Quirks

So most of you know, my little guy has some funny quirks. One of them being that he doesn't like, no let me correct that, he HATES when I quote or sing along to a show he is watching. He starts screaming, "NO!!!" at the top of his lungs. But for some reason he only does this with me. If Nick starts to quote or sing along, Toby cracks up laughing. Why this is, I have no idea. But just because I want to prove to him when he gets older (and give you guys some entertainment) of how hard of a time he gave me as a temperamental toddler, I decided to film such an occasion. Let me set this up by telling you about one of Toby's most favorite shows right now: "Kipper the Dog."

It's a British Cartoon about a dog named Kipper and his adventures with his friends, Tiger and Pig. Why this show has caught Toby's attention is beyond me because I thought it would be a little slow for my busy body two-year old. But for some strange reason he is absolutely infatuated with it. And there is one particular line in an episode that Nick and I quote often and it goes like this:

Kipper: "You can do a roly poly. Yooouuu're soooo clever!"

So the video below is us quoting this very line, and Toby's reaction to us quoting it. I don't know if it's my terrible attempt at a British accent or what but Toby goes ballistic anytime I quote it.
Enjoy!

Family Pictures: Check!

We finally did it! We finally got our family pictures taken. I have been putting this off for a LONG time. I finally just forced myself to set a date and time and now we have some beautiful pictures to put on our empty wall downstairs.

We got them taken through my friend's sister. She is just starting out with taking pictures and isn't interested in doing photography professionally, just as a hobby. But I think she did a wonderful job!

Toby would never look at the camera when we were trying to a family shot. What a stinker.

I absolutely LOVE this one. I just love my boys.

So Nick looks HOT. I have a scrunch face.

I was really hoping to get a good one of just me and the Tobester. One of my favorites. :)

Now he's looking at the camera! :)
You can't deny the cuteness!

"Pretty bird. Yes, can you say pretty bird?"

Nick has had his mind set on buying chickens for a few months now. And even though I put the kibosh on that idea a while ago, I tell you I have a husband who's middle name should be "persistence." There is seriously no deterring him once he gets an idea in his head. So when he brought up "the chicken discussion" again I decided we needed to come to some sort of compromise.

The pair of parakeets were the compromise. Nick's boss raises all kinds of birds as a hobby and so he sold us the two birds, the cage, and food, all for $20. What a steal. Oh and I failed to mention all the different birds his boss has: Doves, finches, button quails, chickens, turkeys, cockatiels...are you beginning to understand why Nick has a sudden bird fascination? I just imagine his boss brainwashing Nick all day long with how wonderful birds are for a hobby but secretly just wants to pawn them off on Nick just to be rid of his feathered friends forever. I know, I'm weird.

ANYWAY...the blue one is the male and the yellow one is the female. They are pretty quiet for the most part and entertaining to watch. The blue one is a bit of a spaz and will randomly jump from bar to bar when he gets really excited. The yellow one is very chill. She puffs up her feathers a lot and bobs her head when I play music - which makes me laugh.

We are still at a loss for names, so please help us decide or they will be called "the yellow one" and "the blue one" forever. I like "Mable and Harold" (they just look like a happy, old couple to me) and Nick likes "Edward and Bella" (which surprised me). The other options are "Ringo and Starr" or "Rhythm and Blues." Feel free to put in your two cents if you have some fun names!

Deep Thoughts

I just really needed a laugh this evening so I looked up some "Deep Thoughts" by Jack Handey. It you haven't ever heard of this guy, he might be an acquired taste for you. Or you may not like his humor at all because it is a bit sardonic, sometimes morbid. But to me its always hilarious because of its absurdity. Here are a few of my favorite one-liners:

-If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason

-For mad scientists who keep brains in jars, here's a tip: why not add a slice of lemon to each jar, for freshness?

-If you ever crawl inside an old hollow log and go to sleep, and while you're in there some guys come and seal up both ends and then put it on a truck and take it to another city, boy, I don't know what to tell you.

- Children need encouragement. If a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way he develops a good, lucky feeling.

-To me, it's always a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, "Hey, can you give me a hand?," you can say, "Sorry, got these sacks."

- It's funny that pirates were always going around searching for treasure, and they never realized that the real treasure was the fond memories they were creating.

-When I was a kid my favorite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school, we'd all go play in his cave, and every once in a while he would eat one of us. It wasn't until later that I found out that Uncle Caveman was a bear.

-Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis.

-If you're in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at the enemy, throw one of those small pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think how stupid war is, and while they are thinking, you can throw a real grenade at them.

- I hope if dogs ever take over the world, and they chose a king, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas.

-To me, clowns aren't funny. In fact, they're kind of scary. I've wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad.

-Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

-If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp, because maybe you'll look like a dummy and people will try to catch you because, hey, free dummy.

-If you're a cowboy and you're dragging a guy behind your horse, I bet it would really make you mad if you looked back and the guy was reading a magazine.

-If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is "Probably because of something you did."

Kaya-Papaya

I felt like I needed to do a little update on our little corgi. We have had her for about 4 months now and are still absolutely thrilled she is apart of our family. She is now house broken and has been since around the end of March. Overall she is a lot of fun, but there were some days and weeks when she was losing her baby teeth that I thought I was seriously going insane. She would tear up Toby's baby toys, my favorite flip-flops, Toby's binky's (*cough* yes, he still has them for bedtime!), and gnaw on our molding or dining room chairs when my back was turned. But thankfully, she is no longer teething and only occasionally dines on a pair of shoes that are left out. My theory is that anything left on the floor is fair game, so we are very vigilant about putting most everything out of reach. I compiled a list of her funny quirks:

• She likes to be by feet. Whether you are at the computer or laying on the couch she will nestle next to your feet.
  
• She's a bit OCD about burying bones. As soon as I hand her a bone, she goes searching through the house for the perfect place to bury it. To date I have found her bones in: a pile of clean laundry, between couch cushions, Nick's armpit (no joke), and some ridiculously obvious places like in the corners of the room or our sandbox. It cracks me up.
• I am shocked at how much puppies are like toddlers. If I am not paying enough attention to her, she will go into a room, snatch a big "no-no" item, and then dangle in front of me until I run after her. Some days its cute. Other days, extremely annoying.
• Her nick-name is now Kaya-Papaya.

• She isn't a yappy barking dog, she is EXCELLENT with kids, and she has a very sweet temperament.
  
• She is extremely patient with Toby. She will just lay on the floor and take all his rough play.
• She loves to herd small children. It's pretty funny actually.
• Her way of telling us she needs to go outside is by bumping the blinds on the back door with her nose to get our attention. So cute.
  
• I know corgi's already look disproportionate (its the most common thing I hear from strangers), but Kaya seems even more imbalanced than most corgi's. Her body is getting bigger but her head is staying the same size. It makes me laugh.
• She is my buddy when Toby is asleep and Nick isn't around. I am so glad we got her!

One more random thing: I drew this picture of a corgi like 4 years ago (don't laugh, my art skills are VERY rusty) and a friend of mine pointed it out that it looks a lot like Kaya: small head and same markings. Isn't that kind of weird I drew a picture of my future dog, unknowingly? And I didn't even get to pick her out - Nick did. Kinda cool and creepy at the same time I guess. :)

Just cute

Have you heard of Justin Bieber - the new tween/teen sensation? Well Nick was watching Justin Bieber's music video of "Baby" on YouTube the other day (which I am still a little weirded out by) and Toby was instantly entranced by the catchy tune. So now I catch him singing it to himself and it is so adorable.

And if you haven't heard of the song, I added it to my playlist for your convenience. :)

The first video is Toby singing the chorus, and the second video he is mixin' it up with the alphabet. Enjoy!

Cinco

This is a little late in coming. Our actual anniversary date is June 3rd.


Yes, it has been 5 years now since Nick and I were sealed inside the Mt. Timpanogos Temple for time and all eternity. A lot has happened since that overcast morning of wedded bliss.

I have:

Lived in Anchorage, Alaska June 2005 - October 2006
Skied for my first time in Alaska
Tried Salmon, Halibut, and Sushi for my first time and LOVED it
Learned what it felt like to live outside of sheltered Utah
Gone fishing, seen otters, sea lions, moose, foxes, and yes, a bear UP CLOSE
Had humpback whales so close to our boat we could reach out and touch them
Flown in a float plane (4 seater)
Realized I like living in a state with 4 seasons (but I still treasure my Alaskan adventure)




Moved to Orem, Utah
Realized I like being a brunette
Attended UVU from 2006-2007 for Journalism Degree and
Worked full-time for Authorize.Net as App. Processor
Got prego




Moved to Eagle Mountain, Utah to live with parents for 4 months to save money

Moved to Provo, Utah and shared rental home with sister Vanessa and her husband
Welcomed our Tobester into the world on March 8th, 2008
Quit job and put off schooling to be a mom (which I still say is THE hardest but most rewarding job ever)
Moved back to Eagle Mountain, Utah on June 5th 2009 and was SO grateful to have a home of my own
Realized sleep is a luxury that I will never take for granted again
Realized the real meaning of true love and being self-less
Realized what life is really about - family. And enjoying and relishing all the little moments with them. Even the hard ones.

Realized I married one hot, quirky, amazingly hard-working Alaskan man who still gives me the butterflies when he walks through the door at the end of the day.


Love you, Nick. Look forward to the many years ahead. :)