Living the Family Life

Here I sit... checking email while my man sleeps on one couch, the baby girl on the other...

We recently finished a rather delicious pasta meal. I was tickled when the baby girl devoured it and Sam said, "I like this. A lot."

Before that was laundry, and the baby girl wanted to get in the hottub. At 10 am.

Before that, the baby girl requested we get up and make eggs for breakfast.

Before that, Sam and I woke up to our baby girl sitting between us in bed eating from a bag of doritos...... Time to get up.

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Today I'm enjoying being home together. Doing the domestic things, cooking, cleaning, brushing little girls hair, kissing my man when I pass by him....

Last night we went to a concert and left the baby girl here with Winter, our trusty (and luckily related) babysitter. It was a first for me.... leaving a baby at home, calling/texting to check in, cutting our date short because she was still awake at home and we wanted to be there, making sure we still had enough cash to pay the babysitter, giving the directions on what to eat/bedtimes/snacks/activities/no visitors/etc as we left.... I'm living the life of a parent now, and honestly..... I'M LOVING IT.

I love how comfortable and RIGHT it all feels when we are together. I love when she tells me she loves me. I love when she wants ME to lay with her and read books. I love seeing what an incredibly father Sam is. I love the look on Sam's face when he sees his girls curled up and engrossed in some activity, together. I love us being here, all of us. Sam, Me, the Baby Girl... and of course, the dogs.

p.s. A queen size bed will NEVER be big enough.

Teaching a Boy to Fish

Last weekend Sam promised Tuffy he would take him fishing. It was Tuffy's first time EVER.

Apparently he woke up at 6:30 am and informed Poppa that "him and Sam were going fishing."

To say he was excited is an understatment.


I stayed occupied with this.... when I wasn't watching two of my most favorite boys in the world.

It didn't take long to get a fish on!!

His first fish EVER!!! Look at that face! It says it all!

SUCCESS!!!

Caught limit.... Sam's a pro. (no really... he is.... need an awesome fishing guide?? check out www.catchfishwithsam.com he will even give you a discount I bet. ;) )

Wearing a Washcloth

I bought a shirt last December. I was intrigued with it when I saw it up on the wall in the store and I made myself buy it.

It hung in my closet since. Still has the tags on it. It orignally cost $42.00.

I've always thought it was pretty, but I've been waiting for the perfect time to wear it. Something a little fancy, not too bland, not too over the top.

We have a wedding coming up.... I put it on the other day and said, "Babe, I'm thinking about wearing this to the wedding. What do you think?"

"It looks like a washcloth." Was his reply.

I sold it today on Ebay for $1.99.

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I realize I've been posting a few things that make him sound like an ASS. He truly is absolutely wonderful, incredibly sweet, amazingly romantic and brilliant. But there are a few things that slip through every now and then (I'm definately guilty of the same) and sometimes they are just too funny not to share.

Now, in his defense, as soon as he saw my face he ran over, wrapped his arms around me and said, "Sweety, you look great in anything. You should totally wear it if you like it. I'm sure you will put it together with something that will look great. Besides, your eyes look great with it." But the damage had already been done, I would NEVER wear that shirt, EVER..... At least I can be grateful that I'm dating an honest man....

He has told me that we can go shopping if I want. I'm still undecided on if I'm going to take him up on that offer or not. I may keep that card in my pocket and play it later when it carries more weight. :)

Mindless Productivity

This has been my latest project, undyed/naturally dyed 100% Peruvian Wool. Four skeins of it to be exact. Natural/cream colored, a pumpkin orange and Merlot burgandy.

I'm making an afaghan for myself, that's right, MYSELF. I'm excited.

I love this pattern, the tufts in the stitching make it very squishy and comfy.

During this time inbetween school semesters I thought I would give myself something to do that I really enjoyed... shortly after I fell in love with this yarn as I wandered through a local yarn shop.

And, TA DA!! Now I'm in the middle of this lovely project.

It goes everywhere with me.... to work, to watch Sam teach Tuffy to fish, to the couch during a movie, etc.

I'm loving it... and will even more so when it's finished.

Gas Releases

Last night after my soccer game in Ogden, Sam and I stopped for dinner at "The Pie".... the best and most famous pizza place in Ogden.

We wayyyyy over ordered and enjoyed fractions of all the deliciousness on the table in front of us. We packed up the rest, barely got stuffed selves back out to the car and started our 1 1/2 hour drive home.

About 30 minutes down the road I notice that Sam is squirming under my hand which is lifelessly placed on his thigh while we drive.

"You alright?" I ask as I look up at his face and notice it is twisting and turning a bit with each breath.

"Yeah," he replies, "I just have a really big gas bubble and I'm trying to decide which way it is going to go, up or down."

Oh great!!! I nervously laugh and say, "Well, thanks for the warning. If I can request I would ask that it please go UP!"

He nodded.

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It reminds me of when we were first dating and he let out a burp while we were on a walk. I jokingly said, "Oh Babe, you are soooo romantic."

He replied with, "We've kissed now. I can do those things."

Lucky for me he said it with a smile.... but let me assure you, he was dead serious.

Don't get me wrong, he isn't a man slug. He is quite articulate and proper when needs be.

But let me just say, I'm thanking my lucky stars that I haven't been the victim of a covered wagon, YET. Although, it has been threatened.

Understanding the Setup

I get it now.

Typically it has been (and taught) that the man/father/husband is the one to leave the home and earn a living. Without going into a lot of detail (or doctrinal or religious debate) I will simply say that I have questioned parts of it, wondered if for certain situations other things may be more appropriate....

Well today I understood it all a lot better.

As I left my home, headed to work, my amazing boyfriend cooking in the kitchen, preparing a BBQ for my parents and brother, the dogs were being lazy in the back yard, the day was perfect.... and I was leaving.

I woke up from a quick nap and as I walked out my bedroom door I entered what was my idea of heaven on earth.... then I had to leave it.

I was emotional, I cried, I asked for a big hug and kiss before I left. I cried on my way to work, I called my parents for a little emotional support, etc, etc, etc.

Then I realized, I bet the reason Heavenly Father suggests men be the ones to leave the home and go to work is so that women don't have to cry day in and day out.

I'm guessing men can hold it together a bit more. :)

Now I get it.... and now I'm counting the minutes till I get to run home in the morning.

The Perfect Sunday

After a PERFECT Sunday morning of lounging around, waking up slow, enjoying relaxing together, laughing, playing and enjoying some peace.... Sam suggested we take a picnic up to Cascade Springs.

We invited Mom and the kids and had a WONDERFUL time.

Bragging

Meteor shower.
Middle of the night.
Middle of Nowhere in the Utah desert.
On the side of some dirt road.
Air mattress.
Sleeping bags.
Random snacks.
Wine.
Me.
Sam.

It was amazingly perfect.

Suspicious Packages

The other night my friend finally came home from living in Paris. She came down for a BBQ and we pulled our Morocco goodies out from their hiding place in my closet. Since she was moving home soon I brought home everything we bought and put it away for safe keeping, I didn't get it out till now... tragic I know.

We smiled as we pulled down all of our yarn. Our floor poofs were still safe and sound; although my goat skin poofs have goat oil all over them, they will need a good cleaning. We found our candle sticks and I let out a big sigh when I left my lantern up there.... still packaged and safe until I actually redo my room and it has a rightful place of it's own.

We laughed as I grabbed our rugs. YES, they look like a Kilo of cocaine, we know. We thought that when the man first wrapped them for us in the rug store, we laughed then... we are still laughing now.


The best thing about it all is that when we unwrapped them they still smelled like Morocco. A little tear crept into my eye, probably hers as well. All the smells from that rug shop, and most of Morocco, expanded into my room when the package was cut open... and even more so when we pulled out each rug and unfolded them one by one.

We could still smell a hint of the tanneries, the dirt, the cigarette smoke, the smell of bodies, the hot wind..... it was all there.... in a package that looked a lot like we were smuggling drugs.

Movie Hopping

I've found out that I am not capable of movie hopping.

Last night we went to see Julie & Julia... then as we were leaving we kicked around the idea of seeing Transformers. We didn't decide to actually see it till we were out of the theater... so we paid again, bought MORE concessions and went to Transformers.

It all started out good, the movie was entertaining.... but I got tired and got really really squirmy. I got the itches, my stomach got funny, I got "restless legs" in my entire body, I had to use the restroom about three times in two hours....

Apparently my body dosen't like sitting still for over four hours, even if I do get to cuddle and snuggle.

So now I've learned, I can't movie hop.... My body won't allow it.

But considering the fact that my weigh-in this morning revealed I gained two pounds last week, that probably isn't a bad thing.... We added Sam to the gym membership, now we need to use it. Time to recommit.

Can't make it through a day without it

I have a lot of things that make my days easier, brighter, more joyful...

One that I'm incredibly grateful for today?

www.pandora.com

I can't make it through a 12 hour shift without it, especially when I have two papers to write. :)

Music soothes my soul, inspires my mind and drowns out the chattering and rambling of my coworkers.... The greatest thing about Pandora? You get to create your own "radio stations" based on who you enjoy listening to and what style music you want...

Seriously, if you aren't partaking in Pandora you are missing out. Try it!

RETRACTION

Ok, for real... we DIDN'T go to a nudist ranch.

But we did see the sign and thought it was a great photo op!! We hope you liked them. :) hahahaha

However, He did take me camping... and it was WONDERFUL. DELIGHTFUL. HEAVENLY.


We found the Provo River Falls... they were GORGEOUS. The water was freezing, but I couldn't help but get my feet wet.

This was just the beginning of our adventure.... and it started out absolutely awesome.

We drove through many campgrounds until I finally picked this one at Mirror Lake. We got our site set up pretty quickly and Sam tied up the hammock I was so excited about. Then he hopped in to "test it out."

I earned my "one-match-fire badge" in girl scouts, but Sam still took control of the fire responsibilities. It wasn't until the very last day that I built a fire without him.... mainly because he was taking a nap. I personally think he did all the fires because he liked playing with his little hatchet.

If there is one thing that we know how to do, it's COOK. Even over an open fire. This night Sam made me sit and observe... so I kept my tootsies warm by the fire while he tended to the pan of deliciousness.

We are both absolutely in love with our tent ... and our sleeping bags are AMMMAAAZING!

On our last day there Sam finally got in some fishing... he had been wanting to get out to the water and I took the opportunity to get some pictures of what is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to photograph....

After a couple hours of fishing Sam passed out... sandwiched with our totes that usually weren't in the tent; but instead he wiggled down there and fell sound asleep.

We had a great time. One of the things I enjoy the most about my time with Sam is that we explore so much. I have always been a girl that likes to take in as much of the world as possible, and with him I am doing it. We are always doing something, always finding a new corner to investigate.... I love it.

Until our next adventure....

Weekend Escape

After a crazy week of work, Sam took me away for the weekend. We left Saturday and came back Monday.

He didn't really tell me where we were going, I didn't really ask. I knew we were headed up for some camping... then he took me here.

Personally, I loved these little guys on top of the post at the entrance... they really hold the attitude of the ranch.

We took a few pictures (that would be ok for public viewing)... If you want more details you will have to ask privately. :)

Oh, this was Sam's favorite sign.