Wednesday, July 22, 2009

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

Thursday, June 25, 2009

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!











Friday, June 19, 2009

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

Monday, March 23, 2009

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

Monday, March 2, 2009

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














Saturday, February 21, 2009

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.







Tuesday, February 17, 2009

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.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

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.

Monday, February 2, 2009

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!!!

Friday, January 30, 2009

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!!

Friday, January 23, 2009

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!