Team Salmon

Baby Talk - Summer Edition

2011-10-20T08:59:00.002-07:00

*This is a long post. I haven't done a monthly installment of Baby Talk, so you're getting all summer's worth in one post. Sorry*

To say I am not great at blogging is a huge understatement. I am really horrible at it, and despite my best attempts to be better, I just continue to fail at updating anything. Consequently I have about 1.5 people that read my blog, which keeps my motivation at the lowest of the lows. But I do at least have a post for you today. No, there are no pictures. But there are sickeningly cute offspring quotes. Hopefully they'll tickle you, my 1.5 readers, as much as they tickled me.

*for clarification purposes, David is 3 and Trevor is 2*

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Every Sunday the kids (12 and under) are encouraged to bring their "B.E.A.R.S" book to church with them. It stands for "Be Excited About Reading the Scriptures". While I think it's a great program, it's also a very new program to me so I have a hard time remembering to give it to David before church. Not to mention the fact that if he finds it during the week, he tears the pages out of it. So I had to put it away in a "special place" (a drawer) so he couldn't get to it and tear it up. Which again makes it hard for me to remember to send him with it. Here's how the conversation went down when his teacher asked him if he had it:

Teacher: David, did you bring your bear book today?
David: No, my parent's took it and put it in a "special place".....which probably means they lost it.

Yes, he sells us out on a regular basis.

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When David was potty training, he didn't want to go "number 2" in the potty, so he would hold it until it had been a week since he went and it would be really painful. So our doctor recommended giving him activia or miralax so he'd have no choice but to go, and he'd learn that the potty wasn't scary. *sidenote - I'd recommend this to anyone. It worked so amazingly well.* We still give it to the boys sometimes if the need ever arises. Anyway, we never told him what activia was for, but I guess he figured it out because he said this the other day:
"Daddy, can you wait just a second? I gotta go potty cuz I ate some of that poop yogurt last night."

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While walking with the boys the other night, we saw a baby rattlesnake in the road beside us. David says, "That must me a girl snake."
Me: "Why do you think that?"
David: "Because she's got diamonds on her."
Good boy. The ladies are gonna love him.

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It's fun to hear the random things my kids are thinking. They have such great imaginations and sometimes the things they say are so bizarre. Case in point:
David: "Mommy, what would happen if we were all bellies and no arms and no hands and no legs and no feet and no heads and no faces and just bodies?"
????? Um.....I have no answer for that.

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David and Trevor were playing so sweetly with their toys. David was a lizard and Trevor was a firetruck. They were all smiles and politeness, until I overheard this:
David: "I'm not a bad lizard.........(coyly) but I'm not a good lizard either."
Trevor: "Don't matter. I'm still gonna crash you in the face."
Can I just chalk this up to boys will be boys?

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By 10 months old, David knew what sound EVERY animal made. He still has a hard time with, and little interest in, recognizing letters of the alphabet. Trevor, on the other hand, could recognize most letters of the alphabet by 16 months old, but still doesn't know or care what most animals say. It's always funny to hear him make animal noises because it seems foreign coming from him. Also, they're usually wrong. The other day I hear him say, "DIS is a puppy! Barf barf! Barf barf!"

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The boys have some strange obsession with exercise. I don't know why, because we don't really do it in our household. I mean, I'd understand it if Sam and I were lifting weights and doing pushups all the time, but I can literally count on one hand how many times I've done either of those things in the last year. We do, however, have all of the equipment for it and the boys know where it is. They are constantly getting out my little pink 3 pound weights and pretending to work out. David got them out the other day and was pumpin' some iron. Then he drops them on the floor and got a really sad look on his face. When I asked him what was wrong he said, "I'm tryin' to exercise, but I just can't do it with these wittle arms."

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The boys have a little dump truck toy that talks, based on how you play with it. Like if you put something in it, it says "Is that all? I can take more!" Or if you stop moving it, it says "Hey, we're not done!" Yeahhhhhh, it's pretty annoying. Anyway, Trevor was playing with it and would put his toys in the back and then drive it around the house. Well, he hit a little bump and his toys went flying out the back.
Chuck (the dumptruck) says, "Uh oh! Did I drop something?"
Trevor: "Yes you did, bump truck! Yes, you did!"

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Last week I watched a little 6 month old baby for one of my girlfriends. The boys LOVED having him in the house. For starters, David has been talking for some time about how he wants a "new baby". Brother or sister, he doesn't care. He just wants a baby in the house. Sam and I always respond with the "we'll see...." and change the subject. Trevor just loves babies in general, so this little baby was a dream come true for both of them. My girlfriend dropped her baby off at 6 am, so when the boys woke up the the baby was already at our house. The next hour was the cutest I'd ever seen my boys be. Here were some of my favorites of the day:
David: (seeing the baby for the first time) "OOOOOOHHHHH MOMMY! Is THAT our new baby????""" (If only it worked that way, bud).

Trevor: (right in the baby's face, showing off everything he knows) "Baby, this is how I laugh - ha ha ha ha ha!" "Baby, this is how I close my eyes! (squints eyes shut)" "Baby, this is how I push my belly button! (lifts shirt and pokes his chubby little finger right in his button)" - and so on and so forth. For 15 minutes.

David: "Baby, this is my froggy. He's a lovie. That means I sleep with him eeeeeeeeeeeeevery night, and he's my favorite. He has wittle arms like you have wittle arms, baby! Do you see?"
Alex (aka baby): laughing and cooing, tries to grab David's face.
David: (laughing hysterically) "Mommy, did you see that? That little baby likes to poke children's eyes!"

David: (I had gone to the bathroom) "Hey wittle baby! Our Mommy's going potty real quick. But don't worry. I will take real good care of you, so you don't need to cry."
It really was so touching and heartwarming to watch them with the "wittle baby". They were so sweet to him all day.

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David and Trevor like to make up words. It has been embarrassing, like when David "made up" the word "b!tc#in'" and used it for 2 weeks. Or when he "made up" the word "f***er" when we had the missionaries over for dinner. At my dad's house. Who is the bishop. Or Trevor's new "made up" word "pimp". That he uses loudly. And for everything. No these are not words they hear, they are just putting phonetic sounds together, usually resulting in things like "gleeber" or "oogie" or "mushmush". But sometimes, unfortunately, they turn into real words that my kids don't realize aren't nonsensical but very very vulgar. Especially coming from a 2 or 3 year old. Anyway, David has now started making up words for things that he doesn't know the real word for. He does understand context and tenses, so usually his made up words are pretty dang close to what they should be. But my all time favorite, that I haven't had the heart to correct yet, is "moke". As in, the past tense of "make". I haven't "made" anything, but I have "moke" a lot of stuff. It's so cute. In case you need it used in a sentence, here's one I heard last night:
David: "Trevor, you better take at least one bite. Mommy moke this yummy dinner for us, and you need to eat it."
Think he's heard that phrase before? Ha ha!

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The boys love the old He-Man cartoon (the one from the late 70's) and we have it on DVD, so they pick that to watch a lot. One day when I asked Trevor what he wanted to watch, he said "T MAN!" (which is really cute because that's what we call him). So I turned it on, and out of curiosity asked him "What's his name? (Pointing to Skeletor)" Trevor says "Ski-Man!"

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David is a very sensitive boy. Which I love, but can come with problems. Like getting his feelings hurt easily, or blowing things out of proportion and being dramatic. But I will take all of those things because his sensitivity also extends to other people and makes him very thoughtful. He just has a very tender heart. And he gets upset easily if he thinks someones feelings are hurt or something is sad. Case in point, I sing the boys a lullaby every night before bed. We have quite a few, some made up and some not, but sometimes David will ask for something new. So a couple months ago I busted out "hush little baby". I started singing it, and about halfway into the song David started bawling. Not like tired, dramatic crying. But real, heartbroken, very upset crying. I had no idea what happened, but after calming him down a bit I learned that he was very upset about all of the things in the song going wrong. He was so broken hearted that the horse and cart would fall over, that the bird wouldn't sing, that the dog wouldn't bark. It broke my little heart for him. So we sang the song over, this time correcting everything, "if that mockingbird WILL sing.....if that looking glass DOESN'T break......if cart and bull DOESN'T roll over..." It was the only thing that would calm him down. He now requests that song regularly, but we can only sing it in the new opposite state. If I forget, he still gets upset and will remind me that the bad things don't happen.

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Trevor seems to associate mostly with the "jerks" in tv shows. He loves Gerald on Sid the Science kid, "Ski-Man" on "T-Man", and Swiper the fox on Dora. Which brings me to my new favorite (read: the one I would give up meat to get rid of, which if you know me is REALLY saying something) game of Trevor's: the Swiper game.
The premise of this game is simple: Trevor steals something right out of your hands, throws it across the room, laughs his evil laugh (which is pretty dang funny, actually), and says "You'll NEVER get it back. Heh heh heh!"
I've been trying to get a recording of this because as annoying as it is, it's also really funny. But the kid does not perform.

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David is learning some new songs in Primary for the program coming up in a few weeks. One of the songs is "Praise to the Man". Not really a 3 year old song. Here's David's take on it.
David: "Mommy, who is the bad guy in that prophet song?"
Me: "Huh?"
David: "You know, who's that bad guy that stole the prophet?"
Me: (confused and thinking through the song but coming up with nothing) "I don't know David. Nobody steals the prophet. What part do you mean?"
David: "In the song! Sing it!"
Me: (singing the song to myself and coming up with nothing again) "David, I don't hear anything in the song about stealing the prophet."
David: "Sing it out loud...to me!"
Me: (singing the song and getting to the end of verse one) "Kings shall extol him and nations revere"
David: "Yeah! That one! That guy! That mean king! That mean king that stole the prophet. He's the bad guy!"

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Me: "David, you need to sit on your bum."
David: "I can't sit on my bum, mom."
Me: "Why?"
David: "Because it's cracked!"
He didn't mean this as a joke. He was being dead serious. Which made it that much funnier!

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Trevor loves the show Yo Gabba Gabba. And let's face it, I do too. Because it teaches your kids all kinds of useful things through songs, like "don't eat things off the floor", "don't bite your friends", "don't knock your friend's towers down that they've taken a long time to build", "just try your food, you're gonna like it", "hitting people hurts", and so forth. It really is incredible. Anyway, Trevor sings these songs, and oftentimes fills them in with phrases he finds necessary that were left out of the originals. Such as:
"Don't bite your friends! No no! Don't bite your friends! That's scary! Bite bite bite? No no no! That's scary!"
*the phrase "that's scary" was added by my little songwriter. Way better than the original, if you ask me!

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David had to give a talk in Primary last week. He did so great the whole time, and even remembered to close it properly. Then as soon as everyone said "amen", he turns to me and pleadingly says "I'm gonna give it ooooone more time." So cute.

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If you've been around Trevor for any amount of time in the last month, you will know that he has a crazy obsession with Buzz Lightyear, and more specifically, being Buzz Lightyear. He is adamant about it. And walks around the house all day saying "to uhfitity, and beyownd!" I don't think he's gone more than 5 minutes all month without saying that. Well on Sunday I went to pick him up from nursery after church, and I hear (very loudly) from the hallway "to infinity, and beyond!" Only it wasn't Trevor's voice. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the nursery to find 8 little kids, all "flying" around the room, being Buzz. I hope he doesn't discover his amount of influence until later in life, otherwise we could have some serious problems.

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Well, if you are reading this, that means you made it to the end. Congratulations Nicole and Shelley (since you're the only two who made it this far)! Hope at least one of these gave you a chuckle.

All About Trevor

2011-08-25T13:23:00.003-07:00

I stole this idea from a girlfriend's blog. I thought it was cute. I have written down all answers exactly as they were spoken.

This kid is a crack up:

Trevor Benjamin Banks, age 2

What's your favorite book? "that" (pointing to When You're Not Looking)

Really? Cool, Trev. I thought you would have said your firetruck book: No. That.

What's your favorite animal? the firetruck book

What's your favorite food? Um, bananas

What's your favorite movie? Um, Ironman

What's your favorite season? (silence) There's summer when it's hot, fall when it's windy and rainy, winter when it's snowy, spring when it's all green with lots of flowers; what's your favorite? Spiderman

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Outside

What would you do outside? Go up the mountains

What's your favorite birthday memory? Toy Story bowl! (we had TS plates for his cake and ice cream)

Where would you go on vacation if you could go anywhere? Um, outside

What's your favorite thing about summer? Um, going up the mountains

What's your favorite sport? soccer ball

What's your pet peeve? (silence) something that bothers you? (silence) Something you don't like? Um, fire

What's your favorite thing about home: watching Ironman

What makes you sad? Um, fire

Tell me a joke: Um, I don't know. David: Trevor, say why do chickens poop? Trevor: I don't know. David: because they like to. Both laugh hysterically

How old do you wish you were? 1

Tell me something you like about Daddy: I just get him kisses and hugs

Who's your best friend? a boy

What's your favorite scripture story? Um, playing outside

What do you want to be when you grow up? Be outside

When is your birthday? Toy Story bowl

What do you want for Christmas? Um, I don't know

What's your favorite color? orange and brown

Tell me something fun you did today: I put on Mommy's runnin' shoes!

What's your favorite hobby? Um, this one (refused to answer what "this one" was. Apparently he felt is was a self explanatory and sufficient answer)

What's your favorite song: ABCDEFG

What's your favorite dessert? icicles (otterpops)

Tell me something good about you: I'm funny (followed by laughter)

All About David

2011-08-25T11:22:00.003-07:00

This little man is awesome:

Samuel David Banks, age 3 1/2

What's your favorite book? Where the Wild Things Are and the Cow book

What's your favorite animal? A horsie

What's your favorite food? cheeseburger

What's your favorite movie? Phineas and Ferb

(me prompting) That's your favorite TV show, so what's your favorite movie, like a DVD? Nemo (he's never seen it)

What's your favorite season? When we go to the dinosaur museum and it's Christmas.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? to the dinosaur museum

What's your favorite birthday memory? When I got my Ironman toy

Where would you go if you could go anywhere on vacation? Grammy and Paw Paw's house

What's your favorite thing about summer? my Tiny toy

What's your favorite sport? Basketball

What's your biggest pet peeve? (silence) I mean, what's something that bothers you? bugs and spiders and dragons

What do you like best about your home? Your phone and my bullseye flashlight

What makes you sad? When you leave me behind

(concerned) What do you mean when I leave you behind? Where am I going when I leave? Um, maybe the dinosaur museum or Grammy's house

Tell me a joke: Why do chickens poop?

Me: hmmmm, I already heard that one when we were asking Trevor these questions. Tell me a new one.

David: Why do chickens eat? Me: I don't know, why? David: because they got beaks! (laughter)

How old do you wish you were? 3

Tell me your favorite thing about Daddy: when he gives me water when we go to bed

Who is your best friend? Trevor

What's your favorite scripture story? The one with the tiger and the guy prayed and the tiger sat down (Daniel and the lion's den)

What do you want to be when you grow up? a kid

When is your birthday? when I have my Kung Fu Panda party

What do you want for Christmas this year? 1 more

One more what? 1 more.

What's your favorite color? Red and pink

Tell me something you did today that was fun: sleep tight in the night

What's your favorite hobby? playing outside with Daddy

What's your favorite song? Spiderman and Rolling in the Deep

What's your favorite dessert? otterpops

Tell me something good about you: when I don't get owies.

What's your favorite childhood memory? Mommy

What we're up to

2011-08-16T11:52:00.002-07:00

Hello all. It's been a strange little break we've had here. I haven't had a computer for several months and I've had a million things I wanted to blog about. Oh well, such is life.

Our computer is finally back from the shop, and I've been keeping up with all your blogs via the Internet on my phone, but I can't blog from my phone so we've just been waiting for the computer to come back so I could send you all the (I'm sure) much anticipated update on our lives!

First off, for those who missed it we now live in Tucson, AZ. We moved here in April to pursue a new job for Sam at Raytheon - a very large defense contractor - in the finance department. He's enjoying it and learning a lot, and it's allowing him to work really wonderful hours so we're both happy. He has had some long weekends and we usually spend them doing exciting things with the boys like swimming or playing pretend at home. Sam is a really fun dad and most nights when he gets home he changes clothes and immediately takes the boys outside for a long walk to look for lizards and snakes. It's nice because it gets the boys all worn out for bed, they get some good quality time with dad, and it gives me a chance to clean or finish up dinner or just catch a quick breath while the boys are out. Sam is also getting excited about the upcoming football season and his imminent win in his fantasy football league.

I have been staying at home with the boys and watching them grow. They are just getting more and more cute by the day, and I love being with them. I've also been running a lot and just finished my second half marathon in July. I have really grown to love running, and I love that my boys know that I do it often. When David wakes up in the morning, 9 times out of 10 he'll ask me if I just got back from running. I think it's great for the boys to know that exercise is good and should be as much a part of our lives as other things that are good for us like the gospel, or even sleeping and eating. I've also been spending a majority of my day trying to organize 2000 sq ft of stuff into a 1000 sq ft apartment. Our last apartment (in Heber) was not much bigger, but it did have a 3rd bedroom and we also had a large storage unit holding half of our stuff. We opted to move into a smaller (2 bedroom) apartment and not rent a storage unit to save some money while we're waiting for our house to close. It's been worth it in a lot of ways, but the hard part has been the fact that we've been here for a month and I feel like we're only halfway moved in. We just don't have enough room! But I've really enjoyed the simplistic living and the motivation to get super organized.

We are anxiously awaiting the bank approval of our home - a beautiful house in the exact neighborhood we wantedv- but it's a short sale so we're in this for the long haul. I don't want to post any pictures because I don't know if we'll actually get it and I don't want to jinx it.

David has started "preschool" at home. I really wish we could have gotten him into a real one, but since we missed registration during the move, I felt it was my responsibility to make sure he doesn't fall behind. He already knew the alphabet, how to count, the phonetics of each letter, shapes, and colors. So we're just working on developing that knowledge. He's learning how to write his letters, draw his shapes, the phonetics of letter pairs like CH or SH or QU, how to recognize numbers (he doesn't yet know his written numbers), opposites, and rhyming. He astounds me with how smart he is all the time. I don't mean to say in comparison to anyone else. I just mean I am amazed with the minds of children and how well they're able to grasp concepts that seem so out of their mental ranges. He also loves to watch movies, and his favorites at the moment are Toy Story 2, then 3, then 1. (in that order), Kung Fu Panda, and Megamind. He eats a peanut butter and jelly and pepperoni sandwich every day for lunch (yes, all on one sandwich). Although his favorite food continues to be cheeseburgers with no pickles and onions (yes, it's that specific) and root beer. Or spicy lemonade (sprite), but he just doesn't get it very often. He also loves fruit, and his favorite is a pluot. He loves dinosaurs and cowboys and any type of animal. He is a big helper and loves to follow me around the house to do whatever I'm doing. His personal favorites are vacuuming, sweeping / mopping, making dinner, and baking cookies. He's very good at all of them!

Trevor turned 2 last month and had a very small pool party. He did NOT want anyone there. He's become somewhat anti-social since lately and wanted family there but no friends. The mere mention of other kids made him cry. In the end he finally agreed on one friend who happens to be the son of my one and only girlfriend here, so it worked out marvelously. It was Toy Story themed. Or more specifically Buzz Lightyear themed. That boy is OB. sessed. Big time. He finally likes nursery again (I think his old nursery had too many kids) which has been nice for all of us. He has upgraded to a big boy bed. And actually, to the bottom of a bunk bed. Which means big brother was upgraded to top bunk. They love it! Trevor continues to be such a funny kid and makes me laugh all the time. His terrible twos have also hit full force and they are much funnier than they should be. He is very contrarian and that is the form his terrible twos have taken. He will say and do the opposite of whatever anyone says or does, regardless of whether or not it makes any sense. Ex: "Mommy, I have my Buzzer Wightming (Buzz Lightyear)." "Cool, you sure do Trev." "NO! I DON'T!" or "Mommy, I want some peach yogurt." "You do?" "NO! I DON'T!" Favorite things to say: I can't, I won't, I don't, I don't want to, you can't, it's not, I not, you see the trend. He loves popcorn and rice. And cheese in any form. He also could eat nothing but fruit, and his favorite fruit is a banana. He is currently growing all four k-9 teeth all at once and he likes to show them to everyone.

The boys say some pretty funny and cute things sometimes, and here are a few of my favorites from the week:

David: "Mommy, I can smell you."

Me: "Uh, oh. Am I smelly?"

David: "No, you smell nice. Like strawberry yogurt."

Ha ha ha ha. Okay.

I recently cut both of my boys' hair. I'm used to David's hair being pretty short, but I cut T-man's short and he just looked so funny to me. Like a baby trying to be a grown man (although he usually looks like that anyway). Anyway, I was staring at him and laughing a little bit and he finally asked "Mommy, why are you looking at me?"
To which I so lovingly responded "You just look so weird!"
At which point Trevor looked me square in the eye and yelled "No! I NOT!"

David loves music and has some strange favorite songs. He will ask me to sing them any time he wants to hear them, and he'll sing with me at the very top of his lungs. I love it. This was his request the other day:

David: "Mommy, will you sing the skies are blue song?"

Me: (I have no idea what he's talking about) "What song, bud?"

D: "The skies are blue!"

Me: "Which one?!?"

D: "You know, the skies are blue! The one you sing in the car!"

Me: "Umm......'the trees are green, the skies are blue' (to "what a wonderful world")

D: (wailing) "Nooooooooooooo!!!!!! Not that one! The real one!"

Me: "David, I don't know what song you're talking about. Can you sing it for me?"

David: "The skies are blue and remind me of us"

In case you don't know the song, it's "Rolling in the Deep" (David's absolute favorite song of all time) and the words are "the scars of your love remind me of us". You can see how he might have mixed those words up. I laughed for a good 5 minutes over this one.

We went on a walk the other night as a family, and Trevor was running way up ahead of us on the trail. He stopped very suddenly, pointed animatedly at the ground (at a large pile of doggy excrement), and announced, very seriously as though we needed to take great heed to his words, "That's dog poop" and then continued on his run. That kid cracks me up.

This isn't anything necessarily funny that David said, but rather some funny pronunciations of words that I find utterly adorable. He calls cinnamon "silverman", so most mornings he will ask me for silverman raisin bread. Love it. He also says plain "playin'". He'll always let me know if he wants his silverman raisin bread with honey, or butter, or just playin'.

Trevor also says things in his own way, which I discovered the other day after much wailing and gnashing of teeth. I made some pizza for lunch and Trevor started crying that he didn't want pizza, he wanted green beans. I was surprised but happy to oblige. He was pointing in the pantry at the green beans he wanted, so I grabbed a can and put them in a bowl. He started screaming saying "not THOSE green beans!" I wasn't all that surprised because I buy the unsalted kind and it's not like they taste amazing. So I seasoned them a little and put them back in front of him. Again, he lost it. He didn't want THOSE green beans. After a large ordeal at the table, I brought him over to the pantry to show me exactly which green beans he wanted. I soon discovered that the "green beans" that he wanted were of the jelly belly variety. We both walked away from that experience pretty disappointed.

Well, that's what we have going on right now. Once I get all our photos transferred over I'll post a bunch. But I figured I'd rather have a post with no pictures than no post at all. Thanks for listening!

I'm so glad when Daddy comes home.....

2011-06-04T15:16:00.004-07:00

Do you remember that Primary song? It was always one of my favorites. Anyway, as I mentioned in my previous post, we are so happy about this move to Tucson we have made. For so many different reasons. But one of my favorites is the sheer amount of time we've been able to have Sam at home. For the last 5 years of our marriage, Sam hasn't ever really had a Saturday off. There was a 6 month stint where he was able to work some really great hours, but that job was short lived and we've never had another one like it. All other jobs he has had to work Saturdays, and most of the time he wouldn't get home until after the boys were in bed (even though he had left before the boys woke up). It was fine for a while, but those hours put a real strain on our little family, and the ones who suffered the most unfortunately, were our sweet little boys. They didn't really know their dad, and often times weren't even sure what they thought of him. It was sad for everyone and we wondered if Sam's relationship with his sons would ever change. Sam's new job has been an even bigger blessing than we ever thought possible in that regard. He is not only able to be home by 6:30 every night, but he also gets every other Friday off. These two things combined have changed our family dynamic so drastically I can't contain my joy. Our boys LOVE Sam. They love when he's home, they hate when he leaves, they wake up early in the morning so they can run out to the driveway and wave to him as he drives away until they can't see his car anymore. These things bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart in ways that I can't even describe.

The other day, David came in from waving goodbye to Sam and sat down on the floor and said "I wished Daddy didn't have to go to work." I have never in my life heard those words, and for a long time I didn't think I ever would.

This week was a dream come true for us all - Sam had Memorial Day off (another perk...he's never had holidays off or any vacation time). So we had a nice 3 day weekend. However, it also fell on a Friday off week, so he was able to be home Monday, work Tues - Thurs, and then be home Friday. It was amazing on so many levels. We did so many fun things and the boys couldn't have been happier (and neither could Sam).

Here are the highlights of our week.

Monday (memorial day):
We spent the ENTIRE day outside swimming and bbq-ing. We swam and ate hot dogs and hamburgers and watermelon for lunch, swam some more and grilled ribs and corn for dinner. The boys were so worn out, Trevor even fell asleep in his chair at dinner. It was a great day.

Thursday:
Sam was able to come home early, about 2 o'clock. He walked in the door and put the boys in their bathing suits. What a fun dad. We played splash ball in the pool, and they loved it. That night we got wings at our favorite wing place and watched some basketball. More happy boys!

Friday:
David was so sad about Sam being at work all week that we promised him we'd go on a date when Sam had his day off. David got to plan our family date for us. He wanted to go see Kung Fu Panda 2 and then eat lunch at Panda Express (hilarious, right?). So we did just that. The boys were so cute with their little individual slushies and popcorn. After our date, we took the boys to look at some houses (one of David's favorite activities, especially with our realtor who he LOVES!). Then we came home and went swimming (are you seeing a theme here?). We are so full of vitamin D, I don't think the boys even know what to do with themselves!

Saturday:
No swimming today, but Sam did take the boys to the park. They got to chase lizards (another favorite of David's, and a main reason he loves AZ so much), watch a little girl pelt her dad in the kidney with a baseball (which apparently was really funny), and run until they were so thirsty and tired they practically begged to go home!

I know this is just the beginning of a lot of Daddy time, and we couldn't be happier about it.

Massive Family Updates

2011-05-17T16:15:00.002-07:00

For those of you wondering what's been going on with us since October, here are the last 7 months of our lives in a nutshell:

DECEMBER - David turned 3, we had an awesome Christmas in St. George with Sam's family, I got to perform in, help direct, and choreograph for Heber's Christmastime musical.

JANUARY - Hung out a lot with Sam's sister and her husband, including a kick-a New Year's party complete with noisemakers and overly rich chocolate peppermint cake, went to Italy and romped around for a week with another of Sam's sisters and her husband, housed said sister and brother-in-law for a couple weeks when they moved to the states until they found a house of their own (we tried sabotaging their house hunting so they'd stay, but it didn't work. Turns out if someone wants to get out of your house badly enough, they will find a way to get out).

FEBRUARY - Celebrated my birthday, potty trained David, went on a road trip to Tucson in my new car, not much else.

MARCH - Got a job offer in Tucson, AZ so we started packing up our house, helped the theater I was in with auditions to cast for The Sound of Music, got in a few final hurrahs with Sams two sisters and brothers-in-law.

APRIL - Moved to Tucson, Sam started his new job at Raytheon and I started running again, went to North Carolina to see my sister's new little baby boy, started our house hunt.

Now it's May, and Sam and I are still living at my parents' house hoping we can get into a house soon. I'm still running. Sam's really liking his job. And the boys are loving the desert. I mean loving it. This move has been so good for us in so many ways and we couldn't be happier.

A few things I want to remember about now:
*It's always sunny and warm here. The mornings are cool and breezy and gorgeous, so the boys and I play outside for at least an hour before breakfast every day. Amazing.

*David loves the plants and wildlife here. He talks non-stop about all the coyotes, "woodpackers", lizards, hummingbirds, sahuaro cactuses (yes he knows which ones they are), and "spiky bushes". He is a desert boy through and through and will tell anyone who will listen that he lives in Arizona and he loves the desert. He says hello to almost any cactus he sees. And he adamantly tells me he does not miss the snow!

*Trevor is loving being surrounded by rocks. He could throw rocks all day long (and he does). He's also fascinated with my parents' pool and the first thing he does when he wakes up is puts his shoes on and stands at the door to go outside. Once he's out there he puts his legs (pajama pants, shoes and all) in the pool and laughs and laughs.

*We have a super lame story time here, but there is a couple that comes every week with their granddaughter. David for some reason has taken a liking to the grandpa and sits with him every week. Without fail. It has gotten to the point that the man waits for David to get there and then goes into the story time circle with him. It's actually really sweet, but so strange! It makes me laugh every week. Even the story time leader is amused and bewildered by this behavior. But David loves this man and this man loves David.

*My mom just bought a new puppy on Friday, and Trevor is obsessed. She doesn't have a name yet, but Trevor insists that her name is "Puppydoggy". He WILL NOT call her anything else. He cannot be more than 5 feet from her at any time of the day. He will laugh until he can't breath any time she moves at all. He wants, very badly, for her to eat rocks. And she will do it for him. When Trevor is around, this puppy will wag her tail so hard she'll shake all over. I'm loving it.

*I am cooking a lot, which I really love. It's fun to be able to do it for more than just my little family. And it's nice because my parents don't ever eat homecooked meals, so they think everything I make is food magazine worthy. Ha ha ha. Parents: feeding children's delusions of grandeur since 1834. The main reason it's so nice is because my parents buy all the groceries. If I cook, they buy. It's a nice little tradeoff, and I'm making out like a bandit! Wah ha ha ha ha ha!

*Sam gets every other Friday off work so I have seen him more in the last month and a half than the rest of our entire marriage combined. It's fabulous, and we've done such fun things. We went to Tombstone with some friends (and made a domino effect of gross decisions), we've looked and looked and looked at houses, we visited the dirty south, we've been swimming with the kids, and he went camping with the boys and my dad.

We are loving life. I am truly happy. I've never seen our boys so full of life. Life is good.

I've returned......sort of.

2011-05-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've written a couple new posts on my "fitness" blog (there's gotta be another name for it, that makes it sound boring - which it is). Nothing new on here, but maybe there will be at some point. No promises. Anyway, if you want to check it out, it's here: http://letsalljustdropit.blogspot.com/. All you runners out there, please follow and contribute!!!!! :)

Let's try this again.

2010-10-19T11:32:00.001-07:00

Sorry, I know this video didn't work the first go-round. It's fixed now, so for those of you who are interested, here's David and Trevor and their cute little cousins in their slammin' music video!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Baby talk: September edition

2010-10-18T14:13:00.003-07:00

The David Man

The Trevor Bear

I was singing regularly during the day to practice for an upcoming audition and usually David loved it (and would sing right along with me). But one day, I was singing in the bathroom while I was doing my hair and David was hanging out with me. He said "Mommy, stop singing! You're freakin' me!"

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Me: "David! Look! You did it!"

David: "Yeah, I'm a good jobber."

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David: "Can I eat dinner with my crav?"

Me: "What's your crav?"

David: "Right here." Holding up a toy crab

Me: "Oh, you mean your crab? David that's called a crab." (extra emphasis on the "b")

David: "Oh, that's my crap?"

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, crav was better.

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David loves to make up songs, and this one was so funny to me I had to write it down. He's just so cute!
To Trevor:
"Are you eatin' a peach? Yeah, you're eatin' a peach. And drinkin' that milk. Cuz you are a baby. Are I am a baby? No no no no no no no no no way. No way. I not a baby."
The end.

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David: "Mommy, I think you're fun!"

Me: "You do? David I think you're fun!"

David: "No, I not. I'm just a wittle boy."

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Sometimes David is very sweet and affectionate towards his little brother. One day Trevor stepped on a toy and fell, and cried really really hard. So David went to take care of him.
"Okay baby, it's okay. Okay baby don't you cry. You're not hurt anymore, aren't you? You bite your fingers? (he didn't, by the way) It's okay. You don't cry cuz you happy!"

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I was on the phone with Sam the other day, and whatever he was saying to me was making me very incredulous. As I'm questioning Sam with increasing incredulity, David walks right up to the phone in my hand and (very seriously) says, "Stop it Daddy. You are freakin' Mommy out of control!"

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Trevor loves to change the channel on our t.v., and he knows if he turns on the tv and there's just static, just change the channel until you get a picture. Well the other day, Sam was watching something super cool and manly (cough...battlestar galactica...cough, cough) and there was a scene with an explosion. Right after the explosion, everything went totally black. No sound, no picture, just a black screen. This alerted Trevor to a problem, who promptly stated: "UH OH! I help." and went over and started changing the channel saying "channel, channel, I help. I help." It was so adorable.

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For as many times as I get irritated by these kids, my little men just make me laugh and laugh. I sure am a lucky one.

2010-10-15T12:47:00.001-07:00

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Baby Talk - First Edition

2010-08-28T07:50:00.007-07:00

Yes I know it's been a while and I have a lot to update. I actually have a post in my drafts right now that will get us all up to date, it's just not ready yet. It contains everything we've done from July to now, including our LOST party, Trevor's first birthday, my very first race, and more. There are a ton of pictures and it they just take too dang long to upload. But I digress. THIS post is here, and is my peace offering to tide everyone over until the big stuff comes.

I got this idea off a blog belonging to a friend of my sister's (I was blogstalking), and always thought it was so cute and funny. I just never documented anything. But now I will! This is a monthly installment of funny things my kids do and say for the month, and will be posted at the end of the month (or the beginning of the following month). So here you go - the August edition of baby talk........

David is learning about opposites - a wonderful trait for a 2 year old boy who loves nothing more than to contradict everything you say and do. If I say "you have to go to bed", he says "no I have to wake up". If I say "come over here", he'll say "no, I go over there". You get the picture. However, there are some things he doesn't quite understand what the opposite would be. For example:

David (crying because Trevor picked up a toy the David had discarded): No, Trevor can't play with that toy! That's David's toy!

Me: Yes, Trevor can play with that toy because you gave it up.

David: But I don't WANT to give it up! I want to give it down!

The other night Sam and I were going to the Stake President's office to get our temple recommends renewed. This was the conversation we had in the car on the way there:

David: What are we gonna go see?

Sam: We're going to go see the Stake Presidency

David: Are we gonna open the stick present?

Me: No, it's not a stick present; it's a stake presidency.

David: Are we gonna open that stake present-to-see?

In our house, we go through a lot of cheetos. And with Chester the Cheeta on every bag, you better believe that David is aware of them and what they are. In our house they are called "lion chips".

Me: What do you boys want for breakfast today?

David (enthusiastically): LION CHIPS?!?!?!?

Me: Ummm..no. No lion chips for breakfast. Do you want some oatmeal?

David: Yeah, oatmeal.

(I make the oatmeal & bring it to the boys)

Trevor: NOOOOOO!!!! CHIPS!!!!

David was whining pretty non-stop over a toy he had taken away for bad behavior.

Me: David, you are not getting it back when you're behaving like this.

David: But I WAAAAANNNNNTTTT it (for full effect, imagine Gollum when he gets the Ring taken away)!!!!!!!!!!!

Me: If you stop crying we can talk about it.

David (crying a little less now): NO! I WAAAANNNNNTTT it!!!!!

Me: I can't hear you when you're crying.

David: I'm not crying. I'm just laughing for a little bit.

*Warning: this next one is definitely TMI, but it was so funny I thought I'd still add it. If you are grossed out by stories of toddler poo, then just skip this one. Although I should state that the poo involved was safely contained in a diaper, so there's no gross "poo was everywhere" talk. There's just some detailed talk of poo.*

I bought some fun straw cups at the store the other day and David has been drinking from them regularly. His favorite part of the straw cup is being able to blow bubbles in his milk, which he finds hilarious and will do it every time he gets said cup, regardless of the fact that participating in said behaivior promptly gets said cup taken away.
Well, the other day the boys had a stomach bug, complete with (whispered) *diarrhea*. I come out to the living room to find David laughing hysterically (tears down his purple face) while he's passing gas (keep in mind, there might be some liquid involved in this activity).

Me: Wow, David! What's so funny?

David: I'm blowin bubbles with my bum!

David has been really good about sleeping in his big boy bed. For the most part we don't have to worry about him getting out of bed and wandering. However, the other day I went into his room to wake him up from his nap and I couldn't find him anywhere. Turns out I just wasn't looking high enough:

He got up here because he wanted the stuff from those built in shelves that you see above him. And yes, he got the stuff he wanted down, and that's what you see him sleeping with.

Now these aren't necessarily funny, but I figured for our "baby talk" post, I should include all of Trevor's words that he's saying now. I have written his pronounciation out to the side. If there's not one it's because he says it normal. It's a long list, but here it is, in no particular order.
Bye
hello (ello)
ball (baw)
basketball (bah-baw)
basket (ba-tet)
bucket (buh-tet)
applejuice (appuh doo)
belly (beyeh)
mommy
daddy
clap (cap)
row row row - as in your boat (woah woah woah)
round and round - as in the wheels on the bus (wow wow wow)
catch it (very pronounced)
touch it (very pronounced)
I got it (very pronounced)
want it (wan it)
mine (myyyyyyyy)
oatmeal (uh-mel)
go
out (the T is very prounounced)
down
I do
bum bum
buddy
banana (nana or uh-nana)
bath (bap)
no
yeah (very high pitched and excited)
train (chain)
choo choo
oink (unk)
ah ah - as in what a monkey says
what's that (uh dat)
cup
spoon (poon)
Heddy
apple (appuh)
don't (Dohn)
stop it (very pronounced)
stand up (san up)
walk (wok)
cracker (cahcuh)
cheese (chee or dee or deese cheese)
bread
toy
balloon (buhyoon)
bat (T is very pronounced)
chip (tchip, very pronounced)
jump
book (often book, sometimes just boo with an abrupt end)
hat (very pronounced)
bike
pig (pid)
peek-a-boo (PEET boo)
I did it (very pronounced)
night night (nye night)
ashes - as in we all fall down (ashesh)
potty (poddy or sometimes poyey)
up
I need help (uh nee thelp)
abc (adc)
I push it (very pronounced)
num num nummy (can be said in any order and / or frequency)
mm-hmmmm

Give One Million

2010-07-22T20:48:00.002-07:00

A while ago my friend Dave started an initiative to raise one million dollars for St. Jude's Hospital - a research center that dedicates itself to fighting children's cancer. He relies on donations to meet his goal - one million in one year. He's on day 118 (or somewhere around there) so he still has some time to go, and I know he and St. Jude's would appreciate any help you could give. Even a dollar. Or if you can't find it in the budget to donate, maybe you could help spread the word. By mouth, or by "liking" give one million on facebook, or by putting a give one million button on your blog, like the one to the right on mine here. Click on it to find out more! Thanks everyone.

David's thoughts on rain

2010-06-08T14:27:00.002-07:00

Last night we had a beautiful thunder storm. It started raining pretty hard before David went to bed so he sat and watched in out our big patio window. He had many thoughts and opinions on the rain falling outside, but these were my favorites, in no particular order.

"Oh the water's on the gwound!"

"Those trees are swimming!!"

"Uh oh. That outside make a messy?"

"The outside going potty? Yup, it's going pee pee. The outside's going pee pee on the gwound!"

"No no outside! You spill the water! You gotta cwean it up or you go time out!"

"Mommy, the outside going swimming. The outside needs a fwoatie (floatie)."

I love to hear his little brain at work.

Brothers!!!!!

2010-06-07T12:15:00.012-07:00

I have been wanting, nay, NEEDING, to write a post about my boys for quite some time now. It's just that there is sooooo much to write about, I end up not writing about any of it. Which is unfortunate because they are the cutest things ever and they need to be shared. So this is a very very very small post about the boys because I want to share them with you all, but I don't have tons of time right now to blog. These are the important things I want to remember and share about this stage in their adorable little lives.

Trevor:

He's 11 months now - crazy right? He is still not crawling, but he is very much mobile. He army crawls everywhere and has gotten pretty fast at it. Here's a sample. In case you can't tell what David's saying, he's chanting "crawl Trevor crawl". He's such a supportive big brother. I love how hard he laughs at his brother finally moving. He was so excited for him!

He hates being by himself so he will follow everyone around everywhere. Especially big brother. He loves following and playing with David. Which is sometimes and sometimes not received well. More on that later. He is our talker. He picks up words so quickly and will repeat what you say all the time - sometimes very clearly. He has said many words, but only repeating them, not really knowing what they mean. The words he actually KNOWS are: mommy (first word! Yayayayayaya! Especially since David didn't say it until he'd already been talking for about 4 months.) said "moMEEEEEE", with emphasis on the end; basket ball, said "bah ball", and every ball is a basket ball; applejuice, said "a-pple" with a pause between the syllables, and every drink is apple juice (like big brother); daddy, said "da-ddy" also with a pause between syllables; uh-oh, said very loudly and dramatically with emphasis on the "UUUUHHHH-ohhhhhhhhh" (held out very long); ow, which he says every time he pulls my hair; bye-bye, said "buh buh" or sometimes "buh bop"; and hi, said "hi". I think that's it.

He is all done nursing, something I feel really good and also really sad about, but he hasn't minded one bit. He hated jarred baby food and ate maybe two jars a day, but at 9 months we switched him to healthy table food and he loves it. He is a great eater, and very independent (read: messy). His favorite food is avocado. He would be happy if that's all we ever fed him. He also likes mashed potatoes. That's about all the food he likes. But he will eat chicken, cheese, oranges, oatmeal, and bread if we make him. He's very picky. But we recently discovered he loves Mexican food.

Like really loves it!

He is a people person and loves to be with you and laugh. He is the goofiest baby I've ever seen and he makes me laugh a majority of every day. He has what we lovingly refer to as "the toupee".

It's awesome. He only grows hair in the front (really long) and in these little "points" on the sides. Like bad hair plugs (think Tobias Funke). It's maybe my very favorite thing about him. I love love love this baby and am so grateful that I have been given the wonderful task of raising him.

David:

He is 2 and a half. Very 2 and a half! :) This boy has non stop energy and a voice to boot. He loves anything as long as it's loud and out of control. He loves to sing, and usually does so at the very top of his lungs. It's usually theme songs for shows he likes or random Saturday Night live clips, like "on a boat" or "what up with that?".

He still hasn't figured out how to say "nautical themed pashmina afghan" in case you can't tell. But it's a work in progress.

He also knows some of the songs from Glee, specifically Kurt's version of "Rose's Turn" from Gypsy, and he sings it a lot. Sam thanks me every day for that one! ha ha ha ha. Anyway, he loves time out and it is his favorite place to be. Wait, it's not? Weird. You would think so for how much time he spends there.

He also loves to play with Trevor. Sometimes. Other times he runs away screaming he scared of Trevor, because he thinks Trevor only follows him to steal his toys. This results in much screaming, crying, tantruming, throwing, and a visit to his favorite place.

He loves to repeat the things you say to him in normal conversation like he's an adult. My favorites: "Look at me. Look at my face.", "Don't do that. Do you understand, Mommy? You understand me?", "No more, you put that down right now or you go time out!", "Oh my goooooodnesssssss!", "Oh. My. Gosh.", "Oh that is delicious!!!!" He says these things so dead serious that it is all I can do not to laugh. He is so funny.

That is a delicious full rotisserie chicken.

He also loves to bake, a la the above (helping mom make a tart crust)

His hair is out of control and so long, but I have no intention of cutting it. I think it fits his personality so perfectly. He loves his cowboy boots and wants to wear them every day. He usually picks out his own outfits, and 9 times out of ten it includes shorts, the monkey shirt his Grandma and Grandpa got him during their travels, and his cowboy boots and hat. I can't get enough of it.

This is not the monkey shirt, but you get the idea.

He is so funny and so sweet. Our lives changed forever the day we were given this little miracle, and it definitely changed for the better.

The boys together:

Trevor WORSHIPS David. They sleep together at night (in the same room. not the same bed. I'm not crazy), and I love to listen to them stay up and talk to each other until they fall asleep. David will start doing something loud and crazy, Trevor will belly laugh until he can't breathe, David will sing Trevor some songs, and then all will be quiet. Reverse this for the morning. Trevor doesn't care what they are playing as long as David is there. David sees Trevor as more of a animated toy than a person, but he still loves him and knows Trevor's his baby brother. His whole goal is to make Trevor laugh, or to show Trevor how much fun life can be. David will give Trevor his froggy when Trevor's really sad (a HUUUUUGE deal, if you know David at all. That frog is an extension of David's body), or try to get him to play with a toy if he thinks it's really fun. They wrestle and cuddle and laugh all day. Unless they're fighting. But since this is my blog and I can type whatever I want I'll leave those parts out.

I love David in cowboy mode. This is how he plays with Trevor. Like he's a super cool toy to ride and dress. I absolutely love the video with him putting the hat on Trevor. If you can't hear what he's saying, he's yelling "COWBOY HAT, TREVOR!!!" over and over. I love how excited he is to share his hat with Trevor, and how funny he thinks it is when it's on Trevor's head.

Okay, that ended up being a lot longer than I anticipated. I am long winded. I know. But I hope it will hold all you friends and family that live far away over for a while. Until next time.....

I just can't get enough

2010-05-25T12:12:00.003-07:00

I spotted these huevos rancheros over on Grapefruit's blog about a month ago and thought it would be the perfect breakfast for Mother's Day. I was right. It was the perfect breakfast. In fact, it was so good, I had two. And then I made them again the next morning. And the morning after that. And then it was 2 weeks later and I realized that I'd had them EVERY DAY except one! I can't stop eating them!

As I sat eating my runny, salty, crunchy, creamy, chewy, delectable treasure, I realized it would be selfish of me not to share it with you.

First, thank you Grapefruit for the most delicious meal ever to have graced this beautiful Earth.

Now, don't make these if you don't want to crave them night and day. Don't eat them if you don't like moaning after every bite. Don't make them if you really really HATE simple meals that taste like Heaven on a plate.

But, if you DO like all of these things, then by all means, please make my interpretation of Grapefruit's absurdly delicious Huevos Rancheros:

Fry a corn tortilla (or 6) in oil to your desired doneness (I actually like mine pretty crispy). Let rest on a paper towel and salt while it's still hot.

Spoon on a layer of black beans.

Top with an egg fried to your liking (I like mine over easy. But really, even if you don't like a runny yolk - PLEASE try one with a runny yolk just once. The dish needs it! NEEDS IT I tells ya!).

Shred a small amount of finely grated cheese on top of the piping hot egg. Then top that with diced tomatoes and avocados, a spoonful (or two) of sour cream, and chopped fresh cilantro.

Season with coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper. Take a bite and let your eyes roll into the back of your head. Yeah, it's that good.

Seriously easy, right? I know. And now you'll be eating at least one a day. You're welcome!

(For a MUCH better picture of this dish, hop on over here.)

There are no words....literally.....no words

2010-05-15T22:27:00.002-07:00

Wait, maybe.....nope nothing. Just, uh, watch it to the end?

Sooooooooooooo..........................................................

Is it bad that I've watched it about 7 times and I love it?

Yes?

Well, I really really do.

Living It Up, Heber Style!

2010-05-12T14:52:00.005-07:00

There are many reasons I love Heber. So many, I can't even list them all. Fortunately for me, there is a complimentary guide to Heber that has sumed it all up for me.

Jealous much?

Are you serious?????????

2010-05-06T14:25:00.002-07:00

OH MY GOSH! LOST! WHAT? I can't even say anything about it on here because I don't want to ruin anything for people who aren't caught up. But oh my gosh! I couldn't believe it! I mean, everyone knows that that stuff is going to happen this season. I just couldn't believe the way it happened. Or how quickly. Or the sheer number! Crazy crazy crazy. I want it to be Tuesday right now!

*Who else totally cried at this episode?

Let's do this again, shall we?

2010-05-03T07:36:00.002-07:00

I know, I know, I am really horrible at keeping up this blog. Why on earth would I add another blog to the mix? But I'm serious this time, people! I'm going to do it! I'm going to update both blogs, regularly!

So, please check out my other blog http://letsalljustdropit.blogspot.com. I'm back on the weightloss bandwagon, and tracking it all on there! I just posted new stats and "before" pictures, so if you're interested in that sort of thing, head on over. And if you're not interested, stay on this blog for some nummy new recipes that aren't healthy enough for my other blog. Is that cheating?

Well, that's all I have to say for today. See ya.

Drumroll please............................................

2010-04-29T16:38:00.018-07:00

Sorry this took me so long to get to. Here are my reasons: 1) we went out of town a couple times and to dinner at other people's houses a few other times, so I was limited on nights I could make these things. 2) sometimes the fact that I have a two year old made its way into the picture and we had sandwiches or toast for dinner. And 3) and this is the biggest reason of them all:

The whole point of the contest was SPRING!!! Spring meals, Spring treats, Spring goodness! I just couldn't get into the spirit of the contest with THIS outside! Instead I turned on the fireplace, heated up some South African Rooibos with extra cream, and slipped into my sweats (or never slipped out of them).

But alas, I have finally finished making all your wonderful creations, so without further ado, here's what you've been waiting patiently for!

And the winners are:

wait, I think I'm doing this backwards. We must first have honorable mentions, right? To build up the suspense! Here goes!

There were so many delicious entries for spring sweets it really was hard to choose. Cameo, the icing on your hummingbird cake was superb.

Debbie, I ate about 3 of your delicious caramel brownies; they were so rich and gooey and delish!

Shelley, let's face it, I didn't even make yours. I knew it wasn't going to win (chow mien noodles and peanut butter? For real? You're awesome, hollandaise packet! - that's your new nick name).

Annalisa, you submitted such delicious, and beautiful, Italian treats! That cheesecake was ridiculous, and unlike any cheesecake they have here in the states. I used nutella in honor of Mr. 2 pound jar Massimo! Yum!

And the crosata was so simple and fun I'm going to have to make it all the time now. In fact, it is the runner up. It was very closely tied with the winner. It was so so so good. Here's the recipe in case any of you want to make it (and I recommend it).

Crostata...
3 cups flour
3 eggs
1.5 cups sugar
1.5 cup butter
grated lemon peel
jam of choice

Mix the flour with the sugar, 3 egg yolks and 1/2 egg white and the butter (melted and at room temp.) and the grated lemon peel.

Work the dough for about 10 minutes and then let it sit for 1/2 hour in the fridge.

Divide the dough in 2 parts. Roll the bigger part of dough out and then place in a medium sized buttered and floured pan.
Spread your favorite jam evenly over the dough.
Roll the other part of dough out and cut into long strips. Place the strips over the jam creating a nice criss cross.

Cook 40 minutes at 360°. This is an italian basic treat. Yummy and simple.

This is what David's plate looked like after he was done with his crosata. Even his cow liked it!

However, the one that takes the cake (no pun intended. Okay, maybe slightly intended) was Nicole's Luscious Lemon Pave. Can I say YUM!?!?!?!?! Okay, here's why it was delicious enough to win the competition. It was SO fluffy. And the custard filling was SO tart and SO creamy. And the frosting was SO light and WONDERFULLY sweet and offset the tart filling perfectly! And the citrus smell that filled my house while making it was icing on the cake (okay, that one was intentional). Not to mention, it was the dessert that tasted most like spring to me. So congratulations Nicole! And everyone else, you absolutely must try it.

Light and Luscious Lemon Pave

4 eggs, separated

3/4 c sugar

1/2 T oil

1 t vanilla

3/4 c cake flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

Lemon Filling:

5 egg yolks

1/3 c sugar

1/2 c lemon juice

4 T butter

1 t fresh grated lemon peel

1/2 c heavy cream

Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

1 1/4 c butter, softened

2 t grated lemon peel

3 T lemon juice

3 c powdered sugar

Place egg whites in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Turn to speed 8 and whip until stiff but not dry. Remove from bowl and set aside.

Place egg yolks and sugar in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Turn to speed 6 and whip until thick and lemon colored, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape the bowl. Add oil and vanilla. Turn to speed 4 and whip for 30 seconds. Gently fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Fold half of flour mixture into egg mixture. Repeat with remaining flour mixture.

Pour batter into a 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan which has been lined with wax paper, greased and floured. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Immediately loosen cake from pan and invert onto a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar; cool completely.

Cut cake crosswise to form 3 5x10x1-inch layers. Spread lemon filling between layers. Cover cake tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Frost and decorate with lemon buttercream frosting.

To make lemon filling:

combine egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in double boiler over boiling water. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is very thick, about 5 minutes; do not boil. Remove from heat. Add butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating thoroughly until incorporated. Stir in lemon peel. Cover mixture and refrigerate 1 hour.

Place cream in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Turn to speed 10 and whip until stiff. Fold whipped cream into egg mixture. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To make lemon buttercream frosting:

place butter, lemon peel, and lemon juice in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to speed 6 and beat 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl.

Sift powdered sugar into bowl. Turn to speed 2 and beat 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Sift powdered sugar into bowl. Turn to speed 6 and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Now for the ham contest. Again some very good entries. The win should go to Jenny who's suggestion was "Throw it away, that is just too much ham...blech." Well spoken, sister. I too hate ham. But believe it or not, there were some recipes here that actually made me enjoy the salty sweet smoked goodness that was the ham. The two that were so closely tied were Nicole's pepper avocado omelet, and Grapefruit's asparagus custard tart. Nicole, that was absolutely the greatest omelet I've ever had.

Granted, I don't eat them very often, but it was so good. BUT the thing that put me over the top was the fresh tomato compote. I think it needs to win all on it's own. I ate so much of it, and then made it again. I served it over french bread toasted in the frying pan with oh so much melted butter. Yum. Seriously people, you need to try this.

Pepper Avocado Omelet Ingredients

* 1 medium poblano or green sweet pepper, roasted,* seeded and chopped

* 2 Tbsp. butter

* 2 eggs, lightly beaten

* 1/2 medium avocado, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

* 1/4 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced (optional)

* 1/4 cup manchego cheese, shredded (1 oz.)

1/4 cup cubed ham* Crushed red pepper

* 1 recipe Fresh Tomato Compote, recipe below

Directions

1. Roast poblano pepper (directions below); set aside.

In 12-inch nonstick skillet heat butter over medium-high heat. Add eggs; gently swirl to spread eggs to edge of skillet.

2. When eggs begin to bubble, sprinkle with poblano, avocado, ham, and jalapeno.

3. When omelet is very lightly brown at edges, add cheese. With spatula loosen egg from sides; fold half the omelet over filling. Season with black pepper and crushed red pepper. Serve with Fresh Tomato Compote and toast.

4. Fresh Tomato Compote: In medium skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes, 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley, 1/8 teaspoon each salt and ground black pepper. Heat through, serve with omelet.

5. To Roast Pepper: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Halve pepper lengthwise; remove stems and seeds. Place halves, cut sides down, on foil-lined baking sheet. Roast 20 to 25 minutes. Wrap pepper in foil; let stand 10 minutes. Gently pull off skin in strips, using a sharp knife to help loosen.

Makes 2 servings.

To make the toast I served it with, just use a french loaf or other crusty italian bread, melt 1/4 cup butter in a skillet, slice the bread to about 3 inches thick, and toast on both sides. The key is to keep lots of butter in the pan, so if it starts running dry, just keep adding more. Fattening? Yes. Delicious? Also yes. And I care more about the latter.

But as delicious as that was, the winner for the ham competition is none other than the infamous Grapefruit (who I am honored beyond belief that she entered my competition. She is master chef extraordinaire!) who submitted this recipe for her asparagus custard tart.

ASPARAGUS CUSTARD TART

For pastry:

1 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

6 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 large egg, lightly beaten

For filling:

1 medium leek (white and pale green parts only) quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/3-inch pieces

1 lb medium asparagus, trimmed

1/4 c diced ham

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/3 cup heavy cream

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons finely chopped tarragon

2 teaspoons water

Make pastry:

Blend flour, salt, butter in bowl with fingertips till pea size clumps and resembles coarse meal. Drizzle evenly with egg and gently stir w/fork just till dough forms.Turn out dough on lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. W/heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion. Gather into ball. Flatten into disk. Chill dough in plastic wrap for at least 30 minutes.

Make filling while dough chills:

Wash leek in bowl of cold water, the lift out leek and pat dry. Cook asparagus in a wide 4-5 quart pot of boiling salted water, unncovered, until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain and pat dry. Cut off and reserve tips (leave more stalk if asparagus is thin), then thinly slice stalks crosswise. Heat butter in heavy skillet over low heat until foam subsides, then cook leek with 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring, until softened, 6-8 minutes. Stir in sliced asparagus, ham and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and remove from heat.

Finish filling and assemble and bake tart:

Put oven rack in middle and preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put 9 to 9 1/4 inch tart pan with removable bottom in center of baking sheet. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into an 11 inch round, then fit into pan.

Whisk together cream, 2 eggs, tarragon (please use fresh!) and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Lightly beat remaining egg with water in small bowl and bursh tart shell all over with egg wash. Spoon asparagus mixture into shell, spreading evenly, then pour cream mixture over asparagus.

Bake tart until filling is just beginning to set but still loose on top, 20-25 minutes. Scatter asparagus tips over top, pressing lightly to help settle into filling, then conintue to bake until custard is golden and just set but still slightly wobbliy in center, about 30 minutes more (custard will continue to set as it cools.)

Cool tart on baking sheet on a rack until warm, about 30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve at room temperature, cut into wedges. (From Gourmet magazine, March 2005)

The reason this entry wins over all the others? It was simply divine. It had CREAM! And LEEKS! And ASPARAGUS! Are you kidding? Was there any way it wouldn't win? It combines all of my very favorite things! Not to mention the crust! Oh.....my......the crust! It was the most amazing, and yet the simplest, crust I've ever made. I'm going to use it for everything from now on.

So congratulations Nicole and Becca! You've won! To claim your prize, please leave me a comment listing your three favorite colors (in order please). And I'll be mailing you your prize shortly (again, I reserve the right to determine the definition of "shortly"). Or Nicole, I'll just give you yours in July when you come to save myself the 1,000 dollars of shipping. But Becca, I'll mail yours.

Thank you to everyone who entered. And thank you, Deb, for making me laugh with your entry, "I'll give it my best shot! Here's my favorite recipe....1. Get in car.2. Pick up a friend who is also hungry.3. Drive to mutually agreed upon restaurant.4. EAT!! (Serves 2 or more!!)" You make me chuckle. Let's do this again sometime, shall we? I have already received some email requests for future recipe themes. If you have a theme you'd like to see make an appearance here, just leave it in the comments below. Who knows? This could be a regular occurrence on the ol' Banks blog!

Now, get to your kitchens and get to making these wonderful *award winning* recipes! And in the words of the one and only Julia Child: Bon Appetit!

*as a sidenote, or endnote rather, I know that my pictures aren't great. I'm not a photographer, nor could I ever be. I just don't have a talent for it. So just imagine everything a lot prettier. And in better lighting.

And the winner is............

2010-04-20T21:14:00.002-07:00

going to be announced at the end of the week! Yeah, right. Like I've made all of these already. I'm doing one dessert and one ham dish a day so I don't make myself sick with them all at once! Anyway, several down, several to go. There have been some good entries so stay up on the blog to see if you've won. New contest: let's see who can guess how much weight I'm going to gain to the closest pound! Winner gets a punch in the face.

By popular demand....

2010-04-14T19:44:00.002-07:00

Many of you have expressed concern over the deadline for the contest. So, to please my loyal readers (all 3 of you), the contest deadline will be extended through the weekend. You have until Sunday at midnight (future Nicole, you have until my Monday morning). I promise, the prize will be really cool, you won't be disappointed! So...........GOOD LUCK!

Cooking adventures, accessories, and contests

2010-04-13T08:09:00.010-07:00

I love spring. Okay, I just love the change of seasons. But I really love the rejuvenating change from the blustery winter to the crisp clean spring. It livens the senses and awakens the soul. For me, anyway. It makes me feel energized and I find new things to do and love and get excited about. I was recently talking to my BFF about the importance of hobbies. Having something that is just for you that you do a few times a week. Well Nicole, I think I've found it! I never ever ever thought I'd say this, but I love SEWING!!!

To let you know why I am so excited about this, there are a few things you need to know about me. ONE: I love food. Any kind of food. It is my addiction and my passion. It's pretty much what I think about during any free moments in my day. How good what I just ate was, how excited I am about what I'm eating at the moment, what I'm craving for my next meal. It's sad really, but it's true. TWO: I love cooking. I have no training at all in this area, but it's something I really enjoy. I could watch food network every second of every day. I love specialty foods and all the fun and gourmet things you can do with them. I also love the comfort of simple home cooking. I used to work next to a William's Sonoma and would go there on my lunch break every day (now I just go to the website a couple times a week). For Christmas I simply asked for cooking supplies (and got it! Thanks Samby). I don't even know if I'm very good at it, but I really love it.

In other words, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. So my first sewing project was an adorable little apron. It wasn't the easiest project ever, but I was a little overly excited about it so I got it done in one day. Ha ha ha. I'm just a tad obsessive! Anyway, here's the finished product:

I really love the fabrics. I am going to make a ton more because it was pretty simple and I want this apron in all colors and shapes! :)

So now I need ideas of what to cook in my apron. Like I said, it's spring so I've been busting out my brightly colored, full of fresh produce, light tasty recipes. Made these the other day and they just scream spring to me. Literally, they scream it. Makes it awkward when you're eating them (I joke, I joke, I kid, I kid):

If you have any fun spring time treats you like, leave me the recipe in the comments section. The best treat will get a prize from yours truly!

And now I need your help and participation with one more thing. My parents flew up here over Easter weekend for General Conference, allowing me to make a big Easter dinner. We had a pretty sizeable ham, which means we now have pretty sizeable leftovers. I really should have done this contest earlier when the ham was fresh, not frozen. But I digress. Now I have leftover ham sitting in my freezer and I am fresh out of ideas. We've had more ham and swiss melts than I thought I'd eat over a lifetime and I need something new. To get ideas flowing, my favorite leftover recipe was this:

A delicious day-after-Easter brunch with eggs, spinach, ham, mushrooms, and gruyere cheese. Yum! So your task is this - leave me a recipe for my leftover ham. The winner will get a prize!

So there you go. Two contests. Two winners. Well three, if you count me. Because I'll be the one eating all the yummy entries. Anyway, feel free to enter even if you're a blog stalker and I don't directly know you. I will stop taking entries Friday the 16th at midnight. Good luck!

* the prize will be one of my choosing and will be sent out whenever I send it. Hopefully sooner than later. In the words of the contest inspiration herself "I reserve the right to determine how 'soon' is defined in this case".

Spiritual Sundays

2010-03-11T10:41:00.006-07:00

Every Sunday when we come come from church, Sam and I like to ask David what he learned in nursery. He usually tells us "BUBBLES!!!", as the last 15 minutes or so of nursery, the leader will turn on a bubble machine and the kids get to run around and pop them. This usually results in me having to chase David down in my dress and high heels and then drag him screaming out of nursery. What can I say? The boy loves bubbles!

Anyway, this Sunday we came home and asked him "David, what did you learn about in nursery today?"

To which he responded "ummmmm......cubunents" (covenants)

Sam and I were very shocked, to say the least, at David's forthcoming information. So we decided to press further. "Covenants, David? What else?"

David: "and goldfish."

Okaaayyyyy, we might have gotten off track there. Let's get him refocused, we're kinda curious about this whole covenants thing.

Us: "David, you learned about covenants in nursery today? Tell us about that."

David: "yeah, I bite the goldfish for a snack."

Hmmmmmm. We never did hear any more about said covenants. But we did hear a great deal more about his goldfish. And you can also be sure that the bubbles made an appearance in that conversation as well. Oh well, we tried.

On a similar note, David has been praying by himself lately. He has been wanting to pray for quite some time, but it has always been just repeating what Sam or I tell him to say. The other night he opted to say his very own, very first prayer (this was Sunday at dinner). It was as follows:

"Heavenly Father...we grateful that we get home...to sleep good...that we get dinner...and have snake (steak)...in the name of Jesus Christ...AMEN!"

Love it! Later that night he also opted to say the bedtime prayer. It started out okay...

"Heavenly Father...we grateful..to go to church...to go dressed (a phrase he uses that means get dressed and go outside; he has just combined them)...and for baby...and chicken nuggets..."

sweet, right? I know. Then it continued:

"and to go dressed...and for baby...and to go dressed....and for baby....and to go dressed...."

So Sam, realizing he needed a little nudge because the record was skipping, decided to step in and help.

Sam: "please bless"

David: "please bless"

S: "that mommy will know"

D: "that mommy will know"

S: "how much"

D: "is that doggy in the window, WOOF WOOF!"

Amen, David. Amen.

It's about time!!!!!

2010-02-27T15:07:00.016-07:00

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST IS GOING TO BE TOTALLY RANDOM...AND MORE THAN LIKELY BORING... ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Hello world! If you still check this (I'm talking to you, Shelley and Nicole) then you're in luck because I'm back! So there's a lot I have been wanting to blog about but it all seems so old now, so I'm not sure where to start.

Let's see, since I last posted (in OCTOBER - shame on me), we moved from St. George to Mesquite, David had his first hair cut, David turned 2!!!, Trevor learned to roll over and sit up on his own, Trevor also started laughing and eating solid foods, I got to see my best friend that I only see once a year since she lives in Taiwan (yay! love you Coley and I'm glad I got to see you!), Sam took a new job, we moved from Mesquite to Heber, Ut, Sam and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary (woot woo!), I had my (enter too young age here) birthday, not to mention Halloween, Christmas, and the New Year! And I think that's it. So, I'm sorry I haven't posted about any of that, but I'll put a little of it on here. Enjoy perusing!

David really loves movies. Well, t.v. in general. And he loves the movie Madagascar. For a period of time, every time I'd put the movie in, he'd disappear into his room for a few minutes.....

...And come out with these, ready to watch the movie with the cast in hand.

this is what he'd bring out of his room to watch Peter Pan (if you can't tell, he's holding 4 separate crocodile toys).

And this is what I'd find when he would watch Charlotte's Web.

These pictures were taken after David's first ever hair cut.

Handsome, huh? He was actually really good for his haircut. He thought it was so funny that I was cutting his hair. And for a month after, every time he saw a pair of scissors he'd say "mommy cut the hair".

(If you can't remember how long his hair was before, here it is...)

We did dress up for Halloween even though we never posted about it, and I have been pestered and nagged by every relative I know to post pictures of it on here, so here you go. In case you don't get it, we were "jungle themed" this year, per David's request.

Cutest little zebra around

Sam's slinky elephant

I know you can't tell what I was...it's a giraffe.

Look at that lion ROOOAAARR!

I know there haven't been any pictures of T on here so I've collected my favorite pictures of him to post. You'll soon see why we've kept him hidden from you. There are levels of cuteness here that could be considered dangerous. But don't just take my word for it.....

Who could resist those chubby little legs?

He looked cold so I put him in my sweatshirt - I love how peaceful he is!

Love this goof face!!!!

And his tongue grin!!!!

But wait for it.......

wait for it.......

MMMMMMM! I could just eat him up!!!

Even David thinks he's so cute he wants to be just like him

(this was about the extent of David's "jealousy" over having a new brother. I found him like this one day with Trevor's binky in his mouth, in Trevor's car seat, just chillaxin. Silly boy.)

So, there's a little picture update of the boys. I am currently working on another post so it shouldn't be long. Also, I'll do a completely separate post of videos. I just don't feel like doing them right now. I hope you enjoyed your visit. We sure have missed you all!

David's guest Conan

2009-10-15T15:02:00.006-07:00

Just a sneak peak at the exciting goings on at the Banks household. Let's call this the teaser for post BROADOBANKS WINGFEST 2009 (sans wings)!!!!!!!!!

Ah Calvin. We miss watching you down gallons of hot salsa, 16.4 bananas, and more caffeine than your little frame should be able to handle. We miss dropping you off with people you don't know so we can eat our weight in sushi. And miso soup. And tempura vegetables and calamari. And shakes. We miss your little grinch face when you cry. We miss the fact that you taught David the word "mine". No wait. We don't miss that. You little punk. But we for reals miss you. And your mom and dad. Until next time little man!!!!!

New Blog

2009-10-12T10:48:00.004-07:00

Okay, I have a new blog. I hope to update it more often than I do this one. If you care to visit, stop on by. Here's the link: http://letsalljustdropit.blogspot.com/

It's a weight loss blog, so if you want to lose weight with me, or just want to check up on me and see how well I'm failing at my weight loss goals, then stop on by! Nicole, I know you are wanting to do this with me, so get on board lady!!!! We'll tone up together, through our blogs!!!!! Anyway, if you're not Nicole, you are also invited. I did a post of my stats and goals on September 1st and it has taken me this long to get the courage to post it. I will post my current stats soon so we can see where I am. I've just been a little hesitant to weigh or measure myself since the results in September weren't ideal.

Anyway, Trevor is now 3 months so I figure it's about time to get rid of those pesky pregnancy pounds. Who's with me???

Archie's HERE!!!!!!!

2009-10-02T10:02:00.023-07:00

My beautiful sister in law Jenny had her little baby boy yesterday! We are all so excited. She went in to the hospital yesterday morning after having had contractions all night starting at 2:30. Her husband Nick had to drive down from Boise, Idaho but he made it in time to see the birth of their boy, Archibald Nelson! Archie was turned kinda funny I guess so when he was born he had a little bit of a rough start, but after they got some oxygen in him and put him on mommy's tummy, he got some color back in him and soon was nursing like a champ! Way to go, bud!

Because of this whole swine flu thing, the hospital won't allow visitors for the mom and new baby, so we have to wait until Jenny and the fam come home before we can see the new bundle. Boo! :( I did however get a cute little picture text of his mug so this will be the only picture for right now.

While J was in the hospital I had the pleasure of watching her cute little girl, who just happens to be David's best friend (it's so fun, Jenny and I got pregnant within just a couple months of each other both times, so we have little cousins that are the same age. Hayden and David are just 28 days apart, and Trevor and Archie are exactly 3 months). Since I don't have any pictures of the new baby, I figured I'd post what big sister did while Archie was making his way into this world!

Since Hayden came early in the morning, they had breakfast together.
David's in this big mimicking stage right now, and at one point during breakfast Hayden said "bot". Not sure what it means, but David apparently thought it was important because he said it back to her. Then an exchange ensued, each one repeating the word "bot". I guess it was an inside joke. I didn't really get it. Anyway, here's a clip:

They were cracking one another up by shouting at each other. It was pretty funny. It went on for about 15 minutes:

It then escalated to this, which Jenny will probably be upset that I allowed to happen more than once, but David thought it was hilarious:

Sorry Jenny - if she starts screaming through dinner it's my fault.

A couple times I'd be doing something else and I'd realize it had been quiet for a while. A little too long in fact. So I'd go looking for them. One of the times this is how I found them:

After about 4 1/2 hours I surveyed my house and upon seeing the effects of Hurricane David and Tropical Storm Hayden, I realized if I wanted my house to ever be clean again we would need to take the party outside. So we played with chalk and drew on the driveway. They had so much fun and requested a lot of funny things for me to draw. I am quite the arteest, as you will observe from this next set of pictures.

Hayden and David are quite talented as well.

The artists:

The art:

The reason we brought the party back inside:

I guess being individually adorable wasn't enough for them, because they decided to join forces and attack me with a level of adorability the likes of which I have never seen. I was not prepared.

Dang they're cute. Nana came and Hayden and David's little playdate ended. But not before they got a little of this in:

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(david has seriously watched this a hundred times)

So, WELCOME LITTLE ARCHIE! Congratulations Nick and Jenny! And thanks for letting me have big sister for the day!

I love you, David.

2009-07-23T09:04:00.003-07:00

Nursing a baby can be a boring thing at times. Sometimes it's super bonding and all I want to do is stare at Trevor and his sweet little face. Other times I feel like I'm just stuck sitting there for a half hour with nothing to do. This is when I put in Twilight. Or pull out the laptop and blog. Or catch up on my celebrity gossip. Which is what I decided to do this morning.

I was reading up on my Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint gossip. The page I was on has rotating pictures of other celebrities to entice you to read an article about them. David wandered over right when this picture of Megan Fox popped up - encouraging you to read about her recent break up or something:

David stared at the picture for several seconds. And why not? He's a little boy, and she is impossibly gorgeous. Then he pointed right to it and announced "mommy!" Awwwww, David. I love you so much.

*none of you are allowed to make comparisons or attempt to see the resemblance that David apparently saw. I know I look nothing like her at all and my lack of resemblance to her is just depressing.

My little speckled boy

2009-07-17T17:21:00.004-07:00

Things have been crazy around here. Good. But crazy. So I haven't really posted since the birth, and I apologize. There are more posts coming, I promise. I just haven't really found the time to sit and compose everything into anything congruent. Anyway, today I captured a video that was too cute not to share and since it was just one video I figured it should be easy to get it on here.

David has been sick lately. Sicker than he's ever been. He has vaccine measles, which means 103 degree fevers, runny nose, puffy eyes, and a miserable rash. He is pitiful. He has been so miserable that he didn't eat or drink anything for a little over 3 days. After I took him to the doctor and saw that he had dropped over 2 pounds, I decided I would let him have whatever he wanted, as long as it meant he would eat something. So out came the chocolate milk. And non diluted juices. And chicken nuggets (to be fair, they are made with canola oil and flax meal, so they're not SUPER horrible for him). And lastly, twizzlers. Now we don't give David sugar at home since we have two sets of grandparents here. You KNOW they give him sugar, and since they see him regularly, we figure he gets enough sugar from them. So when he's home we have a(kind of) strict no sugar policy. Unless he's sick. Then I'm a sucker. Hence the chocolate milk, undiluted fruit juice, and twizzlers.

Anyway, it worked. He ate everything I gave him. YAY! I took a video of him eating the twizzler because he has to work so hard to get a bite off. It was making me laugh. He's such a funny kid.

My favorite parts of the video: the fact that he says "cheese" at the beginning because he sees the camera and thinks I'm taking a picture; the fact that he swallows 2 bites of twizzler whole and it was obviously uncomfortable (yes, I did notice that); and the adorable way he says yellow. I am constantly amazed by what he knows. He also knows red, blue, and green. But yellow is his favorite. That's why he picked that color twizzler. I know there's no Trevor in the post, but I hope this will hold you all over until I find the time to do a big one. See ya!

Welcome to the World, Trevor Benjamin Banks!

2009-07-03T21:17:00.012-07:00

These pictures are in no particular order, and I don't really feel like taking the time to put them into any order, so you just get a montage. Trevor was born on Wednesday, July 1st at 7:24 pm. He weighed 6 lbs 12 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. It was a 12 hour labor, but once it came time to push he just popped right out! A really, truly easy delivery. I actually smiled the whole time. He had some problems breathing at first so they had to take him to the NICU, but 4 hours and a priesthood blessing later, he was back in my arms and hasn't left my side ever since! So here they are, in no particular order, pictures of the world's cutest new baby, Trevor Benjamin Banks!

My lovely labor pics

Sam was a real gem during contractions: tickling me, putting ice chips down my gown, and shooting pictures of me - a la the above.

Another lovely labor pic. Thanks, honey!

So happy to have my sweet little boy back in my arms

Beautiful boy

Two of the most handsome men around

Just can't get enough of them!

Oops, sorry. I thought this one was turned.

My little turtle

Look at those luscious lips

That little red mark on his cheek is from where they had to tape the tubes down so he wouldn't pull them out of his nose. It was irritated and red for a while but has since gone away. Sad, huh?

Goopy eyes! And man oh man do I love that pouty bottom lip!

It looks like a good yell, but because he couldn't inflate his air sac in his lungs it really didn't have much volume behind it.

Well there you have it. I hope I didn't keep you all waiting too long. Stay tuned for some sweet pictures and videos of the two boys together. David is a VERY excited, affectionate, and curious big brother. It has been cute to watch.

Trevor has been such a joy. He is such a mellow baby, hardly ever cries, and just loves to be held and snuggled. Plus he loves to sleep so we're not terribly sleep deprived. Yet at least. Welcome Trevor! We love you so much and are so happy to have you in our family!

Ps: a special thanks to Sam's mom and sister who helped out so so so so much! Thank you thank you thank you. We love you. To see the post Sam's sister did highlighting Trevor's birth and some of David's adventures, click here.

New update

2009-07-01T13:45:00.001-07:00

I'm in labor! Yipee! Just sitting in my hospital bed wearing a super sexy green gown waiting for this little baby to be in my arms. Wish us luck!

Update: David is 18 months!!!!!!

2009-06-29T17:00:00.002-07:00

David just turned 18 months on the 17th, so I thought it would be fun to have a post about him and all the fun things he's been up to. For starters, he started nursery 2 weeks ago and he is so good in there. The first week he went I stayed in for a few minutes just to see what he'd do. After about 15 minutes I figured he was fine so I grabbed my purse to try to walk out unnoticed. He immediately looked right over at me and before I had time to panic about his pending tantrum, he waves to me, says "BYE!" as loudly and excitedly as possible, blows me a kiss, and turns around to continue playing. Ha ha ha. Well, okay then. :) I should say, he was not a PERFECT angel. I was afraid going in that he would be kind of a bully and steal the toys from the other kids. He didn't. Instead, he waited until the nursery leader had joined all the kids in a circle for story time. Then he went up and stole the book she was reading to the entire class right out of her hands! He took it across the room, sat on a chair, and read it to himself. He then threw a tantrum when I made him give it back. I laughed so hard, and so did the leader. So my son is not the bully that takes a kid's toy. He is the bully that takes THE toy from ALL the children. I am so proud. However, that has been the only incident. He loves his nursery leader and spent all last Sunday waving at her and saying hi during sacrament meeting. When we got up to take him to nursery he cried because he thought we were taking him away from her. So she came over and took him and carried him to nursery herself, which he loved! What a big boy. We're so thrilled he enjoys being in there and that we have the last 2 blocks to ourselves, for the next two weeks at least!

We took David in for his 18 month checkup and he weighs 26 pounds and is 33 1/2 inches tall. That puts him in the 50th percentile for weight and the 80th for height. And also puts him at half my height! What the WHAT???? He's so tall!

He can FINALLY say "mommy" (as of Saturday), so that's fun. He also says "baby brother" if you point to my belly. Precious. The rest of his vocabulary consists of daddy (which he has said for about 3 months now), baby, puppy, ball (bawwww), frog (fwah), book (bo), eye, hi, bye, no, yeah, juice (shooooosh), milk (meow), cheese (tzchee), apple (bah-bull), food (foo), more (nahw), thank you (day too), cracker (cah-koo), cookie, bubble, paw paw, up, out, uh-oh, shoe, teeth (tee), you, buddy (as in his best friend named buddy corduroy - a stuffed lamb- pronounced bubby), eieio (as in he wants to sing Old McDonald), and that's all I can think of right now. If they don't have phonetic spellings to the side, it means he can say it correctly.

Sounds he can make are: doggie (woof woof), kitty (high pitched neowww), lion (rawww), bear (gawwwww - meant to be grrr but he can't say his r's), sheep (bahhhhh in a growl, still not sure why - I guess I sound like I'm growling when I try to shake my a's), elephant (a raspberry because that's apparently how I do it...just spit a lot), horsie (high pitched nayyyyyy), cow (moo), duck (ka ka - and consequently every bird is a duck), owl (who), snake (ssssss), monkey (oo oo), crocodile (ka ka - it's a quack like a duck - I have absolutely no idea why), farmer (eio - for eieio), baby (mama - as in what a baby says), car (beep beep), train (choo choo), and that's all of those I can think of. And yes I know some of them are incorrect.

If you're not bored yet and you're still reading, here's the part with the pictures.

David loves to climb and will climb into and onto anything and everything. Here are some captured examples:

Here he is climbing INTO, not out of, the entertainment center shelf

Climbing into the pantry...don't let that cute little smile fool you. He's evil. He's about to empty out the contents of that box in its entirety.

Yes, he did in fact empty out the contents of the drawer onto the floor so he could climb inside.

He loves eating and feeding himself. It's messy but he gets such joy out of it!

He also loves his car seat. He loves sitting in it and buckling it. Consequently he enjoys sitting in it and buckling himself in. Hey, no complaints here!

Watching Backyardigans in his carseat

He loves the water. In any form. He loves baths, showers, pools, and apparently coolers full of water!

He loves to color. This is his easel, and he is ONLY allowed to have his crayons while he is seated here. I learned the hard way. We never painted his nursery, but he thought he'd do the honors for us with his little brown crayola. Ooops.

Our little Picasso

He loves anything cuddly, but his best friend is Buddy Corduroy. It's a lamb that's twice his size.

And his very favorite things (besides mommy and daddy) are his froggy and binky. Can't live without 'em!

Love those brown eyes and chubby little legs!

Well, that's it. Sorry it's a long post. But he's just getting so big and smart I had to share!

Possessed!

2009-06-02T09:53:00.007-07:00

Trevor is usually the most active in the morning right when I wake up and at night right before I go to bed. This morning as I lay in bed he started stretching, which I love when he does, and my tummy was getting all distorted. I absolutely love the little things like that. I guess you just forget what it feels like and it's fun to discover it all over again with number 2. So I took a video with Sam's camera on his phone. It's really poor quality, but it was too fun not to share.

As a side note, I have taken my music playlist off auto start. It really annoyed me and I always kept my computer on mute because of it. However, I love the playlist and didn't want to lose it. And some of my adoring fans have expressed their love of the playlist as well (how could you not love it? I have the best taste in music!). Anyway, if you still want to listen to it, it's still on here. You just have to find it in the sidebar and start it yourself. Just thought you'd want to know.

Ummmmmmmmmm........

2009-05-26T07:20:00.014-07:00

Get this widget!

I'm sure you can see my dilemma.

p.s. I don't like this HP widget as much as the other, because it's kinda generic and doesn't highlight the movie at all, but I could get the correct date on it. Yes, the 6th installment comes out exactly on my due date. Hang in there, Trev!!!!!!

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T12:16:00.011-07:00

I had the. best. Mother's Day. Ever. Seriously.

Sam is simply the best and he made me feel so special and pampered. I just love him so much! It started with this:

Just the cut and color. I don't actually own Chelsea Traille.

And moved on to this:

Holidays are based around food to me. And all you can eat asian food? Definitely screams Mother's Day. Sam indulged my weird love of buffets for a delicious lunch with David in tow. So much fun to have an afternoon out with all my boys.

Then he threw this in:

cutest movie. I don't usually like movies like this but pregnancy has messed with my head a bit. I can't handle scary or intense. Or sad. So this movie was a winner for me. I've never seen anything with Zac Effron in it (besides when he hosted SNL), but I am now a fan. He is a great actor! And this movie was really funny, and irresistably adorable. And best of all, really clean! I highly recommend it.

And finished Saturday with this (yes, we had Mother's weekend, not Mother's Day. I was spoiled):

Not only was my shake delicious, but it was also the cutest place for a date. Full of innocence and romance. I loved it. It made me feel so rejuvinated.

Then Sunday I awoke to this:

Very delicious, and I didn't prepare a thing. Banana nut french toast. Oooh la la!

And this:

Sam loves to play x-box. And I love to watch. But I don't want to play any of his games. I told him I'd play if we had a game I was into. I actually asked him if I could buy a game that was for me so I could play with him. So he went out and found one! So so sweet. We played it before church (and I was horrible), but it was so fun trying to defend Helm's Deep. TO THE KEEP!!!!

And we ended the day on this note:

Again, I did nothing. None of the cooking or the cleaning up after. And it was delicious.

It was such a great weekend. I didn't change one diaper, make one meal, clean one snotty nose, deal with one tantrum, or lift one finger. And that was all Sam's idea. I was so so spoiled! Ironic that my Mother's Day was celebrated by not doing all the things a mom does. So I took a break from being a mom for a day. It was fun. I got thrown back in the real world this morning with poopy diapers, tantrums, food messes, snotty noses, biting (I swear I'm going to start biting back!), and tears. And I loved every second of it. What a reason to celebrate. I love being a mom!!!!

Um...this kinda sucks.

2009-05-05T12:17:00.004-07:00

Okay, I realize that I probably complain a lot. I don't really take things too seriously, so sometimes it's fun to complain just because I can laugh about it. I think it's rare for me to seriously complain about something in a way that's not poking fun (I don't know, maybe you all disagree, and that's okay too). But allow me a moment to do just that.

This. Pregnancy. Totally. Sucks.

There. I said it.

Most of you will remember that with David I was deathly ill for about 7.5 of the 9 months I was pregnant. Yuck. I remember thinking that I would never have any more kids if that's how all my pregnancies turned out. It really was miserable. But on the plus side, I never really had any of the pain, stretch marks, pain, weight gain, or PAIN associated with pregnancy. So big perk for me.

Now, fast forward to Trevor. I was sick for maybe two weeks, and admittedly I do get sick from time to time but it's for a day or two and then it passes. This pregnancy has been so easy breezy it's not even funny. Until now. I am now soooooo huge and sooooo pregnant that everything hurts. And this whole "I don't get stretch marks when I'm pregnant" thing? Uh, yeah. We won't even talk about that. But the worst part is that now I really am in such severe pain that often times I don't even move all day besides to change David's diaper. Like the kind of pain that makes you cry. Also, the kind of pain - I'm finding out - that causes contractions. The OB says you should go to the hospital to get a non-stress test if you have 4 or more contractions in an hour. Ummmmmmmmmm..........what if I'm having more than 10 in an hour?? For several hours?? That don't go away when I lay down and drink water?? Because that's what's been happening for the last week or two. I will have consistent contractions every four minutes for 2 or more hours. Several times a day.

So if it's been happening for 2 weeks, why post about it now? - you ask. Well, that's a great question. I'll tell you.

Yesterday I went on a grocery run. Should take about an hour, right? Wrong. Took me 3 and a half. "Why?" you ask? Because just the process of walking down the aisles was giving me such bad contractions I had to continuously stop and rest. Until...wait for it....they got so bad they made me throw up. Yup, you heard right. I had to take my 17 month old into a dirty public restroom with me not once, not twice, but THRICE, so that mommy could puke.

Now I know those of you who have been pregnant before are probably laughing at me right now saying "that's how pregnancy is! You should know this - you've already had one. Stop being such a whiny baby". And you're right. I need to suck it up. But all of this is so foreign to me. I didn't have any of this pain with David (because I never gained enough weight to really feel the effects of pregnancy). So it is really taking me by surprise.

Anyway, that's my rant. Feel free to make fun of me all you like in the comments section. I feel like a total weenie-wuss. So I will be good natured about any fun you'd like to poke. Or tell me about your stories and we'll commiserate. That's all for now. I'm off to take a bubble bath and cry.

My Eight Things

2009-04-20T17:32:00.006-07:00

8 Things I'm Passionate About:

1. the Gospel

2. my Family - being a mom and wife

3. food (eating)

4. food (cooking)

5. music - dancing to it, singing to it, listening to it, all of it. I love music.

6. being anti-trend diet. There's nothing I hate more than people losing weight in really trendy, unhealthy ways. Just eat healthy people...for life!

7. bone-in-meats. Yum.

8. shoes

8 Words/Phrases I Use Often:

1. Ahhh, piss (I am trying to stop using this phrase. I hate it. If you have any good replacements let me know by leaving them in the comments section).

2. No, no, no

3. Say "MAMA"...please?

4. What do you want to eat?

5. I'm hungry.

6. If I don't eat something right now I'm going to throw up.

7. If I don't eat something right now I'm going to pass out (funnily enough, 5, 6 & 7 are not limited to pregnancy use. They are pretty much staples in my phraseology - always).

8. Good boy!!

8 Things I Want To Do Before I Die:

1. Have lots and lots of chillin's

2. Go on a second honeymoon

3. learn to play guitar

4. Perform with a local theater somewhere. In a musical. In a lead role. Where I could sing AND dance.

5. get my degree

6. learn Spanish

7. go on a mission

8. Own a house. And paint the walls all kinds of fun colors.

8 Things I Want/Need:

1. My hair cut

2. To own every shoe I've ever wanted

3. A really amazing food storage complete with bomb shelter, guns and ammo, first aid, clothing, really anything I'd ever need to be completely self sufficient

4. a garden

5. for Trevor to get here because I want to meet him so bad!!!

6. to hear David say my name

7. a new car - both Sam's and my cars are really old and ghetto. Paid for, but really old and ghetto.

8. to stop gaining 20 pounds a day. :(

8 Things I Have Learned From the Past:

1. Just. Stop. Talking. (actually, I haven't really learned that one yet. Sorry anyone who has ever known me)

2. There are a bajillion things in life that I don't want to do. Turns out no one else wants to do them either. It's the strong, successful people that just do them anyway.

3. If you believe something, live it. If you don't believe something, don't pretend you do. If you don't know what to believe, study and pray until you figure it out.

4. You may be excited to have your baby, but just wait until he's ready to come on his own. Pitocin is no fun. Especially when it doesn't work.

5. You absolutely can get pregnant while nursing. Even if you weren't able to get pregnant before.

6. Living the gospel is the only way to achieve true happiness and joy.

7. Don't let your husband come to the OB visit where they tell you that you can't have sushi when you're pregnant. If he hears that, he'll think the doctor somehow knows better than your tummy. And he really won't let you eat sushi for nine months.

8. If something seems like the WORST thing ever, just change your perspective and the exact same thing will suddenly seem like a blessing.

8 Restaurants I Love:

1. This little golf course clubhouse in Mesquite that has honestly the best steak (next to Cork and Cleaver, but I'm not in Phoenix anymore...sniff).

2. Any sushi place

3. Cafe Rio (for their pork...anything)

4. Wing Stop (lemon pepper and hot buffalo wings, and their amazing fries)

5. Red Robin (bottomless steak fries and endless pomegranate blueberry limeade??? Yes, please!)

6. I don't know what it's called, but there's this cute little Vietnamese place right by our house that is so adorable and very delish.

7. Delux Burger (this delicious burger place in Phoenix that had the BEST gourmet burgers, sweet potato fries, and spicy garlic aioli. Mmmmmmm)

8. Anything that's all you can eat. Gross, I know. But not really.

8 Shows I Love to Watch:

1. Arrested Development

2. LOST

3. 30 Rock

4. The Unit

5. Top Chef

6. Flight of the Conchords

7. SNL (mostly the digital shorts...or anything with Andy Samberg. And Kristin Wiig)

8. The Office

8 People I Tag:

1. Nicole

2. Shelley

3. Jenna (yes...I know you hate these. Humor me)

4. Hailey

5. B-Money

6. Ashley

7. Steph

8. Anyone else that hasn't done it that wants to do it (sorry if you are part of that group and I didn't put you on here. There were only 8 slots)

I know, it's a crappy post, but a good one's coming. I promise. I'm just waiting until I put pictures on it.

It's about time!

2009-03-23T04:48:00.000-07:00

Hello to all who still visit my sad excuse for a blog. I'm sure there are not many of you left, but for those of you who keep hanging in there...thanks! I figure it's about time to get on here and put another post up. I know it's been 3 months. Pathetic. You know what else is pathetic? I haven't posted about the most important news the Arizona-now-Utah-Banks family has had in a year! We are pregnant! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (just for you, Hed)!

That's right. We are pregnant - with another boy! Little Trevor Benjamin. He is precious as can be and is as much a mover as his big brother was. Sam and I already love him so much I can't even believe it. And little Sammy David loves him too. He is enamoured with my growing belly and is constantly pulling my shirt up to poke it, lay on it, and give it kisses. He is very sweet and affectionate with his little baby brother, and I'm sure he knows there's a baby in there. I think his little spirit senses it.

So, to those not in the loop, here's everything you missed:

We are 6 months preggo - due July 15th. The most commonly asked question: have I been as sick with this one as with David? The answer: ABSOLUTELY NOT! WOOT WOO!!!!!!! I was mildly nauseous. Hardly noticeable. In fact, so hardly noticeable that we didn't even know we were pregnant until we were 4 months. We took a test and went to the doctor, sure we were only 4-6 weeks...maybe! Since I had been nursing there was no *****TMI ALERT******"missing friend" to gage our progress by. So we thought it was super early in the pregnancy and the, to coin a phrase from the funniest lady I know: TAMN, "down-there-doc", told us to just come in and they'd do an ultrasound to see how far along we were and go from there. So we go in expecting to see a little grey bean in my belly. We were shocked to see a baby with little limbs and facial features. Even more shocked when the tech said "not only can I tell you how far along you are, I can tell you what you're having!" WOW! We were in such shock I don't think it sunk in for several weeks.

So the boys will be 19 months apart - perfect! I hope they'll be cute little friends. I still can't believe we were pregnant when David was only 9 months old, but now that he's 15 months it doesn't seem so crazy. And for those trying to do the math, yes we were apparently pregnant when we moved to St. George. Who knew?

David has been really sweet and affectionate lately. I really do think he understands more than I give him credit for. He came with us to our first doctor's appointment and that night he went and got a little stuffed baby that he's had since before birth that he'd never even LOOKED at, and he toted it all around the house. He would carry it and snuggle it and kiss it all over the face. Now don't tell me he didn't pick up on what was going on! Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but I'd like to think his little baby spirit knows there's another little one coming.

Trevor is finally big enough that Sam can feel him if he puts his hand on my tummy. Sometimes you can even see him moving around which is always fun. He wakes up at exactly the same time every night - 10:30. I really love the constancy. When Sam and I are up watching a movie or something, I'll just say "I think it's 10:30"! And sure enough, it is...within about 10 minutes. So cute. Maybe he'll be easier to set a routine with than David was! Here's hoping!!

Anyway, I think that's all the information I wanted to share. I've been waiting to post until after I had scanned my ultrasound pics so you could all see him. But I'll just do that in a later post. Until then, thanks for reading!

Happy (belated) birthday, sweet toddler of mine!!!!

2009-01-27T11:55:00.005-07:00

It's my birthday!!!!!!!!

I know, I know. I'm a really bad blogger. I am fully aware of this fact. But I'm trying. I do have some posts coming up and I will try to get them on here asap, but for now this one seemed most important.

David turned one about a month and a half ago (thanks J and Hed for posting about it since I never got around to it!) and I am FINALLY posting something about it. Sorry for those of you who have been (not so) quietly waiting!

David's birthday was on Wednesday the 17th, but we had a party for him on Saturday so his Auntie Heather could come down for it from BYU. We didn't really invite anyone besides family, but seeing as both sides of Sam's family live here, that ended up being quite a few people. I decided I wanted to do the traditional Utah "smash cake" for David and then a regular cake for everyone else. His party was Backyardigans themed (a kid's t.v. show David really loves) so the night before I set out making the most elaborately decorated cake for his party. I made the mistake of setting the cake a little to close to the edge of the table, and I wasn't aware that my son had learned the fine art of climbing. Before I knew it, David had climbed onto the kitchen chair and pulled the cake onto the floor. BAAAAAHHHH! Fortunately one of the gifts Heavenly Father bestowed upon me is the ability to not get overly stressed (usually) and to see the humor in most situations. This proved to be one of those times as I don't think I ever felt the heat of anger. I laughed pretty hard, and just decided I would make another one. In the meantime I decorated his smash cake and stored it well out of reach. When it came time to start his second cake, I decided I really didn't feel like it. So I bought some at Walmart the next day on the way to his party. Hey, he's one. Like he's going to remember.

Cakes courtesy of Walmart

Anyway, Sam's wonderful family decorated the place while I was out getting last minute things, and it looked so so nice. Thanks again!! He had lots of guests, lots of food (thanks, Pizza Hut!) lots of messy cake, and lots of fun presents. Very fun day. Let's do it again next year!!

The birthday boy in his throne

David's Backyardigans smash cake

David amongst all his lovely presents

Blowing a noise maker

Visiting with Uncle Chris (thanks for using your lunch break on us!)

Getting kinda' full....

So I'll share with Grandpa!

There are videos too but blogger is being super lame so I'll just have to post them later. Sorry. But thanks for celebrating David's birthday with us!

End of bad hair days????

2008-12-05T14:47:00.006-07:00

Recently (okay, almost a year ago) I had this cut:

I haven't cut it since. It has been hideous for about 5 months now, and I haven't worn it down in about 4. I desperately wanted to get it cut but I didn't want to spend the money, and I had NO idea what to do with it. It honestly just grew out into a mullet...I (un)fortunately have no pictures for you. I really really hated it...until this morning.

Today while David was taking a nap, I decided I had had enough of the hair from hell, and I was going to do something about it. So out came my razor and shears. It was actually a lot more difficult than I had planned...I usually trim my own hair, but this was a full on cut, ie. base, layers, texture, and fringe. I did the back in front of a mirror while holding another mirror to try to see what I was doing. It didn't work out to well, but once you make that first snip, there's no turning back. I tried to preserve as much length as possible, but seeing as it was a mullet and the front was considerably shorter than the back, I had to cut off about 3 inches from the back (nothing from the front) to even it out.

My SIL recently got these bangs:

She didn't know what to think of them but I thought they were H-A-W-T hot!!! And I (not so) secretly coveted them. So I decided to add them to my 'do. All in all, I think it turned out okay. Definitely better than what it was before. Anyway, here it is from all the angles:

What do you think? Is it too Darryl Hammond or Soccer mom? I can't decide. I really didn't have a whole lot of options. If you have any recommendations, I am fully willing to listen.

Anyway, these next photos are not meant to document the haircut, but something different entirely. I took a couple pictures before the final ones I used, trying to figure out the flash (I'm an idiot) and where to look. Don't mind me in these pictures. Just look behind me to the towel rack. Someone was busy.

two....

one...

zero...

culprit and evidence...

My Baby is a Genius!!!

2008-11-28T12:34:00.005-07:00

Seriously, any time David does anything new, it makes me think he's the smartest thing in the whole world. Then I realize that all babies do it. And that he's sucking on the end of a plugged in charger. So maybe not so much.

But, be that as it may, David still deserves some credit for his latest trick - walking! He's actually been doing it for about 2 weeks, and he's a lot better at it now, but I've been sick for a while and have neglected everything. I had a starving husband, a messy house, and a lonely blog. But I'm better now - the house is clean, hubby is fed, and now the blog is getting a bit of attention.

Sorry it took so long for me to post this - I know there are several of you out there who have been getting impatient. Thanks for sticking it out. Here it is.

I apologize in advance. These videos are not very good, so you're sure to be disappointed. And they were also filmed sideways so you'll have to tilt your head. Sorry. I wasn't really thinking about the blog when I was recording.

You'll have to tilt your head the other way for this one.

And here's another new thing he does. It may be my favorite. I think it's so cute. Just watch....he's so smart! :)

Oh, you won't have to tilt your head for this one.

So there's our cute boy, all growed up! And here's some pictures just because.

Favorite thing #2: "I was screeching and screeching at him!"

2008-11-18T11:45:00.010-07:00

Some time ago I decided that would have "David's favorite things" posts, and after I did one, I neglected to do any more. Well, it's back.

David's favorite thing #2 is yelling. He really really loves to yell. Actually, he likes anything that makes inordinate amounts of noise. "Patting" (more accurately - slapping), shaking, scraping, banging, and shouting. He loves all of them.

So...turn off my playlist, turn up the volume, and listen to David's glorious voice. Like music to my ringing ears.

Here he is telling a step ladder who's boss. Don't know why he was yelling at it, but apparently it needed a good firm "talking to".

This one makes me laugh every time I watch it. He had started doing this thing with his mouth like a fish - where he would open and close it without making any noise. I tried to capture it on video, and then he just randomly started yelling. Couple that with his chubby little body just chillin' in his high chair all gangsta' style, and I bet it will make you laugh, also.

Now we'll combine yelling with another of his favorite things- his best buddy Calvin Broadbent (he's my best friend, da da da da da da, he's my best friend, da da da da da). Not as much yelling as some of the other videos per se, but just as much ooey gooey cuteness!

This one was captured while David was drunk - or so it would seem. This is his new yell, but it is slightly interrupted by a bad case of the hiccups. And then he apparently forgot how to crawl.

And now for one of MY favorite things - Bubby laughing. This is my all time favorite video. Sam makes fun of me because I watch it all the time, but it just never gets old to me. He has never laughed this hard ever except for this one time, and I just happened to get it on camera. I love this little lunker.

Jenna, Jenna, Jenna

2008-11-12T10:08:00.005-07:00

Who wouldn't miss times like those? And also times like these:

You would think that after 4.5 ballpark hotdogs, 3 nachos, 4 diet pepsi's and the subsequent fight not to vomit, I would be deterred from ever doing that again. But oh, no. This will be an annual event my friend. The annual "Gayle-and-Oprah-eat-their-weight-in-nitrates-and-powdered-cheese-sauce" extravaganza! See you next baseball season.

Better Late Than Never

2008-11-12T09:22:00.010-07:00

I really am such a blog slacker. I'm not even going to make up an excuse as to why. I just am. I will admit, I'm losing interest. However, now that the baby, Sam and I picked up and MOVED TO UTAH!!!!!!!!!!, I guess I had better keep up this blog thing so we can all still keep in touch. That's right, Sam got a job in Saint George, Ut. We love it, but more on that later. This post is actually my "Happy Halloween" post. Like I said, better late than never, right? Anyway, this year all three of us dressed up, and all under the same theme. Lame? Probably. Cheesy? I suppose. Hilarious? Most definitely. Especially because now I have yet another picture I can submit to Motherboy. Take THAT Lucille and Buster!

Before the costume reveal, it must be stated that I am obsessed with carving pumpkins. Literally. Obsessed. I subscribe every year to a pumpkin carving website (and yes...I pay for it), spend $50 on pumpkins, and spend every night the week of Halloween carving up my creations. Fortunately for Sam, I convinced some friends to jump on the carving bandwagon and they obliged. So he didn't have to endure it alone (thanks Harneys). Anyway, here's a video of some of the pumpkins we carved (at least, the ones that didn't rot and wilt before Halloween even came):

The funny thing about this video is that I had told Sam I was going outside to "trick or treat" and that I wanted him to answer the door with David. So why it took him so long to get to the door I'm not sure. Sam's classic.

Here's our little caveman...complete with club and caveman grunt.

The whole cave family...

So Lucille and Buster, you'll have to do better than Sonny and Cher if you want to beat THIS duo.

It's really over...

2008-10-28T10:22:00.009-07:00

Did I disappoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.
So I took what's mine by eternal right.
Took your soul out into the night.
It may be over but it won't stop there,
I am here for you if you'd only care.
You touched my heart you touched my soul.
You changed my life and all my goals.
And love is blind and that I knew when,
My heart was blinded by you.
I've kissed your lips and held your head.
Shared your dreams and shared your bed.
I know you well, I know your smell.
I've been addicted to you.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

I am a dreamer but when I wake,
You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take.
And as you move on, remember me,
Remember us and all we used to be
I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.
I've watched you sleeping for a while.
I'd be the father of your child.
I'd spend a lifetime with you.
I know your fears and you know mine.
We've had our doubts but now we're fine,
And I love you, I swear that's true.
I cannot live without you.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.

And I still hold your hand in mine.
In mine when I'm asleep.
And I will bear my soul in time,
When I'm kneeling at your feet.
Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me.
I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.
I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow.

We had a good run, Phoenix. We had a good run.

Who are you?

2008-10-28T09:14:00.002-07:00

Thanks B-Money for the link.

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Take this quiz and post it on your blog!

What?? You mean THIS cat??

2008-09-15T22:40:00.003-07:00

This will blow your mind:

You're a winner!

If you don't quite know what to do with this, keep watching it until you do. I promise you'll find it worth your while.

Oh and Dad...this is for you:

Favorite Thing #1: LAY OFF ME...I'M STARVING!

2008-09-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

I know David's slender and lanky physique can be misleading, but David actually has quite the appetite. He really loves to eat. Anything. And everything. Even things that aren't food. Like maybe feathers. In fact the phrase Sam and I hear ourselves saying most often around the house is "because everything goes in the mouth".

Example #1:
David sits in the corner "patting" a case of wipes. He figures out how to open said case and begins to pull out the contents in their entirety.
Sam walks in the door and says "why is David sucking on a wet wipe?"
Me: "because everything goes in the mouth"

Example #2:
Sam comes home from a grueling day at the office and sits to watch some t.v. Tries the remote. Nothing.
Sam: "Honey, why is the remote not working?"
Me: "Because everything goes in the mouth"

Example #3:
My best girlfriend is moving to Hong Kong. She has a week and half left in the states, during which I would like to speak with her as often as possible. I talk to her once during the week and a half she is still in the U.S. After moving to Hong Kong, I get a call that goes something like this:
Nicole: "Hey, I tried calling you several times but couldn't ever get through."
Me: "Yeah, sorry. My phone wasn't working because the microphone had gotten too wet. I had to wait for it to dry out before it was operable again."
Nicole: "Oh, why was is all wet?"
Me: "because (say it with me) everything goes in the mouth."

That being said, the next several photos and videos are all of things that SHOULD be put in Bubby's mouth. Maybe I'll sit him down to look at this post so he can see what he should eat and what he shouldn't. Or maybe he'll just put his face on the keyboard to see which keys will go in his mouth.

You're going to have to deal with just videos for the time bieng; for some reason I can't upload my photos. Check back for them later!

This is David's first taste of real people food.

Here is David eating some cheese. If you're not family you'll probably want to skip this one. It's not that exciting.

This video is to illustrate what happens when David doesn't get his food right when he wants it. And also the soothing effects of spinach. If you're not family I recommend only watching the first few seconds. Nothing really happens after that.

This is David's first (and last) drumstick. Hilarious. Don't mind my insane case of the giggles (if only I could edit that out).

And finally, this is David feeding himself (watch how proud of himself he is).

Like I said, I have pictures coming, but this will have to do for now. Please - no comments about how I'm a terrible mother for giving my baby these foods. This is not his diet. These are one time incidents. Well, the cereal is a daily occurence. But not the ice cream. Anayway, stay tuned for pictures of more funny foods!

These are a few of his favorite things....

2008-08-29T14:20:00.003-07:00

As I haven't posted really anything about David since he's been born, and I have about a gazillion pictures and videos of him from the last 8 months, I decided I am going to start posting "favorite things" posts about him, highlighting all the things David really enjoys. Just a warning - some may be painfully boring for anyone who is not immediately related to us. If that's the case for any particular post, please still come back and visit because the next post might (or might not) be better. Well, I hope this gets everyone excited to come back and visit my never-changing, always-boring, usually-long-winded blog. Check back soon for Favorite Thing #1!! Here's a sneak peak:

Sad Realizations

2008-08-26T11:15:00.005-07:00

Our trusty little vacuum, Big Red (that we've had since we moved to Phoenix 3 years ago), finally bit the dust Friday. It was a sad day in the Banks household. Mostly because David will find any small piece of anything on the carpet and crawl straight to it and put it in his mouth. So I was probably scraping out small rocks and bits of fallen food out of his mouth every few minutes. And he maybe swallowed a feather.

I went to Target the other day to purchase a new vacuum and decided on the Dirt Devil Vibe with swivel action. Aka the Blue Beast.

I brought it home and Sam put it all together. We then gathered around the vacuum so neither of us would miss the first use of said vacuum. We spent the next 20 minutes vacuuming the house and then breaking out the attachments and vacuuming walls and ceilings and fans and furniture just to see how well the attachments worked. Afterward we were so excited that we proceeded to recap everything we'd just done just to comment on how cool and amazing it was. In fact, I think I might have even used the sentence "that's the most amazing thing that's ever happened in this house" in regards to the cool things one of the attachments to do. WHAT?!?!?! When did we become those people? Are our lives really that sad that a mere (super cheap) vacuum purchase is that exciting? And then comes the answer: yes. Boo. I guess parenthood makes you a little more excited about keeping house. Welcome to the real world I guess!

I am disgusted!!!

2008-07-31T14:33:00.005-07:00

I had a super cute post complete with pictures of little David's bum, but after some consideration Sam and I decided it would be best to remove it. Our blog is not private, nor do we want to go private. I enjoy having people "graze" at our blog if you will, and going private would mean that the people who aren't actively interested would no longer be able to just stop by. That means all of you North Carolinians that are somehow linked to my sister Shelley - I know you visit me. It's okay...I visit you too! And I'm leaving my blog public just for you! Anyway, since it's public we figured David's cute little bum shouldn't be on here. It's so disappointing and disgusting that I can't post cute innocent pictures of my new little baby just a little naked because of pervy people out there. It really is infuriating. Especially because he's so cute! What has this world come to? Anyway, before I start dropping expletives due to my increasing anger, I will bid you all adieu. And leave you with this little gem.

IT'S A POST!!!!

2008-06-27T12:09:00.008-07:00

I know, I know. I'm a terrible blogger. I love to read other people's blogs, but when it comes down to doing my own it just feels like work. And let's face it, if I'm going to work, I'd rather do something more productive. However, I currently have a very clean house (yes, every single room...a first since little David's arrival) and leftovers in the fridge for lunch, so I don't have a whole lot to do besides bask in the glory of my accomplishments, and ...............BLOG!!!!!!

As many of you know, I got a new camera for mother's day. I also got a 4 gig memory card. Which is completely full. So I am not going to put a David post up yet because I'm having to filter through and decide which photos and videos of the 2,274 that I have are blog worthy. So you'll have to wait to see any of the Bubby. BUT..... I do have an exciting post. For those that have seen me since I gave birth to my little one, you know that my hair has been getting increasingly shorter and shorter as time passes. However I never could muster the courage to just chop it all off. Until now. I am very excited about my new 'do for several reasons. 1) It takes about 2 minutes to dry and 3 minutes to style, and there's nothing better than a five minute hairstyle. 2) Bubby can pull and pull at it and it doesn't hurt! And 3) If I comb it down just right, I can look like a 12 year old altar boy. And that's fantastic.

So, here is my latest "before" cut:

And here is the "after":

Yay! I hope you like it. And if you don't, I hope you'll at least have a laugh at the fact that when I wake up in the morning I look like Syndrome from the Incredibles.

Here's my hair from all the other angles. Fun, huh?

Flight of the Conchords

2008-04-13T11:52:00.002-07:00

Every once in a while an event happens in popular culture that is so great, so innovative, that it changes the landscape of reality as we know it. Ladies and gentlemen what I am about to show you is that very event.

The show: Flight of the Conchords. ( No it is not "The Office". If you are just now figuring out that The Office is ground breaking, you're about three years behind the relevancy curve. Heck, if you're just now figuring out that "30 Rock" is brilliant you're at the very least one year behind the curve.)

We are talking "Arrested Development" good here. (If you still don't get Arrested Development, stop reading now and accept the fact that humor has officially passed you by, so you might as well go watch an episode of "Friends" on DVD.)

The plot: Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo A Capella-rap-funk duo (having been bumped by a tribute band of themselves- Like of the Conchords), Flight of the Conchords have moved to New York to make it big in the U.S.

Here are a few of the in-episode music video clips that the show has to offer.

Small Disclaimer: there may be a few lines that may be considered slightly racy for a family blog,
so be forewarned.

Yup; That just happened! And I know what you're thinking: Sam, you are so blowing my mind right now.

I know.

I know.

You may now be considered "in the know".

You're welcome.

Thanks to the Broadbents for turning us on to the show.

Catchin' some zzzzz's

2008-04-12T14:19:00.004-07:00

Okay, I'm sure you know by now that we're OBSESSED with our baby. He just has the most precious little face in the world. Sam and I love every little thing he does - he's even cute when he cries. But he's the cutest when he's sleeping. It's so precious to watch him sleep. You may think someone sleeping is not very entertaining, but our little comedian always knows how to keep us entertained. The following is a montage of cute and also hilarious sleeping poses in which we have caught David in his 4 short months. Hope you are as amused as we were. If not, I know at least the family will like them.

This first slide show is from when David still slept all the time. It's funny to see him so little!

David is a little older in these, and just as cute!

Now that we've seen him sleeping, I think it's time for him to wake up.

Walken and Wiig - the ambiguously hilarious duo!

2008-04-07T16:23:00.003-07:00

This past Saturday's SNL was the best I've seen in quite some time. The host was Christopher Walken - my second favorite actor of all time. If you have never seen him host SNL, then you are really missing out. Also, you probably shouldn't be reading my blog because I don't really want friends who don't know the only prescription for my fever is more cow bell. Anyway, he did this skit about plants, and the whole first part about cactuses - or cacti - (whatever) pretty much echoed my exact sentiments for Arizona. The rest is really funny as well. I've watched it at least a dozen times now, and it just keeps getting funnier and funnier, despite the fact that Walken is very blantantly reading the cue cards. Ah, Walken. You can do no wrong. If you missed it, here it is:

Oh man! I hope you are laughing as hard as I am. He's right though, you really do have to watch out for those cactuses. They always go straight for the jugular!

And since we're on funny SNL skits, there was another that made me and Sam laugh pretty hard featuring Kristen Wiig. She is by far the funniest cast member on this current cast and her characters almost always bring me to tears. After seeing this skit, Sam proceeded to laugh about what a resemblance this character bore to yours truly. Sam always teases me about this, and those of you who know me can probably attest to the truth of this next statement, but apparently I tend to get a little overexcited about things that peak my interest. Shoes, food, tv shows and music, steak and plantain sandwiches, etc. Hopefully I'm not as out of control as this next clip, but if I am I apologize. Or maybe it just gives you a good laugh.

It's all relative

2008-04-07T12:38:00.006-07:00

While I don't believe my sister and I look anything alike:

I think our babies look so similar they could be siblings, not cousins:

What do you think? Do you see the similarities??? Hilarious.

And, just in case any of you were under the false impression that those cheeks of his come from Sam, think again!!!

This is my sister's baby.

And here's mine:

Looks like those jowls are a Cook gene!

Samuel David Banks

2008-04-07T11:59:00.005-07:00

Wow! It's been almost 2 months since I've been on here. I apologize to those of you who actually care. So get ready because there is about to be a plethora of posts coming your way!!! I hope you can handle it. So I'll start with an event waaaay back in February. The third to be exact. Sam and I blessed our beautiful baby boy that day and our families came out to witness our little baby receive the most beautiful blessing I've ever heard. Sam is the best daddy in the world and hearing him ask his Heavenly Father for all the things he wishes for his baby was so special and it brought tears to my eyes.

We bought a little white shorts-suit for his special day, and he looked so stinking cute in it I couldn't help but laugh every time I looked at him. Thanks Mom and Dad, Heather and Annalisa for all your help with that little outfit. You are all the best!!! These pictures are from when he was 6 weeks old, so it's funny to see them now - as he is now a LOT bigger and chunkier. And has a little more personality! But here they are:

The new family

Mommy and her little man

Proud Papa

From the left: my dad, mom, brother-in-law Michael, sister Shelley, me, David, Sam, Lisa's husband Dee, and Lisa (Sam's mom). Sam's dad Jerry was also there for the blessing, but he had to cut out early before we took pictures. Thanks for being there, Grandpa Banks! We love you!

Superbowl Saturday

2008-02-23T11:38:00.021-07:00

Everyone knows the Superbowl was held here in Glendale this year, but what you may not know is that they set up a sort of Superbowl theme park called the NFL Experience at the stadium for a week before the actual game. They have different tents with all sorts of activities from NFL autograph signings to kids arenas where the kids get coached and play football. They bring some of the NFL Hall of fame memorabilia to check out, plus they set up different photo ops. They really had some cool stuff. Anyway, we decided to take David there the Saturday before the big game. Grandma and Grandpa Banks were down visiting for David's blessing, so they came too! Sam and his dad were excited like little boys the second we approached the stadium.

The first tent we went to had all kinds of plaster imprints of player's hands, feet, arms, legs, etc. We found out two very interesting things:

One: Edgerrin James has some freakishly small feet

Yes, those are my feet - not Sam's - and they are the exact same size as his. Edgerrin James wears a women's size 7 1/2. Which is about man's size 6.

And two: Jerome Bettis has some freakishly large thighs.

Yes, my son is the size if Jerome Bettis' butt.

It was amusing to watch the reactions of the standers-by as we continually took out David for increasingly more hilarious pictures. We had a lot of "awwwwww"s, but as the night continued we got more and more looks of horror and disdain that we would subject our child to such torture, and you will see why shortly. I don't know why people were so uptight. Some folks just don't have a sense of humor!

All three of us got signed on to the Cardinals. Can you believe it?

And Steve Young...

Got even younger!

And sexier!

I of course had to support my team!

But I wasn't quite tall enough. Boo.

We tried to make David into a Giants fan like his mommy,

But he didn't really care for them.

Sam's accountant side came through in the Hall of Fame

Can you believe that? $1375 for a professional football player's income? They've come a loooooong way!

But his football loving side made an appearance as well.

This is Joe Montana's signed Superbowl football from when he won his MVPs. Cool, huh?

Sam's favorite thing was being able to see the Vince Lombardi trophy up close. It was the actual trophy to be awarded to the Giants the very next day. Sam was really excited about being that close to something so historic. The line to actually have your picture taken next to it was about an hour long, so we cheated and took a picture from the back of the case. I think Sam was a little disappointed, but I didn't want to wait in line that long. I feel really bad about that now. Sorry babe!

They also had a big blowup Lombardi trophy that didn't have a line to stand in front of, so Sam, Jerry and David got to pose in front of that.

David got hungry right around this time so we stopped to feed him. I guess being around all the football stuff made David feel like a manly man, because he decided to show off his strength by holding his bottle all by himself.

This is not a joke. It's a real live photo, and no it has not been photoshopped. And no we did not have his bottle propped up on anything. He's seriously just holding it. It was the craziest thing!

After David had his dinner we headed off to take more pictures. There was a tent that had recreated the lockers of different NFL players, and we figured we'd get a picture in front of one. We had really only looked at Giants stuff while we were there, and when deciding which locker to pose in front of, Sam said, "Honey I know the Giants are your favorite team, but don't you think we should get at least one picture by something belonging to the winning team?"

Ha ha ha. Shows what he knows!

Now here's where we started getting funny looks. I honestly don't know why...it's not like we were doing anything wrong. Like I said, some people have no sense of humor.

David reviews the last play before overturning the fumble.

I think his little bum is so cute sicking out of the booth. So funny.

Sam and David scored a surprising touchdown...

And the Giants ran the Heisman with a cute little Chubs!

All in all it was a really fun day. Thanks for joining us on our Superbowl adventure!!!

Tagged by Melissa

2008-02-22T20:02:00.005-07:00

How long have you been married: 3 years

How long did you date: 2 1/2 years (but Sam broke up with me in the middle for 4 months)

Who eats more: I think I do, but Sam claims he does... I definitely eat more pound for pound

Who said I love you first: Sam did. It's actually a really sad story - he said it at a really sweet moment and it made me cry so when I said it back it was really quiet so he never heard it. He felt rejected and didn't say it again for a while. When he finally said it again the whole story came out and we both felt really stupid!

Who is smarter: He always says I am but I really think it's him

Whose temper is worse: Mine. Hands down. I have a very short fuse. I am also much more stubborn, more prone to have my feelings hurt and get bent out of shape, more likely to misunderstand and create drama because of it, and more frustrating to deal with. However I'm also usually the one to back down and apologize!

Who does the laundry: I think it's about 50 / 50. It used to be him, but now that I'm a stay at home mom, I do it.

Who does the dishes: I do. Again, it used to be the rule whoever didn't cook does dishes, so it was always him, but now that I stay at home I do them.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed: It depends on whether you're talking about the right side when you're laying in bed or the right side when you're at the foot of the bed looking down. Sam if you're in the bed, Shannon if you're looking at it.

Who pays the bills: I do

Who cooks dinner: I do unless I'm not in the mood. Then we just have cereal.

Who drives when you are together: Sam

Whose parents do you see most: probably mine just because they live so close, but we still see Sam's quite often

Who proposed: Sam did but I made him

Who has more friends: Sam does hands down. But now they all like me best.

Who has more siblings: Sam - he has 4; I only have 1. Although if they all had turned out like her, one is all I could have handled!!!! (Just kidding Shelley...I love you!)

Who wears the pants in the family: I wish it were me, and I always try, but the cold hard truth is Sam does.

I will tag Jenny Nelson, Ashley Carter, and Melissa Landon. If I didn't tag you it's because I think you've already done it. If you haven't then I tag you too!

Road Trip!

2008-02-21T11:19:00.009-07:00

A few weeks ago we took David on his very first road trip! We headed up to St. George, Utah because Sam's sister and our very best friends had just had babies - on the same day! We got David in his car seat and headed off:

Just chillin'

David was a perfect angel the entire drive up. The car ride just put him to sleep, and even when he was awake he was happy as could be. We were so relieved as it's at least a 7 hour drive. The day after the drive we went and visited Chris and Brittany Harney who had just had their little baby - Jaxon Dean. What a cutie pie!

That night we went to see Sam's sister and our little niece, Hayden. That little girl has the biggest eyes and so much hair! She's just a little pixie.

It was such a fun trip and so great to see the beautiful little ones! Welcome to the world, Jaxon and Hayden!

Special Visitors

2008-02-20T18:15:00.001-07:00

David has had many many visitors in his short life. Friends of mom and dad...

Friends of his own.....

Grandparents....

But of course his favorite visit was the one from his Aunts and Uncle!!!

Family Resemblance

2008-02-20T15:47:00.003-07:00

We did the look-alike meter and here were the results:

Are the results accurate? Tell us what you think!

Here Comes Santa Claus!

2008-02-20T12:16:00.003-07:00

We obviously haven't been keeping our blog up to date. However we do still want to share our moments with you, so we are going to back enter some posts. They're really old, but bear with us. These next few pics are from Christmas night. Our Friends the Broadbents stopped by and they had their son dressed as Santa. We decided to dress David as a reindeer for our cheap amusement. And do you know what happened next? Hilarity ensued...

We decided having David leaning on Calvin would be much cuter.

And how could we not have a picture of David sitting on Santa's knee?

Little Saint Nick himself. Sorry he's sideways, I forgot to edit the picture before I posted it.

Another great visitor we had Christmas was my grandpa - David's greatgrandpa! How exciting! My Paw Paw was recently told by his doctors that he could no longer live on his own due to many health issues. He lives in Pensicola, Florida - about 45 minutes from Alabama. He's lived in either P-Cola or 'Bama his entire life. That's the only circle of the world he's ever known. Well, we didn't want to put him in a home, so my parents flew him all the way out to Tucson, AZ to live with them! Talk about climate change! He is still getting used to the desert after living by the beach his whole life. Since my parents live so close, they came up to visit for Christmas, and my Paw Paw got to hold my little baby. It was precious...

Of course we had to get the 4 generation photo:

My Paw Paw, my mom, me, and David

So there you have it. We had a great Christmas, and David got lots of sweet presents (thanks to grandparents) :

But he slept through opening all of them!

And Sam and I got the greatest present of all!

Merry Belated Christmas!!!!!

Oh Happy Day!

2008-02-12T16:08:00.000-07:00

David decided a couple weeks ago that mornings are his very favorite time of the day. When he first wakes up he is a happy little chatterbox. As our church doesn't start until 1pm now, Sam and I usually spend Sunday mornings playing with David because Sam always misses the mornings to go to work. This particular Sunday, when David woke up, we put him in bed with us to snuggle. It was my week to go to church (David was still to young to go) so I got out of bed to get ready, and this was the morning David decided he LOVED to be awake and paid attention to. Sam was talking to him and David was loving every minute of it. I ran out of the room to get the camera and this is the picture I captured...

Is that not the sweetest thing you've ever seen? It melts my heart every time I see this picture. Well the next morning David was being epecially adorable so I took a video for Sam since he was at work and missing it. It was so cute I feel the need to share it with you all. I apologize that there is no sound - we need a new digital camera. But the picture is cute. It takes him a while to get into it, but be patient because it's worth it (well, at least for Grandparents, aunts and uncles).

Introducing, Samuel David.

2008-01-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to an online photo gallery. Just as a warning though there are over 200 pics (By the time we actually got around to downloading and then uploading the pictures there were over 200). Anyway, Shannon was going pick out the best of the photos and post them for all of you casual viewers, but she is a little busy as a new mom. So you get the whole lot, enjoy!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=mag16oa.96188ru&x=0&y=-5tyvxt

Blog updates

2007-10-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

So I finally posted some of the entries I promised. Sam's trip to the south will have to wait till another day, sorry. And it's south like 'Bama, not south like Mexico. Very funny trip! :) Also, I have some baby shower posts to come. And yes, Sam actually has posed in a couple pictures lately, so he may be making an appearance on the blog finally! It seems like he is always in hiding. Even for his birthday there are no pictures of him. What a bum. Anyway, the "new posts" go all the way down to "labor day hike". Enjoy!

Shannon fell that David might be...

2007-10-18T10:08:00.001-07:00

Everyone knows that I love love love heels - the higher and skinnier, the better. All my friends have been telling me I shouldn't wear them because your balance is so out of whack when you're pregnant, but I've been so graceful in them I haven't really given their advice much thought. Now that I am 8 months pregnant my feet are starting to get tired. So for the last month I've sworn off stilettos but I've still been wearing platforms because I still get the height, just a little more comfortably.

Sam and I always go to church together, but this past Sunday I left before Sam because I needed to be there early for my calling and he wasn't quite ready yet. I put on a lovely green dress and my tan platform shoes (above) and headed out the door, hands full of scriptures, hymnal, water bottle, keys, and a giant purse. I'm just walking leisurely out to my car and suddenly I can't see anything! I move my head around and realize it's because my face is in the ground. Literally, one second I'm up, next I'm down. Flat. On my face. Every square inch of my body was lying flat on the ground. I was confused for a second, and then I felt the pain. Ouch. In Phoenix, there is no such thing as soft ground. There is rock, and then there is jagged rock. That's about the only landscaping we have.

Lucky for me, my body had found its way into the jagged rock. So as I try to stand up and gather all my belongings that are now scattered into the street in a 10 foot radius, I realize I'm bleeding pretty bad from my knee. It was like being 5 all over again. I walked into the house kind of whimpering, and then as soon as I saw Sam I started bawling! Hahahaha. It must have been so funny. But I was scared at the time because I thought I had landed on my stomach and I was afraid I'd hurt the baby. But after I inspected and started cleaning my wounds, I realized there was no way I landed directly on my belly because the evidence was overwhelming that I'd caught myself on every other part of my body. :)

Anyway, I knew it was going to happen sometime. All my friends tell me every pregnant woman has a least one fall and one scare that it hurt the baby. So this was mine. Oh well, it's worth it for the little baby to be!!!

Only 50 days to go...but who's counting???

2007-10-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

I have been asked by several people to provide a new pregnancy update. I guess it's been a while since my last. Not much has happened these past couple months - besides me growing HUGE! Really, quite large. And I know I still have a lot more to go! It's been 2 months since my last preggo post, so I'm trying to think of what all has gone on since then....

I got rid of my morning sickness (HOORAY!!) and then got it back (boo). I feel normal most days - just really tired. I'm super excited for the baby to come, but then I get sad thinking about him not being in my belly. I love feeling him in there moving around and kicking and punching. It's uncomfortable sometimes but so worth it. It's just beautiful. He's finally moving enough that it doesn't just feel like tummy spasms to Sam but like there's something in my belly, so he really enjoys putting his hands on my tummy and talking to little David. You can also see my belly move - a new development within the last 6 weeks. Sometimes it just bounces up and down like a bag of Jiffy Pop, and sometimes it looks possessed and pokes out all weird directions. Sam thinks that's cool too. The baby's favorite toys are my bladder and my ribs, something I try to distract him from. He also loves to hear Daddy's voice. He wriggles around when Sam sings. He moves around most when Daddy reads 2nd Nephi. Must be a genius because I just find it confusing.

My contractions got worse for a little bit, and I actually ended up in the little OB monitoring room once because I was having contractions about 4 minutes apart for 2 hours. That was scary. But they've really calmed down since and now I only have a couple a day, or sometimes even none at all! The picture to the right is me hooked up to all the monitors. Fun times.

Pregnancy is really treating both Sam and me very well, and we are anxiously awaiting the day we get to hold our little baby!!!! Although Sam tells David to "stay in there" every day, and always prays that we'll carry to term. Even though we didn't think we would carry to term for a while there, I really don't think we have any cause for concern now. And now, back by popular demand, pictures of the infamous growing belly! Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Samby Joe!!!

2007-10-03T13:03:00.001-07:00

September 6th was Sam's 28th birthday, and boy did we have a good time celebrating! Since his birthday was on a Thursday, I decided that Sam should have a whole birthday weekend to celebrate, not just one day! So that's what we did. Thursday through Sunday we partied like it was 1999. This meant Sam got to be pampered, pampered, pampered. He got to pick every thing we did during every second of each day. Activities, shows to watch, food to eat, etc. He was in charge of it all. And he had such a good time picking all of it! I got Sam a DVR for his birthday plus all the premium sports channels. This came in handy as his birthday fell on the same day as the NFL season kickoff! So for his birthday Sam decided he wanted to watch the Big Game and eat buffalo wings. There's this great place right by our house called Wing Stop and it has the greatest wings. I really like the lemon pepper wings, so we got some of those, too. Anyway, we watched the game and had wings, and Sam got to open some (very meager) presents. Birthday presents just don't seem as important when there's a baby on the way. Oh, well. He got some baby onsies that said cute things like "Daddy's little tough guy" - how cute is that?? He unfolded one and put it on his belly and said "It's so tiny. I want Samuel David to get here so he can lay on me like this and we can watch football." Awwww! It melted my heart. Anyway, we concluded "birthday weekend" day 1 with a delicious white cake with white frosting - Sam's favorite. :)

Day 2 was a Friday, and Sam thought it would be fun to record movies on our DVR and watch them. So that's what he did. I, on the other hand, fell asleep. Ooops. :)

Saturday Sam wanted to hang out with friends for his birthday, so we went over to our friends Cody and Nicole's house to hang out with them and our other friends Celeste and Dave. Cody and Nicole got some ice-cream and Halloween oreos for Sam's birthday, and Nicole was really excited that the oreos (besides having orange frosting) had little bats and ghosts and things on them. It was really cute to see Nicole get so excited over it. We teased her for a bit over that. :)

Since Sunday was the last day of Sam's birthday weekend, I decided it would be nice to make him a delicious home cooked meal (something I have been slacking on since I've been pregnant). When we got home from church we literally spent the remainder of the day on the couch watching every single game that was on. Way to keep the Sabbath holy, huh? I made Sam a yummy steak, green beans, mashed potatoes with bacon (I was REALLY in a bacon mood that weekend), and buttery croissants. I have included some pictures of this for your enjoyment. That, and to prove that I really do still cook sometimes! :)

All in all Sam had a lot of fun. He even said the other night "I miss my birthday weekend". YES! A full month later and he still remembers it with glee... I did my job! :)

Happy Birthday McBabens! I'm glad you were born! :)

Labor Day Hike

2007-10-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day weekend, Sam decided he wanted to do something outdoors. I thought that would be fun and he found a place where you could hike some trails and they lead you to some cold springs. We were both excited to do this (some people who had done it before said the hike was really light and we figured it would be fine to do with the pregnancy) so we invited our friends Cody and Nicole to go along with us. The place was all the way in Payson, AZ - which is about 2 hours away from Phoenix - so we set out Monday morning on our fun adventure. The weather was so nice the whole way up, so we decided to get some Subway to have a picnic once we got down and dirty with nature. While we were in Subway getting our food it started raining. :( We found a local park and had our picnic in a little ramada there hoping the rain would start to clear. By the time we finished eating the rain was gone! So we headed up to the trail head. The hike was not so much a "hike" as it was a "walk" down to some springs. Some very cold springs. The boys got in the water right away. Nicole and I stayed back for a bit and then decided we would get in too. She was a lot braver than I was! That water was soooooo cold. For those who know what I'm talking about, I'm talking Lake Wakaiva cold! Yikes! Nicole said we'd jump in on the count of 3. She had to count to three about ten times before she finally just took me by the hand and pulled me in with her. Thanks Nicole! I froze in the water for a little, but we didn't stay in for very long. We instead decided to go on a wild goose chase for some waterfalls Sam swore were there (that we never found). Now the hike down to the springs may have been easy enough, but our search for the waterfalls lead us on some really exciting paths!!! My camera died about halfway through our adventure, so I didn't get to capture some of the more beautiful sites, but luckily Nicole took some great shots and put them on her blog!

*If you place your cursor over an individual picture, it will freeze it so you can look at it longer.

Sorry Everyone!

2007-10-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have been a terrible blogger lately. I apologize. It seems like time has really sped up and I don't know where it's all gone! I have about 5 posts that are composed mentally, I just haven't gotten around to actually putting them on the computer yet. Sometime this week you will (hopefully) see the following posts: Labor Day Weekend, Sam's Birthday, Pregnancy Update, and Sam's trip to the South! YAY! So please don't stop coming to our site. I promise it will be fun to look at again shortly. Some people in Tucson are throwing me a shower this weekend (during the Priesthood session of conference. How smart was that?) and so that post will be up soon as well. As you can see, we have been pretty busy. But the posts you've all been collectively asking about are on their way!!!!! And, if you like what you see, you should post a comment. That way I will feel like my posts are attracting some sort of attention and I will be more excited about keeping the blog updated. That and I just miss you all so much! I love to read your comments because it feels like we're not so far away from the ones we love. :)

And the winner is.....

2007-09-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

We appreciate all the comments received on the topic of rock candy. We only received comments for two versions of rock candy, which were the exact two Sam and I were debating. The correct answer? Well, we were not able to satisfactorily close the case. It seems as though the Utah folks believe rock candy to be the jelly bean type candy that looks like rocks. This is what Sam assumed as well.

All the people who commented from North Carolina believe it to be the sugar crystals that form on sticks, which is what I knew rock candy to be.

The fact that the only place they sell it out here is Cracker Barrel seems telling that Sam might have been right - it's southern. Rob and Jackie pointed out that it is more of an "old fashioned" candy than a southern candy, which I agree with. It's definitely one of those novelty candies. But some (namely Sam) might argue that that is what makes up southern culture. So, no points for me there. Michael gave us the wikepedia definition (which I had also looked up to try to prove my point to Sam), and it is exactly what I thought rock candy to be. However, wikepedia is filled in with information from web users, and Sam said it was probably a bunch of southerners that wrote the rock candy description. So... it appears that my version of rock candy is the more common of the two, but it may just be in the south. And even if it isn't, Sam has not been persuaded otherwise. Hmmmm. Sorry the answer couldn't have been more definitive. But thanks for your input!

The Candy Shop

2007-08-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

Sam and I took a trip to Saint George over the weekend so he could draft for fantasy football. Sorry, there will be no Saint George visit entry because I forgot to bring my camera. But everyone is doing well and looks beautiful, and Jenny and Brittney have cute little baby bumps already. It was fun being around family and friends, especially when we were all pregnant together! :) It made for a lot of good eating, and I came to learn that husbands are less likely to object to giving in to your cravings when there's more than one pregnant belly! Hahaha! :) Anyway, one of my favorite things about driving to Utah (besides getting to see some of my all time favorite people) is the car ride - there and back. I know that must seem strange, but I love to sit and talk to Sam for hours with no distractions. We have some of our best and most meaningful conversations on road trips. We also have some of the best arguments. The Banks parents have - unfortunately for them, fortunately for us - been on the other end of some of these arguments because we will call them to settle the argument! Many times we have called a Banks parent to see which of us is right (it's usually me). Once we called Lisa because Sam wouldn't believe that Kenny Loggins had written the "Even Though We Ain't Got Money" song. I swore that he did, and Sam made so much fun of me! He was like "Kenny Loggins wrote Danger Zone! He wouldn't have done a folk song like that." I tried to tell him that yes, Kenny Loggins did do "Danger Zone", but before the 80's he did a number of folk songs. Well, obviously I was right (much to Sam's dismay), and I'm sure Lisa was confused as to why we called to ask her such a stupid question. I mean, we called and sang the song to her and asked her who sang it. When she said Kenny Loggins, there was a loud squeal and "smack talk" on my part, and a lot of groans and shouts of disbelief from Sam. I'm sure she thought we'd lost it! Anyway, that's the type of thing we do on road trips (and not on road trips).

Folk singer Kenny Loggins...

"Danger Zone" Kenny Loggins!

So, on our way up to Utah this time, we had a random conversation about novelty candies and candy that was a big hit when we were in _______ grade. It's really fun to have conversations like these because there's a bit of a generational gap with Sam and me, so we really learn a lot about one another's childhood. Anyway, I mentioned that when I was in middle school we were really into those giant baseball sized jawbreakers and rock candy. He thought rock candy was a weird one, and after much discussion, we realized that we were talking about 2 completely different candies. He explained his version of rock candy to me, and I told him it was stupid. I told him my version of rock candy and he told me it was southern. We called his dad who sided with Sam on what rock candy actually is. I am not satisfied! I think his family's just crazy. He'd never even heard of my version of rock candy!!

So... I am asking each of you - what do you think rock candy is? I have to see if Sam's just dumb, or if I'm just southern. And no, we're not talking about pop rocks. We are talking about a candy that's really called rock candy. Put your best description in the comment box, and we'll see who was actually right!!!! I KNOW it will be me!

The Comment Thief and other tales of theft...

2007-08-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

A few months ago Sam informed me that he wanted editing rights to our blog. Up to that point I was the sole "owner" of the blog, and he wanted equal ownership. I was hesitant because Sam's the type of guy who would go onto the blog and change everything just because he thought it was funny. I also figured he would post something stupid and embarrassing because - again - he'd think it was funny. Well, since he got his own password he hasn't done anything annoying or embarrassing to the blog - or so I thought! I had not posted anything in quite some time, so when I posted 2 glorious postings at once not too long ago, I thought the comments would come pouring in! I only got 2 - each from Sam. How disappointed I was. :( Sam told me it was because no one looks at my blog anymore because I wait so long between posts. I thought he was probably right. Until a couple days ago! I was talking to my mother and she said something about the fun Harry Potter party post (say that 5 times fast). She told me it looked like we had a good time and she had a question about it that she tried to put in the "comments" section, but when she did, blogger told her that it would be posted "pending approval" from me! What? I've never had that feature set up before! So, this morning Sam starts poking fun at me again about how no one cares about my blog anymore because they're not leaving comments. I asked him if he knew anything about enabling the "comment review / approval" feature.... Oh yeah! "I was playing around with the settings the other day" he says. "I probably turned that on. Yup. Yup that's what I did. Well, I'll just fix that real quick." Lo and behold, 13 comments appear! Way to prove me right, honey! You are not responsible enough to have a blogger password. To all you faithful friends and family who took the time to post a comment and never saw it up, I apologize. The comments are all there now and I appreciate them. I had better keep my eye on the "Comment Thief" who is my spouse!

And speaking of thieves...
Sam woke up this morning and got ready for work just like any other day. I stayed in bed and slept through his morning routine just like any other day. We say prayers, he kisses my forehead, out the door, I fall back asleep. Suddenly...a jingling at the door! Keys in the deadbolt. In walks Sam, not at work! I ask him sleepily what's going on. He replies that his car got broken into! If you haven't seen Sam's car, it's a '95 Jeep Cherokee that makes him look like he's a day laborer. Really, it is a hunk of junk.

Okay, it's not that bad, but why anyone would break into this car is beyond me. Especially when we live in an apartment complex, so the thief had his choice of about 2,000 different cars. But no, he chose Sam's piece of crap Jeep. What did he steal, do you ask? Sam's piece of crap stereo! Seriously, this is something that we want to throw out the window everytime we use his car. It is the worst CD player ever. It's the kind that has the removable face, which is nice right? Except for the fact that it doesn't fit in his dashboard so it's just an eyesore. And it skips. Frequently. And there's a CD stuck in it that's been stuck in it since last Christmas. Stuck so it won't come out or go in so you can't use the CD player, or even listen to that CD! Hahahahahaha! Joke's on them! They did us a favor taking it. Sam even said, all they had to do was come knock on our door and ask for it, and he would have gladly given it to them! :) That part was pretty comical. The one part that sucked was this: Sam's car is, like I stated before, a complete piece of crap. Every single door and window is broken. Literally all of them...except one. Guess which one the friggin' crook broke to get into the car. The ONLY ONE we wouldn't have wanted to fix anyway! Piece of crap crook!!!!! Whatever. I'm still laughing thinking about the look on their face when they get the stupid CD player home and realize it's not worth a friggin' penny! Hahahahahaha!

Well, that's all. Thank's for listening.

Harry Potter Mania!

2007-08-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

Everyone has been asking me when this post was going to appear, and the answer my friends is TODAY!! A few weekends ago Sam and I hosted a Harry Potter costume party in honor of the 5th movie and last book coming out. Now, I will preface this by saying: I am a Harry Potter NUT and Sam is not. I have spent the last few years wanting to go to Hogwarts. I look outside periodically to see if there is an owl coming to bring me my letter declaring me a witch fit to study under Dumbledore. I crave magical foods that I have never had, nor could I imagine what they must taste like. When I can't reach the remote but I really want to change the channel, I try "accio" first before accepting that I'll really have to sit up and grab it. I have even fancied sharing a snog with Ronald Weasly. :) That being said, I would like to share with you the top 20 things I learned about the wizarding world through hosting my own magical party:

1. Pumpkin Pasties are as good as they sound!
2. Treacle tarts absolutely are not.
3. Professor Trelawny makes a more entertaining party guest than you would imagine.
4. Most of my friends are closet (or not so closet) Harry Potter fans.
5. Even people who aren't Harry Potter fans don't mind dressing up like they are.
6. Butterbeer is the most delicious beverage ever made.
7. Butterbeer is better warm. Unless you want it cold and then cold is better.
8. Fizzing wizbees are a fantastic treat and very fun to make (if you don't mind being sticky).
9. I am the Harry Potter Trivia champion of the world!
10. Celeste looks sexy with hot pink hair.
11. When Nicole stuffs her shirt she looks more pregnant than me.
12. Cody isn't sure he likes Nicole looking pregnant.
13. Nicole doesn't care.
14. Dave thinks the whole Harry Potter thing is dumb, but still "wore a costume" to be a good sport.
15. Sam did not.
16. I am the greatest Harry Potter Trivia player who ever lived!!!
17. Wizarding candy would be more fun if it did all the magical things it's supposed to do like make you levitate and make smoke come out your ears.
18. Thestral eggs make a delicious breakfast.
19. I kick butt at Harry Potter trivia!
20. Sam was wrong!!! People will come to a Harry Potter costume party!

I hope you enjoy all the lovely pictures!

My Lovely Lady Lump

2007-08-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

I have received countless requests for this post, but have been waiting until I got a little chunkier to put it on here. But now that I am officially "showing" (well, a little past just "showing") I figured now was as good a time as any to reveal the baby bump! So, for your viewing pleasure, I give to you in all his glory..........(drum roll please)...........Samuel David!!

Here is Little Samuel David at 3 1/2 months. Give no heed to the outfit - I was about to go swimming. Anyway, he was not photo worthy at the time. He was being shy this month...

Here I am still at 3 1/2 months. You can see there's not much there. This is why you did not get this post at the time.

Here's Little Samuel David at 4 1/2 months...exactly one month after the last photo. I was very excited here because I was starting to get a little pudge on my belly, but now I realize it wasn't visible to anyone else. Oh well, at least I knew he was there!

Again at 4 1/2 months. My torso sure did widen out a lot! Holy cow! Now that I'm looking at this I see that I really did get a lot bigger, just not in the tummy. More in the ribs. Well that's not baby, that's mommy. Oops! :) Well, you can kinda' see David there, but not a whole lot. He still hasn't decided if he wants to be social or not.

Then suddenly the baby emerges! Yay for Samuel David! He comes forth to say "Hello!" This literally happened overnight. Tuesday I looked like the last set of pictures, and I woke up Wednesday with this lovely little lump! Sam looked over at me and said "Whoa! You look pregnant!" I think it freaked him out for a second because it was just so sudden. It was kind of shocking. I was so happy!!!!! This is at 5 1/2 months.

Sorry about my face in this picture. I didn't think my head was in the shot. Anyway, look at the little baby. What a beauty! Just sitting there in my belly! I love to see him! This is also a 5 1/2 month photo (in case you couldn't tell by the outfit). So this is what I look like right now. Yay!

I had Sam take this picture for me to show everyone my belly button that has popped out! This was a very fun event for me. I used to have an "outie" but somewhere around 14 years old I lost it. Weird. Well one day (I was about 4 months along) I was sitting on the couch and playing with my tummy (I do that a lot and talk to David) and Sam looks over and says "What happened to your tummy? Your belly button's poking out!" We went into the bathroom so I could look in the mirror and both started giggling. He was right, my belly button was out. It was weird because I wasn't showing at all at this point, but my button had still popped out. I was obsessed with the fact that it was out for a while, but the novelty has worn off at this point. I was about 5 months in this picture.

And last but not least....

I love this picture of Sam sleeping. He is so cute when he sleeps. :) But this pose is especially endearing to me because it reminds me of our little baby. If you recall in our "It's a boy" post, I mentioned that at our ultrasound it was difficult for our technician to get a profile shot of little David because he always had his hands up at his face. Both of them. Yup, he's going to be a little mini-me of his daddy. I love it!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! We welcome your comments, even if you just want to tell me how chunky I look! We love you all and miss you tons!

If you've been tagged, you better do it!

2007-08-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

So my friend Nicole did this on her blog and "tagged" all her blogging buddies. I guess that would include me. So here you go, another "getting to know Shannon" post...

Your Name: Shannon
1. What time did you get up this morning? 3:45, 5:00, 6:50, and finally 8:00 for good
2. Diamonds or Pearls? It really depends on my mood and what I'm wearing. A couple years ago I would have said diamonds, hands down. But Sam has really gotten me into pearls and I think if you have the right outfit on, pearls look way classier and more elegant than diamonds. But pearls don't sparkle!
3. What was the last film you saw? The Borne Ultimatum...Fantastic!
4. What is your favorite TV show? Arrested Development - far above and beyond any other show out there. But since it's not on the air anymore, my new favorite is the Office. But I also really like the Simpsons (old seasons) and Sam and I have been watching about a disk a day for the past month. And Hell's Kitchen. I'm embarrassed that I like that show (who am I kidding...I LOVE that show) but, I still watch it with baited breath every Monday night.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Special K Red Berries or Oat and Honey granola bar with milk.
6. Favorite cuisine? Sushi. I have been going through some serious withdrawals here. I can't wait to have a celebratory dinner at Zen 32 when the baby's born! But for now I really like anything with peanut butter or nacho cheese. I've also really been into comfort food (which for me is southern food- or "soul food"). Yum... maybe I'll fry me up some green tomatoes and okra when I get home!
7. What is your middle name? Marie
8. What food do you dislike? Well, my food tastes are a little off at the moment, but I really don't like chicken or pork right now. Or anything really strong tasting. But ordinarily I would say brussel sprouts.
9. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Not just at the moment, it's been my favorite CD for about 5 years now, but it would have to be Coldplay - Rush of Blood to the Head. I love them. I also like their X&Y CD, but not as much as the aforementioned. I'm also very partial to a "mixed" CD Sam made me when we were dating (called "Best of Love") that had all the love songs that reminded him of me. Very mellow alternative love songs, and lovely to listen to.
10. What kind of car do you drive? A 2000-something Jeep Liberty. But it's not mine. I own a 1999 Chevy Cavalier.
11. Biggest pet peeve? I have a lot so to spare you all I won't put anything.
12. Favorite item of clothing? Whatever fits! :) Normally I love sweatpants and a comfy shirt (and I still do), but at the moment I like anything that makes me look cute. I really like to be in real clothes so I don't feel so frumpy (since that's what I feel like most of the time), so any real clothes that look good I love. Right now my favorite is a really cute pair of denim Capri's and a brown empire waist shirt - perfect for my growing belly. Paired with pointy toed stilettos, I am ready to roll!
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would it be? It's a very close call between Egypt and Italy, but I think Egypt may just win.
14. Favorite brand of clothing? "The cheapest cute one I can find at the time" - that's taken from my friend Nicole, and I concur. Target brand (whatever it is, Massimo or Meadow Valley or whatever). Never fails you.
15. Where would you retire to? "Utah—yay family!" - again, I will steal Nicole's response! :) And not just family, but beauty.
16. What was your most memorable birthday? My 20th. I had mono (really bad, where I would sometimes sleep for days and wake up just to pee. I lost 15 pounds...it was great!) and couldn't really do anything, so Sam had me come over to his house and he gave me a really beautiful quilt he had his Mom and sisters make that he was really proud of because he picked the fabric and stuff. He also made me cake and he and his roommates sang to me. Very simple but very sweet.
17. Favorite sport to watch? BYU FOOTBALL! Yay! I know they're really bad but if I could sit in the stands every game and watch it I would just for the memories (I love you Sam)
18. Favorite saying? Ugh. I hate sayings. But if I had to choose one it would be...nope sorry. I can't. I really hate sayings.
19. What is your Birthday? February 1st. The greatest month in the history of months, and I was the first thing to happen to it (that year at least).
20. Are you a morning person or a night person? Ummmm... afternoon.
21. Favorite Cookie? White chocolate chip macadamia nut from Subway, although sometimes I really like a good coconut macaroon or oreos and milk.
22. Buttered, Plain, or salted popcorn? Yes please. Actually, I like buttered at the movie theater, and plain or "natural" at home. I also really like fresh Kettle corn.
23. What did you want to be when you were little? Anything frivolous: a model, a dancer, a singer, a fashion designer, an actress. I also really wanted to be a mommy! :)
24. Your favorite candy? Mmmm. Baby Ruth.
25. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? DECEMBER 12TH!!!!26. What is your favorite movie? Pride and Prejudice (the A&E version with Collin Firth), Harry Potters, Batman Begins (I had a dream last night I was Bruce Wayne...it was awesome!), and any good comedy (like Dirty Work, Tommy Boy, you know, comedies back when they were funny).
27. If you had a second home, where would it be? Well, if I had a FIRST home it would be in Utah. Then my second home would be in Mexico.
28. What would be your dream job? "Being a stay at home mom" - amen Nicolle! I am so excited!
29. Your favorite color? bright green
30. Dream car? Whatever gets me where I'm going.
31. How many pets do you have? None - but once we get a house that better change! I want a Bulldog named Cringer and a Rottweiler named Battlecat.
32. Favorite Dessert? I don't know...ice cream sandwiches are yummy. I've been really into "pones" lately (something my friend Jayme named) which are ice cream cones packed full of peanut butter. I also like ice cream cones packed full of whipped cream. I also like pumpkin pie. And cheesecake. And brownies. Um... I'll be right back.

Okay, I'm back and I settled for some beef jerky. :) I hope you all found this informative, and now I tag YOU! Shelley, Heather, Michael, Sam, Feldmans, Skousens, and Mills. You're it. Let's find out all about you.

It's Quiz Time!

2007-07-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it seems like there are a lot of quizzes going around out there in the blogging world, so I have decided to have a whole post of quizzes that all mean something to me.

We shall start with the "what soda are you?" quiz...

You Are Root Beer

Ultra sweet and innocent, you have a subtle complexity behind your sugary front.
Children love you, but so do high end snobs... when you're brewed right.

Your best soda compatibility match: Dr. Pepper

Stay away from: Diet Coke

What Kind of Soda Are You?

I got this quiz from a friend's blog and thought it was funny (thanks Melissa). Especially because she was Dr. Pepper and her hubby was Coke Classic. Under her husband's description it said "Stay away from: Dr. Pepper". Uh oh! :)

You Are a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

You are a traditional person with very simple tastes.
In your opinion, the best things in life are free, easy, and fun.
You totally go with the flow. And you enjoy every minute of it!

Your best friend: The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Your mortal enemy: The Ham Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

I took this one because I was really hoping I would be the peanut butter and jelly sandwich (since that's what I take to lunch every day). No go. Oh well, it all works out because I have grilled cheese for dinner every night!

Your Gluttony Quotient: 60%

You definitely have your gluttonous moments. For you, eating is a true hobby.
And while you do spend a lot on food, you can always make it back winning eating contests.

How Much Gluttony Do You Have?

Now this one makes me laugh because Sam and I are infamous for being food addicts (me more than him). We have this discussion all the time, and I really thought I was going to get 100%. I'm glad I didn't. I guess the fact that I'm not willing to spend $100 on a meal makes me less of a fatty. Go figure.

Your Taste in Music:

90's Alternative: Highest Influence
80's Alternative: High Influence
80's Rock: High Influence
Alternative Rock: High Influence
Classic Rock: High Influence

How's Your Taste in Music?

Another funny one to me. The other day our good friends Cody and Nicole came over and we got on the subject of music. Come to find out my friend has an unusual music taste! :) It's really funny because she is this soft spoken, tiny little blonde, and she I guess she's a closet fan of rap music. Literally a closet fan, as her closet apparently has a picture of 50 cent hanging inside! It made me laugh so hard to hear, and is making me laugh right now just thinking about it. So I thought I'd put this quiz on here so everyone could take it and I could see if there were more interesting tidbits of information concerning my friends and their musical interests.

You Will Not Be a Cool Parent

And that's pretty okay. While your kids may not think of you as a friend, they will respect you.
You know that kids need discipline and structure, and you're not afraid to give it to them.
Just be careful that your strictness doesn't lead to rebellion.
It's good to have standards and rules, but you don't need to have an iron fist when enforcing them.

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

This was a fitting test for Sam and I right now, and I have to say, I am glad I won't be a cool parent. "Cool" parents always weirded me out growing up, so I am proud to be different from them. I hate the part that's on there about being too strict though. The only reason that's on there is because I said without a doubt that my kid would never watch an R rated movie, and that I would never swear in front of them. I guess having standards not only makes me square, but labels me the "iron fist". Ah, well. Watch out David...the iron fist is coming!

Your Vocabulary Score: A-

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary!
You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

I really thought I was going to fail this one and thought it would be funny to take to see just how much I need to improve. I guess I did pretty well! I KNEW scrabble was a good investment!

You Are a Trifle

No doubt, you have many intricate layers. But deep down, you're a little squishy.

What Holiday Food Are You?

"Deep down you're a little squishy"? Can anyone tell me what that means? I don't understand! I really wanted to be a gingerbread man or something warm and gooey holiday-y. Trifle? How boring. Although I guess that's what they have for their Christmas feast at Hogwarts, so I won't complain too much (P.S. Stay tuned for an exciting Hogwarts post to come)!

Well, that's all the quizzes for now. I figure you have enough to keep you occupied for a few minutes. Please take these quizzes yourselves and put what you are in the comments section (or on your own blog). Thanks for playing, and I can't wait to find out more about all of you! :)

It's a boy!

2007-07-10T07:26:00.001-07:00

Hello to you all! It has been quite some time since anything has been posted on here, so I hope this is exciting enough to make up for it. It is for us! As most of you know, we had our ultrasound appointment yesterday and heard the wonderful news, "It's a BOY!!!!" Yay! We are delighted to be able to share a few select photos with you of our growing baby boy. The practice we use is one of the largest in Arizona, and therefore had the most updated technology. We were fortunate enough to have the ability to view live feed of not only the regular black and white sonogram we all know and love, but the new 3d photos as well. The 3d photos are actually called "4d - real time" and the black and white sonogram are considered 3d. Whatever. I don't try to understand, I just enjoy. I hope you do too. I have tried to explain the pictures so you all know what you're looking at, but if you have any questions about what it is you're supposed to be seeing, please leave them in the comments section and someone will get back to you. Enjoy!

I put this picture first because it's my very favorite. Is that not the most precious face you've ever seen?

Here is another 4D photo. If you can't tell what that is to the left of his face (our left, his right), that's his hand. He had his hands up the whole time like a cute little fetus! It was really adorable. Occasionally the technician would shake my tummy to try to get him to move them so she could get a good shot at his face, but he would just flail them for a second and then put them right back. This photo and the one above are about as far away as he ever moved his little hands. And, I love his little lips in this picture because he's sucking, so they have the cutest shape.

Okay, this one looks really funny (especially his mouth - he looks like a scarecrow), but I included it because this position is how he held his hands for the entirety of our session. One on his ear and one on his eye. Just looking at this melts my heart!

Here is a normal ultrasound picture...the type that's familiar to us all. This is a shot of his profile. This one's pretty easy to see, so I won't explain it. What a sweet profile of a beautiful baby.

This one here was one of the very first pictures that was taken. Before you even get to see your baby, the doctor takes pictures of all the organs and functions to make sure the baby is developing properly. It's so silly because I hadn't even seen the baby yet, but this picture (well, the actual live feed I was seeing) made me cry, and I cried through the entire rest of the appointment. Inside the picture of the circle here, there is a shape that vaguely resembles a butterfly. This is the baby's brain, separated into left and right sides. Wow! It is still so amazing to me how delicate and intricate this process is. How can you doubt the existence of a loving Creator when you witness something as beautiful and astounding as this? Even though I didn't know half of what I was looking at until the doctor would explain it (and even then I still couldn't see it in a lot of cases!), everything I saw just filled me with a new found appreciation for my Heavenly Father and all he does for us. What a miracle this truly is.

Here is the baby's tiny hand...

And another.

I thought this was pretty cool. This is the baby's spine. To the left you can see the ribs (slightly) just below the spine, and to the right you can see where it's beginning to curve up to connect with the hip bones.

Little baby legs (that were just kicking away!) He has his little feet crossed which I think is so adorable (despite the fact that most little fetuses cross their feet).

Here's another picture of his little legs and feet, but this time in the cool 4d mode!

Last but certainly not least, this is a picture of his baby heart. I thought this one was neat because she was measuring the flow of blood, and we can see it! (The red and blue means it's working!) :)

I hope you enjoyed our tour of little Samuel David. We love him so much already and can't wait to be able to share him with all of you!

Public Humiliation, Private Shame

2007-05-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

I had an embarrassing moment today that was so embarrassing I thought it warranted a spot on the blog. I got very queasy today at work and started gagging at my desk. Now this wouldn't be terrible if I had a normal job, but I work at a kiosk in the mall like a high school Freshman (Don't ask - I got conned into it). So I'm publicly exposed and nowhere near a restroom. I start running through the mall, stopping at every community trash can to heave and gain my composure before continuing on my quest for a restroom. I run inside Macy's and get to their ladies room, but it is super busy and there's a line. Well I can't wait so I start pushing past people, getting dirty looks and shouts as I'm doing so. I grab the only vacant stall and before I'm even able to get the door closed, I start throwing up. Well, all the ladies at this point make noises of understanding as I struggle to get the stall door closed, and continue to vomit louder than I ever have before! How mortifying. When I was finally done everyone was staring and then quickly averting their eyes. I made a quick public apology that they had to be subjected to that but that I was pregnant. They all thought it was really cute, but I hurriedly left, hanging my head in shame. That is all.

Please post your embarrassing moments if you have them so I don't feel so dumb! :) Thanks!