The Johnsons

Out for the Summer

2011-08-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry we haven't updated our blog lately, but we are out enjoying the summertime!! (At least what's left of it.)

Albany Art and Air Festival

Linn County Fair

Watermelon...possibly the BEST thing about summer!

So Ashamed

2011-07-15T23:03:00.000-07:00

I am so ashamed it has it been so long since I've touched this thing. It's just so overwhelming to try and blog when I'm so far behind on my posts. I guess late is better than never.

A month or so ago, my mom came to visit us for a week so we took her up to the Rose Festival in so she could witness the full glory of Portlandia. We went to the carnival and let Owen go on a few rides. We basically had to beg and bribe him to go on the rides. For some odd reason, my children have always been terrified by anything that moves too much, like swings and stuff. So after watching other kids ride and promising all sorts of goodies, he finally gave in and rode the absolute slowest ride they offered, the canoe ride. I guess it's a start.

We also got him to ride a truck ride once before he realized it was "too scary!".

Just one of the many fine specimens that downtown Portland has to offer.

Grandpa Rod came out to play with us for the weekend, so we took him and Grandma hiking at Forest Park and Silver Creek Falls. It was pretty miserable because apparently my kids hate the outdoors. They cried and whined nearly the whole time...arg!! But overall, it was a fun time.

We hadn't even started the hike yet and she was already whining.

Grandma's mustache

Yep, this is the face we saw most of the hike.


Blake ended up carrying them both at the end of the hike. What a man!

We spent one day walking all around Portland, watching the Rose parade and the dragon boat races. They were so fun to watch!

Sitting with Grandpa watching the races.

It was also fleet week which made Blake very happy. The line to get a tour of the ship was a hour or so long, so we had to just look from the sidelines.

Ella catching some beauty sleep.

We miss you Grandma and Grandpa!

Random pictures

2011-03-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

I am so far behind on my blogging, so I am going to cheat and just post a bunch of pictures of what we've been up to lately.

Michigan Trip

2011-03-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

My mom turned 50 this year, so Owen, Ella and I flew to Michigan for a party/family reunion. Blake had to stay home and work, so he missed out on all the fun. :(

It was a hectic 2 weeks and I think Owen only took one nap the whole time, but it was so fun. I love my family so much and wish I lived closer to them.

Little Avery

Sign I made for my mom. (Thanks Tara!)

My brother, Nick, cousin, Hannah and Owen.

Mom and Aunt Monica

Owen and cousin Nolan.

First time sledding.

Owen absolutely loved sledding, I don't think I've ever heard him laugh so hard.

Gramps and Ella.

Makeover

Uncle Nick giving Owen a wedgie.

Owen adores his Uncle Nick and Aunt Lynnsey.

Four generations

What we've been doing today

2010-12-22T13:43:00.000-08:00

I know I still haven't posted any pictures of the new house, they will be coming soon. I have not been in the blogging mood for quite some time, but I thought I'd write a quick post on what we've been doing today.
Owen and Ella thought it would be great fun to color mommy's carpet green!

Sorry for the bad pic, I was so flustered, I couldn't hold still. Plus the camera was on some weird setting.
Luckily for me, it turned out to be this green bubble bath stick and wasn't permanent.

So off to the store we went to rent a steam cleaner. I won't even put a picture of what we looked like on here, because we looked like ragamuffins.

Here is the after pic. Luckily, it all came up and now my house smells like green apples.

Then I started feeling bad that I yelled at the kids, so we made a special treat for a snack...fried tortilla snowflakes with powdered sugar and sugar and cinnamon. They were delicious and I think the kids forgave me with the first bite.

The day is young, on to the next adventure...naptime.

Fun trip to Portland

2010-12-05T22:45:00.000-08:00

Back in November, Blake had a conference in Portland to go to for work, so the kids and I decided to head up with him and explore the city. We haven't really spent much time in Portland, so I was really excited to have a few days to play. The first day, while Blake was in his meetings, the kids and I went to the Portland Children's Museum, and it was awesome. The kids had a blast. They went from exhibit to exhibit for 6 hours...can you believe it? We did stop for lunch half way though, but other than that, there was no stopping these two. The second and third day, I put Ella in my pack and Owen and I walked all over the downtown district. We rode the Max, the streetcar, and the trolley, went to Powell's Books (the largest independent book store in the world- it occupies a full city block, it's HUGE), ate street food, window shopped, went to IKEA, drove to Vancouver (just so we could say we went to Washington), all while getting lost at every turn. It was a blast. I hope we can do it again next year.

Owen and Ella driving the Ambulance

They loved the water room, we had to go there twice. We actually went to pretty much everything twice.

Owen the Builder, just like Bob

Owen taking care of my doggie

The huge train table was probably his favorite.


	Eating dinner in Portland's "Living Room"

He loved riding the "really big train".

Tired little baby #1

Tired little baby #2

Owen's birthday

2010-11-07T21:46:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Owen's 3rd birthday this last weekend with some of his little friends. He really enjoyed the firetruck cake I made for him. It was far from perfect, but I don't think he noticed. He has been playing with the firetruck he got ever since he opened it. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa.

Dinner time at the Johnson home

2010-10-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

Glimmering Light after the "Summer of Darkness"

2010-09-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, there is life after the BAR exam. I did not collapse into a study induced coma. What once seemed to be an everlasting summer of stress and studying, (hence "Summer of Darkness") the Johnson's have emerged out the other side happy and free like Andy Dufrain and the Shawshank redemption. Here is a taste of what we have been up to since that day.

Shortly after the exam, I played in a golf tournament with my co-workers. I am pleased to have shot . . . a score that will remain unstated.

We then spent a couple weeks in Utah. While we were there we tried to fit in as much stuff as possible. Here are the highlights:

Kristin and I went to Lagoon. Kristin ran around like a kid in a candy shop. I got sick. (No kids!)
Kristin and I went boating with her parents. I got burned. Kristin got fried. (No kids!)
All four of us went wave running with Kristin's family. Owen loved to idle around the no wake zone and then hit the gas for 1 second at a time.
We went to Costa Vida. (Always a highlight).
Tree house museum.
Fat Katz arcade.
Street tacos in Ogden.
Plenty of dinners with my family.
Lots of visits with friends.
Hit some golf balls at Wolf Creek.
Hiking in North Fork Park with my family.
Thought we lost Parker the dog.
During a girls night, Blake and Grandpa did not equal one good mom. (Ella ended up in a dishtowel diaper, while Parker ate her poopy disposable one.)
Weber County Fair
Family Reunion with the my family.
Temple trip to Bountiful Temple.
Photo shoot with my family.
Photo shoot on another day with just our kids.
Ella's birthday parties. (One with my family, one with Kristin's)

We love visiting family. Here are a couple of pics. Any of them that actually look good were probably taken by my brother. Thanks Kelly.

Owen at Dallin's birthday party

Ella eating birthday cake at Grandma and Grandpa Eller's

Girl's Night Out

Owen and Blake sharing a corndog at the fair

Visiting our good friends, the Ipson's

When all else fails...

2010-09-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

..clean your sink.

Even if nothing else gets done today, my sink looks awesome!

All Growed Up

2010-06-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

After 11 years of use, I find it time to retire my old backpack. Yes, I got this backpack for free in high school from the kindly folk at JanSport. Yes, I believe those shiny straps on the bottom are for skis. I don't ski. It has been a great, albeit too large, backpack for 11 years. No rips on the whole thing, except for where Parker ate some straps. Luckily, she is in good condition, so she will spend her retirement going camping and going to the beach. Relax blue backpack, you earned it.

Look how tired she looks.

Enter, new brown bag.

No longer a student, I felt the need to use a bag that didn't come with an internal hydration bladder. Going for something a little classier, I opted for this beauty. Actually, this was a gift to me from my parents for graduation. With sleek lines, supple leather, and triple gusset construction, the road looks bright for brown bag and me. So when you see me flexing my skills in court or on the street, don't forget ol' blue that took me here.

Congrats Blake

2010-05-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Blake will be graduating from law school and I couldn't be more proud of him. He is very humble about his accomplishments, but he has worked so hard to get good grades and gain experience, and it has paid off immensely. The firm that he has been working for is very interested in hiring him on as an Associate. We feel so grateful for this experience and even though it has been a rough 3 years, it has been worth it. Congratulations on all your hard work at school. I love you babe, you are a wonderful husband and father.

Another fun project

2010-04-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a few pictures of a book page wreath I finished recently. In case you're interested, this is where I found the tutorial.

Say what?

2010-04-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe it myself, but I actually started and finished a DIY project in the SAME DAY! Maybe that's not a big deal for some of you, but it is for me. I would be too embarrassed to tell you how many different projects I have that are half way done. Some of them sit for months...maybe a year before they get finished or finally thrown out.
Anyway, here is my creation. I'm not a huge fan of natural wood and my knife block has always kind of bugged me, so I found a solution for the problem on this blog, and felt like I needed to copy it.

Before

After

What do you think? Better? I think so.
(Except now my knives look old and faded.)

Here is what I used: 2 flat black coats and 1 light misting of the oil rubbed bronze color.

(Plus wood filler for the stamp on the front.)

Sick kids are no fun

2010-03-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

Three weeks ago, Blake bought home a sinus infection and graciously gave it to the rest of us. We also had colds and eye infections in the mix. It has not been fun. I am ready for it all to be over so we can play with our friends again and see some new babies that were born recently.

Ella is feeling better.

Owen is still feeling yucky. Luckily his pink eye was already gone when Blake took this picture.

That's my kind of project

2010-02-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post real quick about a little project I did yesterday. It was really fun and super easy to do, the longest part was just cutting all the hearts out, sewing it was a breeze. Here is where I found the tutorial. Isn't it cute? Now I just need a pretty mantel to hang it on.

2010-02-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight I made some yummy potato and leek soup for dinner. I couldn't resist taking a picture, mostly for Blake's sake. This is the recipe I used, with the addition of some chili powder and cumin.

Owen was busy entertaining Ella...and himself. He came running into the kitchen saying, "Hat, Hat!" and pointing into the living room.
This is how he was entertaining himself.

Here's another picture of Ella with part of Owen's potty chair on her head. Unused potty chair, mind you.

I need to remember to take more pictures because I don't want to forget these kind of nights. I love my kids!

Locked Down in Springfield

2010-02-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

Last week I had a really unique opportunity. I spent the night in the Springfield Municipal Jail which is the largest municipal jail in Oregon. (Well . . . the experience was unique among the company that I keep). Now before you run off and start trying to figure out where Blake went wrong, you should know that I volunteered to do it. I even paid $20 to spend a night in the new jail. The city of Springfield, OR is opening their new jail and wanted citizens to come try it out to help train the staff. It is kind of like when a new Applebees opens up and they invite locals to eat for free to help train the cooks. This experience, however, was not so delicious.

The jail itself is a bare bones operation. No television, weight room, ball yard, and inmates cannot bring anything with them. There are no rehab programs and inmates get no special treatment for detox or smoking. It was literally designed to be a miserable as possible within the limits of the law. I love it. We went through a mock booking process, we ate jail food, and spent the nights in our cells in lock down. We were released in the morning. Here are a few highlights from my experience:

This is almost what the cells look like with two beds rather than one.

The food is terrible. Little T.V. dinner looking things made by Washington State inmates. No salt or pepper (considered weapons in prison) and the food really needed it. This food made every serving of elementary school goulash seem like it could be served at the Ritz Carlton. Breakfast was the worst. As I sat down with my cellmate to a delicious meal, I noticed that I got the really bad option. Powdered milk (dry), plain instant oatmeal (dry), a biscuit beyond description (dry), peaches my dog couldn't even tear through, and powdered "juice" mix of some sort. I had red flavored. Luckily we had drinking fountains to reconstitute our food. I noticed that others fared better with cheerios, and some sort of sweet roll. I'm assuming my snoring annoyed the guards enough to merit my selection. The chief of police touts that they feed inmates for less that $5 a day. I don't doubt it. They gave us a glimpse of lunch before releasing us. Poor souls will be given 2 slices of frozen white bread, frozen "lunch meat," a slice of frozen American cheese, and some chips. The food was enough for me to stay away for a second night.
They don't turn the lights off at night. My perception of jail (perhaps from the Shawshanke Redemption) always included a dark cell in which inmates scheme, cry, or dig through the wall. No such luck for me. Never have I known a 5 watt bulb to put out so much light, but we had to tie t-shirts around our heads to fall asleep at night. The guards say it is so they can make sure the inmates are breathing during bed checks. Have they never heard of flashlights?
One hard mat on a steel platform is called a "bed" in this jail. I missed my warm pillowtop at home with my wife next to me.
Did I mention the steel toilet 4 feet from my bed? Luckily I "planned ahead" before I went to jail fully aware of the toilet issue. Inmates don't get the luxury of ultra thoughtful cell mates like myself. Picture yourself trying to use the facilities while your cell mate is right next to you. Now imagine sharing a cell with someone with a touchy digestive system. Enough said.
Finally, I was very surprised that even I was beginning to be frustrated with my inability to make decisions for myself. Being told not to stand in certain places, get away from the doors, line up against the wall. I felt like I was in Jr. High again. Here are some thoughts from a local reporter that also volunteered.

In conclusion, don't commit crimes in Springfield Oregon. We have a serious lack of jail facilities in Eugene because the citizens have a very strange approach to law enforcement. The mentality they adopt is that a criminal simply needs a warm meal and a helping hand. For this reason, the county refuses to build an adequate jail. As a result, nobody in this area will serve time for misdemeanors like theft. Tired of the old hippie mentality of Eugene, Springfield City decided to build their own jail. Now criminals in Springfield will go to jail for their crimes. This upsets Eugene city leaders because they fear the criminals will commit crimes in Eugene because jail is not an option. Maybe rather than complain, Eugene should just pony up the money it takes to get tough on crime. To the leaders of Eugene I say, "Sucks to your ass-mar. You're on your own." - George (Lord of the Flies).

Helping out in Haiti

2010-01-22T13:13:00.000-08:00

This is for all of my friends and family who have a desire to help the plight of the Haitian people. A group of doctors and volunteers (mostly former LDS missionaries) are headed to Port-au-Prince next week. Their mission is to rebuild a medical clinic that was founded years ago by a Utah doctor. This clinic had a great history of helping Haitians. I personally translated for the doctors at this clinic a number of times while I served as a missionary in that area. I have some very special memories related to what I saw there. Now it is gone.

This special envoy is being financially supported by private donations, living supplies for the volunteers are being provided by the LDS church, and they are going in under the direct authorization of USAID. If you have the desire to help out in Haiti, this is the perfect method. Here is a link for more information on how to help the team.

Going Retro

2010-01-22T01:04:00.000-08:00

I was having a hard time falling asleep tonight, so I started looking at some old pictures of me as a kid that I thought I'd share.

FYI- That is a Shasta in my hand...not a Bud Light.

I think this was the day my brother was born.

Me and my little brother in out coordinating jammies on Christmas.Wow, gotta love those bangs!

Making pizza

2009-12-19T03:40:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago, Owen and I made pizza together. He probably thought we were making an art project, because he wouldn't touch the stuff after it had been baked. But he had fun anyway.

Mmm, barbecue chicken pizza!

Kristin's perfect chocolate chip cookie quest

2009-12-06T17:11:00.001-08:00

I have always wanted my cookies to come out looking like this:

Soft and cake-like, but not soggy.

But they usually come out looking like this:

Any recipes or hints on making good chocolate chip cookies would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Ella's blessing

2009-11-09T09:34:00.001-08:00

Naptime disaster

2009-10-22T16:03:00.001-07:00

Here is Owen, ready to go down for a nap... (this was taken awhile ago, but you get the point.)

What a sweet boy!

And this is Owen, 30 minutes later....NOT napping.

He deliberately took his pants off so he'd have more skin to color.
At least he didn't color the carpet.

My Wonderful Wife (and Family visit).

2009-10-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

Last night was pretty rough. Owen wouldn't sleep and my patience was wearing thin. After failing to get Owen to sleep at 3:00 A.M., Kristin stepped in to accomplish what I could not. Today, while I fight off sleeping in class, I really started thinking about all the things Kristin does for me and how much patience she must have with the two kids and dog at home. To make my day seem even longer, I was looking at some recent photos of her that I really like. I just wanted tell Kristin thanks for being amazing. I love her very much.

This photo kind of sums it all up, crying baby, smiling Kristin.

Subsequently, I realized that I have focused too much on my cooking blog, and I didn't post the recent trip my family (parents, brother, nephew) took out to visit us. We had a ton of fun going to the coast, going on a tractor ride to get pumpkins, going to an aquarium, and just hanging out. Some of the highlights include:

Watching Kelly eat a fish sandwich.
Hanging out with my parents at the beach on their anniversary.
Having a sneaker wave take me out along with Owen, Karter, Kelly, and Kelly's expensive photography equipment.
Having Kelly and my Mom around to take many photos. Both are really good and Kelly does it for a living. None of the photos on this post were taken by me.
Seeing sharks at the aquarium.
Driving 6 hours to see Crater Lake, only to see snow and clouds.
Eating the best french toast ever. (Captain crunch french toast made by Kelly).
Spending time with my wife and kids without a care in the world.

Here are some photos:

The man crew. (Blake, Karter, Dad, Owen, Parker)

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

Owen hates the paparazzi.

Really cool photo that Kelly took of a boarded up store in rural Oregon.

Can Kelly salvage the photo equipment?

Ella with Grandpa.

Mom sacrificing a virgin pumpkin to the harvest gods.

*NOTE: My brother would probably like me to disclose that he would never publish many of these photos as they may not have been the best shot of the set. He takes pride in his photography. These are just the ones that I liked.

Sitting around

2009-10-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

Ella is just sitting around waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to get here. Blake's parents are on their way here right now, and I can just tell Ella is super excited to meet them. She is already getting so big! It feels like I just brought her home...now she's 6 weeks old, weighs 8 lbs. 6 oz. and is getting more beautiful every day. Love you Ella Bella.

I haven't finished her room yet, but I thought I'd post a picture of her pretty wall decoration. My good friend, Heather, gave me some vinyl for my baby shower and said she'd cut out anything I wanted with her Cricut. So she helped me design this wall decor for her room. I still need to sit down and sew her bedding, but for now it's going to act like a throw for her crib.
Thanks Heather, I love it. (And thanks Angie for helping me paint!)

A Short Vacation

2009-09-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to have our friends, the Nelsons, come up this past weekend for a mini-vacation. Being Ute Football fans, they couldn't resist a match-up with our U of O Ducks. Aaron and I went to the game sporting opposing colors. Despite the rain, fat-hairy-shirtless guy in front of us, and a loss for the Utes, we had a ton of fun.

To celebrate (or mourn depending on who you ask) we went to a local favorite, Papa's Soul Food. It goes down in history as the worst dining experience to date, not because of the food, but because we had 5 children under 3 at our table with 4 adults. There was a moment when all 5 kids were crying and pulling at dishes on the table. Heidi got maple syrup on her lap, and Aaron, a pitcher of water. Other patrons were certainly happy to be rid of the crazy people with too many kids. Chaos aside, I enjoyed my chicken and waffles.

The next day we went to the coast. At first the boys didn't like the waves because the water is so darn cold. By the time we left they were waiting for waves to come crash against them. They would just stand and laugh. Owen would walk straight out to the deep water if I let him. We also saw a seal swimming in the water just off the beach. He was there for about an hour.

We had a ton of fun. Having all those kids in one apartment for a few days was crazy. I've never seen such a concerted effort to make noise. Five kids, four adults, one crazy dog, and 1200 sq. ft. is quite the setup. Aaron and Heidi continued up the coast for a few days with their kids. I wish my schedule permitted us to go with them, but we couldn't. It was great seeing them. Here are a few pics.

Aaron reading to Austin, Zack, and Owen

Our little seal friend.

Aaron with the twins, Austin & Zack, and baby Gavin.

Together they will face their fears.

Zack waiting for the perfect wave.

Owen's best Baywatch pose.

The family.

Getting stuck in a porch.

Saying goodbye. I'm pretty sure Owen would have left with them if we let him.

Thanks Aaron and Heidi, it was a great trip.

Applesauce

2009-08-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

About a week before Ella was born I decided to can applesauce for the year, so Blake and I went to a local orchard and picked nearly 90 pounds of gravenstein apples. This is the second year we have done this, but last year we picked 40 pounds of apples and we ended up with only like 6-8 quarts of applesauce. So we picked double that this year. I have to say, picking fruit at the orchard has to be one of my favorite things about Oregon. You can go pick just about anything you want at the various orchards around here. This fall, Blake wants to go pick hazelnuts, which I have never even seen on a tree before, so that should be fun.
Anyway, here are some pictures of our "adventure." It took us two nights of cooking the apples, putting them through the strainer (HUGE time saver!) and processing them all. It was a lot of work, but I am so happy with how it turned out. Blake was such a trooper, he had to put up with a lot of my nesting projects that I wanted done before Ella was born. This was the biggest and most time consuming of them all. Thanks honey! But now we have 30 quarts of yummy applesauce to last us until next year...sorry Blake, this is going to be a yearly tradition.

Owen helped by "washing" the apples, although there was a lot more throwing of the apples going on.

This is only half of the apples we processed.

This is where I sat all night long and cranked out the sauce.
Blake stirring in the sugar and cinnamon.
That's one huge pot of applesauce.

Blake's New Blog

2009-08-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

I need a creative outlet. I have created a blog dedicated to my adventures teaching myself to cook with little time, money, or skill. Some of my regular posts will probably include:

"What Was I Thinking: Kitchen Failures"
"Manly Cooking Hints"
"I is awesome recipes"

It will also include random thoughts on how ridiculous cooking can be. My wife may also chime in from time to time. Please check it out. I will try to put up new posts regularly. Find me at http://kitchencomplicated.blogspot.com/. The website is also hurting for some of my wife's good blog design skills. It will get awesome in the future. I will also post on the family blog about other things.

Baby Ella

2009-08-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

We got to welcome little Ella Jean Johnson into our family early this morning. She came at 4:31 am, weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz. and was 20 inches long. She is such a good baby already, she eats and sleeps and hardly ever cries. It truly amazes me how these sweet little babes come into this world. One day she's in my belly and the next, I'm holding her. Every time I look at her I feel so grateful that I am given the opportunity to raise one of Heavenly Father's little babies.
The hospital bed is making my back ache, but other than that, I feel really good. SO much better than the first time.

Enjoying a well-deserved breakfast!

Owen meeting Ella for the first time. Notice the car that Ella brought with her for Owen.

(Thanks for the idea Candice!)

Owen "petting" Ella like he pets Parker.

Owen did really well around Ella, he still doesn't understand who she is, but he is gentle with her and even kissed her on the head a few times. I wonder how things will go when he realizes this baby is coming home with us and isn't leaving. Owen has been staying over at our friends' home so that Blake could spend some time with Ella and me at the hospital. It has been really nice having him around so much, thanks Landon and Heather!
And thanks for everyone who has given us gifts, offered help and best wishes- you are very appreciated.

Weber High School: Class of 2000 Reunion

2009-08-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

It is coming time for us to come together for our 10 year Weber High School reunion. Stacey (Ropelato) Starley has set up this website to help aid the planning process. Please go to it, fill out the information, and pass this info on. Posting the link on facebook and your blog is also helpful. Initial plans indicate that the reunion will likely take place in June, 2010. As for the details, it will be at Chucky Cheese unless we hear from all of you. - Blake

4th of July Fun

2009-07-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

The Johnson crew went out to Utah for the Fourth of July this year. It was really fun to see family and friends. Owen spent most of the waking hours in his swimming suit or just getting his regular clothes wet. Kristin is getting closer to her due date, but she was still able to have a lot of fun in the water. Thanks for all our family and friends that spent time with us this past weekend.

Loves corn.

Loves chips.

A lot of chips.

Loves cherries too.
(My parents have an a cherry tree out back and Kristin had fun eating her weight in fresh cherries.)

Grandma and Owen. (That is Kristin's old life vest. Check out the rainbow straps.)

Dangeresque III.

Beach Time

Kristin left for Utah ten days before I did. I spent one Saturday on the coast by myself. I went on four separate hikes during the day. The first was a two hour hike on the beach north of Florence. The second was an hour hike along the rocky tide pools near Devil's Churn. The third was about a two hour hike through the sand dunes south of Florence. The fourth was a 1/2 hour hike to Heceta Head lighthouse. It was a lot of fun just cruising the coast by myself without a stroller in tow. Unfortunately, I had to be my own camera man. It was like my own little vision quest. Spending time alone in nature made me feel wise, healthy, and strong. Kinda like Walker Texas Ranger.

I'm a big kid now

2009-06-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

Update: Owen has done really well moving to his toddler bed. Sometimes we have to walk in and remind him that he needs to be in his bed and not playing with his toys and he usually says "uh oh!" and runs and jumps back on the bed. It's pretty cute. Here are some pictures of his first nap in his bed.

This is what I saw when I went in to check on him. His room was clean when I put him down, so you can tell he was pretty busy.
Then I spotted a little foot.

Tonight Owen has moved from being a "baby" to a "big boy". He'll always be my baby, but he gets to sleep in a big boy bed now. Well...we'll see how tonight goes before I get too excited. Blake and I set it up and rearranged everything in his room, but I started wondering if having everything different was going to be too much for him to handle, but I think he did really well tonight. Luckily he's always been a pretty flexible kid, so I'm hoping this will easy for him.

Here's his "baby" room:

Here's his "big boy" room:Owen waiting for his song, prayer and kisses.

I took Super Nanny's advice and sat in the middle of his room and placed him back in his bed every time he got out. After about 15 times of putting him back in, he got the hint and stayed on the bed, but then he started to try to play with me and test me. Super Nanny says to be as boring as you can be. No making eye contact, no talking or anything really. So I sat there like a statue for 45 minutes (which FELT like 2 hours) until he fell asleep. He did some whining and some playing and he even fell out of the bed once, but he finally tuckered out. Hopefully tomorrow night will be shorter because it's Daddy's turn, and he might not be able to sit in the dark for 45 minutes without falling asleep himself! Now I'm just praying he doesn't fall out, get scared or wake up at 5 in the morning.

Loon Lake

2009-05-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

Spring semester is finally over. It really seemed more hectic than either semesters my first year. To celebrate, Kristin and I decided to take the family out to the coast for a vacation. We rented a cabin for two nights at Loon Lake in Oregon. It was a lot of fun for all of us. We hiked to a waterfall, played at the beach, went for a boat ride, and Parker got first place in the Doggy Costume Contest. He got a $50 gift card to Petco. Kristin made that awesome fish costume for him. We discovered that Owen loves sand. Now we can't take him near sand unless we are willing to let him get all dirty.

We also spent some time in Florence, OR for their annual Rhododendron Days. Each year thousands of motorcyclists show off their hardware during the festival. There was a parade and a carnival that is reminiscent of the small town carnivals you might find in movies such as "Big" but without the Zoltar machine. We also spent some time at the ocean playing in the sand.

(The beagle is not ours, apparently he just wanted his picture taken)

We also had to get a second vehicle because I am commuting to work this summer. We decided to go with a Chrysler Town and Country. (This is not ours, but it looks just like it). Becoming a minivan family was a big step in my adulthood, but the dual power sliding doors makes a little easier to adjust. Thankfully we don't have enough money to buy a new van because I would have a really tough time justifying buying from a government owned car company.

As for work, I have really enjoyed my first couple of weeks. I have been involved in a number of types of work including real estate law, bankruptcy, employment, contract, personal injury, and even a DUI. I get to draft court documents and do plenty of research. I'm really having a good time. As for Kristin, she is getting closer to her due date and our apartment is getting hotter. (Not a winning combo). Luckily we have a pool at our apartment complex that we use to cool off in the evenings. Owen loves the water.

Which bike is for me?

2009-05-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

I am in the market for a new "mom" bike (a.k.a. a cruiser) and I am really excited. They are so pretty. I just can't decide which one to pick...

...this Giant Simple Seven

...or this beauty, the Electra Deluxe 3i

Decisions, decisions....

Safeway promo

2009-04-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry to bore everyone with my coupon finds, but I know some of my Eugene friends are couponers and wanna-be couponers, so this is for you ladies!

Safeway is having their Living Well, Feeling Great promotion right now, which basically states that if you buy $30 worth of certain promotional items, will receive a $10 coupon, or catalina, to use on your next purchase. And that $30 is counted before you use your manufacture's coupons, so this is the best way to get great deals from a promo like this:
1. Get as close as you can to the $30 mark (before coupons).
2. Use manufactures coupons to bring your total down.
3. Pay whatever is left and get the $10 coupon. Your first transaction you're probably going to pay more OOP (out of pocket), but once you get that $10 coupon, then you can roll it into the next transaction, so your OOP goes way down.
Here's what I did.

1st transaction: (I didn't use ANY coupons on this first one, and still got a great deal. This was a double dip promo, so there was the Living Well, Feeling Great promo and a Bertolli promo running at the same time.)
16 Bertolli Pasta Sauce packets @ $2.00 each = $32.00 (Owen must have stashed 2 of them.)
Paid $32 OOP, but I received the $10 coupon and $16 worth of catalinas for my next trip.
(I earned a $2 off coupon for every two sauces I bought.) I think this Bertolli promo is over. :(
So I paid $32 and earned $26 in catalinas
So in a way, I paid $6 for all those sauces.

This is transaction #2 and #3 lumped into one picture.

2nd transaction: (There was also a double promo running here with the waters. Buy 2, get $2 coupon for your next order.)

6 Arrowhead waters @ $1.99 = $11.94
2 Mission tortillas @ $2.50 = $5.oo used (2) $1 coupon here
1 Capri Sun @ $1.99 used $1.00 coupon, and $0.50 in-ad coupon
2 All detergents @ $4.49 = $8.98 used (2) $1 coupons here
1 Bright Green Bleach @ $1.49 used $1 coupon here
1 Safeway brand hot pockets (not shown) @ $1.69
Total $31.09
- $3.11 (10% off total, my Safeway card does this automatically, but not everyone's does.)
- $8.50 in manufacture and store coupons (I also used the Safeway double, which double's 4 coupons up to .50 each, max of $2)
- $10 catalina from 1st transaction
- $8 worth of Bertolli catalinas
Total OOP= 1.48
Received another $10 catalina for the LWFG promo, and $6 worth of catalinas from the waters.

3rd transaction:

2 Capri Suns @ 1.99 = $3.98 used (2) $1 coupons
8 Arrowhead waters @ 1.99 = $15.92
3 Electrasols @ 3.99 = $ 11.97 used (3) $2.50 coupons
Total = $ 31.87
- $3.18 10% off total
- $9.50 manufactures coupons (forgot to use my doubler!)
- $10 catalina from previous transaction
- $8 worth of Bertolli catalinas
Total OOP= $1.19
Received another $10 catalina and $8 worth of catalinas for the waters.

Just a note, you cannot usually use the same catalinas to buy more of that product. So I can't use the cats that I got from buying the waters to buy more waters. Make sense?

I hope you can get through all this and it isn't too hard to understand. Let me know if you have any questions, because it is a little confusing.

2009-04-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I decided to finally reupholster the dining room chairs I had inherited from a friend in the ward. She gave me a really nice dining room set with a pretty cherry wood table, but the fabric on the chairs was old and a little stained. So, after much sweat (from Blake) and tears (from me), here's how they turned out. Just keep in mind, they are not perfect...but they are better.

Fab Five

2009-04-07T22:16:00.001-07:00

THE FAB FIVE:
OK! So this is how this works...
The first 5 people to respond to this post will receive something made by me, just for you.

Of course there are some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done some time within the next year
4. You have no clue what it will be...
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
6. I will send it anywhere! It doesn't matter where you live!

The catch? The catch is that you must repost this on your own blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on their blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did will win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!!

Some of my favorites

2009-04-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

I have become addicted to looking through Etsy shops. I have especially been looking for knit hats for the new baby, and I found this one lady that lives here in Eugene, and she has the most adorable hats. Her shop name is Nuxiemade, and she's giving away a cute adult flower beanie this month, so go check it out.

My first creation

2009-03-28T11:19:00.001-07:00

I've really felt the creative juices flowing, now that I found out I was having a girl. So I dove right in and made my first girly thing- a tutu. I think it turned out really cute, and it was super easy. I just cut strips of tulle about 12 inches long and then tied them around a small elastic. I think I need to sew through the knots, just to make sure they stay put. I haven't felt like sewing for the longest time, but now my mind is brimming with all the cute and wonderful things I want to make for her. Next up: a nursing cover, stroller bag, blankets and maybe some dresses.

It's a girl!

2009-03-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce that Owen will be getting a little sister this August.

Can you dig it?

2009-03-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

Owen and I have been pretty sick the past few days and I have felt like a total failure as a mom during that time. I let Owen watch more TV than I ever have before. Thank goodness for the Backyardigans. I just couldn't find the energy to do anything constructive.
I found this blog, No Time for Flash Cards, that gives you ideas for crafts to do with your child, so today, since we're both feeling a lot better, I thought we'd try one out.
I picked this one for beginners: basically they go digging for treasures in oatmeal, but I didn't have oatmeal, so I used Rice Krispies. This is what happened.

He seemed to really like finding things at first.

Then he just got hungry and started eating all the cereal. Maybe that is why they used oatmeal.

Send in the reinforcements for clean-up duty. Isn't this why we have a dog?

Much Needed Break

2009-02-23T17:16:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple weeks I have been pretty busy with school. It seemed as though all my big projects fell upon me at the same time. I ended up putting in about 65 - 70 each week trying to finish everything. Luckily, I have a couple weeks before things really pick up again. Kristin was more than patient with me. She even forgave me when I had to spend Valentine's Day night at school while I helped with a school competition. To make it up to her I took her out to dinner at a local restaurant that has a very nice spot on the banks of the Willamette River. Then we went out for ice cream at Prince Puckler's. It was really good, but I think that Farr Better Ice Cream in Ogden is a better choice. (Even if President Obama had ice cream there last year). Thanks again to the Richards for watching Owen.

I can't take credit for being busy all the time because Kristin is putting a lot of time into the young women's program. She has been planning a lot of activities and lessons lately. She has been a real busy body. Hopefully we can spend some time together over the next couple of weeks. She deserves it.

One of my friends at school took some pictures as evidence that I was really working hard over Valentines day weekend.

This is during the first night of competition. Yes, that is an Alta Ski Resort sticker on that Mac, but it's not mine.

Here I am giving instruction to some of our witnesses before the first night. We organized over 150 volunteer witnesses and close to 100 attorney judges to help out over the course of 3 days. In the end we held 36 mini trials each lasting 3 hours long. It was a huge undertaking.

Our final rounds were held here at the Eugene Federal Courthouse. It sticks out like a sore thumb because of its artsy fartsy look.

NOTE: I would like to formally object to this sissy color scheme. Pink on black? Come on, I don't deserve any of the blame for how "cute" our blog is right now.

NOTE 2: I have noticed that almost every undergrad girl wears those crazy Ugg boots. They are so common that one might think they are issued to undergrads as part of their tuition. First of all, boots are okay. Kristin has a very nice pair of leathery fuzzy boots that look really good. Unfortunately most Ugg boots actually look like this. They look like you're walking around with two dead Nutria on your feet. Now, I don't mean to offend anyone, but I just think this Aussie fashion statement needs to disappear like Crocodile Dundee. Just because some celebrity decides to wear them does not make them okay. That is, unless you ladies would like guys to start looking to our own favorite celebrities for fashion advice.

Owen doesn't want me to blog

2009-02-04T06:30:00.001-08:00

Sorry about being so terrible at blogging. But I have an excuse. Owen has taken my cordless mouse and has either thrown in away while I wasn't looking or has stashed it somewhere. I have looked everywhere, which leads me to believe it was thrown away. So that leaves me with Blake's laptop, which is gone with Blake from about 8 am to midnight. He has been putting in some serious overtime at school. He has a lot of different things going right now. If only one of those things were a job....just jokin' Blake.
Anywho, when life gets back to normal and I give up looking and go buy a new mouse, I'll post more often. Thanks for being patient.

A small announcement

2009-01-14T00:07:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it has been 14 months already since our little Owen was born. Time has gone by so fast, and will probably continue to go even faster when our second little one gets here in August!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-27T20:10:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas break. We'll update more when we get home. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

Great Deal at RiteAid

2008-12-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

I was so happy to find this little deal last week:

Oral B Professional Care 7400 Rechargable Toothbrush
(retails for $89.99)

Total price: $0.00 FREE!

Here's how:
On sale $60.00
RiteAid December rebate -$20.00
Oral B mail in rebate -$15.00
RiteAid $5 off a $25 purchase coupon -$5.00 (Got for signing up for their emails)
RiteAid Gift of Savings rebate -$20.00 (I get $20 back because I spent $100 during December, almost 100% of which was a rebate, so really, I didn't "buy" anything.)

I also bought a pack of 3 replacement brush heads which were on sale for $20 with a $7 rebate and a $1 manufacturers coupon, making them $12. Which is almost what 3 regular toothbrushes would cost anyway. So I think it was one of the best deals I've ever gotten.

So this was our Christmas present to each other, a rechargeable toothbrush...that was free...how romantic. I guess it's nice in the sense that we'll both have clean teeth and fresh breath which means more kissing under the mistletoe. So it is romantic after all.

Welcome Home Friend!

2008-12-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

I got a call on Thanksgiving night from a very nice police officer that told me that they had recovered my bike earlier that day and arrested the man who was in possession of it. I started jumping around yelling things like, "SUCKAS! That's what you get for stealing my bike!" It was quite embarrassing for Blake, but I couldn't help myself, I was so excited. It was a great Thanksgiving Day surprise.
So the next day, I went to the Springfield police station to pick up my bike, they brought it in, and instantly I knew it's not my bike. It looked like my bike frame, but this bike was much nicer than my bike. It's tires were actually pumped up, the spokes were trued and straight. There was a water bottle holder, a new seat, different pedals, different handlebars, front and back lights and a new speedometer. But after I looked at it closer, I saw some unique scratches on the frame that were put there by my various crashes. So it turns out that it was my bike and whoever had it last, probably someone who bought it off of some bike thief, put about $150 into it to fix it up. Funny huh? Now I'm hoping someone will come steal Blake's bike, because it needs a tune up and some new brakes.

Attenton Target Shoppers

2008-11-28T10:19:00.001-08:00

I waited for 2 hours outside of Target today to get Guitar Hero III World Tour, and it really wasn't that bad. But I was only 20th out of 2,000 people, so I was in and out before even half of the line was in the store. Luckily, I got my game, but I'm still not sure if I'd ever do it again.

I Am Lucky!

2008-11-19T17:02:00.000-08:00

I won something!!!
I was starting to feel unlucky because I have been entering random giveaways on my favorite blogs, and I never win. BUT...I did this time! Woo Hoo!
I won a Rockin' Baby Sling from Thrifty and Chic Mom. I am so excited. I have been wanting to buy one of these, but I just can't spend that kind of money right now, so this worked out perfect.

Blog fixed...I think

2008-11-13T12:54:00.000-08:00

I was starting to get sad because I thought no one read our blog, but it turns out it that our blog wasn't allowing people to leave comments. Otherwise I'm sure I would have had at least 30 or 40 by now. ;) Well, it's fixed, so comment away-it always makes you feel good that someone is interested in what's going on in your life.

So long, friend

2008-11-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

Last night one of my longest and closest friends was stolen from me. My bike. It was a good bike, we've been through a lot together, and at one point in my life, it was my only mode of transportation. I'd like to hope that it was stolen and given to a little boy who's last wish was to ride a Cannondale Jekyll 700 SX mountain bike. But it was probably some homeless hippie that needed some money to buy more meth.
Good bye bike, you will be missed.

Grocery Deals

2008-11-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you some of the deals I got this week, to prove that my constant coupon hording is worthwhile.

Albertsons Total: $26.90 -$15 in-store credit
This week, they are running a promotion that states if you buy $30 worth of participating products, you will receive a coupon for $15 off your next shopping trip. So here's my loot:9 B.C. potatoes $1 each= $9 used 3 $.40 off coupons=$7.80 (that's all I had)
6 B.C. cake mixes $1 each=$6
6 Lipton rice and noodle sides $1 each=$6
3 B.C. cookie mixes $1.67 each used 3 $.75 coupons=$2.76
2 onion soup mixes $1 each=$2
2 tubs of frosting $1.67 used 2 $.50 off coupons=$2.34

Total before coupons: $31.35
Total after coupons: $26.90
Received $15 coupon for next shopping trip, so basically it works out to be about $.50 an item, which I think is good.
I know it doesn't seem like I saved very much with my coupons, but I mostly wanted to show that even if you don't have lots of coupons, you can still get a good deal. It would have been a lot better with more coupons, though.

Safeway Total:$3.39
6 Quaker instant oatmeal on sale for $1.57 used $1 off coupon and a Safeway coupon that will double 4 coupons up to .50 each, so it's like I had $1.50 off on each oatmeal.= $.07 each= $.42
1 Coke 8 pack bottles used in-ad Safeway coupon Buy 3 greeting cards, get Coke free= free
3 greeting cards $.99 each=$2.97
Plus I got the little stuffed dog free from Hallmark since I bought 3 cards

Total before coupons:$19.38
Total after coupons:$3.39

Here's my stockpile, although most of it isn't life-saving food storage, it does help us avoid buying things when they are expensive. Notice the jars of peaches and pears that Blake and I picked and canned this year. I am glad we get yummy fruit all winter long without paying high prices.

Happy Birthday!

2008-11-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st Birthday Owen!

You are such a sweet boy and we are so lucky to be your parents.
We love you, Mom and Dad.

Tag

2008-11-06T23:09:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law, Kellie, tagged me. I have to answer with one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? unsure
2. Where is your significant other? bed
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? thoughtful
5. Your father? fun
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? real
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. The room you're in? living
10. Your hobby? sewing
11. Your fear? losing
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? stable
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? lacking
15. Something on your wish list? vacation
16. Where you grew up? Utah
17. The last thing you did? Office
18. What are you wearing? sweater
19. Your TV? news
20. Your pet? puggle
21. Your computer? Mac
22. Your mood? bored
23. Missing someone? lots
24. Your car? gutless
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? short
28. Love someone? yes
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
31. Last time you cried? yesterday

I need to tag 4 people and they are: Angie, Kayla, Katie and Heidi.

Am I spending too much time on the computer??? It's all for a good cause.

2008-11-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

We all like to find great deals, and I spend a good amount of time on the computer each week looking for some of those great deals. So I'd just share some of my favorite money saving websites with you, so you can get in on those great finds too. A lot of these websites also give good advice on living on a budget and reusing things.
Money Saving Mom
The "Cent"sible Sawyer
Deal Seeking Mom
Slick Deals
And I just found a new one today called $20 Challenge 4 Charity. Mostly because she's giving away a set of Baby Einstein DVD's, but hey, I'll check it out, especially if there's a chance I would win something. If you want to enter go here.

Also, I found another blog, called No Time for Flash Cards, that has tons of good craft ideas for your kids. Most of the supplies she uses, are things you probably already have in your house. Owen is still a little too young for this, but not by much.

Please share any of your favorites, I love getting ideas on how to save money. And Owen would be very happy for some new games to play or songs to sing.

Fall Time Fun

2008-10-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

I love the fall season, especially in Eugene. The weather here is just beautiful. We've been to a couple pumpkin patches, which I absolutely love doing, so I thought I'd share some pictures, mostly of Owen, with you.

Me and Owen at Johnson Farm with our Mommy 'n' Me group

Owen and his friend, Dallin. And no, we didn't mean to dress them to match, funny though.
Thomas, Owen and Dallin at Thistledown Farm picking out their pumpkins

Owen and Daddy
Almost walking!

We had a LDS Law Halloween party the other night, so we dressed Owen up in his gorilla costume and paraded him around, it was great...

...Owen did not think it was so great, he hated wearing his costume.Gorilla Owen and Monkey Dallin
I don't think he wanted to deal with wearing his costume, so he just fell asleep to make it go away. When he woke up at home, he started crying, like "Why am I still wearing this?".
Today was such a pretty day, so we headed to the park to take pictures of the leaves. Owen was having a blast playing in the leaves and Blake was having fun playing with the camera.

Try to ignore the nasty drool all over his cute shirt. It's inevitable that he will have a wet shirt in all pictures.Snack time

Weekend in Utah

2008-10-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to go back home for a few days. The main event was Kristin's brother's wedding. We also celebrated Owen's first birthday (one month early) and his great grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. We have barely had time to rest since we got here. Here are a few pictures.

Kristin, Owen, Hannah (Kristin's cousin), and Jean at Kennecott Copper Mine.

Kristin and Owen at Snowbasin

Owen's Birthday Party

Owen didn't even stop to play with his cake. He wanted to just eat, so we had to take it away before he ate too much.

Kristin and Owen at the Bountiful Temple.

Lynnsey is our wonderful new sister-in-law. She was a beautiful bride.

Owen got to wear a tuxedo. He was a very handsome groomsman.

Nick and Owen.

This is a saloon a friend of the family built in his backyard. Don't worry, I just had a diet coke.

Dinner at the Timbermine for the 50th wedding anniversary.

Kristin's Grandparents. Happy 50th! They came in from Michigan for the weekend.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-09-12T10:00:00.001-07:00

I know it's a couple days late, but I wanted to post a wedding picture to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. I really lucked out and got a good one. I love you, Blake!

I want that!

2008-09-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to mention some of my friends' businesses for awhile now, hopefully to send a little business their way, so if you are interested in supporting stay-at-home-moms, they have some really great products!

Embellished Ink & Paper
First, is Heather. She just started a business making homemade greeting cards.They are really cute and unique. Her cards range from $2.50 for a single card to $10.00 for a set, like invitations. I personally like the Thank You cards. She has put a lot of time and effort into her business, and I wish her the best of luck.

Limabeanhome at Etsy
Second, is Kristine. She makes some really great bags from new and "reclaimed" fabrics. I have really been wanting to buy these. I've seen some of her bags and they are really well made, and she can even do custom orders.

Kelly Color Portraits
Third, is Kelly, Blake's brother. Okay, he's not a stay-at-home-mom, but I admire his work, so he's on the list. He started a photography business aside from his career and going to school for his Masters. He is a great photographer, he has taken our family's pictures a couple of times and they turned out great. See this and this post. He lives in Layton, Utah, so if you live close by there, look him up.

Parker Takes A Swim

2008-08-31T00:09:00.000-07:00

Every fall one of the local pools allows dogs to come swim the day before they drain the water for the season. We decided it would be a good opportunity for Parker to learn to enjoy water. I know what you are all thinking, I better be up on my vaccinations, right? We made sure we were there first so we weren't swimming in dog broth. And for all you sickos out there, no we did not make Owen swim with the dogs. In fact our friends were nice enough to take him for a couple of hours. Actually, there were more humans in the pool than dogs, hardly any of the dogs wanted to get in.

It was really fun. Parker doesn't like to be in water that much, but he took it with a level of maturity that you don't find among dogs anymore. There was the fiasco where he found the open gate and ran around in the parking lot for a while. Luckily neither man nor dog can resist the wonderful taste of Kraft American Cheese Singles.

Parker must have been swimming really well because a news reporter asked me about him. I was featured on the evening news talking about swimming with Parker. Now before you all rush to the phone and request an autographed dvd of my interview, I must remind you that this is local Eugene news and it was Parker that caught the cameraman's interest. (I don't think he mistook my crazy swimming for Micheal Phelps). That being said, I tried really hard not to look stupid on camera. Unfortunatly, the news station rotates their videos quickly and now I can't find it anymore. Therefore I have also posted our own Parker footage just because I can.

Our video footage.

Family Portraits

2008-08-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

My brother was kind enough to take some family portraits for us. We are really happy with the way they turned out. Owen was being a little reluctant to pose, but with enough Gerber fruit puffs, any baby will sit still. Here are a couple of sample shots. Kelly does a lot of interesting things with photography. I recommend checking out Kelly's photo gallery.

The magic behind a calm baby during a photo shoot.

Just like daddy, he likes books with pictures.

The Whole Family (minus Parker)

Our Trip to Utah

2008-08-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

I reserved a couple of weeks at the end of summer to go home and visit friends and family in Utah. We have had a really fun time so far. This vacation is far better than our winter break because Owen is older and Parker has been with my parent's dog ever since we got here. We've had more time to do the things we want to do. We camped one night, went to my cousin's wedding, had a photo shoot with my grandparents, rode Frontrunner down to SLC, went boating, hiked, and even went to a demolition derby. This coming week we plan to go swimming with nieces and nephews, barbecue with friends, and go boating again. We have managed to pack each day with something fun. Here are a few pictures from the past week.

Owen at the Demolition Derby with Nick and Lynnsey Owen and Daddy boating at Pineview The family swimming
Owen hanging out with his friends, Austin and Zack
We had a lot more pictures from our trip on my laptop, but Owen managed to break my screen and I had to ship it off to be repaired. We had all of our camping and hiking pictures on there, so we'll post some later assuming I get my laptop back.

Expanding Waistline?

2008-07-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years I have noticed a considerable number of pants becoming too tight for me. The mystery lies in the fact that my overall body weight has not increased significantly. I have racked my brain trying to discover the reason behind this change. Much to my excitement, I believe I have discovered why people get big waistlines...they're too smart. As we each grow older we acquire new knowledge that becomes packed into our little brains. I hypothesize that as our knowledge increases, our brain becomes more dense, causing a shift in our center of gravity. This causes a lack of stability and balance. Further evidence can be seen in the loss of balance for the elderly (they're too smart). Luckily our bodies have a way to lower that center of gravity by reallocating some fat down around our middle region (for some it goes even lower, perhaps because they are extremely intelligent). Some experts argue that doing ab crunches "burns" the fat away, but I argue that the horizontal position spreads the fat back to its origins.

This being said, I imagine school is only exaggerating the effects of "waistline gravity distribution" upon my body. So wives, next time you notice your husband's belly squeezing out of the top of his pants like it's trying to escape, just remember how smart he is.

On a completely separate and unrelated topic, Oregon is in full berry season. We now have a freezer packed full of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries that we picked at local fruit farms (blackberries are almost in season). We have made some really good stuff lately like fresh berry key limeade, raspberry ice cream, and berry chocolate cake (see recent post). This morning I made fresh blueberry sauce for our pancakes. I have been cooking quite a bit of food lately. Let me know if you have a good berry recipe.

Memories

2008-07-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

It's always fun to be reminded of memories that we haven't thought about for awhile, or heaven forbid, forgot about. So please, leave a memory, I'm excited to see what you come up with. I might even learn something about my husband that I don't even know.

1. Leave a comment below about a memory that you have about me and you, or you and Blake. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next (if you choose to), re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Coupons have me buying the most random things

2008-07-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I know that a lot of you are probably not interested in my coupon posts, but I had to show off, I was just so proud! I am not nearly as awesome and efficient as other coupon moms, but I'm slowly getting there. So I went to Albertsons today to pick up a few random things I had coupons for, and this is what I got.Kool-Aid x 3 = .60
Crystal Light =3.99 used coupon that makes it free when you buy 3 Kraft products (Kool Aid) also used .50 off coupon (some stores will let you use coupons on free items, which makes you actually "make" money off the item) = .50 overage
McCormick seasoning - 1.00 used .50 off coupon, doubled=free
Clean Team wipes - 1.29 used 1.00 off coupon =.29
Beech Nut baby food x 6- 3.24 used 1.00 off 6 jars =2.24
Excedrin- 1.99 on sale used 2.00 off coupon =free
I had a Safeway coupon (which Albertsons will accept) that allows coupons to be doubled, but maxes out at 2.00, so I got the 2.00 off my total at the end.
Total before coupons = 12.11
Total after coupons = 1.12 at least that's what I should have paid, but now that I'm adding it up, I think the cashier gave me a extra 1.00 off somwhere.
I actually paid only .12 for everything. Cool huh?
The young kid that was ringing my stuff up looked at the total and seemed shocked. He probably thinks he rang it up wrong because the total was so low. As I was walking away I saw him looking at the coupons again, trying to figure it out. I love it!

I love July!

2008-07-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

July is one of my favorite months because of all the fun it brings: fireworks, barbecues, corn on the cob, popsicles, parades, boating and so on. Some of those things I haven't been able to do this summer, like boating, but I am still having a great summer. Here are some pictures of our July so far.

Eugene hosted the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials this year and there was so much going on. Blake and I went to the festival at U of O where they were hosting the whole thing and watched some of the events on the jumbo screen. James Parker, a guy in our ward, was competing in the hammer throw, so we went to go cheer for him during the finals. Unfortunately, he didn't make it to Beijing, but he did great anyway and we had fun watching him compete.

James Parker, hammer throwOwen and his new friend, the Oregon Duck.

Owen and Mommy waiting for the fireworks to start.
Owen in his 4th of July outfit. (Sorry about Blake's foot in the picture)
This is our Fourth of July celebration cake. Blake helped even though he doesn't enjoy baking as much as cooking.We are planning a road trip home to Utah later this month, so we are really excited to be able to see our family and friends then. So far, it has been a great July, I'm glad there are still a few weeks left.
P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANI!!

Much Needed Update

2008-06-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went on a hike with the youth up to Spencer's Butte. The hike was about 6 miles long with most of it hiking up a mountain. For the first few miles my back and legs were getting really tired because I had Owen in a backpack. Then we started going vertical up to the top of the butte. It was really tough for me since I haven't been working out like I should. Kristin took Owen down the butte and we had to end our hike after mile 5 because we ran out of food for Owen. All in all, a really beautiful hike through the Oregon forest. I'd like to thank Landon and Heather for letting me borrow their backpack even though I was wearing a Ute shirt that day.

Thankfully, Owen slept for a lot of the hike.

Over this past weekend we escaped the heat and went camping out on the coast. The following day we went to Newport, OR for SeaFest. Part of the event included a sea rescue demonstration from the US Coast Guard. Since I love helicopters, I had to watch. We stood at the end of the pier while the helicopter dropped people into the water about 40 yards away and pulled them out again. This was the highlight of my week. For those that don't know, I love helicopters almost as much as I love cooking. I almost drove my carpool into the emergency lane watching a Chinook helicopter fly around Eugene the other day.

Kristin will probably be mad when she sees how many pictures I posted of this event. Since Dan missed the event, I wanted them to experience it like I did. To get the full effect try beating on your chest really fast to mimick the sound of the helicopter and talk really loud when you look at the post...then you'll feel you were there.

Here are some pictures of Owen playing in the sand. This was one of two experiences on this trip he managed to get a fist full of dirt in his mouth.

What is more majestic than a man and his dog. (Especially this man!)

And finally, do you ever wonder where all the bits of fish go after the filets have been packaged and frozen? That question has plagued me for years and now I have the answer. It goes into a dump truck. This is a huge pile of fish bits left over from a seafood processing plant. It really stinks because it was hot outside. Now I am plagued with a new question: Where does the truck go?

7 Months of Fun

2008-06-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Owen is 7 months old this month, time is really starting to go fast. It seems like as soon as he hit 4 months, time has flown by. He rolls all over the place and sits by himself. He hasn't started crawling yet...no complaining here. It'll happen soon enough. He started teething a couple weeks ago, and he has 2 little pearly-whites coming up right now. The dog is his favorite toy, his favorite book is What Color is Your Underwear?, and his favorite game to play is the "I'm gonna get you" game. And he absolutely loves bath time. If he even hears the water running he starts kicking his legs and squealing in delight. Here are some pictures of tonight's bath.
Playing around with the camera
He's also been a part of a developmental study at the University of Oregon since he was 3 months old and he is almost done, 2 more months. They are testing 9 normally developing babies (Owen is in this group of course) and then 9 or so kids with Cerebral Palsy to determine when and how babies learn to sit up by themselves. Basically, he gets all wired up with electrodes and then is strapped onto this bench where they test his sitting muscles by slowly taking away the supports and making his sit on his own. I know, it sounds horrible, but it's not that bad, it's perfectly safe, he's not getting any radiation or scary stuff like that.He actually likes it, because once they get him all strapped in, he gets to watch Baby Einstein...which he loves.
Anyway, we go every other week, and he gets paid a good amount for the time we spend there, so we've enjoyed putting our son to work. He buys his own toys with the money he earns, and occasionally he'll buy Mom and Dad a toy. Last month he bought us Mario Kart for Wii. Such a nice son.

This is Owen at 4 months old

This is Owen at 7 months old

Coupon Crazy

2008-06-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

The past couple of nights I have been staying up late reading blogs like Money Saving Mom and Freebies 4 Mom, trying to figure out how to use coupons to get free or nearly free items at the grocery store. I have never been the kind to use coupons because I thought that even with coupons for the expensive brands, the generic or store brands were still cheaper. That might be true for some things, but wait until you see what I "bought" with coupons yesterday. I got to "buy" stuff that I normally wouldn't buy because it would be too expensive or we just didn't need it that badly.
Everything in this picture was free...actually they paid me $0.25 to take it.
Here's how:
Live Active Cereal $2.84 used $3 coupon here
Purina Puppy Chow $4.12 used $4 coupon here
Kotex 16 ct. $1.00 used $1 coupon here or in All You magazine
John Freida FrizzEase Mousse $0.97 used $1 coupon in All You magazine
Vlasic Dill Relish $1.oo used $1 coupon here
Buddies Soap $0.94 each used 2 $1 coupons here or $2 coupon here (read the fine print)
Glade Air Freshner $0.94 used $1 coupon in All You Magazine
Adidas Deodorant $3.74 used free coupon from All You Magazine
(All links are courtesy of Money Saving Mom, thanks.)
That left me with $.25 cents overage, but I needed to buy a tomato, a head of lettuce and some taco seasoning, so the total I paid for everything was $2.51. I hope you guys are as excited as I am about this. How cool is that? You should all go to Wal-mart and try this today. Oh, by the way, the All You magazine that I mentioned is sold at Wal-mart for $1.97 and it pays for itself every time. I used the May issue for my shopping trip, so you might not be able to get everything I got, but the June issue probably has some other great coupons. By the way, some coupons will let you print them twice if you push the backspace button after the first one has printed.
I am so excited about "buying" stuff with coupons, it makes a run to Wal-mart actually fun instead of frustrating. Let me know how it works out for you and if you have any problems getting the coupons. Good luck.

Sit Owen, sit.

2008-05-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

Blake took this picture today and I thought it was cute. Owen has learned how to sit all by himself. The dog knocks him over sometimes, but I guess that just means he's going to be ready to wrestle with Daddy extra early. And don't worry, I don't let him sit there and watch TV all day, sometimes he plays the Wii. Well no, but he does love watching his Baby Einstein movie, so we let him watch that every so often.

Blog Giveaways

2008-05-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Recently, while searching through some of my friends' blogs, I discovered blog giveaways. I entered a few and maybe, just maybe, I'll win something. Everyone feels like they never win anything, and I confess I always feel like that, but maybe I'll get lucky. Well, if anyone else is interested in entering the giveaway, here it is, although I am a little reluctant to tell you, as it decreases my chances of winning. Oh well, good luck. I'm off to look for more opportunities to win some cool stuff.

The End of an Era

2008-05-18T21:17:00.001-07:00

Well, my first year of law school is over and I couldn't be happier. For the past couple weeks I have spent a lot of time at home with Kristin and Owen. I did work on a school project, but for the most part I was just enjoying the time off. Unfortunately my time off is over and now I am going to start my new job. Apparently it is expected for me to provide an income for my growing family (something I haven't done since last August). This summer I'm working in Salem, OR at the state's justice department.

Usually I cook a lot when I'm not at school, but we have been in the middle of a heat wave that has killed my motivation. Tonight, however, I decided to whip up a little something for dinner and this is what happened. I made Spanish chicken couscous with cilantro cheese sauce. I'm proud to say I didn't follow any recipe and it turned out great. I know it was a success because Kristin had seconds (and she doesn't really like when I get creative). Anyway, in a nutshell, I may have missed my calling. Maybe I'll find myself working in restaurant law after school. (Is there such a thing as restaurant law?)

Here is the recipe (as far as I can remember):

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2 Tbs olive oil

Saute the onion, tomato,garlic and add the salt and pepper.

Add 1 cup diced chicken and 1 1/4 cups chicken broth. (Bring to slight boil).
Add 1 cup small couscous, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Cheese Sauce:
Slowly heat 1/2 cup of chicken broth with about 4 oz of pepperjack cheese. Add 1/4 cup milk and bring to a simmer. Add a little thickener of choice until it is at a consistency you like. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in 1 Tbs fresh chopped cilantro.

I formed the couscous into small bowls, and to make it my own, you must add some fresh cilantro on top as a garnish. If you don't like the recipe, don't blame me, I'm not a professional. If you do like it, well, then I'm a stud.

Happy 1/2 Birthday to Owen!

2008-05-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

Owen is 6 months (and a week) old. I know everyone says this, but I am going to say it too...I can't believe how fast he's growing up. It seems like he was just a little baby that couldn't really do much, and now he's wanting to get up and start moving so badly. He is rolling all over the place and he can get his knees under him, but he still can't push up on his arms to crawl. He's starting to get siting without assistance down, but we still have a lot of toppling over backward. He went to his check up yesterday and here are the stats.
Height: 26 1/4 inches - 90th percentile
Weight: 16 lbs. 9 oz. - 50th percentile
Head Circumference: 25th percentile
So basically I have a tall baby with a small head...for now at least. I'm sure he'll level off someday. Here are some recent pictures of him...and the dog (the other baby).

Parker sits as close as he can to Owen, they're already buddies.

Sadly, that's not food...it's spit up.I wanted to show off my new haircut.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

2008-05-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give a shout out to my mom and my mom-in-law today to tell them how much I love them.

Mom, it's hard to find the words to explain why I love you so much and how you make my life happier. I am grateful for the way you raised me, to be obedient, clean, honest, hard-working and kind. I am also grateful for the support you give me and for the strong friendship we share. I guess, I mostly just want to say "Thank you, and I love you".

Diane, I always hoped I would have a mother-in-law that I could really consider a mother. Someone who was sweet and fun and loving. Someone that would think of me as her daughter. And you are all of those things to me and much more. I feel extremely grateful to have such a wonderful mom. You did such a great job raising Blake, he is an amazing husband and father. Thank you and I love you.

Happy Mother's Day to both of my moms.

MOTHERHOOD IS NOT FOR sissies --

MOTHERHOOD IS NOT FOR WOMEN with weak stomaches, regular sleep patterns or white carpeting.

MOTHERHOOD IS FOR WOMEN who can sip tea from a empty cup, see genius in tiny scribbles, and hear the unspoken feelings of a child's heart.

MOTHERHOOD IS FOR WOMEN who care enough to say no when it would be easier to say yes, who believe in their children forever and love them even longer.

MOTHERHOOD IS FOR WOMEN who are strong and gentle at the same time, who make a difference in the lives they touch and the world around them.

MOTHERHOOD IS FOR WOMEN like you.
-Unknown

One down, two to go

2008-05-06T23:10:00.000-07:00

So Blake took his last final of his first year of law school today, and we are so happy! It was a really tough year and an even harder winter, but we've made it. He celebrated by heading straight to Hollywood Video to rent Mario Kart for Wii and then to KFC for some fried chicken. He's been tempted for a month now to rent some of the Wii games coming out, but has been very good about waiting until finals were over. So what's in our future now? Well, we has until Monday until he has to go back to school for some summer projects. So until then, I think we might either go to the coast or go to Portland for a day or two. And I know we'll be doing a lot of relaxing. The weather has been in the high 60's and sunny, so I am wanting to plan a few picnics or hikes. After such a rainy winter I want to spend as much time outside as possible. As you can see, Parker also wishes he was outside.

I'm Back!

2008-05-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

Although it sounds like Blake had a blast while I was gone, he seems really happy to have some company again. What a sweet post he made for me, thanks hun. My trip was really fun and I enjoyed seeing family that I hadn't seen in a few years. Most of them haven't even met Blake yet, but now they've met Owen. Kinda funny... they're starting to become suspicious that I don't really have a husband. My uncle's wedding was a blast. You know how weddings are...lots of people eating and drinking eventually leads to some funny dancing! Here's a video of my two cousins doing "The Worm".

The Bride and Groom, Rachel and Don.

Owen wasn't too happy, he had a messy diaper...which he made during the wedding vows.

Owen and Mommy at the reception

Four generation picture: Great Grandma Cathy, Grandma Jean, Kristin and Owen

Batchelor Pad?

2008-04-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

Kristin took a trip out to see her family and attend a wedding in Michigan. She is going to be gone for a full 14 days and I miss her already. While she is gone I am in full study mode as classes have finished and I have 4 finals over a three week period. Making the most of this time, I thought I would focus on things I would enjoy by my self. Here is a summary of how those have turned out:

Cooking whatever crazy food I want: It's definitely more fun to impress Kristin with my cooking than impressing myself.

Not having the blankets stolen from me at night: Not having anyone to steal the blankets.

Playing the Wii: The dog doesn't care if I scored high in bowling.

No crying baby: Never get to hear my crying baby, smell his little head, or make him laugh.

Watch an action movie: What good is a guy movie if it can't drive your wife crazy.

Being able to study at home: Parker isn't as good as Kristin at pretending to be interested in cool legal theories.

Speaking of Parker, he also misses Mom and Owen because I just sit on the couch and read all day.

Needless to say, I miss Kristin and really appreciate all the joy she brings to my life. It's also really hard to be away from Owen when he is at such a fun age. I can't imagine how hard it is for servicemen to go on tour and leave their families for months on end.

That being said, I have managed to have fun. I invented a great new pasta recipe with mushrooms, artichoke hearts, spinach, and garlic. Not to mention I did manage to get a really good score in Wii bowling. Tonight I might take all of Owen's bath toys and recreate the Battle of Midway in the bath. Then I'll dress Parker up like Godzilla and throw him in the mix as well. See you later.

Spring Break at the Coast

2008-03-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

We headed to the coast for a couple of days for Spring Break to play on the beach and to sightsee. First, we stopped off at a little lake to let Parker practice his swimming skills. It was his first time swimming, and the water was really, really cold. But I think he enjoyed himself.

Then we went to Florence, where the sand dunes meet the ocean. It's really neat to see people riding dirt bikes right onto the beaches. Parker absolutely loves the sand, he runs around like a crazy dog the whole time we're there. Now we realize that taking Owen places really limits the activities we can do. It was a little rainy and windy the second day, so we couldn't beach comb as much as would have liked to.

Later on, we went to dinner in Newport at this nice beachside restaurant. We watched the sun set as we were eating, it was very pretty and romantic. Overall, it was a great little vacation from the norm.

Water Baby?

2008-03-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

We took Owen swimming for the first time yesterday. He really enjoyed the water and didn't fuss at all. The whole time he seemed not to know what to think about it so he just stayed still. Like any good parents, we dunked him underwater. Getting ready, going swimming, showing our "off season" bodies, and driving back home with wet pants was worth it in order to see the following seven seconds of video.

Parker's favorite place

2008-03-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

Parker just loves when he gets to go play with his friends at the dog park. It's great for us too, because he wears off some, I repeat, some of his energy. It's basically just a section of a huge park that is fenced off where dogs run and play together while the owners make uncomfortable small talk about each others dogs, or the weather. The area is pretty big, maybe 2-3 acres of grass, mud, trees and picnic tables. Every now and then, some naive family thinks it's a good idea to have a picnic lunch there, but they soon find out that the picnic tables and anything on those tables really belong to the dogs. They also have sprinklers and little doggie swimming pools to cool off in, and they get used quite often. There are usually between 10 and 30 dogs there on any given day and they are all going crazy, chasing each other and wrestling. I once saw this old lady get taken out by a Great Dane that wasn't watching where he was running. He hit her from behind and she went flying through the air. Luckily, she wasn't seriously hurt. It can be a hectic place. Here are some cool pictures that Blake snapped during the craziness that is the dog park.

This German Shepard was chasing Parker until Parker tripped over his own paws and got run over.

Stopping for a drink.
Here they go again.

Finally tuckered out.

2008-03-02T19:05:00.001-08:00

One of my friends invited me to play in a flag football tournament this past Saturday. My only experience playing football is one season of flag football. Quite frankly, I like playing football but I don't know much about plays. I'm also in really bad shape since I haven't been exercising. We got to play at Autzen Stadium. It was really cool playing on the turf. We played three games yesterday and for the most part I played a marginal role, but I did manage to bring down a long touchdown pass while being covered by 3 defenders. I felt like Randy Moss for 10 seconds. I'm paying the price today though. My body is really sore. I have been riding my bike to school a lot this past week so maybe I'll lose a few pounds before summer.

Don't blink, you might miss me.

This is pretty much how I felt the whole time.

Owen has been having a tough time getting filled up on formula alone, so our pediatrician told us we could start feeding him rice cereal. So here are some pictures of his first "real food." At first he really didn't know what to do, but after awhile he really started to eat fast. Sadly, I had already taken the camera away when he finally got the hang of it.

Owen's First Game

2008-02-28T06:36:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday we headed up to Portland with our friends Landon and Heather to watch a BYU - University of Portland baseball game. BYU lost pretty bad, and it was hard to watch towards the end, but it was a beautiful spring-like day so we were just happy to be outside. (I know it looks bad that Blake and I are wearing jackets and Owen is in short-sleeves, but it was actually quite warm, and Owen has wearing a jacket or a blanket most of the time.)
After the game, we went to IKEA to buy a bookcase and a few other things and to try some Swedish meatballs which were pretty good, but I still don't get the obsession over them.
It was a great day, and it made us really excited for Spring. Especially Blake, he's getting the itch to play softball. And I'm getting excited about going for bike rides all along the trails here with Owen in the little bike trailer behind me. Pictures of those activities to come.

Babysitting the boys

2008-02-21T06:51:00.001-08:00

We watched Owen's friend, Dallin, the other night, and it was a lot of fun. As you can see in this picture, they were both going crazy. We could hardly keep them under control. Okay, maybe it wasn't that crazy, but it was fun. Dallin's parents are Landon and Heather, they are also 1st year law students from Utah, and they live in the same apartment complex as us. It's fun having them around, because they're our friends and because we exchange babysitting. Which is really nice. Owen is 3 1/2 months and Dallin is about 6 1/2 months. The age difference seems huge right now, but eventually, you won't even be able to tell.

Look at how Owen is pointing at Dallin like, "It was his fault".

I guess the camera was more interesting than the book.

Owen update

2008-02-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

Owen is now 3 months old and is smiling and laughing, which makes it even more fun to make an idiot out of yourself to try and get his reaction. I am the best at it. Dad is a little more conscious of how he looks doing silly faces and strange body movements. To some of you, that might be hard to believe, but it's true. Owen hates doing tummy time, and he screams the entire time until he either falls asleep or gets picked up. I think he just likes to be carried around my mom. He's weighing in at 10 pounds, 10 ounces (fifth percentile), and is 22.5 inches long (fifth percentile).

Playing ninjas with Daddy

He loves the lights on the camera

Cloth Diapers

2008-02-08T23:20:00.000-08:00

I swore up and down, I would never use cloth diapers on my baby, because I thought it was revolting and just too much work for something that will just be pooped on. But I guess I'm turning a little green up here in Oregon, because ever since I learned that it takes a disposable diaper 250+ years to decompose (how they know that, I'm not sure) and that landfills are filling up with them, I've been wanting to take a more eco-friendly approach. So I researched them and found some that I wanted to try. I've been using them for about 3 weeks, and they're not bad....I actually like to use them. Here's a picture of Owen modeling his new diaper. He is wearing a purple one because it was cheaper than the other colors. Sorry Owen.

I'll do this fast like a band-aid

2008-02-07T13:22:00.000-08:00

Four Places I've Lived

Salt Lake City, UT
Ogden, UT
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Eugene, OR

Four Jobs I've Had

Roofer (3 mo)
Framer (3 mo)
Telemarketing (3 mo too long)
Teller/Banker (4.5 years combined)

Four Movies I Love

Crimson Tide
Zoolander - Shared guilty pleasure with Ryan
Unbreakable
Iron Chef the Movie (I should say this is one I will love if anyone did it)

Four Favorite Foods

King Crab Legs with clarified butter
Steak
Kristin's BBQ pork
Rico's Tacos (24th St. and Washington Blvd, cart with the blue canopy)

Four Favorite T.V. Shows

Iron Chef America
The Office
Simpsons
30 Rock

Four Places I'd Like to Go

Europe
New York
The Caribbean (without long pants and a tie)
Oprah's wedding - if she ever has one (she'll probably give all her guests sweet stuff, and the food will be outrageous)

Four Interesting Things About Me

I can't put socks on unless my feet have been washed in the last 30 min
I've never been to CA
I don't like candy
Since having Owen and getting Parker, I put my thoughts to song way to much at home.

Now, I don't know who has been tagged. If you just read this you have been tagged, if you think you didn't just read this then you've got more serious issues that need attention. Let us all bask in the glory of this picture.

Owen is home!

2008-01-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

Owen was released from the hospital yesterday, and seems to be doing better after the great hospital care and breathing treatments he was given. He still sleeps more than half the day, which I don't mind, actually. Since I am sick as well, it is nice to have a sleepy baby. Thank you for all your support, and your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully that will be his last visit to the hospital for awhile.

Poor Sweet Baby!

2008-01-29T14:30:00.000-08:00

Our little Owen isn't doing so well. Blake got sick with a cold over the break, and we think that Owen got it from him, or possibly somewhere else, but either way, he got a cold. We took him to the doctor on Friday, but she said to just watch him and see if it gets any better. Unfortunately, he got worse, so Monday we took him back into the doctor, and she took chest x-rays and said it looked like he was coming down with pneumonia. So we checked him into the hospital, and it turns out he has RSV which caused the pneumonia. Poor kid! He seems to be doing a little better. He may get to go home tomorrow if he starts eating better, so we'll see. Sorry about the video, it was taken with Blake's laptop.

Snow Day!!!

2008-01-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

For those of you that don't know, Eugene is pretty close to sea level. It always rains but doesn't snow often. This morning we were surprised to wake up to snow. When it does snow, all the kids in the apartment complex go out to play in it, even if it's only an inch. Parker was really happy when I took him out in the morning to go to the bathroom. Since they get no snow here, there are no plows, salt, gravel, or snowblowers. I joked to myself that they might cancel church. Since we only had about 2 inches I thought I was just kidding. Sure enough we got a call from the elders quorum letting us know church was canceled. I was told that when it snows in Eugene no one goes anywhere. I never imagined church would be canceled. Here are some picture for ya'll.

I guess I'm it.

2008-01-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Heidi, so here it goes.

Four places I've lived:
1. Eden, UT
2. Salt Lake City, UT
3. Saginaw, MI
4. Eugene, OR

Four jobs I've had:
1. Housekeeper at Trendwest
2. Lab Assistant at U of U School of Medicine (I killed mice.)
3. Waitress at Bennigan's
4. G.I. Lab Technician

Four movies I love:
1. The Notebook
2. Beauty and the Beast
3. A Knight's Tale
4. Pirates of the Caribbean

Four favorite foods:
1. Tacos
2. Costa Vida's sweet pork salad
3. Raspberries
4. Cookies

Four favorite T.V. shows:
1. The Office
2. Beauty and the Geek
3. The Bachelor
4. 30 Rock

Four places I'd love to go:
1. The Bahamas
2. Rome
3. Hawaii
4. Peru

Four interesting things about me:
1. I've spent a few hundred dollars on sewing supplies, and still have no idea how to sew.
2. I taught ski and snowboard lessons for four years.
3. I'm scuba certified, and would love to dive in the tropics.
4. I have trained for a sprint triathlon , but one month before the event, I got in a dune buggy accident and had to have 2 surgeries.

Hope you enjoyed learning about me. I tag Heather, Jengirl, Kayla , and Heidi Miller.

Our Humble Abode

2008-01-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

So we just finished painting our house this weekend, so I thought I'd post some pictures.

First is our kitchen, our bright orange kitchen. It's a little more bold than we wanted, but it has grown on us.

And this is Owen's room. I am really happy with how it turned out. Now if I can keep it looking this clean and cute.

Johnson Look-alike Meter

2008-01-14T00:20:00.001-08:00

So, this is a crock, but still fun.

Super Cute

2008-01-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

My brother took some pictures of Owen in his studio and they turned out really good. Here are a couple of samples from the set. We love how they turned out.

Christmas Break

2007-12-28T14:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas has been a lot of fun. Kristin, Owen, and I have bounced around staying with family around Ogden. We have really had fun relaxing and not worrying about a whole lot. Here are some pics. Owen is sleeping better and starting to chunk up a little. And as you can see, even Parker can't keep up with all the fun.

More Pictures of the Boy

2007-12-12T00:38:00.000-08:00

Today I put Owen in the swing on the floor, then took the dog outside to go potty. When I came back in, this is what I found. He had slid almost all the way out. And he was just sitting there, patiently waiting for me to come back inside and fix him. Oh, and it was a travel swing, so he wasn't in any danger.

I can't stop taking pictures, he's just a sweet little baby. I should start taking more pictures of the rest of the family too, but let's face it, people come to our blog to see the babe.

Painting

2007-12-07T18:49:00.000-08:00

So our friends, Landon and Heather, live in our apartment complex. They told us we can paint our apartments as much as we want. Kristin got really excited and now we have an orange kitchen. The color was a bit of a shock to use but now it has grown on us. I imagine it is a southwestern restaurant. Oh yes, and the uneven strokes, crooked lines, and unsightly application of paint adds character. We will be painting Owen's room blue. And while we are at it we should paint the inside of Parker's kennel so he doesn't get jealous.

Our little Owen

2007-11-22T12:12:00.001-08:00

New Arrival

2007-11-10T10:58:00.001-08:00

Well, here he is. Little Owen Johnson was born Nov. 7. He is a sweet little boy. He was a teeny little guy only weighing 5 lbs 9 ounces. Blake plans on beefing him up so they can wrestle. We love having him at home and he brings a really pure spirit to our family. It is amazing to be parents. Kristin is very much sleep deprived but she is very happy.
Because he was born in Oregon we tell people he is our little "Organic Boy". We hope you enjoy all these pictures of him. If you ever want to see more of him we will post a video soon and put more pictures up. Love you all.
Blake and Kristin

2007-10-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

Here is Parker's new trick. It took us quite a while to teach this one but he does it really well now. It really gets funny when I get him to do it on the kitchen floor because he can't grip enough to roll. He looks like a fish flopping around he floor.