turkey day

thanksgiving started with being able to wake up next to my hubby, which usually only happens on sundays. scotty decided to go out and play football (yeah, you heard me right) with some guys from our ward, which i was a little nervous about because the last few years he's done this he has been really sore afterwards. and this year was no exception. although, i was happy to see that he didn't come home a muddy mess this year. thank heavens for the rain holding off. :) we went over to my parent's for the feast, and it really was. there was so much good food: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing (stovetop is the tradition in my fam), a yummy fruit salad, raspberry jello salad (another tradition), rolls, cooked carrots (my favorite), yams (not my favorite), fresh veggies with dip, corn, and very delicious pies.


i did really good this year and did not go back for seconds. i didn't want to be a victim of the triptaphan (sp?). after dinner mess was cleaned up the girls took off to Fred Meyer to go shopping while the guys babysat and took naps. this is something we're thinking about making a tradition. i felt a lot better being able to shop off some of the calories i just consumed rather than sleeping on the couch, which of course i knew i wasn't going to be able to do anyways having a 9 month old baby and all. so, we shopped 'til they kicked us out the door. check out what i got for brookie.


i just couldn't resist. you know how when you have kids you want them to like the same toys you liked as a kid. i'm sure she wasn't as stoked as i was, but she did play with it. i think she just likes the hair. maybe it will keep her from pulling mine. :) we had a really great day just hanging out with family, and i do have to say that is one of the things i am most thankful for, my amazing family. i just wish all of us could have been there. we missed you: bonnie, tyler, lucy, russ, shannon, mackenzie, payton and doug. the best times are when we're all together. i look forward to the next time that will be.

new winter coats

last year scott really wanted an insulated dickies work jacket. we looked everywhere and couldn't find one in his size. everyone else had snatched them up before we got there. he was a little bummed and ended up having to wear several layers of shirts and jackets to work. the shop he works in is not heated, or even insulated for that matter. all they have is a little wood burning stove and a space heater, which broke. so, i decided that this year i was going to start looking early and get him one for christmas. well, he found out that i got him one and was really excited. he said to me, "it would be really nice to have right now. what if i gave you one of your christmas presents early. maybe one that would keep you warm too." i had been wanting a new winter coat this year, and it has been getting pretty chilly already. so we exchanged christmas presents a little early this year. i guess that's one less present that needs to be opened on christmas, and we'll get a little more use out of them this winter. plus i don't have to feel so bad about my scotty working in a freezing cold shop. check us out!

nummy sunday breakfast

i bet you wish you came for breafast. yup, that's belgian waffles with strawberries and whip cream, scrambled eggs with cheese, and some crispy bacon. yummmm!

fun birthday weekend

thursday afternoon my sister and mom took me out to lunch for my birthday. scott came home from work early so he could spend the day with me, but ended up watching brooklin so that i didn't have to try and wrestle with her at lunch. thanks scotty! then that evening scotty took me out to dinner, which was really yummy, but i was still a little full from lunch so i could barely eat anything. luckily dinner made great lunch for friday. :) we just kind of chilled the rest of the evening and watched the office over at my parent's house. i thought that maybe scott had something else planned, since it was my 25th birthday, but we just went home and straight to bed. i guess i was a little disappointed since we had a pretty big party for scott's 25th, but then i felt a little silly because i did have a pretty good day, and scott got me a great gift.


he could tell that something was bothering me so he told me that we'd have a big party next year. why? 26 isn't that great. oh well. saturday we went over to my parent's and i went to costco with them and left scott in front of the tv. we were at costco forever just looking at everything, which was great because when i go with scotty it's in and out within 5 minutes. we get what we need and that's it. he's not a big shopper. so, by the time we got back to my parent's brookie had about had it and was ready for a nap, and scott was insisting that we leave right away. okay, fine, whatever, she wasn't freaking out that badly. we had brought separate cars so i went straight home and got brookie in bed while scott stopped at DQ to get an ice cream cake for my family party on sunday. when he got home brooklin was sound asleep and i was playing metroid on my game boy (don't ask). i asked scott when he wanted me to start dinner and he told me to wait until 6. fine. i thought i heard brooklin and then a knock on the door. scott told me to get the door and he'd check on brookie. why can't you get the door? was what i was thinking, but i went downstairs anyway to see who was pounding on my door, and they just kept knocking and knocking. i was getting a little annoyed. when i reached the bottom of the stairs they just opened the door and let themselves in. it was a bunch of family and friends. i had no idea what was going on. scott didn't say anything about people coming over and i wasn't exactly prepared for company (ie. ripped sweatshirt and pink ring in the guest bathroom toilet). i didn't figure out what was going on until we got to the top of the stairs. it was a surprise party. i immediately felt terrible about how i was acting thursday night when i found out that we were just going home to bed. scott had a huge grin on his face and i could tell he knew exactly what i was thinking. we had a ton of people show up and we had lots of great food, and the DQ cake was for this party. the cheesecake my mom bought at costco was for the family party. so i got two cakes, mind you my two favorites! and i got to celebrate my birthday all weekend. it was great! and my mom made cooked carrots to go with dinner on sunday, which i've been craving for a while. thanks everyone, especially my dear sweet husband, for making my 25th great. i think i'm ready for a nice quiet and relaxing birthday next year. maybe on a beach in hawaii???




oh, and scott did clean the pink ring in the toilet that i was meaning to get to, just never did. :) somehow we managed to not get a single picture from the surprise party. :(

quarter of a century

well, tomorrow is the big day. i will be turning 25 years old at around 8:30 tomorrow morning, and i am not looking forward to it at all. i'm sure everybody thinks i'm crazy, but i am kind of depressed about being 25. 25 used to seem so old to me, and now here i am. i guess the real reason that i'm depressed is because lately i've been realizing how fast time is going by. when i was a kid it seemed like time went by so slowly and i was always trying to hurry it along. i couldn't wait to turn twelve, and then i was really stoked to be sixteen, and then 18 was really cool. but then when i hit my twenties things kind of changed, which i know is silly and i shouldn't be feeling this way until i reach my 30's or 40's, but i honestly feel like the clock is ticking away. this year has flown by. my little niece, lucy, is going to be a year old tomorrow! that's insane to me, and i'm not even her mother. little brooklin is growing way too fast with the crawling and having to lower her bed and all of the other things that she's learning. i just wish time would slow down a little bit, and i didn't think that i would ever say that, especially at 25. that's something you hear your parents say. there's just something about turning 25 that's making me realize how precious time is, and it makes me want to sleep a little less and play a little more. so, i'd like to give a little advice: cherish every moment, even the cruddy ones, and don't wish for time to move faster, it will go by quick enough.

flowers

don't you wish that when your sweet husband brings you home a bouquet of your favorite flowers they lasted a little longer? i sure do. i love getting flowers, it just sucks that they only last a week or so. i know some people give potted flowers for that very reason, but that wouldn't matter with me, i'd kill them even if they came with their roots still attached. actually, now that i think about it, i'd rather get a bouquet because when the flowers die i know that it's not because i killed them.


these were the flowers scott got me for our anniversary, almost two weeks ago. they're looking pretty sad, and i think that they're about to go bye-bye. but they were gorgeous and i'm glad i have a hubby that brings me flowers. :)


i got another gift that will last a little longer.

goin' down

for the past week i've been thinking that it was about time to move brooklin's mattress down in her crib since she's been trying to pull herself up. saturday when i went in to get her up from her nap i found her sitting with both hands holding onto the railing. so i let scott know that it was time. well, it didn't get done, but i figured it wouldn't be that big a deal if it waited a day or two. well, look what i found this afternoon when i went in to get brookie up.


i couldn't believe it. i was so shocked to find her like this since we've yet to see her get to a standing position on her own. i was excited and worried all at the same time. excited because she finally pulled herself up, but worried because we weren't prepared. luckily she didn't try to bail out. i called scott at work and told him that tonight was the night and it was a must!! and i'm glad to say it's finally done. my little girl isn't so little anymore.

for bonnie

see what i mean?!

for tif

i think scharae has got some competition!

holding on

brooklin is learning how to stand up holding onto things, she can't quite pull herself up to them, but she likes standing there once we help her up.


she's definitely trying, though.


it's probably about time to move her mattress down in her crib. we wouldn't want to have a little humpty dumpty on our hands.

husband tag

sarah tagged me


where we met: at an FHE activity at the pratt's (which is actually the second time, but we don't really count the first)

how long we dated before we got hitched: almost 8 months

how long we have been married: 4 years

what's my fav feature about him: his eyelashes

what's my fav quality about him: he's very patient with brooklin and i, even when i'm acting like a psycho

what's his nickname for me: lizzie

his fav color: yellow

his fav food: he'll eat pretty much anything, but he really likes guy food like steak or ribs and potatoes, oh and corn

his fav sport: scotty doesn't like sports, he'll watch 'em but he doesn't like to play them, except frisbee, does that count?

who said the L word first: that's a tricky question, because technically he made me say it first because he didn't want to be the first. he asked me if i did, and i couldn't lie.

first kiss, when and where: it was way too soon, and it was on top of a building in down town bellingham.

fav couple thing to do: watch movies, play the wii and go to parks

how many kids:just one right now, but he thinks we're gonna have 42

his hidden talent: he has an amzing memory, also... finger dancing

his age: 26

his fav music: all. i think he even secretly likes rap, every once in a while i catch him watching BET, it's hilarious!

what i admire most about him: he is always trying to do the right thing. he makes me want to be a better person.

his fav pastime: building cars

will he read this: most likely no


ok, i tag shanna, bonnie, and tif

water baby

brooklin loves being in the water whether it be the bath tub, the lake, the ocean or a swimming pool. she absolutely just loves splashing in the water. we went swimming last night at a friends birthday party and she got to wear her next year's swim suit, and it fit, which makes me a little worried that it won't fit her next summer, and that she's not going to get a whole lot of use out of it because we don't go swimming a whole lot in the winter time (imagine that). i guess we'll have to stay in a motel with a pool sometime. :)



she was a total babe in her little tankini. check out those scrumptious thighs!

her favorite place

for some reason brooklin always plays under the coffee table. i have no idea why but she will leave her basket of toys and head right under there. she can just sit there staring up at the bottom of the table or pointing to the legs, she's even found the screw holes. she's just so fascinated with being under there. why does she even need toys when she finds our furniture to be just as much fun, if not more fun.


scott wanted to hang out with her in her "fort" as he called it.

last night

last night i had one of the most frightening moments in my life. we put brooklin to bed at about 8:45. scott and i hit the sack around 10. i usually take a while to fall asleep while scott is usually dead to the world the minute his head hits the pillow. after about 15 minutes i was starting to doze off when i heard a thud sound coming from down the hallway. scott, of course, heard nothing but i got up to check anyway. earlier this evening we were talking about kids falling out of cribs and for some reason that's what was running through my mind at this moment, even though brooklin is not able to pull herself up to things yet. i got into her room and there she was, sound asleep in her crib. as i walked back to our room i told myself i was being silly and paranoid. i can be a very paranoid person sometimes. i got back into bed, waking scott back up to let him know that it must have just been the neighbors or something. i was just about back to sleep when at 10:30 brooklin just started screaming. i mean seriously screaming like i've never heard before. scott jumped out of bed and ran down the hallway to her room. he was sure he was going to find her on the floor, but she was in her crib, just crying hysterically. i could hear him trying to calm her down, but she wasn't at all. i got up and went to see what was going on. scott was holding her, trying to console her and she just was not having it. i noticed that her eyes were shut really tight. she wasn't awake! i told scott this and he tried everything he could to wake her up. he was jumping up and down with her, yelling her name, i even tried peeling her eyes open. nothing. i took her from him and tried to rock with her in the rocking chair and singing a primary song, but she just wouldn't calm down. scott went into the kitchen and made her a bottle. i gave her the bottle and she ate it and calmed down. she was opening her eyes, but she wouldn't look at me and she wasn't really looking at anything. she just had a glazed over look. i could tell she still wasn't coherent. scott was in the kitchen while i was feeding her. we were both really scared and didn't have any idea what was going on. when she finished her bottle i gave her her pacifier and she remained calm, but she still wasn't awake. i rocked with her for a while until scott came back in the room. he put his hand on her head and she opened her eyes, but this time she was really awake. she was looking around like she had no idea what was going on and probably wondering why i was holding her in the middle of the night. scott held her for a while and then put her back in her crib and she went right to sleep. i went into the bathroom and cried. i had no idea what was going on or what i should do. i felt totally helpless. i really didn't want to go back to sleep. was she having a night terror? i've read a little about night terrors, and it sure seemed like that's what was going on, but i thought that kids didn't get them until they were preschool age. i just don't understand why she wouldn't wake up. that was something that i hope we'll never have to experience again.

four years ago today...

i was able to be sealed for time and all eternity to my soul mate and best friend. i recently got out one of my old journals just for fun, and it happened to be the one that i was writing in when i met scott. it was really cool to read the stuff that i wrote about him four and a half years ago, especially at this time when we're celebrating our marriage. i was able to be reminded of how lucky i am. i hate to admit it, but i guess i take him for granted most of the time. he has given me so much and has taught me more than i can believe. he thinks i'm beautiful no matter what i look like. he loves me even when i'm being a major brat. he's patient with me when i'm overly stressed out. he is an amazing father. he's a great kisser. he works so hard so that i can stay home with brookie and be the best mother i can be to her. he's a very handy man, and can fix just about anything. he makes sure we read our scriptures every night. he knows me better than i know myself. when i'm being ridiculous he humors me. he tells me i don't have cellulite when i know dang well that i do. he can always make me laugh. he has an amazing testimony of the gospel and is always willing to serve. he inspires me to be a better person. i really do wonder why in the world he chose me. i am so blessed! i love you scotty, and thank you for an amazing four years!

separation anxiety?

so, lately brooklin has been freaking out when we put her to bed. she used to go down just fine with no problems at all. she knew it was bedtime and she would go right to sleep. now she just starts wailing the minute i leave the room. the last couple of nights i've gone back in her room to calm her down and she has gotten herself so worked up that she's sweating, and the only way i can get her to settle down is by rocking with her. i really don't want her to get into the habit of being rocked to sleep, but at the same time i don't really know what else to do and i feel so bad because she is literally screaming. i've also noticed that a lot of times when i put her down on the floor in the living room to play with her toys so that i can do the dishes or whatever, she whines and cries. it's like she's moving backwards. i feel like we finally got to a point where i could get stuff done during the day and she was going to sleep really well at night, and things were going really great. now she's decided to freak out. is she starting the whole separation anxiety thing? or is she just not feeling well? i keep checking for teeth and checking her temperature, but i don't think she's teething. maybe she just really does miss me that much. i dunno.

disposing of our jack-o-lanterns

scott got the great idea to get out the guns and shoot the pumpkins to smitherines. we went with shanna, jonathan and jackson up the mount baker highway to a place a lot of people go shooting, and we hauled out our shriveling pumpkins to use as target practice. i hadn't been shooting in probably two years so i was excited. really i'm not a big gun person, but i like to shoot the 22. it's fun to use the scope and my accuracy has improved quite a bit over the years. and thanks to brooklin i can actually hold the gun for a lot longer than i used to be able to (i used to have pretty weak arms. well, i guess i still do compared to most people). jonathan brought out his handgun and the guys were having fun with that.


even with the rain we had a pretty fun time, and now we don't have to pick rotting pumpkin off our porch.


check out the damage.

tricks or treats

this year we had a pretty fun halloween. halloween is one of my most favorite holidays so i was planning our costumes weeks in advance, and for a while we were the only ones with decorations up in our neighborhood. this year was super exciting because i not only got to dress scott and myself up, but i got to play dress-up with brooklin too. we found her costume first. since we got a cow costume for her we decided scott would be a farmer and i of course stuck to my usual theme of dressing like a cute little animal, and went with a bunny costume. we went to the trunk-or-treat at the church and passed out candy for a little while and visited with family and friends, then we headed back home to watch "Its The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" with some of our friends. we had yummy krispy kreme donuts, green rice krispie treats and hot cider. we really enjoyed spending time with our friends and getting to see everybody in their costumes.