"The Soaps" aka The Dyal Family

Sunday Holiday Fun

2011-12-11T21:30:00.000-08:00

Nate's mom gave us a package of little crafts for the kids to do. We decided to bust the first one out today. The kids put the faces on all by themselves (Ethan's turned out a little skiwompus...love it!). I had to do the hot glue gun on the antlers and bows. It made me realize that we have absolutely no paper craft glue in this house. I have scrapbooking sticky stuff, hot glue, and rubber cement. Elmers anyone? Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays so far!

Goodbye November....Hello December!

2011-12-03T22:52:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we're on to December already. Time goes by sooo fast. I've decided Thanksgiving is my new favorite holiday. No stress of gift giving, just being thankful. Pluuuuus!...it entails delicious food. Nom nom nom. Thanksgiving morning, I dragged the kids out of the house to the store, as a good procrastinator does, to get last minute fixings. On the corner, down Center St., the kids spotted Mater. We looked like a bunch of scrounges, so we headed back later, after getting all proper to take some pics. There were jars to donate to a boy who is in the hospital. His favorite movie is Cars, and it was just a good natured idea. Who knows where our dollar and fifty cents ended up, but to stop and think of that little boy made me grateful. I'm so thankful that we are a healthy and happy family. Not to mention the fun pics we were able to snatch. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Our Crazy B-day Week

2011-11-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

For Jack's 5th B-day/family vacation, we decided to attack SoCal. And I mean ATTACK it head on. We drove down Monday, and then the crazy week began.

Tuesday...Sea World

Wednesday...California Adventures...

the kids ate up every minute of it

Thursday...JACK'S BIRTHDAY...

and official Disneyland day! Grandpa & Grandma Miranda & Uncle Chase hung out with us for the day. Oh, and P.S. Ethan LOVED Mickey Mouse. Loved!!! Jack and I conquered Star Tours, even though Jack's height was checked EVERY time we passed a crew member. Ha! He was perfectly 40 inches. Thank goodness!!!

Birthday dinner break. Met Grandma, Uncle Tanner, and Aunt Becca at Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. Then back to D-Land to finish the night.

Friday... Day 2 of D-land, but no pictures to prove it. Jack and Nate got to live it up on Space Mountain and Splash Mountain. Jack was uber stoked. Are we surprised? Not from our adrenaline junky.

Saturday... San Diego Wild Animal Park...

it was animals presented in a whole new way. Much more personal type of a zoo experience. Very cool to see the animals in herds and not just in small exhibits. The boys loved the gorillas (they had a brand new baby), the lions, the elephants, and the cheetah run (they are crrrrrazy fast). We got to have Grandma & Grandpa Quan meet us for the day.

Sunday...RELAXATION, well kinda...

we could've gone to Universal Studios on the passes we had bought (everything listed was included in our SoCal City Pass...HIGHLY recommend it!), but we decided to hang with the fam instead. We stayed at my Dad's the whole week, but felt like we were so on the go that we didn't really get to hang with them much. We ended up down at the pier enjoying the beachy sunshine. The boys played in the water and had a blast. I just love this picture of Ethan and Uncle Tanner...

Monday...we drove home. It was a whirlwind of absolute awesomeness!

Speaking of Ghosts

2011-11-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

We're back from the dead...buahahaha!

Here's our halloween in a few, nay, a dismal amount of decent pics... If only these kids would sit still just long enough for our camera to "warm up". Or, maybe I should just invest in a better camera. Yes, I think that would be best.

The kids loved hoarding the candy. We unloaded once and went out for more. For those of you wondering, Jack chose his costume all on his own. When I asked him what he wanted to be, he told me..."a ghost with blue wings and orange spikes." I asked if he meant a dragon, but he was adamant. There was no way I could deny such creativity, right!? Mind you, I DO NOT sew. And, they DO NOT make boy/dragon wings. Some spray paint, wire clippers, flannel, sew on velcro, hot glue, and styrofoam made the dream possible. Ha! Oh, and P.S.... I suck at face painting. Unless you have thoes crazy nice brushes, well, who are we kidding!?

Ethan, on the other hand, was a chicken. We had everything planned to be Mickey Mouse. We had even bought leggings from the toddler girl section at "Wally World." He was stoked. A week before Halloween he decided he would have NOTHING to do with anything but the Mickey head piece. While I was at work, a lady told me that Old Navy had costumes for 6 bucks. The only one in Mr. E's size was the chicken. I snagged it, took it home, and it was love at first cluck. He wore it to the grocery store, to pick out pumpklins, and asked for it first thing in the mornings.

Ranch, Oregon, and All the Places in Between

2010-09-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I took my last week of vacation time for this year, and to Oregon we went. On the way, we stopped at Nate's family's ranch. It's a real working ranch that two of his uncles and their families live on. Pretty out of my box, but fun to be in for a while. Jack loved EVERYTHING about it, and Nate got back in touch with some of his roots. After two days, we made our way to Meford, OR. The kids did pretty well. We made a few stops on the way to get them out and moving every now and then. While in OR we had a fabulous time. Nate's parents had a ton of fun things lined up for us. We headed to the coast after a few days and spent some serene time on the lovely beaches of OR. After a fantastic week, we headed out on our way home. It's been nice to be getting back to our routine, but we miss Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks Mom and Dad for all you do for us. We had a GREAT time! Oh, and the pics are in backwards order, because Blogger and I don't agree with how easy putting pics up SHOULD be. So, if you want the proper effect, start at the bottom and work your way up. Cheese!

Winnemucca, oh Winnemucca. There's not a whole lot in Winnemucca. BUT... We found a veterans memorial with some retired awesomeness. Here's a retired fighter jet and my boys. It was a random find, but Jack thought it was pretty sweet.

Redwood trail on the way home from the coast. AMAZING! Huge, crazy huge. It was pouring rain which another hiker only told us made them more beautiful than usual. I just can't believe how big the roots are. Sheesh!

Ocean World. We got to pet sharks and watch a seal/sea lion show.

Jack LOVED the waves at the coast. We brought our weight in gold home in rocks. That's right, beautiful, unique rocks. Hand picked by Nate.

Crater Lake, OR

The Vortex House

Burney Falls... SO gorgeous!

Some ruins up above the ranch. "Jack, just look, don't touch!" No need to ruin the ruins ;)

On the porch at Uncle Ralph and Aunt Patsy's house.

Jack on his first solo horse ride at the Ranch. It was love at first horse.

Eureka, NV on the way to the Ranch. Fun old stuff to look at, but literally, the town, in it's entirety, is maybe a 5 minute walk.

Bonding Time!?

2010-08-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a second. You know how some days you just wonder if you're the only one who feels the way you do? The days where you feel like your eyes are so tired that they burn with the crying sensation? The times you just want to sit on the shower floor, let the hot water sprinkle all over you, as you just let out the tears you push back... you know, because you're tougher than that? The times you look in the mirror and think, life is so crazy. Crazy in a good way, but crazy. You look at how different life is than how you imagined it 10 years ago, but yet, you embrace it, because in a weird way, it's better than you could've imagined, but at the same time, how did life happen while you weren't looking?

Do I make a good enough effort everday? I swear I try, but could I be better? I'm sure I could. Motivation... inspiration... goals are set and schemes are made. And yet, I don't know how good I am at making them all come to fruition. I've decided that life, a quality one, is a choice. It's a hard one to acknowledge and achieve. I can live life, or I can liiive life. Am I okay with complacency, or am I trying to be better than I was yesterday, last week, month? I honestly don't know why I'm rambling like a mad lady, but I was just thinking, and wondering, am I the only one? No, I know I'm not, but sometimes you just reach out. For a sense of human contact, emotional support that sometimes we just stop nurturing. Yes, I'm slightly crazy :) And oddly, I do feel refreshed. Oh the power of prose.

Summer Has Come and Gone

2010-08-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school, for most kids around here. I just can't believe how quickly time seems to go. I'm excited for a little work relief. Back to School is one of our busiest seasons. *Deep sigh*

Other news... Ethan turned one last Saturday. He had his check up this afternoon. 18 lns 14 oz, 30 in. He's defintely the bigger of my 2 small children. 9th percentile for his weight, and 50th for his height.

Jack is potty trained except for bed time, has a curiosity for everything in life, and can light up any room with his over the top personality. One set back to being almost 4...he thinks he's soooo independent, and to let him get there I've realized I have to let him be and do exactly what he thinks he is and can. It absolutely kills me sometimes.

Sad, sad, sad is the blog situation. Ethan is just a wee kid in my last post. Good grief! I will have to get some pics up ASAP. Sorry for all the boring letters and no amazing pictures.

We ARE alive!

2009-12-18T18:35:00.000-08:00

Hello, all who might be concerned as to where the heck we've gone. Life is pretty much a crazy blur. Between adapting to 2 kids and being the busiest season of my retail life, well, the blogging has been benched. But, I just wanted to quickly say hello and Merry Christmas to everyone. We are doing well. Ethan is already 4 months old and chunkier than Jack has ever been. He's officially blue eyed...what!?!?! That's right, with auburny brown hair. So crazy the rioulette of the gene pool. Jack is a busy as ever 3 year old. He's so fun and inquisitive. The novelty of his little bro has worn off ever so slightly, but he still does SO well with him. And Christmas is such an exciting thing this year. I promise to try to be a better blogger, but for now, here's a hodge podge of pictures for ya. Miss you all!

I now have kids....kidzzzzzzz! What!?

2009-08-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well, sorry for my total lack of picture taking while I was preggo. Here are some current pics. For all of those who might doubt, here is a pic of pregnant me right before the action started. Plus some of our newest edition, Ethan Scott, and his big brother Jack. Ethan came into town 8.14.09 weighing 6 lbs 5 oz, 18.5 in. We are adjusting just fine, and remembering how precious of a commodity sleep is. Jack has acclamated super well to his big brother role. He was crazy excited, if you can't tell by the enormous grins he's sporting.

Easter Pics and a Little Comparison

2009-05-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

So, I thought that I was an insane amount bigger with this round 2 baby, than I was with the first. But to my disbelief, pictures seem to be saying otherwise. The first pic is with Jack at around 6 months. I am supposedly 24 weeks this week. So the picture with boy #2 should be around the same time. What do you know? I'm not that much bigger. I'm totally shocked. I swear I feel like I'm way bigger this time around. Oh, and it's time for a hair cut. My cut is way outgrown. YIKES!The pic below is not my favorite, but it'll do for all those I am way overdue to send a picture to.

Easter was a lovely, peaceful holiday. Jack finally got it. Eggs have never been so exciting before. Then again, they aren't normally plastic with candy inside. Here is a pic our neighbor boy, Parker, was so kind to snap for us before we changed after church. I loved Jacks little linen suit. He was so excited to have a jacket like dad.

We are doing well. Jack still has an unexplained lymphnode on the back of his neck. His blood work came back negative for crazy things like cancer and mono. I don't recommend telling moms that their kid potentially might have leukemia or lymphoma, and then not getting the results to them ASAP. Even I, who am typically very polite and patient, got a little pushy. When the nurse told me she'd have to call me back, for the 3rd day, on a friday, before the weekend, I wasn't so obliging. We had played way too much phone tag. She told me the Dr. was busy. I told her I would hold until he had a second. She was kinda taken back, but put me on hold, and came back in minutes. I was so proud of myself for being so full of obnoxious persistence. For now, everything seems fine. The bump hasn't shrunk with his anitbiotics, and as much as I would hate to have them do it, a biopsy might be next. We'll call this week to see what the Doc recommends as the next step. We'll keep you all up to date.

We really are alive...REALLY!

2009-04-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

So, enough time has gone by, and I have no idea where it went. Life just flies by. I tried to catch some of it on film, so I'll post what documenting I've taken. In other things, work is keeping me busy. I'm getting what I would call huge. I don't know if any of the upcoming uploads of pictures will show my belly or not. If not, I'll work on it this week. Jack is seemingly healthy, but he's been in and out of the Dr.s office and hospital having tests run to explain a lymphnode on the bak of his neck. We'll keep you posted with that fun;) Nate turned 29 on the 13th. Happy B-day, Babe! That's about the most generally brief synopis I can give you. All is well here at the Dyal home. Thanks for still droppin' by.

The Unseen Stress of the Unforseen... (does that make sense)

2009-02-21T21:45:00.000-08:00

So, life sometimes freaks me out. I try to remind myself to enjoy today and not worry about tomorrow. Seriously though, the future is a hard thought to avoid. Random things go through my head. What will we have? What if it's twins? Will Jack ever want to potty train? Will I ever not have to work? Would I miss work(though I am quite aware that staying at home should classify under the work category)? How long will we live in our house? Are we going to move, or stay in Utah(we're talking down the road)? When will we buy a second car? Will two car seats feasibly fit in the back seat of a focus? When will our debt be completely paid off? Yes, I know I am crazy, but my mind just goes... and goes sometimes.

I Love You, Keli!

2009-02-08T21:44:00.001-08:00

Sorry I haven't called. I've been thinking about you, but I suck at picking up the phone!

Medical Update

2008-12-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

So we have had fun-filled adventures with Dr.s and ERs lately. Here is the most recent pis of Jacks 2nd degree burned hand. We've told him time and time again to leave the fireplace alone. Now, sadly not the way I wanted him to learn, he no longer touches the fireplace. Oh, and side note... we went in to check up on his hand. I had the Doc run a test, and...WE'RE PREGNANT! approximately 2 months. We'll know better in January, after my Dr. visit. Love to you all! If you want to see the blister pictures better, tilt your screen if you can. His burn is pretty wicked.

Christmas... I L-O-V-E it!

2008-12-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

I have no new pictures to put up... yet. I have CD from my sis with pics, but I haven't downloaded them onto the computer. But, I just wanted to say that I love Christmas. This years is especially fun. Jack knows who "Sansa" is this year. And will tell you that all around is "Kispis". He absolutely loves the "kispis dights" at Temple Square. With all of the Nativities around and the extra focus on Jesus this time of year, I love that Jack has become so aware of who he is. Every time he sees him, whether it be a baby or a grown up Jesus, Jack exclaims "Jesus... Cwist" with a sweet little pause in between the two words. I love how kids make everything so fantastic, fresh, beautiful, and new!

Long Overdue

2008-11-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

October was a fabulous month here at the Dyal household. I really did take some pictures, so I decided to finally share them with you. Enjoy!

Jack has this crazy thing about wearing a tie, recently... all the time

Before haircut

Post haircut

Construction Cake

Everyone decorated hard hats

Us in October

We finally got some scarf weather

Picked our apples, Jack climbed a tree, and ate some!

A few pumpkin shots... 'tis the season

Happy Rootin' Tootin' Halloween!

My 2 Year Old is the Size of a 1 Year Old

2008-10-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

So the official stats and a quick story...

22 lbs 5 oz, coming in at 32 "

The Doc says he's hitting, if not surpassing his mile stones. But, Little Jack-Attack is only attacking his size about 2 lbs every 6 months. I was not small as a kid. You could accuse me of being short, but skinny I was not. Nate has a small bone structure, but he was always an above average kid. So maybe Jack has my height and Nate's bone structure, plus some unknown skinny gene. Doc said that we could check Jack's cholesterol levels. If they came back low, it typically means that the kid's not getting enough nutrients. I agreed to rule out the failure to thrive ruling, rather than hope it's not. Jack had his routine immunizations. Not to mention he was already freaking out when the nurse laid him down to see how tall he is. He fought and fought the shots, but we managed to hold him down for the 3 quick pokes. By now he hates the nurse, Alisha. Then it was down to draw some blood with Kim. Alisha had to come help restrain since Jack is ridiculously strong. Kim had the needle in, but Jack started to rotate his arm. The 3 of us couldn't keep him still enough, not to mention Jack was crying so hard that he puked. That was the final straw. Kim pulled out the needle and said Jack was traumatized enough for the day. I've decided, we'll leave the cholesterol check to chance. The Doc wasn't worried enough to be adamant about it. He said just to monitor his intake and to come back when he's 3 instead of 4. I love my crazy strong kid. It killed me to see him sooo vulnerable. I love my baby!

For the Sake of Something New

2008-10-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for being such supportive, lovely friends. But to move on to better days I thought I'd let everyone know that I had an absolutely delightful Monday. Not to mention that I had a spectacular revelation. I get paid 3 times this month. Oooo how I love that! After October, that doesn't happen until May of '09. Wahoo! for an extra paycheck. And yes, one day I will upload pictures for all of your delight. Sorry I've been full of pure verbage as of late. X's and O's to you all!

How Embarassing... and Yes, it's Long!

2008-09-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

So today... actually, let's start over. Ever since I can remember I would deem myself notorious for about 3-4 emotional breakdowns in a year. I can distinctly remember, back in high school, sitting down with the family to eat dinner. Everyone started talking about their days. I could not even begin to respond to my mom without breaking out into a ridiculous sob. After realizing nothing was wrong with me, I was asked to go upstairs until I could calm down. Yes, pathetically enough, my mom was aware and totally over my emotional break downs. She knew I would talk when I was ready. Long story of life short, I still maintain that it is my perogative to cry whenever I feel necessary. Today was one of my 3-4 days of this year. Embarassingly enough, it was while I was at work this morning. I could feel it coming on over the past few days. Still the last straw didn't break until 10 am in front of my employees, with my boss just feet away in my office. Not to worry, I didn't let them see me cry, but I'm fairly sure they had a good hunch. I managed to make it out the building and into an alcove before the tears started to roll down my cheeks. I got my composure, took a few more deep breaths, and then went back in. My boss, who is only based out of my store and travels most days, had no idea. She had started off on some tirade this morning about how she had so much to do after being gone a week. Yada yada yada. One cranky comment led to the next. I think I actually ended up crying over the fact that... here it comes... the breaking reason is always SO stupid. Someone was supposed to come and set up a second desk for her in my office. They didn't show up this week, and so she was upset. My assistant and I decided to try to put it together for her (She, my boss, had stepped out to answer a call on her cell). When she came back in the office she was the utter opposite of appreciative. She was blatantly upset that we had made a mess of her needed space. Even though we were under the impression that she wanted the desk put together. Needless to say, we moved her desk out of the office, and she proceeded to work at mine. I bit my lip and fought back tears as I moved my stuff out of her way. I know, stupid, stupid. My assistant could tell I was upset. She offered me a hug, and I thanked her as I passed without obliging. Letting her know that I was stepping out. How ridiculous am I? I can't believe that's what did me in. I thought I was being dumb, but it was gratifying when my boss apologized for being ridiculous. At least she knew it wasn't nice behavior. The sad thing is, on any other non-break down day the whole desk thing would only have deserved a weird look and a rhetoric "oookaaay!" And there is my embrassing story for the day. If you got to the end... thanks for reading =)

Holy Babies...

2008-09-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

So I have cousins that I'm really close to. Two, in particular, have always been two of my best friends. I found out last night, that Laura will be having her 2nd. I laughed and then turned to Nate. I told him we are getting way behind. Heidi is having her third soon, and now Laura will be one up on me, too. Not to mention, that I'm older than both of them. Don't worry, I'm not about to make any announcements of my own, but I just think it's funny. The crazy thing is how fast time goes by. We always said 4-6 kids, 2-4 years apart. Well, we're well past the 2 year apart mark. Then I stop and think numbers. Having kids can take some serious years. Lets say I want 4 more kids 3 years apart, average. That's 12 years until I have my last kid. Then say, we're lucky, and everyone is actually out of the house by the time they turn 18. Now we're talking 30 years until my last kid is out of the house. Now I'm 56 when my last kid leaves the house. The older I get, the younger 56 sounds, but really... And that's only if I have 5 kids total, on the lovely schedu;e of 3 years apart. That's crazy. A very well worth it crazy, but sheesh! By the way, CONGRATULATIONS, LAURA, RYAN, and TYLER!

A Little Vacaton Goes A LONG Way!

2008-08-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

So here are a few pictures of what we've been up to this summer. P.S. no hard feelings to any of those we might have been close to, but not stopped by to see. We honestly saw no one but family. It was so nice to stay in one house for a 10 day vacation. We wish we could have seen everyone. Seriously! But, boy, did I need time to seriously decompress. I love you all!!!

Knotts Berry Farm and having a swingin' time...

In Uncle Chase's shoes

Taking pictures with his sweet ride... that he can finally touch the ground on. I swear he grows at a molasses pace. It's fun to keep him small, though.

Universal studios

Ventures into Bikini Bottom

Downtown Disney... the picture makes for a sweet laugh

Nate and his first karting experience... LOVED it

Beach hair

Recent Randomness

2008-07-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

Jack's new trick...it still makes me a little nervous

Jack's water resort ( on our dead lawn...sick)

Hanging out on the front porch

Jack in the box

I just love this picture... oh, and its subject

LOVE

2008-05-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

Ever had those days when you stop and really remember the moments in life that make you misty eyed with tears of happiness? It's one of those days...

Family!

2008-05-11T20:12:00.001-07:00

It's been a full house, but we have absolutely loved having our family in town this past week.

The 3 Grandsons

A few of the boys at "This is the Place" park

A lovely Sunday afternoon

Jack and his Aunt "Chelonie"

At Baby Henry's blessing

The Dyal Family

We miss you all! Come back and play anytime. Love you all!!!

Pictures I'm in Love With!!!

2008-04-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

I am, I just really am. Maybe it's because I'm not home all the time anymore that makes me relish in his pictures so much. Seriously though, can you not just love these pictures!?!

Catch up and Mustard

2008-03-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

...and by mustard I mean randomness. I figured I better post some new pics before they themselves became extremely outdated. Enjoy!!!

Jack and his Aunt Becca. We went to California for a few days. We made it to Knotts and Disney land while we were there. The "kids" loved seeing their nephew!

All the time at amusement parks, and this is one of my favorite pics... yes, the bird cage at Knotts. Pathetic, I know.

Cheese!!! Happy late Easter. Yes, his haircut has been fixed since the picture. Though, I am really happy to have a picture or two with his Dumb and Dumber style haricut. I think it's pretty "shaweet!"

Training for the baby 5K... pantless!

In action

I LOVE Dirt!!!

2008-02-28T20:53:00.000-08:00

Now that the sun has been out for the last few days, Jack has learned just how much he really does love dirt. Nate and Jack have been having father, son time in the back yard lately. Here's a pic or two. I also had to throw in one of my "little girl". Ha!

Day at the Museum

2008-02-17T15:33:00.000-08:00

Dinosaur Museum, that is. Jack loved it. He walked around all by himself the whole time we were there. He only got scared of one really big T-Rex when I tried to make him sit at the base of it. Thanks Paul, Nicole, and Baby Isaac for getting us a buy one get one free pass. It was good times. Here are some prehistoric pics...

Jack in awe

Playing in a cave. Who knew caves were carpeted

Ha! It makes him look even smaller

Jack wanted to help Mom hold Baby Isaac. (How sad...Isaac is 3 months old, Jack is almost 18 months old, and they're the same size)

Excavating his very own... some kind of fossil

Random Cuteness

2008-02-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

They're just random pics, but I really like 'em. Enjoy..

Just hangin' around

Like Father like Son

Good Morning!

These moments are few and far between. I love it when I get them

Yo, Adrienne!

Jack No Like Milk

2008-02-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

Well, we've known that Jack is allergic to milk for a while now. He accidentally got his hands on some macaroni and cheese. Literally, it might have been two noodles, and some hot dogs with the cheese sauce on them. Even more, the mac was made with water instead of milk. Even still, the teensy amount of dehydrated milk in the sauce resulted in utter explosion of the face. Don't worry too much. He looks awful, but he could breathe the whole time. With the help of benadryl he has made a full recovery. I was at work when the business went down. Even six hours later he was still puffy. Nate says that the pictures don't even do it justice. Nate throws in the disclaimer that he wasn't at fault either. We'll leave the person nameless... wink, wink... we still love you! Does the movie Hitch come to mind for anyone else? Ha!

Holy...already almost February...Cow!!!

2008-01-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe how much time has already passed in '08. All is well in the Dyal house. I am working, and actually REALLY enjoying it. Nate is moving on with school and his math classes, and we are SOOO excited to cross that off our list of never-want-to do do's. It is still a very snowy wonderland here in Utah. Other than me hiring a personal trainer, all is same old, same old. I love stability. It makes me feel secure. I love the usual week routine of night classes, work, Young Womens, bath time, and down time. Here are some random pics from our not so random, as of late, lives. Hope all are well.

Jack and his beanie, made with love, from Grandma Quan

Yes, he really did line up his fruit snacks before devouring them... crazy kid

Go long!

Mr. Fix-it

Good Sport

2007-12-18T21:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Cozy Christmas! Nate was a fantastic sport this year. He winced at the idea of matching pajamas for our Christmas card picture this year. Lovingly, he gave in. The best part was when he came out of the bedroom with the new knowledge that he was wearing womens pj's. Only technically. The only way you would ever know is by the way the shirt buttoned. Anyhow, he got over it real quick. Nate's sister Chelon snapped a few quick photos for us. Thanks Shonnie! Now you all know what we will be wearing Christmas morning. Happy Holidays!!!

Giddyup!

2007-12-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

So, I'm just soooo elated that Matie Kay is back in business. Yes, my layout link officially allows you to choose from free lay outs, once again! ECSTATIC!!! Seriously, overjoyed. Yes it may be slightly ridiculous at how appeased I am, but hey, I've come to appreciate the sillyest of smallest things =). I love her... well, I think I would, but I do love her layouts!!! Can you tell by all of the superlatives and exclamation marks that I am overzealously excited? Oh, and my mom can read this one better now. I'm not that great at picking outmy color schemes. I never pay much attention to what color works better on which. Thanks Matie Kay!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

2007-12-08T21:28:00.001-08:00

Christmas Story?

"Once there was a snowman..."

Our backyard... plus 4" of snow

Fun Days with Dad

2007-11-14T21:53:00.000-08:00

So, Nate and Jack are enjoying their time together. Jack loves when his Dad pulls him through the house in his Lego wagon. Yes, it is supposed to hold his jumbo legos, but it has turned into a fun wagon as well. When I got home today, Nate said Jack built a fort. Jack, all by himself, pushed the stool over to his high chair and made himself a fort. He played in it for about 15 minutes, or so I'm told. Here are a few pics Nate has taken...

...Also, for those of you who may be wondering, I am loving my new job. Justice, Inc. is a fabulous employer when it comes to acknowledgment and rewards. Business has been surprisingly off the charts. It definitely has kept me on my toes. We've had management from other stores here to train me the last week and a half, but I don't feel like I'm getting much off the floor training. Luckily I love hands on learning. I've had to work more than my 40 hours a week, but I really haven't minded. It will stop as soon as I hire my new Assistant Manager, which I am out scouting for. In the mean time, I am fortunately paid hourly, so when I go over 40 hours I get time and a half. I am so used to being salaried. I used to think that was cool. Yeah, cool until you are working 60 hour work weeks during the holiday, and only getting paid for 40. I honestly feel so blessed. Everything is working out fantastic. Nate and Jack are getting along amazingly. Of course there's that natural mom part of me that wondered if everything would get done the way it should. I gave into my trust and I am so glad I did. Nate is doing so great! I even got a pleasant surprise of 2 clean bathrooms when I came home yesterday. Oh how I love my husband!

Craziness is Back

2007-11-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

Well, lately we've made some huge changes to our lives. Nate lost his job, and so we had some things to think about. We decided to have him go back to school and finish his degree while I support the fam for a while. God has really blessed us in filling our needs lately. I was about to accept an offer from my old employer ( which would have been over a 2 hr commute every day... without traffic), when I got a random phone call. Justice Inc., a girls clothing store had been given my application from Gymboree. They needed a store manager. At first I was torn, but it was a no brainer the more I thought about it. I accepted the position. It is 5-10 minutes up the freeway. It's a brand new store. More square footage and a new challenge. I've never had to build a business from scratch. It's been exciting, and I look forward to the future ( Especially way in the future, when I get to stay home again, and all this hard work pays off in a big way!). Thank you for the prayers and support. We'll keep everyone posted.

Jack, Jack, and MORE Jack

2007-10-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

So, I've been a productive photographer lately. Here are some fun recent photos...

1920's Jack
and his collectors F1 '60s Mercedes model that Grandpa Miranda gave him for his B-day.

Jacks latest trick. I walked in, and then ran back out for my camera.

Monkey Jack
Happy Halloween... muah ha ha!

"Hello... hello?"
Well, the words aren't quite there, but the action sure is.

Birthday Number One

2007-10-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! A year has gone by so fast. It's been so incredibly fun to see Jack Jack grow. The date was October 13th. It was so nice that his b-day was on a Saturday. We just kept things really small. My cousins, Nate's sister and husband, and Nate's BFF and wife came to join in the festivities. It was perfect, not too much stimulation, but enough for Jack to be excited. He just stared intently at everyone as we sang him his birthday anthem. Now, I've decided that every parent secretly wants their kids to dive into their first birthday cake (despite all the possible mess). Well, to our dismay, Jack refused. Any time we tried to even stick his hand in it, he cried. He would lick it from our fingers, but no way would he use his own. Then, sitting to close to the cake resulted in foot in the cake. Even then, another scream. Maybe it means he'll keep his room really clean. Maybe even love his chores!? Eh, a mother can dream...

Rediscovered

2007-10-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

So, I have never claimed to be a reader. Last thing I remember reading, and loving, was Matilda when I was in elementary school. I think I read that thing 5 times. For a kid, it was a decent size book. Then, with Jr. High and High School, I quickly gained an aversion to reading. I hated being told what to read, and especially how fast to do it in. You see, I am a horribly slow reader. I like to blame it on the fact that I have a crazy imagination. When I read, I can't just read. No matter the subject, no matter how stale the content, I have to picture everything in my head. I like to see the WHOLE picture. School always made that hard for me. Reading started to stress me out. I felt like I couldn't read the way I wanted to... until now. "Everyone and their moms" has been telling me to read the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. They all tried to convince me of how fabulous it was. I told them all, "sure, but you'll have to bring me the book, because there is no way I will come pick it up my own." Honestly, school had ruined me, or so I thought. Well, my sister-in-law, gave me the first of three. All I have to say about that is, it hasn't even been a week and I am already 200+ pages into the third book. For me to even get through one 500 page book is a miracle. The funny thing is, they just keep getting longer. I don't even care. It's a phenomenon. So maybe, just maybe, I have rediscovered my love for reading. Thank you Ms. Meyer!

Curb Appeal

2007-10-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

We just added a new front door to our house.
If you ask me, it's night and day. Thank you to
my beloved dad and mom who gifted it to us as a house warming present. Thank you, thank you, thank you! It's so nice to have a door that shuts and doesn't let any light in from warping and lack of insulation. Yahoo! Here's a before (it's before we moved in, so it might look quite a bit different)... and an after, or two.

Mysterious Ways

2007-10-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

So, we all know how the Lord sometimes works. Tonight, I ran into an odd string of circumstances that made me see the possible chance of an overseeing hand. I had our Evening in Excellence for Young Womens in our church tonight. I was in charge of putting together a video of all the Young Women. It turned out really well. I put in their baby pictures, intermittently, and added some music. I was actually quite proud of it. Well, in the midst of today I managed to snap it in half. Yes, I somehow closed up my stroller while the DVD was behind the seat, and SNAP! I freaked out, knowing I would have to reburn it. It wouldn't have been too bad, except for the fact that I didn't use my computer to do the project. Anyway... long story, but by the time I got the new DVD and changed my clothes (yes, I was already behind schedule) I was about 20 minutes late to the program. When I walked in the door, it was technically time to play the DVD. Instead, (maybe they didn't see me come in yet) they had the next girl give her talk. It was quite obvious that she had absolutely nothing prepared. It kinda made a weird lull in the evening. She should have been the last thing on the program. Frankly, it would have been a really weird ending to the night. But, because I had broken the DVD, had to make a new copy, and arrived late, the video was still left. It was a good ending to the evening, and everyone left on an upbeat, happy note. They all really enjoyed laughing at themselves, and seeing what each other had to say about their year in Young Womens. The baby pics were a hit. The best part was that the girl who gave the previous talk (and you could tell she was a little embarrassed about her lack of preparation) was the girl who did the original recording for the video. It was a nice way to acknowledge her, and relieve her raw embarrassment. So, although it stressed me out, and I don't like to be late, I had to laugh at the afterthought of... well, maybe the Lord just knew.

Manic Monday

2007-10-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

Oh, it's been a crazy day, and it's all my fault. So, typically I'm not a reader. My sis recommended I read the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. I've been slow to start, because I don't have a huge desire to jump into books. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. I've read 250 pages in just three days. That is absolutely amazing, seeing as how I am the slowest reader in the world (I blame my aversion to reading on my ridiculously slow pace). As a result, I did absolutely nothing today but read. Whenever Jack takes his naps, I typically clean or do something more productive. But to be honest, I'm kinda proud of myself. The TV wasn't on today, and I was incredibly entertained. I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a reawakening to my love of books. I used to love to read as a kid. So manic my day was because I put everything off 'til Nate was just about home. Since then it's been go go go: a quick clean up, dinner fixins, a quick trip with my YW presidency to buy decorations for Wed. night, Jack in the bath, a quick jot on the blog, and now I need to go cut Nates hair before we get on our way to bed. It's all been crammed into the last few hours, but it was worth it. I can't wait to read more... who knew?!

Once There Was a Snowman....

2007-09-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

So, not really, but it did snow, yesterday, for the first time, in the valley, this fall. It was only for a little while, but places got between 1-4 inches. Not too shabby. If you ask me, snow is pretty, but I can wait. Once it really comes, it's lovely, and then I get really tired of it. I wish I could live in snow, without really having to live, the daily routine things, in it. You know?

A Night Out

2007-09-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

Nate and I got to go out last night... just the two of us. I started thinking, and I realized that it was only the second time we have gotten out, since Jack was born. Yes, sad, but true, he was born a year ago. Last time we got out was for my birthday. This time, it was just dinner with friends. We went to PF Changs. It was so lovely to have an adult dinner. Oh the joy of just eating my food, and not feeding anyone else. No picking up spoons, or cutting up little pieces of my dinner to share. It makes me stop and really think of how important it is for us to get out. It was nice to be with other people. Still, the nicest part was to be out on a date with my husband. Big, huge, thanks to Nates sister, Chelon, and her husband, Ricky, for giving us the last minute chance to have a baby free dinner. Jack really loves them, and he had an extra special time with his Uncle Ricky. We can't thank them enough.

The new FHE goal... check in

2007-09-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

This week was fun. We had dinner at Paul & Nicole Brouwers, while starting the lesson/scripture part of the lesson. It was on family history. Then we filled out first generation pedigree charts. Sad how much I really didn't know (dates, etc.) when it came to my relatives. Then on the back we glued pictures we took of our families. Under the picture we wrote a brief personal history. Mine just had my schools, houses, siblings, yada yada yada... It was funny to think back and reminisce as we laughed with each other. Family Home Evening has not been our best feat in the past. We hope to improve vastly starting NOW. We've had 2 consecutive. We'll see how it goes from here.

Last Weekend

2007-09-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

So, Nate is related to Anson Call. He was involved with a lot of historical church things. He was basically the man called to run the LDS colonies in Mexico. Long story short, the Church dedicated a monument to him at the This is The Place Heritage Park up in Salt Lake. Elder Oaks was there to speak and give the dedicatory prayer. We were excited to see him, but didn't want to bother him amongst all the crowd. So, we walked down to the monument and took some pictures. On the way back up, Elder Oaks happened to be on his way down. We luckily crossed paths. He shook Nates and my hand. But, my favorite part is that Elder Oaks shook Jacks hand, too. He said, "Well hi there little guy." I was stoked. Anyway, an event for the baby book, for sure.