Monday, December 17, 2012

My heart hurts

I can't read the news, I cannot learn the details of the horrible horrid shooting. So many times it went through my mind of what I would do if that happened in my classroom.
My goodness it hurts my heart.
When something is really sad, or when I am really sad, I tell Brad, "My heart hurts."
Because it really does, it has a strong ache that makes me feel like it is beating in my throat.
It happens to me when I get so sad.
And thats how I felt when I heard about the shooting.
So I can't listen to it, read it, or think about it, its too painful for me, too close to home, because I was a teacher of Kindergarten, and because I have a sweet child of my own now.
And that's what I have to focus on because he makes me the happiest person in the world.
And how could this picture not make a person happy?
He is now 3 months!
Where has this time gone, my little newborn is now a big boy!
He loves taking baths with mommy, and he laughed so hard when Brad was washing his feet with a washcloth the other night. We can get him to lightly giggle usually by tickling him, but he was full on laughing, and it made me so overjoyed.
Miles loves to jump in the water and he even dips his face down and licks the water when we are holding him up so he can stand in the tub and jump.
He lets out these yells when he is hungry and tired, and they get louder and louder, then I say, "Ohhhhkay nunight time." Then we put him in his bed with his blankie up around his face and he is out. He grabs everything in sight, and if I am holding him while typing on my laptop he kicks it so hard and sometimes right off my lap! He army crawls if you lay him on your stomach on his stomach, he will army crawl right off.

He makes the cutest faces, and I love getting him out of bed in the morning because he will talk and coo then as soon as he sees me he does a big coo and has a smile like the one you see very top.
Oh my baby, I could kiss your cheeks 5000 times over and over again.

He has a craaaaazy blue vein in between his eyes right over his nose, he also is getting the bluest eyes.

His hair doesn't seem to be growing but it looks blondish red to me most of the time.
He has the greatest muscle tone and his little body is rock hard especially his little arms.
Sometimes I see Brad, sometimes I see some of my little brothers, sometimes he even looks like my cousin's little boy to me. 

I love his little rolls on his legs, they just make me crazy. 
I always kiss the bottoms of his feet really fast over and over and he giggles and giggles.

He can sit up!!!
Briefly, then he tips right on over. 
But I can feel it is near.

He loves us to hold one hand while he stands and jumps jumps jumps.

He will jump with both feet and think he is the greatest.
He doesn't like his boppy anymore because he can't look around. If I put him on it he grunts and tries to lift his head up. He loves his bumbo and just chews it while he looks around.

Oh man that little roll hangin over the diaper is the cutest.

This face is my favorite one he makes, it makes his cheeks all scrunched like a little gremlin or something. 

Drool is our fav right now, we just drool our shirts soaked, don't we little baby love?
I have found that my vocabulary has drastically changed.
Let me give you an example.
Cold is now coldie.
Wet is now wetie.
Nose is now nosie.
Cheek is now cheekie.
Lip is now lippy.
Tub is now tubbie.
Surprisingly binkie changed to bink...
thats strange that I change all non ie words to ie words then the one ie word I change and take off the ie...I'm a wierdie. 


Most used nicknames: Mr. Miles, baby boo, love, baby love, cutie cheeks, sweetie cheeks, sweetie heart, chunky munk, drooly pants.....

Oh I can't wait for my friends and family to get a load of this handsome hunk for the first time. He is just such a blessing in our lives, and one time I was home alone without Brad and him and I just felt like I didn't have my little buddy with me. As much as my life has changed-can't go anywhere without lugging my baby boo- I am so lonely without him. Even when he is taking a nap, if its longer than 2 hours I am just waiting for him to wake up because I feel weird without him. (But trust me on those days he won't fall asleep or takes a 30 min nap I am a disaster, so for mom and baby sake, we NEED our naps). But he has just become my best pal, and I one day realized it and was like- BRAD!!! How does your MOM not CALL you every single DAY!?????? I don't know how I am ever going to let MILES leave my HOME when he GROWS up.

Luckily, he is only 3 months old. So we have awhile!
Thank goodness!
Happy 3 months to my sweet babe.
Feels like yesterday I held him for the first time.


Oh gosh here I am tearing up just remembering this moment.

He is just a little treasure in our lives.
And how lucky and blessed we are to be so happy with Miles.
Bring on month 4!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Starting to feel like home..

Weird enough Lubbock is starting to feel homish.
I don't have to turn my gps on every time I walk out the door.
I can successfully make it to a few key places.
Texas Tech Rec Center...
Greatest thing ever for me.
I can swim, work out in any way and attend any possible class I want, although I tend to stick to yoga, pilates and piYO.
I also LOVE playing basketball there. They have about 10 courts and I somehow always find people to play with and I always end up making some basketball friends.
And unfortunately I went to the gym to work out and decided to play basketball too, but was wearing my running shoes, and now I can't wear any shoes on the back of my ankles....so that means flip flops, or I just step on the back of my old sperrys...because its COLD HERE! Finally!
I love wearing a coat and scarf, I was so over summer.

So our first snow day here was on Monday December 10th! 
I decided it was a big deal that my little baby boo sees snow for the first time.
He was a complete champ, he also is mastering the bumbo and SAYS NO MORE to the boppy because he can't see around like he can in the bumbo.
Although he does tend to lean over and chew on the side of it.
I need that Teething Giraffe something serious.
It's like all drooling and chewing and drooling and sucking has broken loose in this household.
At night I was putting mittens on him because its FREEZING (thank you Brad who can't sleep in over 30 degree temperature) but then he was sucking on them and they were coming off in his mouth. Hello choking hazard. So we had to stop that, and just resort to him sucking his freezing hands making them even colder.
But my little cutie pootie loved our 4 minutes in the snow, which we didn't even touch. 
He is going to be 3 months on Saturday.
And I am sure I am going to cry.

He is always smiling and talking to me.
He is a motorboat always kicking and looks like he is swimming when you put him on his tummy.

Oh my baby. You melt my heart.

Mykah my cousin said he looks like a Bitty Baby.
I think she is pretty accurate.

Somehow when he I put this on him, he became the most adorable thing I have ever seen.
Even though I already thought that.

He went to my friend's house the other day because....
I AM OFFICIALLY A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER IN LUBBOCK TEXAS!!!

Good job mommy! You were always teaching Kindergarten when I was in your belly, and I remember when you would always throw up in those little toilets next to your room.

Blahhhh, sorry I made you puke mom.

I am SO excited to be a sub, there are a few reasons I am doing it
1. To get residency in Texas you HAVE to work for at least 1 year, or be married to someone who has worked 1 year! School does not count. Although we already received in state tuition, we still want to be Texas residents for several reasons.
2. To feel like I am accomplishing something in the professional world.
3. To make a little extra cash.
4. To keep my teaching up to date and going strong.
5. I hate leaving Miles, but once or twice a week will be so good for me right now.
I went from teaching full time, to being a mom full time...there was no middle ground there.
So its been a shock, and I always make lists in order to cross them all off so I can feel like I am doing something. This subbing thing was scary at first, like can I do this?? Is this right???
And as soon as I got there I could have jumped and clicked my heels.
A man even came up to me and said, "Hey did you just graduate (that made me feel goody)"
Then I said, "Oh no I lived in Utah and taught Kindergarten for 2 years."
He then said, "OH!! I need to hire a elementary teacher at my school right now!!!"
I then said, "Well, I just had a baby, so I'm not quite ready to just say goodbye to him and be so stressed all the time just yet."
He said, "OHHH ya you need a little time-well if you change your mind, come talk to me."
Uh, that was easy! At least I know I could get a job if I wanted one!
Update on Brad: He had a great block where he came home at noon most days and then studied in the afternoon a little bit. That was AWESOME! But this week and next week he has 4 tests all on the same subject...so its been a usual test week, gone from 8 AM to 11 PM.
I have learned how to cope. I get in the car and go to 5 different stores and usually buy nothing, but at least it kills 5 hours of my all day at home days without Brad.
Actually today I did buy a few Christmas presents. I love Christmas giving.
We drive home to Utah on the 20th and I AM SO EXCITED!
We are also blessing our sweet baby boo in Provo on the 23rd of December.
I can't wait to have his family cuddle and snuggle him. 

Merry Christmas from Lubbock!!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Past Christmas

I wanted to give you some fun things to read if you were feeling like a blast from the past.




Bet you are holding onto your seat waiting for this Christmas post...
A lot has changed from last Christmas..
You see, I got pregnant around that time...(GROSS) 
And around Jan 4th or so I found out I was barely prego...
Only three people knew, me Sally and Brad of course.

I lived in Provo then...I live in Lubbock now.
I have Miles now.
I had no idea how much my life was going to change....
I mean I knew, but I didn't really know..

So here we are, with our self taken pictures and newly put up tree.
This was when Miles was asleep and we were sad he couldn't be in it with us...

Then magically he started crying and we went and got him and took this great picture, that shows his hairless head...

But we did get this gem of a picture. 

I took one as well but I am still not quite pleased with myself and pictures combined post baby, so the full body is not going to make the blog unfortunately...
And I would like to say Mr. Miles went right back to sleep, but Brad drifted right off and I had the job of putting Miles' bink back in 2093109238 times.

It doesn't feel like Christmas yet with 85 degree weather and no snow or family around...
But somehow we have managed to get mostly all the Christmas presents for everyone. 

And here comes Christmas 2012!!



Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Stump

I have been in this blogging stump.
Stumped.

I have time to blog, don't get me wrong. It's just, everytime I go to write on it, I do something else instead, like the laundry or dishes, or play with my baby.

He rolls over ya know. Pretty coolio.
He did it at four weeks on our bed when we put him on his tummy. We thought it was totally normal.
Apparently not.
Doctor says he is so awesome, I can't remember if I already told my blog this...oh well.
Our ultrasound is tomorrow. I just don't think about it. I just don't think anything is wrong. I just pretend like its all okay. And I know it will be all okay. I have to just pray for that, otherwise I can sit up all night thinking about it.
Mr. Miles is just too precious.
We visited AZ for Thanksgiving. Most of my family came.

Started with football in the morning. Daddy is in the red shirt. (sometimes it hits me that I call Brad Daddy now...kinda weird) 

It was good bonding time for Brad and my brothers. This is Ethan, I don't know what happened to him...one time I came home and he was taller than me and had this deep voice.

Landon was the all star qb for the other team. They of course won.

We had a Thanksgiving dinner outside and it was banquet style.

Lil sister Faith who is FIVE!! And Hazel who is 21 months. Hazel is Hannah's sweet baby girl. Yellow skinny jeans?? Pinch me.

Jemma is my sister Summer's little girl. She has a high pitched voice that goes higher and higher then drops again when she talks. Let's Gooo!!!!

We all received cookies with our names on them.
And for some reason on Thanksgiving day I was exhausted/stayed in my jams all day/didn't do my hair or makeup/and didn't have one picture of myself taken.

 Oh wait, this one!! Happy Thanksgiving!!


Brad and Landon wanted to pretend they were....well you guess.
Really weird and I don't know why I even accepted this as a picture, and then why did I post it on my blog?


Hazel came up to Brad and said, "Timpal"

This lego creation was a "temple"
We thought it was adorable that a 21 month old could make a temple from legos, and then be so proud of it.

Most of the time we just chillaxed at my sister Hannah's new house.


I found Jemma in this disaster of toys.
She said, "Come on!"
She wanted me to play tea party.
She then went on to pick up several different food items and bite into them like they were real?? With a face that looked so shocked when she said "COOKIE!" and took a big bite, only to find it wasn't real.
I hate that too Jemster.

Echo was the first one to get Miles to laugh.
Brad has a video on his phone.
Fav aunt award I guess.


Hannah's sister in law wants to start a bakery, and she made all these adorable delicious cookies for us! Thanks Whitney!

Summer sat down and made all these Bugels are cornucopias and Runts are the filling. Too cute and I hate bugels and I just ate all the runts. Minus the green ones, those taste like cleaner.

We had TOO much food. I don't know why we made so much.
I myself with Brad's help made Frog Eye Salad, and this pumpkin crunch bars.
When we left 3 days after Thanksgiving...the crunch bars were mostly still there.
Food overload.

The turkey was delicious it was smoked in a pit or something...and it had the best flavor.


Hazel is obsessed with babies. She loves Miles and she accomplished his name while we were there, although it does sound a lot like Midols....
My baby, Miles, not to be confused with the menstruation drug, Midol.

Echo, Ethan, Chandler and I decided we would venture out and do the whole Black Friday thing.
Chandler was really funny when I told him if you want to buy something just find it and go get in line RIGHT AWAY!! He said, "Why do you have to stand in line?"
Ethan said, "Duh Chandler, you just have to buy it after you find it."
Chandler said, "Ya but there isn't going to be that many people there, I mean its 1 AM.
Then he saw this ^ ..
And he said, "Ohhhhh"
And I took my small town naive farm boy brothers to this event that they hadn't even heard of until recently. 
I don't know why I took this picture, but let me tell you a little story.
We walked up to the end of the line to get into the Mall in Chandler, AZ. We had never been there before, and so we weren't even sure we were at the mall, so upon getting to the end of the line we asked, "Is this the line to the mall?"
They turned and this snoot face said, "No its to Spaghetti Factory."
(there was a pizza/spaghetti restaurant right there)
Echo said, "Oh really? Brit let's go find the right line."
I said, "No she is lying this is the line."
She continued to be a snoot bum and said, "Ya half off all meatballs."
And Echo continued to be a blonde bum, "Really, okay well are you sure, is this the mall line."
I then said, "No there is no Black Friday at the Spaghetti Factory and stayed in the line."
After that it should have been done, like she had her fun...
Nope she didn't stop. She kept saying retarded things like, "Ok I can't wait to stuff my face with cheap spaghetti and meatballs."
But not to our face, just really loud and turned toward us.
Then a car drove by and she was like, "Oh those IDIOTS going to the mall, so dumb, pizza and spaghetti is where its at."
At that point I was questioning if she was serious, so I took a picture, I wasn't sure what else to say or do. I had no comebacks....I was blank. Plus I wanted to say something like, "Okay scrawny butt turn around and say it to my face so I can punch you and knock you out."
But I didn't I said something like, "somebody has PMS."
She didn't stop there, and if she had it would have been better I think.
But I then heard her say, "Salt Lake City is where losers live."
I was so confused.
She kept going and said, "The Mormon Book of Religion is so dumb, why would anyone ever read it."
And she said it loud and in a very slow voice, as if to taunt us.
I had no idea how she knew we were Mormon! Was it that obvious???
Then she said, "BYU is the dumbest school ever."
I was really CONFUSED!!
And I had no comebacks, I have kicked myself for so long because I have thought of these greatest comebacks ever...
like:
BYU is a college, but I'm sure you have never heard of that, COLLEGE, where you go to learn. 
And then I would tack on, SCRAWNY BUTT to the end of that, because she seriously had no bum.
Or what about this one: Your mom called and said its past your curfew.
Eww that one would have made her mad.
After we got back in the car I was talking about it and I said, "I just don't know how she knew we were LDS?? And Ethan piped up, "Oh I have a BYU shirt on."
Duhzo.
I have never wanted to punch someone so bad in the face.
So if I could do it over again, I would have said, "Hey turn around and say that to my face."
But I can never think of anything to say when people are rude, because I just am not used to it/don't think of comebacks in my spare time. And its just so beyond me that people act mean to strangers....
Night to remember.


We decided to hit up H&M. Biggest mistake of our lives.
We stood here as they let one person in at a time, and then a girl said, uh you can just walk in over there.
Echo went and checked and texted me "COME"
lo and behold!!!
Nobody was at the other entrance just a few steps away....strange and confusing.
Mostly all high school kids. Actually ALL high school kids.

This was the children's section. Couldn't walk ANYWHERE else.
I didn't buy anything. Wasn't worth the lines..
 Chandler did buy some socks...so after 3 hours of shopping in the middle of the night, we got socks to show for it, awesome possum. 


Hazel just says, "HIM."
And that means she wants to hold Miles.
Duh.
So she would hold him like this, then scoot away and plop goes his head on the floor when I look away.

The men reconstructed Hannah and Jeremy's yard. That's Brad there in the blue shirt.
Somehow every holiday Brad spends with my family, there is some hard labor activity.
Good for him. City boy Brad.

He got to run the chainsaw. I told him it was a flashback to anatomy.
Gross.

My dad ran the backhoe since that is where he has probably spent 80% of his life anyway in some heavy equipment machinery. (Being a farmer/farm owner/custom farmer).

I walked in and saw this......
What the?? Lazy Ethan and crazy kids. Guys lets put the air mattress on the couch and then somebody like Lad can get under the air mattress. (Look closely and you will see Lad pinched under there.)

FIRST SWIM!! I bought these swim clothes to fit him NEXT year when it is warm, but we had to break them out early in AZ. They are size 9-12 months...who knew?

It was BEAUTIFUL weather. And Brad and I loved taking our little baby for a swim.
I totally love being a parent, his first swim!! So exciting. Brad took him under the waterfall he didn't cry but he was so confused at all this water over his head!

This was my mom's 3rd attempt at getting a picture, she kept cutting our heads off, on my phone it was too bright outside and she couldn't see.

HELLO SUNS GAME!!!


Miles' first NBA game.
 And his two favorite cousins were there!
Baby Hansen in Tiera's belly.
SAY WHAT!!
Yes its true, Landon and Tiera are PReggers.
And its a boy.
So clearly Miles had a few chats with him up in heaven.
He said, "See ya in a few dude."

I like pretending Miles was pals with Parker and Baby Hansen in Heaven.

I can't even remember who won. I think it was Suns in overtime.
I was so tired from my 3:45 AM escapade the night before. BLACK FRIDAY.

I hate this picture of myself, but just pretend like its cute.


Lad was so excited to be there, he kept booing and throwing his hands up in the air, and afterwards he said to me, Brittany, every player has a different routine for free throws.
Then he went about saying the NAMES of the players and acting out their routine..
What? I was just trying to not fall asleep the entire time.


Baby Miles and Echo,
JK that's baby Parker. Gotcha.

Babies are babies right?

WRONG!!!! This is my baby Miles!!
Parker is Sum Bum's baby.

We did a holding train here. Once again disregard how hideous I look.



Cutest bangs ever. Maddie pants.

Halle was a drunk, drinking all the sprite endlessly.



We all bought tickets in random different places, then found a large open section and all sat together despite the lady's plea saying, "You don't sit in that section, your section is"...she was motioning and turning the other way, as we ran up the stairs and out of her reach.

Daddy Son bonding...Miles' favorite sport...
right Brad?

Oh HI Halle pants!

Miles loves basketball so much it hurts, so he takes breaks from it.
(We will read this in years to come and see if his favorite sport is really basketball, like Mommy's or we will see if it is Baseball/Golf/Guitars like Daddy's)
Ps, I am aware that guitars is not a sport.

Ammon is my autistic brother, and he was like this the entire time.
Miracle.
At the pool he was screaming and yelling and biting his hand and jumping up and down and thrashing around, and this lady said, "What's wrong with him."
And I said, 'He is autistic."
And she said, "What's that?"
And I said annoyed and bugged that she was so nosy pants, "He IS HANDICAPPED."
Mind you I was trying to hold Ammon in the hot tub at that time and he was hitting me and clawing me, so I was a little flustered at the moment.

Oh hi baby Miles. You love this game don't cha!

Echo and I took 17 pictures walking out of the game and this apparently was the best one.

Echo was constantly taking care of Miles.
So nice to have family around, they love your baby so much and will do anything for you.
Go get me a diaper, go get me a drink, hold my baby, put my baby to sleep, watch him while we go shop.

What the?? Jamie!! Jamie and Scott are our married Provo friends, and they live in Mesa!

So of course we had to go to lunch with them.
And we haven't seen them since MAY!

Last chance is a place where happiness begins...but really....
Its Nordstrom RETURNS. So not Nordstrom Rack, but yet a better DI of Nordstrom stuff.
So I got Miles some Toms for ten bucks, and a whole lot of clothes for 2.00 each for him, and a shirt for me at 3.00.... Mind you all these clothes are NAME BRAND and good quality....
Like Mini boden, and Gucci....serious.
So this was the line to get in, on Saturday, after Black Friday, we were so confused....
but we got in in a short 30 minutes.

Pregnant Tiera thinks she is just tired from teaching, but really little does she know, baby in belly makes you exhausted! And you think you are fine but really you can't even move and you don't know why.

I got Molly those flowered pants for 1.97 at Last Chance, they were too cutesy.

Molly is the 2nd oldest of Hannah's girls and she equally loves Miles.

He is still working on the loving her part.


I said to Ethan, "Hold him for a sec."
I came back to Ethan not even touching him and he could have tipped over and started screaming and Ethan probably wouldn't have moved....
But Ethan did put him to sleep by rubbing his nose and holding his binkie in so ...good job Eeffee...

Faith my little sister really wanted Miles to like dolls.....
When she put the doll up to Miles and said, "Wanna play with this cute dolly Miles baby?"""
Ethan smacked the doll away and said, "Get that doll away from him."
Muuuhahahhahahhahaa Ethan protecting Miles' manhood.

We tried to play games with everyone, and I was drinking the juice out of this pineapple can...don't tell me you have never done that??

Chandler won...and we aren't sure how because I felt like he was losing the whole game?

Grandpa!!!! The first person to hold Miles when we got to Arizona was Grandpa, and he smiled so big at him, and my dad loved him ever since.

My dad's hands dwarf his body.

Told ya.


Traveling home went by fast because Brad drove the whole time and Miles and I must have been exhausted because we slept 10 out of the 13 hours. And it was all during the day....Strange.
Stop at a rest stop because I could not wait another second to go to the bathroom in middle of nowhere New Mexico.

Trip went well as you can see from this longer than life post, but I'm putting pictures on here like crazy because I just talked to a woman whose house burnt down last Saturday and she lost every picture she ever took EXCEPT those posted on her blog.
So there. Deal with my BILLIONS of pictures.

And Happy Thanksgiving.
Here comes Christmas.
Can't wait to see my family again.
Can't wait to see Brad's family (which is my family, but I just need to specify).
Can't wait to see our Provo friends.
Can't wait for some chilly weather.
Can't wait to feel the holiday cheer/laziness.
Can't wait to bless Miles.
Can't wait to drive 16 hours with a 3 month old :)
PS, he is amazing in the car. Just stares at the mirror, then falls asleep more than normal, looks like he has my car genes. Sleeping gene.