Water Rafting

Figured out how to get the pics on my blog :)


Kirk is hiding behind Les in this one, avoiding the splash! He is the third one back on the right!


Yes, loving it! Laughing with my mouth wide open! :)

Melting in Moab

This past weekend Kirk and I had a GREAT time in Moab with some of our greatest friends. It was peaceful, relaxing, and full of great conversation and lots of laughs.

We enjoyed great scenery, great food and great company. And great weather...it was only 100 degrees! Despite the heat and the bugs it brought with it, we thouroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Arches National Park


Hiking above our campsite


Delicate Arch




Thanks to the "zoom" lense on our camera, it looks like we hiked to it....can you see Kirk under it? :)


Balanced Rock








We also went river rafting on the Colorado River. It was my first time and it was a blast. We still need to develop the water camera, but you can see some awesome pics of it here (we are #'s 67-71, 152-155 and 158-160):

http://www.moabactionshots.com/find_photo2.php?cat=R&src=&lce=346&month=06&day=28&year=2008&pm=&roll=&start_pic=67

Thanks mom and dad for taking great care of Livvy!

We came back renewed and ready to dive in again to this game we call life!

Congratulation Carlye!

My little sister got engaged over the weekend, Yipeeee!

Congratulations Carlye, we are so excited for the big day!

I cannot believe that you are "old" enough to be married! But Jacob is a lucky man, even if you do wear earrings while camping! HEHE!

Love you!

1/2 way

Halfway through the year, and what have I accomplished? This year has flown by already and there are only 6 months left!


Looking forward to:

Wearing my "skinny" jeans again- almost there! One more size to go!

Finding a new house- found it! We just need to move in it now!

Decorating my new house- mmmm...does gutting the whole house and re-doing it count as decorating?

Playing with Livvy more-I am still so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a stay at home mom! Being with Livvy and watching her grow is such a joy.

Watching Livvy devour her cake on her first birthday- and devour it she did! It was adorable. I cannot believe my little girl is one!

Watching Livvy crawl/walk and learn many other new things-these two milestones are definitely unforgettable ones among all the many things that Livvy has learned to do in the last year. They have also changed our lives in so many ways....watch out house, here Livvy comes! Another fun thing I have loved watching her learn is sign language. This makes things so much easier since she can tell me what she wants. I also love to listen to her chatter, which is non-stop most days, and point to things she wants with a grunt.

Family vacations-we have been on three so far and they have all been a blast: Florida (twice), Little America-Salt Lake, and Moab....two more to go.

Bowling with Kirk- ummmmm....still trying to find time to do this between school, work and the house. Hoping that once the house is done our league can begin?

Prioritizing better-doing much better at this, but not quite there. I try to sit down at the beginning of each week and plan each day. Its helping, but still needs to be refined.

Scrapbooking, Scrapbooking and more Scrapbooking- YES! I am moving mountains in my scrapbook and loving every minute of it!

Visits from the crew in Idaho and Virginia-the Idaho crew have come once, but we would love to see them much, much more.

Winning the Thompson family "Biggest Loser" contest!- I have been in first place for most of the time, but I haven't seen the results in a couple of weeks and very well could have been knocked out of my spot; but so far I have lost 25 of my 28 pound goal! 3 more pounds to go. Yipeee! (and then 10 more :))

Warm, Sunny Days- LOVE SUMMER! Even in Mesquite at 115 degrees!

A tan- after Mesquite and Moab, I finally have somewhat of a tan, I'm hoping that Bearlake can top it off.

More family time- with the house, we have really had to PLAN and make time for our family to be together, but I think its going pretty well. Of course for me, I could always spend more time with Kirk.....soon, real soon!

More Date nights with Kirk- same as above! One of my recent favorite "date" nights with Kirk was watching "24" and eating Taco Bell late at night :)

Being three steps ahead instead of three steps behind (o.k., I would settle for one step ahead :))-I'm afraid this will never change, even though I feel more organized, it always seems I could do things a little better and faster, be more organized and get a little more done.



Cheers to the second half of 2008, may it be as great as it has been thus far!

Surgery...again?

I woke up with the worst pain last Saturday night around 2 am....by 4 am I had to wake Kirk up, I had had enough! After eating a little snack and taking my ulcer medicine, the pain was not subsiding and I was out of ideas to get rid of it.

Kirk tried to convince me to go to the ER but I was convinced that they would only tell me it was gas and send me home. After hum hawing around for a little bit, Kirk finally suggested a blessing and then a decision. Not 2 seconds after my blessing, Kirk told me to get my shoes and get in the car. He knew it was necessary for us to go. So off we went to St. Marks Hospital not knowing that we would be there awhile.

Livvy was quite tired but was an angel in the ER; she spent most of the time asleep on Kirk's shoulder and the rest of the time entertaining the nurses and doctors with her crusty/grin. After two shots of moraphine and then a triple concentrated dose of pain killer, the pain finally subsided and I was able to relax. The doctor suspected my gallbladder and they immediately set about drawing blood and running tests. (What happened to having an ulcer? I guess we have been treating the wrong thing for the last year!? ) When Kirk and I were told that surgery was probably on the docket for the day, we called my parents to come and get Livvy.

The ultrasound tech arrived at 8 a.m. and after a few minutes of taking pictures, she confirmed that my gallbladder was diseased and full of stones. We scheduled surgery for that morning and they whisked me away. Saying goodbye to your loved ones at the OR door is definitely a humbling experience. I have done it 3 times in the 6 years that Kirk and I have been married, and each time I kiss him goodbye, I pray that God will give me one more chance to make him happy. For me, its definitely emotional.

Well, everything obvioulsy turned out well, and I am healing nicely. My gallbladder was "pretty gross" (the exact words from the doctor's mouth) and contained 6 stones and another one in the duct attempting to leave. They caught it just in time. Gallstones are not supossed to leave the gallbladder like kidney stones and if they do, they can cause major problems in the liver and the pancreas.

I have been staying at my parents house for the last week and have been able to recover pretty quickly. When the nurse told me no lifting for 4-6 weeks I said "seriously, what about my one year old?" She said to not lift Livvy for at least a week and then after that to take it easy. So, my parents and all of my family members have been fabulous to pitch in and make sure someone is here with Livvy and me at all times. You take for granted not even being able to lift your daughter up to the changing table or high chair, and even worse, not being able to comfort her when needed. I feel so guilty everytime Livvy looks at me with those gorgeous blue eyes as if to say "Mama, hold me, I need a love or I miss our snuggle time." At first my mom would try and set her on my lap so I could hold her for a bit, but she was too wiggly and would press on my stomach. I think she is sensing that she needs to be calm when she is on my lap now and so we have some great sunggle sessions while watching a few minutes of Raffi :)

So.....chao to my work-out regiment, taking care of Livvy on my own and helping Kirk with the house, and hello to 4-6 weeks of making myself relax and heal. I swear that each time I have a good thing going, a wrench is thrown my way. I was really quite down and frustrated with everything after surgery on Sunday, sometimes I feel like it never ends. But, I heard this quote on the radio a couple of days ago on my way to the doctor, its one of my favorites and tends to be my moto lately (well, ok, its been my moto for most of my life) :

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the

courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

So...I've relinquished to the fact that this is one of those things that falls into the "cannot change" category and I will need to make the best of it. I could be happy that I have something to force me to rest and relax, but because that is so against my nature, I'm not. But since I'm forced to do it, and now off pain meds and a little more coherent, don't be shocked to read quite a few posts that I have started and never finished. One thing has not changed and probably never will, I MUST get something done while I "take it easy". :)

Need A Babysitter?

No thanks, have one! His name is Raffi. He is a little older than you would expect a babysitter to be, he sings, plays the guitar, and even pulls a funny every once in awhile. And the most important thing: Livvy loves him!

Kirk began playing Raffi videos off of YouTube a few months ago while holding Livvy in his lap and singing along at the top of his lungs. Believe it or not, Livvy loves every minute of it. She now currently dances along, claps her hands or taps her legs to the beat. Its too cute.

Well, I discovered that since this is the only thing that holds her attention for more than 30 seconds, that I could use it to my advantage and actually get something done while Raffi played (note: this is against everything I swore I would be as a mom...perch your kid in front of a tv/computer so you could accomplish something? NEVER! {Boy, was I naive})

The thing I use it for the most is to shower! Please! I need a shower at least every other day! :) One of the clips is exactly 8 minutes and 19 seconds long. So, poof! put Livvy in her saucer (contain her), turn on the clip and jump in the shower. If I'm fast, I can shower, shave legs, and get dressed in that time. Then, I am ready to turn on the next clip that is five minutes and 5 seconds long in order to put on my makeup and do my hair. (Now you know why I look the way I do.....13 minutes and 24 seconds flat, at least its something:))

A couple of weeks ago I got smart and looked on ebay for an actual video of Raffi! Success! It finally came today....don't worry, there are a few songs on it that Livvy doesn't know because its 45 minutes long and I'm not sure she enjoyed it as much. Hopefully, she will learn to like them as much as the others. Just think, a babysitter for 45 minutes.....oh the things I could do......

Out of Pictures?

When does this happen? Never!

I went to scrapbook the other night and discovered that I am out of pictures! Don't worry, not literally "out of pictures" meaning I am caught up, that would be too great, but I am out of pictures that I have printed from the masses on my computer. Ahhhh! My goal of scrapbooking 2 pages per night has come to an abrupt end and I'm actually missing it.

I am currently on Costco's website trying to upload as many pictures as I possible can....their website has been down for about a week while they updated their photo center, which after a few hours of trying to use it, I would say they did unsuccessfully!

Help! I NEED these pics......

Why not upload them to Walmart's website you ask? It's a long story, don't ask!

Stop the flow!....of money....

Livvy woke up sick this morning....luckily, we had a doctor's appointment today for her one year check-up and so we were able to knock out two birds with one stone. We spent most of the morning before her appointment on the couch reading books and channel surfing (you know Livvy is sick when she doen's move for hours, usually she is just too busy to snuggle).

While surfing, I came across Suze Orman on "The View". I usually don't like "The View"; I find it annoying because they talk over each other so much, but of course, I had to watch! I love Suze Orman! She is so financial savvy! What she says just makes sense, its almost as if you find yourself saying "duh", I should have known that! And she is so frank and upfront and tells it just how it is, I love that. I always learn something from her!

Today she was talking about the current oil and housing market crisis and different ways that everyone can make it through this tough time. Her biggest piece of advice, and the thing I loved the most, was this: "Stop living like you have money if you don't!" (This is not a direct quote...but you get the gist) She said to stop putting things on credit cards and taking out loans so you can live a life that you can't afford. She said that if there is ever a time to live within your means, this is it! She also said there is only one thing that should go on a credit card because its the only thing you cannot live without: Groceries (Notice she did not say eating out...crap!:))

Great advice....so cut up those credit cards? If it weren't for those dang sky miles.....

Olivia's Feast!

Livvy turned one on Sunday!! I cannot believe how fast the past year has come and gone. We had a little birthday celebration with our family, and Livvy loved all the attention. She did get a little shy when we sang "Happy Birthday" to her, but she loved her cake and went to town once she got the "ok" from mom and dad to dive in.

Opening her gifts in the morning:

Her new pool:


Livvy and her cake

I made two cakes, a flower for Livvy to dig into, and a butterfly for everyone else to eat. Well, as we sat down to decorate them, Kirk and I found out very quickly that its not as easy as it looks. I gave up on frosting the sides of the flower because it was way too crumbly. I thought it looked better just to leave it as it was. I keep telling myself that the cake isn't the only thing that matters on her first birthday, is it?:)

Singing "Happy Birthday"


Digging in



Tuckered out and reading with Grandma


Olivia,

I want you to know how much I love you! You are truly a miracle in my life for many reasons and I hope you always realize how much you mean to both me and your dad. This past year since you joined our family has been unforgettable, and we have enjoyed every minute of it (yes, all the ups AND the downs). I hope that you always continue to smile and laugh because you brighten the day of all those around you. I also hope that you will reach for the stars, and always be able to realize your dreams. You truly can be whatever you want to be! Thank-you for the joy you are in my life and the joy your bring to our family.

I love you,
Mom

P.S. Please don't grow up too fast, I fear for the day when you are "too old" to give me kisses and snuggle.

Olivia is One!

A good cry!

Do you ever feel like you just need a good cry and then you can move on? Well, I just finished one, and I feel somewhat better. At least better enough to get up and move on. I think it makes me feel better because while I cry and think about whatever is making those tears flow, it allows me to ponder, problem solve and encourage myself. A little self boost if you know what I mean.

Today, I'm not really sure where the tears are coming from. There is nothing major to cry about, just a little of this and a little of that. Maybe the littleness of this and that are turning into something big...who knows?

But while crying, I was able to have a little chat with myself, it went a little something like this:

"Mis, its all going to be ok. You will soon have your own house and be out of the basement so you can enjoy the sunshine all day and Livvy will have a bigger space to roam. How can you make it go faster? You probably can't, but it will be ok. Just think, the end is in sight...how far away no one knows, but Kirk is putting his all into it, and as a "one man show", he is doing great. Give him some credit. And don't forget to be grateful, you are blessed to have a place to stay!"

Ok, next: "Why is Livvy being so naughty today, and why is my disciplining not working? They say it can take up to 100 tries before they understand....can I make it that long? What can I do different?"

"Who knows! You are new at this, now give yourself some credit. You are giving it your all, at some point, this will have to be enough. There is always room for improvement, but keep plugging away at it....."

Ok, next: "This new budget bites, its going to be so hard for me to stick to....I hate money" :)

Ok, next: "I think I need a big fat chocolate doughnut and a Diet Coke!"

"Oh why, oh why, am I an emotional eater? Resist the urge!"

"Now, get up and enjoy the quiet you have while Livvy is asleep, you just had a good run, a good cry and some scrapbooking seems to be in order. You haven't seen your craft table for a few weeks....find it, use it and enjoy it!

"LOVE YOU!"

So off to the scrapbook table I go! I think I will skip the chocolate doughnut but maybe give in to the Diet Coke. :)

I lost 23 pounds this week all because.....

LIVVY STARTED WALKING!!!!!

GO LIVVY!

And that is 23 less pounds I have to lug around!

Livvy has been "practicing " her walking skills since Mother's Day, and has been so determined to do it. She is constantly up and down, a step here and a few there. If you try to help her she will just brush your hands away as if to say "I can do it"....until she needs them that is, which really isn't that often. She is still a little wobbly, and sometimes starts to walk a little faster than her body will balance, but she is doing really well!

What am I going to do now? Can my baby really be walking?

Welcome to a whole new world!

Parma, Idaho

What, you don't know where that is? No worries, most don't, and neither did I until my sister Ali moved there with her husband to be a "farmer" a few years ago. And now, we love it...its such a peaceful, quiet place!

This past weekend I went with my parents to visit my sister, Ali, and watch my niece's dance recital. We had a great time. Livvy was an angel on both the trip there and back; 6 hours in a carseat cannot be fun! :)

We went "into town" to do a little shopping in Boise (Parma is about 45 minutes outside of Boise), relaxed, swam, and played with the kids. We also went to the dance recital and celebrated K's "special night". K is 4 and can really "shake her booty". She performed three dances for her recital but my favorite was to a song called "Fabulous"; and fabulous she was. I laughed through this entire dance, she was going wild. Her teacher puts her at the front of the class so the rest of the girls can see her. Too cute!

Livvy loved the recital as well. I was really worried about keeping her occupied for 2 hours and being able to actually watch the recital and enjoy it a little, but once it started there was no more worries. Livvy stood on my lap and danced almost the entire time. The rest of the time, she sat in my lap, with her eyes glued to the stage, while either clapping her hands or tapping her leg. She loves music...and little kids!

Livvy also really enjoyed playing with her cousins, even though at times I think she felt a little overwhelmed. Wouldn't you be too if you had 5 "moms" telling you what to do? She also got a little jealous when her mom was holding or playing with one of the other kids. What are we going to do when a second one comes?

It was fun to get away, even if it was to a town of less than 500 people :) Don't quote me on that, there might be more, but you know a town is small when there is no McDonald's!

Thanks Al and D for a wonderful weekend, when can we come again?

MOM!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful mother's out there!
Isn't being a mom great!?

Brain Fart? Mindless? or Completely Lost It?

Maybe all three!!!! At Walmart today, after loading all of my groceries in the Jeep while it was pouring down rain/snow, I shut the door only to realize that I had locked Livvy inside! I am still cringing at the thought of seeing Livvy inside, shaking my keys like crazy and realizing that all of the doors were locked. Duh! Why did I give her the keys to play with again? And why does she like buttons so much!? I sat there crying, trying to get her to start pushing the buttons again, but it was to no avail! I can only imagine how stupid I looked trying to convince a 10 month old to do something from the OUTSIDE of a tinted car window. :)

Luckily some great girl with two little boys let me use her cell phone. (Where was my cell phone? Yep, you guessed it: in the car, with my purse, and Livvy!) But with Kirk at work (with my extra key) and Grandpa not home, my only option was to call the police. Don't worry, they showed up to Walmart with a cop car and a FIRE ENGINE! Talk about embarrassing!! The police officer was really nice, and extra helpful, even though I'm sure inside he was chuckling to himself. He had the door unlocked in about 30 seconds and I was able to rescue Livvy who was almost hysterical at this point.

Note to self: keep keys on body at all times. Keys are not for kids. :)

I'm also thankful today for serviceable people, especially for the helpful cop and the great girl who let me use her phone and stayed with me until the end to make sure Livvy was alright.

Breathing!

I can breath....its true when they say that you take things for granted until you don't have it. After being sick all last week (I avoided it ALL winter and get sick in April, what!!???), I can finally breath! I can smell the fresh cut grass (my favorite), I can taste what I am eating and I can even smell when Olivia needs a diaper change ASAP :)

So today, I am grateful for my health! I am grateful I can breath out both nostrils, smell, and taste. I need to remember to be grateful for these things more often and not just immediately after a cold.

Running Revelations

Last week I recieved answers to my prayers twice while running on my treadmill. Wow! If you can only imagine me trying to keep my balance and stay on the treadmill while clearing my tear-filled eyes enough to see.....hahaha, I'm sure it was a sight! Sobbing and running are not two things I would suggest doing together!

I was reading the November 2007 Ensign with talks from the October General Conference (trying to multi-task :)) while running on my treadmill on two different days last week, when answers to my prayers popped right off the pages. Tears were immediate and were not easily dried as I feasted upon the words of our current apostles. Not only did I recieve answers, but this experience also reminded me how mindful my Heavenly Father is of me and how much he loves me! Its amazing the different ways he uses to send us answers; who would have thought that they would come to me while running!? I knew something good would come out of my goal to run everyday! :)

As of late, I have been trying to figure out how to balance, organize and prioritize my life so that everything important gets taken care of on a daily basis. I have always felt like I could improve in this area of my life, but I have felt more of a sense of urgency to master this challenge ever since I became a mother ten months ago. I only have ONE shot at this, I don't get to go back and re-do or start over and with such a huge responsibility on my shoulders, its one thing I don't want to mess up! (I gather from Elder Ballard's talk this past General Conference that I might not be the only young mother struggling with this very thing).

Ever since I began to ask for some "divine help" in my struggle, the story of Mary and Martha in the New Testament and those things that each of them thought were important to do while in the presence of Christ has been on my mind quite a bit. This story is indicative of my struggle with prioritizing and balancing. For me, I can sympathize with both women. I can see where both of them might have thought what they were doing was the most important thing to do at the time and yet, Christ taught that one was not necessarily more important than the other but one was definitely more "needful".

I bought me the book "Mary, Martha, and Me; Seeking the One Thing That is Needful" by Camille Fronk Olson, so that I could understand this Bible story and Christ's teachings a little better. I hope that by understanding this story more fully, I will be better prepared to make decisions in my life when trying to prioritize and balance between "good, better and best". There is so much required of us, so many "good" things that need to be done, that sometimes I am overwhelmed while thinking about choosing between them all. I'm finally conceding to the reality that I can't do them all, its taken me a long time to admit it, but I realize now that in order to do so I would need two of me (at least), and unfortunately since that's not possible, I need to figure out how to get the "best" things done before the "good" things and then feel satisfied with what I have accomplished.

I'm sure I will write more on this subject once I finish the book; so far, its fabulous and one I would definitely recommend! Also, the two talks that contained answers to my prayers were from the October 2007 General Conference. They are titled "Good, Better and Best" by Elder Dallin H. Oaks and "Mothers Who Know" by Sister Julie B. Beck. (One of the first things that Elder Oaks does in his talk is make reference to the story of Mary and Martha; this is when the tears began to flow:))

If I could strive to be perfect in one area, I think that being able to pick the "best" out of all the good things in life and having an organized, prioritized life would be at the top of my list!

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful day yesterday! Because we've had to keep Livvy inside, it was the first time in the last three months that we were able to go to church together as a family. It was great to be together again! We spent the day after church with our family, having Easter dinner and our annual Easter egg hunt. Livvy loved the eggs; espeically the noise they made when she shook them. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

To-Do List OCD?

I finally succumbed and started reading the "Twilight" series and WOW! they were awesome! I finished the third one a couple of days ago and am currently going through Bella and Edward withdrawal :)

But, my question is this: is it a problem that I read 3, 500+ page books in less than two weeks? Ahhh! I've been thinking a lot about it the last couple of days, because, seriously, where did I find the time? Not only that, but what did I not get done because I was reading?!

My family teases my mom a lot about her reading compulsion because when she starts a book, she disappears, and you do not see her again until she is finished. I think I am beginning to pick up the same habit, but why is that? Why do I feel like I HAVE to finish every book ASAP? Besides the obvious answer of thoroughly enjoying the book and dying to know what happens next, I really think it has something to do with my "To-Do List OCD".

I have at least 2 or 3 "To-Do" Lists going at all times and I LOVE to cross items off. If I did something that was not on one of my lists, I ADD the item to my list so that I can cross it off. OCD, I know :) But it makes me feel a great sense of accomplishment to be able to cross it off and be finished with it. Ironically enough, I have never put "read book" on my to-do list because it has always been something I get to do for relaxation or after all my other "must dos" are done. But in some silly way, I think in my mind, that finishing a book is another thing I can mentally scratch off, get rid of and leave behind in my crazy, whirlwind of a life! Mmmmm...now if I could only scratch off catching up on my scrapbook at the same velocity that I can a book. :)

Now back to reality and the other 100 things that need to be crossed off my lists, not just mentally but physically too!

Tagged....again!

TEN YEARS AGO.....I was finishing up my first year at Rick's college and recovering from mono. I was taking a clogging class which I LOVED. Almost exactly 10 years ago today, I went to Hawaii during spring break with one of my friends from Cosmetology school and came back sooo tan that my new nickname became "blackie" (love, love, love the sun). I was also sort-of dating my high school "sweetheart" AND a guy that I had met at Rick's. (It was a mess, I wouldn't suggest it). And most of all, I was playing way too hard and loving it! (which might explain the mono, I don't do well on little to no sleep)

FIVE PLACES I HAVE LIVED..... South Jordan, Bluffdale, Chile, Israel, and now West Valley

FIVE THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST......Run, Write in Journal, Pick up Livvy's pics, Wash, Get my hair cut.

I ENJOY......SUN, SUN, and more SUN....can you say skin cancer? Reading, scrapbooking/crafts, Livvy's giggle, anything with Kirk (well...mostly anything, I could pass on golfing and fishing), crossing things off my "to do" list (I'm almost obsessive about this), playing games and traveling.

THREE BAD HABITS.....Drinking soda. Hands down, this has been the hardest one for me to break. Going to bed late because I try to get everything done after Livvy goes to bed that I didn't get done during the day (I NEED to cross something off the list). Being critical of myself.

FIVE THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME.......I have always wished that I could sing well. I really want to LOVE running. If I could visit anywhere in the world I would choose Australia. One of my biggest fears if being a failure. I clogged for 10 years with 5 of my best friends.

FIVE JOBS THAT I HAVE HAD.....
Shoe sales"women" at Nordstrom, Cosmetologist, Loan Processor, Checker at Albertson's, and Broker Coordinator/Funder for a small lender.

Unstoppable!

One of the great things that came out of our experience at Primary Children's Hospital was that Livvy learned to roll over! Yes, she was 7 months old and couldn't move herself anywhere :), but now she is unstoppable! Now that she has figured out that she has the ability to move on her own, she cannot be held down for anything. She thinks she is invinceable. If something is in her way, the couch, for example, she rolls into it over and over, thinking that it will eventually move. It is hilarious to watch, much to her dismay.

After a month and a half of rolling around, I think she might start crawling soon. She has figured out how to get up on all fours, and can move backwards (which is very frustrating when the item she wants is in front of her), but she hasn't figured out how to move forward yet! She still does her special helicopter move which helps her to change her rolling direction and allows her to get wherever she wants to be.

Wow!, its hard for me to get anything done....I know you all are thinking, "just wait till she starts crawling and walking". Nonetheless, it exciting to watch her learn so many new things everyday!

Pros of rolling over:
*more mobility
*entertained for longer periods of time
*opportunity to explore

Cons of rolling over:
*nap/bedtime is a CIRCUS
*bumps and bruises
*no item around her is safe
*no more snuggle time with mom
*made her very independent
*she now sleeps on her belly, curled up just like mom, which makes me very nervous about SIDS


Other fun things that Livvy is doing right now: spitting, rolling her tounge, blowing (she learned this by Kirk blowing in her face when she was cranky, except it doesn't work anymore because now she just blows back), she loves feet (hers, mom's and grandpa's), she is saying "da-da" (I have to keep reminding Kirk that this is because of easiness not favortism..hehe), jumping in her jumper (she whines when its time to get out, she could stay in it for hours), she can get to her belly from a sitting position and she loves to laugh, especially when she is being tickled.

Respiratory Syncytail Virus

Its been over a week since we came home from the hospital after Livvy landed a spot in one of the rooms at Primary Children's. Our all-inclusive stay lasted for four days, and it was four days too long!

After taking Livvy to InstaCare one night, they told me that I needed to take her up to Primary Children's Hospital because her oxygen intake level was way too low and getting lower as time went on. They could also see a lot of liquid behind her lungs which is a huge warning sign and suggests that it could be RSV or even pneumonia. Being kind of naive about RSV, (the only thing that I knew was that it could be deadly) I started to stress immediately. I left the InstaCare at about 10:30 p.m., and headed up to the hospital. I was so stressed about the situation, I passed my exit and found myself heading towards Kirk's work instead :) It probably ended up better this way; we were able to go to the hospital together and for me, everything is much better when Kirk is with me.

About 2:00 a.m., after monitoring Livvy in the ER for a couple of hours and taking a few X-rays, they ruled out pneumonia and received back a positive test for RSV. The doctor came in to tell us the outcome of the tests, and let us know that we would be moving into a room upstairs in the Infant Care wing of the hospital. What!? AHH!

During our time in the ER they also started suctioning out Livvy's lungs, something that they would continue to do all day, every day, while we were there......this was pure hell for me. I had to leave the room each time (sobbing of course) as Kirk and the nurses tried to hold her screaming body down. The first time it was done, the nurse had to change the size of the tube that they were putting up Livvy's nose and down into her lungs because the liquid was so thick and so abundant. Pure torture for everyone. This is one of those things that really exemplifies the statement "I'm doing this for your own good, and only because I love you." I try to keep reminding Livvy (and myself) of this every time she has to be suctioned out, especially while I have to suction her here at home. It is truly something I would never do if I didn't love her so much!

We were released from the hospital after Livvy was able to do three things: keep her breathing saturation up on her own without oxygen, suctioning with a bulb instead of the vacuum (so I could do it at home), and eating regularly (which was much easier once she could breathe better). They tried several times to take out the oxygen tubes but they kept having to replace them because her oxygen level would drop as soon as she fell asleep (its natural for it to drop when you sleep, but not to the level that Livvy was dropping).

We were finally able to go home after four days...which was fabulous, especially since they suggested at the beginning that we would be there at least a week. I lived at the hospital the whole time because I could not bear to leave, even though it meant showering in the nasty, nasty hospital shower! (I wore my socks in the shower and then threw them away after I was done.....hehehe, Kirk says he does not know how I survived Chile...and my response is "Flip-flops!")

The doctors suggested that we keep Livvy quarantined until May....the nurse laughed after they said it because my chin hit the floor. I thought they were joking at first, but they were serious, serious! So, for now, Livvy isn't leaving the house except for a fast ride around the block and in a month or so, she can start going to places that are not heavily populated. The doctor said to definitely stay away from the grocery store, restaurants and church and if possible, small kids since they are "germ-carriers". Livvy can contract this again, in fact, the doctor said he has seen many children have it twice in one season. No thanks! (and peak has just begun....February and March are the worst months for it). So if I seem to be going a little crazy, I probably am :) but once again, if I didn't love her, I wouldn't do it! Luckily, Kirk is a gem and does his best to relieve me as much as he can.

This experience will definitely be added to my review of the year as one that we will want to forget! If I had to describe our experience in one word it would be: HEART-WRENCHER!

2007 in a Nutshell

Things to Remember:

Our miracle, Olivia, finally arrived

I turned 28 (Ahhh!)

Selling our Townhouse (almost)

Girls trip to Chicago

"Wicked"

Livvy's blessing with most of our family near

2 Trips to Florida

Disneyworld with Kirk

Not working for the first time in ??? years

Wonderful Books

Sobbing in the movie theatre with all of the Glancy girls

Arrival of 2 new nephews

Kirk's promotion at FedEx

Bearlake with the Thompsons

Living with Grandpa

Starting Girls' night out with high school friends

Livvy's first Christmas

General Relief Society meeting with all the girls

New Business Ventures

Learning to do Genealogy

Trip to Mesquite for our Anniversary

Countless hours of service from our family and friends

Many Blessings

Things to Forget:

Sale of our townhouse falling through

Moving, packing and unpacking

Computer crashed

Gaining 49 pounds

Teething

Unorganized pictures

Poor Journal Writing

Having Thrush AGAIN!

Pale, white skin

Two cavities....my first EVER!

Falling down Grandpa's stairs-TWICE!

Kirk's "car accident"

Looking forward to:

Wearing my "skinny" jeans again

Finding a new house

Decorating my new house

Playing with Livvy more

Watching Livvy devour her cake on her first birthday

Watching Livvy crawl/walk and learn many other new things

Family vacations

Adding music to my new Ipod

Bowling with Kirk

Prioritizing better

Scrapbooking, Scrapbooking and more Scrapbooking

Visits from the crew in Idaho and Virginia

Winning the Thompson family "Biggest Loser" contest!

Warm, Sunny Days

A tan

More family time

Being three steps ahead instead of three steps behind (o.k., I would settle for one step ahead :))

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

***Thanks Mandy for this idea, its just what I needed. I loved some of your ideas, as you can see!

Character Trait or Phase?

I hope its the later of the two! Livvy has been throwing awful fits lately about everything! Today I took her bottle away when it was gone and she apparently was not finished with it:) Wow! I also tried to take the cup from her in the bathtub to rinse her off, (I handed her a rubber duckie in its place hoping to distract her) and wow! another one! The distraction obviously didn't work! I would like to write this off as part of teething, but I really think she is learning that if she screams loud enough, she just might get what she wants. Kirk and I wondered if it was too early to teach her that's its unacceptable, and we thought maybe she was too young, but I'm starting to think that if she realizes she can cry to get it, she can probably understand that fit throwing in the Glancy household is not o.k! Now, to figure out a way to teach this to her :)

6 months!!!!

Livvy had her 6 month appointment yesterday and the doctor said she is "perfect". She weighs 18 pounds, 14 ounces and is just under 28 inches long. She is in the 89% for weight and 96% for height. Of course the doctor made his same joke : "doesn't look like she is having any trouble with feeding...chuckle, chuckle, chuckle". Nope, not at all, and we are grateful for that!

She also received another round of shots, including one dose of her flu shot and boy did that make her sick! The shots have never affected her before so the flue shot has definitely thrown us for a loop. She woke up about every 45 minutes last night starting at about 4:00 a.m. She had a fever and it wasn't letting her stay asleep. This wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't gone to bed about a half hour earlier when Kirk finally got home from work. Needless to say, I have felt like a zombie all day today. So when I read this email below from my sister it made me laugh.....its always nice to know that there are others raising kids in a not so perfect world. :) "And this too shall pass" I will sleep good tonight and it will be history tomorrow! (In Livvy's defense she has been an angel all week. I have trapezed her around the town for 3 full days, running errands and visiting friends and she has not thrown one fit!)

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mum all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of choc.bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes: I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any colour, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the lolly aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy. If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, 'Yes, Mummy' to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting 'Don't eat in the living room' and 'Take your hands off your brother,' because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container. If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare tomato sauce a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always, MUM...!

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children happy, healthy and always believing.

**I hope you got a good chuckle and some rejuvenation to start again tomorrow. I did!

Brrr....Its Cold!

Livvy and I just got back from Florida and it is sooo cold here!

When we left for Florida we originally planned on staying about a week, but when that week was up...we weren't ready to comd home yet and so... we ended up staying 2! We were having too much fun to come home! Kirk was able to join us for a weekend but after a week of being by himself, he demanded that we come home :) (not really, but he was REALLY anxious).

In Florida we golfed, shopped, went to the beach and mostly just enjoyed one another's company. The weather was gorgeous, not too hot or muggy, just perfect. Livvy and I went for quite a few walks and enjoyed the sunshine. The whole family could not get enough of Livvy and she rarely wasn't being held! When we got home, she continued to want to be spoiled...she is not aware that there is only one of me :) It was fun to be able to give Kirk's family some time to spend with her....she is one lucky girl with wonderful family on both sides.

One of the greatest things that kept happening while we were there was random people stopping us so they could hold/play/gawk at Livvy. She really was the "star of the show" everywhere we went. It was so random. It happened at least once a day and sometimes 3 or 4 times a day. I'm not sure if its because they don't see as many kids back east or just because she is so adorable :) but you can definitely say I was always a proud mamma, and she, of course, enjoyed the attention. People are so nice there...Southern hospitality maybe, but so unlike here?

Livvy did really well on all 4 plane rides as well. I was a little worried but grateful that Kirk was with me for her very first time on the plane, it made the two on the way back by myself not so nerve racking! :) I was worried about how she would handle the pressure more so than keeping her occupied, but it didn't seem to bother her much. We kept shoving the binki in her mouth so she would suck on it to help pop her ears, but it was tough since she doesn't really like her binki unless she is trying to go to sleep. She kept spitting it out with a disgusted look on her face. :)

It feels good to be home though and back in our own space, but we will definitely be going back the next chance we get!

Happy Halloween!

Livvy and Carter (Livvy's Cousin)

Don't we have a beautiful flower!

Ounce by Ounce, She Is Growing!

First go at rice cereal..."do you have anything with a better texture"?


So Happy!


Will mom ever stop making me wear these!?


Thumb Sucking Begins!




Learning to Sit...with a little assistance


Olivia is getting so big! Its hard to believe that she is five months old (tomorrow). She is at a very fun age where she is learning all sorts of new things. One of my favorites is her laugh, she loves to be played with and giggles the entire time. She is also very curious and looks around constantly. My grandpa calls her "bright eyes" because she always has them wide open trying to find the next thing that will keep her intrigued.

We started rice cereal about two weeks ago and it was hilarious. Most of it ended up on her or me:) It seems like she has a major gag reflex.....or maybe I have passed on my texture issue, whatever the case, she is still not sure if she likes it or not. I put her in the bath after one of the first feedings and all of the sudden she started spitting a bunch of cereal out....she had saved it in the side of her cheek instead of swallowing it! Stinker! And how did you get to be so smart!?

She is definitely a wonderful addition to our family and such a bright spot in our lives. Kirk and I have both been a little stressed lately and we sometimes look at each other and say "let's wake Livvy up", she always eases the stress and brightens the day!

Stop Honking, I'm on the Phone!

I know, two posts in one day! Unheard of for me! :) But I saw another bumper sticker that totally made me laugh. I'm not quite sure why I have such a fixation with bumper stickers lately, but this one said, "Stop Honking, I'm on the phone!" You could not find a better bumper sticker to describe how I feel about drivers lately. I swear, as soon as someone that is driving around me does something stupid, I think "they must be on the phone" and 95% of the time, they are! Talking or texting, hands free or not.....people cannot concentrate 100% on the road if they are using their phone for whatever reason!

Now, to avoid being hypocritical, I am very guilty of using my phone when I drive. But do I drive stupid when I am? Who knows? Maybe I am in your 95%? :)

So follow the advice of this bumper sticker: don't honk when someone cuts you off or wanders into your lane...do you really think that they can talk/text, drive and look around to see why someone is honking at them all at the same time? Not likely!

P.S. The other 5% are usually eating! :)

TAGGED!

I have been tagged by my friend Mandy.

The rules:

A.Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
B. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog for these rules.

Here are my 6:

1- I love to create but I am not really that creative (I am really great at copying anything!)
2- My greatest weakness is soda! I have quit drinking it several times (namely when I was pregnant), but I hate to admit that it makes me REALLY happy :) (Could this account for my first two cavities ever at the dentist last week? GRRR!)
3- I love to buy shoes but I hate wearing them
4- I'm learning how much I hate SPIDERS by living in my Grandpa's basement. Especially Hobo Spiders which are the majority in this house! Ahhh!
5- I get bored with a lot of things really quickly if I'm not staying busy but there is one thing that I never get bored of: laying by the pool (or any body of water) and reading a book. A pina coloda is also a nice addition to this, but is not a necessity.
6- One of my favorite things lately is laying beside Livvy and tickling her while she laughs herself silly. She has an adorable laugh!

I don't know that many people who have a blog so....here are my tagged victims: Kirk, Les, Nick, Nichole and Christy (Christy, which means you have to tell me how to see your blog :)) Enjoy!

Missy

God Bless America!

As Livvy and I were taking a walk today, I saw a bumper sticker that said "God bless America....and quickly please!" I chuckled a little bit at the implications of the sticker and then thought a little more deeply about it the whole way home. With all of the things that are going on in America right now, especially with the pending presidential election, we really do need the help of God! For a blessed land, which I truly believe that America is, we definitely have our problems. However, I believe that most of them can be solved if we truly tried. My Grandpa was watching a talk show tonight while I made dinner and one of the guests (I didn't catch his name but he was an analyst) said that he predicts that Hillary Clinton has an 80% chance of winning the election next year. I pray the Hillary Clinton doesn't win...the second coming is sure to come if she does :) But then again, it may mean that more will say "heaven help us!" and allow him to really do so!


So I agree.....God Bless America, and hurry please! We need it!

Holy Crap, we have a lot of CRAP!

We moved out of our townhouse this past weekend and wow, we have sooooo much CRAP! As people were carrying everything outside, I kept thinking, "The truck is almost full, we should be done any minute!" Don't worry, we rented the biggest truck U-haul has (26 footer) and had to make 2 trips to the storage unit! That does not count the things that are still at the house waiting to be brought to Grandpa's so we can use them over the next 6 months, or the things we brought to Grandpa's a month ago when we started living here officially. Where did it all come from? When we moved into the townhouse it was so empty, it felt so bare and we felt like we had a TON of room. Now it seems as though we were bursting at the seams. I guess my mom's theory of "if you have the space you will fill it" is being realized with Kirk and me. :) As we look for a new house we keep thinking we have to have at least the amount of square footage we had in the townhouse, otherwise, how will we fit? Especially with more kids? If we downsize, will my mom's theory reverse itself and help me to get rid of some of it? (I've already made quite a few trips to the D.I.)

The great question remains, if this stuff is all just "CRAP", why is it that I can't get rid of it?