Fall Photos!

I absolutely love fall.  It is so beautiful with the leaves, the colors, the changing of seasons.  To me, autumn equals discovery.  New hobbies, new classes, new growth.  Anyways, I have been practicing taking pictures with my awesome Canon Rebel, that Keith surprised me with for my birthday.  I got some pointers from my high school photography teacher and I think I am getting the hang of taking "good" photographs.  (I sort of had a difficult subject.....he was not very cooperative, and just wanted to eat the leaves, as you will see!)  Here are some of my favorite shots:

The next day, I convinced Keith to come out with me and be my assistant.  Little did I know, he actually was a huge help in setting up the tripod so we could take a fall family picture.  (The tripod was the easy part, as Stryder DID NOT cooperate, but at least we got one good pic.)  Keith then took some candid shots of me trying to get Stryder to smile and put on his happy face.  They are some of my favorite pictures of me and him to date.  Who knew my husband had such a talent?  Here they are:

All smiles! 

Soap Opera Sunday (SOS October)

Ok folks....here it is....the monthly update of the more really real reality of our lives. And its only about 2 weeks late...SORRY!  I have been thinking about what to write about this month. I guess I want center around the theme of growth. Self-reflection. Continual learning. Developing as a person. You get the idea, right?! Keep reading to get to the point of my post.

   First, I'll begin with the med school update for all you curious kids. Keith, my studiously focused husband, has been hold up in our basement day and night, reviewing and studying the material for Step I. We only see him for meals and when he needs a refill of Wal-Mart brand flavored water. (It's the best!) I see his drive, his desire, his determination. It is really admirable to me. Right now, he plans on taking the test soon so the time is fast approaching that he will finally be able to show this bad boy what he's really made of. It will take another 3 weeks after he takes the boards to get his results back.  I will keep you all posted of course on the progress of this matter as it, well, progresses! 

      In continuing on with the topic of higher education.....I will be a student again come this January. I got accepted into Kent State University's RN to BSN program!  I am still in the process and applying to a few other programs, so I can make the best decision for our circumstance at this time.  But I am very excited about going back to school and making my nursing degree even more marketable.  Kent State was able to transfer in tons my of credits from BYU (except the religion classes, which is lame since they were some of my most challenging cirriculums!) and tons of credits from my RN program, as well.  I love learning....this is something that Keith and I share, plus our passion and love for health and medicine. Keith has been very supportive in my desire to gain more education and I appreciate his encouragement greatly. 

     We're Traveling again.....as we intend to take a long trip to Utah to visit family for a couple weeks in mid-November. We will be there over Thanksgiving, which will be nice, since we miss it dearly and we have a new nephew to meet (and a second cousin)!!!  If any of you people that follow our blog are in Utah, we would love to see you too!  I am so much looking forward to Thanksgiving with Keith's family and for Stryder to enjoy daddy's side of the family, too.  I miss my In-Laws!  (No, they do not read our blog, so I'm not just saying that.) We will miss Kris and Em (and precious little Abi) but we plan on taking a trip to see them in the future, when we get things figured out schedule-wise.  We also plan on making our way to visit my grandparents, siblings, and cousins on both sides, as well.  I can't wait!  Cafe Rio....here I come! 

       Stryder started swimming lessons yesterday.  He loved it so much!  He is one of the youngest kids in his class but does great in the water.  He will splash and kick and make waves like a pro.  Of course, the instructor sang "Wheels On The Bus" and taught us different ways to hold our little swimmers.  Stryder was a bit more squirmy than the other kids, I think because he has no fear of the water.  His lessons are at the same place that I took lessons and swam on the swim team, so it brought back alot of nostalgia for me.  Even the old pool record board was there, but unfortunatley my rely record from 9 years ago was broken by new swimmers that have come and gone.  It is like a full circle moment for me.  How funny it is that life just keeps on keeping on, you know?!   

      Miscellaneous items:  My jobs are going well lately.  I plan to post some interesting pictures and stories of my most recent trip to the Army Base where I gave about 200 shots to servicemen.  (It was a really cool experience....I promise I'm working on a good post for it!)  I find that I am quite busy with my church calling too.  My mom helped encourage me to use creative sharing times for Primary and I have been working on getting those ready this week.  Institute class is going great, too.  My teacher is actually coming out with a book very soon; he has great experiences to share and comes with a load of wisdom.  I was able to get together with some friends of mine from high school recently.  We all have children now and it is fun to see their families grow, and it was great to visit and see our kids interact.  Another full circle moment.

    Fall has set in and the leaves are brilliant.  Were brilliant.  They have mostly all shed and let me tell you, there are alot of leaves when you live in the forest!  I went out the other day to help my parents rake them up and I nearly broke my back.  See the thing is that in Wisconsin the leaves pile up and cover EVERY square inch of your yard.  So the city lets you pile them on the curb and they come by with their nifty monster hose and vacuum up all the leaves, as long as they are on the curb, mind you.  The only problem is that you never know when or what time the leaf-clean-up-crew is coming around (it is only twice a season), so you just have to hope that all you hard work doesn't get blown away with a gust of wind and scatter the leaves all over again.  I took Stryder out in the leaves and and he wasn't quite sure what to make of them!  That is another post in the making...I promise!

   In conclusion, I just wanted to state a few words on a theme that has been on my mind for some time now.  I think of the things that are happening in my life lately and many of them have to do with growing as a person.  I have come to really try to give service when needed and when possible.  I have a wonderful example of that in my parents.  I also am more aware of the things I watch and listen to.  I am not sure what has brought this heightened awareness about, other than just perpetual development and self-improvement.  There is much to be said on taking the high road in situations that may be awkward or uncomfortable, even if the other party does not.  I have also found that genuine friendliness can go along way :-)  I hope that all of my readers know how much I, we, value their friendship, support, and love. 

     Until next time.....when all the drama of Soap Opera Sunday returns to a blog near you.   

We're Off To See The Wizard.....

Halloween this year was great!  I especially love Halloween since Keith and I met at a costume party, at Utah State called the Howl.  He was a handsome pilot and I was a sexy sergeant, and it really was love at first site.  It is hard to believe that it was 5 years ago this Halloween that we met each other.  Ah, the nostalgia!

Follow The Yellow Brick Road!

We always try to have some sort of themed costumes.  I was really racking my brain on what we could be this year, especially since we have our little Stryder to consider!  I came up with the best characters from the Wizard of Oz, and I think it was a great fit for our family.  (We are minus the Tinman, but who really cares about him anyway, right?  He is kind of a static character in my opinion.)  My mom and I handmade the costumes (except Stryder's Lion costume---it was a bargain) and they turned out so good.  People at the church Halloween party couldn't believe they were homemade costumes. 

I'd Be Brave As a Blizzard!

Our little lion loved all the candy he got. The M&M's make good rattles and keep him entertained. Maybe next year he will get to enjoy his candy more :-)

I'd Be Clever As a Gizzard!

This has to be the most handsome scarecrow ever, and this one actually has a brain!

If The Wizard Was a Wizard...

We were all smiles in our costumes! I love my little lion and of course I think that blonde Dorothy's have more fun!

There's No Place Like Home!

Here are my ruby slippers that my mom and I made.  They turned out so cute and I'll totally wear them again with jeans or whatever.  So cute and perfect for a stylish Dorothy!

Lions and Tigers and Bears.....Oh My!

Stryder was all ready to go trick-or-treating with his pumpkin pail.  So he kissed Grandma goodbye and we were off into the Halloween night.  We went to two of our neighbor's houses and saw the firetruck, too! 

We're Not In Kansas Anymore!

The local firetruck was driving around our neighborhood....and Stryder was loving it!  They stopped and gave us some candy and said our costumes looked just like the movie.  We must be in the Land of Oz! 

I'll Get You My Pretty....and Your Little Dog, Too!

We even had our little dog, Maddie, stand in for Toto.  We were able to get one good picture with her in it....she completely hates her leash and usually just roams around our yard aimlessly.  So I didn't even try putting her in a basket!

ThD?  That's....Doctor of Thinkology!

The scarecrow is one of my favorite characters from the Wizard of Oz.  He is rather witty, for not having a real brain.  He cracks jokes and is such a fun part of Dorothy's journey to Oz. 

Somewhere Over The Rainbow!

We will always remember our first Halloween as a family of three!  Until next year......

He's Crawling...and Here's The Proof!

Our little guy has begun to crawl! There is a great story to his first crawl, too. We were all at our friends, Jeff and Nicole's home for Family Home Evening on Monday night. (We have this with the Oregon members twice a month; it is a great idea.) Anyways, Stryder was sound asleep all through the lesson. We woke him up since it was a bit too early for bedtime and he starting playing merrily on the floor. We were all chatting about shoes or something and all of a sudden, the crowd erupted in a big gasp. I look over and he is REALLY crawling. I mean, he's got the full-on coordination of it all! It was so much fun to see him figure it out for the first time, even if his motivation was the yummy sugar cookie. Nicole, being a mom herself, was so nice to record this first video for me. I'm so glad I have it to remember this exciting day! (And for the record, it happened on my mom's birthday, October 26th. Happy Birthday, Grandma!)

AND NOW FOR MY NEXT TRICK....

Stryder is not only motivated by sugar cookies, but my Pepsi bottles, too. He loves them. I am serious; they are his favorite toy, as I mentioned in my previous post. Now, instead of scooting his way over to them, he makes a beeline straight for the Pepsi, crawling the entire way. (I think I'll send this into Pepsi and maybe I'll get some free coupons or something.)

As a sidenote, I know I have missed the monthly SOAP OPERA SUNDAY (SOS) for October. I am working on it, but thought I would give my son his own posts, instead of mixing his exciting news with my updates, however redundant are necessary for my own sanity. I will attempt to post SOS this Sunday. (DISCLAIMER: This is no promise.)

A Sleepless, Smiley, Sloppy, Scrumptious Six Month Old

Here he is: Our Six Month Old! Can you believe it?! Time has gone by so fast. Too fast. I wish I could capture these precious moments with our son and store them in a mason jar. Just like the fireflies and glowbugs I used to catch on warm Wisconsin nights when I was a kid. I would always let my captive lightning bugs go free at the end of the night, watching their bright yellow lights glow on the off as they flew back into the magical night air. I wish it were that easy. I wish that I could just open up my mason jar of cherished moments whenever I pine for the sentimental memories of Stryder. No one can possibly put into words how my heart overflows with love and a smile graces my countenance whenever I think of my son. Even just a glance from him makes my heart melt. When I touch his little face, I am reminded of the miracle that is him. He is our joy. Plain and simple. 

Below are some of these moments I will cherish forever...

Put on Your Happy Face!

During these past six months, I have absolutely loved getting to know Stryder and seeing his personality emerge. Stryder is always so smiley! And not just the same smile....He really does have a wide array of happy smiles, for example, there is his half-smile, his I'm-so-happy-to-get-out-of-my-crib smile, his I-love-my-mommy-and-daddy smile, his flirting-with-the-women-at-church smile, his yum!-they-are-feeding-me smile, and his gaga-googoo smile.

Weights and Measurements!

His six-month check up went great this past week. We had our bets going on what his weight and length would be, which of course, I won. He is a big healthy boy and just perfect.

Height: 27.5 inches (71st percentile)

Weight: 19 lbs. 3 oz. (72nd percentile)

Lovable Factor: He scores off the charts!

Stuff I can Do!

Stryder has been sitting by himself for quite a while now. He is great at balancing himself and not tipping over, unless he gets distracted by one of the many people who love him. He can pull himself into a sitting position from his tummy. Stryder has begun taking his first crawl steps. He will actually move his arm and leg to go forward, then collapes onto his tummy and continues scooting forward along his merry way. It won't be long until he puts together the entire sequence of crawling. He has a very determined nature and recently found a new favorite thing. A Coke bottle. Out of all his toys, he wants the Coke. Whenever he sees it, he makes his way over to it, scooting across the floor with unwavering drive. He is most certainly my son if he likes Coke this much!

Strong as an Ox

Believe it or not, Stryder can do a complete push-up. And here's the proof! He really does it from his toes and holds himself up on his arms. This must take an amazing amount of strength....Hence, he is also most certainly Keith's son, too!

Cute as a Button

I couldn't resist posting a bare bottom picture. I love his cute little tush. The other day my dad started calling Stryder "The Michelin Man." I didn't really think he had any resemblance to the roly-poly tire icon, until Keith and I were flipping througha magazine at the doctor's office and came across this picture of the cartoon Michelin Man.  We both busted out laughing simultaneously.  I'm beginning to see an uncanny resemblance! What do you think?

Mommy's Little Piggy

Stryder has started eating human food!  Hooray!  He is quickly getting better at keeping the food in his mouth.  Above is a picture from the first time he ate (rice cereal mixed with banana).  I have since learned to feed him without his clothes on and with a plastic wipeable bib (Genius Idea!)  He is not very picky, but he does gag when he doesn't like something.  I hope he grows out of that habit!

Likes: sweet potatoes, pears, bananas, apple sauce, green beans, squash, and carrots.

Dislikes: Plain rice cereal and peas.   


Mr. Sandman...Bring me a Dream!

Here is one of my favorite videos of Stryder.  He refused, I mean refused to sleep this night!  I put him down at his usual bedtime, then he chattered for a while, then flipped onto his tummy and began playing peek-a-boo with me.  He thought it was a game...how funny!  It was so late and I was so tired, but I couldn't help but laugh at his cute little head bob up and down in his crib! 

A Welcome-Home-Surrender-Date!

This is the best week ever!  Keith came home from his review course in Dallas after being gone for 7 weeks.  We were counting down the minutes until we could drive to the airport to pick him up, and he even went to the Dallas airport early to see if he could fly standby on an earlier flight.  Since when does flying standby cost extra???  They told him it would be an extra hundred bucks to fly standby and it is still not gauranteed!  Who in their right mind would do that?  Airlines seriously make me ill.  So he ended up waiting for his original flight for upwards of five hours, only to be told right before it was to take off that the flight was delayed about 2 hours.  He already wasnt' coming into Madison until 11pm, and this would have made it extremely late.  Long story short, he ended up getting one lucky break throughout this whole ordeal and getting on a flight directly to Milwaukee.  This is about 2 hours from where we live.  I hurried and packed up Stryder, his blanket and bottles, and rushed out to door to fill up the car with gas before we ventured out on our little road trip.  I have never driven to Milwaukee airport before, but it actually went great!  I plugged in into the GPS and off we went.  Stryder ended up falling asleep on the way there and I didn't get too lost on the way!  We made sure to bring our "Welcome Home" sign that Stryder made for Keith.  It was great to see him again after so long.

 

 Welcome Home, Daddy!

The next night I planned a special Wisconsin-themed date for Keith and I.  I figured that he needed a real Wisconsin welcome, since he has been in Texas for the last two months.  He is always wanting me to plan a date, so I took his advice and came up with the idea of a "Surrender Date. " 

  The idea is that he would have to surrender to everything I said for the entire night!  I planned what he would wear, how he did his hair, picked out the movie we saw, and ordered his dinner at the restaurant we went to.  (I was nice, don't worry.)  I even drove us around the whole time, too.  We started off the night going to the budget theatre (a frugal touch) to see the movie 'Public Enemies' with Johnny Depp and Christain Bale.  It was about the infamous bankrobbers of the 30's: John Dillinger and BabyFace Nelson.  Interestingly enough, much of the movie took place in Chicago and Wisconsin and was also filmed here in Wisconsin.  In face, BabyFace Nelson was actually shot and killed in by a mormon FBI agent, Samuel P. Cowley, who was also an apostle.  After the movie, we went to the best place ever to eat, a Wisconsin original: CULVER'S, home of the ButterBurger and Frozen Custard!  (For the record, custard is huge here in Wisconsin...anyone who has tried frozen custard knows how hard it is to eat regular ice cream after you've had something so delicious as custard.)  I know Keith absolutely loves Culvers, so I ordered him up a butterburger with the works!  I also got him a delicious pumpkin custard shake for the ride home.

We made it an early night, since the Packers were playing the Vikings for the first time since Brett Favre signed on as QB of the Vikings.  This is a huge rivalry with Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers (think U of U-BYU times 10).  I was interested to see how Favre played and really wanted to see this highly publicized game!  We got home just in time for the 4th quarter, to see the Vikings defeat the Pack 30-23.  I have to admit, it was so strange to see Brett Favre in the purple jersey; actually it reminded me of when Anikin Skywalker joins Darth Vader on the Darkside.  Ever since I was little, I was programmed to be a cheesehead and to love Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.  Sad that they lost to the evil Vikings!  But it was interesting that Brett Favre is a 40-something old guy with gray hair who's still got game.  He is also the only person to have beat all 32 teams of the NFL.  I hope I haven't lost all you non-sports fans...Anyways, we had a great time and I am so so so glad to have Keith back home!         

Soap Opera Sunday (SOS)

I have decided, because of the great feedback I received from my last really real reality post, that I will dedicate the last Sunday of every month to all the juicy detailed drama that is my life---And it will be appropriatley called "Soap Opera Sunday" or "SOS" for short. Not to worry, I really hate negativity (yes, that is an oxymoron) and despise complaining so you won't be reading anything of that nature.

First little tidbit, Keith is almost home! JUMP FOR JOY!!!!! It has been a long 7 weeks for us, while he has been in Dallas at a review course for the step. I so admire his determination and ambition. It is a rare trait among people today. He studies so much and never complains about it...(well, hardly ever.) It will be another few weeks before he can schedule to take the exam, but we are anxiously looking forward to that day, so then we can know where we will be living for the next 2 years. Life is not fun in LimboLand, folks. But it will all be worth it in the end!

Next, an update.....Stryder and his quest to start on formula. Since my last post on this matter, I have tried to give him Soy-based formula, which he absolutely hated at first. He would spit and sputter when I tried to feed it to him, even when it was mixed with 3 parts breastmilk and only 1 part Soy. But the good news was that he did not have the reaction that he had with milk-based formula. No wheezing, no rash, no gagging, ect. So over the next few weeks, I have been mixing all of his bottles with part Soy, part breastmilk and he no longer wincing at the taste! He can drink an entire 6 oz bottle without batting an eye. YAY!!!! (This also means I'm on my way to closing my dairy department....those of you who read my last post know that this is a very happy thought for me!)

Moving on, the cutest thing happened the other day...my mom and I had just finished our daily P90X workout and Stryder was on his tummy watching us. He started imitating the push-ups that we do. He can now do push-ups on demand...He's in training to become Mr. Strongman. Here are the videos of his push-up's:

Stryder can now sit up by himself. He is learning how to keep his balance and not fall over when he sits. It is so much fun to see! He is also so so so close to crawling. He will get up on his hands and knees now and rock back and forth. He even moves backward by pushing himself and scooting along. It is only a matter of time before he figures out how to move forward--Then I must baby proof the house!

We also had a little play date with my good friend Katie and her little girl, Eden, who was born just a week before Stryder. She is so cute, with the longest eyelashed I have ever seen!  Katie and I grew up together and actually had the same due date of Easter Sunday, April 12th.  We both delivered early, but she beat me to it!  The babies actually interacted together and it was great to visit with my friend experiencing motherhood just like me.  Maybe someday, they can be boyfriend-girlfriend....Afterall, they were already holding hands! 

Another issue has developed since Styder has started to roll over. He is rolling over all the time now, but that's not the issue. He is doing it in his crib now. As soon as I put him to bed, he rolls over. If he wakes up in the night, he rolls over. In the morning, he rolls over. This is all fine and dandy, except that he buries his little head face down in the mattress when he falls back asleep. So I'll find him face down, then I freak out! To all you mothers out there: Have you experienced this?? What was your solution? I am now up at all hours during the night to check on him and turn him back onto his back after I find him face down in his crib. I don't know how I can get him to turn his head to one side. He also wakes himself up when he rolls over. Like it is a reflex or something. Maybe he does it in his sleep when he's dreaming of rolling over in his little dreamy playland. It is funny I'll see his little head bob up and down and he's just be-boppin around his crib. That is how he is waking me up each morning. I start my day with a smile when I see his little face peak up at me.

As of last week, I now have two per diem jobs. It is so great being a nurse!  I am still doing private contract work for the government giving immunizations at military bases, but I have also started with another company that does health screenings, teaching, and education for employees at professional offices. (Which is great since I love public health and community nursing!) I get an email when there is an event that needs a Registered Nurse, and I just email back when I want to work it. Each event is usually only a few hours in the morning, so my dad watches Stryder during this time. This week I have 3 events that I will be working. The pay is great too; I rack up $30/hour for each event---which helps out when we are rationing our student loans like bread during the Great Depression. (Um, I am not comparing this time in our lives to the Great Depression-it's just a metaphor, people :-)

In other nursing news, I also have been helping my mom with her nursing academics every day. She will be done with her nursing program this December. This is great news!!! We have already done about 4 papers and have a few left to complete. I forgot how challenging, demanding, difficult, and time-consuming nursing school is. She has done so great and is gaining confidence in her abilities as a nurse. I can keep current with medications and stay up on my skills by helping her, too. I plan to tutor her before she takes the NCLEX, so she can learn the test-taking strategies and critical thinking skills needed to pass the exam. My sister, Jenessa, (the newlywed) will also be done with her nursing degree in December. How funny that three of us are nurses now? I would have never guessed that in a million years! But practicality and compassion count for alot when deciding on a field of study and career. NURSES ROCK!

In the way of sports, I attended my first Badger game last Saturday with our neighbor, Annette. I didn't have any Wisconsin Badger clothing, so I got a shirt in the kids section at Wal-Mart. I think Bucky Badger would approve! Big Red ended up creaming Wofford (wherever that is) 44-14.  I even learned the words to the  "On Wisconsin" song.  The stadium was gi-normous, very loud, and saturated with brats 'n' beer.  To cornily quote and sloganize this paragraph: "When you said Wisconsin, you said it all."

Stryder and I also went to the homecoming parade on Friday in our little town here. It was kind of a family affair, as my parents went with us too.  It rained the entire time, so we watch the parade from the comfort of our own car!  Kids of all ages lined main street to watch this parade, which is basically just all the sports teams in the high school and a few other community organizations. Oh, and the marching band of course.  I remember going to this same parade when I was in 4th grade and every grade thereafter (I was in this parade every year in high school.)  The high school colors are orange and black and so I made sure Stryder was decked out and full of Panther Pride, with a paw print on his cheek!

Wrapping it up...I was recently called to serve in the Primary Presidency. I am excited to magnify this calling and work with some great women, too. The kids are so cute and my first task is to learn/remember each of their names. I am still faithfully attending my Institute class on the Book of Revelation, too. It is going well and I quite enjoy the random comments of many of the other pupils.  I am also starting to play the piano again.  It's been a while since I've played but it feels great to do it.  We had to sell the beautiful antique piano (see pic) that Keith bought me when we sold our house (tear, tear), but he has promised me that he will get me a baby grand when the time is right.  My parents have a piano here and I love to practice on it.  Some of my old sheet music is still around, too. It's my goal to learn "Malaguena" in a few months....(this is a difficult piece and will take at least this long to learn).  Oh, and something I'm really looking forward to: Photography Class!  I will start a photography class in a few days, which is taught by the teacher that I had in high school. (Gotta love small towns!)

As always, I thoroughly enjoy any of your comments and feedback!  I hope you liked my "newsy" (new word, courtesy of Jacquelle Roy) post!  Stay tuned for scenes from the next episode of Sunday Soap Opera....The life of Keith, Les, and Stryder.