The Fager Fam

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

2010-11-19T14:19:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to send out a Christmas card, but have never done it. With this deal from Shutterfly though, I couldn't resist. Who wouldn't want 50 free Christmas cards? We got some amazing family pictures taken this summer by a family member, so we actually have something cute to put on a card and share with family and friends. I looked through Shutterfly's designs and they're pretty stinkin' cute. I'm really excited about it. I'm not one who is all about the Christmas cards that just brag about what each family member is doing because no one likes to read those, seriously. However, it is nice to see pictures of your loved ones that you may not get to see very often. So to put it plainly, I'm excited to send cards this year especially when they're super cute free ones from Shutterfly. (I really need to start blogging more, it has been FOREVER!)

Hey, check out some of their cute products, my favorite ones are their different Christmas cards, of course!

Christmas Cards - http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards
Christmas Photocards - http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

The Great Gilly Hopkins

2010-03-11T11:22:00.001-08:00

So I just wrote a research paper on the banned book list and censorship in the classroom. I picked the topic myself because I really am a fan of our first amendment and don't appreciate it when people say what I can and cannot read. I am an advocate of parents having a say in what their children read. A parent can judge the maturity of their child and whether they can handle the content of certain books. However, a parent does not have the right to tell me what my child can or cannot read.

Anyways, so as I was researching this topic I came across an interview with Katherine Paterson, who wrote Bridge to Terabithia, as well as other numerous books. I loved Bridge to Terabithia, it made me bawl like a baby. So I was astounded that that book was on the banned book list for the ridiculous reason of paganism (when the kids did silly worship stuff in the forest, it's the imagination, hello!) and the language that the kids use. Anyhow, another book of hers received even more criticism than Bridge to Terabithia, but I had never read it, so I knew that I had to. This book is called The Great Gilly Hopkins. Amazing book. Again, I bawled like a baby through it. This book has been criticized even more because the main character, Gilly, has the mouth of a sailor. It's really not that bad, I've heard much worse on network television. After reading this book the question came to mind, what is wrong with society? After reading this book I felt so much more enlightened than I had before. People need to stop being prudes. In her interview, Paterson told how she had been accused of being anti-Christian. She is the wife and daughter of a minister. Seriously. How ignorant can people get? Next thing you know, we're going to be as bad as the Nazis and burn every book that we don't necessarily agree with or like. Anyone seen Footloose lately? Enough said. We have the freedom to put the book down if we don't want to read it. Kids have the option of reading another book if they don't feel comfortable reading the one that is assigned. I have made a goal to read as many books as I can that are on the banned book list. I will not be a party to censoring such wonderful things. Seriously people, let's grow up a little.

Life in General

2010-03-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

It's been a really long time, but I feel as if I have been really busy. Ok, so not super busy, mostly lazy, and sick. There has been this cough/cold thing going around for a while and I was so lucky as to contract it from my wonderful husband. I have been coughing and hacking for about 3 weeks now. And the end isn't in sight. I'm not a huge medicine fan so I haven't really taken anything for it. I caved in and took some Advil cold and sinus. I hope it works.

I love being a mom. My kids are amazing. Dagny was potty trained for a week. Then one day after peeing on the floor 3 times, I decided that I'm done. We put the princess potty seat away and that's it. Yet every time I see other little kids that are the same age as Dagny and they're wearing underwear, I cringe and feel like the crappiest mom ever. Why won't Dagny just pee on the potty? Seriously, aren't diapers super uncomfortable? Wouldn't she rather feel dry and grown up by wearing little girl panties? No, not my little girl. She will not be bribed and could care less about the candy. I'm at my wits end and I give up. Sunny boy will not crawl. He's 8 months old and pulls himself around with his forearms. He weighs 23 pounds and I'm tired of carrying him. Any day now, I'd really love it if he'd start crawling, or even better yet, walking!

I'm going to school online to become a teacher. Every day on the news I hear about more budget cuts in school districts where hundreds of teachers are getting laid off. I sure know how to pick a career, huh? It gets so frustrating trying to get my homework done, clean the house, cook dinner, do the laundry, and not totally neglect my kids that some days I really could just up and quit school. But I must persevere. I know that I'm going to be a teacher; you might even say destined to teach the children of our future to love literature. I don't know what the future will be in the job market for my career, but doggone it I'm going to get my degree. Even if there's no teaching jobs available, at least I'll be able to check one more goal of mine off my list.

Exciting Adventures at Wrestling Tournys

2010-01-10T11:43:00.000-08:00

I'm not an expert on mothering. I've only been a mom for two and a half very short years, so I'm definitely learning something new every day. However, you'd think I'd learn from past mistakes and be more prepared when I go to public places. So, this past weekend we went to a wrestling tournament because (1) I really do like to watch wrestling, it's an acquired taste, but definitely entertaining and (2) I want to spend as much time as I can around Noah. If I didn't go to wrestling tournaments then I wouldn't see Noah for 2 days in a row, which really sucks. Anyways, Dagny has peed through her pants a number of times. After many oops moments of forgetting to bring extra pants I learned from my mistakes and brought an extra pair with me. However, I failed to bring an extra shirt. So we drive all the way down to West Jordan and Dagny is as happy as a clam drinking her sippy cup of apple juice. We go inside and sit down, and Dagny is sitting on my lap and acting not herself. She just wanted to sit on my lap and kept pointing to her mouth. I figured she bit her tongue or something. Moments after that thought passed through my mind Dagny projectile vomits all over me, herself, and the bleachers at West Jordan High School. I forgot how Dagny gets car sick. I just kept thinking how grateful I was that we were running so late that we didn't have time to eat breakfast. Luckily at wrestling tournaments there are huge rolls of paper towels everywhere and disinfectant cleaner for when kids get bloody noses, etc. My wonderful husband and another wrestler were kind enough to clean up all the vomit. Not just clean it up mind you, but disinfect it as well. But I had another problem. I didn't bring extra clothes for myself and I brought only pants for Dagny. So what did I do? I went to Walmart and bought both of us some new clothes. Great way to start out the morning, huh?

Croup and Christmas

2009-12-14T12:55:00.000-08:00

It has been forever, I know. But I find that my life has become quite busier from when I used to have just one child. The past while has been a little crazy with wrestling season starting up again. I took the kids to a tournament, which I said earlier that I wouldn't because I didn't want to risk Sunny getting sick. Well, they both got sick. I'm almost certain that my niece had croup and of course, my kids now have croup. If any of you don't know what croup is, it sucks. It started with just a slight fever and the sniffles, then a little cough. It progresses to really raspy breathing and a cough that sounds like a dog barking. Dagny has been unbearable. Her voice is gone and she cries every time she coughs because her throat hurts so bad. The other night she woke up around 3:00 AM. Luckily Noah took the night off from work to help out a little and he stayed up with her watching Disney movies. Sunny has been more lethargic and just whimpers every time he coughs. Both kids want to be held all the time, which is harder than one might think. They're getting better and luckily no ear infections, knock on wood.

I am really excited for Christmas this year, which is kind of a first for me. I think it's because Dagny is super stoked. She loves Christmas music and lights. I made a super cute Christmas advent calendar that I found from my friend Julie's blog and put fun Christmas activities in it for Dagny to do each day. We've painted toenails Christmas colors, watched Christmas movies, read stories, and so on. It has been really fun. Our Christmas tree isn't much, but I'm glad we have a cheap one because Dagny really likes to rearrange my ornaments and touch the tree all the time. One branch is slightly bent out of shape because of this newfound love. But the spirit of Christmas is in our homes and we're excited!! Yay for Christmas!

Quick Recap

2009-10-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

I know, it has been a super long time since I've blogged. We had terrible internet that would disconnect randomly, so it wasn't worth it to blog and then have the computer disconnect in the middle. We've had a few exciting things happen in the past little while. Well, not that many, sadly, but enough. My cute little brother in law left on his mission to Canada about a month ago. He claimed to be excited and not nervous on the outside, but he seemed a little scared to me when he left. We are so pumped for him and know that he'll be an amazing missionary.

Adam with Sunny the morning he left.
In front of the Bountiful Temple when Adam went through for the 1st time.

He's the 5th Fager to go on a mission, so we're pretty stoked. He flew to Canada yesterday and had a layover in Dallas for an hour, so he called my in laws, but my in laws all have the swine flu so we didn't go over there. We figured he would call us at home, but he never did. We later found out that he called his girlfriend instead. Lame, absolutely lame. Just wait, after she gets married and doesn't receive packages anymore, he's gonna be wishing that he had called us instead. What a douche. Seriously.

Anyways, it has been a nice three months away from school, but I am finally getting back into it. I'm not very excited, but I definitely need to go back. I'm graduating next year. I'll finally be done six years into it and two children later. Crazy. Also, Sunny has been super irritable lately and sure enough, I felt his little gums this morning and I felt a small pointy tooth finding its way through his gums. It's going to be a tough next couple of days. And Dagny loves taking her diaper off, all the time. I'm definitely researching potty training. So that' s about it. Not a whole lot, but hey, that's life.

Sunny's Blessing

2009-08-17T15:39:00.001-07:00

Sunny was blessed a few weeks ago and of course we forgot to take pictures until after we got home from church, so as you can see, he was pretty pissed off. My mother in law has kept all of her children's blessing outfits so this outfit is 26 years old, but still looks brand new. I was so glad that Sunny was able to wear this because every boy blessing outfit that I could find looked like a mini tuxedo and I was not a fan. I wanted something unique and this outfit is super cute. We tilted his hat slightly so he looked gangsta, pretty much the coolest baby in the congregation. The only downfall was that the outfit is made of some sort of wool and was super scratchy. That's probably why he was so upset. He slept through the entire blessing, which was a blessing, (no pun intended) unlike his sister who screamed through her blessing. Noah said he kept having the feeling that he needed to include in his blessing that he would be a great wrestler, but wasn't sure how to say it appropriately. I'm not sure of his exact words, but he made it work. It turned out really well even though it snuck up on us really fast and we forgot to invite some people, which we feel really bad about!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-08-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

I love this picture because it illustrates perfectly one of the many reason why I love Noah. He makes me laugh so much, more so than anyone else. It's hard to believe that we've been married for 3 years now. Three years and two kids later, and life is still amazing. I hate to say the cliche, but it really feels like we've been together for much longer. There are many reasons why I love Noah and I'll name off just a few: again, funny man, very funny man; amazing father; worthy priesthood holder; loves to cook; works hard to support the fam; can always have a stimulating conversation about the ins and outs of Harry Potter; cries during movies; cleans the toilet; obsessed with England; always expresses his gratitude for the things I do; if I wanted the moon he'd tie a lasso around it and pull it down for me; he's my best friend; loves to sing and dance; thinks I'm gorgeous even when I've got an extra layer of blubbery skin after having children; basically, when it comes down it, he would give me anything I wanted and his only wish is for my happiness. Pretty stand up guy, huh? Noah is pretty much the opposite of any guy that I ever imagined that I'd marry. I never thought I'd marry a jock, but I sure got me a big one. I really lucked out when I found Noah, and I'm so grateful that I fought to get him. I knew from the first few weeks of hanging out with him that I could be perfectly content being his wife. He's amazing and I can't wait to spend the next of eternity with him. He rocks my socks.

Dagny's Birthday

2009-08-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

   We bought her an Elmo chair and she loves reading in her new chair.
   The lighting in this picture turned out really cool
   Dagny and her very own cake
   Dagny in her princess dress ups

Last week was Dagny's birthday. I can't believe my little girl is 2 years old. We had a Fager family get together at Gangy's and Pop Pop's house with her cousins. Gangy and Pop Pop gave Dagny her very first princess dress ups and a princess palace. Noah wasn't too thrilled with the idea of princess dress ups because of how promiscuous she is with her bare shoulder hanging out, but watching her walk around in high heels pretty much takes away any misgivings about the outfit. She loves her new pretty shoes and puts them on first thing she wakes up in the morning. We had pizza and Dagny got her very own cake. I was a crappy parent last year for her birthday and didn't take any pictures so we made sure and took a ton for this birthday. Birthday parties are fun for all kids involved regardless of whose birthday it really is. Dagny's cousins loved helping her open her presents and I'm pretty sure Mele liked Dagny's dress ups more than Dagny did. All in all, it was a good day and I love my little Dagny girl. She's as stubborn as a mule and can sure throw a pretty hefty temper tantrum, but I wouldn't trade her for anything. She's a peach.

Our New Baby

2009-07-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

Here's our Sunny boy! He finally came on July 6 at 10:25 AM. I went into the hospital at 8:00 AM to be induced and after 2 hours of labor he entered the cruel world. He weighed a whopping 10 lbs. 1 oz. and was 21 inches long. Labor was amazing and my recovery has been pretty amazing as well. I honestly had no idea that I was capable of carrying a baby that large inside my body. He has dark hair and pretty tan skin. For those of you who watch King of the Hill, Noah always jokes that I had an affair with John Redcorn, but I assure you, I did no such thing. Sunny has had a bit of jaundice, but is progressively getting over it. He's super sleepy so we have to wake him up to eat, which gets pretty annoying at times. Dagny loves being a big sister, but she is having a hard time understanding how to be soft. Life is good, my crotch hurts a bit, but that's understandable considering that I pushed out a 10 pounder. He's the apple of his daddy's eye and is destined to be the greatest wrestler known to the wrestling world. So look out for his name in the papers because he's going to be making headlines.

Anxieties

2009-06-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

I know, it has been quite a while since I've blogged, but I have felt as if nothing blog worthy has really come up in my life so it's just easier to not write anything. I'm not much of a picture taker either, which is something that I want to work on. Anyways, I'm very pregnant right now and I'm pretty sure the whole nesting thing has kicked in because Noah and I (mostly Noah) are working like crazy to get the house ready for Sunny. I have all this pent up anxiety because I'm nervous that nothing is going to be ready for the baby and that I'm going to go into labor early or something. So Noah and I made a to do list and have been checking things off as we have accomplished them.

Number 1 Anxiety:

I have been stressing out about weaning Dagny from her crib to the toddler bed. We bought one quite a while ago, but it has stayed in its box in the garage until now. Noah worked like a champ to clear out our junk room and make it our bedroom, while making our old bedroom Dagny's new room. I was nervous to have her sleep in a new bed in a new room, but she did awesome. It took a few tries to get her to stay in her bed, but once Noah knelt down with her and said prayers, then she crawled back in bed and went right to sleep. It hasn't been a problem since then. We're lucky that she can't open doors yet so she just scratches on the door like a puppy until one of us hears her. She's amazing.

Number 2 Anxiety:

I am nervous about going into labor. With Dagny I didn't go into labor at all, and after I was overdue a week my genius doctor decided I better be induced. It was really nice knowing an exact time and day that I was going to have my baby. With Sunny I'm already dilated so my doctor thinks I could go into labor much earlier. It's like having my first baby all over again. Except now I have another child to worry about. I keep praying everyday that Sunny won't come too early and that I'll be induced. I know, I'm a baby, but I really enjoy taking advantage of the advances of modern medicine. I'm also nervous about being away from Dagny for two days. After two years I feel pretty attached to the kid, so I don't feel super comfortable not being around her for 24 hours a day. It's not that I don't trust my mom, but I trust myself the most.

Number 3 Anxiety:

Why did I get pregnant again? I forgot all the incredible discomforts that come along with giving birth. Definitely not looking forward to not being able to sit down for a couple of weeks or engorgement. Looking back, I don't know how I got through it all. Lack of sleep is starting to haunt me. I am not looking forward to having to wake up every two hours. I love my husband, but he's not the greatest at hearing things when he's sleeping. In fact, he doesn't hear anything at all while he's sleeping. It really is a very uncomfortable situation, but I just have to remind myself that I'm going through all this crap with the best outcome of a child. I'm definitely excited to not be prego anymore because I'm pretty sure I can't take anymore weight being added on to my ginormous belly. I run the risk every day of falling over because I'm so freaking top heavy. So at least with giving birth the baby is no longer inside and my body will soon go back to normal.

So there you have it. I have many more anxieties, but no one needs to hear all of them or else I might be accused of being a downer of sorts. Noah has to keep reminding me that the Lord will take care of me and to have a little more faith. Noah has been a champ and the most amazing husband. He has been so good about helping me out around the house. I have a really hard time bending over to pick up anything, so Noah helps me with that even though he has just as much of a hard time bending over as well because he's a little top heavy. I feel really lucky to have such an amazing man for a husband. He rocks my socks.

What's in a name?

2009-04-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

Naming a child is sometimes a very tough decision for parents. You may find that a name that you previously thought was a good name has countless possibilities of mean nicknames that your child may run into in school. And who wants to be responsible for that? But then I thought, you could name a kid anything and it really just depends on the attitude of the child on whether or not they dislike their name and their parents for naming them that. The greatest example of this is my own brother. I don't know why my parents named my brother Richard when our last name is Head. Believe me, he received teasing from kids from kindergarten to his senior year. But you know what? He has such a good attitude about his name that it doesn't even bother him. It never has. In fact, he just laughs with them and eventually people respected him for it. Lately we've been receiving a bit of crap for wanting to name our son Sunny, and it's starting to get really frustrating. First of all, people who have already had children have already named them. They had their opportunity to give their kids names that they liked. They may have been influenced by popular names of that era or family names, etc. But once you've had your chance of naming children, then you're done. You're welcome to give suggestions of names that you like and approve of, but when it comes down to it, it's not your place to judge other people for naming their children certain names. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I am sometimes bugged by the way people spell their kids' names, but I recognize that it's their decision and that's that. We're naming our son Sunny. Unless Noah is inspired miraculously while blessing Sunny to name him something else, then that's what we're sticking to. We feel strongly about it and our minds will not be changed. I really do appreciate that people care enough about my unborn child to be worried about him, but he's going to be a strong boy who is not ashamed of his name. This post kinda sounds harsh, but I'm starting to feel frustrated and sad that people doubt our decision when it comes to our own child. Have a little more faith is what I say.

It's a...

2009-02-24T13:06:00.000-08:00

So I've been a little frustrated with my doctor because every time I go to an appointment she tells me that we have to wait to get an ultrasound because of our insurance. Lame!! I've been going nuts waiting to find out what we're having so yesterday I went online and found a place at the South Towne Mall that does ultrasounds. It wasn't super cheap ($59), but it was cheaper than everywhere else I went to. I called cheaper places but you have to either be a patient there or previously had an ultrasound there. Anyways, we found out that we're having a ... boy! Noah has been smiling ever since. Not that he wasn't excited about Dagny, but there's just something about a daddy finally getting his son. I have had a feeling the whole time that it was a boy, but I wasn't going to bet on it in case I was wrong. I think I have an intuition thing though because when I was prego with Dagny I knew she was a girl. We went to Ross today and Noah went crazy buying boy clothes. He's really picky about what he's going to wear because he doesn't want him to be in too cutesy outfits, so most of the stuff we picked up today were Nike clothes ( I love Ross, everything name brand is so cheap!)

We had a name picked out, but then Noah came home from work one day and felt that the name we picked wasn't the right name. And then about a week later it came to him: Sunny. Our little boy is going to be named Sunny Ian. Dagny's name means "day" in Scandinavian and Noah is really passionate about the scripture that talks about how there can never be darkness when there is light. So Sunny it is and then Ian is my dad's name. We're really, really excited and Noah is already preparing to get Sunny his first wrestling singlet and wrestling shoes. So there you have it. It's exciting to get to buy all boy things because everything we have is pink!

Medicine Woes

2009-01-30T21:54:00.001-08:00

I've had this cold for over a month now and I'm dying. My lovely husband introduced me to nasal spray and I soon discovered that it is one of the most wonderful inventions in the world! However, I neglected to read the directions. Vicks Nasal Spray is a 12 hour spray, meaning one should only use it twice a day. I got to the point where I was using it about every two hours and used an entire bottle in about two weeks. You see, the thing about nasal spray is that it is addictive, which my husband told me , but I conveniently ignored. When I finally recognized that I was addicted to nasal spray Noah told me that I must quit cold turkey. I have been miserable. My brain has told my body that it needs to stay congested and gross. I've been taking Sudafed, but the directions say that once you've used it for a week, to stop use. So I'm medicine-less and rapidly losing my sanity from loss of sleep (I can't stand breathing through my mouth!) I'm procrastinating going to bed because I know that my nose will become congested and I won't be able to sleep anyways. I guess I've learned that I have an addictive personality.

Guess What?...

2009-01-15T21:51:00.000-08:00

I figure it's about time I made the announcement that I'm prego again. I've started telling people now which is a relief because it really is hard to keep it a secret for 12 weeks. Why would I keep such a wonderful thing a secret? Well, I miscarried a baby in August so I was really nervous to make the announcement prematurely in case I miscarried again. Definitely not something that I want to go through again. Right now the due date for the baby is July 13. I know, I must be crazy to have two babies in the summer, but believe me, I didn't really plan it that way. We're really stoked for this baby (hopefully a boy!, I really want Noah to get his wrestler) and I think Dagny is going to be a great big sister. So there you have it, I'll let everyone know when we find out the sex of the child...

Yay for Christmas!

2008-12-30T17:05:00.000-08:00

Our camera is pretty terrible. For some reason every picture we take is super blurry, so this is the best one out of all the ones we took. Christmas was great in our family because it is the first year that Noah hasn't had to work on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. In fact, I thought he had to work both of those days until he told me on those days that he got them off. I was pretty excited. Noah's siblings came over on Christmas Eve night and hung out while we finished getting all our gifts put under the tree and Noah had to put Dagny's wagon together. She loves her wagon and sits in it every day in the living room while watching cartoons. Noah surprised me with a Paula Deen brand of pots and pans. I really needed some so I was really excited. We went down to my mom and dad's for Christmas dinner (more like lunch because we ate at about 2). We exchanged presents and hung out for a bit and then went to Noah's parent's house. It's fun to go to two different Christmases because our families do them entirely different from each other. But it has been so fun having Christmas in our own house this year. It really was a great year. I didn't think Dagny would get into the presents that much but she loved opening presents and wanted to help everyone else open theirs. This year has been a great year for our family and we're really excited for all the upcoming events of next year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ear Tubes

2008-11-19T16:37:00.001-08:00

Dagny with her daddy.

Dagny had tubes put in her ears on Monday. I definitely think the experience was harder on Noah and I then it was on Dagny and luckily everything went well. I was pretty much holding tears back the entire time because I am a forever pessimist and could only think of all the possible bad things that could happen. When they put her in the little wagon and wheeled her through the double doors I nearly collapsed right there. She was so funny because she didn't even look back at us, she kept saying hi to all the nurses that met her. She looked super cute in her hospital gown even though she didn't like it very much. Thank heavens it's all over and hopefully her ear infections will diminish in numbers as well.

Dagny in her wagon.

Mr. Fix-it Man

2008-10-22T21:59:00.001-07:00

Ever since we moved into our house I've been slowly going insane by our leaky faucet. I kept asking Noah if he could figure out how to fix it and he said he would when he found the time to do it. We moved in in June and it's almost the end of October. The leak mutated from a drip to a steady stream of water. I got the water bill for the past two months and it seriously went up $20 and I think the leaky faucet was the culprit! So I thought I would be Rosie the Riveter and fix the sink myself. I watched three videos on the internet and was ready to go. I turned the water off and took the handle off and thought I found the piece with the worn down washer. I went to Home Depot and the plumbing guy looked at me with pity and asked me if I'd forgotten a piece to the part. I insisted that I did not and he handed me a package of washers. I'm pretty sure he knew I'd be back shopping for an entire new faucet, but he was nice enough not to say that. I went home to attack the sink again and found that I could not figure out how to put the sink back together. I admitted defeat and woke Noah up with the statement, "I can't figure out how to put the sink back together". Needless to say, he wasn't that happy. Eventually I started crying because I thought he was mad at me for breaking the faucet. He insisted that he wasn't mad and went to Home Depot to buy a new faucet. After an hour of figuring everything out, my Mr. Fix-it man fixed our sink with a brand new faucet. It has the little detachable hose so that I can bathe our babies in the sink! I'm very excited. The best part was while Noah was trying very hard to wedge himself underneath the sink I looked down and noticed that he very fittingly had a plumber's crack! So the moral of this story is to get something done in the house all you have to do is break it and then cry. If your husband is anything like mine, you'll always get your way:).

Furnace Fiasco and Ear Infections

2008-10-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

So last week I called a furnace man to come turn our pilot light on and green sticker our furnace and water heater. After his inspection he comes back upstairs and notifies us that by law he cannot turn our heater on because there are a number of things wrong with it, including a gas leak. Mind you, our house was built in 1979 and our furnace is the original furnace. I was bewildered because I figured when our house was inspected something like a gas leak would have come up in the conversation. But it didn't. So I called our home warranty company and of course they couldn't get a guy to come out until after the freezing cold, snowy weekend. We've been freezing. Luckily some awesome members of our ward donated space heaters so we wouldn't become people icicles during the night. Finally the warranty man came and told us that we would need a brand new furnace (YEAH!), but that it won't arrive until next week. Luckily the weather is warming up somewhat this week. Also, our home warranty covers the purchase of the furnace, we only have to pay for minor parts and service. So I guess it's good news and bad news. I'm thinking, why didn't I call a furnace guy when we moved into our house in June? I'll tell you why, I'm a retard.

Dagny's nose started running last week so I took her to the doctor a few days later when it turned into a yucky cough and she has double ear infections. That makes number 7 or 8 for her (I've lost count), so lucky her, she gets to go to an ENT (ear, nose, and throat specialist) and get tubes put in her eyes. That really wasn't much of a surprise considering nearly every sibling in Noah's family had tubes put in their ears. But I hate seeing Dagny sick and I am not excited for minor surgery. I have become a skeptic of the medical world and don't really trust them. I think it's just a big money making conspiracy that takes advantage of poor ignorant people like myself. But if it means that Dagny won't get as many ear infections and save her hearing then I'll give it a try.

New Calling

2008-09-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm really excited about my new calling. The bishopric kept calling me and talking to me about callings, but it took forever for our records to get transferred and they can't extend a calling until you're "officially" in the ward. So finally, after some false alarm callings (activity days leader and piano player-I can't even play the piano!) I receive the calling of...the laurel advisor! I absolutely loved young women's in my ward growing up. I had some of the most amazing leaders and for the most part all of us girls were friends. This is super lame, but I have dreamed of this calling because I am such a firm believer in the inspiration behind the Young Women's program. My first Sunday in Young Women's went pretty well except the first thing that I found out from one of my laurels is that she knows my husband's little brother. I called him when I got home from church because I just knew that he had probably made out with her and broke her heart or something. I won't tell the whole story, but some drama occurred between them and is still unresolved. I hated boys like my little brother in law when I was in high school, but I love him to pieces now, and I could have punched him right in the face when I found out what went down with him and this girl. I already feel so protective of these girls and I don't even know them. I'm really nervous for this calling because I am by no means a perfect example for these girls. I have to remember that it is important to be their friend, but most importantly I'm their leader and there's a line that can't be crossed. I've developed the bad habit of swearing and I'm nervous that a cuss word is going to slip out in the middle of my lesson or something. Anyways, I'm excited and nervous and so many other feelings, but first I need to start being an example and hopefully I can be the same type of leader that my leaders were to me when I was in young women's.

A Reality Check

2008-09-04T20:50:00.000-07:00

So I guess I got a little dose of reality today and it frightened me quite a bit. A friend of my husband's lives in Texas and is a cop. Yesterday he was managing traffic during road construction on foot and an 18 wheeler crashed into him and fell on top of him. His left leg is crushed and runs the risk of amputation, his left arm is broken and has 3rd degree burns on it, and he had bleeding in his brain. His wife called and said that the doctors are optimistic about the situation and he should be ok. But oh my gosh! I guess you never really know what could happen until it happens to somebody else. Now logically I know that Noah doesn't run a huge risk of getting hurt like that because his job description is basically a security guard for the major government buildings. I've never been nervous about him going to work and getting hurt. But then I just thought, what if he does? Our family would be taken care of financially because Noah works for the state and has really good benefits, but still, it's a scary thought. Cops are targets for those crazies out there. Noah wears a bullet proof vest every day, but one day I asked him what would happen if they shot him in the face. Do you know what he said? He'd die. I wish he could walk around in some sort of bullet proof suit. No worries there. I guess when it comes down to it, life is really fragile. We could die at any time. I suppose when it comes down to it we're all constantly in the process of slowly dying. Way to have an optimistic outlook on life, huh?

Happy Anniversary!

2008-08-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

On August 12 Noah and I have been married for 2 years! Wow, time sure does fly by so fast. I hate to be so cliche but it really has been an amazing couple of years. Let's take a walk down memory lane to the day when Noah and I first met... It was a hot summer day in beautiful (NOT!) Rock Spring, Wy and I decided to mosey on down to a back to school BBQ. And there Noah was with his roommate scarfing down a plate of BBQ spare ribs. I have to admit that I noticed his roommate first, but I do remember being bugged by Noah tilted baseball hat, so I wrote him off as a retard. I often wonder what would have happened had I hooked up with Noah first instead of his roommate. Anyways, after much chasing, persuasion, and the 4th Harry Potter movie Noah finally asked me out and the rest is history. I really don't know what I would do with him. He is my rock and stability in this crazy world. He is so supportive and always makes me laugh. He literally took care of Dagny the first two months of her life, all I did was feed her. And when I recently miscarried our baby, he was right there to pick me back up again. I love him so much and look forward to the next however many years we have together. Here's to you love.

Breaking Dawn Concerns

2008-08-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've read a couple of other blogs about the whole Twilight thing, and yes, I am quite obsessed with the books as well. I didn't do the whole midnight party thing, but I did wait in line the next morning to get my copy. So far, I don't like it at all. I won't go into too many details because some might not have read it yet and I'm a firm believer in not spoiling books for others. I don't know, it's not like these books are anything like the Harry Potter series, but I still feel a little connected with the characters and I'm really disappointed with everything so far. I mean, obviously Stephenie Meyer couldn't please everyone, Bella had to either pick Edward or Jacob. I'm a huge Jacob fan. How sexy is it to know that if you're cold you can be immediately warmed up by a sexy Native American werewolf? Ok, I'm a little biased because although my husband isn't Native American, he is huge and his body temperature is always super hot. Not to mention that he is outrageously hairy everywhere except his head. I just think I might be married to a werewolf. It is a little ironic that he always opts to work graveyard shifts...hmmm...and maybe that's why the dogs next door are always making noise too. Definitely something to think about.

47 Cars

2008-07-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

So we found out today at church that the boy scouts washed 47 cars. Yep, that's right, 47 cars. Do the math, that's $94 we forked out to those boy scouts. Enough said.

A Michael Scott Moment

2008-07-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you are familiar with The Office, but Noah and I watch it religiously and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone with an ounce of a sense of humor. Anyway, I recently had a Michael Scott moment that I'm slightly embarrassed about so I figure I'd blog about it to make myself feel better. So the other day the cutest little boy scout came to our front door and was such a nervous pervous about collecting donations for a car wash fundraiser. The basics of the fundraiser was we pledge a certain amount of money for every car they washed. The car wash was free. The kid was just so dang cute, I couldn't deny him my money to go to scout camp. Boys learn valuable things in scout camp, right? So I ask the kid what the average pledge people gave to him that was on his list. He only had one pledge so far and that person pledged $5. So I figure, hey, if that person can pledge $5, then I can at least pledge $2. I mean, how many people actually pull over to get their car washed when they see kids in some parking lot washing cars? So he writes down my name and runs along on his merry way. After Noah wakes up from his nap I tell him what happened and he freaks out slightly. He explains to me that of course people will pull over for a free car wash. He proceeds to ask me if I understand what it means to pledge money and of course I say yes, I'm not a retard like Michael Scott then it hits me, what if they washed 40 cars? That means I have to fork out $80! I can't afford that, we just bought a house, we're broke! Well, the kid hasn't been back yet so I don't know how many cars they washed. But what do I do? Do I claim stupidity and tell the kid I didn't understand the whole pledging thing and offer $10? But then I'd look like some cheap shrew who takes back a charitable donation. That won't do. Maybe I'll receive extra blessings. So the moral of the story is beware of super cute boy scouts asking for donations at your door. They're out to get you!

Couple Tag

2008-06-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

How long have you been together? Noah and I met in August '05 and got married in August '06 so we've been together almost 3 years, but married for almost 2.

Who kissed who first? Funny story, Noah kissed me first while watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and I thought he was burping on my cheek! His ego was bruised for a second, but then we made out for a good long time!

Who eats more? This is a close call because I definitely eat a ton, but I think people can guess by looking at the two of us who eats more: Noah weighs in at nearly 300 lbs and I weigh 120. I give him a pretty good run for his money though.

Who is taller? It's hard to tell, but Noah is taller than me. I'm about 5'9" and he's 6'. If he's shoeless and I'm wearing shoes we look the same height. Good thing he weighs a ton more than me.

Who is more sensitive? Definitely Noah. He is a bawl baby and we can't get into a fight without him crying because he feels bad about hurting my feelings or something. I'm pretty sensitive too when it comes to movies and such though.

Who does the laundry? I figure it's the least I can do since Noah works so hard everyday. He's a cop and I'm a mom, my job is to do the laundry and I'm totally ok with that. In fact, I'm doing some right now. :)

Who cooks? Well, I would have to say that I cook 60% of the time and Noah cooks 40% of the time. He's really particular on what he eats so on those days I let him cook. Plus it's hard to cook when you're living with someone so once we move into our house I'm sure I'll cook more.

Who drives when you two are together? Definitely Noah. I have a complex about driving. I absolutely hate it. I would be happy if for the rest of my life I had a chauffeur.

Who is more stubborn? That's a tough one. I think I am because I'm pretty good at getting Noah to do whatever I want to do. He doesn't want to piss me off so he's pretty good at caving in.

Who has more siblings? Noah. He has 3 brothers and 3 sisters, I have 2 brothers.

Who is more daring? NOAH! I am the biggest weenie. I don't like taking risks at all. The fact that Noah is a cop speaks for itself I think.

I tag Krystle, Amy, and Shayla.

The Leading Scientist in her field

2008-06-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

My little niece Clarion has had a rough go on life ever since she was born in March. She got RSV when she was a week old from her brother and sister, who got it from my little girl. Just recently she got some type of virus in her lungs which make her cough until it seems like her little eyeballs are going to pop out. She's pretty much been sick her entire existence so far. Unfortunately because she has been sick, when anyone else gets sick they blame it on her. I admit I've done it myself. Dagny has had croup for the past week and a half and I was sure that Clarion gave it to her. And for the past few days I've had an ear infection and really yucky cold, which I assumed that I got from Dagny. However, when I went to the doctor he told me that there was no possible way that what I have I got from Dagny. I must have gotten it from the store or something. When I found that out I felt terrible for blaming my daughter for getting me sick and even second guessed my assumption of Clarion getting Dagny sick. My mother in law, the leading scientist in the field of hypochondria, was convinced that everything has been coming from Clarion. But what does she know? She's never been to medical school and the fact is that there are millions of viruses and bacterias in the world and they're everywhere. So basically no one really knows anything, only God and we have to rely on him for everything because he ultimately controls everything. We're just a very small part in the big scheme of things.

The Smell of Death

2008-05-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

So I hate saying this, but right now we're living with my in laws and the downstairs bathroom is getting remodeled. The bottom of the shower had large cracks in it and the water was leaking into the laundry room. It was a big mess. So the Mr. Fix it man came exactly one week ago. The man is a retard. He spends maybe 2 total hours working on the bathroom and 3 hours taking unnecessary breaks. Then he leaves and says he won't be coming back until today, one week later. After he was finished last Monday he put all the old fiber glass out the window into the window well for some unknown reason instead of throwing it away. We wake up the next morning to discover the two dogs had torn all the fiber glass out of the window well and spread it all over the back lawn. Moron. So for a week all 10 of us have had to use one bathroom. He came back today and finished the shower, but tore up all the linoleum and found that the water had leaked underneath the linoleum and rotted on the cement. It smells like death in the house. Wait, not just death, but moldy death. I can't function. My whole existence lies in that basement and I can't spend 5.2 seconds down there without gagging, literally gagging. Dagny is down there taking a nap with her door shut and the window open, and luckily the smell hasn't leaked into her room. Mr. Fix it man said that the smell shouldn't harm us because it's not that kind of mold, but don't be surprised if you watch the news tomorrow morning and see that a family of 10 was found dead in their home, dying from mold inhalation. In the meantime, we're all slowly dying of mold inhalation...

Taking a Stroll in the Fabric Store

2008-05-17T11:03:00.001-07:00

I really should know better by now, but for some reason I always get sucked into shopping at fabric stores with my mother in law. I hate shopping at fabric stores, but my mother in law told me about this really cute fleece that matches Dagny's crib set (which still isn't finished by the way, and Dagny is 9 months old) so I thought, you know, I really would like to tie a fleece blanket for Dagny. So against my better judgement, I went. Now, first off, my mother in law is crazy. She knows it, I know it, everyone knows it. But when she enters a fabric store it's crazy x ten. She insists on looking at every single fabric in the store and tries to convince anyone that's with her how that particular swatch would look incredible on their son/daughter. She insists that she could spend an entire day at a fabric store if she had the time. Heaven help us! Today I took Dagny with me and she was fine at first, but after the 3rd fabric store she was not a happy camper. In fact, she was a downright pissed off camper. She was screaming and throwing her little tantrums because it was naptime. We finally bought what we went for, but Dagny and I were so pissed off by the end of the journey that I could have cared less about that stupid fleece. We bought it and all is well in the world, but now I'm thinking to myself, does Dagny really need another blanket? I swear she has a gazillion of them already and that's only one baby down, many more to go. So the moral of the story is, if I ever mention that I'm considering going to a fabric store with my mother in law, please, please remind me to say NO!

Best Mother's Day Ever!

2008-05-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

I know that pretty much everyone writes in their blog how amazing their husbands are, which is perfectly fine, I'm sure their husbands are great to them. But I just have to write a blog about the amazing Mother's Day present that Noah got for me. For ages I've been wanting a Kitchen Aid standing mixer, but never thought anything of it because first, I don't have my own house yet and second, they get pretty pricey. Well, Noah just blew my socks off by getting me my very own Kitchen Aid mixer! Recently I have been watching The Food Network and every chef on that network has their own mixer, so now, if I wanted to, I could start my own show too! I probably won't open it up until we have our own house (we're looking, but not having very much luck!), but I'm still super excited anyways. Mine is very pretty and classy, and I'm very excited to mix things in it! I'm hoping that I'll become a better cook with one of these puppies!

Stupidity 101

2008-05-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

I just read through my new classes that I'm taking online and I'm a little freaked out. For my first assignment in adolescent literature I have to make a powerpoint of my reading experience. I can read books just fine, but asking me to do something technological on the computer is another story. Writing this blog is about as accomplished as I get on the computer. I feel really stupid because I have to ask my little brother in law who practically flunks out of every class he's in to help me with my powerpoint presentation. Definitely going to be a humbling experience...or just make me feel more retarded. We'll see.

15 Things Tag

2008-05-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

Post these rules on your blog.
Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog.
List:
3 joys
3 fears
3 goals
3 current obsessions/collections
3 random/surprising facts

Tag five people at the end of your post by leaving their names .
Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

3 joys:

My husband, Noah

My little girl, Dagny

Good food, really good food

3 Fears:

Noah losing his job

Losing my figure (totally vain, I know)

Scary movies (I hate them)

3 Goals:

Earn my bachelor's

Buy a house!!

Become more organized

3 current obsessions/ collections:

cleanliness/tidiness

the Food Network

books for Dagny

3 random/surprising facts:

I pushed out a 9lb.6oz. baby girl

I recently decided I want a cat, but Noah won't let me

I get really stressed out about punctuality

I don't have 5 friends to tag, totally lame, I know, so I'll just tag Krystle because she's the only one I know. :)

Ode to Cheerios

2008-04-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to express my greatest appreciation for Cheerios. I don't know what I would do without them to entertain Dagny. When I need to get something done all I have to do is put Dagny in her high chair with a load of Cheerios and she's entertained. Another bonus is I don't have to worry about Dagny getting a sugar high from them because they're so healthy! I'm a big advocate of keeping Dagny off sugar for as long as possible because I don't want to create a little monster who demands sugar to be happy. I'm also able to sit through most of my church meetings when I have a palm full of Cheerios for Dagny to pick off my hand one by one. Dagny reminds me of Boo from Monster's Inc. because I will put a trail of Cheerios on the ground and she'll follow the trail and pick them up one by one. It's pretty funny. So to put it plainly, thank you Cheerios, for making my life a whole lot easier.

In a Nutshell...

2008-04-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

This is my first blog ever and for some reason I've always been nervous to blog, but here goes. I must admit that Krystle inspired me to do this because I read all of her blogs and they made me feel good. :) I figure this is a good way for me to express my thoughts because times get pretty lonely being a stay at home mom. I love it though. Hopefully this will be better than myspace because I don't get very many comments or messages from people so this blogging thing will be for me and people can read it if they want to. Life is pretty good and hopefully it will be getting even better soon.

A little about our family at the present. Noah just got hired on at the Salt Lake Sheriff's Dept. as a Protective Services Officer. I must admit that I love a man in uniform. For a while we were pretty nervous that he wouldn't make it through the police academy (he said it was worse than college wrestling), but luckily our prayers were answered and he passed everything. He loves it and I'm glad that he finally can go to work and not dread being there the whole time.

I stay at home with Dagny and we have a lot of fun. I just enrolled in an online school called Grand Canyon University (yes, it's a legit school) and it feels good getting back into school. I only have about 2 semesters left and then I'll have my bachelors so I'm pretty excited. I love being able to go to school and take care of Dagny at the same time. I honestly don't really trust anyone else to take care of my child so it was an answer to many prayers to find GCU.

Dagny is crazy! She is 8 months old and is getting into everything. She pulls herself up onto anything she can get her hands on and she bites everything and everyone. She's a really happy baby and I don't have too much trouble with her. I was very blessed to have such a good baby.

And that's about it. I'm pretty excited for this whole blogging thing and hope that it helps me to vent in a healthy way because I have a lot of venting to do.