Blessing Day Part 2

Great-Great-Aunt Jean, Great-Great-Uncle Jerre, Easton, KaLee, Ronnie
Aunt Jean, Uncle Jerre and The Star!

Jean, Jerre, Great-Grandma N (Jerre's sister), Great-Grandad N.
Easton with the "Greats"!
Grandma and Grandpa Wyo, Easton, Grandma and Grandad N.

More pics to come!

And now I go shopping

Sometimes, when you live in Wyoming, you fall on the ice and scuff your favorite (cheap) black flats like this.

So then you clean off the gucky (my own word, thank you) and it still looks like this.

So you get out your trusty Sharpie and attempt to fix the problem. (In the past, you may have had success with this kind of fix).

But not this time.
Looks like a new pair of shoes is in order.

Blessing Day Part 1

Easton had a wonderful blessing--Ronnie did a fantastic job. It was great to have Grandpa and Grandma Cali, Kari, Grandad and Grandma N, Uncle Jerre and Aunt Jean in town. I have a TON of pics, so today we are highlighting the star of the show and tomorrow I will post the group shots.

All tuckered out. He wore a darling white tux with tails on the jacket and everything.

Now he's awake! Sporting the blanket crocheted by Grandma Nickell.

We took off that pesky jacket!

There's a happy boy!

3 years

Do you ever have days that as you are climbing into bed you wonder, “Where exactly did this day go?” Yesterday was one of those days.

Since the University of Wyoming doesn’t believe in presidents, Ronnie had school and I had work. Stink.

Family was in town for Easton’s blessing (pictures coming soon to his site), and we didn’t get to spend the day with them. Double Stink.

It was our third anniversary and due to the above mentioned events, we didn’t really do anything to celebrate (unless you count catching up on Prison Break a celebration).

So although this is a day late, I thought I would do a little reminiscing.

Where did you meet your husband/what was the first thing he said to you?
Ronnie was one of the first boys I met in my sophomore year of college (Fall of 2002). He was in the ward and he and his roommate were making the rounds of all of the girls’ apartments. They had both been off of their missions for about 3 weeks. We (meaning my roommates and I) seduced them with a tantalizing conversation about temples. Shortly after that visit I started dating his roommate—it only lasted 3 weeks, but Ronnie and my friendship lasted a little longer. :)

Where was your first date?
Ronnie and I truly were best friends. The cry-on-their-shoulder-when-other-boys-are-being-dumb kind of friends. He was always my emergency date (you know, when you are invited to double with someone and need a date QUICK!), and I was always his. We have to fast forward to September 10, 2004 in order to arrive at our first official date. Apparently, Ronnie had been in love with me for quite some time—but didn’t know how to tell me he wanted to transition to dating. He wrote me a poem and talked to my roommate for thoughts on what he should do. He made her promise not to tell me….so of course she called me first thing the next morning to let me know what was going to happen that night (previously, I thought we were hanging out like we always did). We decided to try the dating thing that night.

Did you have a long or short engagement/courtship?
For us, the decision to date was essentially the decision to get married. We knew each other well enough that dating included no “get to know you” activities. I think the first time we talked seriously about getting married was the beginning of October—which means we courted for less than a month. We didn’t get engaged until December 1st, so our engagement was 10 weeks long.

Where did you get engaged?
Ronnie had told me that we were doubling with our friend Steve. At this point I knew he would propose anytime so my guard was really up. Of course I suspected that it would happen that night—but then he kept on doing things that would sway me the other direction. He didn’t change his clothes for the date (we worked together, so I knew what he was wearing—and it wasn’t anything fancy), and on the way to Steve’s house (we were supposedly picking he and his date up) we talked about farts. That had me convinced that tonight was not the night. As I opened the door to Steve’s apartment, I was greeted with “our song,” candlelight, lots and lots of roses and an Olive Garden dinner. Ronnie led me inside and sat me down on the couch. He then pulled the ring out of the couch cushion*, said some nice things (which I’m sure are in my journal, but I can’t remember now) and asked me to marry him. It was perfect.

Where did you get married?
We were married in the Salt Lake Temple on February 18, 2005. The weather was freezing (although it did stop raining RIGHT before we got outside), but it was still wonderful. I still regret not taking off the cloak I had to ward off the cold for at least one picture! If I could get into my wedding dress I would totally go back and take some.

*I only include this detail because it is Ronnie's very, VERY favorite. If I ever tell the story and leave it out he quickly corrects me. I don't think I'll ever understand the love affair he has with that detail, but I love him anyway!

Oh, to be 5 again: Week 4

There are two kindergarten classrooms in Erc’s school. They break into reading groups with the two classes based on skill. The other teacher has a little boy (we’ll call him Fred) who has been a little obsessed with religion lately and brings up Jesus, etc. quite frequently. Another boy in the same reading group is from Erc’s classroom and is LDS (we’ll call him George).

During reading group time, Fred came running up to the other teacher.

Fred: Teacher, George says that Jesus is his brother and I know that isn’t true.
George: Jesus IS my brother.
Fred: No he is NOT!
Teacher: Boys, Jesus and religion are things that you need to talk to your parents about at home; we don’t talk about them at school.
George: But Jesus REALLY is my brother!

The class moved on and the subject was dropped.

Little George is in my primary and for the last two weeks we have been talking about the pre-earth life, the Plan of Salvation and how Jesus is our brother.

Obviously, our lessons are taking hold.

LDS Notes: Primary is the class that children go to during part of church. If you have other questions, you can find answers here or contact me.

Purse Contents Tag

My lovely Aunt Nat tagged me recently—so here we go!

Contents of my Wal-Mart Special Purse (recently, I’ve really changed what I want in a purse. I used to be all about the cute, now I’m all business. This purse happens to fit all but one of my criteria and it was on sale for $11.) What are my criteria? I thought you would never ask.

It must have at least two separate compartments. It must be a neutral color so I can take it every day. It must be large enough to hold my planner (heaven-forbid I leave home without that!), but small enough to be carried comfortably. I prefer just one strap (this one has two—and it’s livable, but not my ideal). The strap must be long enough for the purse to sit comfortably over my shoulder, but not long enough that it can go across my body diagonally. Oh, and I do try to find cute.

Got all of that? I’m a little extreme, I know—but you gotta love me anyway.

Now for the contents.

1. Red Wallet (holds checks, cash, credit and debit cards, bandaids, coupons, pictures, gift cards, etc.).
2. Five dollar sunglasses—if I spend any more than that I always regret it a week later when they break.
3. Keys—too many.
4. Planner—necessary for my breathing.
5. Little bag of Tylenol. I really need to change this out for the good stuff (ibuprofen), but during pregnancy this was my only option.
6. Inhaler—do I use one? No. But Ronnie does and I love him so I want him to live when he has an attack.
7. Chapstick.
8. Diaper and ziplock bag of wipes. I’m a mom now, and this is what moms carry. (Plus for quick trips I don’t have to take the diaper bag).
9. Pen and Sharpie—you never know when you are going to need a good permanent marker.
10. Small mirror and concealer.
11. Hand sanitizer—for when I actually have to use that diaper.
12. Hairtie
13. Floss—I really am trying to be better.
14. Large bag of Epic gum. (I use so much of this stuff I have to buy it in bulk).
15. Razr cell phone. It’s cute. It’s pink.

You may be shocked to know that literally the only thing in my purse that did not make it into the picture was a paperclip. No trash or anything.

I’m as shocked as you are.

This was fun—now I tag Bethany, Cheryl, Jen, and anyone else who wants to give it a go!

That thing in the middle of your face

And surprisingly, I’m not talking about a zit.

I’m talking about your nose.

We all know that smells are connected heavily to memories—so here are some smells that take my brain to a person, place or time.

New carpet smell reminds me of Ronnie (considering he always smelled that way after working in a carpet shop all day).



Eternity (perfume) reminds me of my Aunt Nat during her high school years (Nat—do you still wear that?)

Simple Green takes me straight to Baskin Robbins during high school (is it strange that the smell of ice cream doesn’t do that?)

I smell saw dust and am transported back to Rocky Mountain Forest Products—making wood moldings.

Calvin Klein One (perfume) and I am once again walking the halls of my junior high (did anyone NOT have a million friends who all wore that in junior high?

What smell-induced memories do you have?

Two Months

Yesterday Easton turned two months old--can you believe it? I sure can't.
We went to the doctor today and he is a heathy 11 lbs. 2 oz, and 23 inches long. He is smiling and cooing all of the time--and just getting to be a whole lot of fun.

He's currently losing all of his hair (his sheets are covered in little hairs every day--which forces mom to do more laundry). It's a good thing that what he does have is dark, since it makes him appear not quite so bald.

His eyes are different everytime I look at them. Some days I think that they will definitely be blueish and then the next I am sure they will be more brown/hazel. I guess we will just have to be patient and wait it out.

He also got four shots at the doctors today. Saddest. Thing. Ever. Easton really doesn't cry, ever--and it was heartbreaking to hear his little howl. In keeping with his good disposition, he cried for about one minute, settled right down and promptly went to sleep. He has even been his happy self this evening (I was preparing for the worst). We'll see how the night goes.

Here are his official two month pictures.


You want to just eat him up--don't you?

Wheeeee! or is that Wii?

The birth of Easton threw a little loop in my holiday planning.

I normally have my presents to Ronnie decided in November, I purchase them and I am relaxed.

This year, it just didn’t happen. We live in a city with only a Wal-Mart, I was 9 months pregnant and…well…that is all of the excuses I have.

Around December 20th, I finally admitted to Ronnie that I didn’t have a single thing for him yet. He looked at me with glee on his face and said “Really? I don’t have anything for you either.” We then decided that we would make things easy and get a “together” gift.

We determined that gift should be the Nintendo Wii.

One problem. Everywhere was sold out.

No big deal, we would just wait until after Christmas to actually purchase it. (We assumed at the time that we would be able to acquire one by mid January.)

Not so.

We were calling three different stores at least twice a day in the hopes that they had just gotten some in and we could run and buy it.

I was getting impatient, so I looked for alternative solutions.

We ended up ordering a bundle off of GameStop.com (now our Christmas present became a Christmas/Valentine’s Day/Anniversary present).

It came this week.

We have been Wii-ing it up every night, and we love it! (Note to parents: the Wii playing only begins after Ronnie has completed his homework—don’t you worry).

I’m sure you can look forward to some actions shots soon.

And just for the record—I’m the queen of bowling. The Wii does not lie.

Oh, and also I kicked Ronnie’s trash at boxing.
The End.

Oh, to be 5 again: Week 3

I’m sure you all remember how excited you were for Show & Tell in kindergarten. Erc creates a theme each week and the kids are supposed to bring something that fits into that theme. The item also has to fit in a regular brown lunch sack. (She has found that this minimizes the bringing of their favorite toys).

The week before Christmas break her class had the theme of “winter.” The kids went around the circle sharing what they had brought. Soon they came to Sam*. Sam had something very large stuffed under his sweatshirt. He proceeded to pull out his Columbia brand coat.

Erc: Sam, did you forget to bring something?
Sam: No, this is my favorite winter item. It keeps me very warm.
Erc: Sam, it doesn’t fit into your sack, so I don’t think you can share today.
Sam: Well, it’s really special because my mom and I made it.
Erc: Really!?! It has a tag on the inside, and usually tags are only on items that we buy.
Sam: Well, my mom and I bought the fabric and cut it out and sewed it—then we put the tag on ourselves.
Erc: It's a good thing your mom is coming in this afternoon to help with centers, so I can ask her how she made it!

It was at this point that Sam realized he was caught. (Erc says the look on his face was priceless). He quickly tried to backpedal.

Sam: Actually, I just remembered that we did buy this coat. I got it mixed up with another one. You don’t have to ask her about it.
Erc: (moving on with a smile on her face) Sally*, what did you bring today?

*Not the child’s real name.

A Fan!

We took Easton to the Wyoming vs. BYU Basketball game last Saturday. He slept through the entire thing.

The happy little family after the game. You may be wondering why we chose to wear Wyoming colors. We still love our Cougs (a little more--but don't tell), but Laramie is not the place to proudly wear your BYU gear. In fact, we packed ours up in long-term storage in the garage. It really is insane how much the Cowboy fans hate BYU. Note: there are nice Cowboy fans, but we are trying to avoid the few psycho ones.

And here is cutie little Easton in his Wyoming gear (given to him by Aunt Erica and Aunt Sarah). You can't see them very well, but he also has precious baby Uggs on that are to die for. Sorry the picture is a little washed out. Mommy doesn't have mad camera skills.

The Magic Word

I went to the dentist a few weeks ago.

It was the first time that I have been in over a year, so I wasn’t expecting good news.

I got exactly what I expected. Two cavities.

Bummer, I know—but surprisingly cavities were not what I was dreading the most.

There are five words that send my heart racing at the dentist.

“How often do you floss?”

I consider myself a hygienic person (p.s. for those of you who have read the deodorant post, I think I have found something that is working—it’s still in my testing stage, so I’ll report on it soon). I brush my teeth twice a day—thoroughly and as an added boost I chew Epic Dental gum (with marvelous xylitol—if you don’t know anything about that product you really should read up on it—or call me, I worked there for a year).

But alas, I’m not a very good floss-er. My teeth are extremely close together and due to the xylitol (really, go read about it) plaque buildup is a thing of the past.

I’ve never been to a dentist that doesn’t drill you about flossing and so I spend the entire cleaning trying to decide how to answer the question. Should I be honest and say “rarely”? Or should I say “often” and then pledge to make that come true?

I’ve finally found the magic answer. The one word that fits the honesty bill, but didn’t get me the evil eye. I’m sharing it with all of you (on the off chance that a few of you are not *perfect* floss-ers either).

The magic word is…..

“Occasionally.”

Worked like a charm.

*I really am trying to be better about the whole flossing thing—it’s even one of my internal resolutions.

Smiles and sleeping (what a life!)

I know that many of you are about ready to strangle me, seeing as there have not been any new pictures for over a week. Who knew that getting those little buggers off of the camera would be such a hard job?

During one of Easton's "smile fests" this was the best picture I got!
This is how he smiles when Daddy is playing with him!
Another big grin--always for Daddy.And this is the face I get when I attempt to make him smile--obviously I need to work on my technique.
We thought we better document how he sleeps. At night time we bundle him up like a baby burrito, but during his day naps, he gets to lay as he wishes. Most of the time his hands are in this exact position. He sure doesn't look very relaxed, but I assure you, he is DEAD asleep.
A close up of the sleeping precious-ness!

This was my failed attempt at catching another Easton habit on film. When he is waking up he ALWAYS opens just one eye first. He opens that one eye really wide and assesses the situation. Then he decides his next move. I guess he figures opening both at once is just a waste of energy.

And finally. Easton enjoyed a little nap-o-roo on his dad's shoulder and when he was put down--his face looked like this. That darn hood on this outfit got a little in the way...

A Football Conversation

With the Super bowl happening this weekend, I thought I would share a little ditty courtesy of my 11 year old brother. This conversation took place during the playoffs, when the Packers were still in it.

Dad: I hope the Packers win this Sunday!
Jord-man: Why?
Dad: I like Brett Favre.
Jord-man: Oh, is it because he is old—like you?

It’s a good thing (for Jord-man’s sake) that my dad has a great sense of humor.

Oh, to be 5 again: Week 2

Scene: On the playground, a boy in my sister’s class hits another boy.

Boy2: Mrs. S, Boy1 hit me!
Erc: Boy1, we do not hit. Why did you hit Boy2?
Boy1: Because I like carrots.

And that was the only explanation he ever gave.

It's the little things

I sat down at my desk, started sorting through the many papers spilling out of my purse and had a sudden realization.

It wasn’t there.

The W-2 I had JUST gotten in the mail and stuffed into my purse wasn’t there.

I had walked 100 yards from the car to my office in 20 mile an hour winds and the form didn’t make it.

With a gigantic sigh, I grabbed my coat and keys and trudged back out into the 17 degree weather (feels like zero with that wind), praying that I had either left it on the seat of my car (which I was POSITIVE I didn’t do) or that by some miracle it had stayed in the parking lot (very slim chance—remember that wind?)

I scanned the ground, even pausing to look in the trash cans on the off chance that someone had picked it up and tossed it.

After getting to the car and checking the entire inside thoroughly, I dejectedly started to make my way back inside.

Suddenly something caught my eye.

There it was! My precious W-2 hanging out on the top of a snow drift.

And then I remembered.

Little prayers are answered too.

A Beloved Man, A Beloved Prophet

While I know that almost every blog I read has already posted something about the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley, I wanted to share my favorite memory.

I was a sophomore at BYU. It was the spring of 2003 and I was studying in the grass outside of the Talmage building awaiting the start of my Statistics class. Suddenly, three black SUVs pulled up on the sidewalk next to me and several dark suits got out. I glanced up and didn't really think anything of it.

Then, out of the corner of my eye--I saw him. President Hinckley. I happened to catch his eye and smile. He smiled back, waved and said "hello." All of the sudden, he was a real person, and that person was saying hello to me (strangely, on a campus of 30K, I was the only person in sight). I quickly said "hello" back and then watched as he proceeded through a normally-locked door of the Talmage building.

Most people that hear my story wonder why I did not rush over to shake his hand, but I didn't feel it appropriate at the time. We acknowledged each other and that was all that needed to be done.

My testimony of the power of the prophet was never stronger. I knew that Gordon B. Hinckley was a man, just as I am a woman, but his *calling* was to be the prophet and that truly came from Heavenly Father.

He will be missed.

A dependency

So.

I think we have established that I *tend* to like things a certain way.

Okay, okay. I am a psycho about it.

I was reminded of this as I returned to work.

You see, while working in Provo, I was given a computer screen calendar. What is that, you ask? Here’s a picture so you can get an idea.

It is pretty amazing how often you need to reference the date. Whether it is today’s date, the day of an upcoming meeting, or a holiday. All I had to do was direct my eyes upward and January through December were proudly displayed.

But I returned to work in 2008 and my calendar was of 2007.

The first morning back, I attempted to locate an upcoming date no less than 8 times and it was only 9:30am. I frantically emailed my previous co-worker and good friend to see if there were any extra 2008 calendars lying around her office than she could mail to me (the calendars were sent out as promotional items from an affiliate of the company). She informed me that there were not any extras, and then, being the good friend that she is, she gave me links to printable calendars that would do the same job.

Because I have realized that this calendar is of the utmost importance in my life I want to share it with you.

You can find a letter sized printable calendar here or a legal sized one here. (If you have access to legal paper, I would recommend that one—it’s just a little easier to read).

Now please, hold the applause.

Oh, to be 5 again

As I have stated before, my sister is a Kindergarten teacher. If you are like Ronnie, you may pronounce that kind-EE-garten.

As you may imagine, she has some pretty good stories. So every Wednesday (unless she doesn’t have any blog worthy ones) I will post a little gem from her classroom.

This week’s gem happened before Christmas.

Student: Mrs. S, I have to go to the store to get your Christmas present.

Erc (Mrs. S): Oh, you don’t have to get me anything.

Student: I’m going to buy you a new car.

Erc: Those are pretty expensive, are you sure you can afford it?

Student: Yep. I just lost my first tooth and the tooth fairy left me a LOT of money.

Erc (under breath as she just smiles at the student): I’ll lose a tooth if it means a new car.

You may be surprised to learn that her gift fit into the backpack of the student and did not have to be parked outside.

Edited to add: Guess who just realized it is Thursday? So lets pretend that I am not a *complete* idiot and just change this little weekly to Thursdays instead.

Cleaning

My house has not been up to my standards of clean since the arrival of Easton, and as such my mind has been directed toward cleaning. (This does not, however, mean that it has been cleaned yet).

I'm kind of stealing this idea from my wonderful friend Jen who has posted similar ideas here and here, but I have one specific product that I would like to recommend--and it's not cheap.

De-Solv-It

Say it with me now: De-Solv-It.

Go buy some. RIGHT NOW!

This stuff can do wonders. It has removed gum from my hair (I know that you aren't supposed to get gum in your hair after the age of 6, but sometimes I struggle), stickers from windows, oil stains from laundry and the list goes on and on.

Not only is it magical, but it smells delicious--like you could drink it (although I'm pretty sure you shouldn't). Orangey goodness will radiate from your house. Yum.

Photo Shoot

Easton had a quick little photo shoot with Grandpa Cali the morning that we flew back to Utah. Below are a few of the shots.
Easton with his Christmas "loot"

Looking snazzy.

On a side note: I'm officially back at work and doing ok. Easton has done well so far, so hopefully we can keep that up. He is such a good baby!

I'm a little afraid to type this, for fear that it will curse me somehow, but I believe we have a doable night time routine. He sleeps for 5 hours straight, then I feed him and he sleeps for another 3. I can do that!

Numbers

39: days I have been a mom

2: days I have showered before noon

3: days my hair has actually been blown dry

7: blog posts since that time (Pathetic, I know)

113: times I have wanted to post, but just couldn't make it happen

327: diapers changed

46: family and friends introduced to Easton

32: pounds shed (I'll admit that birthing a little someone definitely helped this number!)

4: days left 'til I return to work (boohoo!)

1: item on my to-do list that actually gets checked off every day

23: items remaining on said to-do list that I want to have done before I go back to work

0: Nintendo Wii purchased (not for lack of trying--I call three stores 2-3 times a day trying to time it when they have one in stock)

One month already?

Easton meeting his Grammy. She definitely is a pro with babies. She knew just how to put Easton to sleep.
Easton and his daddy taking an afternoon snooze in Cali.
The beginning of a smile. I take what I can get.
The official one month picture! I can't believe it. It has really flown by!
Easton and mom trying out the Baby Bjorn. He loved it and really worked to hold his head up high.

California

Easton has had lots of fun meeting lots of people. If we can put him down when we get home it will be a miracle.

Easton with Aunt Toni. He is sporting his family picture outfit. It is seriously to die for.

The little one with Grandpa, Kara and Brooke.
Brooke cuddling the baby. She told me yesterday that "His head is very heavy for his little body."
Kara and Easton. He is obviously trying to figure out what this is all about (at least that is what his expression says).

Easton and Aunt Sandy.

Smelly?

We are currently in sunny California, so please excuse my lack of posts recently.

Now, on to what I really want to discuss.

Deodorant.

I know it is a little personal, but we're close friends--really close friends, remember?

In high school I was always a little sweaty. In college I thought I had solved the problem, but then time went on and my sweaty problems returned.

I expressed my annoyance to Ronnie and he proceeded to tell me that he has always had good luck with deodorant. Just deodorant. None of that anti-perspirant stuff.

So, I went to Wally World and purchased a stick of just deodorant.

It worked wonders! No more sweaty problems, no more yellowing shirts. It seemed to be a miracle.

When I find a product I like, I stock up on it. So I purchased 3 more sticks and life was good.

Until this week.

I'm on the last of the three sticks. It's been three years, so they have been good to me. I put deodorant on my shopping list and went on my weekly shopping trip.

Wally World doesn't carry just deodorant for women. Believe me, I have read EVERY SINGLE STICK on the shelf.

If I care to smell like a man, I am set. Apparently, women need anti-perspirant protection, but men can deal with just deodorant.

I have now checked three other stores with the same result.

I'm stretching this last stick to the max--with the hope that I can find my precious deodorant so that I don't have to have sweaty problems again.

If anyone knows where I can find this essential item please let me know. Otherwise, you may not want to be around me for a while.