DNA Hall Family

Winter Solstice!

2011-12-21T22:47:00.002-07:00

Sunrise:
10:10am
Sunset:
3:55pm
Dawn:
8:13am
Dusk:
5:51pm
Total Daylight:
5hr 45min
18 deg right now (at 8:30pm), high today was 26, I think. Been in the mid 30's, windy (which is unusual) and rainy, which makes a big slushy mess, which then turns everything to an ice rink, except the main hwys where they have gravel (not sand, as they claim). I've already had 3+ nasty chips in my windshield because of it. Everyone says it's been a weird winter. I believe it. Not exactly what I expected.

Not so bad.
But, more light is always good! Up and up from here. :)

I have like 4 drafted posts on my blog. Maybe some day I'll get around to finishing them!

We are doing great! Excited for Christmas. Wish we could come home for the holidays though. Miss everyone!

PS - I really need a new camera. My camcorder takes fuzzy stills and my phone just isnt cuttin it. My bro-in-law took this one. Its amazing up here, you all should come visit!
PPS - We had a moose kiss our window the other night! Darn things move too fast with those long legs! I have yet to get a satisfactory picture.

Grrr!

2011-12-11T01:40:00.001-07:00

Okay, can I just tell you 3 things I HATE about Alaska?

1.
Okay, on to #2

2. Shopping suck!
First of all, I dont really love shopping to begin with. It is exhausting. Secondly, I live where the only descent shopping place is walmart or fred meyer (a little better than walmart). Anchorage is okay, but everything is so spread out! There are no good fabric places (only a Joann's on the peninsula, which I dont love) and they dont have Victoria's Secret ANYWHERE in the entire state! Grrr. I just want a bra that fits! Having babies has really messed things up in this arena. I would give you a description, but I'm not sure that would be appropriate. But if I did it would involve a balloon. An old one. Once inflated. Now it's not. I'm sure you can take it from there.

3.
Okay, so there's really just one big thing right now.

That is all. After a long, full day of shopping, and a temple trip (yeah for a temple!), I am officially just DONE!

Stupid bras!

Stupid boobs.

PS - the only redeeming factor in this whole depressing annoyance is that the Lord promised that one day I could have them back.

Picture this...

2011-10-31T22:16:00.001-06:00

About a month ago, this is a scene at which I found myself in awe:
It's dusk. The whole sky is in watercolor. The sun is a gold coin melting into the western horizon, bathed with the misty clouds of (which seams more like south to me because of the layout of the roads and lack of mountains visible daily). With golds and reds and pinks circling outward, it reminded me of the saying, "the red sky at night is a sailor's delight.
In the opposite sky (east), there lies a sky of violet and crystal blue, fading to deep blue midnight. A full moon, touchable. Candy flocked evergreens. Picturesque.
Impossible! Delectable.

Here are some random photos. Unfortunately, no brilliant scenery. Just some of our adventure.

Azilyn and I at the Russian River Falls in July. We have a video of some fish jumping up the falls, but it was early in the season for it, so it's kind of a boring little clip.

Us at the Exit Glacier near Seward, AK. It was a fairly warm day, probably 65-70, but next to the Glacier it was like 30 and windy! The glacier actually creates it's own weather! Azilyn got car sick this day and vomited in the car. Awesome!

Azilyn and I under the giant leaf of a Devil's Club plant to get out of the rain.

Tolson's favorite fingers! LOL Before I took the picture, he was sucking his thumb and had his pointer up his nose! Awesome Tols.

Azilyn as a pirate for Halloween. What was Tolson you may ask...well, he was suppose to be a duck, but somehow we ended up with duck feet and no duck costume...?? We're still trying to figure that one out. So, he was just himself. Sorry bud!

We had our first snow on Halloween (3inches). Luckily we had a trunk-or-treat in our church parking lot. We drove home with no headlights. Yikes!

Mom did the pumpkin carving this year. Azilyn put her hand in and brought it out in disgust! LOL

Happy Halloween!

Autumn

2011-09-30T11:40:00.006-06:00

Well, it's hard to say when the seasons actually change around here because the temperatures are so moderate, but if I were to guess, I'd say the Fall only lasted 1month, maybe 6weeks. One day, at the end of August I woke up and went outside to a chill in the air. The atmosphere was changing. Though the temperatures have only been 5-10deg cooler, from 55ish in August, to mid-upper 40's, low 50s as highs. The nighttime lows have dropped into the 30's and at the start of this week, we had our first frost (that I noticed anyway). Winter quickly approaches. Eeww. I'm kinda nervous about it because we are not prepared.
Last night I went visiting teaching to one of my ladies that lives about 2 miles from me. She is a brand new convert! I just got my VT assignment, so this was my first visit. I don't know her well, but I know already that she is a very strong and valiant spirit. Her conversion story is truly miraculous! I wish I could she some of it with you, but I feel I would breech her trust in me. I will just say that with the trials she has endured, the Lord sure works in mysterious ways.
I was at her house until 12:30 last night, helping her with a project that was simply too overwhelming for her to do alone.
Anyway, I started telling this because when I went home, it had been raining, so there were little water droplets on my car, but when I tried to open the door, they were frozen and it was a little difficult to open the door! It has turned cold quickly and we expect to have snow in the next few weeks.

Faith of a Child

2011-09-28T00:04:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, Azilyn had a nursery lesson on the priesthood. So, on the way home, we were talking about what she learned. I asked her if she knew what the priesthood was and she didn't really understand, so as I'm stumbling aver how to explain it to her, Danny comes up with, "it's God's Magic." Um, ok. I guess that's a good way to explain it to a 3-year-old. As we kept talking she kept saying, "and when I'm big, I can have the priesthood too!" After trying to convince her that that wasnt possible, I gave up and said, "well, you'll have to take that up with Heavenly Father." Immediately, she began to pray and said, "Heavenly Father, will you help me hold the priesthood." Haaaa! Oh, the faith of a little child. Later that day she did something that, "made Jesus sad," so again she immediately prayed for Heavenly Father to forgive her! I'm glad to know that Azilyn realizes she can pray anytime, for anything. I love that girl. She teaches me so much.

Labor Day Excitement!

2011-09-27T22:30:00.000-06:00

Well, I've just been busy and haven't been able to telling about our exciting Labor Day. We went to the Alaska State Fair! They were celebrating their 75th anniversary, which is really interesting to me because Alaska has only been a state since 1959. How does that work?? Maybe they count all the fairs they had while they were just a territory too. Alaska was actually a territory of the US since 1912 and before that was a district since 1884. Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867 and was primarily a military region.
Well, I wasn't planning on a history lesson, but there you have it. This is what I'm learning while a resident of another state! Anyway, we went to the fair. Danny and the kids had some fun looking at all the displays (here are some pictures)

Azilyn standing next to a world record breaking pumpkin, well almost. It was actually disqualified because of a quarter-sized hole.

Azilyn in a native costume head cut out thing

Tolson got a kick out of this

The kids enjoyed themselves while I was hard at work at the fair. A lady in my ward asked me to compete with her in the 1st annual dutchoven cook-off! It was so fun. My partner is really competative and has done these competitions before, so I wasnt surprised when we took 1st PLACE! Yeah!!!

My brother-in-law, Sam took 2nd with his partner! It was very cool.

Winning qualified us to go to the WORLD competition, but my partner already qualified with another partner, so we gave it to the 2nd placers. (but we kept the money, $500!)

Yea mommy!

However, just last week, my partner asked me if I could go with her to worlds after all because her regular partner is expecting and will be 8 months along when they have to go! And, she's paying for my plane ticket! It's in SLC, so I will get to see my family in March! Yea!! Also, it just happens to be during Danny's spring break, so I think we will all get to come! I know I owe this one to the Lord. This all came about so randomly, yet has perfectly fallen into place. The Lord truely knows us and works miracles!

Some flora of Alaska

2011-08-30T22:10:00.022-06:00

So, I definitely suck at blogging! Sorry to be so sparse.
Saturday we went to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. I thought they could take us on a "tour" of the area and we might actually see some local wildlife, but NO. Dumb! There's just a visitor's center and some "reserve land". Like Alaska needs that! Honestly. The biggest city (anchorage) isn't even 300,000! Pretty sure there's enough land for those wild guys.
Anyway, we actually went for their Annual Berry Fun Day. I was hoping we'd get to pick some wild blueberries or something, but instead they showed us local berries and which are eatable. Good information, and actually quite fun. Some of the berries we have here are blueberries, trailing raspberries, elderberries (poisonous when raw), high-bush (bright red) and low-bush (deep red) cranberries, red currants, wild rose hips, dwarf dogwood (very abundant), crowberries (very dark purple), watermelon berry (grows dangling underneath the leaves), cloudberries (look kinda like under developed raspberries), Timberberry (bright orange, looks like a pumpkin, edible, but distastful), Devil's club (grow in bunches, also poisonous).
We have some wild rose bushes and red currants in our yard, along with dogwood and low-bush cranberries in our forest and along the off-road path. It's cool to know!I took a few pictures.

I think this is a red currant. I don't recall. It looks very close to the high-bush cranberry.

Elderberries. Grow in bunches. Bears love them. Easy eating!

Azilyn and me trying to get out of the rain under the leaves of a Devil's club.

Ok, well, I thought there were more pictures, but I cant find them.
I do have some interesting mushroom pictures though. It rains here so much that they just spring up at random, and there are sooo many different ones! It's cool. In our yard alone, there are probably 20 varieties! I know most are not edible, even though we have some that look just like portabella. We do have one called a puffball that is edible! We even have some of those in our yard (I think). I dont think I'll try it though. They were too small to get a good picture of but, here are a few of the most interesting ones from our yard and the hike at the Refuge.

This one had been munched on by the bugs, but it was a beautiful red-orange.

Here is another view of the underside. They actually grow convex, rather than the normal cap formation.

This one is a red-purple. So cool. There is a turquoise colored one in our yard too, but my camera wouldnt capture the color.

This one is actually quite large, and another inverted-type.

Here is another view. I couldnt get a great picture.

Nickname is Mario's mushroom.

At first I thought this was bear scat, but it's actually a black mushroom!

This one grows this way. It wasn't smashed.

Our Alaska Adventure

2011-07-17T21:31:00.005-06:00

Wow, how time does fly! I haven't had internet for the past month, so there is a lot to tell about. I will have to tell all about New Orleans later, when I have some pictures.
First off, a little about Alaska. We flew in the 29th of June, getting in about 1am Anchorage time (3am Utah time). The flight went fairly well. We had a super stewardess that helped up get all of our baggage checked and kids settled. That was a feat! I think we had a total of 9 travel items/bags; three carry-ons, the stroller, port-a-crib, 2 car seats, and 2 checked bags. We had a lay over in long beach. I thought it was going to be rediculous trying to get 2 kids, three bags, the stroller and a car seat transfered to our next plane, but the man sitting next to me helped us and the walk to the next plane was like 100 total yards. It's a super small airport. Plane ride number two was a little more challenging. Tolson fell asleep shortly after take off, but Azilyn was too excited. She played well for a little while, then pulled her usual, traveling at bedtime routine, which involves 10 minutes of crying and complaining before finally giving up in exhaustion and falling asleep mid-"my toe hurts, boo hoo hoo". It was a lovely display. I'm sure all the passengers agreed! They slept the entire flight, til the last 10 munutes and woke up upon descent when the whole cabin began to wake up an rustle around in their seats. Im sure the pressure change had some influence as well. Azilyn then cried the entire way to baggage claim until she saw her Daddy! Yeah!!! Tolson wasnt too sure of him at first. I think it was because his head was shaved (thanks, Hun! I really hate it when he does that.) We stayed in Anchorage that night.
The first few days all blurred together as we tried to adjust to the time change and long travel day/all-nighter. It's been a hard adjustment still. Adjusting to a new place, new house, borrowed car, few personal belongings (everything is still in Provo). Azilyn has been testing her boundries with Everything, on top of being her normal sassy, independent, "terrible" two-year-old self. We live in a little cabin 15 miles out of "town". It's a one bedroom house with an open common area for living, kitchen and dining. We have the only enclosed room with built-in closets that maybe a quarter of my wardrobe will fit. Danny's brother Sam is living with us too. There is an up stairs area big enough for a twin size bed and dresser where he stays, and he has his own bathroom. The kids are sharing a "room" for the first time. Their space is a sun room, featuring eight 6ft tall x 2ft wide windows and an exterior door. This area also has built-in cupboard space which serves as a pantry and entertainment cupboard for food and DVD storage. We do have 3 small drawers and no hanger space to put their clothes. Luckily, their room is big enough to fit a bed, crib, and a couple totes for toys. Oh, the room also has a 45" sq window like opening that opens up into the kitchen, and there's no door enclosing the room! This has served very interesting while trying to keep Azilyn in the room for naps, or out while Tolson is napping, or for mere sound and privacy during these times. It's nearly impossible to even do the dishes or vacuum while one of the kids is asleep.
Needless to say, it's been a difficult transition. I think I am doing rather well at keeping my sanity (although some days I wonder) and a positive outlook. We will be in this house for 1 year, maybe two before Danny will begin applying for jobs around the country. In the mean time, Danny will be doing some course work in Process & Instrumentation Technology, and aims to be a Plant Operator (Oil Refinery, Water Treatment, Power, etc.) someday. I will be putting in job applications this week, looking for a Physical Therapy Assistant position, or the like.
We are blessed to have some of Danny's family near (Mom & Dad, Brother, Sister, and several Uncles and cousins). We also live in a fantastic, young ward that is very strong in the church, tight-knit and active! I have met several new friends already and have been surprised at the small world in which we live. Our first week we met a family that were in our same ward when we first got to Provo. Last week, we met some close friends of Danny's cousin and many other young, pro-active and friendly families. Today, we ran into my Icelandic professor from BYU, who has always felt like family, and had dinner with our 32-year-old bishop and his family. All, wonderful people I am excited to get to know better!
Many people, even I, have questioned why we would to Alaska, of all places, and so far from my family, but I think the Lord really has our best interest in mind by sending us here. This is a great opportunity to finish up school, pay off some bills, meet new friends, contribute in His church, and grow together as a family. Though I am still hesitant about my surroundings and nervous for the up coming months, I am glad to be with my wonderful husband and together as a family in our cozy little cabin in the woods.
We have a bid yard for the kids to play in (supervised, of course) and many little forest friends that we look forward to seeing. A white bunny lives nearby and loves to eat his meals under the cool shade of our surrounding canopy. Grass, trees, and wild flowers grow spontaneously and abundantly here and our little bunny loves to eat all the dandelions and clovers in our yard. We have a black cat that visits occasionally, her keeps the rodents under control, and a family of squirrels nest in one of our sheds. We have seen 3 moose in our yard, a momma and her baby, and a small (6ft) bull, with antlers about as big as his ears (about 8 inches), stubs really. All of which scared the crap out of me as I saw them out of the corner of my eye, through the window and thought they were bears! Luckily, we have seen no bears around our house. The moose like to eat the young, tender trees and plants around the yard. The other day I saw a planted garden surrounded by an 8ft leaning fence to keep the moose out! Good luck with that. We see grazing moose off the highway daily, no big bulls yet, and there is a sign on the highway that says, "Give Moose a Brake," 252 moose killed on the hwy in the last year!
It is very beautiful here. We live less than a mile from the Cook Inlet, so it stays a little cooler. I think the high since I've been here was 76 degrees. Normal morning temp is around 45deg. My Icelandic friend told me it is colder here than in Iceland! Awesome. I think Danny stretched the truth about the weather as he was telling me about it before we came, telling me about only the best days. It rains weekly and is overcast 50% of the days, but usually just for 1/2 the day, then warms up to 60-70deg. The sun sets about 11pm now, but it stays very light & dusky til wee hours of morn. It's very strange and the kids sometimes have trouble with it (like when we're traveling after bedtime). We have descent blinds that block the light when necessary. Our bedroom can blackout.
Well, that's all I can think of about where we live. Some other interesting things that have happened since we got here include, Danny's $510 no proof of insurance ticket. Azilyn's attempt at breaking her arm (just a sprain though), and Azilyn and I having the flu.
Tolson is walking and talking more! He says Yes a lot, which is adorable! And he makes lots of other understandable words, though I know he's saying a lot which I dont catch. Today he said one of his first sentences, "she is sad," when Azilyn was crying. Then he wanted to go give her loves! We gave his his first haircut yesterday and he is so handsome! He loves his mamma best, and loves his sister and Papi!
Azilyn loves to use her loud voice, watch the bunny, and walk to the post office (1/4 away), pick flowers, and "help" mom. She missed her Provo house, grandma, and playmates, and needs to get out to play with some new friends.
I have been trying to get us settled and working on Azilyn's quilt. I was hoping to have it done for her birthday, but alas, it will not be so. It's kinda hard to make a quilt when your sewing machine is still in Provo!
Danny is working hard building a shop/apartment with his dad, brothers, and uncles. He will be back in Provo to pack our apartment the first week of August, will drive everything back the second week, then start classes the third week.
We have been able to do some sight seeing and fishing. We went on a hike to see the salmon jumping some falls. There were bear on the hike, but we never saw one, just heard it in the bushes! Ahhh! We also went Halibut fishing abt a week ago. The ocean was calm like a glass lake and we caught our limit. One 100 pounder and bunch of smaller 30-40 pound guys. Halibut are flat and have both eyes on one side of their body. Ugly! The ones I caught werent big fighters, but it's tiring reeling up a 30lb fish from 150ft, with the resistance of the water and the weight of the boat and tide pulling on your catch. This week will be the big salmon run and we'll get some good sockeyes! Yesterday we went to Seward, walked on the boat docks and saw a glacier. It was warm, 75 deg, but the glacier produces a catabolic wind of abt 20-30mph and it makes you shiver! Burrrr! It was lots of fun. Azilyn walked both 3 mile roundtrip hikes without complaint! I think she was just glad to get out of the house.
Our next adventures include clam digging and shrimping, and possible caribou hunting (well, just for viewing). I would also like to go to North Pole, Santa's workshop, and Denali NP this summer!
We love you and miss you all!

Day 1 NATA conference

2011-06-20T22:07:00.002-06:00

Day 1 in the Crescent City, was great, mostly. I woke up still tired, my eyes burning, but got on my way. There is a little grocery store next door to the hotel, thats more like a glorified convenient store, over priced and all. Bought some breakfast then jumped on the street trolley to get to the conference center. I didnt really know where I was going, so I ended up getting off too early and walking a bunch. Let me tell you, 10 blocks in heals, not a good idea. By the time I got there, I had wicked blisters on multiple locations on each foot. A couple of bandaids and I was good to go, although they still killed! At least they werent getting worse. Well, needless to say, I walked many, many more blocks today and was much less productive because of it. But, I had a good excuse to try all the vendors products! Found some good new stuff even.
I also ate some dynamite food. Shrimp gumbo for lunch was AMAZING!! So yummy. Then Thai flavored bone-in ribs for dinner. Awwwhhh. My mouth waters just thinking about them. I am having a wonderful time.
Other than the blisters and lots of walking it's been fun. Even when I wondered off on a slower street that smelled like urine and weed, that was still a fun adventure! Well, I learned some stuff, and saw some colleagues. Tomorrow is a BYU alumni reunion and more fun education! I will be purchasing new shoes and walking much less, eating more good food, etc. As for now... SLEEP!

Happy 1st birthday Tolson!!

2011-06-11T10:36:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was my little man's 1st birthday! HOOORRAYY!
We had a wonderful, yet long day.
It started off with Azilyn crawling in my bed before 6am only to toss and turn for 20 minutes. Finally she got up and said, very indignantly, "I'm going to my own bed!" 'Yeah' I thought, 'I can go back to sleep!' Well, she made it half way down the hall and came running back in, "Mom, we have to go see the hot air balloons! C'mon, get up." 'Oh, man!' I thought. I was almost in the clear and she remembered. Hot air balloon festival started at 6:30am. And... we went. Azilyn woke up Tolson. (Happy Birthday) He wasnt very happy. Luckily, he's pretty forgiving and was good to go once I picked him up and snuggled him for a minute. Here are a few pictures.

We even rode in a balloon! Good thing it was tethered to the ground, cuz I'm not gunna lie, it kinda freaked me out. I'm a bit scared of heights. The only pictures of us in the balloon, however, are on some other lady's camera. She's suppose to email them to me, but I dont know if that will ever happen.

Anyway, after that we barely escaped an hour of bumper-to-bumper traffic on the freeway and took an alternate route to Tolson's Dr. appt, still arriving abt 45 minutes late, oops. He is a healthy boy, with only some minor eczema, 29in (25%, his biggest % yet!) and 19.5lbs (only 6% - I blame this one on Danny. So does the doctor). Four shots and a sad boy later, we were off for lunch and naps, which also went well. Three hours later we had happy, hungry kids who got to go swimming and eat specialty cupcakes from The Sweet Tooth Fairy. Tolson dove into the box of cupcakes to get the one with the most frosting and then he devoured it! It was great. Here's a video of some of the action.

We got home pretty late and we all hit the pillow snoring! Long days make for good sleep. Good day!

Here's a few things about our little rolley Tolley Tolson:
Thumb sucker (right). Dimples. Cuddly. Mama's boy. My sweet boy. Gorilla crawler. Loves sister. Loves playing and giggling with Azilyn. Open mouth kisses (occasionally). Walks holding hands, both hands. LOVES balls. Throws well. Toy cars. Pots and pans. Blocks. Balloons. Opens/Closes doors. Attempts to say the following regularly - Mama, Azilyn, get up, what's that, that, milk (sign), yes, all done, book, see ya. Points. Waves. Claps. Shakes head. Misses Daddy, Da da da. Towhead. Straight hair. Chill little man.

We love you Tolson!

Even the long days pass too quickly

2011-05-31T21:37:00.005-06:00

Well, it's been a long, wet spring, but I'm finally DONE with work! I made it through my first year of athletic training. I'm glad to be done, yet somewhat sad to see it go since I wont be going back next year. Danny finally figured out how to get me to Alaska, so that's where we'll be. We move in August. Crazy, huh!
Danny actually left for Alaska May 9th. It has been a VERY difficult three weeks. Azilyn absolutely adores Danny and he has never really been away from him, not to mention Mom being away at work half the day too. She has developed quite the attitude. She is quite sassy and disobedient. I'm guessing that part of it is the age, but hoping that once we reunite with Papi, she will cool her jets and stop trying to make me certifiable.
Tolson is doing okay. He is more clingy, but his calm demeanor makes his 'missing Daddy' a little less apparent. Though, every time he hears Danny's voice, he turns toward it and says, "Da, Da, Da." It's so cute, and makes me tear up every time. Danny recorded some stories and lullabies for the kids before he left. Azilyn listens to them all the time, but there have been several nights I try to put Tolson down for bed and he fights and crys (which is totally out of character) until he gets to listen to Papi's voice and make sure Azilyn is okay too. He has always loved Azilyn and gets worried when she cries, but now that Danny is gone, he often looks to her for reassurance and comfort. He has to be sure all is well with her before he goes to bed. Kisses and all. He's in the open mouth kissing stage. I love it! I love those little slobbers. He is so affectionate and loves to snuggle. He is standing up on his own and loves to walk holding your hands, both of them, but is still too chicken to attempt steps. You can tell he often thinks about it though.
I look forward to getting my house clean now that work is done, and not looking forward to packing stuff. And I hope to get some sewing in and lots of time with my family here before the kids and I fly out at the end of June. With my conference the week before, we dont have much time left.
I feel very torn about leaving Utah right now. I miss Danny incredibly and want our little family to be together again SOON, but it kills me to think of being so far away from all my family, especially my mom and grandma, since I know grandmas time is short and my mom is having such a tough time with everything. Both my mom and Trevor have threatened to steal Azilyn. Oh, how I hate taking her away from her favorite person! Azilyn and my mom are nearly inseparable. I feel like I'll be leaving my mom all alone. :`(
But Azilyn is super excited to see her dad...and the moose, and the bear, and the eagles, and the big mountain of ice... She list everything in Alaska she's excited to see. She can be so cute when she's not being a pill! We made her a countdown calendar to mark off the days to Papi. Oh I love my family and am so glad we can all live together in heaven, never to be separated again! But for now, we have each other a short while.

Last Day!!!

2011-05-27T10:43:00.002-06:00

Today is my last day of work. Well, technically yesterday was, but I have to go in to finish up paperwork, clean up and put things away.
I've been sporadically telling the kids that I wont be here next year. It makes me a little sad to leave, for the kids at least, but I'm pleased when I get reactions of sadness and objection from my athletes. It tells me how much I truly am appreciated.
I have really enjoyed this Spring season. Everything was way more laid back. I had lots of athletes in for maintenance issues (stretching and massage type) rather than lots of injuries. It was also nice to be outside, even though nearly every game was in the cold wind, rain or even snow! All the athletes were very warm and personable. I made a lot of friends. I will especially miss the softball girls, most of which will be back next year. They were especially sad to see me go. Baseball too. I spent a lot of time with them working their sore arms from throwing. A pitcher's throw is very un-natural and they get all messed up if not taken care of. Maybe next year they will be a little less moody (their coach was kind of moody and set everybody off). Cute kids though. I was able to travel with them to a St. George tournament and just had a lot of fun!
Soccer made it to the State championship game. They played last night at Rio Tinto stadium. It was fun to be at a pro stadium, but they lost. :( Sad day. They battled hard the whole game, but especially the 2nd half. Kids who would normally cramp from dehydration were hydrated, but still cramping from sheer exhaustion! Poor guys! Better luck next year Bruins.

Happy Birthday to me! :)

2011-05-23T22:23:00.002-06:00

Didn't do anything special today. Just another day at work, but Danny sent me flowers! Yeah. Mom came over yesterday with cake. German Chocolate, yum! One of my athletes was suppose to make me his famous brownies, but just gave me a great bear hug instead. I thought that was okay. Good gift from a goofy, teddy bear, 200lb lineman. Funny kid.

Here comes Spring!

2011-02-24T21:28:00.004-07:00

Well, Lots of news from our neck of the woods.
First off, Winter sports are almost over!!! (Spring try-out are next week!)
We had 5 wrestlers make it to state and they all chocked in the first round. Our biggest chance for a state title ended when our kid tore his hami a week and a half before state. That kid gain like 14lbs in a week - wrestler, and emotional eater. Note a good combo! I was glad to see wrestling done. We hosted 2 big weekend tournaments and I was about ready to throw-up on wrestling. Also because we had A LOT of injuries in wrestling this year. Mostly minor, naggers, but a few biggies. One of my state kids decided, after agonizing through his only state match, that he would finally go to the doc - ER actually. I had been telling him to go get his back checked out for a possible fracture for like 5 weeks! So he went to the ER and what did he have??? Scoliosis. Yeah, gay! Okay, so there was a pinched nerve or two with tons of inflammation that was causing the symptoms, but still, crazy! I did have a wrestler at one of our tournaments who did break his neck though. Got 2nd opinion from his athletic trainer, who sent him to insticare, who took xrays, who missed it! Scary, huh!? Another doc saw the xrays and caught it, thank goodness. Yeah, he got surgery. Anyway...
Girls basketball went to state, yea!! The won their first game even though they played horrible. It was close, worrisome. Then they played defending state champs tonight (Springville) and lost, by one point. So sad! So they are done. It was a really fun game to watch since I knew most of the Springville girls from when I was interning there. They were all freshman then. Crazy. It makes me feel a little old. No good injuries to report there. Just a couple concussions.
Then there is boys basketball. Ugh! What a nightmare. Head coach must be friends with the football coach, cuz they are both, disrespectful, immature, AH's. We had two concussions in bbb and coach caused trouble with both of them. Long story short, he doesn't trust that I know what I'm doing, so he wants all the boys to see a doc over me and has deterred them from coming to me, deliberately undermining my expertise all the way along. We had a game yesterday and I seriously wanted to punch him when he wouldn't let me take care of an injury. Rahhr! But, they only have 1 game left, prob'ly. Season is done, but they play a game Sat to see if they go to state, which I'm guessing they wont. They're only so-so.
Next comes Spring! Hoorah! Fresh-cut grass, sunshine and warmth. Yes! Oh, and baseball, softball, boys soccer, track, boys tennis and girls golf. Wahoo. (Then I will have made it through my first, incredible stressful, year of training!) Not to mention summer is after that.

ON the homefront...

On a better note all together there is lots going on at home too! Danny is in his last semester of undergrad! Yeah. Well, kind of. He is actually planning to do, um, well, something. He hasnt really made up his mind, but he is looking into a safety program thats really like a minor. That will be another year or so. Otherwise, he would be doing pre-reqs for a masters in safety engineering. He hasnt figured out the best option yet. I say LETS GET ON WITH IT! He really drives me crazy. Oh, and speaking of feeling old, Dannys birthday was yesterday. He turned 31!

Tolson is a busy boy. He is rolling all over the place. Everywhere he wants to go he rolls, so you find himat opposite ends of a room within minutes, only to find hime in the next corners of that room minutes later. He's funny. Maybe this is why he has the nick name, Rolley Tolley. Check out the attached video of his greatest motivation yet. The Balloon. He has started to push up on his hands and knees and rock, but hasnt quite figured out the crawl yet. He'll get up on his hands and knees, then fall down, scooting backward in the process. He's so cute.

Oh, and he cut his first tooth last Wednesday! He's been so sad. We've all been sick with a nasty cold, and he's teething. Poor guy. It's the first time he's been really sad and clingy. He's such a good boy.

Azilyn is...well, I think we spoil her. She is really good at manipulative "faker" tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants. But she's been really "helpful" lately too. She really does try to help, but it usually ends up in a mess. Then she is sincerely apologetic, so I cant get mad at her for just trying to help. It's cute, but all very frustrating. I love that curly mop though. She is taking ASL lessons with a deaf girl at the high school, so she is around the training room more often and all the kids just adore she and Tolson both. I love it. Though its hard to concentrate when they're there. Her lessons are going well, but she is only two, so her attention span is pretty limited. Tutor is trying to figure out what to teach her cuz she really knows a lot of noun vocabulary. She's doing pretty well. Now if we could just get her hair to grow back!
Well, I dont get much done outside of work. Azilyn's quilt is on hold again. Too stressed about work stuff to work on it. Maybe when school is out! :)

Well, love ya'll! Sorry for the novel, but that's what happens when you dont blog for so long. Oh, we got family picture again. I will have to try and post it up here. Now to go rest my weary head and try to shake this nasty bug!

NATA Conference, Here I Come!

2011-01-29T13:38:00.003-07:00

It's official! I'm going to New Orleans. I'm sooo excited - Aaaahhhhhhh! I booked my plane ticket today, booked my room last week. Just need to find a good deal on a rental car and plan all the fun things to do in the city of Jazz and Jambalaya.
My athletic training conference is three days, which I'm super excited about! Then my friend Hilary is flying in and I'll have another three days of touring with her! Wahoo! Now I just need to figure out how to convince my boss that he should pay for my conference entrance fee. Have to pay for those CEUs somehow.
It's not til June, but I'm sooo excited!!!! Anyone have any tips?

Happy New Year, and Christmas, and Thanksgiving!

2011-01-02T20:18:00.003-07:00

Wow! I cant believe I havent posted since November! So much has happened in the last month or so! Here's the major things:

Another retarded coach got his panties in a knot (boys basketball). Lost his star player to concussion. Threw a big fit. Tried to go around the rules. Big headache!

My little sister left her abusive husband, Hoorah!!! At least for now. We dropped everything one day to help her. Very emotional day, and following few weeks. She and her two kids stayed with us for two weeks while she finished up her semester of school. That was hectic and just about pushed my sanity over a cliff, but we got through it. Glad we could help, and that she and the kids are safe.

Danny finished another semester of school! Whew. That was also crazy. He is good at procrastination, so he had lots to do the last two weeks of school. Hopefully he passed all his classes. [biting fingernails] Only one more semester to finish up his bachelors! Still trying to figure out if a masters is in the near future. Not looking probable.

Azilyn scalped herself. Yes, its sad, but true. She was helping Danny mix pancakes when she leaned under Danny's arm to tell her cousin, "we're making pancakes" and her hair got sucked into the electric egg beaters, ceasing the machine and breaking the shaft! Yanking a chunk of hair clean out, well, maybe not so clean, she was bleeding from the pores. Poor girl! She now has a bald spot, abt 1x2 inches. We hope it grows back.

Azilyn got her tonsils/adenoids removed. Now I have a hard time hearing her breath at night, being right next to her, let alone across the house (no joke). No more sleep apnea and snoring for this little girl. She has done amazing with the recovery! Wasnt too fussy coming out of anesthesia, didn't complain of pain until day 6 or 7 (probably when the scabs came off), and only complains after waking up, probably because her throat is dry.

Azilyn is now potty trained! I think it's been about a month. She was doing awesome during the day and woke up dry for a whole week, so we moved her to panties. No more diapers! Hooray!!! She even stayed dry under anesthesia! We put her in a diaper for her surgery, which she protested, and she stayed dry! Even when the meds were wearing off, she wanted to go to the potty! Wahoo. We've had a few "busy" accidents (makes it to the potty too late cuz she's busy playing or cant get her pants off), but no wet nights. You go girl! Oh, and she occasionally pees under the toilet seat and soaks her pants. Not really sure how that happens??

Tolson also hit a milestone. He has been sitting on his own for about a month. I'm glad too, cuz the back of his head is a bit mis-shapen. Hope we dont have to get a helmet. He has a well-check dr appt this week, will ask him then.

Tolson is such a delight! He is a great baby. Sleeps through the night, doesnt cry unless tired or super hungry. He is smiling and laughing. I love his dimples! He loves his sister and laughs at her and likes to grab her hair. He loves to grab my hair and/or face and attack, giving me slobber kisses. It's great! Hilarious! He loves his mamma! He likes to comb his hands through my hair. It's sweet (when he doesnt grab hold).

Because of Tolson's love of hair, I decided to chop mine off. It's about chin length. Danny loves it. I'm getting used to it. It's a major change. I think I whacked about 8 inches off. Tolson doesnt love it. I'm pretty sure he didn't know who I was when I came home. Azilyn says my hair is smaller. Funny.

The holidays came and went. We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with my moms side of the family. It was fantastic and pretty low key. We were party-poopers for New Year's. but it still came. Toot. Confetti. "Happy New Year!" Kisses. There, I celebrated!

I have some New Year's "resolutions", if you will. But I'm not so resolute. I want to eat better (ie - actually make meals and eat them regularly), cut sweets, exercise, get better sleep, read scripture, pray, be a more patient mother (ie - not kill my 2yo). Ya know, the usual. Danny and I are planning an anti-fungal cleanse in the next two weeks to kick off the healthy eating goal (minimal carbs for two weeks the kill those nasty parasites), then healthy foods from here on out.

Upcoming things to look forward to this year:
Valentine's Day, no plans yet, but I'm sure it's going to be great (Hint, HINT)
Graduation (maybe)
Getting through my 1st year as ATC
Athletic Training Conferences (Albuquerque or New Orleans, cant decide which to hit)
Tolson's 1st Birthday
9 year wedding anniversary
Azilyn's 3rd birthday
Ashley's 10 year HS class reunion
Summer in general, etc, etc.

In Full Swing again

2010-11-18T09:24:00.004-07:00

So, the Winter sports officially started a week ago (tomorrow).
We've already had two concussions! Wrestlers. What do you expect when they're slammin' each other on the mat? Honestly! For one of them I called the ambulance. Landed on his neck/shoulders and was having tenderness on the spine with tingling and numbness down his arms and hands. Scary! I sure didn't want to move him. He ended up being okay. No spinal fracture. Just sprained ligaments in his neck/back along with the concussion (his 4th). His parents decided he's done wrestling. Probably a good choice since he's like a zillion times more likely to get another concussion! Too bad though, I liked the kid.
Well, along with concussions, the rest of our wrestling team isn't doing so great either. I think I have about 10 guys dealing with injuries already (most were from football). Sprained AC, dislocating shoulder, back pain with instability, sprained knees, sprained ankles and fingers, random unexplained pains, unknown elbow injury (waiting for MRI). The list goes on. Poor guys. I dont think I'm ready for bloody, any injury's likely, gotta have quick hands cuz injury time's only 2 minutes, matches.
Ready or not!

Random rant

2010-11-15T22:40:00.003-07:00

So, I mentioned a few weeks ago that my house is a disaster! Well, still a disaster. And I'm blogging to you about it. I decided I'm just lazy. And I hate cleaning. But I worked out on Friday! The first time in...well, ages. I cant even remember the last time. Pathetic. It was actually really great! Now I just need to figure out how to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to get it done regularly, cuz really, that's the only time that might work. Today, didn't work.
I've been babysitting my sister's kids (2 and 1 yr old) on Mondays, and sometimes Wednesdays so she can go to school. Wow, it makes for a long, unproductive day at home! Two, two-year-old girls creates lots of drama and messes. Not to mention the 1yr old. He's a screamer and loves to throw things. Awesome. I think I'm balding from all the hair I'm pulling out (not really, put some days, ugh, I'm tellin you!) Literally, every time you turn around, you're cleaning up or preventing one mess to find a different one waiting right around the corner. Ahhh! And I thought I was going to have 5-6 kids? Tell me it gets better when you have one old enough to "help".
If I had twins I think I'd truly go crazy - loony bin crazy. My sis-in-law, Martha is truly a saint! She has to deal with my brother, twin boys, and their older brother. Whew, too much testosterone!
Then again, Azilyn's drama isn't a cake walk either. She's in a whiny, fake cry, meltdown over everything, clingy for hugs and kisses when something doesn't go her way stage. Wow, am I over that already! I love my daughter. I love my daughter. I LOVE my daughter!
We had physicals at the HS today. I was thrilled that I could get a doc to come to the high school. It's so much more convenient for the kids, however, I was disappointed. Not a very good turn out, less than 10. It did make a few bucks for my AT budget though. Yea!
And now I'm done. Super tired.

Football's over!

2010-10-31T21:39:00.006-06:00

So, this past week was soooo long! I had a big issue at work with our football coach, regarding one of our starting Varisty players who got a concussion. I was babysitting all week long making sure the kid didn't go back to play before he was suppose to. Ugh!

Friday we had our first playoff game. We ended up loosing in Triple overtime! So sad. As much as I wanted to get paid for another game, I am really glad to be done with football! I think half the team was concussed sometime in the season, coaches were a bit of a nightmare, and it's just getting too darn cold to be outside.

Now begins the busy season - Boys and girls basketball and wrestling (and swimming). This will be my life through Winter. Go Bruins!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T21:32:00.009-06:00

This year we trick-or-treated in the rain. Well, Danny and Azilyn did. Tolson and I stayed in the car while they ran around with an umbrella. I didn't think being out in the rain would help me get over my 3rd cold virus in a row. Seriously, I've been sick ALL month!
I'm no photographer, but here are some pictures of our costumes. Well, minus mine. I was just a witch. Minimal preparation. Not very cool, I guess, because we got no pictures of me. Danny a Samuri. This is him posing at our ward Halloween party.

Tolson is a Horse, even though he looks like a cow.
And Azilyn is a Pumpkin. At our ward party, Azilyn fell asleep on the couch in the foyer and another little girl her age ran up to her dad and told him there was a fairy on the couch! She was so stinkin cute!

Crayzee Life

2010-10-10T21:35:00.002-06:00

Okay, so it is now OCTOBER! Crazy.
So I have been super busy with work and kids. I wish I would have made time each week to report all that has gone on, but unfortunately, that was just asking too much. I have really loved my job, but it has been super stressful. Danny and I are switching off daily, he goes to school then comes right home so I can go to work. At home we are both non stop kid-taking-care-of so our house, dinner, laundry have gotten the brunt of it all. We currently have about 7 loads of dirty laundry which has overtaken the hallway, and another 3+ loads of clean laundry in baskets in our room. The floors havent been cleaned in, oh, a month, the bathroom gets cleaned only when a part of it starts growing something, and Tolson gets a bath, well only once or twice a week. Wow! The list could go on, but I'll spare you. We're pathetic, but our children are loved. We have actually started a date night thanks to my sister (we watch her kids 1 day/wk and she gives us a date night).
The past two weeks we've all been sick. Flu for Azilyn and Danny, Mega cold for Danny and Ashley. Tolson gets all the antibodies from me, so he's lucked out so far.
I think Danny's hanging in there with school. His online class is suffering. Stupid online classes!
Tolson is 4 months old now! He is such a happy boy. Very chill and content. He is rolling over, or at least tries often. He's made it a few times. He lifts his head when laying down like he wants to sit up and he's started grabbing everything to put in his mouth. Slobbers like a champ and loves his sister!
Azilyn loves her brother and gives him hugs and kisses every day. It's so cute! Yesterday she was a little curious and bit his finger. He, of course, wailed right away, which made Azilyn also scream and cry. She was so sad that she hurt brother, I don't think she'll do that again.

Stress

2010-08-29T16:44:00.003-06:00

I'm really stressed out. I love work, but it is stressful. And that doesn't help the fact that I'm having trouble finding time to pump at work, so my milk supply is nearly zilch, which makes me even more stressed, ahhh!

Emergency Room

2010-08-15T15:32:00.006-06:00

I failed to mention in my last post that Azilyn had her first visit to the ER last week.
After having to call the ambulance for a soccer player in their first game on Tuesday of last week, I went to bed Thursday thinking, 'tomorrow is Friday the 13th; am I feeling superstitious? I wonder if anything crazy will happen tomorrow?"
Well, I had just gotten through the morning rush before FB practice on Friday. I was just thinking of taking a deep breath and sitting down for the first time all morning, when I get a call from home.
All I can hear is Azilyn screaming in the background and Danny trying to get a word in edgewise. All I got from Danny was, "...you...home".
Me, "What?"
Danny, "...need...come home."
Me, "What? Why?"
- Azilyn still screaming -
Danny, "We n...itch..."
Me, "What?"
Danny, "Azilyn...stiches."
Me, "WHAT!? Well, take her to the hospital!"

Well, to avoid more annoying dialog, I'll make a short phone call shorter. I had the car. We only have one. I told him to borrow the neighbor's car. I left in a hurry and headed home. Called Danny on the way to hear...nothing in the back ground. "Uh, where's Azilyn?" Already in the neighbor's car. So, apparently, Azilyn tripped and hit her face on the nightstand. She split her "lip, about and inch long," Danny said. I'm thinking her bottom lip is in two pieces, hanging off her face, right? So, who's with Azilyn, holding her face on? Nobody. I guess it wasn't bleeding so much. Weird for a head wound not to bleed much.

Well, we finally both got to the hospital, after trying the insta-care we'd never been to and found that it indeed is an after hours, well, and daytime hours, but not morning hours. Anyway, the first look I got of Azilyn was at the hospital, and I was a little embarrassed to be there. On the phone Danny said, "I can see her teeth right through her lip." So I thought it was really bad. Well, it was pretty well closed up when we got to the ER. I don't doubt that it looked bad when it first happened. I guess kids just have fast healing. Anyway, the ER doc did exactly what I would have done if I would have just gone straight home. Superglue (medical grade, of course). Good thing we have insurance! Here's a pic at the ER.

This is before it was cleaned up very well, so there is some residual blood residue.
Poor Azilyn just kept saying, "I wanna go home." Maybe she was embarrassed too? However, she did make friends with a self acclaimed 'great-grandma' while at the ER. Azilyn was sick of sitting around waiting for the ER doc, so she jumped off the bed, walked out of our little curtained room, went right up to this lady, hugged her and said, "hi!" I'm a little worried about how friendly Azilyn has become with strangers lately.

Here I am trying to comfort her when doc came to check it out. Oh, she got her tooth somehow too, but it was okay, just a little laceration on her gums above it.

Oh, while at the ER another toddler came in with a hugely swollen black eye and gouged cheek (BEWARE, GRAPHIC DETAILS TO FOLLOW, and let this be a lesson to those with small children)...

...Come to find out, the poor kid fell on a dishwasher prong. It went through his cheek into his eye! Hope it doesn't effect his vision.

Week 1: Crazy!

2010-08-14T14:00:00.001-06:00

Okay, so this week was my first "full-time" week at my new job. Even though my contract says I am paid to work 20-25 hours a week, it really is a full-time job. Not only do I have to get established and organized (which entails a lot in itself - cleaning the training room, inventory, ordering supplies, paperwork and computer entry, coaches meetings, educating coaches, parents and athletes on cuncussions, heat illness, etc.), nearly every sport has two-a-day practices and I have to take care of all of them! Can we say OVERWHELMING!? Oh, and some sports even started with games this week! It's crazy.
And that is just my job. Danny also got called into work this week, AND we have kids! I'm trying to keep nursing Tolson, so that threw in another curve ball with having to make sure I eat, drink and pump regularly in order to keep the milk in. Ahhhh! It's been non-stop.
Well, the good news is, I, or rather, we survived the week. Here's how it went down:

Last weekend, we went to So. Utah for our last hoorah before school and work consume our lives for the next 10 months. We left on Thursday. On Wednesday, I found out about a new rule on concussions that is going into effect this year and that I have to single-handedly educate EVERY coach, athlete, and parent about it. So, on the way down to So. UT, I'm frantically calling all my coaches trying to set up these meetings before sports really gets rolling. I got a hold of... ONE. Football. He very seriously responds, "oh, ya, that is really important, lets get together Monday right after practice."
So, reading this, you may be thinking, "ya, so, what's the big deal?" Well, practice on Monday is at 7AM. I barely found out about this thing and thus, dont even know what it is myself, I have no time to prepare, and I now have to present this to my entire football coaching staff first thing Monday! And I'm suppose to be leaving town and work behind to have a relaxing weekend with family!? Ha! STRESS!!
I had to work very, very hard that weekend to put it out of my mind enough to have some fun and yet still find some time to prepare. Ugg. So much for relaxing.

So, Monday:
I'm nervous. Tired. "Unprepared".

To be honest, I don't even remember all the details from day to day this past week because my schedule went something like this - FB practice, 7am. This means waking up at 5:30AM (after hitting snooze for 15 minutes cuz I just woke up with the baby sometime between 3:30 & 5), shower, get dressed in the dark, make-up & hair, quick breakfast, feed baby or pump, hope Azilyn doesn't wake up to cry on my leg, trying not to wake Danny, throw 4 different bags in the car, speed off to work 15 min away.

Rush to set up for practice, take care of injuries (for the next 3 hours straight), done by 10am. Rush back home to relieve Danny so he can go to work. Feed baby. Eat 2nd breakfast. Make lunch for Azilyn. Put Azilyn down for nap. Feed baby again. Take a nap myself, study about injuries, or other misc business such as set up physicals, order supplies, dr. appts & other personal errands.

Back to work for practice #2 or game (2:30-6). Clean up at work. Come home to kids and try to forget work. Danny goes back to work til dark. I make dinner, invite myself to dinner at neighbor's, or scourge fridge & feed kids. Bathe kids. Bedtime routine. Study some more. Go to bed exhausted about 10-11pm. Feed baby 1-2x/night. Wake up and start again! Great fun.
It's surprising I actually want to go back and do it again next week!

Injury Report for week one:
3 concussions,
1 sprained thumb,
3 groin strains,
1 shoulder impingement
4 various knee issues (minor)
1 spastic back
5+ ankle sprains
2 shin splints
dehydration muscle cramps, and
a call to 911 - for asthma
(could we put this to a song? 12 Days of Christmas maybe?)

Needless to say, it was a long week!
Do it again, do it again, one more time!
School starts in two weeks, but first, another long week of 2-a-days, games and more!!!

I love my job.

Sweet Little Spirits

2010-08-01T16:08:00.005-06:00

Today I am grateful for a healthy, beautiful family. I am not so grateful, however, for an apartment that consistently creeps to 80 degrees everyday. I'm sweating like a pig! (do pigs really sweat??)

First, to be grateful.
Preface: We have lived in the same ward, a married student ward, for almost 5 years now. It is uncommon for a family to stay as long as we have, and I'm almost certain that by the time we 'graduate' to the regular family ward, we will have made a new record in our current ward for the family with the longest stay. In fact, each semester, half our ward is new, due to the incredulous turnover by reason of it's natural makeup. Anyway, it doesn't seem like we would see much "life action" in a ward such as this, but we've seen our share. By life action, I mean all the issues and problems life might bring us as we become more "seasoned" in life - serious illness, worries with children, divorce, death, etc. In this ward, it seems like we have seen it all.

I am simply shocked at the challenges that have been faced by those so young. Here are some examples;
*Serious illness, including diabetes and related complications, heart problems, seizures, autoimmune diseases, mental illness, and cancer.
*Baby-related issues - tons of infertility, miscarriages, birth defects, stillborns, loss of a child.
*Financial woes - serious debt, unemployment, layoffs, home foreclosures.
*Family and other - loss of parent, loss of spouse, physical abuse, divorce.

All of these things have happened to people we know, of college age, and within the last 5 years! It seems tragic and so unfair. Fortunately, we have gained strength as a ward, and as individuals. We have had the opportunity to serve, support and uplift. We have been turned to the Lord, given thanks, and had cause for introspection.

Most recently, a couple in our ward gave birth to their first child. After much effort in getting pregnant, they were ecstatic to be having a baby. At 36 weeks, they found out that the baby had a brain tumor and "water-on-the-brain" due to the blockage. The baby was born, but unfortunately, lived less than 48 hours. You can imagine the devastation. On their blog the mother recalled the simple joys she had with her newborn son during his short life - hearing his first cry, holding him, touching his perfect little features, changing his diaper, having him receive a name and blessing. The little things, that I often take for granted. I cannot imagine this ordeal and my heart and tears pour out to them.

For this and much more, I am grateful for healthy babies, for late Saturday nights with a new baby and a teething two year old, 8:30am church the next morning, dirty diapers every two hours, potty train messes, endless baby laundry, screaming in the house, fingerprints on the tv, an always dirty house, kissing every boo-boo, tripping over toys, sand from the sandbox in the house, phones in the toilet, and the list goes on. For all the little, and big annoyances and inconveniences of having children, I am grateful to have opportunity to have such wonderful little spirits in my care. They are definitely more of a blessing than we will probably ever really know.

I love my little family and thank the Lord for them daily, and even more so when I am reminded that I need to be more than just grateful. I am blessed and in debted to God for all his tender mercies.

Birthday "Party"

2010-07-30T09:26:00.005-06:00

Yesterday we had a belated "birthday party" for Azilyn. And the only reason I can feel like it was a party, is because she had like 20 presents. Grandma Gaile went a lot overboard. We got her a sleeping bag, shoes, some dresses (that will aid in potty training without having her be totally naked), and sidewalk chalk, which she referred to as chop sticks (she was going for chalk sticks!). Grandma went crazy at IKEA and got a bunch of stuff for Azilyn's play kitchen - dishes utensils, play food, etc. She was quite spoiled.
When I saw the enormous pile of presents I made the comment that it only goes downhill from here. I'm sure she'll just get less and less presents every year, and yet still have some to open on her 20th birthday.
Anyway, we went swimming again. Azilyn, of course, had fun, but probably not as much fun if Papi would have been there. Danny was in the park making us a most delicious dutch oven dinner. Yum! Potatoes, Beans, and Ribs! We are so lucky to have such a great Papi! Claire and her girls came. Grandma Yvonne and Grandpa Terry were there too. Thanks a million for a great party everyone. (I forgot my camera, again, so I'll have to back-blog some pics here when I get them from Grandma)

Potty training progress??

2010-07-29T11:07:00.002-06:00

So, after Azilyn's bath, she loves to watch Signing Time. This gives me the opportunity to style her hair and get her dressed without much opposition. Sometimes, we just leave her naked in hopes that she will make it to the potty without the restriction of clothing. Well, lately she's been going pee occasionally, but she always wants her diaper put on before she has to poo.
Well, this morning we've been quite busy, so she managed to pee in the potty with minimal help, like 4 times. Only once, before the big pee, did she trickle down her leg some (quite funny actually). So, I'm in changing Tolson's diaper and I hear, "Mom, MOM, MOM! I'm on the potty." She was calling for help. "Okay, stay on the potty til I come help you." (She loves to get off and look at her accomplishment, then she makes a mess everywhere). This time, she stayed on. So I come in the living room (where her 'little potty' is placed) and there are two decent sized turds trailing toward the little potty. So I'm thinking, 'oh great, she pooped on the carpet, then sat on the potty to try and weasel a treat out of it.' NOPE! There, in her potty was a man sized turd! She was just a little slow getting to the potty, BUT she did it all by herself! I'm so proud! We might actually be making some progress.

My First Job

2010-07-20T19:07:00.002-06:00

I got a job! I am the new Athletic Trainer at Mountain View High School. Yeah! I actually got the job about 3 weeks ago, but I don't start (officially) until August 9th. It's really seemed surreal and I've been super busy, so I haven't had a chance to write about it.
The job fell in my lap, really, but I believe the Lord was putting things in place to make it possible. Several months ago I ran into a kid at the grocery store who was in the program with me at BYU. I told him I was looking for something and he told me he'd let me know when he knew of something. Well, it's not very often people actually remember those kind of conversation, but lo and behold, he did. After calling me, he gave my number to his boss (I was hired threw a physical therapy clinic), and within a few hours, I was interviewed and hired! It was pretty crazy.
The job is only part-time, about 20 hours a week, which is great for being a mom, but makes for a poke-in-the-eye salary, and really, not very good coverage for all sports, considering a quarter of that is the Varsity football game alone, but it brings in a little money and gets my foot in the door for some experience. I'm excited, but super nervous. It's a lot of resposability and to be quite honest, I'm a little rusty after being away from everything for more than two years. Yikes!
Please pray for me! I'll need all the help I can get.

Happy Birthday Azilyn!

2010-07-19T23:35:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know I'm a slacker on keeping the updates. I just wanted to wish my "baby" girl a happy birthday today! She is TWO! I just can't believe how time flies. I was totally going to plan a big birthday party for her since baby brother has gotten so much of the attention the past month or two, but again, I'm a slacker and I have failed to plan much of anything. Luckily, she's forgiving, and only two, so she probably wont remember anyway.
We did go swimming, which she LOVES, and invited some cousins too, so she really loved that. Then we went back to the cousin's house for dinner. Gumbo. It was delicious! Then we sang happy birthday to Azilyn and she was super excited about that. Dumb mom forgot the camera though. Her face was priceless. It was all aglow. After we sang she clapped and said, "I want some cake!" It was hilarious. She's definitely no dummy!
Happy Birthday big girl!!

Welcome Baby Brother

2010-06-14T22:13:00.011-06:00

Azilyn is excited to announce the birth of her baby brother, Tolson Henley. He was born Thursday, June 10th at 8:40pm. Weighing 6lbs 6oz and measuring 19 inches long. He has blonde hair and as far as I can tell, it doesn't seem to be curly. His eyes, rather than the blue-gray newborn eyes we expected, were more brownish-gray. It will be interesting to see how he develops! Oh, and out of no where came the most adorable little dimples!

He came after a short labor of 6 hours, but mom couldn't hack it this time. After just three hours of labor, progressing only 1cm, and feeling like I was already in transition (the hardest part of labor), I called for Dr. Jones (the anesthesiologist). I felt bad for getting an epidural, but I knew my pain tolerance and it was maxed. Besides, I think Danny was doing as much work as I was as he applied counter pressure with his entire body weight against my knees, with every contraction, I was sure he wouldn't last either, and then where would we be!?

So, it was great having the pain gone, but I can't say I loved the epidural. Tingly entire lower half like after a dental procedure, no urge to push, not even knowing if I am pushing, legs in stirrups just waiting for baby to come. It was really weird. It was like that awkward silence thing, but everyone is staring at you, and did I mention the stirrups? After having fully experienced child birth, I think I'd rather work for it. There was much more satisfaction in a non-medicated birth. I think I just need to be a little more prepared next time.

Labor was definitely worse this time around, but I think I could have lasted another 3 hours without the epi if it hadn't caught me so off guard in the first place. I was totally unprepared this time and thus, unable to focus adequately on the task at hand. Who knows, maybe I still would have chosen the path I did. After all, labor sucks! The important part is, however, that Tolson made it to our family! He is happy, healthy, and very loved. We are so glad he's here.

Azilyn loves her baby brother! And has acted surprisingly well, thus far. She is very loving, gentle, and not jealous. She has been rather independent and only occasionally wants to hug or hold baby brother. And she hasn't yet tried to "help" without supervision. Overall, she has had adequate attention though, so, we'll see how she does when mom is the only one home and can't cut herself in two!

Tolson and I are adjusting and recovering well. He is still trying to figure out the nursing thing and that is a killer for me, but a little blood, sweat and tears never hurt anyone, right!?
He is improving quickly, though at wee hours of the morn with sore boobs and a frustrated kid, it sure makes you think otherwise. But overall, he is a very sweet boy, mild tempered, only fusses when there's a reason - hungry, wet, gassy, etc. He loves to suck (Azilyn never took a binky) and is a snuggler and we are glad to have him in our family!

Welcome home little man!

Baby update

2010-05-13T15:39:00.003-06:00

Okay, so we finally got the lab results back and we can all breath a little easier now. I have previously had this parvovirus and thus have passed my immunity onto the baby. Yea! That's what we were hoping for!

I also had a doctors appointment today. I mentioned to doc that the baby has had decreased movement the past week or so, which I was trying not to make a big deal of because I figured it was just my stress and paranoia playing tricks on me, since every time I would officially take count, he was still within normal range (with the exception of one or two times). Anyway, I should have just gone in when I even questioned it. So, the doc had me go to the hospital to have the baby monitored this morning, and it turns out, the baby's great, but more eval next week just for comparison. And, of course the baby with moving a ton today. The thing that you're concerned about never happens when you're actually at the doc's, right!? Ridiculous.

Needless to say, all that made for a unexpectedly long morning! And reminded me that I need to pack my bags and actually get more ready for the big day.

Anyway, thank you for all your fasting and prayers! They have been noticed and very much appreciated.

Oh, and doc said I'm 1 cm dilated and the baby is head down, pretty low, so any contractions will be moving things along! Yeah. Sounds exactly like with Azilyn. We're getting excited!

Anxiously awaiting

2010-05-09T17:36:00.003-06:00

Well, no news is good news, right?? This is me trying to be positive. The fact is, my labs haven't come back yet, and it's nearly maddening! The lab told me it would take 3 days. My doctor told me it would take a week. I'm thinking, Monday to Friday, right? NOPE. Doc meant 1 full week. Monday to Monday, if not longer! Seriously, does it really take that long to look at a blood sample? Anyway, I've mostly kept busy to keep my mind off of it, but of course, it's always in thought.

Last Saturday and Sunday were horrible (especially Sunday) because the baby decided he was going to take a few days off. Saturday his movements were pretty weak and less often. Then the first half of the day on Sunday his movements were few and far between and still weaker than normal. I was worried, but tried to stay clam and not be stressed, but I think I was anyway, which probably made it worse, mentally for me and physically for the baby. Then the later part of Sunday he was moving more normally and he went crazy around 9pm, his regular super active time. So my mind was reassured that he was okay, for the time being.

Speaking of hard Sundays, every Sunday is kind of a nightmare around our house. Today has been especially hair-pulling. You see, we go to the married student ward and there are 9 wards in our twin-chapel building. Our ward starts at 12:10pm - lunchtime, and nap time is at 1pm. So, it makes for a really long day when her lunch is thrown off and she misses her nap. By the time we get out, it's time for her to eat again, but she's so dang tired, she usually falls asleep on the way home or shortly thereafter. Then she doesn't sleep well cuz she's hungry. Thus, she wakes up ornery and basically stays that way until she finally goes to sleep at bedtime. Ahhhh! And to make it worse, today she woke up early and on the wrong side of the bed. It's been an awesome Mother's Day! (Do you sense the sarcasm!???)
[Eyes closed. Inhale. Blow away the frustration.]

On the upside, Azilyn loves her baby brother and is going to be an great big sister! She is always wanting to give baby brother hugs and often recounts the day at the OB when she "heard the baby's heartbeat in Mommy's tummy. Sounds like a siren," she says. Then she wants to hold the baby. And, she will tell you baby brother's name if you ask her. It's so cute!

This past Saturday I had a baby shower and one of the girls that came has a two month old who is still very tiny and cute! Anyway, she walked in and Azilyn got all excited for the "baay-beee!" She immediately went to comfort him since he was being a little fussy and she stroked his head very gently. Then she laid her head on his legs and gave him a hug. It was adorable, and somewhat comforting that she was so good with him. I think she's more prepared for her baby brother to come than I am.

Baby scare

2010-05-02T23:02:00.000-06:00

Okay, so, the other day, Azilyn randomly throws up her dinner. So I throw her in the tub and when she gets out, her legs and bum are covered with this weird, hive-like, rash. Some looked blistery. So, I'm thinking, maybe she had an allergic reaction to something? So we call the doctor and they say, just keep an eye on it, give her some Benedryl and call if it gets worse. So, I gave her some Benedryl and sent her to bed, checking up on her often to assess the progress of the rash, breathing, etc. The rash was gone within an hour or so.
The next day, she woke up from her nap and her face had a similar rash, and her cheeks were bright red and puffy, obvious swelling. This really worried me, so we got right into the doctor. He said it could be an allergy. Try Benedryl again. If it helps - allergy. If not - it may be fifths disease, which is just a viral infection. The issue would be that if it is fifths, it could affect the baby, even cause a miscarriage/stillbirth. Great! And, the doc said his wife lost a baby from this and she was 8 months along! I was shocked, and a little nervous. He said it's something they can catch with an ultrasound and to call my OB if we rule out the allergy.
So, I go home and look up fifths and find out that the "lace-like" rash can take on a blister-like appearance and it can come and go, with heat, sunlight, and stress being triggers. Well, she gets the rash again after a hot bath and this time I don't do the Benedryl and the rash dissipates as her body cools down from the bath and she chills out to get ready for bed.
So, along with some other symptoms, I'm thinking, okay, not an allergy. It must be fifths. So, I call my OB and he says, you'll have to wait 'til Monday for blood work. And I'm thinking, ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?? This is a threat to my unborn child and you're telling me to sit on it!? Not to mention it may take a week to get lab results back. So, I ask him about it and he says the baby wouldn't show signs of infection within the next week. I'm still kinda freaking out, but trying to stay calm, cuz really, we dont know for sure if the baby's been affected and I can't do anything about it anyway, right? Well, what about the ultrasound? Doc says baby probably wont show signs yet. I'm doubting, remembering reading that there's a long incubation time ( up to a month) between having the virus and presenting the classic rashy symptoms. So, how do you know the baby wouldn't present symptoms?? It seemed illogical to me, but I wearily took his word and hung up the phone.
In the mean time, Danny is super worried and sends out a dire sounding text message to family and friends, requesting their faith and prayers. Not that I'm complaining, but a little warning would have been nice as worried calls and return texts begin to pour in! It was just slightly unexpected.
So to sum up a long story, we're worried. The unknown is always the most scary thing, though we hope and have faith that all will be well with the baby. As I have read more about this human parvovirus, I have become more confident that this is all just a scare and nothing more. There is a 50% chance I have had previous exposure to it, and thus am immune, passing that immunity onto the baby as well. There's another 33% chance the baby wont even be affected, even if I'm not immune. It looks better and better because I am in the later half of pregnancy. And, there seems to be lesser problems, such as fetal anemia, that would come on before the baby died anyway. All in all, I think it narrows it down to the 5% range that we would loose the baby. And while there are all those odds in our favor, the unknown is still the most prominent thing that gnaws at the back of my conscience and makes me very tired.
So, I will keep everyone updated. I am very thankful to all of your fasting and prayers in our behalf. I have felt lightened and uplifted as the day has gone on, and I know it is because of all of your faith. The Lord is watching over us and I know we are very blessed. We love you all!

Azilyn is HILARIOUS!

2010-04-28T21:20:00.003-06:00

So, Azilyn is talking, A LOT and she comes up with some of the most interesting, surprising and funny things.
The other day she came up behind me and gave my legs a great big bear hug. Well, you have to understand that she is at the perfect height that her forehead is right on my butt. So, what does she say when she hugs me? (And I'm not sure whether this is funny or embarrassing for me) She said "Hug a poop!" HA! I laughed so hard and when Danny heard it, he just about fell out of his chair. What a creative girl!
She definitely has a personality. She's added another phrase to preface "are you kiddin me". She now says, "Oh my gosh, are you kidding me!?" And with such passion. I'm pretty sure she got that one from me. What a character. She's never-ending fun, and sometimes it just wears me out!
Oh, she is also learning the art of deception. Whenever she doesn't want to sleep, or eat something, she always claims she has to "poop on the potty." But, of course, when we get to the potty, she just sits there and kicks her feet, and sings, and plays with the tp, and the shower curtain, etc, etc. (That is, if she goes straight to the potty. She'll often veer off to cast herself, giggilling, onto the luvsac or her bed.) Not even so much as a fart on the potty! She is a turd!

Other random things she says:
"Where'dt go? (puzzled face) It dis'peard. Dat's weird"
"Der tis"
And, of course, she can't say her r's, and she has the sweetest little voice that makes it all the more adorable!
She also just started to be the inquisitive one and always asks, "Whatcha doin?" and often cocks her head to the side and swings her arms, or legs, if she's leaning on the cupboard or something. Luckily we haven't gotten to the constant why's yet. That's always annoying!
Okay, well that's all I can think of for now.

Haircuts

2010-03-09T21:20:00.003-07:00

Azilyn got her first haircut today and she did awesome! All it took was a sucker for her to sit still; and I think she liked to look at herself in the mirror. Does that mean she's vain??
I was sad to cut her hair, of course, but it actually took my mind off the fact that I lost 6 inches from my own locks. Getting a hair cut has usually been a traumatic experience for me, since my hair grows so slow. And, I'm not sure I like the fact that my hair continues to get darker and heavier with each pregnancy.
Anyway, here are some pics of my baby's first trim. (Really, it was like 1/2 and inch, and yet, still so sad) I think here hair is now the same length is was in October! Guess she got the slow hair growing gene too.

What Azilyn thinks of her baby brother

2010-02-21T20:37:00.003-07:00

Azilyn pulled this one out during dinner this evening!

What a character! Ultrasounds really are kind of creepy. I don't think this reflects how she really feels about her developing sibling. It just goes to show how astute she is!
She often pats my tummy and say, "brother", or "baby in mama tummy," and says "hugs" (meaning she wants to hug the baby). It's very endearing!

Miss Independent

2010-02-21T19:08:00.002-07:00

So, this week, Azilyn decided that she is officially a big girl. Friday morning, I woke up to pee for the 4th time that night/morning and I always check on Azilyn to make sure she is still covered up. This was about 7am. Well, hoping I might feel better with another hour of rest (Azilyn usually wakes up around 8am), so I went back to bed cuz I felt like I had been run over by a semi truck. Bad night, I guess.
Well, I must have fallen asleep unexpectedly, and quickly, because about 7:30, I am suddenly awakened by - who other than, Azilyn! She walks happily into our room and say, "hi." Danny doesn't have school on Friday, so he was still in bed too. We both look at each other, tired and bewildered. WHAT!?? Am I dreaming? She couldn't be out of bed all by herself, could she? Is someone playing a trick on us?
I honestly got out of bed to see if anyone else was in the house, playing a trick on us! I didn't even hear her wake up!! Well, there was no hiding intruder and it was not a dream. The little stinker climbed out of her crib on her own! I'm still a little in shock as I write this that I didn't even hear her, at all. No thump, or grunt, or cry, or yell. Nothing! Quiet as a mouse.
She didn't climb out after her nap that day, so we waited to see if the next morning would produce the same surprise. Well, I heard her wake up this time and sure enough, a minute later, she was at our bedside yelling, "Hi Papi!" I couldn't believe it, Danny took her later that morning, put her in the crib and told her to get out. And she did, minus the lowering herself to the floor. She put her leg up on the front panel rail, hoisted herself onto it, then climbed back in the crib. What a monkey!
So, inevitably, we rearranged our entire house to make it more suitable for a toddler! She is now in a "toddler bed" (her crib converts when you take off the front panel). We are still looking for a guard rail so she doesn't fall out of bed and break her neck during her wild and crazy sleep.
Last night she rolled off her bed, landing on the feather bed topper we have right in front of her bed, then she rolled off of that too. I went in to check on her to find her randomly in front of the dresser, three feet away from her bed! At first I thought it was a blanket and almost stepped on her. After not seeing her in the bed or on the feathers I got so confused. I knew she was in the room cuz I could hear her snoring! I'm squinting, scanning the room. Is she behind the rocking chair?? The I realize, she's right at me feet. I was then surprised I hadn't whacked her head with the door on the way in! (Sigh)
Needless to say, this transition should be - interesting! My girl's getting so big!

Did I mention she's getting attitude!? Not that she was ever without personality, but now she constantly says, "I do it," and throws little fits if she doesn't get what she want right away! Oh, and don't forget the scowl! Wow. She is so much like me, it's scary!
It's the parental curse. Every time I tell my mom and dad about something new, they just laugh. Thanks guys! We just have to laugh at Azilyn most the time too though, but some days she really drives me crazy. I guess that's how it goes, right!?

Oh, speaking of laughing. (shaking my head) Today in sacrament meeting Azilyn ripped a big one on Danny's lap and said, "I fawted." And if that wasn't enough, it was during the opening prayer, so when no one responded, she yelled it again, loud! She got a few snickers that time, including Danny and I, and she laughed too. (shaking my head) What a silly girl! Danny leaned over and said, "let's not teach our boy to say that."
"I'm afraid we won't have to," I replied. I'm sure Azilyn will teach him enough all on her own and they will be the best of friends getting into trouble together!
Yeah, another crazy maker!!

Ultrasound

2010-02-06T20:06:00.005-07:00

We had our ultrasound this week and found out we're having a BOY!!! Yeah! I love him even more now that he is no longer a she-he-it. We both thought it was a boy, so we were not too surprised, but just happy and excited. Danny said he saw that it was a boy at the very first of our ultrasound and it took all he had to contain himself!
Azilyn was pretty excited when I told her what we were going to have. I patted my tummy with her hand and said, "Azilyn, you're going to have a baby brother!" At first I'm not sure it registered, but I said it again when she was looking at my face and she gasped and got a big, wide mouth and smile! Yea! I'm not sure she has really understood before now, but I'm sure she understands more than I think she does and that reaction was priceless. I wish I had it on camera.
We are so excited!

What is your name, little girl?

2010-02-01T19:06:00.004-07:00

So, I hate to always talk about Azilyn, but when you have the cutest thing ever for a daughter, you can't help but share! She is talking more and more and growing all the time. She is just the joy of our lives. Lately, we've been trying to get her to say her name when you ask what it is. Well today, she did it! Yea. And it was, of course, the cutest thing ever because she totally enunciated, Az-i-lyn. She's so adorable! So, we made the biggest deal out of it, clapping vigorously and shouting hooray! She just grinned ear to ear and eventually started laughing and clapping with us. Yea! Kids are so fun. And we have our ultrasound for baby #2 this week! I'm so excited. And nervous.

Kids say the darndest things!

2010-01-26T18:35:00.002-07:00

So, the other day Azilyn and I were driving in the car and this guy cut me off. How rude! Good thing I was in a good mood, cuz sometimes I call other drivers names. Well, this time I just said, "are you kiddin' me!?" And what do I immediately hear from the back seat? Azilyn repeats me like 20 time, "ah u kin me?" Same inflection and everything! LOL It was so hilarious!! I think I laughed for 15 minutes, and her laughing between her ah u kin me's just made it all the more funny! She'll still say it randomly now and it still makes my cheeks hurt when she does. Ahh! It's refreshing.

Vegas or Bust

2010-01-22T10:09:00.002-07:00

So, Danny went to Vegas this week. When a friend asked me why he was there, I told her that he left me for a showgirl named Lola. Ha! She didn't get it. I laughed pretty hard. No, really, he just went down there for the "home builder's challenge," a competition team he was on with some guys at school. They were given some specs on an HOA project and had a few months to put together all the details as if they were really going to build it. It was a pretty cool project. I was worried that they wouldn't do well cuz they procrastinated putting it all together. After they presented, however, Danny felt really good about it and said that they did awesome. The judges gave them some really great compliments and only had a few questions for them, where they really reamed some of the other teams. I'm thinking, that could be a good thing...or not. Well, he called me last night after the awards ceremony to say that they didn't do so well after all. I guess when you procrastinate, you overlook the details that really make the difference. But, I don't care that they didn't place, I am still so proud of him! I think it was a really good learning experience, and it will look good on a resume that he even participated! And, now he can come home! Yea!!! He's been gone since Tuesday and gets home today! Hooray! We have missed him.

Porcelin progress

2010-01-15T08:26:00.003-07:00

Okay, I was going to wait until this process was much further along, but...I can't wait. I'm too excited! Azilyn woke up this morning and said "poop". Now that may not sound so exciting coming from an 18-month-old, cute maybe, funny maybe, but seriously, we've been working on "pooping on the potty". Well, she has gone on the toilet 2-3 times in the past, oh, 4 months, with much persistence, and many dry runs. So, I decided to just settle in for a long ride and stick with the encouragement. Well, this week, she pooped on the potty on Monday! Yeah! Then again last night! Double yeah!! And this morning too! Hip, hip, hurray! She's never done it first thing in the morning! I feel we're making some progress. Though I anticipate a much, much, much longer time before we're free and clear of the diapers and pantie messes, I'm just so excited for a little progress. Yea! Way to go Azilyn. (I'm just hoping for minimal relapse when the baby is born. We'll see.)

The best of what's new

2010-01-04T13:06:00.004-07:00

Okay, now that everyone has stopped reading my blog since I'm such a slacker, I will write again. I was hoping by now to have some pictures of Halloween and Christmas and other fun things, but alas, I really am a slacker. I blame it on camera issues. I may be doing some back-blogging once I actually get the pictures on my computer!
Anyway, lots has happened in the last few monthes. Okay, not really. But, we do have some exciting news that we finally broke before Christmas. We are expecting baby number 2! Yeah!!
I have known I was prego since before Halloween, I just didn't want to spill the beans so soon. My first trimester was worse than with Azilyn. No vomiting, but I was super nauseous all the time. Eating didn't help, in fact it often made it worse, or just stayed the same. I was miserable! Had no desire to move, or eat, though I needed to do both often since Azilyn is an energizer bunny and I babysit my neighbor's kids 3x/week.
Differences with this pregnancy: more sick more often, more irritable (poor Danny and Azilyn! They deal with an awful lot), less patient, more emotional, less appitite, not as much weight gain (cuz I'm not eating a full meal every two hour!), not showing as soon (weird, I know), more suseptible to illness (wicked colds, abcessed tonsil, it seems like there was more), more sensitive to smells, etc. On the up side, I have felt the baby more. Not so much moving, but bulging. It's weird and cool. The uncool part is that I have to pee more and it's already annoying to have Azilyn sit on my lap because she love to sit, and bounce on my tummy.
Good thing I'm feeling less nauseated now! And, really, I'm not complaining, just sharing. Everytime I feel like complaining, I am reminded of so many friends and family that have infertility issues and would give anything to be sick with a baby. It's humbling.
It is, however, because of all these undesirables that I think it's a boy. Boys are always more trouble, right!? Ha. It probably will be a boy and totally opposite of Azilyn - chill, not as active, has his own (slow) time-table for making baby milestones, hates to bounce, hate pears, takes naps willingly. That's what makes each pregnancy so exciting (and scary)! You never know what you're going to get.
What ever happens, we are so excited to have our family grow! Yeah! And it's even more exciting that I have two cousins due a month on either side of me. I'm due June 18th, they are due in May and July. Cool!

2009-10-05T14:21:00.003-06:00

This past weekend, my mom's friend from work invited Azilyn to her 1 year old daughter's birthday party. Weird. Well, I went with my mom and Azilyn and it turned out to be pretty fun, and not so weird after all. Quite comfortable actually.
Anyway, we have this book that Azilyn likes that teaches cause and effect. One of the pages says, "if you put candles on a cake..." then it has a little window you open and it says, "you can celebrate, your birthday!" She loves this page because she has discovered she likes cake, and she loves to sing "patty-cake" when read it, and she likes the balloons and party scene.
So, after reading this page, I always say, "Happy Birthday". Sometimes she tries to say it, but recently she's been getting a lot better at it.
Well, the night before the party, we were reading this book and she said 'happy birthday' pretty clearly! We practiced on the way to the party and when we got there, she totally performed! Yeah!! It was awesome.
Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to get the sound bit on the blog. Man, I really thought I was computer savvy, but it's all just passing me right up. Must be a sign I'm getting old!

No naps and no shower make Mommy...something something

2009-09-17T11:29:00.003-06:00

Sooo, Azilyn is driving me super CRAZY!!!
I don't really know what's going on, but I think she's trying to bump the AM nap. Noooo!!! I most certainly do not approve.
I usually put her in her crib after reading a few stories and cuddling for a few minutes. She will often lay in my arms or on my shoulder, rub her eyes and begin to dose. Then I put her down and she goes to sleep.
The past week she's been restless in my arms, doesn't want me to put her in the crib, cries like I broke her little heart, truly devastated. I'm telling ya, it's all an act!
The past two days, she played in her crib for an hour and a half! No nap. Grrr!
Then, ornery.
Nap number two - 45 minutes, tops (she usually does 1 1/2 - 2 hrs).
Then, you guessed it, more ornery.
AHHH! I really need those little breaks. Please tell me this is just a phase. Probably those darn molars.
Darn molars!!!

Blueberries, a blessing and a curse

2009-09-13T16:27:00.006-06:00

Blueberries:
Very high antioxidant
Anti-aging
Memory aid
Vision aid
Helps with urinary tract health
Anti-inflammatory
Delicious
Fun to eat
Notorious for STAINS!

Azilyn got blueberries on one of her cutest outfits. And, this is a big deal, because most of her clothes are just boring onesies. Anyway, I tried many "laundry secrets" suggested by everyone I know. Oxiclean, Spray n Wash, Biz, peroxide, baking soda and vinegar, various combinations, along with many I knew of, Tide stain release, fels-naptha soap, plain water, dish soap, hand soap, and lots of elbow grease.
Well, I am here to report... NOTHING works! Nothing. I think I just suck at laundry. Bleach works, but not so well on colored clothes. The thing that worked the best was soaking it in cold water and scrubbing it with hand soap.
But, now that I have the whole laundry isle, I can keep on trying until I find the best remedy on those blasted stains.
Another one I can't figure out, tomato products.

Yeah for life!

2009-09-13T15:29:00.003-06:00

Well, Danny started school. Yeah! He's really excited for this semester. A couple of great miracles came about this semester. Well, first, it's a miracle he passed his marketing class over the summer. He really hated that class. It looked like it might be another hard semester this Fall when he was signed up for another marketing class he had to take. Luckily, the one he took over the summer counted for the one he was signed up for this semester. Halleluia! (And thank you Hilary) Double bonus!! The second miracle was that we got some unexpected grants! It wasn't a lot, but free money is always welcome. Hooray for not having to take out loans!

Another exciting thing this semester is that Danny is planning on competing in the National Home Builders Association competition in Las Vegas this February! He signed up to be in a group at school this past week. That's a start! I'm so proud of him. This is an awesome opportunity because there is great potential for recruiters to look at him and his work if his group does well! Yeah for opportunity! His group will have to put together a project developing a new subdivision, or something. Sounds exciting!
Now is also the time he will start looking for an internship for next summer, so if anyone knows of anything construction related, please let us know. Yeah for a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm beginning to see it.

And, Danny started work last week. Yeah for work! I think he is glad to be at it again. He is working for his old boss, doing pest control. It's a pretty good job for now. It's nice that he's working again, doing something fairly consistent and it pays well. Although winter is the down time in that industry; he also plans to snowplow again this winter. I hate having to drive in snow and being cold and everything, but let's all pray for a good season this year. Don't be selfish this year Ogden, please send some our way.

Well, I am hopeful to find something for work too. Although I would really rather stay home, it would be great to better position ourselves for the future. Debt sucks, ya know!

Azilyn has been especially onerey this week. I don't know what the deal is. She's sleeping poorly, probably cuz she's eating poorly. I just dont know what to do! It's very stressful. Here is a picture of her first ponytail! Yeah for growing hair! Maybe she won't be called a boy now, when she wears this yellow shirt with a bow and puffy sleeves! I just don't get it.

Exam results :-o

2009-08-23T11:13:00.003-06:00

Ok, I've left you hanging long enough.

I PASSED!!

I am officially Ashley M Hall, ATC!! (Certified Athletic Trainer)

For those who don't know, an Athletic Trainer is not a personal trainer.

Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of injury and illness, especially those which are musculoskeletal in nature.

Athletic trainers are commonly know for taping ankles, "rub-downs", and on-field emergency response during a football game, but we are much more than that. Football, and other traditional sports are a familiar setting for Athletic Trainers, but they can also be found employed in Military, Physical Therapist offices, performing arts, occupational settings, professional rodeo, and other extreme sports. The industry is really expanding! It's very exciting.

Athletic trainers are educated in injury/illness prevention, first aid and emergency care, assessment of injury/illness, human anatomy and physiology, therapeutic modalities, and nutrition. A bachelors degree in Athletic Training is required, along with current emergency response certification, a national certification and various state requirements (in Utah, one must be licensed). However, 70% of Athletic Trainers have a Master's degree or higher! Once certified, one must complete CEU's - continuing education units to remain up-to-date.

I really love being a stay-at-home mom, but if I have to work, I would really love to be at the High School level. I would really like to get more experience in the rehabilitaion aspect of athletic training, so I may try to find something at a PT office to start out. We shall see!!

Anticipation of results

2009-08-21T15:08:00.009-06:00

The past two weeks or so have been crazy. After I studied like crazy, I took my AT cert. test, then the next week Danny had finals for his Summer semester. So he was working like crazy to finish up his classes. This week, we are in Cedar City. Danny is helping our friend frame their new house (and getting paid, Yea!). We have been staying with them while we're here. It's good for Azilyn to have some playmates, but there is a reason God only gives us one child at a time. They have three kids, ages 6, 4, and 18 months. It's enough to make you crazy! I have found that things really are different when you have your own kids and I'm glad for that. Azilyn really is such a good girl!

So, among all that craziness, I find out that Danny is going to fail one of his summer classes. But of course, lucky Danny gets an email from his professor, on the day grades are due, saying, 'you can still turn in all the assignments which you never attempted this whole dang semester. I will accept them, minus 10%!' ARE YOU KIDDING ME!??? Only Danny gets so lucky. So, in order to not have to pay all our financial aid back and get probation for Fall semester, my friend and I go to work to do something to attempt to pass this class. We get almost all his homework done in 5 hours and turn it in at 3pm! I was sick with worry, hoping she would get the email before she had to turn in grades.

So, like my test, we have to wait for results. Two to four weeks for my test results and just days before grades come our for Dan. Ahhhh!

So, I have just been trying to get some sewing projects done for my (step) sister before she has her baby, anytime now. I am about half way done with some car seat blankets and still need to make a hooter hider! I just need to find some fabric I think she might like. And, that's impossible! It's always hard doing stuff like this for someone else. I hope she likes it! :-s

So, just before bed the other day, I checked emails, mine and Danny's. Danny received an email from his professor saying, 'I got your assignments and applied them to your grade.' LUKCY!! I got an email saying 'exam scores are posted.' Ahhh! My nerves. So, I log in and I'm frantically clicking on every link trying to find where my results are posted. Can you believe they don't even tell you where exactly to look!? Unbelievable! Well, I finally find it, and it reads...

...wait for it...

Did I mention we need family pictures?

...oh, were you waiting for something? I'm oh so forgetful these days...

...speaking of pictures, we were suppose to get family pictures with Danny's family, and it has been rescheduled like 3 times, and ultimately canceled.

Anyone know of a good, but inexpensive way to get some family picts?...

One last Exam - fingers crossed

2009-08-03T12:17:00.001-06:00

My Athletic Training certification exam is this Saturday! Ahhh! I'm so nervous. Everyone pray that I pass. Please!!! I'm totally cramming this week.

Time for a new Title

2009-07-22T10:40:00.002-06:00

Okay. So, now that I'm back in the blogging mode, it's time to re-name my blog.
Any suggestions??

Family reunion

2009-07-22T10:15:00.005-06:00

This past weekend was the Robertson family reunion (my mom's side). My grandpa rented a couple of cabins up at Brianhead. It was sooo much fun! Danny didn't come because he was attempting to get caught up on the online classes he's taking this summer. Crazy! I think he made progress while we were gone.

Anyway, it was so great to see everyone and spend a fun-filled weekend with them. My cousin, Rachel, has a son who is just a month older than Azilyn, so it was really fun to see him (McKay) and to see he and Azilyn play together. Well, I guess there wasn't much of them playing together. You see, even though McKay is older, he is a chicken and hasn't started walking by himself, though I think he is fully capable. Rachel said he takes steps alone until he realizes what he's done and sits right down. So we'd sit them down to play and McKay would zoom away crawling or Azilyn would just jump up and walk away. It was fun none the less.

Everyone was surprised to see that Azilyn is walking, and talking. I didn't realize how many things she says until I started to tell my aunt all her words. She says Mama and Papa (more of papa), nanana, apple, cracker, thank you. Those are the words she says most clearly. She signs more and please. She also says truck, duck, ball (more like ba), up, shoes, bath (also ba). I know there are more, but I can't think. She also tries to repeat anything you say. While we were at the reunion, she learned, "don't touch that." It's pretty clear too! She surprises me every day.

Anyway, the highlights of our reunion include, yummy food, board/card games, billiards, hiking, watermelon seed spitting, karaoke, family skits - very funny!, ancestral spotlights, and an awesome testimony meeting! I love my family!! Here's a picture of most of us. I think my mom, Azilyn and McKay are missing.

Oh, my grandma made these great shirts with our family tree on the front. Hence, all wearing yellow t-shirts!

One year ago

2009-07-21T16:28:00.003-06:00

I was just thinking, Sunday was Azilyn's first birthday. We have yet to officially celebrate it since Azilyn and I were at a family reunion this past weekend, and Danny just left to do some "handy-Dan" work with a friend.
We brought her home from the hospital one year ago today! It's crazy to think that just a year ago she was so tiny and helpless. Now she is walking, talking, and sooo independent.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sweet Girl!

There's no place like home

2009-07-21T15:19:00.004-06:00

Well, after a long, arduous adventure, we are home again. Danny decided he was not doing well enough at sales to continue in Oklahoma, so we've come home. Of course, I supported him in this decision as I have all the rest. Neither of us regret our decision to go do sales, or to come home. We both learned some valuable and needed lessons.
Danny thought that he would try his hand in the call center at APX; outbound calling to potential customers who have previously expressed interest in an alarm. I would think this would be an easier sale and less intimidating than the door-to-door business. To my surprise, Danny thinks the phone guys are worse than the door-to-door guys. I think he termed them, the "ultimate bottom-feeders". (Can you tell he's a fisherman??)
So, that only lasted a week before his anxiety got the best of him. I can't say that I'm disappointed in him, just disappointed that it didn't work. He would have been getting paid hourly, plus commission, again, with potential for greatness (fiscally and otherwise). I know Danny could be a great salesman if he could get past the anxiety of the call. I can't say I blame him, though. I hated being on in-bound calls. It definitely made me a more cynical person, bitter toward humanity in general, for a time.
Sales can be great, but I don't care what kind of sales you're doing, it's tough! So, the search for work is on, again. Danny mentioned that his previous boss, doing pest control, is hiring again. Have we just come full circle???

Cheesecake Factory!!!

2009-06-21T09:15:00.005-06:00

Just imagine...
Your exhausted. You've had a tiring, thought-it-would-never-end, hair-pulling, cross-eyed crazy day. Really, you checked out at noon. All you want now is to let the madness end! fall into bed like downed timber and sleep like a bump on one of those darn logs. Nothing would be better, right!?
Well, I was there. Saturday. Danny goes to work at about 8:45am and doesnt get home til after dark. Blah! Makes for a super long day, especially when Azilyn is the Energizer Bunny and ornery on top of it.
So, I planned to go to bed early. 9 or 9:30. This would make for a good 10hour night, or less. Azilyn thinks she needs to wake up with the sun at 6:30 every morning, give or take. It's killin' me. Well, somehow it didn't happen. I was up, staring at the computer screen when Danny got home, just before 10pm.
Soon after he got home we get a phone call. "We're all going to Cheesecake Factory for dinner." Well, I already had dinner ready, which we could have just saved for the next day, but can we go?? NO. We can't just leave the baby. Bummed on top of exhausted.
So, I'm getting ready for bed and I get a text. "What do you want from CF?" WHAT?
Well, I'm full from dinner right? So...Dessert?? Of course, who would pass up THE Cheesecake Factory CHEESECAKE! Not me! So after much negotiation, we figure out that we can have 5 pieces of cheesecake. Yea!!! Mouth is watering for like 20 minutes trying to decide which flavors we want. Finally we placed our order.
About midnight, a knock at the door. Though I'm ready to pass out, I ecstatically answer the door to a giant bag!
Raspberry white chocolate cheesecake, Keylime, cheesecake, Turtle Cheesecake, Cocoanut Cheesecake, Heaven-in-your-mouth cheesecake!!!!!!!
It was divine.

Bioluminescent bugs!?

2009-06-17T20:34:00.004-06:00

So, lightning bugs are sooo cool!! Kudos to God for creating such an awesome insect (though I still couldn't bring myself to catch them. I hate bugs!) I didn't get very good pictures, but they seriously look like random Christmas lights in the bushes. So cool. When I first saw them them all blinking in the grassy field, my eyes lite up, they started watering (I was nearly crying with joy), and I squealed like a schoolgirl! They are fantastic!!
They are slender beetles and the glow part is on their butt, just on the under side, so if they're on a leaf or something they're kind hard to see. Good thing they fly! Lightning bugs glow to attract a mate. I learned that different species emit different sequences of flashes, like their own special Morse code!
We went out to Sunday to make our very own lightning-bug-in-a-jar lantern, but we could only catch 3 of them. They are faster than we've been told, and it was too dark. Our first one was in the grass just beaming away. Danny snatched the next one right out of the air! And the last one was on a leaf. We had them in a jar and poked holes in the top so they could breath. Then we brought them home to save for Azilyn to see the next day.
Well, come to find out, they only glow at night. We put them in a dark room to simulate night, but nope, just at night. So, Danny stuck em outside (so they wouldn't crawl through their air holes?? I dont know why), and, well just imagine being inside a 100 degree glass oven! Yep, they died. Well, they were mostly dead. So, being the little live saver that I am, I put a few drops of water in the jar in attempts to revive them. One of them, definitely dead. Another, went straight for the water. The third was just too weak. She tried and struggled, but there was just no hope. She faintly gave her last glow. I let them go their ways of all the earth yesterday. Only the strong survived.

Bad day turned good

2009-06-13T20:20:00.003-06:00

Today was great. Well, the later half anyway. I have been really stressed out lately because I don't feel like we are making as much money as we should/need. Then after reading scriptures this morning and totally not understanding them, I was pretty bummed. The day looked like it was going to be a doozie.
But, it turned out pretty great. Azilyn, my friend Ally, and I went to the pool and it was great. The day was prefect to be in the water and Azilyn is getting more brave. She loves to 'jump' off the side of the pool and she'll even turn around and reach for the edge again. Sometimes she'll kick - with both legs together, like a frog. I'm afraid that wouldn't get her very far if she ever fell in. And, she tries with all her might to climb out of the pool. Ally said she was really straining today to get up, it looked like she was pooping, and that she was grabbing at the brick trying to pull herself. Then, she tried to bite the brick to get some advantage. HA! What a character.
No pictures again. At least not by my camera. There were, however, some oriental girls at the pool who, I'm pretty sure, got some of her! I'll have to recruit a camera man. Maybe Danny can come with us in the morning next week.
Well, Danny is due home anytime and we're going to go for a walk to look for lightning bugs (not fireflies, say the locals. It's like So UT and Hurricane; big no no)!

More, please

2009-06-08T15:21:00.008-06:00

We made it to Oklahoma! And, our new apartment is great! Two bed/bath and a large living room for Azilyn to do laps, while pushing the exercise ball. It's great. Our apt is minimally furnished and no tv. I havent really been watching much anyway. Chasing Azilyn around is a full time job. Not much time for anything else. I do actually get dinner made, but it's usually been after she goes to bed. That's one nice thing about having Danny out working late.

So, we got to OK on Friday and Danny had to finish up his licensing. He's already done state licensing, but he had to get a separate one for OK city with a picture, signature, and mini print affidavit right on it. I'm telling ya, OK is the most regulated state. Their parking meters are even regulated by city ordinance and it tells you the ordinance after you put in the money! Strange. Anyway, the picture lady left work early for a dr’s appt and no one else could press a little button, so Danny had to wait until today to get everything done. That means he missed work on Saturday. Which sucks because Sat’s a big selling day. While I was glad to have the day with him, I really didn’t have him because he was catching up on his homework. Did I mention he’s taking online classes??
What a crazy summer! Crazy for him, really. I’m having a pretty good time actually.
We did get to go swimming together as a family though.

Yesterday we went to my Aunt Aleen’s house (my Dad’s sister) for dinner. She only lives 45 min to an hour from us. It was sooo great to see her and meet all of her family. I mean I’ve met them before, but I don’t really know them. Since they live so far from UT, it’s a rare occasion to see them. We just talked and ate a fantastic roast and potatoes, etc., ate cake, played in her beautiful, very kid friendly yard, jumped on the tramp. It really felt like being home. My Uncle Bert (Aleen’s husband) just LOVED Azilyn. She was being such a riot too. Skwaking and talking and mimicking people. There was this big antique grape decoration on the coffee table (you know the ones only old people have). Azilyn wanted to touch it so bad, but we’d tell her no and she’d pull her hand back just before touching it and do a little antsy dance. I wish I had got it on camera, but I was too busy disciplining (and laughing)! It was so funny.

It seems like Azilyn does something new every day. A few days ago I showed her the sign (sign language) for please and more. She caught on to please almost right away (rubbing more of her side than her chest – hilarious!), but more is a little harder. So, before dinner yesterday, I snitched a roll and gave her a little bit. She was glad; she clapped her hands. So, I put her down and let her run around. I went in the other room. The next thing I know, she’s doing the sign for more. I couldn’t believe she was really doing it, and I really didn’t think she knew what she was doing. I pick her up and she points toward the kitchen, so I took her over to the rolls and she leans over to grab one! SHE WANTED MORE ROLL! Crazy!! I’m still a little stunned.

Well, Danny is working today. Yeah! Azilyn is sleeping right now. Super yeah! And, I got a shower today. All really is well. We live a simple life. And I’m grateful.

(I was going to include some pictures, but I cant find the cords to my camera. Sorry)

Finally

2009-06-04T20:31:00.001-06:00

Well, I’m taking a break from packing. Yep, we’re off to OK city, finally! I hope things go better there. I am convinced that Danny is a good salesman, and Wichita just sucks! Yesterday, the team got a total of 14 sales. That is horrible; less than half of their usual. It’s because of the negative media they’ve been getting. One sale of Danny’s, however, called him personally to tell him that after his neighbor told him about the news, he wasn’t going to cancel because he checked out APX, knew Danny was honest and that the new was full of crap! Yeah for Danny!! If only more people would stop believing everything they hear and start thinking for themselves!

Oh, and last night I sent someone to the hospital. Don’t worry, I didn’t hurt anyone. Quite the opposite. I had the opportunity to use my Athletic Training skills! Someone one the team got a concussion after work when they wrecked on their bike. He exhibited symptoms of a moderate concussion, but as to not take the risk of DEATH, or worse, I advised him to go to the hospital. He did. He’s okay – that is, he’s not going to die. Pat pat on the back. Job well done! ☺

Stupid local news

2009-05-30T11:29:00.001-06:00

Two weeks ago there was a complaint filed against APX (Danny’s company), here in Wichita, because some lady felt like she was “strong-armed” into getting a system. (Strong-armed, honestly!? They’re just good salesmen!!) So, the police were stopping the salesmen and telling them not to sell and giving them all sorts of trouble, even though they have licenses and are perfectly fine to sell. Well, come to find out, the technicians, who install the systems were not properly licensed because there was a delay in their paperwork, minor details, really. There was an investigation and everything.
Anyway, everyone had to go get licensed and fingerprinted for other cities around Wichita, so they could continue to sell while Wichita got worked out (and we’re still working on OK city). Long story short, bad publicity. That sucks! Ironically, ever since they left Wichita, Danny has done better! I hope that means good things for OK city, if we ever get there.

So, Tuesday Danny got home early because of this whole mess and we got to go to the movies. Yea! Without Azilyn. Double yea! Seriously, it was our first “date” we’ve had in forever. We went to this theater with cush seat where you can order dinner and eat it while you watch your movie. Awesome! The food was over priced, but nothing like theater concessions. It tasted pretty good too.

I guess getting home early was a good break for Danny because he got sales the rest of the week!

Friday Azilyn and I went swimming for her first time. She has the cutest swimming suit. The water was cold, but pretty good for May. I had to ease into it and since she was on my hip, she didn’t hit the water until I was in up to my waste. Once her little toe hit the water, she jerked it right back out again. Then, once she got use to the water temp, she wouldn’t stop kickin’! She tried to blow bubbles, then drank the water, then inhaled the water and started coughing. It was so fun! She wanted me to let go of her. She liked to step off the edge of the pool into my arms, but didn’t like being on her back so much.
I couldn't get a picture at the pool, so this is the best I could do. Not the best picture. It's hard to get a good picture of her. She's either right in the camera or not interested at all. At least you can kinda see her cute swim suit; that's what I was goin' for. It's surfer girl style.

Stupid cleaning lady!

2009-05-27T18:27:00.001-06:00

We had a hit and run today. Our car got scraped as someone was backing out of the stall next to us. That sucks. I know it's not that bad, but no one wants a broken car. Even if it's just aesthetics.

Keeper of the Plains

2009-05-25T22:13:00.000-06:00

Tonight I got to spend some time with Danny! Yea. He went to work early and got home early cuz it was a holiday. We took a walk on the river walkway to a big metal Native American statue called "Keeper of the Plains". They burn big firepits every night so we went to see them, but Danny doddled too long and we missed it. It has a really cool bridge on either side of it, which span the Little and Big Arkansas Rivers. And, there's a little indian display there. It's pretty cool. We took the baby in the stroller, thinking she'd fall asleep on the way, but she didn't. We got home about 10pm, then she crashed. I hope that means she sleep longer tomorrow morning!

Week 4, I think

2009-05-24T21:54:00.001-06:00

Well, we’ve been in Wichita a month now. Danny’s working hard and continuing to make little improvements with his sales pitch. That means only good things to come, right!? I’m not really sure when we’ll get to Oklahoma City. We started off in Wichita so all the salesmen and installation technicians could pass all the licensing tests they have to take for OK, but apparently, not everyone has passed them, and it seems like they may never. Darn technicians.

Anyway, today we had a relaxing Sabbath. We bbq’d and played games with our neighbors. Azilyn wanted to play cards and was pretty upset when we wouldn’t let her. So she waddled off pouting. When it became quiet, I looked over to see her sneaking up the stairs! She made it up two or three before I rushed over and startled her. Don’t worry, she didn’t fall down, she just began laughing her head off!! It was so funny. She was laughing so hard she even pooped her pants! HaHaHa. She made my gut hurt, I was laughing so much! Oh, what a joy. Azilyn is walking everywhere now. She does really well. She even walks down the stairs, with help of course, but she doesnt want to try and crawl down backwards like I've taught her. She'll go one or two steps, stand up, turn around and grab me. Then she steps down like a big girl. It's so funny, but she does pretty well. She is pretty obedient too, but I still have to watch her like a hawk to make sure she doesnt attempt them on her own.

Yesterday was my birthday. Danny had to work all day. That sucked, but my day was great. I did nothing – that was the great part. I had dishes and laundry and other stuff, and I gave myself the day off. I just chilled out at home with Azilyn. Did like one row of crochet, fed Azilyn some pepperoni pizza. It was hilarious. She got it everywhere. Anyone know how to get pizza sauce, or any tomato product out of clothes? Nothing is working!

I also picked up some dry cleaning yesterday. While I was there, this weirdo guy commented on my sandals cuz he’s wearing some like mine. His were the name brand. I got mine at Payless. So he’s asking me about them – how much were they? Are they comfy? What size do I wear? So I take one off to look at the size and he asks, “Can I try it on?” WHAT!? I don’t want some weirdo stranger trying on my shoe. What if I get a fungus? So, you’d think I’d say, ‘NO, you weirdo!’ But do I? I already had it off, so I felt obligated or something. Reluctantly, I gave him my shoe. Woohoo, they fit him. I really thought he was going to mug me for the other one, but he gave it back saying something about how he doesn’t have any diseases. I didn’t really hear him cuz I was so grossed out and trying not to show it. Even more reluctantly, I put the shoe back on and limped out the door, trying not to press my precious foot into his nasty foot sweat. When I got to the car, I cleaned everything off with a baby wipe, but couldn’t find any sanitizer. Ewww! Seriously, Wichita is a weird town.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

2009-05-20T21:52:00.000-06:00

Last night I booked a plane ticket home for the end of June. Well, kinda. I mean I did book a flight, but I’m coming back to go to Yellowstone with my dad. I’m so excited to spend time with him, just me and Azilyn! She loves her Grandpa. I love my daddy!

Maybe I shouldn't be a blogger

2009-05-19T16:31:00.000-06:00

So, I decided after looking at others' blogs that I suck at this. I know I dont have to write these super long entries, but somehow I feel like I should. Anyway.
Azilyn IS WALKING!! Maybe some day I'll figure out how get my videos from my camcorder to my computer, but so far, no luck. It's cuz we have a mac. I love it, but not everything is compatible. That sucks.
We had an awesome time at RiverFest last week. Even though we only went 3-4 days out of the 9. I bought Danny a hemp bracelet at the flee market they had, and he loves it. He's tried to make one before and it always breaks just before he's done. It's kinda funny.
Well, the mosquitoes are out in full force again. Danny is getting eaten alive. Mostly because he refuses to use bug spray. He doesn't like the smell, or feel. I've gotten one. The iching drives me Mad!

NaNaNa

2009-05-13T22:56:00.000-06:00

We went to the RiverFest again today. My friend Ally came with us. Azilyn had a good time in the Cessna Kid’s Korner. It was a country theme today, so she had fun making some rope with Ally, workin’ the skid loader, and riding the steer of straw with mom. There was also a petting zoo, which she wasn’t too sure about. She kept pulling her hand away and giving the animals funny looks. We all shared a funnel cake. Azilyn just wanted to play in the powdered sugar. Yeah, it got all over, but only cuz the wind blew the plate over. We were going to get Azilyn’s face painted, but I didn’t think she’d hold still for very long. There were several things we just didn’t do because Azilyn is just too small, like a pony ride. After her reaction to the small animals, I’m not sure how she would have faired on a big one.

Well, Danny is just workin away. He is up to four sales now. Some guys get that or more in a day, but that’s okay. He’s still learning and I’m proud of him. He has had lots of people who were interested, but they didn’t pass a credit check. They do that to make sure people can actually pay their bills. Otherwise it wouldn’t really be a sale cuz they have to stick. There are some really nice people here, but I’m shocked at how many are so rude. They treat these salesman like they’re not human. Slamming doors, using vulgarity, throwing things, threatening them, leaving them out in severe weather!! Please be nice to salesmen and telemarketers. They are people too. You can be assertive without being rude.

So, I feel safe to say that Azilyn is walking!! She will walk along the couch, without holding on, goes short distance and attempts longer ones all the time. She even stands up on her own and goes. She’s not even 10 months old yet! Crazy. I have attempted to film her, but she’s a little camera shy. I’ve gotten a few shots though. The bad news is, apparently my camcorder doesn’t work with my computer after all. So, my friend is going to let me use her computer to burn a disc. Then I can try to get some video up for ya.

Here are some pictures of Azilyn and her baNaNa! She LOVES them!!

Squawk n walk

2009-05-11T09:46:00.000-06:00

I think this week Azilyn will start walking. I’m not really sure I’m excited about this, however, she already gets in to everything. It is so fun to see her try to walk though, and sad. It’s sad because she falls a lot, but fun because it’s a new and exciting milestone.

She took her first steps before Easter and yesterday, Mother’s Day, was the first time she made many consecutive attempts at it. She randomly just stood up from sitting on the floor and took, like, 5-6 steps before falling!

I got a camcorder for my birthday (early present from my mom) and I had it right next to me and didn’t get it. Doh! I’m just not use to having it yet. I will have to figure out how to download from the camera. We have some really fun clips of her. She is so entertaining.

Everywhere we go people comment about how happy Azilyn is. She’s always squawkin and screamin. She love to stare at people (especially black people). Maybe cuz they’re all staring at her. She is very social. In fact, she does better when we’re around people than when we just play at home all day. She’ll often begin to cry when we walk in the door after being out and about.

Well, it’s the rainy season here in Kansas. I think it’s rained more than half the days since we’ve been here. It’s strange to see so much moisture. They had to cancel some of the activities at RiverFest, like paddle boats and a land/water team competition that’s kinda like a triathalon, because the river was too high and swift. They have awesome bridges with staircases down to the river, a walkway and benches by the river, most of which was covered because it’s rained so much. (Pictures later, sorry)

Week Two

2009-05-09T11:41:00.000-06:00

It doesn’t seem like there’s much of anything worth reporting until BAM!!! tons of little, or big things happen, and by the time I get around to writing them down, well, I forget. Darn bad memory and procrastination.

This week I have just been busy taking care of Azilyn, running errands, doing dishes, laundry, etc. Pretty boring. We did move Azilyn out of our “room” (loft area) down into the other “room” (curtain drawn space) because everytime she would wake up, she wouldn’t go back to sleep cuz she could see us! What a drag. We wanted to avoid stumbling down the steep staircase in the middle of the night. Anyway, we moved her. Now she sleeps better, and so do we.

It has been harder to get Azilyn to take good naps since we’ve been here. She wakes up at 7:00 (6am Utah time, grrr). Poor Danny. At home, for nap time, I could just rock her for a few minutes, put her in bed and she’d go to sleep on her own, generally with minimal crying. Now she will not go down without a fuss, and lots, and lots of coaxing, cradling, suckling, swaying, bouncing, stroking, etc. It’s quite frustrating. Mostly because I know she just needs a good sleep so she’s not so cranky! I think her pack’n’play crib may be partly to blame. It really can’t be comfortable sleeping on cardboard! My search for a Portacrib mattress has been futile.

Well, today finishes up Danny’s second week of selling. In some ways it seems like we’ve been here longer. The first week Danny was super miserable knocking doors. Rejected and dejected. He really didn’t show it or tell me though, so I thought he was doing okay. I have just been really supportive. I have never felt disappointed in him, only so proud because I know he is working soo hard. He told me that this week was much better. He has been driving to his selling area with a super awesome salesman who’s really helped him have a positive outlook.

Friday began the local RiverFest on the Arkansas river (pronounced R – Kansas) just a few blocks from us. It is a festival with lots of fun activities, carnival rides, river rides, competitions, etc. We watched the opening “Sundown Parade” last night and Azilyn LOVED it! She was waving at everyone, and she didn’t even mind all the loud noises. She just didn’t like it when I tried to cover her ears for some of them. We left early so Azilyn could go to bed and it proved a difficult task trying to navigate our beast of a stroller through crowds of parade onlookers. I don’t think they were very happy with us.

More fun RiverFest adventures to come.

First Week in Wichita

2009-05-01T15:11:00.000-06:00

I can't believe we've been here a week already! Time flies. I'm a few days behind on posting what's been going on because I've been so busy unpacking, trying to get the baby back on schedule and trying to keep my milk in. The last two things really conflict with each other, and take a lot of attention.
Well, Danny's first day of selling was Monday. AND...he did awesome!! He got his first sale, and the only sale on his team, besides his manager, who's been selling for like 6-7 years. YEAH for Danny! We are so proud of him. I think Danny is glad to be out here, since now his wife takes better care of him. I have had something for dinner every night this week! I keep things picked up, except the baby toys, and the maid helps with the cleaning once a week! Yea for a maid. We are currently staying in an extended-stay place, kind like Marriott's Residence Inn. Furnished, a select few dishes, dishwasher, AC, continental breakfast, free laundromat. It works well.
Azilyn has had fun exploring her new surroundings. We have stairs which go up to a loft bedroom and she loves to climb them, with me right behind, of course. Though, she tries to attempt them without me plenty. She is also learning to climb other things. Yesterday she climbed up on the couch for the first time! Of course, that was without a cushion on it. We use that to block the stairway. And, every time I open the fridge, she turbo crawls over and climbs up the shelves inside. Oh, and she finally discovered she can climb on the open dishwasher door. Great! Now she can really reach the knives in the silverware basket. Darn baby! She is the cutest lil stinker though. Who can resist, honestly?
Here are some of the fun new things about Azilyn:
she has four teeth (sometimes not so fun actually), she waves goodbye (more like flapping her whole arm - SO cute!), she surprised us with peekaboo today after climbing on the couch, she's trying to say uh-oh but only gets the uh part, and she loves tags of all varieties. I had to deter her from one that was on the flexi-pipe on the toilet. Yea, gross! My favorite is the one on the underside of her highchair, but hers is the one on her bib. I dont understand why she wants it in her mouth, even when it's full already?? I might as well not put it on because if she sees the tag, that's the end of her clean clothes.

Danny's new dream job - Stormchaser

2009-04-30T11:41:00.000-06:00

Okay, so let me tell you about our first full day in Kansas -
Sunday. It was a stormy day. We have church at 11:15. By the time we got out of church it was super dark and rainy. When we got home we turned on the news to find we had a tornado warning in our county! Ahhh. This is when you're supposed to go hide in the dark, windowless bathroom (since we don't have a basement). Well, we didn't. We were so dang tired, we just took a nap on the couch. Don't worry, the tornado had already past us. By the time we woke up from our nap it was time to go to dinner; we were invited by a family in our new ward! So we check the news again and we had another tornado warning. This time, it was relatively close and heading right for us, or rather, right for where we were going. I was nervous to go. The tornado, which touched down briefly, was only 15 miles west of us. We called our new friends and they said we should be okay, so we went. CRAZY!!!
As we got closer to their house, the sky became increasingly darker. A giant black wall was bulldozing toward us, as we drove toward it. I was praying, hard. The fifteen minute drive seemed like forever, but we finally made it. We pulled into the driveway and we jumped out of the car just as the cascade was liberated from heaven. It was like slow motion. I saw every droplet just before turning away to be drenched over every inch of my backside. The tornado was wrapped in rain. Very dangerous, and unpredictable, even for professional Stormchasers (there really is such a job)!
We were soaked the rest of the night, even as the rain and wind continued to whip the house. I was scared to go home. It wasn't letting up, but we had to get home before the streets got flooded. So again we braved the storm. Gutters were overflowing. The streets were flooding. We were driving through inches, maybe a foot of water. Stopped at a stoplight – the whole road was moving. Going again. The car next to us hits her breaks as gallons of water wake onto our car. It’s getting worse as we go. On the freeway, cops block parts of the flooded road to prevent cars from hydroplaning. Finally we make it home, flip on the news. They had just closed the road we were on due to 2 feet of pooling water. We drove through it!!
So, is it a miracle we survived our first day in Kansas?? I should think so. Next day – reported rain total for Wichita…5.61 inches! Wow.
http://affiliate.kickapps.com/_20090426170846mpg/video/626080/33096.html
Here is a link to a video of our tornado that someone sent in to the local news station. Sorry I couldn't upload it to the blog.

New Adventue

2009-04-27T21:55:00.000-06:00

Well, I have put off blogging long enough. I decided to give in, in order to document our new adventure. For those of you who don't know, Danny will be selling home security systems this summer, in Kansas and Oklahoma! Last week was super crazy with all the preparations to head out there (ie - trying to pack half our house into our little car), but things are settling down now that we're here!
We left Wednesday night for Denver, about 10pm, after a day full of packing and lots of last minute goodbyes. We thought Azilyn would do better on the long drive if she were sleeping. Well, the 8 hour trip to Denver took like 10+ hours! She woke up 2-3 times, the load on our roof was shifting, we were exhausted! It was a very long night. But, we made it and slept all day Thursday. We went downtown Denver on Friday with our friends, who's house we crashed at, and headed on the road again Saturday morning.
The drive across Kansas was long too. We got sick of I-70, so we got off on a little highway that cut down to Wichita, where we'll be staying for 5-6 weeks. This was the best choice. It was much more relaxed and scenic than the flat farmlands we'd seen the past several hours. On the country highway, we saw horse and buggy crossing signs. It was hilarious! The weather had forecast rain as we neared Wichita, but we only got a few sprinkles. There was quite a bit of lightning though - very beautiful.
Interesting things about our Kansas drive: You could tell where people live - amid the flatness, there would be a house/farm with a hedge of thick evergreens around it. I'm guessing this was either a wind or tornado break. Every town we passed had a cool four-legged water tower with the city name on it. Farmers here grow mostly wheat. Many don't use irrigation! It's amazing, some places actually get moisture, unlike Utah!

DNA Hall Family

Winter Solstice!

Grrr!

Picture this...

Autumn

Faith of a Child

Labor Day Excitement!

Some flora of Alaska

Our Alaska Adventure

Day 1 NATA conference

Happy 1st birthday Tolson!!

Even the long days pass too quickly

Last Day!!!

Happy Birthday to me! :)

Here comes Spring!

NATA Conference, Here I Come!

Happy New Year, and Christmas, and Thanksgiving!

In Full Swing again

Random rant

Football's over!

Happy Halloween!

Crayzee Life

Stress

Emergency Room

Week 1: Crazy!

Sweet Little Spirits

Birthday "Party"

Potty training progress??

My First Job

Happy Birthday Azilyn!

Welcome Baby Brother

Baby update

Anxiously awaiting

Baby scare

Azilyn is HILARIOUS!

Haircuts

What Azilyn thinks of her baby brother

Miss Independent

Ultrasound

What is your name, little girl?

Kids say the darndest things!

Vegas or Bust

Porcelin progress

The best of what's new

No naps and no shower make Mommy...something something

Blueberries, a blessing and a curse

Yeah for life!

Exam results :-o

Anticipation of results

One last Exam - *fingers crossed*

Time for a new Title

Family reunion

One year ago

There's no place like home

Cheesecake Factory!!!

Bioluminescent bugs!?

Bad day turned good

More, please

Finally

Stupid local news

Stupid cleaning lady!

Keeper of the Plains

Week 4, I think

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

Maybe I shouldn't be a blogger

NaNaNa

Squawk n walk

Week Two

First Week in Wichita

Danny's new dream job - Stormchaser

New Adventue

One last Exam - fingers crossed