1/4 of a Century

I was born 25 years ago today. 25 sounds like a lot of years when you say it flat out, but really I'm not even at the half-way point of life yet! I've been told by several people that the "real world" won't take you seriously until you are 25. Well... I'm 25 now, so start taking me seriously!!! :) Also, now I can rent a car all by myself! :) Only 10 more years and I can run for president of the United States! 

This birthday, I've been reflecting a lot on where I thought I would be when I hit this age compared with where I actually ended up. I have to say, while I wish I would have been more "serious" in my younger youth, I absolutely love my life! 

When I was a teenager, 25 sounded so far away. I thought I would have graduated college with a Bachelor's Degree in Music, served a full-time mission for my church and then married at the age of 23. I always imagined I'd have at least 2 kids by the time I hit 25. Hah! Those plans did not pan out the way I imagined! 

Life has a way of derailing your plans and then it finds a way to make you fall in love with the changes. 

Instead of studying music, I have had the "opportunity" to study many subjects (mainly due to my indecision). While yes, this has been a setback to my degree timeline, it's been a blessing to have studied so many different subjects and fields and to be able to use all that extra knowledge that I have gained into my everyday life. Instead of a Bachelor's degree, I have an Associate's degree.  As a result of all my "soul" searching, I have found a subject that I love and am passionate about and while I still won't be done studying for many years to come, I am happy with my choice to continue my education. That is one goal that I will never give up on. 

I did not serve a full-time mission for my church. Instead I met a respectable, thoughtful, young man who took me to the temple and we were sealed together for all time and eternity. Together, we have grown emotionally and spiritually. He has been such a blessing in my life and I have learned so much about the gospel and about myself, and about respecting people because of his example and his insights. Also, as I've grown up and moved around, I've had the opportunity to teach the gospel to all ages in classes at church and to new friends that I meet. And one day, when Doug and I are older, we will serve a full-time mission together. :) 

I definitely got married way before the age of 23. While some people would argue that even 23 is too young to get married- I got married at 19 and I don't regret it for a second. I have grown and matured WITH my husband. We have developed our habits and lifestyles TOGETHER. Some people told me, before I was married, that marriage would not be what I imagine; that I was "in for a surprise"; that I had no idea just what it would be like. And while, yes, there are aspects to marriage that were a surprise to me - I feel that I was adequately prepared for the choice I was making. 

People told us that the first year would be the hardest. (Other people argue that it's the 2nd year that's the hardest). We're going on our 6th year and well, I am still waiting on that "hard" year. Doug and I have never had to raise our voices at one another, we have never had an argument that got our blood boiling. (Although, he did call me a "dummy" on our honeymoon because I accidentally turned off the car...haha!) We discuss the things that are bothering us and we work through them together. We lean on each other very often for support. I'm not trying to say marriage is a cakewalk and I'm certainly not trying to say our marriage is perfect, but what I am trying to say is that my marriage is certainly worth sacrificing all that I have to make it work. Doug is my best friend and I would make the same decision to marry him, even at 19 again, in a heartbeat.

As for kids, I hit some bumps on that road too. I definitely don't have 2 or 3 or 4. Though many of my friends who were married after me have that many. Nope, for now we just have the one and I can't imagine my life without Ben. He is such a blessing everyday. He is certainly not an "easy" baby by any means, but he is a joy and he is so good and sweet and pure. He is the best this world has to offer and I love him more and more each day and want him to be happy and successful in life. 

So, in conclusion - the past 25 years are not how I would have planned them; my life events didn't fall on my timetable, but the Lord had something much better in store for me and I wouldn't change a thing! 

25 years down, a lot more to go! I'm looking forward to the changes and opportunities that await. :)

Family Updates

We have now been in SLC for the past 1 1/2 months. Seems like a lot longer... but the calendar doesn't lie. We're still newbies.

I am seriously loving it here. It's warm (relatively, of course), the people are super friendly (like- sincerely friendly), I have an awesome, good-paying job in an industry I love (finance & customer service) and it's within walking distance from my home (it's about 3 minutes away by car, about 10 minutes if I walk). 

We found a really flexible daycare provider for Ben who only charges $3/hour and it soo great with kids. 

Doug is enjoying school and has also found a part-time job. He's still working on the hiring paperwork process, but once that's all set we will be good to go. And his job is super flexible and pays well too. 

Things are just working out well here. & There is so much more to do and see. (Of course, we're home-bodies, so that doesn't mean we've gone out and seen them yet - but knowing they are out there is satisfying.)

Update on Ben - I'm not going to do an official "8 month post" this month because I just did one for 7 1/2 and not too much has changed since then. But for the little updates:

He's sooooo close to crawling (or at least scooting). He is rolling with much more purpose and focus these days and is starting to reach for things that are a little further away from him. Occasionally he will roll in order to get a better angle on things and he's kick his feet on the floor when he's on his belly (he hasn't quite figured out what position they need to be in in order to propel himself). He's definitely using that cute little brain of his! 

Since he has 2 teeth and has more coming in, I've been working on giving him foods that he can chew. Like bananas, apple chunks, pasta, animal crackers, etc. He LOVES bananas. He scarfs them down. It's so fun to watch him eat a banana. He won't hold it - I keep trying - but he will push my hand towards his mouth when he's ready for a new bite and will gnaw on it until he breaks off a chunk. Then he smacks it around in his gums for a few seconds, swallows it down and the process repeats itself. 

His sleeping through the night has regressed and Doug & I are not happy about it. Ben needs to just be on my sleep schedule and sleep 23 hours out of the day. (Kidding, I only sleep 15! ;P)

Well, that's about it, I think!

Feel free to compare & contrast these yawning "then & now" photos of Ben:

7 months!

Ben is 7 months old! (Well technically, he's 7 1/2 now...) This 7th month has been an eventful one for Ben.

• He moved away from the only home he's ever known. 
• He had his pacifier taken away (again!)
• He now has only 1 bottle a day - the rest is oatmeal and other baby food (and man, does he pack it away!)
• He reaches up when he sees mommy or daddy
• He can sit up and grab his toes (but only for a little bit then he topples over)
• He sleeps through the night, and when he wakes up, he can put himself back to sleep
• He likes to Skype his Grandparents
• He LOVES to bounce in his bouncer! He is a bouncing machine!!
• He rolls all around - he can be all over the place when he wants to be, but for the most part he still stays in one place and chews on his toys
• He met his future wife - a Tongan YSA in our ward at church with long, pretty hair who smiles at him a lot. :)
• and he went down a slide with Dad for the first time!

(My adorable blue teddy bear!)

Ben loves sucking on his fingers. And he loves sticking his fingers in Mom's mouth, so that I can taste how delicious they are, too. (6/10 - would taste again)

This little boy is such a happy boy. It is so easy to get a giggle out of him. It is not always an easy job, but it is an honor to get to be the mother of this sweet little one.

How can you not love that adorable face!?

Oh yeah - and since we're talking about milestones I guess you're wondering how much this chubster weighs nowadays. Well.... 

Height: ~27 inches

Weight: ~19.6 lbs (Yes, my kid is a fatty mcfatterson, but we wears it all in his double chin.)

(I had to include this picture - because these two are pretty much best friends. Ben cracks up when the Dog is around, and Owen always gets a slobbery, wet, regurgitated snack when he hangs out near Ben. Plus, Owen is our first born and this picture is just too cute to leave out!)

Christmas & Moving

So, this post is way late! But I figured you'd all want to see Ben's 1st Christmas! :) We stayed home in Idaho for Christmas. So it was just the 3 of us + Owen (the dog). Right after we opened presents, I packed up the tree because we moved a couple days later! Ben was very tired Christmas morning, because I had taken his pacifier away the night before. So he was a little out of it. Most of the pictures we took of him had a really flat, sleepy expression. But we still managed to take a few happy, smiling ones too! 

 Ben LOVED sucking on the wrapping paper. (Don't worry - he was supervised the whole time and did not consume any. :) )

 I think his favorite part was crinkling the paper. Right after his first present, we decided he was just too sleepy. So we laid him down for a nap and put Christmas on pause for a while.

 Once he woke up from his nap, we was ready to go again. With all the pretty bows laying around, I just couldn't resist.

 He REALLY loved the presents we got him. We got him a bunch of things that rattle (I'm shaking a rattle in the above picture). He went nuts for them!

 He was amazed by the wrapping paper. He had no idea what this nonsense meant.

 "What the heck is going on!?"

 "Oh, I love it!!!"

 Playing on the floor with his new toys!

I told you Ben loves the Dog. They have a very symbiotic relationship. Owen loves to come clean-up the messes Ben makes (aka spit-up) and Ben loves to pull the dog's hair. They get along great!

Some of our favorite Christmas presents:

Kendra's - meat slicer, recipe binder, a few clothing articles

Doug's - a blue tooth speaker

Ben's - Anything that rattles and some books that have tails sticking out of the pages

So with Christmas over, we packed and cleaned as much as we could and then hopped in the truck to Salt Lake City. Doug is going back to school. I am soon to be working full-time (which I am both nervous and excited for!) We have a little tiny apartment, in a very culturally-diverse neighborhood. We have lots of friends and family near-by and there are tons of things to do here. So far, we love it!

I'm excited for the change of pace and since we'll be here for the next several years while Doug is in school, I'm glad to feel like we can lay down some "roots" while we're here. No more moving every 7-8 months. And hopefully, since I'm planning on being here for a while - I'll be able to progress a bit in my field and advance to some higher positions. (We will see!)