, decorated cupcakes, opened presents, and had a special Cars cake. It was a lot of fun! I think daddy and Sam's favorite part was racing cars down the ramp.
December
- Right before Christmas, we had two lowlights. The first was that we had to say good-bye to our good friend, Terrie Rasmussen. Terrie was Nic's boss's wife, but so much more than that. She took Nic under her wing a long time ago and has always taken good care of both of us. She was an amazing, loving, spunky person. If you ever wanted to meet someone completely dedicated to her family, Terrie was that person.
- Another lowlight was that we had to take Mark back to Primary Children's hospital to have a shunt put in. He was still having problems with swelling on his brain, so he now has a tube that runs from his brain to his abdomen that drains excessive spinal fluid from his head. The highlight is that he did really well with the surgery, we only had to stay at Primary's for one night, and he is now doing really, really well.
- December was full of Christmas parties and celebrations. This year Santa sent us a new friend, Ernie the Elf to help us get ready for Christmas during the month. Sam really got into Christmas this year and was spoiled rotten. Mark didn't do so bad either! We did the tradition of sleeping over at grandpa and grandma's house in G-ville. Because Christmas was on a Sunday this year, we had the opportunity to celebrate the Savior's birth at church in G-ville at 9 a.m. and then we high tailed it to Draper to go to church with Nic's family at 11 a.m. Then we spent the rest of the day at Papa and Grandma J's house, eating, lounging, and playing with our new toys.
Well, that's about it--our year. Looking back, I can't believe that all happened in just one year! Life has been full of blessings for us, that's for sure!
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