THE KRAUSS HOUSE

The Holidays

2012-01-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

The Holidays were great for us this year! Miles REALLY got into the whole thing, which made it all so much fun. Here are just a few pics- yes, they're almost entirely of Miles. I now understand why people say Christmas is for the kids :)

Neil and Miles ready to deliver treats to the neighbors- Miles and I made caramel apples and I have to say I'm pretty proud of the way they turned out. TASTY!

We spent a week in Dallas with Neil's family and got to be there for Christmas. We had a couple days of great weather which we definitely took advantage of!

The kids waiting patiently to see if Santa came- they were very disappointed to see that in lieu of gifts, Santa gave all the kids journals to write down their thoughts on life. Just kidding. He came...and he came with a bang!

As rambunctious as Miles can be, he is one dainty gift opener! I'm pretty sure nothing would have been opened if nobody helped him out a bit.

I wish I could describe how much Miles loves his new backhoe loader...

Miles got some great gifts- but I have to say, so did Neil and I! Neil's parents gave us a new bread maker, which is just the BEST. I can eat an entire loaf in one sitting. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant- probably not.

Neil's sister Molly and I helped the boys make a gingerbread house. Miles ate most of his candy before it made it to the house.

When we got home from Dallas, we had our own little Christmas here at our house. It was a lot of fun and Miles was excited to see that Santa came to our place, too!

What a haul! Check out that smile :)

We then got to go out to my parents' house for yet another round of gift exchanging which was great! The big surprise that us Big Kids got was a heli-ski trip to Canada in 2013 with the whole family. I CAN'T WAIT!!

Like I said, the holidays were absolutely awesome. We did have a few mishaps along the way, like the stomach flu, which took hold of all three of us right before Dallas, and made us miss the Miles family Christmas party. Then there was a nasty cold that we all got when we returned home, and made for a pretty boring birthday for me... But all that didn't stop us from having fun- just made it so we had to have a toilet nearby during every festivity ;)

WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER BOY!!

2011-11-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

I was more than excited to find out this morning that we're having another boy! We can't wait for the little guy to get here...Miles will finally have a hoop-shooting, block-building, tractor-scooping buddy to hang out with 24/7. HOORAY!!

Whoa Nelly! Time for an Update!!

2011-11-10T15:33:00.001-08:00

It's high time for an update, I'd say. Summer always gets so busy that I get overwhelmed with the amount of pictures I have from various vacations. The result is I don't keep the old blog updated like I should! So here are pictures starting from our trip to Jackson Lake way back in July, down to the most recent! Some are kind of random, but cute, so I had to throw them in.

At Jackson Lake, Neil and I had to do our annual bike ride up signal mountain...always has a great view.

A few stormy days kept us inside the cabin, so we spent the extra time eating popcorn and making forts.

The BEACH with Neil's fam

Say NO to crack

I love this one.

Fly Fishing at a little pond not far from our house- we didn't catch anything, probably because Miles kept throwing rocks in the water!

Bubble Bath!

The ZOO (random pic)

The Splash Pad: One of Miles' favorites...he even liked it more than going to the pool!

First day of Playschool with friend Tate

Trip to Dallas, in which we went to the Texas State Fair and an awesome pumpkin patch that Miles couldn't get enough of.

My little elephant!!

Trick or Treat!

Now that the chilly fall weather is here, Miles can't be seen outside without his beanie :)

Miller family party in Tremonton, which just happens to be a toddler's paradise.

...not to mention a husband's paradise, too!

Miles is into "buildin' blocks" on his firetruck. This is his latest masterpiece!

Well that's about it for now....Oh and did I mention we're expecting baby number two in April?! Wish I had a good pic to go along with it, but I will in a few weeks when we find out what we're having! HOORAY!!! Consider yourself updated :)

TWO MILES!

2011-08-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't believe I have a full-blown, energetic, hyper, smiley, loving, tantrum-throwing two-year-old! Miles had a great birthday....

Hank and Sally flew in from Dallas for the occasion, which made it even more special. The day started off with us all going to Cars 2 in the morning, which was Miles' first movie in a theater. He loved sitting in the big seats and munching on popcorn.

In the evening, we had a big party planned at a nearby park where Miles could "shoot hoops" and play on the grass and playground. My whole family came, along with Hank and Sally, but before we knew it, we were caught in an out-of-nowhere summer thunderstorm that forced us indoors!

Miles didn't let that ruin his special day. Although he was in the beginning stage of what would soon be a major cold that would wipe us all out, he stayed happy and had an awesome time opening presents and eating cake inside!

When the storm cleared a bit, we went out front and lit some fireworks to celebrate the day. Miles is all about those popper things that you throw on the ground (so was everyone else). We plan to make it a tradition to light fireworks every year on Miles' birthday.

Happy birthday, little Munchkin!

At the park, right before the clouds rolled in! Miles insisted he hold the Cars 2 cake-toppers.

Shootin' some hoops with Pops

Playing in the sweet sandbox Gram and Grandpa gave him

Checking out the neighborhood on his new big wheel from Nan and Pops

I love this one of my dad and Neil playing cars with Miles on the floor!

Happy 4th

2011-07-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend! Here's a quick play-by-play:

Saturday afternoon we headed up to my parents' lot in Huntsville. We took the 4-wheelers up towards Monte Cristo and rode around for a few hours, then came back to the lot for some grilled hot dogs!

Miles has his own camp chair. What a stud...

My parents' cabin will sit right on this lot! We can't wait for it to be built...this place will hold many memories for us in the future :)

Sunday night we had a little fireworks show of our own...complete with Flowers and those loud snap things that you throw on the ground. Neil and Brad were our pyro-techs. If you think Washington D.C.'s got a good show, you haven't been to ours...hahahahaha

We spent Sunday night at my parents' house so that we could make it to the Granite Community Parade that their stake puts on every year. Miles loved it, because it's mostly filled with people riding 4-wheelers, tractors, motorcycles...anything that makes a loud noise!

This guy was hilarious!

People are constantly throwing candy to the spectators, which Miles thought was pretty awesome. His little pockets on his cargo shorts were bursting at the seams by the time the parade ended. Here he is going to town on a sucker...

That evening, we went to the Bees game with my folks and Les. It was Miles' first baseball game! The weather was PERFECT...the clouds kept us covered the entire game, and it never rained. We didn't see the fireworks afterwards because Miles was too tired. But we still had a great time!

Go Bees!

HAPPY 4TH!!

THIS IS A VENTING POST

2011-07-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know the exact reason for this post, other than it's mostly just to blow off some steam. For those of you who can't stand bloggers who only blog about the "good" things in life, you'll enjoy this one...

Nothing makes me more frustrated than car maintenance. As far as the engine goes, the only work I'm familiar with is popping the hood to get a good view. As luck would have it, the ac on the Xterra went out just before the 4th of July weekend. Perfect. We decided to wait and take it in after the busy holiday to get looked at. So today I waited for over an hour at an auto repair shop only to have the guy tell me he doesn't know why it's not working...more tests are going to need to get done, which will only cost MORE STINKING MONEY!!!! I'm ticked. Why couldn't he just say, "Yeah, here's the problem...we can fix it in five minutes, and your total out of pocket will be about $10"? It's never that simple with cars. And that's why I hate car maintenance so dang much.

So until we figure out how to come up with some large, unknown amount of money, I get to drive around in a dark leather interior SUV with no air conditioning in July. I know you're all jealous!

I'm gladly accepting snow cones, Slurpees, fruit smoothies and the like as a token of your sympathy.

My Little Photographer

2011-06-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

This is what I found on my camera after I came downstairs and caught Miles in the act of taking some great pics-

What a funny munchkin! I had to delete about ten random blurry pics of objects of which I couldn't decipher. These ones of him, however, are total keepers.

He loves the camera, and I'm constantly having to keep it out of sight. Maybe he's got a little bit of his dad in him... :)

I EAT SUCCESS FOR BREAKFAST!...with skim milk

2011-06-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

The first Saturday in June was the Little Red bike race in Lewiston. It was so much fun to get out with the girls and ride our bikes! The race was the first time I've gotten on my bike this year because the weather has been so crazy weird. But now that it's being more consistent I look forward to many rides this summer! I think my favorite part of the whole trip was eating shakes in the parking lot of Arby's in Logan. Good times!

I want Katy's legs

Looking good, Mom!

Here's Les, probably texting lover boy Jordan

Chillin' with Pops

2011-06-13T13:50:00.001-07:00

Hank and Sally came to town over Memorial Day. The guys all went to watch the World Superbike Saturday and Monday, while Sally, Miles and I played at the house and went out to eat :) For some reason I didn't snap very many photos over the weekend, but here's one that I just loved...

I Heart Huggies

2011-06-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

These pictures need no caption, except maybe THE COOLEST SWEATS YOU'LL EVER FEAST YOUR EYES UPON!!! I want a pair of my own. Then again if I did, I probably wouldn't get the same reaction walking around the grocery store as Miles gets...

A New Favorite

2011-06-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

I have a new favorite band, thanks to my favorite sister, Les- PHOENIX. Every time I listen to them I just want to be out skiing or biking or doing anything hardcore! Yet at the same time I could totally listen to their stuff while relaxing in a boat on Lake Powell. Their music is awesome. I plan to give 'em a good listening to before our bike race Saturday :)

San Rafael Swell

2011-05-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went camping with my family at one of our favorite places in Utah: The San Rafael Swell. It was a pretty short trip, but felt great to get outdoors and dirty! San Rafael is such a familiar place to me. We grew up camping there every Easter with my cousins and it's just the best. It's one of Utah's best kept secrets.

Our tin foil dinners

Camping aint camping unless you've got powdered doughnuts.

The Little Grand Canyon

Roasting his first HOT DOG!

This breathtaking view is from the portable toilet we set up a ways from camp.

It's hard to miss a camp that's primarily made up of bright blue tents!

You know you want these...

Getting ready to bless the weiners!

2011-05-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

This is a bit of a random post, but the pics are cute so I had to do it. We'll go in order of past to present:

For starters, Miles and his buddy Drew had quite a fun day the other day when we watched Drew at our house for a short while. They played with balloons, ate snacks, and got along great. It's really fun watching Miles get a little older and learn to socialize with other kids. He and Drew are good little buddies.

Remember these punch balloons? I think I like them just as much as Miles and Drew. Here they are "blowing" them up :)

FUNNY FACES!!

And now it's time for the most important portion of this post: My sister Les and her boyfriend Jordan finally got ENGAGED this week!! Jordan's been one of my good friends since high school and yes, I get to take full credit for hooking these two up! Their wedding's going to be in July and we're all so excited for them. Congrats Les and Jord!

I bought these new pj's for Miles yesterday. I didn't think he'd like them so much, but he sure had a good time showing them off last night. And I think he actually looks like he could be in a real uniform haha!

Wrong kind of ball, I know.

Well that's it for now! I need to figure out a better way to post videos, because I've got some real gems that have yet to be seen...

BUNNY

2011-04-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

The cutest word Miles says right now is BUNNY. And it's perfect, since Easter was just here and when you ask who gave him his basket of treats he responds with the most adorable sounding, "bunny".

So yes, the Easter Bunny did indeed visit our house this past Sunday, and Miles really enjoyed hunting for his Easter basket with Dad. Holidays are so much greater when you're the parent! I love seeing the look on Miles' face when he's experiencing something for the first time. It's the best!

Showing off teeth and blue lips from all the candy!

Ready for church

First FHE

2011-04-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had our first official Family Home Evening lesson with Miles. Now that it's over, I honestly don't know why we didn't start having FHE sooner. It was short and sweet, but the Spirit was there and I think Miles really liked it. The lesson was titled "Heavenly Father and Jesus Love Me" which was a perfect first lesson for our little toddler. His favorite part was when I brought out a small mirror, and held it in front of him and said, "Heavenly Father and Jesus love YOU, Miles!" He thought that was pretty fun. I can't wait for next Monday so we can do it again!

P.S. Found a great blog called fheplanner.blogspot.com which was the inspiration for tonight's lesson :)

NORDSTROM

2011-04-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Last April (2010) I spent all $200 of my saved birthday money on ONE pair of jeans from Nordstrom. I loved those pants, and we went everywhere together...dinner parties, the grocery store, bbqs, long walks on the trail, visits to Grandma... Around nine months into our relationship, and much to my dismay, a gaping and very classy hole in the crotch slowly came into view. At first I didn't care. "I'll wear them anyway- now they have a little character," I thought to myself. But the hole got bigger and bigger, and I reached my breaking point. Frustrated and heartbroken, and just about to retire them to the trash, a friend of mine suggested I take them back to Nordstrom for a refund.

So I did. I had no receipt... The date and purchase of the pants weren't on my file... But guess what? Nordstrom lived up to it's reputation and I got a BRAND NEW PAIR in exchange for the old ones!! HALLELUJAH!!! Nordstrom is AWESOME.

FACEBOOK FAST

2011-04-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

At the end of March, my good friend Brooke and I got chatting after a dinner we had with a bunch of our friends from high school. During our conversation, the subject of Facebook came up. To make a long story short, we both entered into a pact to delete our accounts as soon as we got home that night. Be prepared, for this is going to be long...here's why I deleted mine:

I was getting on Facebook two to three times a day. Each "session" lasted maybe ten minutes at most. During each session, I would browse through the most recent comments people had made on their profiles and check to see if anyone commented on my own posts or profile page. I found myself getting tired of the usual, predictable comments friends of mine were posting. And to be honest, many of the people whose comments I was getting so involved with reading really weren't my friends in "real life" however I'd come quite acquainted with their daily goings-on through Facebook. These were people I barely even knew! Why should I care that So and So ran three miles this morning and was now making an organic fruit smoothie? Or that So and So didn't feel like cleaning her mess of a house today and just felt like sitting around in her pj's? I had become way too concerned over almost total strangers' activities and comments. Just because they were my "friends" on Facebook, did not mean we were friends. That sounds mean, I know. But it's the truth.

Second, I found myself wasting time trying to come up with witty and/or funny comments to post on my page. Okay, think about how dumb it really is, that we all get on Facebook and write something funny, then sit back and see how many people comment on it. I prided myself on at least not being one of those Facebook people who updates their comments every hour...but really who was I kidding? I was still trying to get attention by writing something clever that everyone would get a kick out of.

When I first started using Facebook, I loved finding friends that I'd lost touch with and hadn't seen or talked to in a long time. It was great to catch up and browse their pictures and see what they'd been up to. Then it sort of became this game to see how many friends I could obtain. I was never really one to go out "searching" for friends, but if someone extended the invitation, I usually accepted. I found it interesting that many times after becoming friends with somebody- usually just an acquaintance, who's picture I had to study for a minute to be sure I knew them before "accepting" them as my friend, we never even said "hello" to each other. How funny is that! It was all about the numbers at that point. That person didn't care one bit about me and my life, and the same goes for my concern about his/hers. At most I would stalk their pictures to get an idea of what they were up to, but that's it. And it was the same with them.

Since getting rid of Facebook, I still keep in touch with those I consider my friends. I don't feel like I'm out of the loop, or that I'm losing a relationship that I once had with someone. My closest friends were and still are the ones who call me or write me an email to see how I'm doing, and I do the same with them. I've found better ways to use my time when I have extra, and I feel like I'm doing a little more to better myself. Now I'm not saying that everyone who's on Facebook is lame or wasting their time. But when I really took a step back at my reasons for being on it, I realized there was a lot more I could be doing. I'm glad I got rid of it and I think I'll be a better wife, mom and friend because I don't have Facebook!

Steph

SPRING IS HERE (finally)!!

2011-04-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days have been awesome as far as the weather goes. Finally, we've been able to enjoy some warm sunshine and add some color to our pasty white skin (yes, we wore plenty of sunscreen).

Miles and I went with my friend Tiff and her girls to Castle Park today for a picnic and it was fantastic. There were tons of people there, but it was still fun. I didn't take any pictures today, because we were having too much fun playing! I finally feel like I'm starting to rid myself of the winter funk I get in around this time of year. WOOHOO for Spring!!

I'M A SLACKER

2011-03-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

WOW. I've really let time go by without a single post in almost six months!! And I've got a new resolution to be more on-the-ball with updating our blog, thanks to my buddies Jenn-Y and Mindy, who helped me realize that blogging is pretty much like journaling/scrapbooking combined. So...here's what we've been doing since Labor Day 2010, in order of past to present!!

Miles and I did a lot of hiking last fall. It's so much fun to have a little buddy to go with. Here we are hiking Adam's Canyon.

In October, Neil and I went to NYC with my parents...it was so much fun! I could totally live there for maybe a year or two. But then I know I'd start to miss my mountains, skiing, and fresh air pretty quickly. But what an amazing place!

Halloween- Miles was an ELEPHANT! He loved it.

Thanksgiving in Dallas. Miles and Mia are two peas in a pod.

Christmas Eve at my parents' house- FUNNY FACES!!!

Just shovelin' the snow...

A COLD walk on Farmington Trail

Skiing at the Bird! Notice the white-out around Neil. Yup, Little Cloud; it's like a mini Everest up there.

We started a tradition of doing Pizza Night on Friday nights. I found a couple of great pizza dough recipes that I've been using, and making homemade pizza is the best! But after about three weeks of Pizza Night every Friday, we decided to tone it down to only once or twice a month. Our cholesterol thanks us.

Miles and I went to Dallas in January to hang out with Neil's family. We went to the Children's Museum, and Miles LOVED playing in the water. Splashing is his thing.

Watching the snowfall outside our back door

Don't mess with the Evil Eye.

We went to our friends' cabin a few weeks ago, and Miles had his first snowmobile ride. He thought it was pretty awesome.

These past few weeks, with hints of Spring around the corner, Miles has had a blast going on walks; He collects and/or throws sticks, rocks, dirt clods- you name it. This kid belongs outside. But he never forgets to stop and smell the flowers...

CAMPING

2010-09-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

We went camping over Labor Day weekend in the mountains just outside of Bear Lake. It was a blast! It had been a while since we'd gone with my family and it was great to finally do it again. It was a great trip, and we can't wait to do it again!

Hanging out next to the new tent my parents gave us for Christmas. It's a gem!

Miles liked hanging out on the picnic blanket, totally content as long as he had a ball of some sort...

Miles and Aunt Les
Ready for his first ride on the 4-wheeler!
We took it nice and S L O W . . .

Reading with Grampa...
Fast asleep...
Shooting clay pigeons... I only hit one. Pathetic...
Howdy!!!
We went into Garden City one night for some Mexican food...I think we were the smelliest bunch there.

Warming up in the trailer... The nights were COLD!

Nothing's better than sitting around a campfire with the ones you love :)

Miles enjoying his first taste of hot chocolate with Grampa...

Sunday breakfast- the traditional eggs, hash browns and bacon (which was already eaten when I took the picture). Oh yeah and if that's not enough, we also had pancakes :)

Miles was VERY excited for this particular 4-wheeler ride.
Sucking the thumb, eating an oreo, relaxing in the hammock...does life get any better?
Shootin' the pistol.

Playing in the tent.
Miles just loved the hammock. He about fell asleep every time he got in it!

FLORIDA

2010-09-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

I'm late posting these pictures of our trip to Florida with Neil's fam, but I couldn't pass it up! The beach was awesome- relaxing, easy-going, and the weather was great aside from a few storms (which were actually really fun to watch). Miles had a blast, and just loved being around his cousins. The only thing bad about this trip was the week flew by too fast!

Jackson Lake

2010-08-04T12:29:00.001-07:00

We got back from Jackson Lake last Saturday, and it was hard to come home! We had a great time, and there was always something to do. We hiked, biked, boated, waterskied...all around the most gorgeous scenery you can find. It was so much fun having Miles there. I'm pretty sure he's bored out of his mind now that we're home. Here are a few pics:

We swam at Moose Falls in Yellowstone, where the water is actually warm from the hot geysers upstream.

This was the view from the front porch of our cabin. Can you beat that? I think not.

Grampa bought Miles a cool camouflage hat! He actually really liked it.

Lounging on the boat. Miles wasn't a fan of the lifejacket...sorry, buddy.

Neil, Miles, my parents and I hiked to Taggart Lake, which lies just below the Tetons. It was beautiful. I just love those mountains!

Hangin' out on the porch...

The top of Signal Mountain... Awesome view!

Neil pulled Miles in his bike trailer all the way to the top of Signal Mountain. And he did it on his MOUNTAIN bike! Mountain bike + 20 pound baby + bike trailer + steep winding road = One Tough Workout!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MILES!

2010-07-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome party for Miles' birthday on the 9th. My family was able to be there (minus Mikie) as well as my Grandma and Grandpa Miller. We really missed having Neil's family there, but understand it's a bit of a long drive just for pizza and cake ;)
Miles LOVED his pretty collector plate from the Smiths! (Don't worry, Molly, we didn't let him eat off of it) ;)
I don't think he really grasped the concept of opening presents, but it was sure fun for the rest of us!

Grammy and Grampa gave him a new bike trailer to ride in...here he is sitting on top of the box.
The highlight of the night was of course eating the cake! I was too busy recording him dive into his first bite that I didn't actually get a good picture of the cake itself...but here it is when all was said and done. When he first started squishing the cake in his hands, he couldn't stop squealing with delight. It was hilarious! Then he started shoving handfuls of it onto his lap, and maybe only ate two bites of the entire thing.
I just love this little guy! Happy birthday, Munchkin!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

2010-06-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Holy smokes! I can't believe it's been FIVE years since Neil and I were married. We've sure had some great times together. We've been able to do a lot of exciting things, like sail the BVI's, run a half marathon, hike all over the Wasatch Mountains, ski great powder, buy a new townhouse and have our first kid (to name a few)! Still, one of my favorite things to do with Neil is snuggle up in front of the TV at night when Miles goes to sleep. It's my favorite part of the day! Neil is still my best friend and I just love him so stinkin' much. I can't wait to see what the next five years has in store for us. Happy Fifth, Neiler :)

The Little Red!

2010-06-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Little Red Riding Hood bike race was last Saturday in Lewiston, Idaho, just north of Logan. We had so much fun. The whole course was absolutely beautiful. The whole valley was so green from all the rain it's gotten and the weather was perfect. I didn't take any pictures of us actually riding our bikes, but got some good ones of us stopped along the way. We rode about 35 miles, and decided that next year we're gonna try for the 100 miler. Biking is addicting!! (Beware: The following images contain women wearing spandex...lots and lots of spandex)!

It doesn't get much prettier than this.

Here we are in the parking garage of the hotel right before we left for the race.
Katy and Mom taking a breather at one of the rest stops...
Les lookin' hot!
Neil surprised me with a new roadbike just a week before the race...pretty nifty, huh?
The Girls!

New Pack

2010-06-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Neil's mom, Sally, found this awesome baby backpack at a garage sale in Texas. We took it for a little test run the other day on the Farmington trails. It's a really great backpack! I can already imagine the three of us going on all kinds of adventures this summer. HOORAY!! Thanks, Sal;)

I know what you're thinking...I've got the BEST looking guys.

Miles got a wee bit tired towards the end of the walk...

Training

2010-05-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

I'm signed up to ride in the "Little Red" bike race north of Logan on June 5th. My mom signed up all the girls in the family to do it, which should be really fun. But I had a small realization just the other day-

It hit me that the race is just over two weeks away, and I've not gone on a single bike ride this season!! To start, I don't even own a road bike of my own. I was planning on just training with my mountain bike, then ride my dad's road bike in the race. But going for a nice long ride every few days is tough when you've got a ten month old baby at home and a husband with the craziest schedule in the world! So that's how I got to this point- two weeks to the race, and not a day of training under my belt.

So Lester and I went for a little ride the other day. She used her bike and I took my mom's. My first task was to learn how to click-in to the pedals (those of you who bike know what I'm talking about). It's not as easy as it seems at first to get the hang of! The thought of taking a nasty spill while still stuck to my bike stayed in the back of my mind the entire ride. Needless to say, I never fell but figured it out pretty quickly and Les and I had a great ride! We biked only about thirteen miles, but had a blast. I'm totally hooked and as soon as I get the moolah, I'm buying a bike of my own. Bring on the race!!

So Many New Things

2010-05-08T08:28:00.001-07:00

The spring weather's been a bit crazy (when is it not?) A little snow here, a little sunshine there...On an unusually warm day last week we took the little guy outside for some play time on the lawn. He loved it. So did my bright white legs and arms, which really needed the UVs (notice I did not attach a picture of myself...that's so you don't go blind).

Mullet no more!! We got rid of Miles' little mud flap the other day. It wasn't much of a "first haircut". Neil basically just trimmed the mullet to be the length of the rest of his hair, and he looks so much better! What a cutie :)

Lastly, we took Miles to Krispy Kreme the other night as a sort of celebration that Neil's done with finals. Just like his mama, Miles loves doughnuts. He liked watching them come down the conveyer belt. "...And this is where the fresh greasy doughnuts get drenched in the nice sugary glaze..." We're teaching him young ;)

Please Pass the Motrin

2010-05-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Mention the words "Infant Motrin" and that artificial fruity/berry smell pops right into my mind. Wave a syringe full of the magical goodness where Miles can see it and his eyes light up like it's Christmas morning.

We've gone through lots of this wonderful drug lately, what with Miles teething and getting over a little cold. But I'm a believer...this stuff works! I actually asked a pharmacist today if there was any harm in giving it to Miles on an almost daily basis, due to the lovely world of teething we're both having to endure. He said there wasn't, which makes this stuff even more magnificent. Thank you, Motrin. For making my days (and nights) SO much better since I discovered you. Miles thanks you, too. :)

More on Miles

2010-05-01T11:18:00.001-07:00

Look closely at this first picture and you'll see a budding little tooth coming in! Miles will hardly let me near it but we think this new (and first) pearly white is the cutest thing.

Miles has a knack for yoga. He's got a terrific Downward Dog that puts mine to shame (he's just coming out of pose in this picture). ;)

Birthday Bash

2010-04-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, Neil's parents came out to spend the weekend with us over Neil's 29th birthday. The day after was Hank's birthday, so we had quite the fun weekend. We ate at The Pie for Hank's (aka POPS) birthday and enjoyed a fantastic assortment of desserts from Smith's. The cakes actually looked a lot better than they tasted, but we still had fun. It was great having Nan and Pops here to celebrate with. Miles had a blast :)

Happy Easter

2010-04-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, the Easter Bunny came to our house. Miles and Neil hunted together to find Miles' basket (mostly to make Neil feel better about not getting one of his own). The bunny left an assortment of his favorite baby food, a move n' crawl ball, and a new swimsuit and hat for the many trips to the pool we'll be taking this summer. He also got a ring pop, which I think was his favorite of all :) Lucky babe... Happy Easter!

Old School Pics

2010-03-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

I came across some pictures of Neil and me when we were dating. Holy smokes, we look so young in some of these!! And it's funny because at the time I felt so old...HA!!

It's Stroller Weather!

2010-03-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

The weather is finally warming up a bit so we've taken Miles on a few walks around the neighborhood. He loves the stroller! However, I'm fully aware that we live in Utah- and that means we're bound to get hit by at least one or two March snowstorms!

Look who's sitting up all by himself! So proud...

Pics of Miles

2010-02-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am terrible at this whole blogging thing. I have a hard time keeping up to date, mostly because I can't figure out Neil's dang computer and can never find the images I download (that sounded like something an old person would say). Anyways, here are some pics, most of which were taken over the holidays. Miles is growing like a weed, and we love seeing his cute personality come-out more every day. It's the best! His latest trick is sitting on his own...pictures to prove it will come as soon as I figure out where they are to upload them!

"Flying" pretty much cures any fussy or cranky moment with this little guy. He loves it!

Buddies :)

I'm Grateful

2009-12-20T11:58:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my good friend's mom passed away after a long battle with her health. Not long after that my cousin-in-law's brother died in a tragic accident. And I just found out today that the brother from another friend passed away early yesterday morning.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this post, but I do know that we need to always be grateful for the wonderful people in our lives; never take them for granted, because the truth is, you never know when it's their turn to go. It sometimes scares me to think about that. We really just don't know when it's our time.

I'm going to be better at showing the ones I love that I love them. And I'm going to make a better effort to be a part of their lives and not worry so much about the things that just don't matter. I'm going to be a part of bath time with Miles instead of taking that time to do laundry or finish with the dishes. I'm going to spend less time on the computer when my family's around. Life isn't about Facebook, or laundry or always making sure the dishes are done and the house is clean. It's not about how much money we make or what kind of car we drive. It's about family and friends and the memories we make with them.

It's especially hard to see your friends deal with a loss during this wonderful time of year. I don't know if the Christmas season makes it harder or easier to handle something so difficult, but I know that Heavenly Father is there to give them peace and reassurance that they will see their loved ones again.

I'm grateful for all the wonderful people in my life. I love them all so much. I don't know where I'd be without my family, who really do make life worth living! Well I guess that's all :)

Exercise- No Longer Routine

2009-12-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

Neil worked from home this morning, which gave me the opportunity to go to the gym while he watched Miles. Those that know me well know that I've always been a fan of exercising. I mostly like it because it lifts my mood and gives me a good old self-esteem boost. While there I ran into a friend and we got to talking about how hard it is to exercise now that we have babies. It's funny- before Miles came into my life I thought getting in a daily hour or two of exercise was tough, but I did it. Now that he's here, I'm lucky if I make it to the gym once or twice in a week. And my workouts are far from being two hours long! I've gotta find a way to make it routine again, but how? How do you do it when your husband leaves for work at five in the a.m. and you both have things that occupy your time at night? Not to mention a baby that requires your full attention 24/7. There must be a way...

So for all you single ladies (or married ladies without kids), take advantage of those long, random, any time of the day workouts; because once they're gone, you'll want 'em back! And as for you moms who've figured out how to fit in daily exercise- TELL ME YOUR SECRET!!!

Those were the days! My grandma still has hers in her basement. I wonder if she'd let me borrow it...

Learning to Eat and More Random Stuff

2009-11-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

Miles had his first taste of solid food about two weeks ago. His pediatrician said to skip rice cereal because it's not very nutritious, and get him going on the yellow veggies and fruit. For his first meal we tried butternut squash which did not go over very well! But now a few weeks into it, he's really getting the hang of things. He loves pears, peaches, carrots, sweet potatoes, and he's even taken a liking to the squash! It's so much fun :)

Miles loves sleeping on his side now. He takes after me :)

Two handsome dudes.

Miles' First Cold

2009-11-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

It's arrived. Miles has his first cold, poor little fella. It's mostly just a lot of congestion, but it's enough to keep him (and me) from getting a good night's sleep. It's tough seeing your child get sick! I just want to make everything better and it's hard knowing I can't. I've been flushing his nose with saline to loosen things up, which has helped a little. If things are bad tonight we're off to Walmart for a humidifier. I know, I know, I'm such a typical first-time mom! But this is my life and I'm gonna blog about it! :) Pray for no more snot and a decent night's sleep! I'm open to suggestions...

FIRST HALLOWEEN!

2009-11-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It's even more fun now that I have a kid! Miles dressed up as a tiger for his first Halloween. He looked so stinkin' cute. He was too little to go trick-or-treating of course, but we had fun hauling him around at various parties nonetheless. I couldn't quite tell if he liked his costume, but he did enjoy gumming the zipper, and by the end of the night he had quite the drool patch down the front! Good times.

Ode to Little Blackie

2009-10-30T16:41:00.001-07:00

Well, it's come to an end. We sold my '97 Civic last Saturday to CarMax. I got that sweet car when I turned 16...my parents surprised me with it when I came home from work one day. When I got into the driver's seat, I looked down and realized it wasn't an automatic- it was a 5-speed manual, which I had NO IDEA how to drive. A little peeved that my dad would get me a car I couldn't drive, we quickly set-out to learn. It was a blast. I loved that car, and it saw me all the way through high school, college, getting married and up to having our first kid! It had been broken into at least five times, the stereo stolen three times. The sunroof quit working right around the third year I had it, and it made a high-pitched whistling sound when you drove it above 50 mph. It's been in a handful of fender-benders. The most memorable being when I backed into the high school mean girl. I thought I was in for a good pounding for sure...but she just said "f*@$ that" and drove off. What a great car. I never had a problem with it breaking down, or not starting. I'm gonna miss it!

UGH, the MALL...

2009-10-23T16:28:00.000-07:00

So today I took Miles to Fashion Place Mall and met my mom. Our mission was to find a pair of shoes to match my bridesmaid's skirt for Brad and Katy's wedding. It wasn't long before I remembered why I haven't been to "the mall" since, mmm, probably last Christmas season. I wasn't there ten minutes before I had this nagging urge to go home and take a nap. Miles wasn't liking it either. Maybe it was the hip-hop music blasting throughout the main halls, or the mixture of too much cologne and perfume permeating throughout the department stores...Then there was that "Dead Sea Salt" booth. Don't even get me started on that one! Anyway, Miles cried just about the entire time. And the only pair of shoes I liked turned out to cost over $100. BUMMER. Empty-handed and famished, we grabbed a quick bite at Pretzel Maker and I loaded up my tired, crying baby and drove home. Maybe I'll just wear my flip-flops to the wedding!

Fun Times with Miles

2009-10-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

So, a lot has gone on these past few months! I have so many pictures and I don't know where to start, so I'm sort of playing catch-up. My goal is to be better at this blog thing!

We went boating at Echo with the family before Mike went on his mission...Miles was a champ in the boat! He didn't like the wind in his ears, so he wore his beanie. Everyone mostly air-chaired because the water wasn't real great for skiing, but we had a blast.

Neil ripping it up

Les and Stobbe

Miles' first cook-out up Farmington Canyon. It was cold, but we had him bundled like you wouldn't believe!

Our little Aggie.

Hanging out with Aunt Paige at Snowbird before we went on the tram...

Silver Lake.

2009-09-16T23:33:00.001-07:00

We spent last Sunday evening walking around Silver Lake by Brighton Ski Resort just before dinner. It was Miles' first trip to "The Outdoors." I'm pretty sure he liked it. At least that's what he told me.

-Neil

Summertime Pics.

2009-08-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

Seeing as Miles is so new, we haven't had much of a summer. Here's some pics that I've taken during our summer vaca!

-Neil

Lovin' little Miles

2009-08-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Well in my last post I wrote about how darn tired I'd been. I'd had quite the rough time getting used to my new night time schedule with Miles. But the good news is things are now much better, and now I don't feel like crazed zombie I was a just few weeks ago.

Miles still gets up in the night to eat (he's only six weeks old) but I think my body's finally adjusted to things, and we are just loving the little guy. I can't believe how much he's grown and it's so much fun watching him learn things, like how to suck on his fingers, or lift and turn his head from side to side when he's on his stomach. I love that he recognizes my voice (and Neil's). He's so stinking cute! Being a mom is hard work, but definitely worth it. I hope I'm doing things right. Who knows?! I promise I'll post some more pics soon! I've got tons, but can't seem to find the darn cord to download them to the computer... ADIOS.

TIRED.

2009-08-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

Noboby really told me just how tiring it is taking care of a newborn! Don't get me wrong- I knew I'd be getting up a time or two in the night to feed him, but really I wasn't expecting it to take a toll on me like it has. I literally feel like a walking zombie during the day, and have a hard time just talking on the phone! I think he's finally on a schedule to where he knows that the night is sleep time, so things have been getting a bit better. It's a good thing he's so darn cute! So, to all of you who have tried to have a decent conversation with me the past month, PLEASE accept my apology and if I said something totally weird, or started to drool, just set it aside and know that I AM TIRED!!!

Miles Has Arrived!

2009-07-16T16:43:00.001-07:00

Miles was born July 9th via c-section at 7:45 in the morning. He weighed a whopping 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and has a full head of adorable dark hair. Having him around has already been amazing, and we feel so blessed to have him a part of our family (even though we no longer get more than three hours of sleep a night!)

A few PREGO pics

2009-07-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well, we've only got a couple more days to go before the little guy comes! My doctor said he'd induce me on Thursday if I make it that long, which is a crazy thought to know that there is an end in sight. We've been terrible at updating the blog, but trust me- as soon as he gets here we'll have PLENTY to talk about and tons of pics to show!!

In case you haven't heard....

2009-02-11T20:06:00.000-08:00

We're expecting! It's a BOY and he's scheduled to get here in the middle of July... I'm sure most of you already know, but it's always a good excuse for a new posting... We couldn't be more excited.

My wonderful husband!

2009-01-03T11:10:00.001-08:00

Well, I have to say that I have the best husband in the world. This actually happened just about a month ago, but I couldn't resist putting it in the blog. Neil and I were hanging out at my parent's house just before Thanksgiving. Neil left with Brad and Les to get their skis tuned-up. I decided to stay and take the opportunity for a nice long nap on the couch... About 30 minutes later, I woke up to something kinda heavy laying on me. Well it was a pair of new skis- the exact ones I've been drooling over since they came out this year. I haven't had a new pair of skis since high school. It was so cute that he bought them for me, especially since it wasn't a "special occasion." It was just totally random. Thanks Neiler! I love you and my new sticks!! Bring on the powder days.

Finally an update- Our trip to the BVI's

2008-12-28T15:38:00.001-08:00

Well it's been a while since our last post...About a month ago Neil and I went sailing in the British Virgin Islands with our friends the Butterfield's. We had an absolute blast, and loved every minute of it! It is so beautiful down there, and the weather was perfect. We rented a 32 foot sailboat and sailed from island to island. We ate and slept on the boat and played all day long. It was a great vacation!!!

BUGLEFEST 2008

2008-09-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

The first ever Buglefest happened this weekend in the mountains above beautiful Bear Lake. We had a pretty darn good time. The event started off with a weiner roast around the fire with family and friends. The following morning we woke up around seven and headed up the mountain on the 4-wheelers to call in the elk. Can you say REDNECK?

Callin' em in!

Brad and Katy

One of the highlights of our adventure happened when we were hiking. One of us must have walked right through a beehive because before I knew it, I was surrounded by bees- most of them on my head and in my hair. Les had them swarming her as well...We took off running through the bushes to get away from those pesky buggers, and I ended up getting stung on the forehead. Les got stung twice right on the butt. HA!! We were pretty upset after that, but still had a great time.

2008-09-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

Here's me and Neil at our branch girls camp... Neil was kind enough to volunteer to come up and be the tent setter-upper, fire starter, bear shooter and do whatever manly help that was needed around camp. It was fun having him there. Thanks Neiler!

FLAMING GORGE

2008-09-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

We had a sweet time at Flaming Gorge! We pretty much skied and boated around all day. The weather was great, and there was hardly anybody there, which made for good skiing any time of the day. I don't have my pictures uploaded yet, but here are a few pics/portraits Neil shot of the fam...

Girls night out!

2008-08-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

Just a couple weeks ago, all the girls from Skyline got together at Olive Garden for Ashley Bell's baby shower. It was awesome being able to see everyone. We've all got so much going on that it can be hard to hang out, but we pulled it off! Only a few were missing.. Hopefully we can all get together again soon!

We're finally getting on the bandwagon!! -For REAL.

2008-07-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

HELLO friends and family- Well we've decided to make an effort with this blogger thing, since everybody's doing it. We've had a pretty awesome summer so far, starting off early with a trip to San Rafael with Brad and Katie. That was actually in March, but hey, it was fun. When official summer hit, it was off to Florida with Neil's family, which was awesome. We pretty much just hung out at the beach all week, slept-in, and played volleyball. We've since been to Vegas for our anniversary (3 years!), just got home from a getaway in Park City with my family, and we're off to Flaming Gorge next week with my fam again. Somehow we've managed to work a little bit in-between our play!! These past few weeks we've done a couple of day hikes in the canyons nearby as well...It's been fun!! Here are some of the pics!! ENJOY.

Here is Neil with our little niece, Mia. What a chunk!

Mama says alligators is ornery cuz they have all them teeth and no toothbrush.

AAARRGGH!!

The closest Neil let me get to a chippendales show...

ACTUALLY....

We ran into Whoopie on the strip. She asked us for directions to the wax museum. We didn't know.

Here we are hanging out at Gateway with Brooke, Jason, Amy, Josh and their little ones.

Taking pics with the camera. Look how buff he is... mmmmmm....

Neil at the Adams Canyon falls

This is our hike to White Pine Lake with my folks. There was some snow at the top that made the going a bit rough...all we needed were our skis and we'd have made it down in no time :)