Michelle Wren

Spudman Triathlete!!

2008-07-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

On Friday we headed to Burley, Idaho with our friends Jeramy and Liz so that Matt and Jeramy could compete in the Spudman Triathlon. Besides the fact that we drove to Idaho, watched a triathlon, then drove back to Utah in less than 24 hours, we had a great time. There is just something about being around races that is just a cool feeling. The girls loved watching their dad, and I did too! There is just something about Matt running around in tight spandex that I love :).

Congrats Matt and Jeramy! You guys did great!

Randomness...

2008-07-17T10:20:00.001-07:00

I ran across some older pictures today and they were so fun to see, so I will share...

Cute little Reese. You forget that they used to be even littler than they are now.

Me doing some sweet moves on the tramp. Look at that air!

My sweet little Lauren. I miss those little curls!

Mmmm, coconut milk in Kauai.

Oh, how I want to be back at that secret little waterfall in Kauai!!

Update...

2008-07-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I went to the doctor yesterday for my first appointment and it didn't go all that well. I had an ultrasound and unfortunately the doctor was unable to find a heartbeat. I have what is called a molar pregnancy. I had never heard of it before, and I guess it is pretty rare. From what I have learned it is a growth of abnormal tissue. Both normal pregnancies and molar pregnancies develop from a fertilized egg, though in a molar pregnancy the egg doesn't grow as it should. So pretty much, my body thinks that it is pregnant. My doctor felt the uterus earlier in the appointment and told me that my uterus was enlarged and soft, which meant that I was definitely pregnant. So, if I were to take a pregnancy test right now it would be positive, so I have all the symptoms and hormones of being pregnant, just not the fetus. I was in the process of deciding whether I should get a D&C or if I should just let it abort naturally, but my choice was made for me today when it passed naturally. Definitely not a fun experience, but I'm glad that the process has started and will hopefully be finished soon.

I am doing surprisingly well... much better than I thought I would. Of course right when the doctor told us, we were in total shock and extremely saddened, and although it totally stinks I am feeling at peace about it now. It's amazing how prayers and loved ones can really help in difficult times! I have actually been quite impressed with myself :). Hopefully everything will be better in the next few days.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know what was going on and hopefully I explained it somewhat coherently ;). I understand that things happen for reason, and I know that faith can show us amazing things if we are looking in the right places.

Things that are COOL... in no particular order...

2008-07-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

10 Cool People

John Adams (founding father/president)

Joseph Smith (prophet)

Nanon Record (my mama)

Matt Wren (my husband)

Johnny Depp (actor)

Abigail Adams (awesome lady, and wife to John Adams)

Jane Austin (wonderful writer)

Shirley Temple (actress)

Sherri Dew (Writer, business women)

Jeffrey Holland (apostle)

I'll have to add an 11th... Adam Record (brother)

10 Cool Movies

I Am David

Pride and Prejudice

Three Amigos

Star Wars

Little Women

Big Trouble In Little China

Lord Of The Rings

Nacho Libre

Count Of Monte Cristo

Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

10 Cool Places I've Been

Kauai, Hawaii

Anaconda, Montana

St. Petersburg, Russia

Tallinn, Estonia

Stockholm, Sweden

Helsinki, Finland

New York City

Puerto Rico

Gdansk, Poland

Oslo, Norway

10 Cool Books

The Secret Life Of Bees

Harry Potters

Twilight Series

No Doubt About It

Mutant Message Down Under

The Food Revolution

The Glass Castle

The Giver

Man's Search For Meaning

Chronicles Of Narnia

Cool, huh.

2008-07-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know... I've been slacking a bit in the blogging department. It's actually been a whole month since I last posted! I think I will be doing a little better from now on, so I'll be trying.

Well... I suppose I have some fun news... I'm pregnant!!! Yay for me! I'm really excited and I feel great. I probably am at the stage where I shouldn't be telling people, but I just have such a hard time keeping it in! I am almost 8 weeks along, so I've got a loooooong way to go. I think my due date is February 16. I have my first doctor appointment next week, so I'm super excited! It feels like it's been forever since I've been pregnant, and I think I'm kind of weird because I seriously love being pregnant. We'll see if I'm still saying that in a few more months ;).

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2008-05-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

So, I will start off by saying that I have a really cute husband. I know a lot of people don't like to read when people brag about family and all, but hey,

I'm gonna do it! My birthday was on May 29, and Matt has made it the best "birthday week" ever. He decided to throw me a big surprise party. It was so much fun! He blindfolded me and took me to Classic Fun Center in Layton.

There were a ton of people there, and we spent the night playing laser tag, roller skating, eating pizza and playing on the big blow up toys. Those things are awesome! We were cracking up playing on them. Most of us ended up with a few injuries, but it was worth it. I guess that's proof we are definitely getting older. It totally felt like a high school date or something! It was so fun to be with everybody. I have GREAT friends! Afterward, we headed to Pace's and ate an awesome rainbow float... mmm,mmm.

On my actual birthday, Matt and I got some lunch and saw "Speed Racer". Say what you will, but I LOVED it! The last part of my birthday week was yesterday. Some of my cute friends took me to Tony's for lunch, then Matt and I headed to Salt Lake and ate at Ruth's Chris. YUMMY! Best steak ever! We thoroughly enjoyed all of the food, especially the 2 desserts we got! We finished the night off by playing Mario Kart on the Wii with some friends... so fun!

This was a great week, and I really realized that I

am surrounded by wonderful people. I am a very lucky girl, and yes, I know that I am spoiled!! Thanks everyone!

FEED ME!

2008-05-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

Matt has been sick the last week and a half, and it seems to be getting worse, so we decided to make today a relaxing stay at home day... so fun! The weird thing is I that I cannot get food off my mind today! It started off with having apple streusel pancakes... lovely. From that point on, I couldn't get enough food. I would crave something like chips and salsa. After having a few bites, I would feel satisfied, but then start fantasizing of the next food I was going to eat. I'm not just talking about thinking that something sounds yummy, but thinking about how I am going to get it and where, going down the list of my favorite foods at restaurants, and imagining how good they are going to be. Really weird, I know. I seriously can't get it off my mind. Of course, most the things I'm wanting are REALLY healthy and good for me, so that's great!! I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else ever fantasizes about food... all day long!

My Little Lauren

2008-04-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

My friend Lacee tagged me to do a post about my little Lauren. It's a great excuse for me to brag about my girls ;). Hmmm... what to say...

1. Lauren is really a sweet girl. She's got a very tender and sensitive heart and likes to help people. She doesn't like to do anything bad. She has a real desire to do what's right and feels bad when she doesn't. She loves to help me and is quite the little smarty!! She loves learning and being in pre-school. She loves her sister and they play so good together (thank goodness!!). She is a really good example.
2. She loves to dance. She is in a ballet class and loves it. This is a picture at her first recital.
3. Lauren is one picky eater!! If I let her she would just eat Pizza Factory breadsticks and candy all day long. She is finally starting to try new things, but for a while she would literally only eat Cheerios, Mac n' Cheese, peanut butter sandwiches, and apples. We would try everything to get her to try new things. When she would finally give in and try it, she would usually throw it back up! Lovely!

4. Lauren is a girly girl!! She loves princesses, to dance, dress up (as you can see of her in Disneyland in front of her favorite ride "Tower of Terror"), pretend, and everything else a girl would do. She has quite the imagination. I love to listen to her play with her toys. I'm not sure where she comes up with the stuff she does, but she loves to play in her little imagination world for hours.

5. She is freakishly good at playing the Wii! Her favorite game is "Rayman: Raving Rabbids". She seriously can beat us at some of them, and we're not even letting her.
6. She loves to travel with us. She's been able to go to some fun places. Her favorites are San Diego and Puerto Rico. This is her at Sea World about to pick up a star fish. She also loves animals! She takes after her mommy in that way!

I love my little Lauren. She's at a fun age... it's fun to have actual conversations with her. She's getting all grown up... CRAZY!

I want to hear about Luke H., Andrew C., Kaleb Z., and Caden N.

Race For The Cure

2008-04-28T11:49:00.001-07:00

A little over a year ago, my very favorite aunt passed away from breast cancer. She left behind her awesome husband Kelly and 4 awesome children Tara, Jenny, Shannon, and Casey. To say the least, they are an exceptional family, and I love them all so much. This year, I decided that I wanted to be a part of the "Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure" run/walk in Salt Lake. A friend of mine has done it and told me it is a really neat and emotional experience. So, my brother and I set up a team called "Forever Christine", named after my beautiful aunt and my cousins darling tutu business (foreverchristinetutus.blogspot.com). If anyone is interested it is on May 10. To register go to www.komenslc.org and look on the right hand side of the page and click on "Komen SLC Race for the Cure". That will take you to the next page where you click on "Register for the race here". Next, click on "Register Now". If you don't have a MyActive account you'll have to register by filling out some info. At some point you can choose to join a team, which is "Forever Christine". I just think it would be so great if a bunch of people came. For all of you who are using the excuse that you don't run, you're in luck. You can either walk or run the 5k, or walk a mile. You can also walk with strollers, so that's nice! It starts at the Gateway, so it sounds like it will be great. Let me know if you have any questions.

And The Winner Is...

2008-04-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

So, my brother did the drawing and the winner is... Jordan Frazier!! Congrats Jordan! Now all you need to do is go to his etsy store at falldowntree.etsy.com or his blog at falldowntree.blogspot.com and pick out which one is your very favorite, then e-mail Adam at adammrecord@gmail.com and let him know. E-mail him if you have any questions. Thank you all for participating... it was fun to hear the different opinions of what people liked, and my brother really appreciated it!!

Pizza Runner

2008-04-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

I have really been trying to eat better lately, and Matt is usually right there to help me out, but yesterday he came home for lunch and brought me some Pizza Runner breadsticks with sauce, of course! I don't know how many of you have had these little bits of heaven, but they are oh so yummy! Part of the reason I like these so much is because they are quite nostalgic for me. Pizza Runner is pretty much across the street from the high school I went to, which means that before I could drive, my friends and I would walk over there for lunch almost every stinking day and eat a bag full of breadsticks. Those were the days!! They were something like a dollar for the breadsticks, and 50 cents for the sauce. Ahhh, every high school students dream (at least for me!). Anyway, I of course demolished the breadsticks and enjoyed every second of them!! If you haven't had the opportunity to taste these little beauties, I highly recommend them!

Fall Down Tree

2008-04-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of you guys have siblings that are so super talented, but it seems like my 3 brothers took all the talent that I would have had. Seriously, my brothers can do some amazing things. Today I'm going to spotlight my brother Adam. He's a great musician, being able to play piano, guitar, banjo, etc. all by ear, he is a great photographer, he sings beautifully, and is really funny among other things. He is also a great artist. He has recently started making children's wall art after searching for the perfect print to put into their little girl's room. After looking for something creative and unique to hang on the wall, he decided to just make some himself. That catapulted into him and his wife Jill starting a business together. They call their company Fall Down Tree and they now have an etsy store that you can check out at falldowntree.etsy.com. Some cute boutiques around Utah have also started to sell them, and they will be at an art and craft show called Oh, Sweet Sadie on May 2 and 3 and May 9 and 10 (www.ohsweetsadie.com). To see his latest creations go to falldowntree.blogspot.com. He updates it frequently. What's great is that my other brother Chris has been custom framing each picture, so it's been a family affair.

Here's the fun part... leave a comment and we will be doing a drawing for a free 10x10 framed print of your choice. Contest ends Friday April 25.

Big Ol' Ice Cream

2008-04-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

Another fun day!! I just had to post a picture of the ice cream we ate tonight. So good, but pure evil! It was chocolate brownie batter ice cream on top of a big chocolate chip cookie, with hot fudge, whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, with, of course, a cherry on top!! So good, but I felt myself getting fatter with each bite, so I only a had a few bites.

Also, at the ice cream place, MooTime, they have a big statue of Elvis. So I took this picture in honor of my good friend Aleesha!! She loves that Elvis!

By the way, I need to say thanks to Ben and Nicole for watching Puppy! They always hook us up. Those are some good friends!

San Diego

2008-04-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Matt and I and the girls are in San Diego right now. AHHHH, I LOVE this weather! It really is perfect here. I heard it actually snowed today in Utah!! That stinks! Not to rub it in or anything, but I actually go sunburned today. We went to Sea World and had such a good time! I don't know what it is about these kinds of places (Disneyland, etc.), but I love them! I've decided that the next project I will work on is how to become a trainer at Sea World!!! Can you just imagine me riding around on Shamu's back. I can see it now! We did some fun stuff...saw all the shows, picked up star fish, took a behind the scene tour where we saw dolphins up close, pet some small sharks, and learned a ton of neat things.

If you haven't noticed Matt and I really like to travel. It seems like whenever we go to different places we usually end up wanting to live there. I think we've narrowed it down to a few definite places like Kauai, St. George, Puerto Rico, Estonia, and now San Diego! I've always loved San Diego, but for some reason this trip has solitified my love for it. And you all know that once we get all these places, you are all invited to travel with us, of course :)!!

Anyway, we are having a great time! It's fun to get away and we're enjoying the time with the family.

Awesome Hair Stuff!

2008-03-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

I recently started using a shampoo and conditioner called Pureology. I LOVE it! As some of you might know, my hair is quite thick, curly, damaged, and a little out of control, so when I find a good hair product I get really excited. My hair is feeling a lot healthier, it dries faster, smells good, and is so much easier to manage. It also helps a lot with color fading. It's a little on the pricey side, but you only need to use about half as much for some reason. Also, it's earth friendly...what could be better!! Anyway, for anyone out there looking for some good hair stuff, there you go!

One Word Only Tag!

2008-03-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

you're feeling: content

to your left: Puppy

on your mind: Matt

last meal included: grapes

you sometimes find it hard to: lose weight

the weather: sunny

something you have a collection of: salt and pepper shakers

a smell that cheers you up: Matt's cologne

a smell that ruins your mood: bad breath

how long since you last shaved: yesterday

the current state of your hair: done

the largest item on your desk right now (not computer): printer

your skill with chopsticks: trying

which section you head to first in the bookstore: non-fiction

... and after that? children's

something you're craving: chips and salsa

your general thoughts on the presidential race: yikes!

how many times have you been to the hospital this year: 6 (don't worry, I was visiting friends and my ob/gyn and pediatrician are at the hospital :)

a favorite place to go for quiet time: my bedroom

you've always secretly thought you'd be good: at changing the world :)

something that freaks you out a little: suffocating

something you've eaten too much of lately: fiber one bars

you have never: fully skinny dipped

you never want to: get fat

Some of those were hard to keep to one word!! I tag Shannon, April, and my cousin Jenny :)

Mutant Message Down Under

2008-03-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading a book called "Mutant Message Down Under" for my book club. Such a great book!! I don't know how many of you read "Eat, Pray, Love", but although it was a decent book, it was definitely not my favorite. This book has a similar feel to it, but I think it is sooooo much better. It's a really easy read... you could probably read it in a few days. The main idea of the book is an account of a woman's spiritual adventure/journey as she goes on a walk-about through the Australia desert with a tribe of Aborigines. She learns their way of life and how they think. Although I don't personally believe everything that she believes, it was a great book to discuss, and really got my mind to thinking. I really appreciate any book that actually helps your brain turn on and reflect on your own life and the reasons why you do the things you do. Anyway, I really recommend it to all!!

"Man Blog"

2008-03-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you read the last post, but it was not from me. I guess I need to keep constant supervision when our friends come over, especially if Jeramy Reed is at our home. For those of you who have no idea what's going on, we have a friend who is completely obsessed with checking out all the blogs around here (blogstalker!). I don't know what the appeal is, but I guess he is pretty fascinated with our lives (who can blame him ;). Anyway, my friend and I thought since he was so interested in blogging, we would set up his very own blog for him (you can check it out at swmanblog.blogspot.com). Anyway, he has now been going around leaving anonymous "manblog" comments on people's blogs, but not identifying himself. I guess he decided to sneak away, without Matt or me knowing, and got onto my blog last night (I have no idea how he got my password), and do a little post. Anyway, that was not me, and no, I would never post a big picture of myself that looked like that. Thank you Jeramy for your fabulous comments, and we anxiously await more!

ManBlog

2008-03-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

My CRUSH!!!

Who is this "ManBlog"? Don't you all find him kind of secretly seductive and sexy? I do. I think he is witty, funny and he has to be very handsome. I just want to get all of your thoughts and feelings on ManBlog. I guess I can say TAG to all the ladies. I don't think we should be so hard on him though. We need this kind of person to mix it up a little and make this more fun. What do you all think? I give him 2 thumbs up and a wink. Don't get a big head though ManBlog, but do keep the posts coming. WE LOVE THEM (and you).

Happy Birthday Matt!!!

2008-03-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, I've been a huge slacker!! I'll be doing better.

So Matt turned the big 28 on Thursday!! We had a lot of fun! We ate at Rickenbacher's (I think that's how you spell it), which was really good, and they gave us a really good creme brulee for Matt's birthday. After that we saw the movie Vantage Point. Pretty good flick, but intense! My back and shoulders were all tight after the movie finished. I got him a new Wii game, a shirt, and a tie (before his birthday, he also got himself a really nice backpack and a running jacket). Then we went to Matt's parents and my parents and we watched that nights Lost...so good. As we watched Lost, we ate some Ben and Jerry's birthday cake ice cream (mmm,mmm), and some chubby hubby. Man, that ice cream is seriously evil! Anyway, it was a great day, and we had so much fun hanging out.

Husband Tag

2008-02-26T19:25:00.000-08:00

I've been slacking a bit on my blogging, so when my friend Nicole did this, it was some good motivation for me.

1. What is his name? Matthew Robert Wren

2. How long have you been together? We've been married 5 1/2 years (August 2, 2002).

3. How long did you date? We dated for 4 months total. We got engaged 2 weeks after we started dating ;). To our defense, we were best friends 8 months prior to dating and we hung out as friends all through high school.

4. Who eats more? Matt does, but not by much! I sometimes have to remind myself that I have way more on my plate, so maybe slow down a bit.

5. Who said I love you first? Although my memory of this is a little different than Matt's, I did say it first, which is totally not like me. What can I say, I was completely smitten!

6. Who is taller? Matt is. I'm 5'5 and he's 5'11.

7. Who is smarter? I think we both are in different areas. Stuff comes really easy to Matt. His college experience was totally different than mine...he breezed right by, while I have to put in the effort.

8. Who does the laundry? I do, but he has no problem doing it if I ask him to. He's had some laundry mess ups, so I prefer to do it.

9. Who does the dishes? I do more than he does, but he's pretty good about that.

10. Who sleeps on the right? If we are laying in bed, he's on the right side, but it's mostly because that is the side closest to our doors leading outside.

11. Who pays the bills? Automatic bill pay. Matt is more involved in those issues than me, but he likes me to know what's going on.

12. Who mows the lawn? Matt does. I wanted to try one time and he had me stop because my lines were crooked and he couldn't handle it.

13. Who cooks dinner? I do most of the time, but he can make a mean breakfast!

14. Who drives when you are together? 80% him, 20% me.

15. Who is more stubborn? Are you kidding me??? Totally me!

16. Who kissed who first? Matt did it on our first date! Oh yeah!!

17. Who asked who out first? While Matt and I were good friends, I was dating someone else,

and he asked me out about 5 or 6 times. I had to remind him that I was dating someone, so I couldn't go out with him. That didn't seem to stop him, thank goodness. He was very persistent!

18. Who proposed? He did. It was in Montana. We went on a little trip to meet his extended family (after a week and a half of dating), and he did it on a baseball field while we were playing catch. I won't bore you with the details, but it was very sweet!

19. Who has more siblings? Same. I have 3 older brothers and he has 2 younger sisters and a younger brother.

20. Who wears the pants? Me. I think most people would agree with this, but I actually think it is pretty even.

21. What is his idea of a perfect date? A fun dinner at a place like P.F. Chang's or Cheesecake Factory then going to a baseball game.

22. What is his favorite thing? Besides me, he loves anything new and electronic. He also loves to buy things for his sport stuff (new bikes, running shoes, wet suits, bike trainers, etc.).

I lucked out with Matt. I definitely married up... he's very patient and kind, and we have a lot of fun together. I think when we get together, we are very immature, but I like it!

May The Force Be With You

2008-02-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

I know ladies, don't be jealous! I've been doing some major ab workouts, and I think it's finally paying off!!! Also, Matt worked on that feathered hair all morning in preparation for that picture.

We are having such a great time here. We've been able to do some really fun stuff. The girls were thrilled to wear their princess dresses to the park and we ate at Goofy's Kitchen, which was such a great way to see the characters. It was a really good buffet, and it's great because the characters come to you while you eat... so much fun! I'm thinking that The Tower of Terror is mine and Matt's favorite (and Lauren too!). It's a good thing we are walking around so much, because we've been able to eat some dang good food! Tonight we left the park a little early and ate at P.F. Chang's... mmm,mmm.

Lucky Day!!!

2008-02-18T22:34:00.000-08:00

What a great day at Disneyland. I love it here!! I literally ran to the front gate with Lauren and Reese. After our second ride, Winnie the Pooh, as we were exiting the ride 2 Disneyland workers came up to us and said "Congratulations, here are your dream fast passes for being with us during our year of a million dreams!" I guess they pick a few random people throughout the day and give them this pass with about 12 fast passes for all the big rides. It worked out perfectly and we were able to get on a ton of rides in a matter of minutes! After that, it seems like good things just kept happening... it must have been our lucky day. Hopefully our luck keeps up throughout the week!

Slacker!!

2008-02-17T20:17:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know I'm a big slacker. I haven't posted in 2 days, so I'm blowing it with the 14 day marathon. To my defense, the last couple of days were strangely busy and I don't think we got home before midnight the last few nights, but I will try to do better!

On Friday night we had a little pre birthday celebration for Reese at Pizza Factory/Fat Cats. We had a lot of fun, but I must admit the best part was when we went to play games with the girls. Reese put a token into the game, and for some reason tickets started coming. At first I didn't think it was a big deal, but they kept coming, so I went and told a worker. They told me it wasn't a big deal and to just keep them. I got all excited, but my excitement soon turned to guilt when 20 tickets became almost 4,000!! I once again got a worker and they came over and stood by us and watched as they continued to come out. For some reason all the workers that were helping us were totally fine with us receiving tickets that we did absolutely nothing for. Anyway, it was pretty cool. We ended up giving most of them away to cute little kids passing by, but the girls were able to get a pretty cool wand that lit up.

So, after church today we left for our trip to DISNEYLAND! I am so excited! We will be in Disneyland for 5 days. I think most people would hate to be at Disneyland that long, but I am thrilled! I seriously love it here! Tomorrow will be our first day going to the park and I can't wait to see how the girl's will be react. The plane ride was great and the girls did really good. Once we got to the hotel I was thrilled to see that Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang's, and California Pizza Kitchen (among others) are right across the street!!! So much for trying to eat healthy while we're here! Hopefully I'll have some fun pics to post this next week.

Day of Love!!!!

2008-02-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

I love Valentines Day! It was so fun to get Lauren's valentines ready for her pre-school class and I painted the girls nails red with pink hearts on them, and they wore cute little valentines shirts...so cute! I'm excited for tonight, we are going ballroom dancing with some friends. It was actually Matt's idea, so I'm quite impressed. I will definitely take some pictures...this night should be interesting!

In honor of the day I'm posting an engagement picture, and a couple from our wedding. Our wedding was seriously awesome...I could relive that day every day! It was fun to look at the pictures, I think we look so young. We were married August 2, 2002, so 5 1/2 years! Crazy!!

A Visit To The Dentist

2008-02-13T20:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we all took a family trip to...the dentist! Yes, I know you are all jealous. I gotta say, I hate going to the dentist...ever since I was a kid I have been scared to go. I never wanted my girls to feel that fear, so I've always really talked up the dentist and the doctor. I always remind them of the stickers, treats, or little toy that they get, and for some reason it has worked with my kids!! Neither of them are scared to go, and in fact they think it's fun. Today Lauren even asked me "Can we go to the dentist again?" Anyway, it was Reese's first time at the dentist, and I was a little nervous as to how she would react, but she did so good. She just laid in the chair and didn't move at all. What's really funny is the dentist puts these sunglasses on them so the bright light doesn't bother there eyes, so they are laying there in these oversized glasses. I was cracking up, it was seriously awesome!

Book Club

2008-02-12T21:35:00.000-08:00

I had book club tonight, which was so fun! I have always wanted to be in a book club, but for some reason I could never get into one. Either I didn't know how to find one, or the groups weren't accepting new people. Anyway a couple months ago my friend Melanie invited me to be in one (YIPPEE)! We've done three so far, and I love it. The books have all been good, and for some reason it is so fun to talk about the things you read. This month we read The Giver. So good! Definitely a thought provoker. What's fun about our little group is that I know who most of the people are, but never really knew some of them. Most of us went to the same high school, just graduated different years, so I didn't know them very well. It's been so fun to get to know these cute girls and I've met some new cute girls as well... I love em! Anyway, thanks for the fun night!

2008-02-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago, Matt took the girls on a daddy/daughter date. In the process of going, Matt learned that one of his friends, Jeramy, was taking his son on a daddy/son date, so they ended up going together to the Weber State basketball game. As I was getting the girls ready to go, Lauren told me that she probably should wear lipstick since she was going on a date, so I put some lip gloss on the girls. Then she told me that she should probably have a purse if she was going on a date, so we grabbed them some pretty purses. She continued to inform me that the purse should have stuff in it, like a cell phone and some treats in case they get hungry. We filled the bag up with goodies, then they were on their way. Notice the shine bouncing off their lips!

It's amazing the things that these little people pick up as they watch us. I must admit it makes me a little uneasy to think that they will be going to elementary, then Jr. High (yuck), then high school, and so forth, and having to deal with all the cruddy stuff that goes on. I love having them little, it's so much fun. In another way though, I keep thinking how much fun it is to be able to have actual conversations with them, and to be able to go to the store without drama or melt downs. I've decided I'm just going to enjoy the moment wherever we are at, and not dwell on anything else.

By the way, does anyone else feel way to young to have kids? I was watching Lauren today, and it hit me that I have a 4 1/2 year old and a 3 year old (almost). That's crazy!!! Well, it feels good to get my rambling thoughts on paper (so to speak) and out of my head.

10 Things I'd Prefer To Live Without

2008-02-10T22:43:00.000-08:00

My friend Stacy just posted 10 things she'd prefer to not live without. I got to thinking and realized I had some things I would prefer to live without. Thanks for the idea Stacey! Here I go... in no particular order.

1. People smacking their lips while they eat or chew gum. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard.

2. People's feet touching me. I really don't like other people's feet! I can barely handle Matt's, but only if he has socks on.

3. Stretch marks. I know, I know, who likes them??? But my poor stomach got attacked by them. It really looks like Freddy Krueger had a hay day on my belly.

4. Mean people.

5. Onions, mushrooms and green things. I don't think I'm very picky, and I've tried time and again to like them, but I just can't.

6. Big crowds. I try at all costs to avoid them. I refuse to go on vacation during busy times...it drives me nuts, especially now that I have kids.

7. Shots, needles, and IV's. I think the worst part of having a baby is that dang IV! Yuck! I'm all grossed out just thinking about it!!!

8. People picking their noses. So gross! Just go get a tissue and blow it!

9. When people install a toilet paper roll so that the tissue unwraps from the underside of the roll.

10. Alarm clocks. The noise freaks me out.

I'm sure their are oh so many more, but I think I'll stop at 10. If any of you do any of those things... it doesn't bug me when you do it ;).

Fun With Dad!

2008-02-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

Matt loves to play with the girls! A couple of days ago he was playing with them outside then came inside and told me to bring out the camera. I went out there and couldn't believe what he was doing. There was sooooo much snow, so he though it would be fun to pick up the girls, then chuck them into the snow. The first time he did it, being the mom that I am, I freaked out, but soon learned that the girls actually liked it, so I gave in and decided to take some pictures. They got some major height, it was crazy! For those of you who might think this falls under the category of child abuse, I assure you they were not hurt :)! Anyway, they got him back by getting him with snowballs.

By the way, you'll be seeing a lot of posts from me in the next 2 weeks. My friend Stacey is having her baby soon, so she thought it would be fun to have some of our friends write everyday until she has the baby, which should be about 2 weeks. I'm going to try and get really creative, so this should be interesting!

i love my baby!

2008-02-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

My friend Stacy put on her blog a picture of her and her husband doing something they love together, and at the bottom of her post told others to post pictures of stuff they enjoy doing with their sweetie. I thought that was a cute idea for this Valentines season. As you know, I have a hard time making decisions, so it was a little hard for me to narrow down what pictures I wanted to use, so I'm putting a whole bunch on ;)

-We love to travel together!! What's great about Matt is that he can have fun no matter what we are doing! We made a lot of awesome memories last year, so it was fun to look at all these pictures. Last year was an awesome year for traveling, so here are some pictures from Puerto Rico, San Diego, Russia (at the Russian ballet, Swan Lake), Canada, Hawaii, Norway, Denmark, Denver, Sweden Temple, Estonia, Finland, and Poland. So, some of the pictures are hard to see for some reason, sorry!

2008-02-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

This has been such a great time to think about everything that Pres. Hinckley has done. It's been so neat to look at all the tributes and hear all of the great memories about him. Yesterday I decided that I really wanted to go to his viewing, so we packed up the girls and headed down to Salt Lake. I am so glad that we went down...what a special experience we had. I will never forget my experience there. There were so many people there! Such a tribute to a wonderful person. We waited outside for about an hour...luckily it wasn't freezing! It was pretty cold, but not too bad. Then we waited inside for another hour. The girls were so good! They didn't cry or complain the entire time, and they were so reverent. It was a really good opportunity for me to talk to Lauren about death and I was able to explain some neat things to her. We had some really good talks while we were waiting. After about 2 hours we were finally able to see Pres. Hinckley. He looked just like his cute self. He looked angelic and his skin was glowing. After seeing him for a few moments I whispered to Lauren to say good bye to him and she blew him a kiss. It was an emotional experience. I love Pres. Hinckley and I feel very grateful to have been led by such a wonderful prophet. I thought Pres. Eyering summed it up perfectly at the funeral when he said "We each feel that something has been taken from our hearts with the death of Pres. Hinckley." He will be greatly missed.

I love Wii!

2008-01-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

Whoever has played the wii before can totally relate to me when I say that I love it! For those of you who know my husband, he really likes anything electronic, so if there is something new out ( iphone, computers, PSP, Nintendo DS, etc.) he probably has it. I must admit that the wii is probably one of his only purchases that I am really happy about! My favorite game is for sure Rayman Raving Rabbids 2. There are these really freaky little bunnies that crack me up, and you pretty much just play mini games against each other. Our newest game is kind of targeted for a younger audience, but is still a lot of fun. It's called Carnival games, so you are playing all the games you would at a carnival, like knocking down jugs of milk, throwing a football through a hoop, or tossing rings onto bottle tops. The sport games are fun as well...I can totally beat Matt down at boxing! The games that we have are nice and light...nothing serious like Halo. I have such an issue with that game...maybe it's because every time I ever play it I get my guy stuck in some corner. I guess that's why I like the wii so much. It's easy, you can play it with your kids, and you don't kill aliens the whole time! My girls really like it too! Lauren has had to say to me quite a few times "Mom, it doesn't matter if you win. You need to play nice." So, sadly, my girls are keeping Matt and mine's competitive nature in line. I think I've kind of become a nerd for some of these games. Thank goodness we don't have a ton of time for them, because I think I would completely waste my day away! Some of our friends also have Rock Band, which I think is the best game ever! It's so addicting!! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics of us being nerds playing our various games!

A Little Restless...

2008-01-25T15:05:00.000-08:00

I think I've been inside a little too long. I'm still sick, and I'm getting restless! So, while Lauren was at dance class today Reese and I decided to play on the computer and we got some excellent photos of ourselves! Yes, I know I look really pretty. And yes, it's 4:30 in the afternoon and Reese's hair is still not fixed, but hey, I'm still sick, and at least we did all shower!

If anyone has a Mac, you'll know about the hours of fun you can have on photo booth. Matt and I have literally spent hours on it trying to

see who can make the ugliest pictures. My girls seem to really like it too! Some of them can get dang freaky looking, but the uglier they are the better!

Sick Day!!

2008-01-24T07:45:00.001-08:00

The last 3 days I've been pretty darn sick!!!! Thank goodness I don't get sick very much, but when I do, it hits hard!! I went to insta-care last night and they tested me for strep and the flu, but I was negative for both... yippee! If anyone has been tested for the flu, I would love to hear your story. They stick this really long q-tip up your nose, and it literally feels like it's in your eyeball... still gives me the creeps! So, I'm on some medicine now and I think it's starting to help. The doctor told me this can last up to 10-14 days... seriously?? Anyway, I've been cooped up inside the last few days, but I kind of like it. It's kind of fun to not feel guilty about not getting ready or cleaning and all that fun stuff! Anyway, thanks for letting me vent... it's amazing how these dumb sicknesses can completely knock you out. Thank goodness Matt and my parents have been helping me, or I might have gone crazy!

Reflection on Gratitude

2008-01-20T22:26:00.000-08:00

So, I have thought a lot about gratitude today. We talked about it in church and it's been on my mind. So, I got to thinking about all the things I have to be grateful for. The list was endless and I realized that I need to be a lot more grateful for what I have. Obviously, my family was at the top of the list. Luckily I was able to marry my very bestest friend! I totally married up! I don't think I could have designed anyone more perfect for me. Also, I have 2 really cool little girls. They really are pretty neat. Lauren is such a helpful, smart, and talented girl. Reese is such a sweetheart that's always happy and makes everyone laugh. They love each other so much and get along so well. They are so beautiful and they make it really fun and pretty easy to be a mom. Now, my goal is to let those people around me feel the way I think about them. I'm a pretty lucky girl!

Oh, I also have a really cute puppy, named Puppy. Who could ask for more???

Makeover!!

2008-01-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

So, I got my hair done yesterday. Before I went it was the usual thought process of what am I going to do to my hair. My natural color is a very bland, kind of yucky light brown. Ever since my senior year I have been highlighting it to help boost the color a bit. I've been very blonde, but usually just kind of an in the middle color. Anyway, Matt and I were talking the night before my appointment and he said he thought I should do something daring...either go way blonde or way dark. So here's the hard part...I've always wanted to go way dark, but it's quite scary to do something so drastic. Also, lately I keep seeing really cute blonde hair, so there's the dilemma. My friend Amber does my hair, so as we started talking about what to do, we decided that we know what I look like blonde, why not try out dark? Things like this are always scary for me, but I decided to take the plunge! So, now I've got dark brown hair. The first time I saw it, I wasn't completely shocked, so I take that as a good sign. I actually think I'm going to like it...it just might take a little getting used to. Every time I see myself in the mirror I take a double take! Anyway, let me know what you think. If you don't like it, say it in the most gentle way possible :).

By the way, it looks a little darker in the pictures.

I got tagged!

2008-01-14T18:25:00.000-08:00

So, my friend Aleesha blog tagged me. This may be a little hard for me because my first post I told 5 things about me. I don't think I have that many interesting things left, but I'll give it a go!

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I wore head gear every night for about a year when I was in high school. My brother Adam had a hay day teasing me about it.

2. I often cry when I see the elderly, especially if it is a cute old guy. I'm not sure why, I guess I have a soft spot for old people.

3. Matt and I dated 2 weeks before we got engaged, then were married 4 months later. (To my defense, I knew Matt in high school, and we were best friends for about 8 months before we started dating.)

4. I broke my collar bone when I was 6 while I was wrestling with my brother Chris...I fell off the bed and he landed right on me.

5. I thought the Vice President of the United States was Gorbachev when I was a sophomore in high school. :)

6. In my teenage years I owned up to 11 pet rats at one time. I usually only had 3 at a time that were always named Jenner, Nichademis, and Flea. They are so cute and really nice. They used to give me kisses on my nose, and crawl through my sleeves up to my shoulder and just sit there.

7. When I was a freshman my friends and I had a job where we would place temperature stickers on bottles for people to pee into while they were at the doctors office.

After looking at what I just wrote, I realize it makes me sound a little odd...that's okay! Now I'm supposed to tag 7 other people. This will be difficult as well, because Aleesha took some of mine, so I'm only going to do a few.

So, I am tagging...

Adam

Jenny

Shannon

Stacey

Deidre

Hmmmmmmmmmmm

2008-01-12T22:29:00.000-08:00

So, I'm about half way through reading "Eat, Pray, Love". Despite the fact that there have been some swear words in the book, I am really enjoying it. Elizabeth Gilbert does a great job at telling her story. Anyway, at the point I am at in the book she has been talking about meditation. I have always been interested in trying to meditate, but never knew how to go about it, and to be honest my ego told me there was something silly about the whole thing. She does a great job of explaining it in her book, and has given me that extra push to try it out. Interestingly enough, Matt has also been looking into meditation and recently purchased the book "Getting In The Gap" which is a book on meditation. A couple of days ago we thought it would be interesting to try it out together. We ended up bursting into hysterical laughter and couldn't stop. I think meditation might be something I have to do on my own :).
In the book, it says that the average mind has 60,000 thoughts a day, and meditation is a way of clearing out and organizing the chaos in our lives. The small amount of knowledge that I have about meditation has led me to believe that it provides a great way to create peace and stillness in our lives and a way to recieve divine light. Anyway, I'm excited to try this all out. If anyone has any good advice, books, etc. about meditation please let me know. I definitely could use the help!

HOLY SNOW!!!

2008-01-09T19:08:00.001-08:00

Hello snow!! So it must have snowed at least 3 feet today! Although people hate it when I say this... I love it!! I must admit it frightens me to no end to drive in it, but I don't think there is anything more fun than waking up to a ton of beautiful fresh snow! These are the kind of days when I want to do nothing but watch fun movies, read good books while wrapped up in a blanket and drink hot chocolate all day long. It's so cozy... I love it! I must admit the reality of a bunch of snow as well. Matt and I came home to find our driveway completely blocked by the snow that the snow plow pushed in front of our house. (You'll notice in the picture the line of cars that were prevented from pulling into their driveway as well.) I'm still wondering why the snow plow guy would do that. It seems when you are learning how to remove snow you would make sure that you are making the driving conditions better by pushing the snow out of people's way, rather than in their front yard! Anyway, another good thing about snow days are that people are stuck inside, so you usually receive some fun e-mails. My friend Nicole sent me this link and I thoroughly enjoyed it! http://public.aregner.com/bubblewrap.swf

Starting up!!

2008-01-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

So, I've decided to join the blogging world! I have made it one of my New Year's resolution to keep it updated, so I am going to try really hard! To start out I've decided to tell you 5 things that you may not know about me.

1. I have about a million nervous habits. To name a few... I wiggle my legs all of the time, fidget with my hair, face and nails, chew on the inside of my cheek, twist my earrings around, straighten out my shirt, and quite a few more. I think it must run in my family, and although it sounds weird, I'm not crazy!

2. I think I have a little bit of OCD. I love to organize things and crave the feeling of satisfaction after I have dejunked something or cleaned it up.

3. I love dancing and wish I had more opportunities to do it. Actually, I have talked Matt into taking dance lessons with me this year, so if any of you know of any good places or want to do it with me (hint, hint, Aleesha) let me know.

4. I LOVE Disneyland and would love to live there! Two of my other favorite places are Kauai and Tallinn, Estonia.

5. I really love ASL (American Sign Language). I studied it in college and really gained a great love for the deaf community. Although I haven't kept up on it and have forgotten quite a bit, I hope to find ways to refresh my signing.

I would love to hear something interesting about you guys, so make a comment. Although I feel like we all know each other really well, it seems like these fun facts are often missed!