I am thankful

for a few things I have taken for granted lately. In honor of the upcoming holiday I want to just quickly write down the things that I am especially grateful for right now.

-Jed has been accepted to UVU's nursing school. I am thankful for a husband who wants to better himself. (even when I bug him about his Spanish Fark grammar) We (mostly me I admit) are SOOO hoping his Qwest job to allow him a flexible schedule so that he can stay employed. More debt, no health insurance, me finding another job, etc. makes me sweat just thinking about it.

-We live in our own house. As mentioned, there is a good possibility we won't be able to pay the mortgage anymore and it made me grateful to have a home of my own at least for now. I do Tae-Bo in my underwear, we are allowed to let Schroeder be where he wants, I pull my own weeds and mow my own lawn, you name it, really. I am grateful to be independant and able to take care of the needs of my home and little family.

-I am healthy. The treadmill we got six years ago died and we're not going to buy another motor. I am grateful that my knee and joint problems have been able to be fixed and I feel good enough to jog and take walks, even if it has to be with clothes on outside now:). On the same note I am grateful for modern medicine and competant doctors.

-Ary has both sets of grandparents close by. We have lots of support and love from both families and it will be fun for her to know her grandparents growing up. Jed's mom gave my mom the cutest book for her birthday.
It is so great that not only do Jed and I both like our in-laws, but the in-laws like each other too! What a great thing to feel like you fit in and are loved by your spouse's family.

There are of course many more things on my thankful list, but these are the ones that have been on my mind lately and want to especially enjoy right now. 'Tis the season, Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Break

Pretty low key this year, we went to the pumkin patch with cousins


then came home and drank the whole tub.

I need some good ideas to keep a 16 month old entertained indoors. I'm getting a little apprehensive about winter being right around the corner. Ary lalalalooooves to be outside. Last year she was still tiny and I was working full time, so neither one of us got cabin fever. This year is going to be different and I want to be prepared.
What are your cold weather toddler tips?

First hair cut

My sister Mckenzi the residential stylist helped me cut Ary's baby-mullet off:




It's funny how just a teeny trim off the back makes it look like she actually has a style of some sort!

Huh?

September brought some funny things around here. One morning while Ary and I were eating breakfast Schroeder started to come unglued at the sliding door. He discovered these in our backyard:
The neighbors two doors down have chickens. Yes we live in Spanish Fork, but our neighborhood is definitely not farmland. That wall in the background is the only thing separating us from Highway 6. Ary was fascinated but I thought the dog might give himself a heart attack.

Bradley has made an unlikely friend with Bandit:
He is lots bigger and hairier than any of the other dogs that have lived with us, but he is a lover and an excellent walking and four-wheeling partner. Ary gets along with him well too and is not afraid of him.

I wonder if the dogs have rubbed off on her a little too much though:
Sometimes a fork is too tricky and little fingers just don't cut it anymore.

Other random things:
-Ary does summersaults on the bed. She started out just poking her little bum up in the air like a stink bug, then we would give her a little nudge over the top to tease her, but she liked it so now she rolls over on her own. Mostly she doesn't get quite over the top but more sideways, but she definitely knows what she is doing.
-September 24th marked 16 months old. At this age I think she's still pretty top-heavy making it fun to tumble on the bed.
-I am really enjoying being with her more. I wouldn't say it's any easier than getting up and going to work every day, but I really do feel more fulfilled. When I first went back to work I somehow thought I had it harder than the stay at home moms I envied. Well, I stand corrected now. I get just and worn out at the end of the day now and lots of times there's not anything to show for it. I haven't learned how to pay full attention to my daughter and be somewhat domesticated at the same time. I don't want to just sit her in front of the tv while I try to go about cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc..
-I'm slowly working my way back onto the treadmill. I get frustrated when my knees hurt so soon after I start jogging but I try to remind myself that it's not even been three months since surgery. It's getting easier little by little though. I've even had my first experience with the "runner's runs". Oh man, if Jed didn't think I was disgusting before he sure does now! Maybe if I could not eat so much crap that would help? I'll have to work on that...

I have a case

of the blogging blah's.
I'm not the type that needs excitement all the time; but I get into this habit of thinking that if I'm going to post something it's got to be "blog worthy". I don't want to feel that way about the day-to-day things that make up life though. So there's my mental back and forth: do I post the everyday occurrences and chance boring myself and anyone who by chance still follows to death, or do I wait for some excitement? I'm kind of thinking at least for now that I want to remember the stages we are going through while our Ary is still young and I'm still a spaceball learning to be a mom. That means we get the standard "look-what-my-kid-did-today-isn't-she-cute?" stuff that I'll forget about tomorrow but might enjoy seeing in a few years.
So, for a little update:
-Ary is 15 months old and...
-just about has more hair than I did at 15 years old (which is obviously not saying much for me)
-is getting her first baby molars
-runs instead of walks
-has groovy dance moves, even for sacrament hymns
-loves to be outside, rain or shine
-likes to feed herself and is learning to use utensils
-starting to favor her right hand over her left (too bad she won't be a lefty like me!)
-mixes in more english with her own language and sings "ee-I-ee-I-oh" to Old MacDonald :)
-is best buddies with Schroeder still
-revamped the treat drawer from raspberry milano and bordeaux cookies to less mess, help yourself snacks
-likes to brush her teeth
-and thanks to her dad, pick her nose.

Too much fun

We've been having too much fun this month to sit at the computer and update a blog. I didn't even take pictures of any of July's festivities so I'll have to post again about the 4th, 24th, fiesta days, etc. when someone who actually documented these fun times can let me borrow their pics. It really is my favorite month so you'd think I'd want to record it more but noooope, too caught up in all the fun moments I guess!
I did however catch what to do when you are just so pooped from all of the fun times:

and the perfect way to eat a PB&J:


and yes, that is Ary's first face-first crash landing on the cement you see under all of the peanut butter. July has flown by and been great though.
-My knee scope went well; I'm still stiff and sore but chomping at the bit to exercise again. I haven't stopped eating the way I did when I could work out every day and am a little surprised at how fast I've gained weight. oops.
-Jed left for scout camp this morning to Flaming Gorge and is hoping the weather will cooperate with them. The last time he went out of town for the week I had no problem with it cause it was just me and Schroeder left at home; this time will be trickier being a single parent for the week. The young men love him though so I'm glad he went.
-Ary is a monkey. She climbs up the chairs herself and on to the kitchen table and goes up and down the stairs by herself. She still loves stroller rides but now she'll climb in head-first by herself when she's ready to take a spin.
I wish we could stretch out this time of year for a little bit longer. Everything about it makes me happy and I almost get a little bit sad when I see the first leaves changing colors:).

Late start on summer

I'm not sure if it's me or just how the weather has been the past few weeks but I feel like summer is just starting and June is over already. I'm much more excited for summer this year now that Ary is one year old instead of one month old like last year. I had a hard time with the postpartum stage and was maybe a little bit afraid of my own baby. (is that TMI to post for anyone and everyone to see?)

This summer I am looking forward to working less, trying to be a more attentive mother, trying to make it through the night without a midnight kitchen raid, another knee surgery, and the festivities of Fiesta Days.
Jed is going to take another class, be scout master, play softball, listen to me worry as usual, and possibly do a mommy-and-me swim class so I don't have to have a freak out when Ary gets dunked. I wonder most days how long he's going to put up with me...
Ary is looking forward to lots of stroller rides in the sunshine. She loves walking the neighborhood and already has beautiful tanned skin like her dad and his family. Also lots of tormenting Schroeder, playing in the pool, and eating dirt and rocks while I pull weeds.


I love that in the summertime it gets dark much later and stays warm into the night, it reminds me of BBQ's and nightgames with the neighborhood kids when we were younger. Other summertime favorites are fresh fruit and veggies, So You Think You Can Dance, Wipeout (SO funny!), shorts and bare feet, home made ice cream, and night time walks.

What are your summertime favorites?