The Burt's

someday...

2010-03-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

I will update this blog sometime! I have been having problems with uploading pictures and having them in the right layout. I get so frustrated I just give up. I'm sure someday I can sleep better at night knowing this thing is up to date.

Our Halloween

2009-11-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

My conversation with Maci

2009-11-04T20:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight after dinner I was trying to keep Maci occupied so that I could clean up. I started asking her some questions so she would stay in her seat. It went a little bit like this:

Me: "What does a cow say Maci?"

Maci: "Moo"

Me: "What does a cat say?

Maci: "Meuw"

Me: "What about a horse?"

Maci: "Heeee"

Me: "Do you know what a car sounds like?"

Maci: "vrrooommmm"

Me: "What does mommy say?"

Maci: "no, no!"

That's not what I was really going for, but at least I know she's listening some of the time. She has a way of making me laugh pretty much everyday.

Fun with Friends

2009-10-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were able to spend the day with my long lost friend Stephanie. I'm really bad at keeping in touch, sorry! It was a nice little reunion and fun to talk about how our lives are pretty much the same and having babies just two months apart gives us quite a bit in common. We played at Heritage Park and had a picnic. Eli and Maci were on the gothe whole time and Maci wouldn't even sit down to eat. She just has too much to do and see! We had lots of fun and enjoyed being able to hang out with friends! Thanks again for fitting me into to your busy schedule Steph :)

The two deciding what to do next... swings or slide?

Isn't he adorable?

Maci loves helping out

A bit of our trip

2009-09-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

We have been having lots of fun visiting family in Texas and now in Tennessee. Maci loves meeting everyone and is starting to show so much personality!

Update!

2009-09-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever without a post, it shouldn't be much of a surprise. We've been busy this summer just like everyone else. We've had fun with our cousins and all the fun things that they invite us to do. We went to TX this last week and my cousin took us out on the lake the day before we left. It reminded me of all the fun we had when we were little. Maci and I are gearing up for another trip to TX and TN next week. We'll be gone for about 3 weeks! Crazy! I'm sure we'll have lots of fun. Hopefully my parents won't get tired of us and Josh won't get too lonely here in UT without us. He's still job hunting now that his internship has ended. Anyone know of anything? Anyways, here are a few pics. Enjoy!

helping cousin seth drive the boat

my older brother aaron didn't want to have to get back in the boat so we towed him to shore (it was one of those times you had to be there for it to be so funny)

she loves her float!

my aunt had a life jacket just her size, it was probably one I wore when I was little

at the discovery museum in SLC, the kids needed an ogre so I guess I fit the part?

the girls LOVED the slides! I couldn't get a good one of both maci and addi they were moving too fast

no mom's allowed in the treehouse!

free entertainment

2009-08-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

Whooo hooo!

2009-07-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Just so you know I am addicted to blogging! I'm not so great at staying up to date with mine, but I have a whole slew of them on my google reader that I tune into all the time. I've seen a lot of giveaways out there lately and I try my hand at them by entering my name and such. Most times I'm not the lucky winner, but recently while on Vanilla Joy I entered a few different ones she was featuring and won this cute pair of Nowali Moccasins. I wish I would have had these last winter before Maci was walking. She got really good at pulling socks off her feet and it was even harder to convince her that she needed to keep shoes on her feet too. I think that these would have been perfect! I picked out a pair for her to wear this winter while at home and running errands. I'm not sure how well she will transition from bare feet to socks so I'm sure these will work great! You should check them out!

Warning: this post has too many pictures!

2009-07-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

When our computer started sparking and almost caught fire about a month ago I felt bad that I had to neglect my blog for awhile and have the same post up for a month. So here are some pictures of what we've been up to this summer. We've been having lots of fun!

Our trip to the Dinosaur Museum

We love hanging out with cousins!

cute little dinos!

The 4th of July!

We had fun at the bouncy house and watching the kids play before the Sandy parade. Josh and I went to the Stadium of Fire that night and had a blast! I was deaf when we left due to the Jonas Brothers performing. Josh is a new fan! I did have pictures, but they were on my phone and then they were deleted :( It was the BEST fireworks show I've seen so far and I loved the SHEDaisy performance!

Maci's other mom

You had to be there to think this picture is funny. Mac had a little accident after Spence helped him slide (roll, bounce, fall on his face) down. It was scorching hot and the two little boys at top refused to go down. This one wasn't the best pic. but I have uploading issues.

Maci+bounce house=LOVE!

Playing outside is one of her favorite things. She keeps an ear out for when the back door opens so that she can make sure she gets to go out too.

New dresses

Maci and cousin Addi took swim lessons together. She wasn't sure what to think about all the water, but we had fun taking her and seeing her reactions to having to blow bubbles, kick her feet, go under water, and try to float on her back. Addi was like a little fish. Maci...not so much!

thrifty treasures

2009-06-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

Josh and I went to the community garage sale here in Suncrest last weekend and I just thought it would be fun to post my pictures of the cute end table we found for $20. I enjoy seeing everyone else out there in blogland post their thrifty finds so I'm excited to join in on the fun. I currently like the green color, but also like the fact that I could paint it at any time to change it up. I also found some candlesticks, a lamp, and a couple ball decor thingys for $10. I just need to find some candles now. I also have a picture frame to spray paint and add to the table so that it'll be somewhat complete

It's a little late...

2009-06-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

Maci turned 1 year old on the 21st of May. That weekend we had a fun party at Wheeler Farms with our family and we got to have a picnic, feed the ducks, try to pet the cows, see all the animals, and go for a wagon ride. She got lots of fun toys and had fun being a cowgirl for the day. She loves walking everywhere now. It only took about a week for her to get it down. I know the day that she'll start running everywhere will be just around the corner! (I can never get the pictures in the right spot on here? Maybe I'm the only one with this problem??)

she's how old?

2009-05-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was at the store buying supplies for Maci's 1st birthday party and when I got home I somehow stumbled across this picture of her. I almost cried I think? I can't believe a year has just about come and gone. She has been so much fun to have in our family. The picture above depicts the only time the girl is calm. She has become pretty curious about everything and loves to get into whatever she can find. She's ready to walk, but unfortunately she has her mother's coordination so it might take a little bit longer. Those crazy legs just won't do what she wants them to. She loves saying hi to everyone at the store and people in pictures. She'll keep saying hi usually until she can get the person of choice's attention. She's pretty relentless. She moos, quacks, barks, and meows when she sees the animals and will sometimes do it on command. Her new favorite thing is to go to the park and play on the big playset and just stand there and watch the other kids have fun. She yells at them a bit too. I've tried to teach her some sign language, but the only ones she finds important are food/eat and more. She told me for the first time tonight (using signs) that she was finished. She knows how to make a mom proud. She has two teeth on the bottom now with two coming through on top. I'll be glad when all of those things finally come in! Well, this month has flown by. As soon as I get pictures from my family I'll post all about our *glorious (*hint of sarcasm) road trip back to TN!

The light at the end of the tunnel

2009-04-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

I finally got all of my pictures on the computer so I'm just now posting about the exciting news, I'm finished with my Bachelor's degree! Now I'm just waiting to get the actual diploma in the mail. It was nice to be back in Rexburg and to take part in the graduation festivities.

Welcome to the Family!

2009-04-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

This is just a little announcement to welcome the newest member to our family, our Bosch Universal Mixer Plus! I also found a grain mill attachment to make my own flour for my bread. I was so excited for our newest appliance addition that I had to break it in as soon as I got it home. I made my first batch of bread tonight with it and am waiting to taste it. The whole house smells so nice, I sure hope it turned out okay. I purchased some soft white wheat and hard white wheat today so that I could use the grain mill and it worked beautifully! If only the bread could make itself...

current cravings

2009-03-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

Any of these Moda collections would make me so happy. I have been craving these few all day and can't stop thinking about what I would do with them. I'm not sure if I've ever told anyone that I love fabric! All types, textures, and colors. I can't go into fabric stores very often because I make myself sad knowing that I shouldn't buy anything. I probably shouldn't go shopping for fabric anytime soon...I might just have to buy lots and lots of fabric. My stockpile has recently dwindled with the move and trying to get rid of things I wouldn't use. Now that my sewing efforts are no longer focused on projects for my classes at school I need to replenish my stock for things that I want to do. My stock before wasn't that great anyways, there weren't a lot of places to find what I wanted in Rexburg. Now that I have been seeing little shops everywhere I keep stumbling across projects I want to try. One is to reupholster a few things. I told Josh this one day and then he got excited and said "yeah, then you could sell them and make a little extra money". Sell them? No, I just wanted to keep it all for myself! Well, I guess I'm through indulging myself with fabric for the day. I will make my imaginary purchases and dream about my projects tonight. My dream sewing room is almost complete now that I have found some new fabric to stock it with. If I could only find everything that I would like for a cheap price I would be even happier.

P.S. Kelli, I can't wait to go to Broadbent's! Your mom said if we need to go earlier in the day due to little people schedules she would trust us with our choices :)

crossing my fingers

2009-03-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

I really do like jewelry I just don't wear any very often because what I have doesn't match the few outfits I can fit into right now. So I entered this giveaway at Natalie's Sentiments for her Paisley Lane Giveway so that maybe I can add a few new pieces to wear. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

our fun outing

2009-03-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

Last week my long, lost friend Mandy invited Maci and I to go to the Treehouse Museum in Ogden. It was a lot of fun seeing her again and meeting her little girl Millie who is just a month younger than Maci. She and I were roommates our first semester at BYU-I and it was probably one of the best because I had the best roommates anyone could ever have. We hadn't seen each other in about 4 years, but it seemed like we hadn't seen each other in only months. That is one reason I love blogging. I feel like I have a little insight in to everyone's life that I might not otherwise know about because I'm really bad at staying in touch if it were left up to just phone calls. So thanks again Mandy! You provided me with a little bit of sanity I needed. My mom always jokes with me and tells me that play groups and other forms of socializing is really just for the moms. Yeah the kids may have fun too, but we seem to need that one on one time with other adults. I realized I need to get out more often and since the weather has been sooo nice this week it gives me hope that I will get myself out of the basement a little more often now that the weather is getting better. Oh and Kelli if you read this, whenever and wherever you feel like going Maci and I are game!

the girls playing in the kitchen area at the museum

the two having a tea party
at the oval office in the museum
she loved the railing!

and banging on the doll display cases

BBQ+Chicken+Pizza=my favorite!

2009-03-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a recipe for BBQ Chicken Pizza that I made about a month ago. Instead of going out for Valentine's day dinner I decided to make this tasty little pizza instead. This was a pretty tasty recipe. The dough wasn't my favorite so next time I think I'd try a different one. It was pretty thin (I probably rolled it out too thin) so next time I would make it round and use my stone that I know is packed somewhere. Enjoy! I would've included a picture, but it wasn't all that great looking because it was rectangle, sorry!

Original BBQ Pizza (adapted from California Pizza Kitchen)

From: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes

Crust:

1/3 cup + 1Tbs warm water

3/4 tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 Tbs olive oil

Topping:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half (*I used a rotisserie chicken from Costco)

1/2 cup bullseye original bbq sauce

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated gouda cheese (smoked is best)

1/2 cup sliced red onion

2 tsp finely chopped cilantro

Start the dough one day before you plan to serve the pizza. In a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve the yeast and sugar in warm water. let sit for about 5 mins. use a fork to stir the liquid,add the olive oil, gradually adding more flour, until all the ingredients are combined. when you can no longer stir it with a fork, use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Knead for 10 mins. Form the dough back into a ball and coat it lightly with oil, and place in a clean bowl covered with plastic wrap. let the dough rise for two hours. Punch down the dough and place it into your refrigerator overnight. Take the dough out 1-2 hours before you plan to build the pizza so that it gets to room temp.

Cut the chicken into bite sized cubes and marinate in 1/4 cup of the bbq sauce for two hours in the refrigerator.

When the chicken is marinated, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Heat a small frying pan with about 1 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Saute the chicken in the pan for about 4 mins. or until no longer pink.

Form the dough into a ball and roll out on a floured surface until thin and 10 inches in diameter. Spread the remaining 1/4 cup bbq sauce over the the crust.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of mozzarella and all of the gouda cheese over the sauce.

Add the chicken next, then red onion. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella around the center of the pizza. Bake for 10-12 mins. Top with cilantro

*I saved a lot of time by having the cooked chicken. I just tossed it in some bbq sauce and put it on the pizza.

I made it!

2009-02-20T08:26:00.000-08:00

I have this unique disease where I have a tendency to get really excited about starting a new project of some sort so I go all out and start on it then I get close to being finished and I never complete it. It just sits in a closet somewhere. I don't know what it is? I think it might be because I usually get frustrated and then just burnt out. When I finished this little dress for Maci in two days I was really excited! I actually finished a project that I started (and it wasn't a year later). The only problem now is that I made it in the hopes that Maci would be able to wear it, but now it seems to have turned out a little too big. I might just have to find some more fabric that I have just lying around (I'm an compulsive fabric buyer also) and make up another one so she can wear it sooner. This was one of the easiest patterns I've worked with. Yay! I finally followed through with something!

Get ready tooth fairy

2009-02-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

her new pants are a little big, just added growing room

I can't believe I didn't even realize what was going on last night when Maci woke up throughout the night crying. She was wrapped up with her face in her blanket and wasn't waiting on me to come in and get her, (usually she's standing up trying to break the crib down) she was just laying there helplessly. For some reason I was too tired to coherently come up with the proper diagnosis of what was wrong with my baby. I just thought "oh, maybe she's going through a growth spurt?" because she has been sleeping through the night really good for quite some time now and I haven't had any problems with her wanting to wake up and eat every three hours. I would just go in and hold her for a few minutes and eventually she would calm down so I put her back down to sleep. It wasn't until I went to give her a snack today that I found the root cause of her strange sleeping pattern...it was her FIRST TOOTH! I was giving her a piece of cereal bar and to myself I said out loud "eating would be easier if you had some teeth" and then that's when she bit down on my finger to let me know she does in fact have a tooth. It isn't in all the way, it has just cut through so it'll be awhile until most people can actually see it. I called Josh when I found it and he asked if I took a picture. Do you think she's going to let me hold her mouth open and take a picture, NO! So instead I have a couple of her in her new princess jammies she wore last night. Maybe I can get a picture of the tooth some other time, just don't get your hopes up. This girl has a mind of her own, she really only likes to do what she wants to do.

Once Upon a Time...

2009-02-11T13:22:00.000-08:00

I had a dream last night after I accidentally stumbled upon the Pottery Barn Kids website when I was supposed to be finishing an assignment online. Here is what the inspired dream consisted of, after eight months of Maci having a room, it actually looked like a room and the bedding above was the center of the inspiration for the cute little masterpiece I had come up with. One of the only things different was her crib no longer featured the cute fairy and paisley bumper because it would help her to be able to climb out her bed easier. I'm just not ready to find her asleep on the floor yet. Anyways her room was decked out in pink and fairy perfection. I had a cute little shelf displaying letters for her name that I bought months ago and haven't done anything with. I had made some cute little fairy outfits to display and everything. Then all of a sudden I woke up and realized her room is still undecorated and very plain to me. Maybe one day I can go to sleep and not have to dream about her room, but actually be happy that my dream came true....

I must have too much time on my hands?

Ode to Addi

2009-01-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Addi,

Thank you for the super tasty strawberry valentine cake. I loved it! My mom didn't let me have the whole thing(I think she wants the rest for herself)but the part that I did have was amazingly good. You seem to know exactly what I like, with pink cake who could go wrong?

I hope you feel better soon so we can play. Thanks again!

Love,

Maci

Everyday is a Maci day

2009-01-28T21:26:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to get back into the swing of regular postings, but sometimes I feel like there isn't a whole lot that goes on here besides the little things from day to day. Maci has become mobile. It's very scary to see a little body pop around the corner when you're not expecting it or to feel something trying to pull itself up on your leg when your trying to do blow dry your hair. It's lots of fun. I just can't believe my baby is 8 months old! 8 months! Ahh. I'm sure I'll feel this way each month as she gets older. It's been a lot of fun watching her learn new things everyday. She talks a little here and there, the only word we can understand is "hiiii" when she gets excited to see someone with the crazy hand waving that follows. We ventured to the aquarium last week so she could wave at some fish. We got a year pass so it'll be fun to go back again sometime. We try to make it to the weekly cuddletime at the library. It's a 30 min. story/activity/song time for babies 0-2 yrs. Maci isn't so interested in the whole sit in mom's lap and sing fun songs as she is in watching all the other babies and toddlers have fun sitting in their mom's laps singing fun songs. I dream of one day having a baby that'll be cuddly...this girl isn't into all of that she doesn't have time to be held, she's only got time to be on the go. Switching gears, Josh just got moved up to a supervisor position at UPS. It's still just part-time, but he doesn't come home any more smelling like cardboard! Yay for me! He never noticed it, but it was faintly there. He is in charge of training new hires at the time being, but may get switched around. He seems to enjoy it for now. Well, I'm sure that's about all the excitement we've had recently. I'll just leave the pictures to tell the rest.

rough nap

bath time baby

daddy and drums

she crawled into the castle and found Ken ready for his swim party

on the move

she loves to eat

We're still alive

2009-01-05T16:24:00.001-08:00

It's been FOREVER, I know! Now that Christmas is over, we've moved, and a new year has begun I decided to post a little update about our family. Maci is now 7 months old and she's still learning new things everyday. She loves to wave hello to everyone and likes eating all kinds of new foods. She gets a little frustrated with me because I can't seem to shovel it in as fast as she'd like. Just this morning Maci discovered that she could crawl across the living room and get into the magazines. I'm not so sure I'm ready for her to be come a little adventurer and get into everything. I guess it's inevitable. This past month we had a lot of fun enjoying the holidays and spending time with family. Maci and I surprised my family and went to Tennessee to see them for a while. We had lots of fun and enjoyed the warmer weather. After the snow today I decided that I'm ready for Spring. I know I've got a lot more snow to go, but warmer weather would just be so much nicer, at least it'll be something to look forward to. Well, I guess I'll just end now and post a few pictures of Maci and what she has been up to lately. I hope to be a little more regular with my posting now that our computer is working again. Hope everyone is having a wonderful new year!

5 months and counting

2008-11-13T14:39:00.000-08:00

Well, our little baby is getting bigger each day. She's five months old and will be six at this end of this moth so I thought I would give a little recap of how she's been. She's figured out how to roll over and doesn't really cry anymore when she's on her tummy. It just seems to be a natural thing for her if only she could figure out how to get around and crawl. She'll turn in a circle to find something, but that's about it. She wakes up in the mornings now making different noises. She hasn't been doing it long enough for me to really figure out what it means, but it's funny. It's like she trying to tell me how her night was and what she wants to do today. (it would probably sound like babbling to anyone but me) She loves watching what everyone is doing and seems fascinated by her cousins most times. She's on the edge of being able to sit up. If I put her on the floor sitting up she'll stay for awhile until she gets so excited she falls over. She drools ALL the time, but still no teeth. Her hair is growing funny with just a little patch on top and is slowly coming in on the sides, it seems to have a little bit of curl to it, we'll just have to be patient and wait. All in all she's a happy healthy baby that keeps us busy! Enjoy the pictures!
Happy 5 months Maci!

Josh is sure she gets all of her funny faces from me!

I know the drool is gross

another weird face and crazy hair

big girl!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

We have had a fun day of Halloween treats! I just wanted to post a picture of our favorite treat of all!

I'm a WINNER!

2008-10-20T19:28:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it! I actually won something! I have entered a few giveaways that Natalie has been having to celebrate the Fall season and I am the recipient of some fun things from the Pleated Poppy. I would have found out sooner if I would have gotten online this past weekend, but we were busy packing up and moving(I don't really want to talk about that right now-not ready to cope with change yet) so it was a wonderful surprise. If you're interested you can enter some yourself, she has lots of fun things offered. Good Luck!

Mmmm Cereal

2008-10-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

Maci has been eating baby cereal for a few weeks now. The first two weeks she seemed really confused by me trying to stick a spoon in her mouth with mushy stuff on it. This week she has really started enjoying her cereal. The first day she started to like it she would cry when I took the spoon out of her mouth to get more. She has learned to be a little more patient now. This morning I was trying to eat my own breakfast and she just stared at me the whole time and would even open her mouth for me so that I could share. This little girl really likes food!

Happy 2 years!

2008-10-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

So I was out of town two weeks ago when Josh and I had our 2 year anniversary. I feel that it's a blog-worthy event and am going to post a few pictures to commemorate the special day. Enjoy

Sniff Sniff

2008-10-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

So I guess it's almost official... We're moving. I'm happy and sad all at the same time which makes me feel kind of unstable. We love our little haven here in Rexburg and will really miss everyone who has contributed. I just thought that I would give everyone a little update so that everyone could be up to speed. We did find renters and owners for our condo all at the same time! My brother and sister-in-law have decided to move in so we're happy to know that they will love our place just about as much as we have. It's been a big relief to have good tenants. For some reason it's just so hard to let our little home go. They will be moving in around the 25th of this month so I guess that means that Maci and I should be out sometime before then? We haven't set a definite moving date yet probably because that would make it seem too real. So we're off to Utah! (Draper to be exact, for now). After writing this I feel like I coming to grips with it a little more so sorry for my rambling!

Farewell, Reed's Dairy Ice cream! You have made our life so much happier. Oh how we loved to support our local cows! Now I will have to find something else to fill the void.

Sweet Baby

2008-09-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

She's just too cute! The two of us have lots of fun together.

It's just boring

2008-09-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

Wow, I realized today I haven't posted any happenings in a long time. I guess that is because not a lot has really happened. Maci and I just sit around the house all day keeping each other busy while Josh is down in Salt Lake working like crazy. We decided today that we'll try to rent our place out here starting in October so then Maci and I will move down there and find somewhere temporary to stay for a little while. It's been exciting that Josh has a new job, but not so fun to not be together. We had a fun weekend when Josh came up to visit. Maci showed off all of her new tricks. She's rolling over now and she isn't sure if she likes being on her tummy, but it's fun to see her reaction. I think she gets a little shocked. She picked up on peek-a-boo this morning and I'm not sure that putting a blanket over her face to get her to go to sleep when we're at church will work anymore because she thinks it's time to play the game again. She's so much fun and keeps me busy all day, it's great! Lauren just joined us here in Rexburg now that she's going to school at BYU-I and it's been a lot of fun to hang out with her! Well, that's about all that I can remember that has happened recently.

(this is a piece of corn from our garden)

The Search is over!

2008-08-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

Maci enjoyed cousin Addi's bumbo

Josh and Maci at Gardner Village - Thanks for getting her to smile NeSmith!

We decided to walk around after Josh's interview in SLC.

We went down to Utah last week so that Josh could go to a couple of job interviews and it turns out that they were successful. Thanks again for letting us crash with you Kelli! Josh was offered a job with the Employment Resources Services for the Church in SLC. We're not sure when he'll actually start and we have to work out all of the housing details, but we're still excited. We're not that thrilled that we will have to go through the whole moving ordeal and leave all the things that we've come to enjoy here in Rexburg behind like friends and family (Nathan, Hanna, and Lauren-we really will miss you), the garden, the small town, only having to choose between three places to eat at on the weekends :), our little home, etc., but we're on to a new adventure and not so much snow!

Summer!!

2008-08-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since I last posted that I'm sure I'll miss a ton of things, but I thought I would just try to recap a few of the happenings. We had Maci's blessing back in June and Josh's parents were able to come along with his sister Kelli and my parents were able to come also and my sister Kelley joined them. My family stayed for a week and we had a great time having them visit. We just recently came back from our trip to Tennessee. Josh was able to stay a week and Maci and I stayed a two weeks. Nathan and Hanna were sealed in the Memphis temple on July 26th and it was a lot of fun to see all of our family that was able to make it. We then went to Chattanooga and stayed with my parents. Kelley was such a big help with Maci the whole time that I'm not sure what to do on my own now :) Lauren, you're still her bff and thanks to Greg's encouragement she's pooped in her diaper almost everyday since we've left. She sure misses everyone holding her. This past weekend Josh came down and picked me up in Utah and we were able to see his parents and his sister Kelli's family along with the newest addition cute little Addi. So now we're back home here in Idaho waiting for that amazing job to surface somewhere and I still hope that we're here long enough to be able to hang out with Lauren and help her adjust to BYU-I (it's not like she'll even need our help) It'll be fun to have her closer. So now I'll just shower you with as many pictures that I can find that show off our fun summer!

Maci was rolling onto her side this morning while she was laying on her back

Our happy little baby!

Lauren+Maci=bff

Grandad and Maci

Josh's b-day cake on Monday

Happy Birthday!!

She has become very interested in her bouncer, it keeps her entertained for quite a while! Thanks Kelli!

Chattanooga

On top of an observation deck looking out to downtown Chattanooga

Maci at the bowling alley

They're happy because they were so much better than all of us at bowling

We all had a good time bowling!

Hanna's Birthday cake made by yours truly...chocolate & peanut butter & more chocolate, oh so yummy!

Happy b-day Hanna!

Ruby falls, an indoor waterfall inside of this huge cavern on Lookout Mountain

A picture from behind the falls

Josh and I-it was a little too dark to see us

Hanna and Nathan

Aunt Kelley and Maci

Lauren and Greg at St. John's Restaurant

Way to Go!!

2008-07-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

Think Like a Chef

2008-07-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

Today definitely felt like Christmas when I walked out into the living room and saw a box with ALL-Clad written across it. I think my heart even skipped a beat or two. You might be wondering what would make me this excited? PANS! (I know kind of weird, just one of those simple pleasures in life). I had almost forgotten that I had actually arranged for Josh to pick them up this morning in Idaho Falls on his way home from work. We decided that we wanted to buy one of the pans with our christmas money, but then I talked him into the better investment which included the nine piece set :) It has taken a while, but we bought them at the store where I did my internship last Fall and got a nice little discount :) Now I can cook like the chef that's always been inside and have all the right tools to get the job done tastefully.

Just around the corner

2008-07-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

Josh has been studying for his very last test in his very last class. He will be graduating on Friday! It hasn't really set in yet and I'm sure it won't until the Fall semester starts and he won't be going back to school. He was trying to keep Maci entertained for a little while and I looked over and he was trying to teach her about Business Law. For some reason she found it pretty exciting and funny, maybe it was just because dad was giving her attention and she thinks he's pretty funny lately. We'll keep you posted on where we're going or what we're doing after graduation. We're still not so sure ourselves :)

Finally!

2008-07-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

After trying to get this silly girl to take a nap all day long and trying just about everything I gave up. She was exhausted, but wouldn't let herself fall asleep and wouldn't let me help her either. I was making something to eat and propped her in the chair and the next thing I know, she's out! I had been wanting to take a nap myself all day, but by this time it just wasn't worth it. I had dishes in the sink, laundry in the washer, and Josh would be home soon. Funny how that happens.

We love holidays!

2008-07-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! We were excited to have a holiday this weekend. I felt very productive because I didn't just sleep all day. We woke up bright and early for a breakfast with our ward that turned out to be really nice and tasty. After the breakfast we drove be the Teton Dam Flood site that Josh had never seen before. We then came home and took a walk up at the gardens on campus and tried to stay cool for awhile in the shade. Nathan and Hanna had made kabobs for lunch so we went over and enjoyed the food for awhile afterwards. Later that night instead of driving down to Idaho Falls to see the fireworks and getting stuck in traffic for hours, we went and played croquet and then watched the fireworks all around the valley from the playing fields. It was a really nice and relaxing day, we love holidays! I've posted some pictures of our cute girl. Recently she has been smiling like crazy so I wanted to catch some of them, she gave me some other funny faces as well.

Happy 1 Month, Maci!

2008-06-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

I planned on posting pictures of Maci and sending out our blog earlier, but I just never got around to doing it. I have told myself that I will do better and keep everyone updated so here goes my attempt with blogging. Our little one arrived on May 21st and each day has been a new adventure. She is a sweet baby and really only cries when I've waited too long to feed her. She's also a good sleeper with a three hour routine of sleeping and then eating and going back to sleep. We've even made it through a few five hour nights before she wakes up. At two weeks she was 9.9lbs and I can tell that she just keeps getting bigger. We're not really sure who she looks like right now, but I can see a bit of red in her hair!

Here are a few pictures to recap her first month:

Happy Father's Day!

We went to take pictures at the Gardens on campus to give Josh for Father's Day

She makes some of the funniest faces for us

She likes to stretch out at night in her crib

1 week old enjoying her boppy pillow

She stayed comfortable at the hospital

Hanna holding Maci on the 2nd day

She couldn't keep her tongue in her mouth

She must be stuck?

2008-05-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

So I've been waiting now for almost a week for our little one to come. Silly doctor said that she would for sure be here by Friday and here it is Tuesday. We're (I'm) opting for an induction tomorrow so we can finally meet baby. I should've known things wouldn't have worked out and been that easy, but I was very hopeful and now I'm having to learn a hard lesson in patience. I'll go in to the hospital at 7:30 in the morning and we'll get started from there. Hopefully I'll have some cute pictures to post soon. I think I have everything as ready as I can have it. The bags are in the car, the infant seat has been installed properly so here we go...

The Waiting Game

2008-05-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

These pictures are of Josh helping me get baby's room ready when we put the crib together and then when we (okay pretty much just him) painted the room. I can't find my picture of the room all finished, but I'll keep looking.

So now I sit here again today wondering what to do with myself? My bags are all packed and ready. I really should plan something each day so that I can give myself something to look forward to so that I don't get so bored and then turn into an emotional, weepy blob that feels huge and uncomfortable all the time. There's only so much reading and cleaning that I feel like I can put up with each day. And then I think that I'll go out and find some store to just walk around in (I'm a little limited here in Rexburg), then by the time I get home I'm exhausted and my feet hurt and I wasn't out that long. I've decided I'll just get over it and stop feeling sorry for myself. These last few weeks seem like months though and I'm such an impatient person! We're pretty sure that we're all ready for this baby now. Her room is put together, I've gone through and folded her clothes a thousand times, the diapers are all stacked in the perfect little spot, and her bed is ready for her to sleep in. Now the two of us just sit here and wait together. I told Josh how I got a little lonely yesterday so I talked to her as I made lunch, at first we were going to have a banana and then we decided on a tangerine, he couldn't help but laugh at me because of that one, see what's happening to me!!! So hopefully we can share some exciting news with everyone soon before I go crazy!

It's Over!

2008-04-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

So school is officially over! I feel like I can breathe again. It has been a really fun semester, but has gone really fast and been a little stressful at times. Now I think about all the things that I can and need to do and it's exciting to think that my time doesn't have to involve any school projects or papers. I even tried to sleep in today, but was unsuccessful. So I now plan to start a blog and keep it up. Hopefully I can know keep everyone informed with what are life is like and how things are before and after baby get here.