My New Favorite Primary Song!!

When we moved back here from St. George, I was given the calling at church to teach the 3 year-olds (a.k.a. Sunbeams). Being with this age group means that we're in Junior Primary, so there are kids in there between the ages of 3 and 8. The Church (L.D.S. Church, so my non-Mormon friends know what I'm referring to!) recently came out with a new children's song called "The Family Is Of God" that our Primary children have been learning for the upcoming Primary Program. It's such a great song, but to help you understand why I love it so much, imagine 100+ little kids singing (and some/most of them YELLING) "God gave us families...to help us become what He wants us to be! This is how He shares His love, for the family is of God." I'll have to bring a tape recorder into primary next week to record it so I can put it on here. It really makes me cry every week to hear those precious children sing that song.

Anyway, here's the information for the song if anyone wants to hear/download it. I LOVE IT!!

Here's a hint for downloading it: right click on "Download music with lyrics," then select "Save Target as" and then save it wherever you'd like on your computer. Here's the link!

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=c1d49fbc9d632210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=21bc9fbee98db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Salt Lake Bees!!

Last night we went to a Salt Lake Bees baseball game with our friends Christian and April (and their daughter Kylee). We're so excited they moved here from St. George so now we can be REAL friends and actually hang out!

Mason had a blast rolling down the grass hill with a little girl named Kaylee who was there with her own family. They had a 2 year old son too, but Mason only wanted to play with Kaylee. Pretty funny!

Bloom Where You Are Planted (please!!!!)

We've been putting a lot of work into our yard this year, and it's finally starting to feel like a place I could call home for a while! Jeff, his dad and his brothers worked hard all day on Memorial Day and built our new wood fence. There's no grass in the back yard yet - that project will have to wait until next spring, but Mason really enjoys helping his daddy mow the weeds!

The flowers are all starting to bloom and the new trees are starting to grow, so I figured it was time for some pictures. The more bushy, short tree is a Ginko Biloba tree. The tall, lanky tree is a Sunset Maple (it will be bright red and flourescent orange in the fall).

Grandma Marquis donated some of her Day Lilies (behind the huge rock), and I also planted 20 Delia bulbs - they'll be HUGE and colorful, so I can't wait for them to bloom! My bff Amber came back in March and planted a bunch of Pansies for me (cuz she rocks like that). We transplanted/combined them and they've really flourished! There are some small bush plants with bright pink flowers on them, but I can't remember what they're called. The bright yellow flowers are Petunias - I LOVE how bright and cheerful they are! The bright blue flowers are called Delphinium (Mistral Blue). The little bush-like plants behind those used to have bright pink flowers on them but they all fell off for some reason - they're called Minuet Weigela. The back bushes are called a burning bush - they will get HUGE and the leaves will turn fire red in the Fall and early Winter.

Next Spring and Summer I'll get to add more flowers and actually do our side beds...probably with rose bushes! I'm excited! For now, enjoy my latest passion!

Playing Catch-Up

Well it's been WAY TOO LONG since I updated the blog (three months) and a ton has happened since then, so I'm afraid I'm going to just have to leave some things out when I update today. :)

So my mom came out to Utah for a month. She stayed with my grandparents, but we still got to see her a lot. We had a few family get-togethers, which was great! Especially when Kevin (my mom's brother) came to town with his family too.

Mom and I took Mason to A Day Out With Thomas up in Heber and he loved it! It was so much fun. Mom also helped me pick out flowers for the empty flower bed in front of the house, but I don't want to take pictures of that until all the flowers are in bloom. :) I'll post that when it's ready.

During all the fun family stuff, Mason LOVED playing with my cousins (Derek's girls) and with Steven's kids. He especially took a liking to Katie.

Enjoy the pics!

Kevin's wife Pam with their boys Adam and Carson


Katie and Mason


Me and my mom


Mason and his Grandma

Jessie, Grandpa, Mason, Kevin & Pam & Adam's head

Steven's kids Harmony & Boston and Kevin's son Carson

Jamie and Adam

Katie and Mason

Brynn, Jamie & Harmony with Mason

Mom with a couple of her friends from El Paso

and my girlfriends from El Paso

Me and Mom

Mason riding on Thomas the Train

Mason and Grandma on Thomas the Train

Mason Is Two!!

I was SO excited for Mason's 2nd Birthday; I'm not sure why it was such a big deal to me, but I really went all-out for his party and it was so fun!

He turned two on Friday the 20th, so I took him to Carl's Jr. to enjoy the play place and have his favorite chicken stars. His actual Birthday party was Saturday, and it was a blast! Since his obsession lately (when I say "lately," I really mean "for the past year") has been Thomas the Tank Engine, that was the theme of the party. And (make sure you're either sitting down or holding onto something sturdy) I EVEN MADE HIS BIRTHDAY CAKE! I know - shocker! Last year I just did cupcakes because the idea of making a cake was so intimidating, but this year I really wanted to make one. So many of my Birthday memories as a child include homemade character cakes by my mom, so I want that for Mason too. Although I'm sure he won't remember his second Birthday, but that's alright!

He got lots of cool presents, including his first "bike." We actually just got him a Big Wheels so we don't have to worry about him falling off all the time. We'll get him a bike someday. Just not yet. haha He is in LOVE with his Viewfinder and his "Five Little Monkeys" book that he got too. Thanks to everyone who came and helped us make Mason feel special on his special day!













Our little family (post-party)












Mason playing "pin the 1 on Thomas"











The cake I made. It was so fun to make!











Jeff helping him to blow out the candle.












Mason pushing Ezekial on his new bike

Big Boy Bed!!

So for over a week now Mason has been attempting to climb out of his crib at nap time. He gets up over the side - one arm and leg on either side and tummy on top - then cries and screams bloody murder until I finally realize that something really is wrong and go help him get back into his bed. Mason's bedroom floor is hardwood, so if he were to fall he'd probably get hurt.

Friday night we decided to convert his crib into a toddler bed, and Mason was so excited! I was really worried that it would be a HORRIBLE transition, but Mason went straight to bed and STAYED in his bed! When the morning came, I heard him on the baby monitor saying "all done momma." I went in to get him and he was just sitting on his bed waiting for me.

Nap time was a little more difficult - getting him to understand that he can't get out of bed and pull all his books off the shelf and bring them back to bed. We just ended up moving all his books out of reach and giving him one to take to bed, and he's been napping wonderfully! I'm so grateful it has been so easy! Transition #1 down...only potty training to go! Glad he's not ready for that yet!






















Jeff saying prayers with Mason

Recent Happenings

Jeff's brother Justin got married this weekend and we got lots of fun pictures. We LOVE his new wife Whitney. She's kinda shy around the family, but I'm sure that will change once she gets to feel more comfortable around us all. She's gotta be able to hold her own in the Baumann household! They got married in the Jordan River Temple and the weather was so perfect for them! Low 50's - which is VERY warm for mid-February believe it or not. Anyhow, here are a few pictures.

Valentine's Cookies for Uncle Taylor

Last Thursday, Mason and I made Valentine's cookies for Taylor to send him in the MTC. Mason helped me make the dough and the frosting, then we had a blast eating them! I had Taylor's picture on the counter so Mason could maybe grasp who we were making the cookies for - half way through our adventure, he told me, "kiss La-lor". He wanted to kiss Taylor - so I got a cute picture of that too.

I've Been Tagged! All about Jeff...

Where did you meet your husband?
Well it's a long story. The first time we met was in 2003 at my guy friends' apartment in Provo. He didn't pay me any attention. Then I met him again in 2005 after my mission in Provo - he was my neighbor and in my singles ward.

How long did you date before you were married?
We started dating in July of 2005 and were married at the end of April, 2006.

How long have you been married?
it will be 3 years in April

What does he do that surprises you?
He'll sometimes let me hold the remote control. j/k!!! Um...occasionally he'll bring me flowers, clean the whole house when I'm out running errands, or call me from work just to say hi.

What is your favorite feature of his?
Physical feature? His legs. He's got such strong legs!

What is his best quality?
He is the hardest worker I know.

Does he have a nickname for you?
Hottie. lol that's so gay!

What is his favorite food?
His mom's homemade Mac and Cheese. I've tried to make it - I guess it can't be duplicated, cuz it turned out AWFULLY!

What is his favorite sport?
Volleyball for sure, but he loves to watch basketball (the Utah Jazz) and football (go BYU Cougars!)

When and where was your first kiss?
It was in June (yes, before we started to date!) - there was a ward camping trip in Moab and we kissed there...with another girl on the other side of him (she was infatuated with him - she was also my ride home. That was not a good ride home!)

What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
Honestly, we love to relax and watch t.v. together or play board games. We also love to go to pro volleyball tournaments together, but that's only like once a year.

Do you have any children?
one kid - Mason. He's almost 2.

Does he have any hidden talents?
He does the most amazing, realistic monkey impression

How old is he?
30

Who said I love you first?
I really don't remember. I remember where we were (at a park by the Provo temple...taking a rest from the motorcycle ride), but not who said it first.

What is his favorite music?
He loves 90's rock, Alicia Keys, and Bruce Hornesby.

What do you admire most about him?
His work ethic and his determination to be a better person.

What is his favorite color?
green for sure. One look at his wardrobe will tell you that. He's got like 15 shirts in different shades of green.

Will he read this?
No - he never reads the blog

I NOW TAG JENN JULIAN, JEN BAUMANN AND RACHEL H.

Mason's Gotta Win!!

Jeff and I entered Mason into a Cutest Baby photo contest. The prize is a $2500.00 scholarship! The catch is that the public votes - not judges - so we need your votes!!!

https://www.greatamericanphotocontest.com/voter1/index_e.aspx?referid=EmailFriends&p=1081609&x=.jpg

Get everyone you know to vote for him too! :) THANK YOU!!!

Some hilarity (is that even a word??) for your day...

Mason's been providing quite a bit of humor lately, so I thought it was time I shared. I'm not sure if "sassy" is a word that can be used to describe a little boy - I usually hear it to describe girls - but Mason's downright SASSY! No matter what we ask him, his response is "NO WAY!!" When we give him instructions like, "Mason, sit down please," he responds with "Mama sit down!" If he doesn't want someone around, he doesn't hesitate to tell them to "go way" (go away) - he learned that one where I used to nanny.

Yesterday he slapped me in the face while I was putting him in his car seat cuz he didn't wanna be there. It actually hurt pretty badly because he hit my eyeball with his fingernail, so my eye started to water and I pretended I was crying. He looked at me and started to rub my face and said "wub wub, okay?" It was so cute. Then he said "Mama kiss?" SO I let him kiss it better. He still had his pouty lip out - he felt pretty awful that he hurt me, but it was nice to see that he understood that hitting hurts people. Jeff and I have to try so hard not to laugh when he does crazy things that we really shouldn't be okay with, but honestly he's hilarious and we struggle to stay strict sometimes..

Which brings me to another story. Yesterday he kept saying "play, play, play" so I decided to take him to the park. Keep in mind, THIS IS NORTHERN UTAH AND THERE'S SNOW EVERYWHERE! I just bundled him up and let him get cold and wet having a blast in the snow at the park. Finally he decided his hands were freezing and he was ready to go. At home after we play in the snow, he gets to put his hands under warm running water (he thinks he's washing his hands). So yesterday he was like, "Doll-done mom mom. wash hands?". Well, there's no warm water at the park so I just turned the car on and blasted the heat, sat him in the front passenger seat and put his little hands up to the vents. I shut the door and walked around to my side when all of a sudden I hear the sound of the doors locking. Mason found the lock button. THE KEYS WERE IN THE CAR and the car was on so I had no way of getting in. I wish you could have seen me outside my car yelling "PUSH THE BUTTON, MASON!!". The lady getting back in the car next to me must have thought I was the most awful mom. haha!! Finally I was able to convince him to push it and he let me back in. Whew!! Quite the moment! Glad I don't have a heart condition.

And finally, today. This morning Mason went to his first ever dentist appointment and it was so fun! The place I took him is called The Dental Barn. It's all red like a barn inside and the dentist chairs are just like beds with a tv screen on the ceiling. They gave him headphones with handles that he could play with and put in and out of his ears to distract him while the dentist did his thing. Mason was so good!! He just laid there while the dentist did an exam and a cleaning. Mason loved it, and he was SO excited when he got his very own Power Rangers spin brush toothbrush afterward. I'm so glad it went so well. I was really worried.

Now one last note: I'm so grateful for holidays. Why, you ask? Well during Valentine's there's SweetTart hearts and every variety of Hershey's Kisses. So good! During Easter, there's SweetTart animal shapes and Reese's Eggs. I'm starting to wonder why 4th of July is my favorite holiday? There's NO SPECIAL CANDY! I also decided that I'm not one of those people who goes to the gym every day so I can be skinny - I go every day so that I can eat what I want and not gain weight. :) So bring on the SweetTarts!!

Vivaaaa Las Vegas!

This past weekend I went on a girl trip to Las Vegas with a lot of my friends. It was so much fun!! I met most of them back in 2000, and we've been friends ever since. We stayed at the fabulous Tahiti Village - I highly recommend it if you're looking for a really affordable, posh, family-friendly place to stay. It's on the strip, but it's far enough from all the huge hotels that there are no traffic issues and none of the nasty things Vegas tends to be known for.

A car of girls went down on Thursday, then the rest of us got in town on Friday and we stayed until Sunday. Enjoy the pictures!

Life sure has a way

...of helping to remind you where your priorities lie (or should lie). We've had a lot of small changes here and there lately in our family, and I'm finally in a place where I'm happy and not stressed out. It's nice!

I was working as a nanny for about two and a half months. It was the ideal job because I was able to bring Mason with me each day, I got 40 hours a week, and the pay was pretty good. That family is moving to Florida though, so I don't have a full-time job anymore. Financially things will be challenging, but it will be a huge blessing for me to be able to devote more time to Mason. It was so interesting to watch him change from happy-go-lucky Mason to almost-depressed, always cranky, super whiny and sad Mason while I was nannying. I mean, going from being an only child to having to share his mommy's attention with 3 other children must have been incredibly confusing and hard for him. He's getting back to normal though since we've been home together this week, and I'm loving having my Mason back!

I was so blessed in that I found another job almost immediately. I've been hired as a seller's assistant for an antique dealer on eBay. I go to their home to take pictures, then I list things from home. It's pretty time consuming, but it's perfect because I only work out of the home about 5 hours a week (just 2 evenings) and then do the rest from home. It leaves me time to study for my Medical Transcription course still, and have plenty of time with Mason.

Speaking of Mason, here are some recent fun pictures from our last big snow storm. Mason LOVES the snow, and LOVES wearing Jeff's ski goggles even more. Oh, about the ice scraper - Mason thought he was helping Jeff shovel the driveway. He called it sweeping. So cute!

Merry Christmas!! (This is our "official" Christmas letter)

Merry Christmas everyone!! This past year has been full of so many wonderful things - I'll just give a brief year-in-review for those of you who we haven't kept informed (sorry!).

In November of last year we moved to Saint George, UT (about 4 hours south of our home) for a job Jeff was assigned to run. We planned on being there for six months, but permits were delayed and we ended up being there for a full year. We made so many wonderful friends down in Saint George, and we loved being in the same city as Jeff's best friend Christian and his wife April. We fell in love with the weather, the surroundings (Zion Nat'l Park, tons of hikes, lots of fishing spots), and the people. By the end of our time there we were so excited to get back to our home in Riverton, but the move home really was bitter-sweet. It was hard leaving our friends that we'd grown to love, separating Mason from all the little friends he made, and coming back to a home that wasn't nearly as close to a park as it was in St. George (a 10-minute walk). We are so grateful, however, to be back in our real home in Riverton. Our neighbors are wonderful, as is our ward. We're so excited to be near family and our long-time friends again, and also make new friends. Here's what each of us have been up to this past year:

Jeff - Jeff was promoted this past year to Superintendent at work; he is employed by CRC Construction, which was started by his Grandpa Baumann and is now run by his dad and uncle. Along with that promotion came the opportunity for Jeff to be in charge of building a Mountain America Credit Union in Saint George, UT. It was such an amazing learning experience for him, and he did such an incredible job (as you can see). Jeff turned 30 this year, but it didn't seem to phase him one bit; he has continued to be very involved in playing volleyball and working out at the gym every chance he gets. Although Jeff's favorite college football team, BYU, didn't make it to a BCS bowl game like he hoped, he's still a HUGE fan; he's also really into the Utah Jazz (NBA) and loves to watch them play any chance he gets. Jeff takes great pride in his family, and has especially enjoyed watching Mason grow and learn this past year. It seems like Jeff looks forward to Mason's enthusiastic greetings after work just as much as Mason does!

Sheri - Sheri has had a wonderful year as the transition was made to St. George and back to Riverton. She made some really close friends in St. George and really misses those associations, but has easily kept in touch thanks to her slight obsession with BLOGGING! That's one of her favorite hobbies, along with working out, scrapbooking and reading the "Twilight" series. Sheri was also able to go to some amazing concerts with her girlfriends this past year - Reba McIntyre/Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK (her childhood friend Amber flew in from South Carolina to relive the past with her). Sheri also recently began working 5 days a week as a nanny for a friend - she tends their 3 children (ages 6, 2 1/2 and 3 months) and is able to bring Mason, so it's a huge blessing. Most of all, Sheri has loved the joys that have accompanied being a mother and a wife. She feels so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and son and anxiously awaits the day baby number 2 will finally decide that it's time to be conceived!! :)

Mason - Mason is now three months away from his 2nd Birthday and is such an amazing addition to the family! He continues to surprise and amaze his mom and dad as he changes from baby to little boy. He's definitely a little monkey; he can never just walk somewhere - he has to run, jump, or hold his parents' hands so he can swing his way to his destination. His parents have finally learned how to keep up with his endless energy and have so much fun being entertained by his goofy antics. Mason is entirely absorbed in the world of Thomas the Tank Engine, and can quickly be pulled out of a bad mood by the mere mention of his special blue train friend. Mason has learned how to count to 10 (he usually forgets the 1 though), can recognize letters A, B and C and knows their sounds, and he's great at copying anything his parents say (time to be careful!). If only he was as intent on eating as he is on having fun! He doesn't enjoy mealtime much - probably because that means that he can't be moving and playing! Even with the few challenges that inevitably come along with having a child, Mason sure is such a joy to have around.

As we celebrate Christmas this year, we are so grateful for this special time when place extra focus and emphasis on our Savior Jesus Christ. His birth, life, death and resurrection constantly bring us hope and renew our faith. We take great comfort in knowing that He knows and loves all mankind - each of us on a very personal level. May we remember to follow Christ's example of unconditional love, compassion and service during this special time of year and always.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We love you all!
Jeff, Sheri and Mason Baumann

Our Christmas Choirside

I just got home from one of the most uplifting, spiritual events I've ever attended or participated in. Our Stake (for my non-Mormon friends, a "stake" is a term we use for a group of all the different congregations in our area - there are 8 congregations a.k.a. "wards" in our stake here in Riverton)...anyhow, our stake had what's called a "Choirside" tonight - each ward's choir prepared a Christmas song to sing, then we prepared a song as a Stake Choir (prob. close to 200 people are in the stake choir). The entire chapel was full, and the overflow area was opened up and was also full almost to the opposite end of the gym area. It was awesome to see so many people there!

Each song was so beautiful, and I am so grateful for this special night where the Christmas-time focus was taken off presents, family meals, decorations, and stress, and was redirected to where all the focus really should be during this time of year - CHRIST. As I listened to the words as each choir sang - stories of the wisemen, shepherds, Mary and Joseph, and of course Christ, I was filled with the Spirit. The last song was "O Holy Night" (an amazing arrangement by Sally DeFord that is free to download on her website), and it was sung by our huge stake choir. There was a viola accompanying the piano and the organ, and it was just breathtaking. Even from my position up in the choir seats, I could feel the power of the choir as we sang praises to our Lord. It was hard to sing through my tears!!

I am so grateful for a wonderful Heavenly Father who loved us enough to send his Son, Jesus Christ. Tonight's events gave me the extra nudge I needed to fall back into stride and center my life around His. I'm going to try extra hard to make this a super-spiritual Christmas in our home. We'll see what kind of resistance I get from the troops (i.e. Jeff who hates Christmas music and protests each time I turn it on), but I'm determined to get our focus back where it should be. May our hearts be filled with love toward God and our fellow man as we remember the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

"Mamma!!!!!"

Mason's been cooped up inside all week cuz he's been so sick, and I didn't wanna get any other kids sick with his croup (the doctor said that any child within a 200-ft. radius can catch it if Mason coughs)....so this morning I took him to South Towne Mall right at 10:00 when the Santa booth opened. There wasn't a single person in line, so Mason didn't have contact with any kids (good for my peace of mind!). Even though I prepared him well by showing him pictures of Santa, reading him stories about Santa, and even practicing "ho, ho, ho!" with him, the second he saw Santa today he was TERRIFIED! Poor Saint Nick tried everything he could to soothe him, but he was so scared, and all he could do was cry "mamma!!!". So, they took the picture real fast and got him down. It's one for the books, that's for sure!

My Brother, Elder Donnelson

Yesterday was such a special day; I got to accompany my youngest sibling, Taylor, to the MTC (Missionary Training Center) where he'll live for the next 12 weeks as he prepares to spend two years serving the Lord and the people of Cambodia as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

You know, so many people don't understand everything that's involved in a Mormon mission - I'm so proud of Taylor for the sacrifices he's made so that he can lose himself in service for two whole years. He won't see his family, friends, or girlfriend the whole time he's gone. He won't come home for visits. He will only be able to call his family, and even those phone calls will only happen on Mother's Day and Christmas. He'll receive no financial compensation for his time in Cambodia, in fact he (and my parents) will fund his entire mission. He won't go out and do touristy things, won't go to the beach, won't go out on the weekends and party, and will never be without a companion (fellow missionary) unless he's on the can.

It's such a huge sacrifice, yet I know Taylor doesn't see it that way. He was so excited yesterday when we dropped him off at the MTC. We were all emotional and he was just ready to get going on this the next chapter in his life. My mission changed me - the way I talk, the way I think, the way I dress, the way I see and treat other people. Taylor is much more Christlike upon his entering the MTC than I was when I entered - I don't think the adjustment will be as difficult for him as it was for me. Learning Khmer (the language in Cambodia) may be another story though! Please keep Taylor in your thoughts and prayers!!










Taylor with Gma & Gpa









Mom putting his name tag on him









Taylor's crazy name tag!












Going in the "missionary door"













Pointing to Cambodia on the huge map in the MTC

I'm Back In School!

I guess I forgot to blog about this pretty big development in my life! Jeff and I would really like for me to be able to stay home and work in the future, so I signed up for an online Medical Transcription school (www.careerstep.com). It's a little expensive, but not when you consider that it only lasts a year and I can begin making around $40K when I'm done with school. It's a job that's in very high demand now since doctor's offices are trying to streamline everything now - and it's cheaper anyway for them to employ someone working from home (a contractor) than it is to have an actual in-office employee.

So I'm doing that schooling right now and Jeff's studying for the GMAT so he can go get his Masters in Business. We're gonna have a busy next year and a half while we both finish up our schooling...then once we both finish what we're currently enrolled in, I'm gonna go back to REAL school and finish the one year I have remaining to get my Bachelor's Degree. Can't wait!!!

Sick Child

So just like last year around this time, Mason is way sick. Fun times! He's had a cold for a while, which is inevitable because Jeff and I have had bad colds, AND he's in the daycare with a bunch of kids every single day, and I nanny 3 children. Anyhow, his cold turned into...(brace yourselves)...a double ear infection, pink-eye, an upper respiratory infection, leading to CROUP. Poor little man!!

Sunday night his eyes got all oozy, then his cough got super bad. After we put him to bed, he started having a hard time breathing, then he started the barking cough. I took him to the doctor yesterday morning where they gave him a steroid shot, put him on antibiotics, and got us some eye drops. At least the pink-eye isn't contagious since he's been on the antibiotics for more than 24 hours. The croup, however, has a 5-7 day period where it's highly contagious, which means NO WORK for me this entire week. The break is nice - I can get a TON of studying done for the course I'm taking right now - but we really need the money that I can't be making. I don't want to transmit any of his sicknesses to those children.

Keep your fingers crossed that he gets better quickly!! I think he's bored here at home all day long, now that he's used to being around other kids.

Family Pictures

Lee and Kathy (Jeff's parents) haven't had a picture done of their entire family in at least 10 years, and all the kids were getting tired of looking at their old selves up on the fireplace mantle, so our portrait session last month was a huge Baumann family affair and quite the adventure with all the kiddos running around!

We went to Utah Lake and it was absolutely beautiful with the fallen leaves everywhere - the perfect setting for pictures! The kids loved it too, cuz they had tons of room to run around and be hyper.

Mason NEVER stays still for longer than a minute or two, so it was very interesting trying to get a good picture, but Tiffany (our photographer) was awesome and her assistants had great distraction skills, so we were able to pull off a few where everyone was looking at the camera (or in the general direction).

Happenings in The World of Mason

I haven't really posted anything about Mason lately (development-wise), so I figured I would take some time tonight to do just that. This seems to be a time of super-fast language development for Mason, and he's really been saying some hilarious things. Here are a few: (I'll apologize for his "French")
English - "Up the hill" Mason/French - "Oh hell"
English - "Shirt", "shut" Mason/French - "$h#*"
English - "down" Mason/French - "dam..."
And for the non-swear, daycare-worthy words:
I funny
cranky (thanks to Thomas the Train) - "kweekwee
Malia (his cousin) - actually "eeeyah"
holy cow - "hae tao"
train track
milk
juice
drink eat
cracker
kick ball
CRY (when he's upset, he tells us "i cwy" before he gets emotional, so we are lucky cuz that gives us a chance to cheer him up before he freaks out)
dance
jump
bounce
run
walk
get up
Heavenly Father - actually "heh far"
three (he counts to three - "twee, twee, twee!")

There are so many funny things he says. We're always entertained. He's also got SO much energy!! He's always into something or wanting to try a new trick. This past week he was starting to slide down the stairs, so we used the leaf from the table as a slide, and he spent over an hour sliding down the stairs. It was so funny!! I'll include some pictures and a video so you can see what he's been up to.

"Twilight" Premier!!!!!

On Thursday (the day after the Carrie Underwood concert), I went to the midnight premier for the "Twilight" movie. I have read all the books and really, really loved them. Even though I was SO exhausted from having really late nights for a week straight, it was SO worth staying up super late for the premier. We had 15 people in our group, and it was just so much fun being there at Jordan Commons with the thousands of other people who were just as obsessed as we were...actually, there were plenty of people WAY MORE obsessed than us. It was pretty entertaining to see people dressed up as vampires and in prom dresses and stuff.

I thought the movie was super cheezy; HOWEVER, the book was cheezy, so it was perfectly fine with me. :) Robert Pattinson (Edward) was an excellent actor, but the girl that played Bella was just mediocre. All-in-all, it was awesome and so fun and I'm so glad I went!

Anyway, here are a few pictures!! (Pic. 1 - Becky, Nicole, Heather and I; Pic. 2 - me with my sisters in law Jen and Mindy; Pic. 3 - our group; Pic. 4 - dude with cool shirt that said "Husbands against O.C.D. - Obsessive Cullen Disorder", Pic.5 - me with my cousins Camille and Nicole; Pic. 6 - Melea and I)

Carrie Underwood Concert

Life has been so hectic for the past few weeks, and I haven't had a chance until today to update the blog. Lots has happened!

The day after my friend Amber B. flew back to South Carolina, I went to the Carrie Underwood concert with Amber Fujikawa - she got me tickets for my birthday, and we just happened to be right next to the stage on the floor. It was incredible!! Little Big Town opened for her which was awesome, cuz I love them too. We were able to get some amazing pictures, so enjoy!! Thank you for the concert, Amber. You rock!

Quote for the time...

My sister-in-law Bronwyn sent me this quote by Neal A. Maxwell, and I thought it was awesome. :)

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.' This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions. Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive.. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened. . . . Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat." Elder Neal A. Maxwell Here's the source of that quote in case you were wondering: http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=1846d0640b96b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

I'll be lovin you forever

Last Saturday night was the best night of my life!!! Seriously, it was amazing! Keep reading - this post is sure to make you laugh your butt off at me, but I DON'T CARE! Laugh if you will. :)

When I was 10 years old, my parents and grandpa took me and my uncle Todd (he's the same age as me) to the New Kids on The Block concert in Columbia, South Carolina (where I lived at the time). I was beyond obsessed with NKOTB back then. I had the pajamas, pillow case, Joey "barbie" doll, trading cards, novels, t-shirts, buttons, pins, earrings, tapes, and my walls were COVERED in posters.

One of my best friends in S.C. was Amber Banco - we were both totally obsessed with the NKOTB, and when we heard that they were getting back together and going on tour this year WE FREAKED OUT. She purchased a plane ticket to fly out here to Utah to go with me. The concert was this past Saturday (November 15th), and man was it worth every penny!!

We had a great group of girls - me, Amber B. (from S.C.), Amber Fujikawa (bff), Tawny (friend from my mission), Loren (we're friends and were roommates once upon a time), and Becka (long-time friend). A few of us got together earlier in the evening and made t-shirts, then we all met up for dinner at Chili's. There was a group of guys there (we're still trying to decide if they were straight or not) who were going to the concert without girls, and they knew all the songs, AND they even did one of the dances for us. It was hilarious, and they actually ended up sitting by us at the concert too. Straight entertainment. It was golden!

The concert was UH-MAY-ZING!!!!! Everything we expected it to be and more. It started with the words up on 3 huge screens that said, "15 years ago, they walked away...but now they're back" Then they came up through a platform on the stage and the place erupted into girly screams, just like I remember when I was 10. They sang a lot of their old songs and several newer ones too, and there we were singing along with them all! I screamed like I was a little girl, and was totally hoarse by the time I went to bed.

As hard as it may be to believe, they sang and danced like they haven't aged at all in 15 years. They looked hotter than ever, and Joey is still my heart-throb. I will cherish the memories forever that we created together on Saturday night. It was such a great feeling to be with friends, enjoying something that was such a huge part of all our childhoods.

I LOVE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK - "I'll be lovin you forever"

In Loving Memory...

Tucker Thayer, the 15 year-old son of a friend in our ward in Saint George, passed away Saturday night from injuries sustained after a prop gun (to be used in a school play) was accidentally discharged.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Thayer family as they grieve the loss of their son. My heart breaks for them as I imagine the pain a mother and father must feel at the loss of their child, and the heartbreak his siblings are feeling for the loss of their brother. I take great comfort in knowing that our Heavenly Father loves us and that the Thayers will one day be reunited with their Tucker.

The story can be found here: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4818098

My New Nine-to-Five

After a lot of discussions and prayers, Jeff and I decided that we really needed another income. I looked for a while for jobs online and applied at a ton of retail places, then last Thursday my friend of 7 years (Maria) offered me a job as their nanny!! It's so perfect because I can bring Mason, it gets me out of our house, and allows Mason to have a lot of interaction with other kids.

So I work Monday-Friday from 9-4 on all days but Wednesday (I only work till noon on Wed.). Maria and Rob have 3 kids - Danica (5 yrs old), Tyler (2 yrs old) and Bailey (2 months old).

Mason's struggling right now with Mommy's attention being elsewhere and not all on him, and he's having a hard time learning to fend for himself with another toddler boy who's not used to having to share his toys with another little guy...and Mason's learning how to share too. It's pretty crazy at times, but I really love it. It's the ideal situation for us, and I'm so grateful that I'm able to still be with Mason AND be home in the evenings with Jeff instead of being off at some restaurant waiting tables like I was planning.

Wish me luck!!

Mormon Synchronized Swimming

My sister-in-law Mindy sent this to me today, and it really made me laugh! Especially because this is TOTALLY something Jeff and his brothers would do.

It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas

We're back in our new house in Riverton (I use the term "new" because we only lived here 7 months before we left for St. George). There are boxes everywhere. I hear Thomas The Train on the t.v. in the other room, entertaining my child while I slowly unpack.

IT'S SNOWING OUTSIDE!!! F.M. 100 is already playing non-stop Christmas music...and the only boxes that are too heavy for me to move by myself actually contain Christmas decorations. SO in order to eliminate the problem (and to satiate my enormous appetite for all things Christmas).........it's with great pleasure that I announce: I'M PUTTING UP CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS TODAY!!

Haters need not comment! haha just kidding. But I SERIOUSLY LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME, and if people are allowed to put up Halloween decorations over a month before Halloween, why can't I put up my Christmas decorations now? I vowed to not put anything on the outside until Thanksgiving, but if I'm gonna put all the effort into putting decorations up inside the house, I better have enough time to enjoy them, gosh dang-it! :)

Bounty Hunter

Last night Jeff and I went to a costume party at our friends Christian and Amber's house. We couldn't think of a costume, so we went online and found the idea for a bounty hunter. It was so fun to make, and even more fun trying to walk/sit/go up stairs in my half of the costume!

So...I was a roll of Bounty paper towels and Jeff was a hunter. It was pretty funny. Anyway, here are some pictures.













Becky, Nicole and Ben









Rosie & Josh











Amber, Rosie, me, Nicole, Maria and Becky

Halloween 6 Days Early

Jeff's grandma Baumann lives in a real nice community for retirees - 2 culdesacs just south of the Jordan River temple - and the weekend before Halloween they always have trick-or-treating for their grand/great-grandkids. Jeff and I took Mason, and Jen too Malia and Cole (Ryan is in Malaysia, so she had to go alone).

Mason really loved trick-or-treating for the first few houses, then it just turned into a race to see if we could catch him before he scurried up people's stairs and into their houses! After we finished, we went back to Grandma Jennie's for chili and root beer. Thanks for inviting us, Jennie!

Anyone living in near us who's hung out with Mason lately knows that he's a real handful. I'd venture to say that his costume is very appropriate.

I've been TAGGED!!

I've never been tagged before, but Darci and Stephanie both tagged me...for different things, so here's Stephanie's:

Things of Eight!

T.V. Shows I like to watch
1. The Hills (if there were an episode on every day, I'd watch every single one!!!)
2. What Not To Wear
3. Design TO Sell
4. Grey's Anatomy
5. 24
6. The View
7. Ellen
8. Oprah

Eight things that happened yesterday
1. A WalMart employee helped me wrap my body in posterboard to measure for my costume
2. I made my "bounty" costume and Jeff's "hunter" costume
3. Deep cleaned the entire house (my in-laws' house)
4. went for a looooooong walk with Mason
5. Hung out outside for like 6 hours total while Mason played. It was so nice outside!
6. I drank a Mt. Dew
7. I learned "How To Say No" - from an article in this month's Cosmo
8. I went to a way fun halloween/house-warming party at Amber's!

Favorite Places to Eat
1. Olive Garden
2. Good Wood
3. Timber Mine Steakhouse (mouth of Ogden Canyon)
4. Claimjumpers (in st. george - not to be confused with the nat'l chain)
5. Cheesecake Factory
6. Chili's (for their chips and salsa)
7. KFC (cole slaw, baby!!)
8. Subway


Eight Things I'm Looking Forward to
1. taking Mason to the costume parade at his grandma's school tomorrow!
2. Halloween
3. Moving into our house this Saturday!!
4. Getting pregnant (if it EVER happens!)
5. date night with Jeff
6. Fitting into my size 6 jeans - (I think I can, I think I can...)
7. Vegas in January with my girlfriends
8. Girl's Night Out with my El Paso girls!!

Eight things on my wishlist
1. A job
2. money for decorations for our house
3. Plane tickets to Florida to see my parents
4. Flowers from Jeff
5. More time with jeff (just "alone" time would do)
6. A new purse/handbag
7. A new camera
8. Weightloss

Eight People I tag (if you want)
1. Jenn J.
2. Jen B.
3. April M.
4. Melea J.
5. Mary Ellen
6. Darci C.
7. Carrie C.
8. Bronwyn D.

Our Romantic Getaway to Park City

This past weekend, Jeff and I took a trip up to Park City - it was awesome! I'm becoming what Katie G. would call a "timeshare ho". Haha! We went to a 90-minute timeshare presentation, and got in return two nights free at a 5-star resort.

Anyone ever stayed at The Canyons before? We were in the Elk Lodge...and it was wonderful. Well, we actually stayed the first two nights (Thursday and Friday) in a less posh building next door because they overbooked the main building. The room was pretty small, but it was still pretty nice, there was never anyone at the pool or hot tub...so that was way nice.

So on Thursday we did some shopping at the outlet mall, then went to our presentation, then we just went out to dinner and hung out in the room. We both really needed to unwind and relax - life's been busy lately with the move and Jeff's job finishing up and all.

Jeff and I went horseback riding in Ensenada, Mexico on our honeymoon, and it was totally lame, so Jeff did a lot of investigating and found a ranch owner dude in Park City who took us out. It was so much better than Ensenada! We got to ride for two hours, and actually were allowed to run the horses and stuff. Much better than walking nose-to-tail for an hour!! It was so much fun. Jeff and I both love horses, but he's allergic...so we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the pool while his eyes de-swelled. haha poor guy. That night we drove around and looked at all the rich people houses that Park City is full of...amazing that so many people can have houses that big!!

On Saturday we checked out of the one place that was free, then went and spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon at the Utah Olympic Park. It was so awesome!!! We went on a guided tour and learned all about the ski jumping, the downhill, freestyle, luge, bobsled, etc. It was so interesting. Then we went on the zipline, which was freaky but so fun!! I'm so scared of heights...but as soon as the door opened and we started to fly, i was having a blast!!

Saturday at 4 we were allowed to check into the nicer place that we actually paid for, so we did that, then went into town in Park City and walked up and down Main Street. I love that little town - so much history and such charming buildings. The shopping stinks, but the overall experience is great.

We checked out Sunday to come home...but man was it a wonderful trip! I love Jeff so much, and I'm so glad we had a few days to reconnect and just be with each other. We're so grateful for Kathy (Jeff's mom) for keeping Mason while we were gone!!

Pumpkin Carving

This past Monday Jen and Ryan came up to Jeff's parents' house and we had Family Home Evening together. The little kids painted pumpkins and we adults carved them. It was way fun!!

By the way, you know you're married to a perfectionist when he returns to "fix" the eye you just carved on the pumpkin. haha I love Jeff. He's great.

Mason was creeped out by the pumpkin guts - he wouldn't even touch it...until this one time when we all walked away, and turned around and he was poking it with his finger. Until he noticed that we saw, then he quickly stopped and acted grossed out. He had a blast painting his pumpkin though.

Thanks for the suggestion, Jen!

Amber Treated Me to a Concert!!!!

So my bff Amber took me to the Reba McEntire/Kelly Clarkson concert a couple of weeks ago, and OH MY GOSH, IT WAS SO AMAZING!!! I would venture to say that it was THE BEST concert I've ever seen...after NKOTB when I was 10 yrs old, of course. :)

First of all, thank you so much Amber for taking me! Being married with a kid and on a limited budget, concerts aren't really something that we can spend money on. I'm glad Amber wanted to go so badly that she felt the need to pay for someone to go with her, and I'm grateful that 'someone' was me!!

The concert was part of the "2 Worlds 2 Voices" tour. Usually with country shows, you have an opening band, but not with this show - Melissa Peterson (Barbra Jean on the "Reba" show) opened with a HILARIOUS comedy act that had us all laughing our heads off.

My favorite two songs were Reba's "Does He Love You" - where they sang the opposing parts AT each other, and it was very believable that they hated each other during that performance!! And Kelly's "Since You've Been Gone". I'll include the videos in this post that I took if I can reduce them in size enough.

Oh, and Amber and I were very entertained by some dude and his wife who were 2 rows down from us. Seriously, she must have promised him something amazing after the show...or he must really, really love his wife...cuz he stood up for the ENTIRE show and appeared to be having more fun than any of the teenage girls in attendance. In fact, during the slow song "Because of You", he was up dancing still...pretty devoted fan. He knew all the words to every song...both from Reba and Kelly!! If you look at the slide show, he's "the guy who left his cajones at the door".

First Snow

On the 12th of October, we all went up to Bountiful for the blessing of Mindy and Cory's new baby boy Cole. We woke up to snow that weekend, and Mason was just loving watching it out the car window on our drive up to the blessing Sunday morning.

After it was over, we were waiting for someone to move their car that was parked behind us, so Jeff took advantage of the opportunity and taught Mason how to catch snowflakes on his tongue. It was the cutest thing to watch!!! I just love how much Jeff enjoys interacting with Mason. And Mason eats up every second of Jeff's time that he can get.

I just loved the pictures of him runnin around in his shirt, tie, diaper and socks too...reminded me of Tom Cruise on Top Gun. :) Minus the diaper, of course.

Fun With Cousins

Since we moved back, we've been able to get together a lot with Jen and her kiddos - Mason's cousins Cole and Malia. I'm so glad they're relatively close, because I get pretty bored during the day with nothing to do and it being so cold outside. I have a couple of friends who live nearby that I could hang out with, but it's SO hard to take my child to a person's house who doesn't have kids...most people don't understand what it's like for me to take him places where he doesn't have play things to keep him entertained. He's so into everything.

So while I'm on that tangent, I think I'll elaborate. Everywhere Mason goes, he stops to investigate everything. But not just check things out - he really has to figure out how each thing works before he will move on to the next thing. When we go to people's houses, he doesn't just hang out in the room with me. He'd explore/destroy the entire house if I didn't follow him around. If there's a kid room with toys, he'll stay in there and play. But if I go to see friends who don't have kids, and I have to take Mason, I might as well not even be there because I have to chase Mason around the whole time and don't even get to talk to my friend that I went to visit.

Anyway, so last week Jen and I took our kids to South Towne Mall to ride the carousel. Mason LOVED it!! This past Monday, I kept Malia and Cole while Jen and Ryan went house hunting, and it was soooooooo much fun over here! We pulled out Mason's pop-up tent that's supposed to be used for sleeping, but him and Malia had so much fun in it! Cole wasn't too sure about it, so he resorted to kissing his reflection in the fireplace glass. Mason and Malia play really, really well together - Cole likes to follow them around, and I'm sure he'll be joining in on the trouble-making soon enough!

Witch Hunt at Gardner Village

So a couple of weeks ago my sister-in-law Jen (Jeff's brother Ryan's wife) invited Mason and I to go with them to Gardner Village for the annual Witch Scavenger Hunt. They have really cool witches all over the place, and a list that you search from. Once you find them all, you take the kids to get them a cookie at the Village Bakery.

There were all kinds of witches - witches playing baseball, one hula-hooping, a frequent flier witch on a zipline thing with another witch across the parking lot directing her with the orange light sticks that they use on the tarmac at the airport. It was a lot of fun, and it's just so cool to finally have Mason near some of his cousins!

No personal computer...no updates. Just the way it is.

Since we've been staying at the in-laws' house this month, I haven't had access to my own laptop until today...I just unpacked it and all the cables to upload pics from the camera, so stay tuned. I'll be posting lots of entries today and lotsa pictures too. :)

Fun, Friends & Becky's Humor

I had such a fun night last night! I was down in Lindon for a women's group thing that I attend every week, and since I down that way, I decided to go by Nicole's (my cousin/friend) to see her and Ben's new house in Lehi. Sooooo pretty, and Nicole's decorated it so beautifully (of course). Our friend Becky was over too, and we all had so much fun laughing and reminiscing on old times. But to explain the title real quick like...Becky says the most hilarious things sometimes, and last night she said some things that even had Nicole's hubby Ben squirming in his seat. We were dying and I really can't remember the last time I laughed so hard.

It's pretty crazy to think that we've all been friends for almost ten years (lots more girls are included in this group)!! We were talking last night about some of the fun times from years ago, and we couldn't help but die laughing. Back in the day, our crew consisted of me, Becky, Nicole, Rosie, Joy, Becka, Natalie, Kaycee, Melea, Maria, Crystal...and I'm sure I'm forgetting someone or some-two.

So once upon a time there was our "condo situation" in Orem - it was me, Nicole, Becky, Laurel and Carly. We were all a tad bit crazy, but it all got crazier when we all started dating a group of friends (one of whom Nicole married - Ben). Becky reminded me last night about the morning when Laurel woke up and told her that she had a - I'll use the term "lesbian dream" - about her. haha!! That's when Becky and Nicole decided it was time to move out. We also remembered a hilarious phase Carly went through where she wore crazy clothes and rolled around the condo in roller skates, imitating her favorite movie character at the time. Hahaha!!!! We won't mention the name/movie her ideas stemmed from.

We remembered the nights when they'd all come visit me on my grave shift at the American Fork Denny's - and when my then-boyfriend (and friend of Ben) showed up at Denny's ON MY SHIFT after a football game with a lot of his teammates...and some girl he was hooking up with. I had to serve the girl my boyfriend was cheating on me with. Sadly, that was just the first of many straws placed on that camel's back before it broke. I put up with a lot from that clown, but I learned a lot, and those days with my girlfriends were so much fun!!!

Last night we talked about how so many people we know never really get to experience the fun "college years" - have all the crazy fun times, and make the mistakes that come with the territory. I'm SO grateful that I did, and that I did it with such awesome friends. We made some incredible memories together - from the many parties at The Branbury, going dancing at Club Omni or up at Club Axis multiple nights a week, 4th of July parades camped out on University Ave, fireworks in the intramural fields ont he 4th of July, all the girls attacking the cake straight from the cake pan with forks on each one of our Birthdays, VEGAS TRIPS with everyone crammed in one tiny hotel room...oh my gosh, we had so much fun. Oh, and who could ever forget Natalie and Nicole in their leopard print pants walking bow-legged down The Strip in Vegas?!

I couldn't have asked for better friends. We've all had some rough patches, and I've made lots of mistakes - broken some cardinal rules of "girlfriendship" - but I'm so grateful for loving, forgiving girlfriends who have always been nothing but supportive. As we've always said, "supportive...like a bra...wrapped up all nice from Victoria's Secret".

I love my girlfriends!!

And tonight I get to go to the Kelly Clarkson/Reba McIntyre concert with my other BFF Amber...thank you for getting me a ticket, woman!!! I feel so blessed that I have such amazing friends. Not sure what I'd do without the support system/laugh factory/memory making.

I forgot to mention...

I miss Saint George. I know, I KNOW! I complained about how badly I wanted to come home (to the Salt Lake Valley), but now that I'm here, I really miss St. George. It could be that it's been so cold here, and it's so warm in St. George. It could be Mason's "ere Bebba?" (where's Becka) every morning. I miss my St. George friends!!! But I really, really miss my hubby. As soon as we got here, he had to turn around and go back to do some more work at the credit union, so I'm all alone at Jeff's parents' house this week.

It's been a little bit of a challenge trying to figure out what there is to do here for Mason. I take him to the daycare at the gym each morning...mainly so he can interact with other kids. Then we come home and nap, and then I have been trying out different parks with him. The tricky thing is...it takes so dang long to get anywhere up here!! I totally took for granted how close everything was in St. George. I could walk to the most incredible park in less than ten minutes. I'm gonna need a job just to pay for all the gas I use trying to keep Mason entertained and not locked up in the house!

Anyway, all-in-all, I'm grateful to be back. But I really do miss everyone and everything in St. George. *xoxo*

Park City

It's been since Mason was a few weeks old that Jeff and I have been away together without the little munchkin, so I'm sooooooo uber-excited for the trip we're taking next weekend!! It's not really a "trip", but it's getting away, so that's good enough for me!!

My friend Rosie set us up for this timeshare presentation deal in Park City, and we get 2 nights free for sitting through a 90-minute schpeal. Not bad, especially since Jeff's so good at telling those guys "no, no, NO!". So we are heading up next Thursday and coming back Sunday. We listen to the timeshare presentation Thursday evening, then get to stay that night and Friday night for free. Since we were planning on this trip, we're gonna spend some money and stay Saturday night too. I'm SO grateful Kathy volunteered to keep Mason for us!! I'm not sure she's totally aware of what she's gotten herself into though...she may need a vacation when we get back!!

So, now I need ideas. We're heading up 4 days after they close all the fun "summer events" like the Alpine Slide and Alpine Coaster...anyone familiar with Park City and have some suggestions? We want to do some mountain biking and hiking (if it doesn't snow up there this weekend, which I'm afraid it might). If it does snow, I could learn to snow shoe. Anyway, I'd love some suggestions!!! Places to eat, museums, plays/musicals to see, whatever.

I'm not sure how we're ever going to keep ourselves entertained when we go out to dinner...without Mason there to throw food, break glasses, and scream. Have I mentioned that I'm pretty excited for this break?!

Last Hurrah

My Uncle Derek gave Jeff and I some free passes for Tuacahn, so we went last night with Jeff's best friend Christian and his wife April. We got lucky and went on their official "date night", so we got 2 free drinks and free popcorn! We were able to leave Mason with my friend Darci, so it really was a relaxing evening!

We saw "Big River - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", and man was it incredible!! For those of you who've never been to Tuacahn in Saint George before, the amphitheater is set back in the red rocks of Snow Canyon. The backdrop is a man-made waterfall and river that flows down the rocks and behind the stage. For "Big River", they actually flood the river and the water flows down over the stage, so it looked like Huck and Jim were really floating down a river on their raft. It was by far the most light-hearted musical we've seen at Tuacahn, though there were some pretty serious historical parts too (like the issues with slavery and people treating them as property - such a dark time in U.S. history). We totally loved it though!!

We leave on Saturday for SLC, so it was nice to have one last night out to enjoy this awesome place where we've lived for the past year. Enjoy the pictures!

Final Plans

After being so excited last week that we're leaving, it's finally hit me that I'm sad too. I've made some great friends here, and am a little bummed that we're leaving. I feel like such a mean person for having to take Mason away from his friends that he sees every day - I know that next week he's going to be asking me "ere bebba?" (Where's Becka) like he does every morning when we get home from the gym and leave to go to the park with Becka and Patrick (w/Rachel). These changes are fairly easy for me since I grew up moving around, but I'm a little worried about how Mason will react when we never come back to what he knows to be his home.

I'm not sure if most 18 month-olds are as attached to home as Mason is, but each time we pull up to the townhome, Mason starts to cheer "Yay, ome!!" (Yay, home!) He LOVES being here. When we go up to Jeff's parents' house in Sandy for a visit and come back home, he always gets so excited as soon as he can see the house. I'm just a little worried for him. Any pointers on how we can make this transition a little easier on him? Especially since we'll be living with Jeff's parents for a month until our renter is out of our house.

So, we actually have real moving plans. The credit union opened this past Monday, so Jeff's just taking care of some punch-list stuff (I say that as if I really know what the "punch list" involves...). We pack up the moving trailer on Friday, and then say our 'goodbye' to Saint George Saturday morning sometime around 11 probably.

Sunday was sad, by the way. Saying goodbye to our Primary kids that we've taught for almost a year was so hard, but it was also way cool because it was the Primary Program...so Jeff and I got to see the kids in our class participate in that. It was so adorable, and I cried my eyes out!! To see these sweet (usually) 7 year olds reciting their memorized parts and singing songs about Jesus was such a wonderful experience, and I can't think of a better way to remember these children who have been such a big part of our lives since we moved here (the kids we taught last year, and then the ones we have this year). I know that Jeff and I weren't the world's best teachers, but we're both so grateful for the time we had with Thomas, Janey, Hallie, Connor, Landon, Paden, Ashley, Ethan, Derek and Sage (I think I got them all!). We have learned so much from them, even though they're only 6 and 7 years old! We love you guys and we'll miss you!!

Also, I've had some personal struggles since being down here in St. George. So I'd really like to thank the girls who became my friends...even though I wasn't really emotionally available to be a great friend back. Thanks for your examples, smiles, compliments and smiles...always at the right time. Thanks for helping me out with Mason, for keeping me motivated to be a good wife and cook good dinners (rachel - your recipes), for listening, and for humoring me! I always kinda felt like I didn't have way close friends in Saint George, but now that I'm faced with moving, I realize that I've been blessed with wonderful friends, and I'm pretty sad about parting.

Now, once we move back into our house in Riverton, we won't have tons of space - it's only a 2 bedroom, but we've got a futon and a huge couch that comfortably sleeps 3, so if anyone wants to come visit, COME ON UP!! And don't you dare think for one second that you're getting rid of us, because I know we'll be needing to escape the cold winter weather for a visit down here.

Love you all!

Last-minute Trip Up North

With all the craziness associated with our move (i.e. we don't know when exactly we get to leave, I still have a calling in the primary, i have to pack the whole house by myself cuz jeff's job is so time-consuming here at the end that he's not home much, & i have a CRAZY 18 month-old running under my feet), a break hasn't exactly been all that possible. But a few things happened a week and a half ago that made it a little more possible, so I took a trip up to the SLC area.

Thanks, Sandy, for giving Mason and I a ride up!!

So Mason and I got up there on Saturday the 13th. We stayed with Jeff's parents until Monday when the person who was helping my Grandma care for my Grandpa had to go out of town, so she asked me to stay with them for the week and help out. We were there until Saturday morning (all week without a car of my own) when Jeff came and picked us up and we spent the rest of Sat. and all of Sunday at his family's house again...before getting in the car at 8:00 that night to drive home.

Anyhow, the week at my Grandma's was stressful because her house is not babyproof at all, AND Mason kept wanting to get too close to Grandpa's leg, so I always had to be telling him "no" and removing him from parts of the house. The back yard was a nice escape for him, but Grandma Baumann's is always more entertaining because he's got lots of uncles and cousins and his grandparents that chase him and help him have a blast, so he always loves being there.

So on Monday, I met up with my girlfriends Maria (Bertola-Gibson) and April (Omalza, Chris' wife) and their kids at Kangaroo Zoo in Lindon. It was soooooooooooo much cooler than Jumpin Jacks in Saint George!!! And it was way cheaper cuz the parents don't have to pay to go supervise their kids...unlike the St. George one. So I posted some pictures from that.

Amber F. and I went to Janae's wedding reception on Thursday night (thanks for picking me up, since I was your wonderful car-less friend!). She looked beautiful and so happy, and the food was uh-may-zing!

Friday I got to go out to dinner with some other girlfriends and all their hubbies - I was flyin solo that night cuz Jeff was still not in town. It was Becky's birthday...I always love celebrating her birthday, cuz no matter how old I get, she'll always be 2 years older. ;) (You know I love you, biznatch!) So it was me, Nicole & Ben, Amber & Christian, Rosie & Josh, and Becky & John. SO fun!!

This trip was sooooooooo good for me for one reason: I was able to feel like "sheri" again. The time Jeff and I have been in St. George has been a very trying time for our marriage, but we're leaving closer and stronger than we've ever been. But it's been kinda hard for me to struggle with things and not live close enough to my closest friends to be able to just go over and cry with them (most of us go back at least 8 years together...). Anyway, I didn't get to see everyone this past trip, but it was a nice little teaser - I am sooooooooooo excited to get back to a place where I can hang out with my girlfriends, see family (without it being preceded by a 4-hour drive), and just feel like I'm myself again.

I love the people I've come to know here in St. George, but nothing is quite as comfortable as an old worn-in pair of jeans, know what I mean?

So...now I get serious about packing, because I think we'll only be here for another week!!

Peace out! Oh, and enjoy the pictures.

Moving to Florida...

I thought the title would get your attention!! So this particular blog will actually serve two purposes: to fill everyone in on our move from St. George back up to the S.L.C., and to spread the news about my parents' big move to Florida!

Jeff and I moved to Saint George (4 hours south of where we lived before - in the Salt Lake Valley) in August of last year, with the intention of being here for six months while Jeff acted as the Superintendent over the construction of a Mountain America Credit Union. Well...a little over a year later the job is almost finished!! We can thank the wonderful, idiotic city inspectors for the delay, as they waited almost six months before granting a permit for work to begin on the building. On the bright side, we've made some wonderful friends, seen some beautiful sights, grown so much closer together as a couple, and saved lots of $$$. It looks (right now) like we'll be moving at the end of this month. I'll miss friends and the close proximity to Zion Nat'l Park, but man am I ever soooooooo excited to get back to our home! I have missed my friends and our families so badly, and I am so excited for Mason to really get to hang out with all his cousins all the time. Oh man, I can't wait!!!

As for the news about my parents - a few months ago my dad received word that he was being offered a pretty big promotion to be the big boss man at the U.S. Customs/Border Patrol office in Homestead, Florida. Now that Taylor (my little brother) has graduated from h.s. and is about to go on his mission, there's really nothing else that binds them to El Paso anymore, so he accepted the job. Although I'm sure they're going to miss all of their dear friends, and I'll miss being able to see my high school friends during hometown Christmas visits!!! On the bright side...IT'S FREAKIN FLORIDA!!! There are so many things to look forward to now when Jeff and I think about going to visit my parents! I'll include a few pictures in this blog so everyone can see where Homestead is, and some of the things it has to offer. Oh - they're currently down in FL house hunting, and will be moving at the end of September! Time for us to get scuba certified!!!










Here's Homestead on a map













One of the beaches I'll soon be enjoying. Someday, anyway!









2 things Florida is known for - gators and pythons












Oh - the Hulkster and Brooke Hogan live in Miami. Maybe Mom & Dad will run into them at WalMart! haha

Jenn & Ryan's Visit in St. George

We recently had a visit from my sister Jenn, her husband Ryan, and their twins Connor and Isaac - they stayed with us on the way to and from Salt Lake to visit his family. I'm glad we're right in between California and SLC - it's a nice place to stop and rest, and it means we get to see lots of people we wouldn't otherwise see!

Anyhow, we had a lot of fun. The boys played so well together except for the occasional tug-of-war over a Thomas the Train toy...which is to be expected when they're all obsessed. It was so nice to be able to spend time with Jenn and Ryan too, especially since they live so far away and it will probably be a long time before we hang out again.

If only my brother Mark & his wife Bronwyn lived closer so that their son Bennett could teach Mason how to be tough and not cry about everything!

Anyway, enjoy the slide show.

All of Jeff's Worst Fears...

A couple of weeks ago, some friends from church (Darci & Dave) had us over for dinner. They have 2 daughters, Camryn and Madison, who Mason just adores. It was so awesome, because we got to have dinner, dessert, and play games without Mason driving us nuts! Once you see the pictures, you'll understand why...and you'll also understand the title of this blog! :)

Fun With Becka & Patrick

The week that I got home from my trip to California, I kept Becka and Patrick on three different days - Mason just LOVES "Bebba" and "Ati", and they have SO much fun when they play together. Here are some cute pictures from that week.

Wiiiii Would Like to Play

Some friends had us over for a BBQ on Labor Day (thanks Chet and Stephanie!). Jeff and Jordan were playing the Wii, and Mason decided he was up for a little tennis too. Check out the video!

Nursery Preparation

In the nursery here at our church in Saint George, they let the kiddos feed themselves, and Mason will be old enough to go to nursery in two weeks!!! Yippee!! So in preparation for that, we're trying to be more tolerant of messes as Mason learns to feed himself. He's actually doing much better than I expected, and now that he's had a small dose of feeding freedom he gets pretty angry when we try and take over. He does so well with a fork - the spoon thing is still very much a work in progress.

Baby Bedtime Blunder

I've heard lots of stories about babies that take off their diapers and smear poo all over the walls or the carpet or whatever. My own child has even taken his diaper off a couple of times, but he never got around to pooing or peeing anywhere before I discovered his nakedness and diapered him back up! Well, dun dun dun...that all changed today!

I usually put Mason down for his nap at 11:30, and he almost always falls right asleep. Well today my friend Rachel was over with her 2 kiddos just hangin out, and it was time for Mason's nap, so I put him to bed. 11:45 rolls around and I hear him over the baby monitor up there talking and making all kinds of noise, but he wasn't crying or upset or anything so I just left him in there. So here comes 12:30 and he's STILL awake, which is totally uncharacteristic of Mason. But he sounded happier than ever up there in his crib. After Rachel left, I decided to go try and rock him or something so he'd fall asleep. Right when I walk in, I hear him let out this huge giggle so I hurry over to the side of his crib to see him laying on his back, playing with his pee-pee and laughing. Well, I gotta say that it caught me so off-guard to see him naked that I just died laughing too!

So - here's what happened. He did everything he could to take off his diaper, but could only get one side un-taped, so the other side was just hanging there. He drank a cup of juice and a cup of milk before I put him down, so he'd peed everywhere...and he just thought it was hilarious that thought it was so funny, so he just laid there playing with his recent discovery (his male anatomy), laughing his little head off. It was way too funny (and unexpected) for me to get upset over...plus seriously, mommy takes off Mason's diapers, so in his head, he's probably wondering what the big deal is about him taking it off by himself. "Mommy, wow! I'm a big kid now" (song from pull-ups commercial).

*Sigh* I love life. I really needed a laugh today, so Mason must have sensed that. I'm glad he obliged.

Our Future Olympian

Well, any of you who have been around Mason for any length of time have seen first-hand that his energy never ends. He's always jumping, running, screaming (out of excitement), falling, etc. So we decided to use his energy to try and teach him a new skill - the somersault. Jeff started working on it with him the other night, so we took a video. It's pretty hilarious. He doesn't have it down quite yet, but by the 2024 Summer Olympics (when he's 16 and legally able to participate), we fully expect him to be a professional somersaulter. If that's even a word. So, for your viewing pleasure, I now present...Mason...the professional head scooter on-er. And below that, our amazing jumping wonder.

My Much-Needed California Trip

So this past weekend Jeff gave me the best Birthday present ever! I've never really had a break from Mason for more than 24 hours since he was born a year and a half ago, and I was really feeling burned out, so a few months ago when my friend Jene proposed a trip to California...it sounded perfect!

Here's a little history for those of you who don't know who Jene is. We met in El Paso when I was home from college for the summer in 1998. She was just there being a nanny for her sister and brother-in-law, and we became best of friends right away. So this summer is our 10 year anniversary as friends, and we share a birthday too (the 18th of August).

My wonderful, kind, generous (and obviously insane!) friend and neighbor agreed to keep Mason for me last Friday and this past Monday while Jeff was at work, and for her generosity I will be forever indebted. Thank you Rachel!!! Jeff had Mason duty all weekend long, all by himself. From what he's told me, it went really well, and Mason has been so attached to Jeff since I got home, so the bonding time was really good for them! Thank you, Jeff, for being so willing to do that for me!!

So I left St. George around 11:00 on Friday and drove to Las Vegas where I was able to meet up with another long-time friend (Nick) for lunch. Nick and I have been friends for like 15 years now I think. Anyway, he's been such a wonderful, loyal friend, and I always love a chance to see him. Jeff knows and loves him too, so it works out great for me - I get to keep my guy best friend and everyone's happy.

Anyway, after lunch with Nick, I drove on to Riverside, CA to my sister's house. They got Thai food for dinner, which I had never had before. Not sure how much I liked it...way too much ginger and curry for my taste buds, but I did like one of the more mild dishes. It was so fun being able to stop off there and spend some time with Jenn, Ryan, and the twins (Connor and Isaac). It was so good to see them! I wish they lived closer (and my other sibs too, for that matter!).

I stayed there Friday night, then I headed up to meet Jene in Orange, CA on Saturday. Her friend Dallas decided to surprise her with a visit, so all three of us went to the beach on Saturday. Dallas knew of this secret cove in Laguna Beach that no one really knows about, so he took us there. It was soooooo dang cool! We had to hike up and over this huge rock and through some trees and bushes to get to the cove, but as soon as we got through to the other side, the view was breath-taking!! There were probably only 20 people max that filtered in and out of the cove while we were there. It was just perfect!! I spent most of the afternoon lying on my towel on the beach, reading "New Moon"! Talk about a relaxing day! The only thing that could have made it any more perfect is having Jeff there to share it with. He's all I thought about the whole time I was there, because it was the type of place he would have loved.

Saturday night, to celebrate our birthdays, we all went to Joe's Crab Shack in Newport. It was so cool, cuz the harbor is right behind the restaurant, so while we were waiting to be seated (for over an hour!), Jene and I were on the back deck talking, and got to see a wedding going on down on some boat in the harbor. It was pretty neat! Anyways, dinner was so fun...and Dallas paid for our food, which made it even better!! Thank you, Dallas!!

Sunday was another relaxing day. Probably the best day of the whole trip, in my opinion. I went to church at 9:00 to start my day off right, then we headed to Huntington. Jene and Dallas wanted to take their dog Turkish to the dog beach for the day, but I'm not really a fan of dogs...so I decided to enjoy the PERFECT weather, the PERFECT scenery of the ocean, and the PERFECT opportunity for some time to clear my head - I grabbed my iPod and put it on Nora Jones (the best chill music), grabbed my bag, and walked about 20 blocks down to the shopping area in Huntington, across from the pier. It was the most relaxing thing I've been able to do in a really, really long time. No one to talk to, nothing I really had to think about, and no schedule or plans. I walked down the pier, watched the surfers, watched the kids playing in the surf and the people playing volleyball. I sat and watched a group of people play in a drum circle, which was also a really cool experience. It gave me the warm fuzzies to see people of so many different races sitting there together in the circle playing the hand drums - as if none of them had a care in the world. Pretty neat.

That night Jene and I drove up to her sister's house for dinner with lots of her family. She (Christie) made us an AWESOME ice cream birthday cake, then we drove up to Van Nuys to her brother's house where we slept. So here's where it starts to get exciting...

Here's some information most of you will probably wish I hadn't revealed, but it will help you understand the gravity of the situation as I explain the events of the night. So...on vacation I never eat very healthy, so I always get a little backed up, if you catch my drift. By Sunday night, I was in pain and looked 5 months pregnant so I took a laxative before bed. Well, I was only gonna take one, but Sarah (Jene's sister-in-law) convinced me to take 2. Haha. Well, around 3:30 I woke up with all kinds of cramping going on, and realized that if I didn't get in the bathroom PRONTO, we were gonna have a situation on our hands...so I opened the bedroom door, but I heard water running, so I assumed someone was in the shower. I tried to go back to sleep, but by 4:00 I still heard the water running and I was in so much pain that I decided to find a place to go. As I got closer to the bathroom, I realized the floor was wet...and so were my feet, all the way up to my ankles! I turned the light on in the bathroom and water was spraying out from the pipe behind the toilet. My first thought..."CRAP! Now what?! Do I poo outside? No, not an option. There's a doberman outside. I'm gonna have to hold it. Great." SO I woke up Justin and Sarah to let them know their house was flooded (the bathroom, hallway, kitchen, and part of the living room and 2 bedrooms). We got to work with sponges, buckets and a shop-vac, and I went back to bed...still not having relieved my poor intestines!! About an hour later, I physically couldn't take it anymore, so I woke up Jene and asked her what I should do...come to find out, there was another bathroom in the master bedroom. Man, what a relief!! What a crazy night though.

So Monday (our Birthday), we got up and drove to Pasadena to Magic Mountain. We rode all the rides we wanted to ride, then we took off around 2:00. I dropped her off where her car was (in Orange), then I drove all the way back to St. George that night. I got home around 11:00, and I was sooooooo excited that Jeff was waiting up for me...with flowers and a card. What a sweet husband!! I came home to his gorgeous smiling face, a clean house, a sleeping baby, and his loving arms. What a perfect end to a perfect vacation.

It's so good to be home, and it's so good to have a new appreciation for the 2 most important men in my life. I missed them both so much, and I'm so excited to get back into the swing of things here in the real world now that I'm rejuvinated and ready to be a mom and wife again. Thank goodness for friends, the ocean, crab, babysitters, and wonderful husbands!! I love my life.

Vacation, Sweet Vacation

Since I posted the pictures already, I guess I better blog about our vacation so people can better understand the pics.

Last Tuesday we headed up to a cabin in the mountains above Heber, UT with Jeff's immediate family. Each summer his parents take the family somewhere. Before babies started being born, it was pretty much always Lake Powell, but it's way too hot there to camp for a week with little babies without a houseboat...so last year, the family vacation was to Bear Lake (on the border of Idaho & Utah). This year it was Timberlakes & Strawberry Lake. There were 14 people (Jeff, Mason & I; Jen, Ryan, Cole & Malia; Mindy & Cory; Doug & Rheanna; Justin, Lee and Kathy) all in one cabin. We had a blast!

Lee & Kathy rented four 4-wheelers, so we spent a lot of time exploring the beautiful mountains. I have always wanted to find a huge field of wildflowers and just lie down in it and roll around for a while...so when I finally found my fields of wildflowers, I was kinda bummed that I was with a group of dudes. I knew they'd think I was insane, so I settled for taking pictures. Maybe I'll get the pics printed up and roll around on them here at home, pretending I'm actually rolling in the flowers. If I do it, I'll be sure to take pictures and blog about it.

So on Friday we packed up the kiddos, some food and toys, and all drove up to a beautiful spot in the mountains where we set up a day camp. We planned to spend the day exploring on the 4-wheelers, so right away a group of us headed up. Two of the 4-wheelers were doubles, so Jeff and I rode together. I was driving, so we weren't going nearly as fast as we would have been if Jeff had been driving - I'm new at it, and I'm also a major wussy pants. Good combination for safety. :) Anyway, so in addition to us, Jen & Ryan were on a machine together, then Doug and Rheanna each had their own. Rheanna was in the lead, and she was seriously flying - I was so surprised at how "brave" she was for never having ridden a 4-wheeler before our trip. We'd been out for like half an hour and decided to turn around. Jeff and I were in the back of the pack, and as we got to the top of a hill, we saw two 4-wheelers on the path without anyone on them. One was missing, so we called out to them and realized Rheanna had gone off the side of the mountain. Jeff left right away to let everyone know at camp and call for medical help while the rest of us worked on helping Rheanna.

When Jeff got back to camp, they all said a prayer that everything would be alright. Right about that same time, 2 people showed up on 4-wheelers. One of them just happened to be a retired EMT and he had an entire rescue kit on the back of his machine. On top of that, they had a wench (motorized tow cable) attached to the front of their machine. What are the chances, I mean c'mon. So when Rheanna went off the road, she went down the side of a mountain. There weren't many trees, but by some stroke of luck (we know it wasn't luck) she just happened to run right in between 2 big trees with her machine, getting it stuck there. She flew off and hit her head on a tree, lost her helmet in the process, and landed in a pile of downed trees. Seriously, if she'd run off in any other direction, she'd have kept going down the mountain. The trees saved her life. She ended up with no major injuries - just deep bruising, a sprained ankle and some whiplash. It was such a scary experience, but it really strengthened my testimony of the power of prayer. Heavenly Father loves us and watches out for us, especially when we ask Him to. We began the day with a prayer for safety...and Rheanna was kept safe (considering what should have happened).

The vacation was so much fun though! I saw so many beautiful things (valleys, lakes, deer, flowers), relaxed, ate a lot, and got to know my in-laws better. They're such a wonderful family, and I'm so happy I have such awesome new "siblings". We all get along so well, and our kids do too. Though Mason and Malia are TROUBLE together (thanks to our bad influence of a child)!

Now I get to go on a girl vacation, and I can't wait! I leave Friday to go to California with my bestest friend Jene (we met in El Paso 10 years ago when I was home from college for the summer). We both celebrate our birthday on Monday the 18th, and it's our "friend-a-versary", so we felt a trip was in order. I can't wait to get a little bit of a break from Mason! Don't get me wrong - I LOVE and adore my little guy, but man do I need a little break. I'll blog about it when I get back next week!!

Baumann Family Vacation Pictures

Kolob Reservoir Trip

About a week ago (Saturday the 26th) Jeff decided he was really in the mood to "get away", so we packed up all our picnic gear, a sun canopy, and our fishing stuff and headed up to Kolob Reservoir. In order to get there you have to drive THROUGH Zion National Park, so it was about an hour and a half each way. The drive was absolutely breathtaking, and on top of that, it was about to rain, so we had the windows down and got to enjoy the fresh mountain air and the smell of rain. It was so relaxing!!

We stayed for the entire afternoon and took turns fishing while the other entertained Mason and kept him from running into the water. We were pretty impressed that he was able to entertain himself for more than 5 minutes with just one thing - trowing rocks into the water. It actually lasted like 20 minutes!! After a while he'd had it and decided to play in the shade with his trains, which is where he stayed for most of the afternoon! He was relatively easy compared to usual - it was a great little escape!

Oh, and I forgot to add this part in - we didn't catch a dad-gum thing! The only thing you're allowed to use out at this lake is artificial lures, no power bait or live bait, and we just didn't know how to fish that way I guess. Plus it was a warm day and so we're sure the trout were hanging out in water deeper than we could get to from the coast. :) It's okay though! I'm sure we'll catch a ton up at Strawberry this week!!

Crazy Little Jumpin' Jack

You know, Saint George is one of the most beautiful, scenic places I've ever lived, but I've just gotta keep it real. IT'S JUST WAY TOO HOT HERE!! I take Mason to the park most mornings before 9:00 and it's already at or near 90 degrees by the time we head back home. Needless to say, we don't spend much (if any) time outside from about 10:00 am to 4:00 pm in order to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Well, last week I was just so incredibly bored to tears!! I had seen enough of these walls, and I finally understood the feeling that the walls are closing in on you!! I'd read on a few of my friends' blogs down here in St. George about a place called Jumpin Jacks, so I looked them up online and found a buy one get one free coupon good for Tuesdays only. My bored-to-tears day just happened to be Tuesday, so I located some socks (we never wear them - it's too hot!!), packed up Mason, and off we went!

Oh my gosh, I just have to say first that I am POSITIVE that I had more fun than Mason did. I had a blast! And I got a great workout too! Most of the stairs were too far apart for Mason to climb them, so I got to climb them while carrying Mason up! Not sure if you've ever played on the huge blow-up toys, but the climbing up part is pretty good exercise!! Mason had a blast too though. Enjoy the picture college!! (if you want to see the pictures bigger, you just click on the collage and it pulls it up in a separate window.)

Super Peek-a-Boo!!

This video is hilarious!! Mason's new thing lately is to hide somewhere (anywhere), then jump out and yell "bo" - meaning "boo"! This one was so fun. Enjoy!

Cute picture collages

So I just figured out how to make cute picture collages (thank you hayley and jenn!!), so here are a few recent pictures. Enjoy!

Doug's Wedding

Jeff's brother Doug got married this past weekend (on the 19th of July) in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple to Rheanna, who we all LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! They're just the most perfect couple ever (besides Jeff and I - j/k). Here are a few fun pictures from the temple and reception.

First picture is Jeff's brother Justin and his dad entertaining Mason while we waited for Doug and Rheanna to come out of the temple.

Second picture - the happy couple. Rheanna looked so pretty!!

Third picture - Jeff's family (Malia and Cole weren't there - Jen and Ryan got a break from being parents that morning. I wish we'd left Mason with someone too!!!)

Fourth picture - Me with Jeff, the love of my life. Isn't he cute?!

Last picture - Mason's only "still" moment all day - looking at the cows through the gate at Wadley Farms where the reception was held. The location was perfect. Lots of area for Mason to run around and be his crazy, hyperactive self.

On a side note, Jeff and his siblings were asked to "roast" Doug at the wedding dinner the night before, so they put together a survival kit for Rheanna full of things she'd need if she wanted to really last longer than a week with Doug. The kit included a gas mask, nose plugs and air freshener (for his wicked farts), a grab bag (full of things that Doug already owns) to select from for special occasions, since Doug always gives people for their Birthdays things that they already own that he's grabbed out of their closets. They also played a video of Doug's crazy dance moves so that Rheanna can learn how to keep up with him at parties (if you're wondering how he dances, just watch the portion of the movie "Hitch" when they show off their dance moves). It was hilarious!!

Doug & Rheanna, we're so happy for you! CONGRATULATIONS!!

Mason's First Pony Ride

We went up North for the 4th of July weekend, and it was actually quite the experience just getting there! My girlfriend Crystal was having a party for her daughter Addi's first Birthday on the night of the 3rd, but Jeff couldn't even leave Saint George until that night, so I found a ride up (for Mason, his HUGE carseat, and I) with a friend of a friend who was leaving St. George at 4:30 that morning. Mason refused to sleep in the car...so needless to say, it was an interesting ride.

Getting there early though was awesome because my mom and dad were in town staying with my grandparents in Pleasant Grove, so we got to spend lots of time with them. Mason sure gets silly when he sees his grandparents and great-grandparents. It's great!

Addi's party that night was so much fun. Our friends Maria and Rob offered their backyard for the event, which meant that there was room for Crystal to rent a miniature pony. Mason was so excited to ride it! They also had cupcake cones for the kiddos, and Mason thoroughly enjoyed his!

Addi was the cutest little princess. Before it was time to dive into her cake, she was all dolled up in a pink fluffy tutu and beads. Here's a picture of her attacking her birthday cake.

And last but certainly not least, it was so fun being able to see some of my girlfriends at the party!! Being in St. George, I'm so far away from all of the people I've been friends with for the last 6-8 years, so it's always so exciting for me when I get to see them! We can go for a couple of months without talking (sometimes longer) then when we see each other, it's like we never missed a beat. Those are real friends! (Adria, me & Mason, Crystal, Rosie & cute little pregnant Maria)

Toot, toot!!

So most of you know that I absolutely LOVED my mission...so much that I brought 30 pounds of Chile home with me as a keepsake!! Well, I lost most of that after I got home, but not all of it. Then I got married and had a baby...and I've never gotten back down to my pre-mission weight.

My friend Shellie has been doing a weight loss program for a few months now and has lost a good amount of weight, and looks SO HOT in her new bikini, so I asked her if she'd share her secret. She told me she was doing L.A. Weight Loss and exercising regularly, so I went to the L.A. Weight Loss center here in St. George and met with a consultant. We decided it was right for me, so I started on June 25th - making today my 8th day. I've lost 7.5 pounds!!

It's amazing what a healthy, balanced diet and exercise can do for you! I have never been a super healthy eater - I am used to having at LEAST a pack of m&m's or a candy bar every day, and I can get a little lazy with my exercise. This diet totally cuts out the crap, and makes me eat healthy. Here's what I get each day: 2 servings of protein, 2 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit, 2 starches, 1 serving of dairy, one fat (like light margerine or salad dressing), tons and tons of water, and a protein bar in between each meal. It's pretty durn easy!

So...I'm not usually one to toot my own horn, but today I'm gonna toot away! TOOT, TOOT!!!

I think I can, I think I can...

Two years ago I went on my first extreme hiking/rappelling excursion with Jeff and his crew to Zion National Park in Southern Utah. We did 2 days of 8-10 hour climbs/rappels each day, and I really had a great time! I have always had a little fear of heights, but I got over it real quck when I had to rappel over 100 feet into a huge bowl with tourists and water below, and canyon walls surrounding me.

We weren't able to make the trip last summer, but everyone found time this year. Since Jeff and I live 45 minutes from Zion Nat'l Park, everyone just drove down from SLC and is staying here with us. Jeff's brother Ryan and his wife Jen came, another brother Doug, and brother-in-law Cory.

So yesterday we did Spry Canyon (one of Zion's "technical" canyons). Before the bulk of us drove up though, Jeff and Ryan had already headed up at 3:00 a.m. to wait in line for a permit for the hike they all wanted to do today (Mystery Canyon). They got it! Yay! Anyway, we started our hike into Spry around 8:30 Friday morning and it was tough from the get-go. It began in a wide, sandy wash that took us about 15 minutes (about half a mile), then we had to climb several hundred feet up a "slickrock watercourse". That was the hardest part of the whole day for me. It was the steepest climb I've ever done, and it was on this smooth sandstone type rock, so it was pretty much just using your calf muscles and loads of endurance (I must have forgotten to bring those things with me yesterday!). Anyhow, I had just done the cleansing stage of this healthy eating plan I'm on...and Thursday was my first day with all the food groups reintroduced, so on Friday I guess I just didn't have the energy and fuel my muscles needed. Jeff is the one who is typically the leader of the pack and is always in the front, but he stayed in the back with me, encouraged me, checked on me, kept making me stop to breathe and drink water, and eventually he took my pack so that I could make it up to the top.

After the climb, we began our descent through a dry riverbed surrounded by the high, colorful walls of the canyon. The first rappel was 165 feet if that gives you an idea of how huge the rappels were on this trip. Anyway, about 115 rappels later, we got to the bottom where we bouldered our way down to a pool of water (this is also the end of the Pine Creek trail too). What a sweet reward it was, about 9 hours after we began, to jump into that nice cool, clean water!! It was at least 105 outside, so we were ready for that perfect ending.

All in all, it was an incredible experience. It was so awesome to be able to enjoy God's creations up close and personal. I also really enjoyed being able to get to know the Baumann/Christensen family better!

Today the five of them are up again doing Mystery Canyon. It's supposed to be one of the hardest, yet one of the most beautiful trips in the park, so I can't wait to hear their stories! I wish I could have gone, but I couldn't handle the idea of leaving Mason with a babysitter for a second day. Plus, yesterday WORE ME OUT!

No, No!

Today we reached a milestone with Mason that I was hoping would come a year or so down the road rather than at 15 months.

There are several places in the house Mason knows he's not allowed to go, things he can't touch, and doors/drawers he's not allowed to open. He's not the greatest listener or most obedient child, but I am 100% positive that he understands what I mean when I say, "No, no Mason."

So as I was in the kitchen cleaning up a little bit, Mason was sitting on his little riding truck watching me and eating a strawberry. I reached for the trash can lid to throw some things away, and he let out this super girly scream. When I looked at him (with a baffled look on my face), I said "What, Mason?" To which he replied, "No, no!". I didn't know why he was saying that, but as I opened the trash can and he started to yell "No, no, no, no!" and try his best to shake his finger at me, I understood all too clearly.....if Mason's not allowed in the trash, neither is Mommy!

It was really cute, and now that he knows I laugh when he tells me no I'm pretty sure it will become his new game. Isn't motherhood an adventure?!

Our latest trip up to Sandy...

2 weekends ago (the weekend after getting back from El Paso), we decided to go up to Sandy so we could be with family for Father's Day. On Saturday, Jeff's parents' stake hosted a huge Family Fun Day complete with free food, a live band (they were so good!!), blow-up toys for the kids to play on, face painting, etc. Most of it was too big for Mason to really enjoy this year, but we'll take him again next year when he's a little bigger.

After that, we went back to Gma and Gpa Baumann's house so the kiddos could play in water in the back yard. It was a blast!! Mason and Malia play so well together - she's always so sure to watch out for him and make sure he's not doing anything he's not supposed to. At one point, she took all the toys he was playing with, and when I mentioned to her that they were Mason's toys, she said "yeah, but Mason can share". I died laughing. She's really figured out how to reason through things!

On Sunday, everyone came over and we formed the Baumann/Christensen rock band. Cory even held Mason on his lap so he could play the drums with him. It was so cute! Check out the pics and video!

El Paso Vacation

So the past couple of weeks have been sorta vacation-ish for Mason and I. On the 31st of May, the 2 of us flew out to El Paso to spend some time at my parents' house before Jeff and all the rest of my family arrived the following weekend for Taylor's high school graduation. It was so relaxing, and I really enjoyed having a pool in the back yard!

Once the whole family arrived, the real fun began. Mason, Isaac, Connor and Bennett had so much fun playing together! We were able to see just how aggressive Mason can be as he unleashed his hitting powers on Bennett a few times. I'm sorry, Mark & Bronwyn!! I guess it's time to work on that before it gets out of control.

Dad and I let our goofy side come out - the REAL reason it's so fun for the Donnelson clan to get together is that we're pretty much all a little crazy.

We had a graduation party for Taylor and his girlfriend April on Saturday, then their graduation was on Sunday evening. It was so cool, but I'm a sucker for sentimental stuff like that.

The trip was so much fun, but boy is it always nice to be home and back in the routine I'm used to. Enjoy the pictures!

Twilight

Well I would have never in a million years imagined that I'd fall in love with a vampire novel! Pretty much everyone I know has read "Twilight" and been so into it that they read it in a few days, so after Melea and some family members told me how much they loved it too, I decided to spend the $8 and get it.

I started it Monday night and finished it yesterday - Wednesday. I could not put it down!! I love to read, but I've never read a book that sucked me in from the very first page...until "Twilight". If you're a cynic, as was I, take a chance on this one! I promise you that you won't be disappointed!!

Peacock, anyone?

Well, of all the weird things to ever happen to me, I think tonight might top the list. I was driving home from a quick trip to Roberts (a craft/scrapbook supply store) - keep in mind that it's 9:00 and pretty dark outside - when all of a sudden I see A PEACOCK on the road right in front of my car. I was on the freeway going 70 with a semi in the lane to the right of me, and nowhere really to swerve. I swerved just a tad to the left, causing the poor bird to go under my tire, which ended up being a good thing for my car. No damage. Not such a good thing for the bird. I contributed to pushing the peacock species closer to endangerment.

But seriously, why on earth is there a peacock roaming free in SAINT GEORGE, UTAH? I mean come on! On the freeway? So strange.

So anyhow, the best part happened when I pulled over to make sure the bumper of my new car was okay (and that there weren't any bird parts hanging off the undercarriage). Some nice guy stopped to make sure I didn't need any help, and when I told him what happened he looked at me like I was on drugs. He was like, "You hit a what?"
Me: "Yeah, mister. You heard correctly. I hit a peacock. I'm fine. My car's fine. Thanks for stopping."

Anyway, I guess I shouldn't complain about how mundane and boring my days can be, or I might hit a rhino next time I go for a drive in the outback of St. George!

Hangin' Tough

I'm not quite sure how to write about this topic in a way that will allow others to feel the strange sense of nostalgia that I'm feeling, so I won't even attempt to cater to others' feelings. This is about me!

Most people who know me well know that I never quite got over my love for New Kids On The Block. It goes way back to 1988 or 1989 (maybe earlier). I very clearly remember an entire day of anticipation - I was in the 5th grade, and NKOTB was coming out with their new video. I was so upset that it was premiering while I was in school, but was way excited and surprised when I got home and my dad announced that he had recorded it for my sister Jenn and I.

We went to the NKOTB concert in Columbia, SC when I was probably 10 years old. I'm pretty sure it was 5th or 6th grade. I screamed the ENTIRE concert, and I haven't stopped since then! haha okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but I'm still a super fan. I wish I still had all my tshirts, buttons, pins, nightshirts, and Joey McIntyre doll! Oh - and don't forget all the cassette tapes. Boo yeah.

I proudly admit that I now own their Greatest Hits CD, and it's even on my iPod for my listening convenience (and those on the road around me when I roll down my windows and proclaim my devotion to NKOTB through my blaring speakers).

This morning on the Today Show they had their first concert in 15 years. It was so cool!! All the fans there were around my age, and it was great to see the loyalty. Fans are so excited about their reunion that the past two concerts to go on sale have sold out in less than 10 minutes (Toronto sold out in 4 minutes). They just posted new tour dates on their website and announced a show in Salt Lake City!! I seriously could not be more excited!

I WILL BE THERE!!! Why? Because I'm "oh-oh-oh-oh-oh hangin' tough"!

Games, anyone?

Last week, Mason discovered that he's strong enough to open all the magnetic cabinet doors...JOY! He's obsessed with the game cabinet. He pulls out the Jenga game, any card games he can find, and the dominoes and just dumps them all over the floor. We already had to take the handle off the DVD cabinet - looks like it's time to babyproof the game cabinet too!

Swim time!

We started Mason's "Mom & Tot" swimming lessons last week, and today's our last day. It's been so much fun! He's a little fish - just loves the water. He's learned to jump in and go under (holding his breath under water), kick his feet, allow me to help him swim on his back and tummy, and blow bubbles.

His favorite part of swim class though is free time. The final 15 minutes each day is free time where we can go play in the big part of the pool where all the cool water features are. Mason loves to walk and throw himself under the water. He holds his breath until I pick him up, then he does it again! He's crazy - I'm really gonna have to keep an extra close eye on him around the pool when we go to my parents' house in El Paso.

Blessed

Today my thoughts and prayers are with my cousin Steven, his family, and his dear wife who is battling a vicious form of cancer. At this moment I can't help but see my life with a little bit more clarity and perspective. Life is a precious gift given to us by our Creator, and we need to savor and cherish every single second that He chooses to give us here with those we love and those who love us in return.

A few minutes ago as I put Mason down for his afternoon nap, he looked up at me and said "mama", then blew me kisses and grinned real big. He very rarely says mama, and never blows kisses - his sweet little spirit must know that I'm a little bit emotional today. So I took him out of his crib and decided to rock him for a little while. As I sang to him, he gave his stuffed dog a huge, wet kiss and then pushed it up toward me, wanting me to give it kisses too. So I did, then he hugged it tight, snuggled in close to me (very rare), and closed his eyes. What a special little moment I was allowed to share with my sweet Mason today.

The lyrics of the Martina McBride song "Blessed" came into my head while Mason snuggled with me, so I thought I'd share them. I love you all!

I get kissed by the sun each morning
Put my feet on a hardwood floor
I get to hear my children laughing
Down the hall through the bedroom door
Sometimes I sit on my front porch swing
Just soaking up the day
I think to myself, I think to myself
This world is a beautiful place

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

Across a crowded room
I know you know what I'm thinking
By the way I look at you
And when we're lying in the quiet
And no words have to be said
I think to myself, I think to myself
This love is a beautiful gift

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

When I'm singing my kids to sleep
When I feel you holding me
I know

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones that love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

Uh-may-zing!!

After putting on my favorite pair of jeans yesterday and having a minor case of "muffin top" (translation: side fat spilling over the sides of the jeans), I decided that I'm cutting all crappy food out of my diet! None of this "I can only have sweets on the weekends" stuff. I'm only allowing myself a treat during special occasions, and even then I'm only allowing myself to have one thing. Period. My body doesn't need that stuff.

SO the first major step was taken tonight. We had a very healthy dinner - chicken and veggie/fruit kabobs! Here are the ingredients and instructions if you're interested! WE LOVED IT!! And it made 12 very full kabobs, so if you're feeding a small family, you'll probably have leftovers, which is never a bad thing, right?!

Ingredients:
1 whole pineapple
1 large green pepper (add a red and yellow pepper for more color IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT! Peppers are so expensive now!)
1 large zucchini squash
Mushrooms (I bought the little package of pre-cut mushrooms. Much easier)
3 boneless chicken breasts

Marinade for veggies:
1/2 cup Red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil (could even reduce to 1/8 cup if you want)
1/2 tbsp garlic powder (more or less depending on personal preference)
Hand-ground black pepper (amount also depending on preference)

Marinade for chicken:
Zesty Italian salad dressing (I buy generic)

Instructions:
Cut up the pineapple and set aside - don't marinate it (don't get rid of the pineapple juice on the cutting board. Just cut your veggies on top of the juice). Cut up all the veggies and put them in the veggie marinade, then add the pineapple juice that was left on the cutting board. I let the veggies marinate in a gallon size ziplock baggie for 4 hours.

Cut up the chicken into large cubes (i like mine pretty big), then put in a separate gallon size baggie with as much Zesty Italian dressing as you want. Let it marinate as long as you let the veggies marinate.

Stack it all on skewers and grill! We actually don't have a grill, so we used the broiler pan in our oven and set the oven on "broil - high" for 14 minutes - 7 minutes on each side.

Enjoy!!

I always knew there was a reason I hated laundry...

And now I know what that reason is!

Yesterday, while going about my usual housewife duties (none of which I despise, by the way, except for the laundry) - it came time to fold the clothes in the dryer. I bent down, opened the dryer door, and before I even pulled anything out, a little scream escaped my mouth!

The entire dryer drum was splotched and streaked with blue ink!! "Just breathe," I told myself as I pulled the first article of clothing out (my brand-spankin-new shirt that I got last week). As I looked it over, I started to cry. Yes, I'm a baby, but I rarely get to by myself something new, and this shirt was just the perfect shirt. It was casual enough to wear with jeans or shorts, but nice enough to wear it with a skirt to church too. Well, after one look at it, I realized that I'd never be wearing it with anything - it was covered in blue ink. Spots, streaks, little evil smiley faces laughing at me...it was hopeless.

As I pulled more clothes out, I realized that every single one of Mason's new summer shirts appeared to be ruined too. I mean, ink explosions in the washer are one thing - the stains haven't been set by the heat of the dryer yet. But these had been washed AND dried. I cried some more.

After I pulled all the clothes out, I found the 2 empty, broken ball point pens in the bottom. If my nightmare could have been turned into an animated moment, I'm sure they would have been laughing at me too.

I never have anything in my pockets, so I knew the pens weren't mine. Jeff always has ink pens in the pockets of his work pants, so it was easy to figure out where they came from.

Question: Is it my fault for not checking the pockets before I put them in the washer, or is it fair for me to be upset with Jeff for not emptying out his pockets before he threw his pants into the hamper, causing me 4 hours of scrubbing, washing, then more scrubbing & washing?

Conclusion: My job is to be a housewife and mother, since I'm staying home and am not out working. Jeff has told me before that he never remembers to check the pockets, so I'm going to have to swallow my pride (after reminding him each evening to empty his pockets) and check them myself. Give and take - isn't that what a good marriage is made up of?

Anyhow, thank you Mom Donnelson for helping me get the stains out of the clothes! It worked! For anyone else who might ever run into this problem, here's what she told me to do: (in this order!)
1. Spray the stain with ZOUT
2. Apply liquid Wisk detergent over the ZOUT - I applied it with a toothbrush and rubbed it in a little (she recommends the red bottle with blue cap)
3. Put OxyClean powder on top of that, and rub it in (i just used my finger)
4. Let it sit overnight if possible, then wash it in the hottest water the fabric can tolerate. I added 3 small scoops of OxyClean to the water in the washer.

To remove the ink from the inside of the dryer, on the dryer drum, we tried a few things, and only one of them worked.
1. DID NOT WORK: a product called Goof Off. It actually made Jeff high and sick to his stomach.
2. DID WORK (YAAAY!!): We soaked a bunch of old rags and towels in bleach water (LOTS of bleach), then put them in the dryer sopping wet and ran it for an hour at a time. After each hour, we re-soaked the towels and ran it again. We did this 3 times (total of 3 hours), and it worked!! The inside is clean as a whistle!

Anyhow, as much as I felt like I was in one of the dimensions of Hell yesterday, it's nice to feel relief today as I look at my spot-free clothing and dryer. :) Thanks for all the advice!

Open wiiiiiiide!

So today I had the fun experience of going to a new dentist and getting 4 FILLINGS!! Each filling was in a totally different place so now, 4 and a half hours after the first shot of Novocaine, I'm still numb on my entire face (nose down) and my left ear. There were a few perks though: I got to watch the entire first season of "Friends", I got a $100 discount, then an additional 10% off after that, and I got to be high on the happy gas for the 3 hours they worked on me.

Now I'm back to reality - a baby crawling on top of his little table, and dinner in the oven. Love it.

Friends!!!

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Mason has new friends! We had this awesome family move into the townhome directly across from ours - Rachel and Michael with kids Rebekah and Patrick. Now because I'm retarded about making new friends with strangers (it totally terrifies me for some reason), she had to approach me. Glad she did though!!

We walk together several days a week to take our kids to the park. It's so fun to actually have a friend here, and it's also awesome to see how well our little ones all get along! Mason interacts more with Rebekah right now (she's almost 3 *i think*), but I think that as soon as Patrick (almost 1) starts to walk, they'll all 3 play together a lot more.

So Rachel and Michael suggested that we do a "babysitting exchange" with them where we'd watch their kids on a Friday night and they'd keep Mason for us the next night so that we could actually go out to dinner and a movie and not have to worry about breaking the bank with a babysitter. We kept their kids this past Saturday, and it was so much fun! The three kiddos had a blast. I can't wait for our turn to go out! :)

Forget Spring...SUMMER Has Sprung!

Well, it quickly went from 75 degrees for the past 2 weeks to 92 DEGREES today! The swimming pool water here at our townhome clubhouse is still way too cold to swim, but the Saint George City Center has this awesome "water park" and splash pad. Mason's terrified of the splash pad ever since some city employee thought it would be funny to turn it on while he was standing in the middle of the one at the park near our house. Now Mason sees it and clings to my legs.

So he steered clear of the splash pad today, but spent an hour and a half playing in the fake rock river. We went with Rachel (a neighbor) and her two kids Rebecca and Patrick, who Mason ADORES.

Polly Want a Cracker?

Last Wednesday, the 9th, I was uber-bored so I decided to take Mason to the pet store. The second we walked in, he saw the fish and excitedly yelled "ish, ish, ish!!!" and made his fish face. He kissed the glass on all the fish tanks that were within his reach. Next we went to the bird cages where Mason backward-signed "bird", and yelled "eet, eet, eet!!" (tweet, tweet, tweet). It was exciting for both of us! His favorite animal (that we weren't allowed to touch) was a baby pot-bellied pig. It was pushing this bright green ball around his cage, and Mason was just so excited, running around the cage following the ball.

Being a mom is really helping me learn how to take pleasure in the simple things by trying to see through the eyes of my child.

Water Bottle Public Service Announcement

I was watching the Today Show yesterday, and there was a segment on water bottles - which types are safe and unsafe. I was blown away by the findings!

On the bottom of all water bottles, (whether they be the hard, Nalgene-type reusable water bottles or the sealed, buy in a gas station type water bottles), there is a triangle with a number inside it. The most common numbers are 1 (purchase, drink, toss water bottles), and 3, 6 and 7 (usually found on the water bottles you buy empty for the purpose of reuse).

Scientists have discovered that bottles with a 1 on the bottom are good for only one use, and that after that, BPA's (Bisphenol - an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic) begin to leak into the water you drink. It is also now recommended to avoid numbers 3, 6 and 7 all together because the BPA level is high enough to possibly affect reproductive systems and cause other health problems.

Check your water bottles! Jeff and I have always kept the larger Gatorade bottles and refilled them for our food storage - but they all have a #1 on the bottom, so we've disposed of them. There may not be a ton of research available yet on this topic, but enough for me to prefer being safe rather than sorry!

For more information, see (also contains links to the segment on the Today Show from yesterday and today):
http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/04/this-just-in-nalgene-announces-new-bpa.html

Step-By-Step

Mason's been able to go up stairs for quite a while now, but never figured out how to get back down without injury. We've noticed him stepping down off curbs and stuff at the park lately, so yesterday we decided to just let him go upstairs and see what would happen on the way down.

Before he attempted to come down, he wanted to let us know that we'd better be paying attention to him. Here's the video. So funny!

Mason Meets Ronald McDonald

Yesterday for our treat after Family Home Evening, Jeff and I decided we wanted hot fudge sundaes from McD's, so we drove around town until we found one with a playground to let Mason loose in while we enjoyed our sugar high. The second he saw Ronald McDonald, he wanted nothing to do with the playground - he was so fascinated with the clown!

A Saturday in Snow Canyon State Park

Who knew that a short, Saturday afternoon hike in a state park could be so fun, educational, and exciting?!

This past Saturday (the 29th of March), Jeff, Mason and I decided to go out and enjoy the perfect St. George weather. We left the house only knowing that we'd be hiking, but weren't sure where we wanted to go, so we just drove to where we knew there were a lot of hikes that we hadn't been on yet. We ended up at Snow Canyon State Park at the White Rock trail.

First, a little history lesson that I learned on Saturday - and it fascinated me: Snow Canyon used to be inhabited by the Anasazi Indians way back in AD 200-1250. Later, Paiute Indians used it for hunting. Then in the mid-1800's, Mormon Pioneers discovered the canyon while searching for lost cattle. The canyon was renamed for Lorenzo and Erastus Snow (previously called Dixie State Park). "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" was filmed in Snow Canyon!

So the White Rock hike that we went on starts out in an old field of lava flow - just miles and miles of black lava rock, with a trail carved right through the middle for hikers. You can see dormant volcanoes all over the place. Eventually the lava rock turns into sandstone, and you're walking on a white surface.

When we got to the end of the hike, we were surrounded by white - the walls around us, the ground we were standing on, and the white sand dunes to the right side of the trail. To the left, at the very end, there was an overlook where you could see Snow Canyon (middle picture).

Anyway, it was so much fun! We put Mason in the sand barefoot, up at the top of the dune, and he had such a blast crawling, rolling and jumping down to the bottom where Jeff was waiting for him. I'll eventually figure out how to include a video on here so you can see how much fun he had.

If anyone wants to come visit us out in St. George, there are so many amazing, wonderful, beautiful things to see and do!

Happy Birthday, Mason!

Today's Mason's first Birthday, and even though his party isn't until Saturday, we let him open his present from Grandma & Grandpa Donnelson this morning. Not much to open - it just had a bow on it - but he was so excited! He totally ignored his bottle, and hasn't gotten off the car/truck since he got on it an hour ago. He should be easy to look after today!

Forklift...

Last Saturday we decided it was time for Mason to start learning how to feed himself with silverware, so we put his suction plate on his highchair tray and handed him a fork. We helped him the first few times, but got pretty good with it! Here are a couple of pictures.

Jeff's Day Off

So Jeff was able to come home around noon from work yesterday (Friday), and the weather was perfect here in St. George, so we decided to go fishing. Once we got there, it was pretty cold and windy, but the lake was beautiful and we really enjoyed the silence that nature provides. We didn't get a single bite - not even a nibble - but we had a really good time!

We brought along a pack-n-play for Mason to stay in while we fished, but he wasn't having that, so we ended up letting him explore. It was a productive exploration day for him! He discovered his shadow, mud, and showed off his fish face each time I told him "Daddy's trying to catch a fish." After an hour and no success for either of us, Jeff decided it was the right time to teach Mason how to fish. It was sooooo cute!

After much peer pressure...here we are!

I know, I know. It's been a long time coming! Everyone I know has a blog, except for me, and since our families and friends are spread out all over the country, I decided it was time to give in to the peer pressure and hop on the blogging bandwagon.

I tend to be somewhat lazy about this sort of thing, but I'll do my best to keep updates coming, post pictures and videos often, and try to keep it interesting! :)

Love you all!
Sheri (along with Jeff & Mason, neither of whom will EVER be writing any posts for this blog, so their names are assumed when I just sign "Sheri.)