Living.

Sometimes I get so caught up in my day to day, and get so sleep deprived and exhausted that I forget to enjoy the little things. Lately I have been trying to be so absorbed with my family, and putting my little Miles first. I try to play on the floor with him for as long as I can. He is getting so big and smart.

I have officially taught him how to high five. It's really hit or miss. He will see my hand, smile and hit it many times, hitting it and missing it (that's not what I meant by hit or miss). Then sometimes he will see my hand up, and he will smile, then grab it with both hands and pull it to his little mouth to chew on it.

He also has started standing up by himself all the time. (He turns 8 months this week!) We also realized that when he is not getting what he wants...he bites his hand. (Mom?) That's what my mom does when she is so mad and yelling at us, (when we were younger, I am sure she does it to my siblings still at home) she bites her hand through her yelling and grits her teeth. Kinda funny. Love you Mom. And Happy Mother's Day.


We had a fun time at the pool with some med school pals. William is a week older than Miles and he's got the rolls to prove it!

They are such cuties.

Abby is William's mama and my dear lil friend. You can see William is sinking the ship here.

My little cheeky has become pro at gliding across the couch. He speed walks to get to papers, computers and cords. He loves the end of my mac cord and pulls it right out and chews on it. It gives a little buzz feel when its plugged in. So I know why he likes it. Charges him. Muhhaha I'm so funny.

I have been giving Miles pancake scraps, and Brad smelled the leftover pancakes after 4 days and they smelled rotten. I have been feeding my child rotten food. AAAAAhhhwesome.

I love his progress. At first he just fisted these into his mouth, now he has started doing the good ol' pincer grasp. His eye is presh in this picture. Just cracks me up how concentrated the little dude is.

He started this thing, where he was waking up at 6 AM. And it was killing me. Because I go to bed at midnight or later. I know I'm retardo. But I have this thing where I CANNOT go to bed without Brad. Even when I was teaching and so tired, I would lay with him on the love sac while he watched TV because he wasn't tired and I would go to bed at 9 on the love sac, and sleep there till midnight then transfer to the bed with him. Hence why I CANNOT sleep without body heat next to me. Hence why while I was in Utah I ruined Miles and had him sleep with me every night. Hence why when we came back he would wake up 20 million times because my boob wasn't hooked to his face all night.

That sounds gross. But boob has become a word of my vocabulary. And its a mother vocabulary.

I heard my friend Stephanie say, "I now talk about poop and pee so openly."

And I just wanted to say but didn't because I overheard it, and thats mother vocab.

Anyway, Miles has been kickin my trash lately. So last night I went to bed at 10ish, and Brad was studying in bed because I wanted him to be by me. (Mind you I can sleep through anything and have fallen asleep standing up while one of my Kindergarteners made a comment-I was pregnant) So Brad usually handles the baby monitor and I just fell right to sleep. Miles seriously is on a wake up every 2-3 hours schedule, so I fell asleep expecting to be woken up in 2 hours. And I know I just need to let him scream it out but I've been putting that off because we have a lot of travels coming up and I know that will just mess him up and its not worth it. Anyway, so I woke up on my own at 3 AM. I was freaked out! Miles should have woken up at least twice by now. So I made Brad go check on him, because I was so scared something bad had happened. He hasn't slept that long in ages! Brad came back and said,   "Sound asleep." I thought.....that is the weirdest thing in the world. But I fell back to sleep.

Then I woke up at 4 AM. And by this time my boobs were bursting with milkies. 

Like hurting me so bad, I couldn't lay on my side belly like I normally do.

So I went and checked on him. Sound asleep.

Back to bed. 6 AM I went in and took him out of his crib and fed him because I was really having some boob hurting problems. I don't even think he woke up.

 I was thinking there seriously has to be angels keeping him asleep or he is like deathly ill or something.

So I went back to bed and woke up at 9:00 AM and went in his room and he was just crawling around like he had been awake forever.

I was SO confused at this point. I said into the monitor, Brad can you hear me!!!?!?!

And then I walked into our bedroom and asked if he heard me....

No.

We just went the entire night without hearing our baby.

His eyes were so puffy and swollen in the morning.

Our little baby screamed for who knows how long and how many times in the night.

The monitor was turned down REALLY low and we didn't realize it.

Whoops.

Maybe we just sleep trained our baby though?

Blessing/miracle in disguise?

I felt so bad and still do.

But he is resilient and still loves us.

We checked on him from 3 AM on though and he seemed like he stayed asleep at that point, and maybe when he woke up this morning he wasn't crying but just talking and entertaining himself which is okay too.

But on the flip side. I slept from 10-3 AM straight. Who KNOWS how long since that has happened. Pre preggers for SURE. I just wake up so much now, even if Miles doesn't wake up, I wake up to see why he isn't awake, or I think I hear him, or I am worried about him. 

The woes of a mom.

So happy Mother's Day to me.

5 straight hours of sleep, and I felt SO GOOD!

We will see how tonight goes....

Did ya know, that my sister Sally had a track meet in Houston and by golly it took my parents A LOT of work to get there. The car had to be pretty much REDONE before they could come, and they left on Friday, and Sally ran on Saturday and Sunday in Houston. It was her LAST track meet EVER. So it was importante. (If you don't read that importahnnnntay-get off my blog and work on your spanish)

Anyway, on their way back from Houston they stopped at my house for a nights rest.

I set up the air mattress and Sally crashed the couch and I walked in to the room in the morning and my dad, my mom and Faith were all spooning. And I thought....we should have given them our bed. What were we SINKING!!!! 

But it worked out.

I walked in to Miles' room after awhile and Faith had pulled off ALL my board books and her and Miles were just having a little read together.

Faith just makes up the words as she goes along, and actually she is quite accurate 90% of the time. But Good Night Gorilla...has no words, so she was 100% on that one.

Miles loves other kids. He is so entertained by them.

He somehow becomes the mellow one for a minute and watches them bounce off the walls for awhile.

He loves Faith, she entertains him well. We always remind Faith of how hard she cried when she found out I was having a boy. Now we ask her if she is still sad and she says, Noooo!!!

I have this little vintage horsey, that I bought because my grandma had one and I LOVED riding it when I was little, and Faith was talking to it, and feeding it, and it entertained her for quite sometime. 

I loved having my parents here, and my mom surprised me I didn't know she was with my Dad, I thought she stayed home this entire time! 

Miles has been sleeping in our room because of a few reasons lately, #1 I got the worst vertigo from my plane trip, and seriously it was freaky, I would stand up and collapse on the bed because I couldn't orientate myself. And my head was always spinning. I had to lay down like 50xs a day. And not to mention it came with some serious nausea. 

So we put him in our room so I could keep him close, and I broke my toe, and he was waking up too much and I was too lazy to put him back in his crib and just tossed him in his pack n play at the end of our bed. ANYWAY. He will be yelling for awhile and we will peek out to see what he is doing and he is barely tall enough to see over the pack n play, and he is on his tippie tippie toes trying to see us, and grabbing the pack n play with both hands and white knuckles wanted to see us so so so so so bad. Then if we make eye contact he starts breathing hard and smiling and jumping. How can we even say no to you little munchkin sweetie attack?!

We had quite the mound the other day, and Miles thought he was king of the mountain on this pile. Right after this he crawled off and face planted. Too steep.

This night he was overly tired, and I mohawked his hair, because guess what friends!!!?!!?!??!

We are getting hair!!!

And he looks like a gremlin in that picture.

All these toys were neatly put away in his basket, and this took him seriously 3 minutes.

This right here, has been dubbed.....The Miles Tornado.

And here he is in all of his crazed foaming mouth self.

Hey PS, my friends and I, threw a baby shower for my other friend Alexa.

She is having a sweet baby girl named Olivia Mae. 

That is adorable as heck name. Love it.

I made the banner, Abby and co made the tulle pom poms.

Carissa made the cutesy baby bootie party favors. Abby cin rolls, and parfait. And I made the table labels.

I forgot my camera though, so these pictures are stinky.

But we had an absolute blast spoiling Alexa.

In my opinion, every pregnant woman should be SPOILED ROTTEN.

This is all of our friends together. We have quite the crew. I am taking this picture, then....

wahla

Emma and I switched out....can you find me?

We are so excited for Alexa, and I have no idea why we didn't stand up straight. I had on heels (with my broken toe which hurt-but guys I wanted to wear those pants and they require heels because can you see them? They STILL cover my feet with 5 inch heels on) And I always feel bad if I am towering over people, so I crouched okay!

Well, we are Laura, Abby (husbands both 2nd year med students) Alexa (hubby is 1st year med) Me-and you know Brad is 1st year med, and Carissa, her husband 1st year med as well.

Soon to be 2nd years!!!! WAHOO!

PS

Brad was so great to me on Mother's day. I should have milked it all week, but I kept forgetting.

He allowed me to play in my soccer game last night. Although I wasn't much help due to the toe....just mainly a running fiend. And I iced it for like 2 hours after to dull the ache :(

Anyway, last night we were making spaghetti for dinner and I said, "Ya I was telling my friends, if we had guys who would just get us a manicure, pedicure, and massage for every gift that would be ideal. I mean just get one on groupon there are always tons!"

He then said, "YOU STINKER!"

I laughed and hugged him after realizing that IS INDEED what he got me....

HAHA

He heard my inner pleads.

I just love sitting in a massage chair and getting my feet rubbed and pampered.

My first pedi I was 18.

I STILL haven't gotten a manicure.

And massages change my life for awhile.

Love someone to rub my back for an hour.

Anyway, so that was my gift that I unintentionally guessed.

And....then he made me breakfast, did the dishes and laundry, and dressed Miles for church (hence why Miles was barefoot).

So, Mother's Day was wonderful.

He also pushed me into the bedroom (this sounds like I am going to go somewhere you don't want me to go with this next line............but keep reading because you have to know what happened after he pushed me into the bedroom right? I'm overboard but AM I that overboard?)

.....and told me to take a nap.

So I fell right to sleep and woke up and came out after 2 hours thinking he was dealing with starvin marvin Miles, but Miles was still sound asleep, so we were both golden! 

He has been such an amazing man to me lately even despite the fact that he has a test tomorrow. 

So he just bursted out of his dungeon (what we call his study room) and I said, "done?"

And he said, "Ya."

Wahoo, now we are off to test the monitor so we don't let our baby scream all night again.

Happy Mother's Day, and love you moms out there.

As I filter..

I am going through old pictures...and as I do that.

I am overwhelmed with gratefulness. 

That I and Brad..

Were raised so well.

That we have the ability to know right from wrong.

And as I look at his pictures when he was little. I think, "Wow, I married that little kid."

He is taking a physics test right now.

Who knew he would be so stinkin smart.

I am also grateful that he had such a wonderful mother.

She worked so much while he was growing up, to support the kids.

And I know, if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't be the man he is.

She did an excellent job with all her children.

Let me brag.

Mike, the oldest is at Med school, with his wife who is also in Med school at Texas Tech.

Lindsay, is a genius. She works for Harvard in a lab discovering the cure for Parkinson's. I went there, she is making new proteins and all this stuff that is over my head. She also is about to finish up school at UMass.

And my Brad, well you all know how great he is, but he is in undergrad and is Pre-Med planning to attend University of Texas Medical School or Texas Tech like his Dad, Uncle, Mom, brother and sister-in law.

And little baby Chels you see above, she is graduating from nursing school in May.

Although they are a medical family...they are the greatest family. 

And I am so grateful for all of them. Especially my husband.

Now, I am grateful I had the opportunity to mother, and be part of such an amazing family where my mother taught me how to mother. 

I was the baby of the family at one point. But, I know that my excellent examples of my family members has made me who I am. Should I brag about all of them? Well, I already have several times.

But, I'll do it quick.

Brooke: Married to a man who has his doctorate and works for the church, she is an incredible photographer, she can cook anything gourmet, and obviously is the master at mothering, being the oldest. She graduated from BYU, did track basketball at 3 colleges, and looks 23 at 30.

Tosha graduated in neuroscience, has her own all natural makeup business. And recently developed a new line of foot cream, which don't worry I will be telling you about later. She has two girls, and is married to a pharmaceutical rep. She served a mission in Ecuador and speaks Spanish.

 I knew this was going to take forever. 

Hannah has three girls, graduated from BYU, married to a dentist, lives in Arizona. Wonderful at sewing, cooking, mothering, baking, designing and everything else she does.

Tanner, married to Amanda who has the curliest hair in the world. Attends Dixie, 6'5'' Awesome at basketball, super smart, also good at anything he does, can oil paint excellently, is awesome at calligraphy and is going to graduate in psychology soon.

Summer: HEAVY WITH CHILD. She is married to AJ who graduated in Agriculture Science at Utah State and now runs his dad's farm in Oakley, Idaho. Summer is freakin amazing at scrapbooking, she can also design anything, she knows everything about making stuff, she made marshmellows for Brooke's wedding...who does that. Ya I just made some marshmellows....I didn't even know that was possible. She did track and basketball at SVU, and is walking with me in APRIL AT BYU!! WAHOO!

Landon: Going to SUU, is engaged to a track star at UVU that Sally hooked him up with. He is awesome at football, hence why he is on the team at SUU. He loves being around people and he has this knack for children, all children love him. He will do anything you ask him and he will even sleep on your hard  tile kitchen floor.

Me: Pshhhh you know everything about me.

Sally: Graduated from high school with a 4.0 and 33 on her ACT. She was athlete of the year or whatever for pretty much every sport. She got full tuition and everything else for academic and athletic and is on the track team at UVU. She is so forgiving, kind, beautiful, and determined, recently she is taking a drawing class and its fun to watch her be the best at everything, even drawing. Random.

Shad: Shadeey....he is awesome at Madden football, he is still in high school, but he will serve a mission and excel in all he does. He currently takes care of horses, puppies, kitties, and all the kids at home. He is a hard worker and is always making his own money and buying his own things.

Echo: She is skinny tall and modelish. She is still in high school but great at basketball, track, and volleyball. She loves kids and spends so much time reading its ridiculous. She wants to be a Kindergarten teacher or Pediatrician. I told her to make more money. :)

Ethan: He is super athletic, still in junior high, soft hearted, good at every sport, good at mowing the lawn with earplugs, takes care of the younger siblings and is also great at Madden football.

Chandler: Always taking care of Ammon for my mom. Athletic, can run fast, kind to most little kids :), and will always hang out with you. When I was still in high school he would come in my room when he was little and stand by my door, obviously scared, and then I would say, "Oh come on, you can sleep in here." He would run up jump in bed and be right to sleep. He also has a knack for making people laugh.

Ammon: So sweet, but so quick at running too. I tell my parents if you can just get him to run around the track and not go off course, he will win everything. He will cuddle right up to you, he is so smart, before he was 1 he knew all his ABCs and would put them in order constantly. He doesn't communicate but he does show love and concern for others.

Ian: Mr. Smarty Pants, memorized the entire star wars language from flash cards. So brilliant, always on the go, loves dressing up and playing with Lad. He loves Spiderman, superheros, and Star Wars of course.

Lad: So cuddly and cute, has his very own personality, loves hanging out with Brad and Landon, hard worker, passionate about so many things. He plays with Ian and takes care of Faith. He is so diligent in doing his schoolwork at only just five.

Faith: She is a whole blog, not just a post, but she deserves her own site. She is so independent, mature and sophisticated for a two year old. She talks better than most five year olds, and has her own opinion about everything. I told her I would put the toy dinosaur in her basket and calmly she said, "No don't do that, he will eat all of the candy." Oh, naturally, sorry I even suggested it. She wasn't interested in Easter, more in swinging. Which created the best quote from Brad. 

I was trying to get Faith to come get Easter eggs and she said, Come watch me swing!

Brad said under his breath and walking to go get eggs, "Some kids just aren't motivated."

So Faith, she is a little angel, the last one, we feel like she got all the genes...a combo. She loves to be drawn on and to draw on herself. My mom gave up trying.

Now you see why I am grateful, because my mom, and mom-in law raised such wonderful families, that I get to be a part of. So thanks guys. 

Her=50

My mom Darla is 50. She is the most wonderful person. You know, I call her for everything. I call her when I'm mad, and you know what she tells me? She tells me to be Christlike in all I do.

I call her because I'm sick. You know what she tells me? She tells me I need to take a bath with Epsom salts and Lavender Oil.

But then I tell her I can't because I don't have a tub.

Happy birthday Mom.

Don't kill me for putting these pictures up.

Hannah my sister, made a post, but she didn't tell how old you are.

Well I will shout it from the rooftops.

My mom is 50, and she stays at home all day.

She reads any book she wants, goes to the spa once a week, has a maid that makes meals, and puts all her kids in daycare, so she can have a break.

NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 My mom is a miracle worker. She never has time for herself, she has 8 kids at home, 6 married kids, 2 with their own kids, 5 granddaughters, one on the way, 4 kids in college, one kid engaged, 4 under the age of eight, none in diapers!!!!!!, 2 in high school, 2 in junior high, 3 in grade school, one at home who is 2. And one who is severely autistic. Most the time when I call her our calls always end with this phrase "Ammon!! Don't!!! Stop it!!!! Sorry I gotta go Ammon is __________fill in the blank."

But he is a whole nother story. But my mom does it. Some how she does it.

I guess when you look at the numbers its pretty remarkable. 

The stats don't lie.

16 kids.

8 girls.

8 boys. 

(Be reasonable and pretend I am not in this picture.)

 So all of her kids...we turned out okay.

(minus Brad in this picture :) Hes the groom and not a spawn of Darla)

So my mom is incredible. And for her birthday I spiced up her style a little bit. 

I bought her a cardigan (black) with an off white under blouse that had a ribbed collar wide neck. Gorgeous mom. Looks like you are in your 20s again!

But then again, in your 20s you had 5 kids.

Let's look at those numbers for a sec.

She was just barely 19 when she got married. 9 months later in Jan she had Brooke. Still 19. Then shortly after the following March she had Tosha, 20 with 2 kids. Let's speed this up. Hannah a year and a half later 22, 3 kids. (Thats why I am behind, I should have 3 kids about now). 25, 5 kids. 27, 6 kids. 29, 8/9 kids. 30-35 11 kids. 35-40 13 kids. 40-45 15 kids 45-48 16 kids.

So there is the timeline you need to follow if you were planning on 16 kids. Let me know if you need any other counseling or meds. Cuz my mom is CRAZY LADY. But you know, she did it, and when she had 12 kids, we would always say, hey mom are you gonna have more? And she would reply with, "Not today."

So it was a surprise for all of us.

So Mom, happy birthday.

And I love you more than you will ever ever know.

I can't wait to call you to ask you what I should do when my baby won't stop crying.

Or better yet, to call you when I'm pregnant.

I can't wait for you to have a boy in the family of grandkids, I'm hoping my eggs will provide that boy for you.

Anyway, this post is about my mom. And she is an incredibly woman.

Not to mention a gorgeous one at that.

I just wish I had her waist size when she was 21.

Love you Mama!

Alive.

As time goes on. I realize that I don't have time to finish my Christmas videos. But I promise even though I made it through like 4, I will show you the rest in due time.

But student teaching began yesterday.

And you know what that means.

Stress. Brink of tears. Stress.

Its not that I worry about not being able to do it. I worry about not doing it right, not doing it well enough, and gosh I'm terrible at this.

But enough said, I like going to Hobble Creek. It's nice, and the kids are cute.

One girl is at least a head taller than everyone and beautiful, my teacher and I have both decided she will be a model.

I'm in love with teaching, I'm in love with thinking of my own ideas.

Now I have discovered I want to open my own pre-school ages 3-5 when we go to med school.

Thats my latest discovery of life.

My next latest discovery is that I want kids, to see what they will look like. And to hold them, and to kiss them, and to teach them.

But after I do all of that and they are screaming while I am trying to flirt with Brad...it seems like I won't really be so happy with them.

So I need more time with Brad.

And of course with student teaching.

I'm currently at work...wishing I was at home.

I'm not sure how I am going to student teach then rush off to work right after I stuff my face with food...

But I guess I will know what is too much.

Brad is doing well.

Just trying to finish his Phsyiaosdfkjalsdkfajsldkfjasdfj degree.

Then off he goes to med school.

Me willingly going with him, because I can't wait to move out of Provo for a new breeze of air, and because I love him.

Other than that, our Christmas festivities included fam pics, sledding, sledding behind trucks, hot pots with naked people, midway new years celebration, Zermatt resort for Brad's work Christmas dinner, family talent show, family basketball: twice, sleeping on air mattresses, and recently I got a dead leg.

You know those knees to the thigh.

Youch.

Playing bball with guys in the Richards Building on campus.

I'm not old, I'm just faster than them so they have to knee me in the thigh.

Oh....Ps, the blog picture is a blast from the past.

Last year, my first ever attended concert of Brad's.

I was getting ready and contemplated not going.

I'm so glad I did.

Now we are married.

My mom did the nicest thing ever.

She made shepard's pie and sent it with Landon from Standrod. He handed it to me and I said, "What?"

He said, "Mom knew Brad had never had it, so she made it and sent it with me"

Wow, I love my mom.

Especially because I don't have any food, nor time to make dinner.

So thank you angel mom.

But, I hope everyone had a splendid happy Christmas.

Mine was...because I didn't have to write any lesson plans, or be observed, or be told what I did well and didn't do well...it was just chill and chill.


PS HAPPY FREAKIN NEW YEAR...

First post of 20 10

I refuse to say 2000 ten

I will say twenty ten.

:)

Meet my mama.

So I stole this from Summers blog...And Loved it. Love love loved it. So I really should be typing some papers while here at work..but I'm not. Instead I am reading people's blogs and happy that Tanner and Amanda finally started adding to theirs. So back to my mama. Everyone always assumes that she is just this very organized controlled and happy hunky dorey lady. Well...she's not. She's not at all. Neither is my dad for that matter. They both are spontaneous, go with the flow, okay lets do that kinda people. They have to be. They have to be or they will crumble up and die of exhaustion from trying to be organized. Wow you should see what my mom calls her diaper bag. It has everything from oregano oil to full apples. Probably like 5 apples. She really is an incredible mother. Gosh I could say that a million times over, but it wouldn't really sink until you met her and realized her humor. Just a few quotes from her lately.
Um Mom, what are you going to do when Ammon hits puberty?-Landon (Ammon is my Autistic brother to read more about him and his adventurous life CLICK HERE)
I hope the second coming comes before that happens-Mom

Mom where are my socks?-Shad
I DIDNT WEAR YOUR SOCKS LAST!-Mom

Okay, so that last one has happened a million times, sorry to single you out Shad. But I guess from this post, know my mama is the best. And i'm sure all of you think your mama is the best.
You are wrong.

Oh my Vday post is coming next :)