June happenings

A couple of weeks ago for our anniversary we all went up to Tahoe for the weekend and stayed in a place we've wanted to stay as long as we've lived here. We took Ellie along with us hoping that she would be able to sleep through the night being in the same room with us. She is a light sleeper and only sleeps when it is completely dark and quiet, plus the last time we went to Tahoe she stayed up the WHOLE night giggling and playing.

She did sleep this time, but funny thing is the first hour we were there she ended up throwing all of her toys out a crack in the 3rd story window. We noticed when she said "the toys are gone". So we rummaged through the bushes and found everything from the unplugged phone receiver, to her toys, pillow, and the hotel welcome packet.

We took the Heavenly Gondola up to the top of the mountain for the first time too.

Ellie was very clingy on the way up, she seems to be afraid of a lot of things, especially heights. It is a beautiful ride on the way up, you get to the top of the first mountain and there is a lookout that overlooks the entire lake.

Then you get back on the gondola and it takes you up to the lodge at the top of the resort.

On the way back down Ellie found her confidence to sit all alone, it was fun to just sit on the opposite side and enjoy the view.

We ate Mongolian BBQ at a place called Fire and Ice. The cooks were fun to watch, and there are a bunch of fire pits outside underneath the gondola.

We swam a lot and just had a good relaxing weekend, we'll definately be going back soon.

One of Joni's friends here threw her a baby shower, even though Joni told her not to, it was nice of all of her friends to do something for her. We got a TON of diapers for the new one because everyone who brought diapers was entered into a drawing for a special prize.

There has been a lot of random parades and carnivals in town and we try to be involved with stuff like that as much as possible. Here we are at the Carson Valley Days fair.

Today we went to watch airplanes at the airport and there happened to be an open house to see a bunch of warplanes, gliders, and helicopters. Ellie loved every bit of it since she tends to like boy things more than girl things right now.


Last week I went to West Point for some work training. It was a cool place to see and has a lot of history. This is what they call the "million dollar view".

I arrived at the hotel I stayed in at 2am and it totally gave me the creeps, I was half expecting to see 2 twin girls in the hallway like the Shining.

Well that's it for now, happy 4th of July everyone!

Crossed one thing off the list.

I'm starting to get VERY excited to meet my new little girl. We still can't quite settle on one name, but unlike last pregnancy (I had new name literally every month), we have had it narrowed down to 2 from the beginning. I think it's amazing how each child comes with their OWN personality. Just as each pregnancy seem to be a little different. I have noticed some big differences this time around:




Ellie's pregnancy - Serious aversion to chocolate! Hated the stuff

Number 2 - Can't get enough chocolate (unfortunately)



Ellie's - My feet HURT badly. Even early on at about 4 months

Number 2 - My feet feel great, but they are ALWAYS HOT. Like they feel like I've been in a sauna, hot. Nowhere else. Just my feet.



Ellie's - Horrible headaches

Number 2 - No headaches. Just serious brain problems. I can NEVER find the word I'm looking for. It's just... ummm... shoot.



Ellie's - People constantly asked "Are you having twins? ... Are you SURE?"

Number 2 - That still happens.



Ellie's - I lost count how many times I cried at commercials and other stupid stuff. like Paul not parking where I wanted him to at church. (Yes that happened)

Number 2 - I cry now and again, but then I seem to get stuck in uncontrollable laughing fits. Dumb & Dumber was on the other day and even though I've seen that movie 6,349 times, I heard the line "tic tac, sir?", and completely lost it. Paul said he doesn't think he has EVER heard me laugh so hard. It went on for a good 15 minutes. Finally I forced myself to think of something sad because I was genuinely worried I would puke if I laughed any more. Even as I typed this I have laugh tears rolling.


I'm gearing up to finish one last blog book before July 22 (one of many tasks I have on to-do list before the big day), and want to throw in a few more posts and pics before I get started on that project. If you have seen my Facebook page recently, you know a lot of what is to come, but I want to document it nevertheless :)

Last week my time and brain power were consumed by my most recent cake. The gal who asked me to make it mentioned she would love to have some type of edible rhinestones for headlights. I have yet to see that type of thing for purchase online or in stores, but I told her I might try to make my own "glass" headlights using melted down sugar. That thought opened up a pandora's box in my brain of ways I could make a glass windshield as well. I spent a lot of time and energy (a valuable commodity these days) researching possible ways to do this. Everything I came across was pretty vague, but I finally found a fantastic blog that explained every single step of sugar melting & reshaping in detail with pictures.
So I put on my big girl britches and bought a candy thermometer (those things have always intimidated me) and gave it a try.




I had no CLUE how to work a candy thermometer. As you can see, it's taped to the side of the bowl. Took me a good 5 minutes to find the CLIP staring at me on the side! Embarrassing. In the past when I've worked with sugar I could never get it to harden all the way. I also worried that it would caramelize and turn yellow or brown. Apparently, following directions helps out a lot. Common sense to most, but I hate following very specific directions.



My hand made (and for the most part, ill-comceived) candy molds.



LUCKILY, a few of the headlights and one windshield worked. They weren't even brown! Hip, hip HOORAY for following directions.




Here is the final product. There are always at least three moments during the making of every cake where I say out loud "I'm NEVER attempting a cake again, this is a disaster and totally irreparable". But somehow this cake turned out OK. It was hard to say goodbye, but this project had a bigger purpose than sitting in my fridge.











Also familiar to many of you is a National Geographic special this Sunday that I'm SO excited to see. My Dad isn't one to seek recognition for his successes, but he certainly deserves a pat on the back for this. For the past 5 years he has photographed and become very well acquainted with a herd of wild horses. I don't think even he could count how many times he has gotten up at 2am to get out and take pictures of these mustangs in the perfect light. He has names for almost all the horses and can tell you their history and position within the herd. He started putting his photos on a board, along with back-stories for many of the horses. I grabbed a few pics from my Dad's photoboard... it was pictures like these (along with his expertise) that got Nat Geo's attention.

A few months ago he guided NG producers for taping of a segment on wild mustangs for a special titled "Untamed America" which will air this Sunday! Go DAD!


I took a few of my favorite photos from his board.








http://www.pbase.com/muddyboots/way_out_west - Photo board

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/national-geographic-channel/specials-1/untamed-americas/ngc-misfit-mustang/ - Nat Geo link


Last but not least, I want to wish my sweetheart a HAPPY 8th ANNIVERSERY!! Yesterday marks our 2,920th day as a married couple. Love you Paul!!!

Joni took another trip to San Fran with her sister while I stayed home with the kid a couple of weekends ago. Before you get all sad for me, which I know you are, I got to go golfing the next weekend and then I went to Alabama for a week for work.

As I was sitting by the pool and the white sandy beaches (who knew in Alabama right?), I took a couple of pictures to make Joni jealous while she was at home in NV during church. The bad Karma came back around to get me as I got VERY sunburned, so bad that I could barely move or do much for 4 days while in work training. My company even chartered a sailboat for us the last day but I couldn't go because just being outside hurt. I guess I learned my lesson, I really do wish Joni and Ellie could have joined me as they would have loved the place.

Funny that Joni didn't realize that she was taking her picture next to the Hindu god of fertility, at least I think that's what it is.

The rest of this blog post is all about Ellie as our lives seem to revolve around her most of the time.

Ellie is in the "I want" stage, as in..."I want to go to outside"

"I want to draw pictures"

"I want a Markalellow"...(marshmallow)

"I want to read a book"

"I want to play in the truck", this one happens every time I come home, she skips right past me to go to my truck.

She suddenly loves to snuggle, and she is always up in our business trying to give kisses until the kisses become excessively long and slobbery and we have to put her back in her cage...okay so we don't do that but she really gets up in people's business sometimes.

She loves ice cream...and anything sweet, she'll always say I want one more.

the pet store has been a new found love of hers

Do you think she is spoiled?

Time seems to be rushing by, both of our days are really busy all the time but Joni's get more monotonous as she is counting down the days while sitting in a house without AC in the desert. She is a trooper and I can just see the look in her eyes that she is not sure how having 2 kids is going to work, how does anyone do more than 2? She continues to overacheive and do things no woman that is 7 months pregnant with a 2 year old can do. As I write this she is making another fancy cake for a friend, I am going to have to start telling her friends no for her because she is WAY too nice sometimes.

Despite all of this, we have really been working to prioritize the most important things in our lives right now. Staying on a schedule really seems to work for us. I wake up around 6 and read, then work out and go to work so that I can get off at 5 and spend time with the fam. We read together and pray together before Ellie goes to bed, which we've never done well before. We eat together and go to bed early and we try to eliminate TV unless there is something we know we want to watch ahead of time. If you know us well being able to accomplish these things sounds like a miracle. Just wait 2 months when all sleeping habits and schedules go out the window. Not a day goes by we don't give thanks for all that we have, I don't feel deserving of all the blessings but I am as happy as a clam...assuming clams are happy.

April 2012

We had our last family trip for the year before we hunker down and prepare for baby #2. We went to Utah and, like always, made the most of our trip by seeing as many people as possible. Ellie doesn't like change very much, but she was so good right up until the airplane was about to land at home and she threw up all over herself. The wind gets pretty bad when flying into Reno, that's the one thing that I hate more than anything here is the wind.

Joni and Andrea threw Allison a baby shower at Tucci's. Allison is a week ahead of Joni and she is actually sad that Joni had a bigger belly...that was a first. Poor Joni's guts have no where to go. I don't understand how women all look different when pregnant, but Joni's babies seem to like to lie horizontally streched out...I can't explain how else it happens.

Joni signed up for a half marathon that same week, we ended up just picking up the free shirts because she didn't feel well. She was upset about the idea of not finishing the race she trained for... but then Monday morning she was gone for 3 hours and we were all wondering where she went...she ran a half marathon (at Sugarhouse Park) all by herself at almost 6 months pregnant. Along with that and her Zumba classes she is a go-getter even when pregnant. On another note, I ate 2 donuts and took a nap this week.

Ellie is playing much better with kids now, she is also becoming more and more cautious. I love to just watch her play with her toys and watch how creative her little imagination gets with the things she says and songs she sings. The other day she was yelling "all aboard", when we looked at her she had lined up all her toys like a train. Notice each car has a passenger.

We have a trio of families where we all babysit each others kids while we go out. One day Ellie was playing with 2 of our friends' boys, all they wanted to do was play Angry Birds and Ellie was trying so hard to get their attention.

We went swimming almost every day and had fun just being lazy. Glen and Kendi stopped in for some pizza at the hotel.

Last stop before hopping on the plane was the farm. Does anyone else think petting a pig just doesn't feel right?

Blogging has been more of a chore lately than anything but we will do a better job again soon. A busy life is a happy life for us right now. Miss you all.