Max, Sarah & Lincoln

New to Me!

2012-01-04T10:15:00.001-08:00

To all my Target Fan friends out there: did you know about the Target Debit card? I guess it's been out for a little while, but I just found out about it and wanted to share!

I have seen the 5% signs up and a few visits ago I heard someone talking about loving their Target debit card. So last week while I was there I decided to ask about it. I was told that basically instead of using my debit card, I could use the target debit card instead. The benefits? I would be scoring 5% off every purchase plus, if I shop online I get the same discount & FREE shipping with ANY purchase (no minimum and no exclusions)! All I needed was a blank check-which I had-and a few minutes of my time-which I also had. One of the managers even came up and played with Lincoln while I filled out some of the info.

I know 5% isn't huge, but it will be worth it over time! I was like having a few extra high dollar coupons:)

I love saving money and had to pass it along! So if your a Target shopper, use your debit card and have a blank check, it will be worth your time on your next visit!

September Trip to PA

2011-12-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

The weekend after Lincoln's Birthday, we took off to PA to see some of my siblings who had flown in for a visit. It was so much fun! It was great to see the 3 youngest cousins together, (which, of course, took up most of our pictures:) I loved seeing everyone and it got us all excited for the day when maybe, just maybe, we all wont be as scattered as we are now!

Both looking at Great Nanny

Both putting cheerios in their mouth

Both reaching in front of the other for Cheerios, haha!

We got Lincoln a front facing car seat (YAY!!) and his cousin gave him some Cheerios for the full effect! (Thank you Samantha Platt for the Nautalis recommendation, we love it!)

I love this one!

Ok, this is hilarious! Josh bought all the nephews matching pj's and his only request was to get a picture with all of them together. We love Josh. No matter what, he kept a smile the WHOLE time! Almost as much as sweet little Matthew:)

Love their faces!

Thanks Uncle Josh!

Lincoln wearing his cute new outfit from Aunt Sarah Paige

Lincoln's First Birthday

2011-12-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

I haven't been the biggest blogger because for me, it always seems to take for.ev.er. Besides not being able to get the spacing right, the pictures are the MOST frustrating part about it. I get them all ready and organized and then when I go to upload they get unorganized and I spend so much time rearranging them one. by. one. So needless to say, I have been avoiding it. Today I thought I would give it another go and I am pretty happy I did! While I was organizing some pictures in Picasa I noticed a blog button at the bottom. Now, I have seen this button before and even attempted to use it, but for whatever reason it wasn't helpful to me-until today! I can now upload all of my pictures and it sends it straight to my blog. I kept getting an odd 'error' message when I tried to type, so I just saved it as a draft, hopped on the web browser and here I am typing away. The best part is that all of my pictures are lined up neatly below, what a time-saver! Needless to say, I will be blogging a little more frequently now! I also found a blog app that I can post right from my handy dandy iPhone. For those of you who have had some of the same frustrations, I hope this helps. For those of you who already knew this, why didn't you tell me?! JK:)On to the post...Lincoln's First Birthday on September 19th. I really debated throwing him a huge first birthday party (so so tempting!) or keeping it simple (tempting too). In the end, simplicity won and it was great! We went to Deep Run to celebrate with some of Max's family the day before his actual birthday and then the day of, it was us three.

Grandma Linda and Ronnie had their place decorated really cute and Grandma and Papa came over to celebrate with us.

Lincoln with his Great Grandma

Showing Papa his favorite "toy" at Grandma Linda's

Singing to Lincoln and presenting him with his 1st Birthday CupcakeA second before this, Max blew out the candle. Lincoln noticed the flame was gone and grabbed at it before Max could pull it away. This is his face as he realizes that candle wax is hot. A second after this is the crying:(

Thankfully Grandma Linda had a bag of flour and we put Lincoln's hand straight it in. Cooled it down immediately and the wax peeled off easily, with no lasting marks! (Great tip and lesson learned for us!)

Getting ready for the big bite...

The BIG bite!

Licking his fingers...

Licking daddy's fingers...

Such a sweetheart!

Looking proud of himself on his new fire truck

The Birthday Boy

We are so happy to live close to our families so we can get together for special occasions such as this! Lincoln we are the luckiest family in the world to have you. You are an amazing boy and you couldn't be more loved!

August PA trip

2011-09-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

In August we made a quick trip up to PA. My cousin Maria and her daughter Reese flew in from WA and we were trying to figure out a way to see each other, but it seemed like we would have to wait till Christmas. I knew mom, dad and nanny were itching to see Lincoln (and we them!) so I decided to just drive up for a day or two. After a few hurdles here (car issues, expired license, etc) we were finally able to hit the road. We had a great time, were able to see Aunt Debbie, Maria and Reese and have some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Peters and Great Nanny Stoops! Here are some highlights:

Lincoln sharing his snacks with Great Nanny

Lincoln loves getting into the fridge and pulling things out

Smiling at Grandpa

So bummed this one turned out blurry, but had to post anyway!
Such a little ham!
I love this one because he had been looking straight ahead at Grandma taking his pictures and he knew I was taking pictures on the side, so for his one he was posing for grandma and then looked to the side at me:)

Lincoln and his adorable cousin Reese (notice Lincoln's feet propped up?!)

Lincoln and Reese with Great Nanny Stoops

Grandpa Peters feeding Lincoln his famous pancakes (for those of you who don't know, my dad makes THE best pancakes in the world!)

Grandpa taking Lincoln for a spin on the John Deer

Porch Swing time with Great Nanny

Love this one too! Lincoln fell asleep in mom's arms. He hasn't done this since he was a baby baby and was SO sweet!

We will be back in just a few weeks for a much longer stay and I can't wait!! Fun with my brothers and sisters, girls day with Sarah Paige, yummy Antietam Dairy Ice Cream and maybe a bon fire or two!

Our Growing Boy

2011-05-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been the greatest at updating our blog, but really, what can I say? I am enjoying every moment I have with Lincoln! And when Max gets home from work it's family time. So blogging is typically the last thing on my mind. However, I felt inspired today to update everyone on our lives!

We are really enjoying North Carolina. We finally have 2 cars again (yay!!) and it's so nice to have the freedom to come and go during the day. The earth has wakened showing it's glory with budding green grass, blossomed trees and sprinkles of flowers everywhere. I love it! We haven't been back to the beach since....Auntie Lani was here and we were 'stranded' on Shecklford Island with the wild horses that finally decided to grace us with their presence, but there will be plenty of beach trips this summer! Anyway, it is a pretty area and we are making the most of our stay here.

Lincoln and I have abandoned Max a few times (we sure missed him though) to visit my family in PA. My sister Molly graduated from BYU (CONGRATULATIONS Sis!!! Also on the bragging board, she is going on to get her Masters starting in August. So proud of her!) and Lincoln and I drove up to stay with my Grandma. We ended up extending our stay there and joined her for Easter. We loved our stay with Nanny and we have so many wonderful memories from that trip.

Easter has never been a big holiday for Max and I since we got married (in the cultural, traditional sense of the word at least). It's always been at the beginning of our summer sales so we have always been just leaving, on the road or arriving at our destination. So this year with Lincoln we celebrated a week later and we are looking forward to next year when he will be walking and discovering hidden eggs and the Easter Bunny!

Lincoln is such a sweet little guy. I guess I can't really call him a baby anymore:( But there is something magical about watching your baby grow, develop and discover the world around him. He can sit up by himself, roll all over, crawl backwards and just the other morning he went from sitting to laying to sitting all by himself!! At 6 1/2 months he was still in the low percentile (6th for weight, 16th for height) so he is a little on the small side. Small but strong and developing perfectly. He didn't take to Rice and Oatmeal at all, he got horribly sick, so we went right into baby food and he is a champ with eating 3 meals a day now. I am still nursing and plan to until he is one (or those teeth come in!) Lincoln has been feeling his teeth for quite a long time now and his gums are now swollen so it should be any time before they break through. I guess the 'norm' for teeth is the bottom or top two, but his 'fangs' on top are what is swollen. I'm sure it's different for every kid (is it?!) but I was surprised when I checked his mouth and saw that area swollen.

Lincoln loves to laugh and smile and yes, still cuddle! He is very friendly and sociable. He talks all the time and makes the cutest noises and his laugh and excited squeals melt our hearts. He thinks Winston is so funny and is much more aware of him now. He laughs when Winston gets hyper and is not afraid to reach out to touch him when we are lounging around. Winston is slowly giving Lincoln more attention. He now will lay beside where Lincoln is playing or make sure he is in the same room with us. Just yesterday Winston went to his "lookout" spot at the top of the steps to get my attention to let me know Lincoln was awake from his nap! Such a good dog.

Lincoln loves his daddy (his mommy too! But I love to watch him with Max:) He gets so excited when Max gets home! When I'm playing with Lincoln and Max is close by, Lincoln will stare at Max until Max looks at him and makes a face and then it just makes Lincolns day-he smiles big or squeals or laughs. If Max leaves the room Lincoln looks around for him and when they play together it is just the cutest thing. Lincoln likes watching basketball with Max and will sit on his lap outside forever. They are so cute.

Lincoln will be 8 months old this month and I just can't believe how time flies! I don't keep as detailed journal as I did his first few months, but I have a calender Sarah Paige got him and I try to write something about him everyday on it. We also have a baby keepsake book for his milestones and such. Any other ideas?!

I'm sure you want to see pictures, so I have included 2 recent ones of him:

Easter 2011

May 5, Dissolving a Graham Cracker I normally comb his hair over because I think he looks like such a little gentleman, but yesterday I spiked it a little (there is some curl to it!) and of course I think he is cute that way too:)

October

2011-02-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

As a new mom every part and everything about your baby is so exciting and adorable. I couldn't (and still can't!) seem to get enough of Lincoln and was so happy Max was able to be home with us. One thing about Lincoln was his toes were always curled! I loved his little feet with his little round toes and had a little photo session one day while he was sleeping...

One day Max was vacuuming and I was holding Lincoln on the couch. I happened to glance down at him and this is what I saw...

Hahaha! So glad I had my phone by me to capture this! His pointer finger really was in his ear. We laughed so hard that at just 2 1/2 weeks old, he could do something like this!

My sister and her husband offered to watch Lincoln while we attended APX's end of the year party in Provo, so we made our first trip to Utah with Lincoln! Lincoln was able to meet two of his Uncle's and several of his cousins on the trip too! It was our first time away from Lincoln and it was a whole new experience.We knew he was safe and in great hands, so we tried to focus on just having a great time, which we did. APX built a dirt bike track outside the corporate office just for our entertainment for the evening, Nitro Circus. It started by Travis Pastrana and a few other guys jumping out of a helicopter and boarding down to the track, which was pretty sweet! We had a lot of fun watching their crazy stunts and spending time with friends and family. On the way back to the car Max and I had a 'parent' moment. We were walking hand in hand and normally we would be talking about how great a time we had and what we wanted to do for the rest of the evening but instead we were talking about how incredible it was that we had a baby who was waiting for us and how excited we were to see him!

I chose this picture because I love how Lincoln is just chilling on Jeremy's arm.

Halloween: We didn't go trick-or-treating this year. Lincoln slept anyway, but we thought we would wait to start that next year. On Sunday, the actual day of Halloween, we dressed Lincoln up in his pumpkin outfit Uncle Jeremy got him and took a picture by our sole decoration. You might think I posed him like that, but I didn't. That is all him! It's just one of his dear little traits.

After 5 or 6 pictures, he was done.... :)

Professional Pictures

2011-02-11T13:20:00.001-08:00

Our friend Kacie is an awesome photographer! She needed a few volunteer newborns for her portfolio, so I volunteered Lincoln! I was so happy for the opportunity to have her photograph him. She did such a fantastic job! I had never seen a newborn photographed before, but she had thought of everything to make him comfortable and was so creative in her work!

Here are a few of the photos:

This is just a sneak peak! "Like" Eye Candy by Kacie on facebook and visit http://www.eyecandybykacie.blogspot.com/ to see more of Lincoln and the rest of her amazing work!

Yay for the Internet!

2011-02-11T13:18:00.001-08:00

Hooray, we now have the internet! Which means-it's MAJOR catch up time! I figure the best way to get updated is to do highlights of each month since the last post. So get excited, here it comes!

Lincolns Baby Blessing

2010-12-08T09:55:00.001-08:00

Lincoln was blessed the Sunday after he was born at just a week old. We did it that way so Grandpa Peters and Uncle Josh would be able to be a part of it. Max gave Lincoln a beautiful blessing. I was so touched by the sweet Spirit that was present and as I sat there listening to the words spoken felt so humbled to be this precious little boys mother. What a great and eternal responsibility this is! I was full of gratitude to Heavenly Father for trusting me with this child, for having the Gospel in my life and for having a husband who is a worthy Priesthood holder. I am truly blessed to have the priesthood in my home and for Max who takes his responsibility as a father, husband and spiritual leader seriously.

After Sacrament meeting, Dawn suggested we go to the temple for pictures. It was a beautiful sunny day (you'll notice from all the squinting) and it was great to walk the temple grounds with the family and to capture images of the special day!

Grandpa and Grandma Peters

Proud Daddy

Molly, Dad, Mom, Benjamin, Dawn, Josh

Cousin Benjamin inspecting the Flowers

Families are Forever!

Baby Lincoln

2010-09-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

Lincoln Aaron Slatter

September 19, 2010

7:34 pm

7 lbs 9 oz

20 inches

This is how he kept his little hands at first!

First Picture with Daddy:)

First Family Photo;)

Kisses from Uncle Josh

With Grandpa and Grandma Peters

We LOVE his hair!

This is one of my favorites of him!

Laying in his crib

We feel so blessed to have Lincoln as our son. He is 10 days old today and has already brought so much joy and happiness into our lives. He is such a good baby! We love watching him make faces and stretch after a nap. He has always been Mr. Brighteyes, but it seems his eyes get brighter and brighter every day. We can't hold him enough and even at 3 or 5 am feedings, my heart is so full of love and joy I could just cry. We love you Lincoln!

26 Weeks

2010-06-14T12:03:00.001-07:00

*I updated several posts! They are all below*

I am 26 weeks and 1 day today! I can't believe how fast time is flying. It hits me sometimes that I am going to be a parent. I know that sentance seems simple, but I can't fully describe the feeling that comes with it. It's a mixture of pure joy, anxiety, excitement and nervousness. The other thing that hits me, especially today, is preparing for the baby to come. For example, Max and I went over what we need for the baby today; crib, changing table, carseat, stroller, etc. etc. It's fun to shop for, but going over it it's like "WOAH..." NOW is the time we are purchasing them. It's not in the future anymore-it's now!

The big thing as of late has been baby bedding and a diaper bag. For the bedding and room decor I didn't want to do a sports theme or Winnie the Pooh theme or anything like that. Lot's of people do it and it looks great, but it wasn't what I was looking for. So I searched and searched and finally came across a set I instantly fell in love with! It's the William set by Nautica if you want to google it to see what it looks like. Anyway, I also discovered they have discontinued the line. That made me sad for like a second because thanks to my open schedule right now, I have been able to research and look for it in every place possible. Ebay was selling it between $200 and $400 for the set and if you know me, I love a good deal! To me, that was not a good deal. I finally found a set via Craigslist and got a really GREAT deal on it!!

*Side note about Craigslist* I was kinda hesitant to start searching on Craigslist for baby things. Maybe it was a mix of knowing it can be an online junk sale or because I am a first time mom and have this thing where everything has to be super clean or brand new for the baby, I don't know. But it's sorta became a little hobby for me to find a set at the best possible price and as new as possible. I scored with this one because the lady said her son wouldn't sleep with the comforter so she hung it on the wall for decoration and the only thing she really used was the bedskirt and diaper hanger. The rest of the set was just in the closet. I found it in Virginia and so I asked my sister-in-law Laura to check it out for me just to make sure. She verified it was in said excellent condition and that the lady had even washed the bedskirt for me! Needless to say, I am so excited about it! So, thanks Craigslist for the great deal. I will be sure to use you again!

So YAY! on the bed set. For the most part we have the rest of the room figured out and I can't wait to set it all up when we get back to Idaho!

Now, on to the pictures...Max's grandparents requested some recent pictures of the 'baby bump' and I realized I didn't have many great ones, haha. I had a few quick ones I took on my phone to get my sisters opinion on some outfits, but that's about it in the last several weeks. So, my sweet husband yesterday took some pictures of me and my ever growing belly. I have been getting more inquiries for belly shots so I hope you enjoy!!

Sightseeing in Pittsburgh

2010-06-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Max and I decided to go to Pittsburgh to see the skyline and walk around a bit. It was a beautiful day to do so and we had a really great time! We drove around downtown first and then made our way up to the skyline drive. I think Pittsburgh is such a pretty city. I was impressed with how well kept everything was. Even the allies and 'ghetto' areas were cleaned up. It was nice to get away for a little bit with just the two (or three I should say!) of us and spend some quality time together.

The first 3 pictures were taken from the car window while going through downtown...

I thought this was pretty fascinating. This was their 'storage area'. I had never seen anything like it before!

These buildings surrounding the spray area

were all made of mirrored glass. The tops of the buildings

reminded me of the Salt Lake City Temple.

....PICTURES FROM THE SKYLINE DRIVE....

Steelers Stadium

Pirates Stadium

A really pretty church overlooking the city

This was just a random building in the middle of a residential neighborhood. I really liked the entryway!

Max's Birthday

2010-06-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

Max's Birthday was quaint, just like he wanted it! I guess turning 30 is a big deal or something because he really didn't want a huge celebration;) I think it's a wonderful year to celebrate-30 sounds so mature and I think it's pretty hot! Anyway, I tried to make it a more relaxed day and nothing HUGE, but still something to celebrate. I made him waffles and eggs for breakfast, packed him a good lunch and for dinner we had Shecrab Soup (yum!). We had some friends over after work for some Peanut Butter Cupcakes with chocolate icing (recipe from my cupcake recipe book. If any of you want it, I'd be happy to send it to you. They were so good and moist! Although I think the next time I make them I will do a fluffier whipped icing instead) and of course, Ice-Cream! Jeremy had bought him candles from Coldstone that were to have different color flames, so we tried those. The green, red and purple showed up best. After cupcakes and ice-cream the guys watched Jim Gaffigan and had some good laughs.

My HoT 30 year old husband!

Cupcakes...the next day I had one and it still tasted great and was moist. I guess Winston thought so too because when we got home that night, we noticed there were crumbs all over the kitchen table and I found the cupcake rack on the kitchen chair. Winston enjoyed 3 cupcakes all to himself!

You can kinda see the green in this one...

Blowing out the candles...

Kate studying the cupcakes...

Watching Jim

Happy Birthday Max! I hope it was as relaxing as you wanted it to be. Love you!

Happy Birthday Max!

2010-06-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

Happy 30th Birthday to my HANDSOME husband MAX!!

You have been my best friend from the beginning and are still my absolute best friend today. You are the person I can't wait to share everything with. You are the last thing I want to see at night and the person I love waking up to every morning. You are the greatest guy I know and the most loyal friend anyone could ask for. I LOVE the man you are. I LOVE how you just seem to know how to do EVERYTHING without ever having done it before. I love and appreciate your work ethic and how nothing is impossible to you. I lOVE how you enjoy life and find entertainment in the simplest things.

I LOVE that things 'aren't a big deal' and love when you find 'a smoking good deal'. I LOVE your laugh and your smile. I LOVE how excited Winston is to see you everytime you enter a room. I LOVE every moment we spend together and all the fun we have. I LOVE that we enjoy being together and that you let me take pictures wherever we go. I LOVE that you discovered we were pregnant, the look in your eye when we first saw our sons little heart beat and the smile on your face when we talk about him. I am beyond happy that I get to experience all of this with you. I am so excited to see you as a father because I know you will be the best. You are amazing to me. You have been my best friend and my greatest love and I love you more and more every day. I am so blessed that I get to be with you FOREVER!!

Happy Birthday Honey!

Our Baby Boy!

2010-04-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

It's a BOY!!!

No question about it:) He is a healthy, strong and very active baby!! Atthe ultra-sound appt. the technician said he was a fun one to do because he was 'photogenic' with all his moves. He flipped, showed his profile, spread his little legs so we could see what he was, made a muscle, showed us his hands, feet, spine...everything! We are in love with him already and I absolutely love feeling him. We are so excited!!

I will upload pics very soon, after I edit all the personal information from the ultra-sound pics.

Almost 1/2 way there!

2010-04-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

Life has been really busy for us lately! Max took off to Pittsburgh last Monday (we are back with APX and joined the Hanna's team). We were a little hesitant to go out again after our experience last year, but he has been working for a week now and has already done SO great! 10 sales under his belt is a perfect step towards a successful summer! (Not to mention it beats working two full time jobs and going off of no sleep! I love you for it babe!) I am staying in Idaho until next month; finishing up with work and going to baby appt's. It will be hard to be apart like this again, but we will focus on the positive! Jeremy came to visit last week and we had a blast! Molly, Dawn & baby are coming up sometime next week as well as my cousin Maria and her family. Molly is even going to stay with me and then drive out to PA with me next month:) Josh lives close by so I will see him regularly too. It is going to be wonderful having so many visitors! Max, I'm sorry. I wish you had as many visitors too, but I am so proud of you and keep up the awesome work! I will be there before you know it!

On another note, I have absolutely loved being pregnant! Minus the occassional swelling, charlie horses and back aches, I have felt great! I feel very blessed to have such a great pregnancy so far, I know not everyone is as fortunate.

Besides seeing and hearing the heartbeat, I had one amazing experience last night. I was laying on the couch with my feet propt up and I felt this "bop" in my stomach. I didn't want to get my hopes up too much, but started wondering if this is the moment I've been waiting for. Sure enough there were 3 more little "bops" and it was confirmed... I felt our baby move!! It is really one of the most incredible feelings in the world! I wanted to squeel "Oh hi little one! You really are in there!" It was so exciting and I can't wait until I am feeling the baby regularly. I LOVED it! All my mother friends, do you remember the first time you felt your first baby? I'm sure you were just as thrilled as I was!

I think I really blossomed last weekend and took a random picture at just over 18 weeks. I thought I might really mind having a growing belly, but I absolutely don't! I'm just happy the baby is growing and it sure needs the room. And the weight gain is not as bad either. Again, it's for the baby and if I am eating healthy, then does it really matter how much I gain? (For the record, my total weight gain to date is approx. 8 pounds. Good? Bad? I figured they would tell me at my next appt.) I do think it's funny, however, when people offer me the excuse I'm eating for two. It is a true statement, one which I even occassionaly use, but you are really only to increase your caloric intake by about 300 calories a day and I have tried to be mindful of that. I do crave healthy foods, fruits and vegetables mainly, so the offer for that extra piece of cake is sometimes really not that tempting. However, I'm no nutty, only-healthy-food pregnant guru!! Present me with a cheeseburger or Craigo's buffet and I am game!
We will find out next Tuesday the gender of the baby! Any guesses? We have some names picked out, but I figure when we really know what it is, that's when the focus start on names. I'll post next Tuesday and let you know...boy? or girl?

BIG Announcement!!!!

2010-03-25T14:40:00.001-07:00

Max and I are THRILLED to announce that we are expecting! We are completely happy and so excited. We had our first appointment on February 24th where we were able to see the heartbeat and find out our due date: September 19, 2010! (Pictures are included below) The first appointment was filled with lots of information and tests, but the absolute best part was the moment the picture focused on our baby and we could see the heart beating. It really was a magical moment...

We had our second appointment this morning and actually got to hear the heart beat. It really is such a sweet sound. I am also very fascinated with this whole process. At our first appointment there was so much equipment and today they put us in a room with barely any equipment and the mid-wife came in with a little hand held device (thanks to mom I now know it's a "Doppler"). The device had an ultra sound 'stick' on it and she ran it over a section of my stomach and we could hear the beat! Amazing.

Baby's First Measurements at 10 weeks 3 days and 3.45cm

The side view of the baby:) I think it's so cute how it's just all curled up. He/she is stretching and much larger now!

No pictures from today's visit, but in 6 weeks we get to find out the gender! I don't have a feeling of what it is; a boy or girl. Sometimes I picture a boy, sometimes I picture a girl. I was sorta hoping my dreams would help me out and one night I had a dream it was a boy. I woke up and fell back asleep and had the same dream over and it was a girl. Haha! So much for a little dream help! Another funny thing is at our first appointment we were in the waiting room and this girl who was pretty pregnant asked how far along I was. I really didn't know and told her my guess. She said "isn't it amazing how you just KNOW?!". I didn't know what to say to her because I DIDN'T know I was pregnant. Max is actually the one who realized it. I could justify all of my symptoms and he seemed to pick up on something else so he encouraged me to take a pregnancy test. I've seen enough negatives I thought I would wait a few weeks, but the next morning I took a test and sure enough: POSITIVE!! YAY!!!!

According to my "What to Expect" app I am 14 weeks and 4 days today! I have had a really great pregnancy so far; no real sickness, no throwing up, no crazy outbreaks. I do get tired and I have been very short of breath, but that is about it. Overall we are just very happy!

Standing straight

Emphasizing the bump!

14 Weeks :)

Benjamin Matthew

2010-01-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

Benjamin Matthew Christensen

January 12, 2010

6 lbs. 4 oz.

20 inch

Bright Eyed and Perfect

Last weekend Josh and I went to visit The Christensen's and their newest addition! Benjamin is a perfect little sweetheart. He is so tiny and has the skinniest little legs! He only cries when he needs something or he gets his diaper changed (or when my icy hands touched him the first time...) He loves hearing his Mommy's voice and is so good with everyone wanting to hold him. I think it is so fascinating that they can recognize voices right away. Benny even recognizes Molly's voice (next to Dawn, she talked to him the most). Dawn said when he first arrived he made a little whimper and then was perfectly content in her arms. He loves looking around and taking everything in. The doctors were surprised that he could focus on people and items right away. Mom told me I was the same way when I was born, so that must mean he will be smart, just like his Aunt Sarah;) He really is a doll and it is so fun to be around a little baby again. He was definitely our source of entertainment, even when he was sleeping he was making such funny faces. He is definitely loved to pieces!! Congratulation Dawn and Damon!

Sleeping in Uncle Josh's armsMr. Bright EyesHe sleeps with his arms up, just like Reese!Getting his diaper changed by daddy and big brother BryceLooking at Aunt MollyBlessing picture with the parentsGrandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, Brothers, Sisters and Parents

We all went out to eat one evening and Josh & Jeremy were carrying on pretending that they were my waiter and were catering to me. They brought me this plate with samples of different foods and in the middle of a plate was a large habanero pepper. I was getting dared to eat it (Dawn's daily happiness, $5 from Shannon....) Anyway, I didn't really want to do it, so Molly decides she will. She picks up the pepper and takes a HUGE bite out of it (just about 1/4 of the pepper). We are all watching her with our mouths open as she chews and swallows. Nothing. She shrugs her shoulders, says it's not so bad and goes back to enjoying her other food. We all are a bit astonished but she appears fine, so we go back to conversation and eating. A full 30 seconds later, Molly starts making this noise and when we turn to look at-it's the reaction we were all expecting. She looked in utter pain and was getting everything in sight on her tongue to cool it down. Good ol' Con came to the rescue and ordered her a cup of milk. That seemed to do the trick temporarily. She slept sitting up.Tim-Tam Slams. A tradition Dawn brought back from her mission. You bite adjacent corners off of your Tim Tams and sip hot chocolate through them. Just when they are ready to fall to pieces you slurp the Tim Tam into your mouth. First one done, wins. Molly won!He was thwarted by a bunch of munchkins (Bryce, Kent and I'm sure Jeremy had something to do with it), tied up and attacked with the Nerf gun.

Orlando

2009-11-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

Yay, time to start the process of updating! First up-Orlando, Florida. We were there just over a month, but it was a great start to the summer (NOT work wise, but definitely friend wise!) We had some of our closest friends (and family Laura!) in the office so we were pretty excited to be able to spend the summer with them. My friend Heidi Brower and I started a running/work out group shortly after we got there. It started by getting each other up in the mornings and running around Millenia Lake. We decided to invite all the wives to join in and soon we had some steady companions. It was great to motivate each other and watch our progress. My goal was to make it half way around the lake without stopping. I was soon going steady and could make it around the lake twice without needing to stop. Leilani would bring Roscoe for a morning walk and it was fun to try to spot each other around the lake as we went! Getting up early never felt so good!

We had lots of dinner dates, game nights, pool fun, mall trips and hang out time during the day:) We were also there for a Regional Conference with Elder Holland. He is one amazing man and gave such a strong talk & testimony about staying close to the Church and being the best we can be. The Spirit was very strong and I was so grateful we were able to be there for that. My cousin Maria's annual Convention for her job was ironically in Orlando during our stay so I was able to see her! It was so great laying by the pool and getting donuts! I sure miss living so close to you Maria! Also in Orlando, we received a call saying that my older sister, Dawn, is expecting! They have been trying for years and we are thrilled for them! Little Benjamin Matthew is due on January 7th.

To view pictures of some activities, click on the picture below:

We also went to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom at Disney World! Hollywood Studios was the Thursday before we left and we went with the Brower's and Blackburn's. Max and I went to Animal Kingdom with just the two of us and we had a blast. Max was in charge of the map and he timed everything perfectly. We got to do everything we wanted to at the park! Right after we were done at Animal Kingdom, we went back to our apartment, packed up the car and headed for Texas. It was a great ending to our stay in Orlando!

To view pictures of our time there, please click on the link below:

I know.....it's been awhile!

2009-10-08T20:09:00.001-07:00

So...it seems that my summer included no blogging! Now that we are settled back home, I am recommitting myself to keeping all of you updated with our lives. Bare with me for a little bit while I back track and start from my last post (today it will be written, but individual posts and pictures will come:).

This summer was very memorable (stressful too, but we will focus on the fun parts!). Although our start in Orlando, Florida didn't last too long, we were there long enough to make a habit of game nights, morning runs, mall trips & of course, Disney. The road then took us to Austin, Texas where we spent the remainder of the summer. Those days were filled with friends, exercise, girl time, my random hours at a baby boutique, girl time, the awesome pool, girl time, YMCA Park and... more girl time!
August was a busy one! I went to my parent's home in PA to visit. While there I was able to see Jason and his wonderful, growing family. My cute pregnant sister Dawn. Our Molly return home from her mission. And a recently RM brother Josh! It was a full house and it was splendid! I also got to see lots of family and my dear friend Sarah. Oh, and of course, our numerous trips to Antietam Dairy.
Also while I was home I found out that Max was going to join a traveling office for his work-so we booked a flight for me to return to Texas. After a very LONG day of flying, I finally made it into Texas. 2 days later our apartment was empty, the car was packed and I was crying while saying goodbye to my amazing friend Heidi and her family and my husband...for who knows how long. 2 days later I made it to Utah and spent the next week with Dawn & Jeremy. 5 weeks later, I was able to see Max again and he is now home:)

That is a quick summary. I will be expounding on our big adventures, little adventures and everything in between.

Orlando, Florida

2009-03-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do not know yet, Max and I will be heading down to Orlando, Florida for our summer adventure! We were there 2 summers ago and look forward to going back. We are looking forward to a wonderful summer and success with Max's job. We are also excited because we have some of our closest family friends that will be there and friends and family are planning on visitng! YAY!! Lots of hard work, but then lots of opportunites to relax and have fun! Other exciting news, my brother and sister will be getting back from their missions just one month apart this summer. We are so proud of them for the service they have provided and the strength and testimonies they share weekly. Needless to say, we are so looking forward to all that will take place this summer!

Another Giveaway!

2009-02-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

So, I am a big fan of Little Window Shoppe and they are doing a great giveaway! Their website is great too-Creative & DIY projects! Just click on the title "Another Giveaway!" and it will take you straight there!

Christmas

2009-02-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

(Top Left to Right: Jackson, Tova, Gerrit, Max and Sarah. Bottom Left to Right: Quinn, Graham, and Gavin.)

FINALLY....Pictures from Christmas! Max and I had a wonderful Christmas! We stayed at our home in Rexburg this year for a change and were so excited to have family come visit! We were originally supposed to pick up Tova and the boys Christmas evening, but a huge snow storm hit preventing us from going down. So,we stayed in and enjoyed a cozy Christmas together. It was soo different just having the two of us, but it was wonderful! The weather settled down through the night and the next day Tova (Max's sister) and Gerrit (Max's brother) came with their boys! We had such a good time! We played with the dogs, made treats, built a fort, played games, built a snowman and went SKIING at Kelly Canyon!! Max, Tova, and I had never been, so we enrolled in "Ski School" with our wonderful and patient instructor, Bob. We had such a blast! Skiing is so much fun and it was so great to spend time with the family! (Click on the picture above for more pictures).

Giveaway!

2009-01-20T11:17:00.001-08:00

I know I haven't posted forever and I promise to do it soon, but I wanted to let you know about this neat site I just found! They are giving away some really great gifts and anyone with a blog can enter!

Here is the site:http://mormonmommyblogs.blogspot.com/

I know I'm not a mommy yet, but I think the site is great!

Christmas Tree

2008-12-14T18:09:00.000-08:00

This is my absolute most favorite time of the year! It's different this year because Max and I are not going back East-but it has been really special to be able to be together and start our own traditions. My sister-in-law and nephews are coming for Christmas and we are so excited to have them!
We got most of the decorating done, we are finishing up some final touches of the paint downstairs (as you will see in on of the pictures that the banister up the stairs still needs put back on :) but we were still lacking a Christmas Tree inside. So, we went out last night and got one! We are so happy we did-it adds to the Christmas atmosphere and makes our home so cozy! We enjoyed decorating it today and just love it, so I had to share!

The Number 8

2008-11-20T19:01:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by my friend Jordan!

8 T.V. shows I love to watch:
(We haven't had cable, minus bunny ears, since we were first married so this is my best shot!)
1. The Office
2. Prison Break
3. Who wants to be a Millionare
4. America's Next Top Model
5. Extreme Home Makeover (and such shows like it)
6. Just recently...Survivor
7. What Not to Wear
8. King of Queens

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Johnny Carinos
2. Cheescake Factory
3. Annie Gunns
4. Bajios
5. Red Lobsters
6. Tucanos Brazilian Grill
7. El Toro Viejo
8. Japanese Restaurants!

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1. Max and I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning laughing and looking stuff up on his phone
2. I went to work
3. I got my kidney's scanned
4. Talked to an old friend
5. Went grocery shopping at Broulim's
6. Got a pizza from Craigo's
7. Kissed my husband
8. Finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Christmas!!!!!!!!
2. Seeing my family at Thanksgiving
3. CANCUN in January
4. My sister and brother coming home
5. Max getting back from his meeting
6.Having all my family together at one time
7. Having a baby
8. Not painting our house anymore!

8 Things on my wish list:
1. Long nails
2. My grandma to have good health
3. To be a good cook
4. Tiffany's Jewelry
5. Paris and to visit Germany (where we lived when I was younger)
6. Be a good parent and loving wife
7. To be able to contact my best friend from 5th grade
8. To have the type of home where my kids love to be and their friends want to hang out at.

People I tag:Maria, Tracy, Linda, and Leilani

Fall in PA

2008-11-07T19:40:00.001-08:00

I just got back from a quite charming trip back home to Pennsylvania. It was absolutely gorgeous back there!! Autumn was in full swing and we sure took advantage of that! Between working on a few projects around the house and trips to the hospital to visit my grandma-we were enjoying the great outdoors! We went shopping at H & M in Baltimore, enjoyed home town ice-cream from Antietam Dairy (we got the ice-cream cones free too because it was the last day it was opened!), hunted down Bittersweet to make a wreath, played in the leaves, went on fall drives, met up with my great friend Sarah Paige and did some more shopping, got some delicious pretzels and treats at an Amish store, stayed up giggling and carrying-on, and much much more! It was seriously a fabulous trip! Here are plenty of pictures for you to view. I LOVED photographing this old church, as you can see!

This is one of my favorite streets in Wayensboro.

Sarah Ann & Sarah Paige

My cute mom and sister!

What Color Green Are You?

2008-10-22T17:19:00.001-07:00

My friend Leilani posted this on her blog, so I took the test. I figured since we don't have the internet at home so I can upload pictures, I would post this! I am MINT GREEN.

You Are Mint Green

Balanced and calm, you have mastered the philosophy of living well.
Your friends seek you out for support, and you are able to bring stability to chaotic situations.
You're very open and cheerful - and you feel like you have a lot of freedom in life.
Your future may hold any number of exciting things, and you're ready for all of them!

What Color Green Are You?

Tag-You're It!

2008-10-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by my friend Heidi. I had a lot of fun reading hers! I love finding out things like this about my friends! So it's your turn to find some (possibly undiscovered) facts about me.

So, the rule is I have to write 7 random facts about myself. (It is supposed to be random/weird facts about myself but I refuse to use the word weird in reference to myself. I have issues with that word. I will use it, but I don't like calling people I know weird. haha...so, I guess that is my number one!)

2. I love learning things. For example: the Gospel, friends, strangers, things about myself, crafts, recipes, facts, theories, how-to things, stories, etc, etc. Just yesterday Max and I went to the park to throw a baseball around. I'm a pretty good catcher, but can you believe it-I didn't know how to throw a baseball properly!! Max is a perfect coach for that so I got the hang of it. I got excited everytime he looked impressed and said "nice throw!". (2.5-I like to self master myself too.)

3. I can't sleep with either of my hands or feet hanging off the bed. When I was little I would think that someone or something would pull me under the bed. I don't think that anymore but for some odd psychological reasoning-I still can't sleep that way. Now that I think about it-that is probably why I have a tendency to sleep in the middle of the bed (Max doesn't understand why-with a king bed-I still end up more on his side:)

4. When I'm driving in a car and there are shadows on the road, in my mind, I make the car hurddle over them. I don't know how it starts (or started!) but I catch myself doing it sometimes.

5. I can't stand the sound of a tongue making noises-a dog licking himself (ugh-I'll wake up to Winston doing that sometimes and I feel like I am going crazy!!), people cleaning their mouths after eating, etc. It drives me nuts!

6. I am fascinated with geology/biology/major freak accidents. I love watching discovery documentaries like Planet Earth and learning about Pompeii or the Titanic or...there is a show on right now we are watching about Krakatoa in 1883. One of my fav. classes in college was Field Biology-we traveled all over this region studying glacial paths in the tetons and valcanic rock and what trees grow at what elevation, and how "yellowstone" as we know it today used to be down around Pocatello. It's just fascinating to me!

7. And last but not least-I start my sentences with "so" and end them with "then" frequently. For example: "So, what do you want to do then". I never thought anything about it until I came to college and people were always pointing out how my cousin, Maria, and I say things (Max still does!) Funny how that works-you don't realize things until someone points it out!

I know some of my friends have been tagged like this before so I am going to pick....dun dun dun...Marie Reynolds! She is new to the blogging world, so this will be great!

There's No Place Like Home...

2008-09-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

We were in Houston, Texas when Hurricane Ike hit (my first hurricane!) and eventually was left without power, cell phone service, and cold food. The flourish of highly priced gas stations were now desolate. Booming grocery stores now sat with emptied shelves and boarded doors. Little trickle of streams turned to flooded rivers and tall towering trees were now roadblocks. What fun!! It is amazing though what no power can do. Everyone was outside-running, walking their pets, parents were walking and playing with their children, chatting with each other, checking up on each other-it was great! We even met our neighbors! In the meantime...the guys were trying to decide if they wanted to relocate for the remaining time and had the splendid idea to just come home!! So, on our last night there we, our neighbors, and the remaining APX clan (all 3 of them) had a BBQ block party with battery powered radio and flashlights! We left Monday morning and got here late Tuesday night. It was SOO nice coming back to our house!! We are pretty much settled in (accept I am taking this time to go through all of our stuff. After living with so little for the summer, I so want to declutter and get rid of items we don't use). Today we went to Lowe's and picked out the paint colors we want for the house and checked on getting sod for the backyard (we will hopefully be able to get it in well before the first frost hits). I'm so excited for these projects!
Another thought-it is so different referring to home as Max and I's house. I am getting used to it now but I was so used to home being mom and dads! It's just another thing that shows me I am an adult, I am married, and I have a home of my own! Although mom and dad's will still be home, it's very exciting to have my own!
Other exciting news: Laura and Jared are in the Bahamas...so lucky! My cousin Maria had a darling little girl, Reese. I am so excited for her and Trevor!! Reese is just beautiful!
Congrats also to: Brook and Cameron and their cute little boy Ethan. Heidi, Jerrod, and Kenadi for their new addition Kaden. Eva and Spencer with Kate surprising them a little early. Megan and Clint for finding out its a boy!!

No pictures for now, but I will be posting before and after pictures of our paint job as it gets done:) If anyone has suggestions on how to collage more pictures on the blog-I would love to hear how to do it! I tried and it looks good until I post. I see others with 3-4 pictures across. I know I'm missing something!

Texas Pride!

2008-08-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

That's right, we live in Houston, Texas (Technically it is called The Woodlands). We were told short notice that we needed to be out of our apartments in Pensacola by noon on the 28th. We didn't even know where we were going until late evening and then started the 8 hour drive over. After driving all night we finally stopped at a hotel around 3am with Jared and Laura. The next day we arrived in Houston and so the adventures continue! First night we stayed in Extended Stay of America...our friend got bed bugs that he is still recovering from. Gross!!! Gross!!!! Gross!!!!!! But for the next week we stayed in much nicer hotels; soft fresh beds, breakfasts in the morning, pools, endless supply of Otis cookies and mini snickers....Anyway, they finally figured our apartment stuff out and we are FINALLY settled in! Yippy! The apartments are quite nice (it's cozy and private) it's really woodsy with little walking paths everywhere, a 24 hour fitness center and a landscaped pool. (For more details see Meg & Clint's Blog) We don't live as close to Jeremy and Rayna as before-but we are just a hop, skip, and a jump away from them!

My ode to Pensacola, things that I loved and appreciated:

-First sunset with Max

-Mom & Dad's Visit

-The Battleship

-Marva Dean

-Living so close to the beach

-Finding a whole sand dollar while skimming my foot on the ocean floor

-Saving Jellyfish

-Watching Max Crab Dive

-Living so close to Jeremy and Family

-Floating in the pool

-The police car that sat by the crosswalk of the hospital all day, everyday

-The surprised tree (I did take a picture of this, but I can't find it!)

-The Plantation Homes

-My first Seafood Market

-Being called as Gospel Doctrine Teachers

-The storms

-The gorgeous townhomes in downtown

-Hearing Adam laugh for the first time

-Girl times with Ari

-Girl times with Jamie, Madison, & Jessie

-The horridly long trip to the outlets

-Eat a donut, Eat a donut!

-Max's nights with his Playstation

-Discovering the Twilight Series

-Megan running a red light and smiling for the camera
-My growing Tomato plant

-Being the leader of "The Dark Side"

Picture collage:

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday!

2008-06-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

June is a HUGE birthday month for us! Max's birthday is on the 3rd, Winston's is on the 9th, and mine is on the 23rd. That is just our family... our extended family has many birthday's in June as well; Grandpa Stoops (3rd), my Mom's (7th), Nanny's (8th), Jared's (24th), Damon's (28th), and Tova's (29th). Notice that Max's birthday is first...that puts the pressure on me big time to really do it up because he has the chance to out-do me! And to make his gift a surprise! He always seems to figure out what I am doing or getting him! I'm learning though, how to hide things more conspicuously and not hint at it...tell a little white fib as needed (is that bad?!).

Well, This year I was pretty successful!! I got him Maui Jim sunglasses. You know, the cool ones that bend. (He is quite the stud in them I must add) I had them weeks before his birthday and kept them hid the whole time! He had no idea! And I was so excited because he was really happy with them and his friends at work even said he was showing them off! His birthday evening wasn't as much success...he got off work just before ten...little did I know that 10 is the exact time Pensacola decides to shut down. We went to restaurant after restaurant looking for a place...it's a no go. There were a few places open, but nothing birthday worthy. So, not being that hungry anyway, we opted to skip the meal and enjoy a movie. Well, the last movie showed at of course, 10 and they wouldn't let us in. I was so bummed! I knew he was going to come up with something spectacular for my birthday like he always does and then I was going to be left with the should-have-stayed-home-and-cooked or gone-to-the-dinner-theater-anyway feeling. Max was a way good sport about it though. Funny how he ended up comforting me on his birthday. lol. Anyway, we came home and I made the best Strawberry/Pina Colada drinks yet (I must admit, they had a striking resemblence to Starbuck's Strawberrie & Creme Frapaccino!). We made popcorn and cuddled up to the new blu-ray I got him. Not a disaster after all!

Marva Dean celebrated with us

Jeremy, Rayna, & Kids came over to celebrate Max's B.day

For Winston's birthday we got him and oversized doggy bone. It was the funniest thing. It really was too big, he would try to naw at it and couldn't grasp it so he would hunker down and bark at it! We ended up having to hold it for him to enjoy it! He is so funny!

On my Birthday Eve, Samantha and the Girls brought me over ice-cream cake and sang to me. It was the cutest thing, so I am going to post the video of it! For my Birthday Max got me a dozen beautiful red roses and the Twilight series with a pre-order of the 4th book! I have my very own set now, thanks hun! During the day, the Meg, Eva, Caroline & I went to lunch at Panera Bread. Meg is so sweet to think of things like that! We walked around the mall a bit and had to be back at 3 for a party the rest of the wives threw! Laura (my newest sister-in-law!) made me a banana and strawberry angel food cake. It was delicious! Naomi made her famous strawberry shakes and we sat around and chatted. It was so sweet for everyone to want to celebrate with me! When Max got back from work, he took me out to eat and see the movie Get Smart (Learning from last time, Max did research on the times...there was one at 11. We went to the Rave theater closes to us and there wasn't one that late. Ends up, there is another Rave theater by us that stays open later. Go figure!) It was wonderful spending time with just me and him. I love him so much and know how busy he is this summer with managing, but he still takes time to make me feel special and important! Your the best babe!

A fun fact: My original due date was on the 3rd (My grandpa and Max's b.day), I came twenty days late. Max's original due date was the 23rd (My b.day), he came twenty days early!

Busch Gardens

2008-06-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to Busch Gardens with (okay, quick genealogy lesson here... Max's oldest brother Gerritt, his two sons Quinn and Gavin, Hardy & Tiffany, their son Wyatt and baby Miley, Tova with Graham and Jackson, Max & I, Katie and Sean (who we found out is 3 months along, Congrats again!!!), and the youngest Slatter sibling, Sarah.

It was my first time and Max hadn't been there for a few years so there were some new rides he hadn't been on. We were there almost all day and had a blast!! It was a hot day, 110 with the heat index, but everyone stayed hydrated and surprisingly no one got burnt! We rode all of the roller coasters and we even sat in the front seat of the Griffin! That ride was a little freaky...when you get to the top, it has you hang over the edge looking down for about 10 seconds. You can't even see the roller coaster when you are facing down, it just goes straight, so all you can see is out over the whole park and when you look down...the ground. And then before you realize it, you are flying straight downwards! It was quite a thrill! Younger Sarah went on her first roller coaster (s!) and I was impressed with Quinn & Wyatt too. They have guts going on the roller coasters they could, Quinn didn't seem nervous at all. And Wyatt has quite the stomach to go on the teacups as much as he did!

And...they had a camel!

Jared's Wedding

2008-06-10T06:27:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Max and I flew up to Virginia for Max's brother, Jared's wedding. Jared and Laura were married at the Friendships Garden City Park in Portsmouth, VA on Friday evening. It was a beautiful wedding! I came close to missing Laura walk up the isle with her father thanks to taking forever to find the park and then rushing straight to the ladies room... Luckily I made it back in time to see Laura and her dad walk across the bridge and up to her new husband! The reception was held indoors and there were lots of comments about how this was one of the best receptions on that side of the family! Ivan even got up and danced like crazy! It was pretty impressive. We want Jared and Laura to know how happy we are for them and we are so excited they are going to be here in Florida with us for the rest of the summer!

(Back left to right: Jim, Gerritt, Hardy. Middle left to right: Becky, Tova, Max, Hardy Front left to right: Sarah, Katie, Mark, and Jared)

Max & Jared

Laura & Sarah

Our Cruise!

2008-04-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time on our cruise and are excited to finally share the pictures with you!! I went through and picked out the major highlights of the trip...well for the most part. You know how I love to take lots of pictures and with the new lens Max got me for Christmas, it was a little hard to not put almost all of them up! Max was a super good sport with me and he has the funniest "picture faces" as we call them. Some of the slides got out of order, so to clarify; The main structure in Tulum with the big steps is the Mayan Temple where they offered sacrifices and did their religious ceremonies. The picture with the arrow drawn; the main two story building is where they said Christ descended from heaven with a hairdress on and an object in his hand. Belize is a poor, but beautiful country. Hurricane Happy came through some years ago and destroyed a lot of the city. They are still building it back up. We went on a jungle walk there and did some cave tubing. It was gorgeous! I didn't take my camera on that leg of the adventure, so there aren't any pictures. We saw some Omish people in Belize. Our tour guide said that since they have migrated down there they have pretty much stayed to themselves but in the last year they have been coming into the city and they just had a marriage with an Omish and a Native from Belize.

Enjoy! (To access pictures, click on "Our Cruise!" wording and it will take you to the link).

Pensacola, Florida

2008-04-25T13:36:00.001-07:00

We are finally here and settled in to our apartment in Pensacola, Florida! It is so warm and sunny....a huge change from Rexburg!! Not to mention it is great to see each other again!! We had been apart for a solid 1 1/2 weeks and in the 3 weeks prior to that had only seen each other a handful of days! I sure missed him...
Max is doing awesome as a manager. I am so proud of him. He is already doing great and I so appreciate his hard work and effort. He not only wants himself to be successful, but also every one of the guys in the office! He really cares that each one of the guys meet their goals and I just love him all the more for it!
Now, time to brag about my brother Jeremy...he is doing great-he ranked top in the office last week, getting a sale everyday for the first three days! His approach was so good Max had him stand up in front of the office and give it to the guys! And I know he has been coaching some of the other guys to help them out. What can I say? He is a born leader.
I have enjoyed spending time with my niece and nephew, Arianna and baby Adam, and my sister-in-law, Rayna. Arianna is such the little entertainer and social bug and Adam smiles at me!! It is the cutest thing! I am getting to know the other wives better and we were all able to hang out at the pool together at the beginning of the week. I think I hung out too long because I got fried, and my back is still burnt from it. haha, lesson learned!
Winston is adjusting to the heat and loves going outside on walks and to the parks. Before I got here, Max would let him out on the screened-in porch during the day. Well, one day last week Max got home to find Winston was not on the porch. He had made a hole in the screen and got out (no doubt on one of his sniffing trails!) It freaked Max out and some of the guys went to help look for him. Luckily, another guy in the office had found him wondering around the apartments and was keeping an eye on him! Needless to say, he is not permitted on the porch without someone watching him...who knows where that nose could lead him to next!
We are doing great! We live in a nice neighborhood, the office is starting to settle down a little bit more, and we are looking forward to all the adventures this summer will hold!

Updates, Updates, Updates....

2008-04-06T20:35:00.001-07:00

Wow, I haven't touched this thing in forever!!! Life is super busy in the Burg as of late. Max has been home about 4 days in the past 2 1/2 weeks. He has been away on business (training, hiring, licensing, etc.) He leaves for Florida in just a couple days, so I wont have the computer again, but I thought I would atleast write a little message.

Max and I had a fabulous time on our cruise!! I will have a whole section on it full of pictures for all to see. It was a perfect way to celebrate our first year together!!! My how the time flies...

We are moving to Pensacola, Florida to sell this summer. Max is manager this year, which is a great opportunity for him. They will be covering Pensacola over to Mobile, AL. We are really excited about it!

Anyway, that's all for now. I will post again soon!

Our New Home

2007-11-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

We are in our new home at last! We were able to move into our home on Wednesday, October 30th, but wasn't actually able to sleep here until 2 nights ago (the heat hadn't been turned on yet and it was an average 48 degrees in here!) We are so happy and blessed to be in a place of our own.

I will add a little more later and include some pictures! Thank you all for your support and excitement during this wonderful time!

Life Back in Rexburg

2007-10-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

Life has certainly been busy since we got back to Rexburg! We picked up our new puppy, Winston, a few days after we got here. He is a great little puppy who loves to chew on everything including his own ears. His favorite 'toy' to chew on is empty water bottles! He has learned to walk up and down flights of steps all by himself. He loves cats and enjoys wrestling with them.
Sarah started a new job as a CPA assistant at Allied Financial. Max started Fall Semester schooling and is doing great! We are in the middle of buying our first home!! Can life get any more exciting :)

We are doing wonderful and will let everyone know when we move into our new home!

Summer in Florida

2007-10-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Max works for APX Alarms doing summer sales. This was our first summer together doing sales and we spent the warm summer months in Orlando, Florida! It was definitely a change of schedule. Max worked 6 days a week and anywhere from 9-12 hour days! I did my best to support him, but I couldn't wait for him to come home at night! One day Max came home and said that he had heard a shoot-out just down the road from him. Tell me about not worrying during the day! I can't believe the neighborhoods he would knock in. He worked really hard this summer though, selling 160 accounts, and should feel very proud of himself. Max learned a lot this summer about managing and we are looking forward to that opportunity next summer!

I started out the summer by auditioning for a character role with Disney. While I passed the audition, they didn't have any immediate openings. So, I preoccupied myself working part-time at the local upscale Mall of Mallenia. On my days off, I enjoyed days at the pool with friends and coming up with new recipes for dinner!

We lived right in the middle of all of the major tourist hot spots, which when we could, took full advantage of! We spent Max's birthday at Disney World, got season passes to Sea World, Canoed by alligators, and spent plenty of time at the beaches. Florida is a great place to live in the summer!