Random Pictures

Just the rare picture of Jonesy and I.

Aren't we cute??

I caught Ruth in the shower being her normal self--crazy.

The boys blowing me kisses from the car shopping cart.

We attempted to play at the park.  It was a little cold that day.

Gareth had a lot of fun even though it was cold.

We are ready for spring!

But we still like building snowmen.

8 Years Ago

For those of you who have been following our blog over the years, I'm sure you're tired of my annual February 13th post.  But too bad.  February 13th marks a very important moment in my (and Jonesy's) life.  It was 8 years ago that the decision to start our family was finalized.  With a ring, a one-kneed proposal, and the answer Jonesy will never forget ("I'll think about it") we started our journey together.  It has been a long and sometimes steep and twisty path that we have walked over the years but I can honestly say that I have never regretted our decision to be married.  On that cold evening at the top of the outdoor amphitheater on the campus of Utah State University under the clear, starry night sky, I became engaged to the best guy on the planet.  Thank you, Jonesy for making me an offer I couldn't refuse.

Turnback Tuesday: To the Rescue!

Since this blog is my way of documenting our lives, I thought I would add some memories from before the blog began. Occasionally you will see a post like this one. Enjoy!



April, 2007. Ruth was almost 3 and Gareth was about 5 weeks old. I had a particularly hard time adjusting after I had Gareth. My mind was completely GONE. There were many times where I locked my keys in the car and had to call a locksmith (luckily our insurance paid for my ditsy-ness). We thought about making a copy of the key and putting it in a magnetized key box under the car. It wasn't until I locked the keys AND Gareth in the car that we actually followed through on that idea.

It was a windy afternoon in Flagstaff, AZ. Nice and cool--about 78 degrees. I had a few things I needed to pick up at Wal-Mart. Usually my routine was to park the car, put my diaper bag on my shoulder, put the keys in the bag, reach back and unbuckle Ruth, let her climb out my door, open Gareth's door get him out, lock the doors and close them. THIS time I did it a bit out of order...I put the keys in my bag, but forgot to put it on my shoulder. I let Ruth get out my door and then locked the door (which locks all the doors) and closed it before I opened Gareth's door. I remember realizing that my keys were in the car about a quarter of a second before the door closed but I wasn't fast enough. The worst thing was that my phone was sitting in my bag right next to my keys.

I am a very shy person and I was starting to freak out. I surprised myself by stopping the first person who walked by and asking them if I could use their cell phone. Of course they didn't have a cell phone (seriously... what kind of person doesn't have a cell phone?!?!?!) So I walked around a bit (holding Ruth on my hip) and finally found someone who was willing to let me use their phone.

I didn't want to dial 911 because it wasn't really an emergency. It wasn't a hot day, my window was cracked and Gareth was fast asleep so I wasn't worried about time. So I first tried to call Jonesy to see if he could get someone to drive him over. But since this wasn't my day, Jones had left his phone at home and was unreachable. I asked the lady if she happened to know the non-emergency number to the police department. I found it funny that she had actually just called it the night before so it was in her recent call list. (how convenient). I called and the dispatcher said she'd send someone right away. It wasn't a minute later that I heard the sirens. I hoped and prayed that those sirens weren't for me. I was already embarrassed enough that I locked my baby in the car, I didn't want everybody in Flagstaff to know about it! (and yes, everybody in Flagstaff WOULD have known about it because it seemed that everybody in Flagstaff was there at that walmart at that moment). Then I saw the firetruck speeding into the parking lot, siren blaring and lights flashing. It was for us. I just wanted to crawl under my car at that moment. I waved to them and they pulled over. The horrible moments became even more horrid when 5 firemen jumped out of the truck and RAN over to my car. Seriously guys...just like I told the dispatcher..it's not an emergency. I looked around and saw a crowd begin to gather. The firemen noticed the cracked window. They are smarter than me...if only I had thought of it as a way to unlock the car instead of a way to ventilate the car. They (okay when I say they, i mean one guy while the other 4 guys stood around looking tough and important) got what was basically the same thing as a stick and stuck it through the cracked window and pulled up the door lock. They opened the door and checked on Gareth to make sure he was still alive (after 5 minutes in a ventilated car in 78 degree breezy weather, I would be worried too....). Then they took my name and number and all walked -in a way that only heroes do- back to their truck and drove away, leaving me to look around in time to see the disappointed crowd disassemble and return to their boring, uneventful lives.

I'm glad the situation wasn't worse, and I truly am grateful for those firemen who risked their lives for the sake of my sleeping little baby. Hopefully that won't ever happen again.

Happy Birthday Ruth!

Yesterday Ruth turned a whopping 5 years old! It is so fun to have a 5 year-old around the house. Ruth is a wonderful big sister and a great little helper. We love her SO much!

I realized recently (after posting about the story of Gareth's birth) that I haven't ever written the story of Ruth's birth down (on the blog.. i have it in a journal). So here it is!

April 24th was my BFF Angel's wedding and I was supposed to be there (sorry Angel!!). Since her wedding was 2 1/2 hours away, and we were only a week away from our due date, we decided we probably shouldn't go. It was a good thing we didn't! Probably around 10pm that evening, I started feeling gas-like pains. I didn't think anything of it so I went on with what I was doing (email and playing solitaire on the computer). At around 11:45pm I felt my first 'real' contraction. And they kept coming. A little after midnight, I went and sat next to Jones (who was reading on the bed) and this is what our conversation was like:

me: "Honey, how will I know if I'm in labor?"
jones: "I don't know."
me: "Cause if it feels like *graphic descriptions of pain*, then I'm in labor."

It was at that moment that Jones started freaking out. Just like in the movies. He ran and got his stopwatch and his notepad and pencil and got ready to keep track of the contractions (just like all the pregnancy books told us to do).

From all that we'd heard and read about labor, we were expecting to be home for quite some time before going in to the hospital so I decided to take a warm shower while Jones called his parents. After my shower (and about 4 or 5 contractions during it) I called my mom and found myself having trouble speaking through the contractions. Mom suggested I call Labor and Delivery and ask them if I should come in. Jones called and they said to wait until contractions were a couple minutes apart and regular. In just 20 minutes they were. We grabbed our bags and headed out the door. The drive to the hospital was scary (Jones was VERY nervous) but short. We tried to go in the door we had planned on going in but it was locked because it was late. So we had to walk all the way back to the car and drive around to the ER entrance. Once we made it in we followed a nurse to L&D where they checked me in to a room.

Memory is a bit blurry at this point. I remember getting an epidural an hour or two after arriving and being in heaven. I dozed off and on while Jones watched Star Trek on tv (he couldn't sleep a wink). Finally around 6:30am the nurse came in and told me it was time to start pushing. The doctor arrived around 7:15 and Ruth came out at 7:20am. She was 6lb 6oz and 18.5 inches long.

Since they had noticed when they broke my water that it was a bit discolored they had been worried that Ruth had pooped while still in the womb. This could be a problem because some babies actually get the poop in their lungs and that's bad. SO they had a BUNCH of people in there just in case (a respiratory doctor, a few nurses from the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), my nurse, my doctor, a bum from off the street (it's possible.. I wasn't paying attention)) So, as I was saying, Ruth came out at 7:20am and she wasn't breathing well. After Jonesy quickly cut the cord (and almost fainted because of the blood that squirted out), they tossed her over to the respiratory doctor and they started suctioning her out. They got her breathing a bit but not enough for it to be safe. They put her on my chest for half a second and then tossed her back to the NICU nurses who then took off running, dragging Jonesy behind them. (I'm assuming their destination at that point was the NICU). That was the last I heard from them for FIVE WHOLE HOURS. I was left in the room with the doctor who was delivering the placenta and stitching me up. After he left, I became very nauseated but I managed to hold it all down. The nurses left me alone to sleep (which was the last thing on my mind). Then an hour or so later they came back and transfered me to my recovery room. I still hadn't heard from Jones but I wasn't too worried about the baby because her pediatrician had popped her head in my room to quickly tell me that she wasn't breathing on her own but she was going to make a full recovery.

Here is an exerpt from Jonesy's journal to describe his experiences while we were apart:

"When Ruth came out, she was very quiet and her cries were few and far between. She was laid on her mother's belly for just a moment and then was rushed to the other side of the room where she was cleaned and suctioned. Her inclination for early pooping continued as she left gifts on her mommy, on the doctor, on the nurses, on the floor, and on anything else her little butt was near. It quickly became evident that Ruth was not breathing well on her own and needed to be moved to the intensive care. I was told to go with the nurse and so I did. I felt bad about leaving Havilah, but was assured she was doing fine and need rest, so off we rushed to the ICU. The next few hours were hell. Little Ruth was gasping and fighting for every breath, even with the supplemental oxygen she was getting. She was hooked up to various machines. Her tiny face was covered with an oxygen mask and she was placed under a heat lamp to help her body stay warm. I felt the most helpless and scared I had ever felt in my entire life. There beside her tiny, struggling form, I bowed my head and poured out my heart to my Heavenly Father, begging him to help my little baby girl. To bless her with the strength she needed. Immediatley my fear lessened and I felt inspired to give her a Father's Blessing promising her that she would be strong enough to make it through this trial. I then sat beside her holding her tiny hand for the next three hours. Ruth improved a little and with repeated assurances that we would be called immediatley if there was any change, I went to go see havilah. She had been moved to a recovery room and had gotten some rest but was understandably worried and was anxious to see Ruthie."


When Jones finally arrived back in my room he was able to give me details about my little Ruth. She had, in fact, gotten meconium (newborn poop) in her lungs. They had successfully gotten it out but all the suctioning had inflamed her airway so they needed to keep her on oxygen for a while. Also they had run a blood test and noticed that she had an infection so she was going to have to stay in the NICU for a few days. (Turns out the placenta had had an infection called Chorioamnionitis which was what aided Ruth in getting pneumonia). By this time I was ready to see my daughter so Jones helped me into a wheelchair (I was still a bit numb) and wheeled me over to the NICU.




Even though my first real look at Ruth was while she was 'borg baby' as we lovingly called her, I had feelings of complete peace and love. I was never really worried that she wouldn't make it through this so it wasn't hard to see her like that. It was a little sad to not be able to hold her for a whole day though. Ruth came off oxygen after a couple days but had to stay a total of 5 days with an IV in her head until the infection was gone. I had to leave the hospital after only 2 days so we had to make a lot of trips to and from the hospital to feed her. (luckily we were only about a mile or two away). The strangest part about that was when we had to go to the grocery store. I remember walking in thinking how strange it was to not be pregnant anymore but to also not have my baby with me.



Finally, the day came where we could bring Ruth home. We were so excited. When we walked in the door we sat her carseat down on the floor and sat down and looked at her and then looked at eachother and said "now what?" Luckily we figured it all out and we now have a healthy little five year-old. We love you Ruth!

Swimming

With Summer swimming on its way (and since we now have a pool in our backyard, I know we'll be doing a LOT of it) I just have to think back to Ruth's first experience with swimming. Here she is just 2 months old in the water for the first time. I can't believe how much she's grown!

Two Years Ago...

It was 12:45 AM on Friday, March 2nd 2007. I was scheduled to be admitted to the hospital to have my labor artificially induced in just under 7 hours. Gareth decided that he didn't want to be forced to come out, he wanted to do it himself. So the contractions began. We had some wonderful neighbors on standby to come over to stay with Ruth if labor started in the middle of the night. They thought they were off the hook because they knew we were going in the next morning. Sorry! With Ruth taken care of, we headed off to the hospital. Contractions were about 2 minutes apart. When we arrived, they were able to take us directly to my room because they already had it ready.
Since I had tested positive for Group B Strep, I had to have two doses of antibiotic before the baby came out. They wanted to get this started before I got my epidural. After three pokes, an ultrasound on my arm to find a vein and 2 hours later the IV was in. The nurses had noticed that I was progressing pretty quickly (already dilated 7 cm and 100% effaced) they wanted to get all of the antibiotic in quickly so they turned the drip up full-blast. OUCH. If you've never felt the burn of antibiotics being pushed into your veins at a rapid rate you are very lucky. The pain was from my elbow to my shoulder and I swear it was worse than the contractions. After complaining, they turned it down a bit and it was more tolerable.
Next step, epidural. This all went without a hitch. I love the feeling of a huge needle being stuck into my spine (since it comes with the knowledge that I will no longer feel anything down below). After the pain was gone, Jones and I both lay down for a nice, long nap. Yes, it's true. We both slept for a few hours. The nurse later told me that we looked so comfortable that she didn't want to disturb us (even though she knew I was almost fully dilated and the time was fast approaching for me to push). She even told us she joked with the other nurses that they should listen for a baby in case it came out while we were sleeping.
Finally around 9am-ish We began to push (actually, I began to push.. nurse and Jones watched). After about 30 minutes Gareth made his debut into the world. He was 6lbs 15oz and 18.5 inches long. We thought his hair was brownish/reddish (because it was wet) but after his bath and dried hair, we were amazed to see blazing red hair before us. It was a shock! Gareth immediately became the favorite of all the nurses.
We are so blessed to have this sweet little boy in our lives. He brings us all happiness every day. Happy Birthday Gareth!

Six Years Ago...

Scene: It was the year 2003 on the 13th day of the month of February. We were sitting together at the top of the outdoor amphitheater on USU Campus in Logan, Utah--a place where we sat a lot.

We had talked about getting married but I refused to be engaged to him until I had a ring to show for it. (shallow, I know). So the plan was that he would work all summer and buy a ring in the fall. Or at least that's what I thought was the plan. Apparently he and his mother had gone behind my back and obtained a ring (the perfect ring, I might add). We were sitting there having a meaningful conversation when all of a sudden Jones was down on his knee. He said some ooey-gooey mushy love stuff (that actually was very sweet) and then presented me with a ring. I was so shocked my first response was "is this real?!?!" (I don't like to share that part because it makes me seem shallow..but he had convinced me that he wasn't going to be able to get me a ring for months). I don't think Jonesy heard that part though..he was too nervous about what my answer would be. So I held the ring and looked lovingly into his eyes and said: "I'll think about it." I was trying to be funny.. but to Jones it was NOT funny...to this day he still won't laugh about it. So I quickly changed my answer and said "yes". Then we kissed.

I really do think my first answer of "I'll think about it" was funny because that was my first answer to him when he asked me out on our first date. But I suppose it was inappropriate..

I love you Jonesy! Thank you for the perfect proposal :)

Jones says:
Yeah, it was perfect. I had her going that it wasn't happening for 6 months at least, I had the ring hidden in my pocket, it was the day BEFORE Valentines Day, (no stereotypical crap for me) I had a speech prepared, I got down on one knee, asked to marry me for time and all eternity. And guess what. No tears, no sniffles, no cry of joy. A freaking JOKE is what I got for all my trouble. She didn't even cry when our children were born. Heartless, I am telling you

I love you too Havilah. Thanks for giving me beautiful children and putting up with all my crap.

Pregnancies.

I've been thinking a lot about my past pregnancies lately. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I'm going through it again and noticing how completely different they all have been. I'm trying to compare this time to the previous two in hopes that that will help me determine the gender of this baby but what I've come up with so far is that I'm having a half-boy-half-girl-half-alien. I thought it'd be good for journal reasons to write down and compare my different pregnancies. If you don't care or want to be spared the details then you have my permission to skip this one. It's mostly for me and my descendants to read anyway.


Pregnancy #1: Ruth
Dates of pregnancy: August 2003 through April 2004 (approx. 9 months)
How I found out: I peed on a magic stick, it told me I was expecting. I wasn't surprised though...I was two weeks late.
How I felt emotionally: Embarrassed (it was un-planned after all...), Excited (I had planned my entire life to have children), Nervous (I have to push something the size of a watermelon out of where?!?!). No real changes in actual day-to-day emotions.
How I felt physically: the first 8 weeks were great! after that I was nauseated ALL the time and the smell that bothered me the most was the smell of my husband after a long day at work (sorry Jonesy, I still love you!). The nausea did not end until Ruth was born. Had heartburn so bad I felt it in my ears.
Cravings: none.
Aversions: Husband's sweat, the sight of a large family-size can of Wal-mart brand Ravioli (still makes me feel yucky--the small sized can didn't/doesn't have any effect on me), and many, many other things.
Felt First Movements: I was probably around 24 weeks when I first felt Ruth kick me.
Braxton Hicks Contractions (those are the contractions that aren't real contractions, just tightening of the belly): None. (that I felt)
General health: Didn't get sick a single time. Not even a cold.
Weight Gained: 20 pounds
Labor: At 39 weeks. Contractions started at 11:30 pm. Pushed the kid out at 7:20AM. epesiotmy (spelling?), stitches.
Result of Labor: baby girl, 6lb 6oz, 18.5 in. Rushed to NICU per breathing troubles. In NICU 5 days with pneumonia.
Post-Labor: got very nauseous. almost puked all over myself.


Pregnancy #2: Blighted Ovum.
Dates of Pregnancy: July 2005- September 2005
Details: Got pregnant, apparently the fetus aborted very early on (still microscopic sized). The placenta didn't get the memo and kept on growing-tricking my body into thinking it was still pregnant. Went in for first ultrasound and did not find a baby (was about 14 weeks along). Had surgery two days later.


Pregnancy #3: Gareth
Dates of Pregnancy: July 2006- March 2007 (approx. 9 months)
How I found out: Peed on another stick! (those sticks are pretty useful)
How I felt emotionally: Excited (we'd been trying for so long). Day-to-day emotions normal.
How I felt physically: Starting about week 9 I felt pretty nausiated. There were things that made me sick. I also had a ball of flem at the back of my throat constantly that would cause random puking. Week 16 my morning sickness went away completley and I felt stupendous! (the ball of flem stuck around though so I continued to have random puking parties).
Cravings: Oreo shakes with lots of oreos(they had to be big, soggy chunks), arby's roast beef sandwiches, Wendy's Jr Bacon Cheesburgers. (nothing healthy)
Aversions: Raw chicken, anything between the hours of 5 and 8pm, and a Deigo music CD that we had checked out from the library (still to this day when I hear songs from that disk I feel a bit sick)
Felt First Movements: Around 16 weeks
Braxton Hicks Contractions: started around 19 weeks. Felt them all the time. Very annoying and uncomfortable.
General Health: pretty healthy except for the time I got the flu (the fever, achy kind, not the puky kind).
Weight Gained: 3 pounds (no, that is not a typo)
Labor: at 39 weeks and 1 day. Contractions started at 12:30 AM and baby came out at 9:35AM (ish.. i can't remember exactly right now). No epesiotmy, no stitches (thanks Dr. Perrin!).
Result of Labor: baby boy. 6lbs 15oz. 19.5in. Healthy!
Post-Labor: didn't get nausious (the nurse had slipped me food and snacks during my labor :) I did have an ill-effect from my epidural...my right butt cheek was numb for two months!!!


Pregnancy #4: Penelope or Mortimer (no, those aren't the real names we're thinking of using)
Dates of Pregnancy: September 2008- June 2009 (I am 19 weeks right now, check the ticker on the side to keep track)
Due Date: June 8, 2009
How I found out: Peed on another stick! This time I was actually surprised.. wasn't expecting positive (except I had to have been thinking it was possible.. I don't just pee on sticks for no reason...)
How I feel emotionally: Surprised! Day-to-day emotions have been VERY rollercoaster-y. I cry a lot these days... for stupid reasons...don't make fun.
How I feel physically: Starting about week 6 feeling morning sickness (not as bad as the last ones) VERY tired. Still bad heartburn, pepsid ac helps. Got the flem again (thus inducing random puking episodes.) VERY tired.
Cravings: Hot wings, chow mein noodles, corned beef, chocolate and licorice, and those gummy orange slices. Oh, and lots and lots of Dr. Pepper.
Aversions: Raw chicken, anything between the hours of 5 and 8pm, the smell of garlic.
Felt First Movements: Around 16 weeks.
Braxton Hicks Contractions: started around 18 weeks. annoying, but nice to know my uterus works and is practicing for the real thing!
General Health: I've had a couple colds. Got a bad sinus infection at around 6 weeks, antibiotics cleared it up.
Weight Gained so far: according to the scale at the dr's office, I have gained a total of one pound so far.

Side affects during ALL my pregnancies: The enamel on my teeth disappears. The dental hygienest was most distraught. Cure: swish with ACT Flouride mouthwash every day.

Best of 2008

I had a friend who did a blog of their 'best of 2008' and I loved the idea! So here is OUR best of 2008!

Best Movie: Dark Knight
Best Book: There are too many to name! Some favorites were: The Book Thief, Sorcery and Cecilia, Twilight, and Fruits Basket (Jones had no input on this one..I asked while he was distracted by Futurama...)
Best Place to Live: Out of the two places we lived in 2008 we love Lubbock. We have wonderful friends in Flagstaff but it just wasn't the right place for us.
Best TV Show: Burn Notice. Also, I discovered Gilmore Girls and LOVE it but I'll do a dedicated post for that when I finish the whole show.
Best Video Game: Force Unleashed
Best Home-made Dinner: Pesto and Mozzarella stuffed Pork Chops (recipe created by Jones and it was awesome)
Best Deal: $80 7ft Pre-lit Chrismas tree for $8.
Best New Hobby: Geocaching

Hope ya'll have a happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Eddie!

This is a pic of my siblings (minus the niece and the cousin that my parents are raising). I was pregnant with Gareth at the time this picture was taken.

Today is my brother Aric's birthday. (He's the one in the picture standing next to me). Happy birthday Eddie!!

Here are some cool things about my big brother:

1. He lets me call him Eddie, even though I'm sure it's an annoying nickname. (Don't ask how it came to be...it's a long story involving many years and different 'trial' nicknames which included: Arica, Airhead, Addica, etc.)
2. While we were growing up we could always pinpoint where in the house Aric was...he was ALWAYS whistling.
3. Aric is smart. He's been on the Deans' list ever since he started college.
4. He will be graduating soon with a degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Planetary Systems. (if that doesn't convince you how smart he is then I don't know what will).
5. He's great with kids. I know my kids will love him (if they ever get to meet him...)
6. He was a fun older brother to have when I was growing up. He was always coming up with fun games to play. We even designed a computer game together!

I love you Eddie! I hope you have a great day!

What About Bob?

This is a picture of my dad when he was on his mission (for the LDS church) in Taiwan (back in 1977-ish). Ain't he handsome?

Today is my dad's birthday. He is turning 27 years old. My dad is an amazing person. If you don't know him then you should do all in your power to get to know him because he's cool.

Here are some memories I have of my dad (in no particular order):

• We used to play 'tickle monster' after dinner. He'd tickle us and we'd do our best to (not) get away.
• We had a dog named Wicket. Whenever we'd take him camping, my dad would always let him off his leash. I would freak out and worry that he would run away or get lost and my dad would always be so calm and unworried.
• All my cousins call my dad "Uncle Bob." It makes sense that they call him that because that's his name, but I'd always get jealous that I couldn't call him that too.
• When I was a kid my dad knew EVERYTHING. Even after I got married I'd always say to my husband "Let's call my dad, he'd know the answer."
• Dad always has good advice.
  
• Whenever we were driving in the car my dad would always reach over and slap my mom on the leg. (it was a love slap, don't worry). I always knew that that was his way of saying 'I love you' to her.
• We used to always walk hand-in-hand. Then I went to college and decided I was too old for that so we graduated to walking arm-in-arm.
• Dad has always worked so hard for our family. He's pretty smart too. Just ask me someday what he does for a living and you'll be impressed!

I love you, Dad! Hope you had a great day!

Happy Anniversary!

It was exactly 6 years ago that Jonesy and I went on our first date. We were working at a 'haunted forest' (it's kindof like a haunted house, but outside...in the forest) in Logan, Utah. I was the assistant to the director, Jones was a 'spook'. I remember the first time I saw him. He was wearing a black stocking cap and huge black headphones around his neck. My first thoughts were 'woah, he's tall!' He asked me what he can do to help and I asked him to come help me with the sound system (which was located out in the middle of the woods). On the way to the sound system, he tripped over a log and I laughed at him. It was then he knew he had to ask me out.

We went out on October 23, 2002 after work. Work didn't get over until late at night so there wasn't much to do. We went and ate at Village Inn (a restaurant similar to Denny's, famous for their pies). After a yummy dinner of steak (for Jones) and a BLT (for me, yummy!) we had nothing else to do but drive around. After the date ended (around 2AM) I got Jonesy's number. I called the next day and we've been together ever since.

Below are some pictures to give an idea of how young we looked back then. These were a bunch of pictures we took for our wedding announcements. Can you guess which one we ended up using for the announcement? (If you already know, you can guess but you can't say that you know so you don't alter the votes of the others.)

Ruthie Reads

When Ruth was a little bit younger than Gareth is now (she was about 16 months old) Ruth had a favorite book called Snowmen At Night. She would make us read that book to her about 4 or 5 times a day. One day were amazed to find that she had the book memorized. The funny part about that was that since she was still too young to know how to speak words, it was actually the SOUNDS that she had memorized. She could recite that book to us every time. I REALLY wish we had put it on film because it was truly amazing.

When Ruth did start learning words, her ability to recite that book disappeared. She can no longer do it. We kinda set that aside as a fun memory and left it there. Just the other night she decided to surprise us again by telling us that she can read. She opened up one of our library books and began to read it to us. (Okay, she wasn't reading.. she just had the whole thing memorized). The book is called Cowboy Camp by Tammi Sauer.

I decided I couldn't put it off this time. I wanted to get it on film. Ruth was being a bit camera shy so when I finally got her to start reading and found the camera was out of focus I didn't want to stop and make her start over. So sorry about the blurriness. Also, Ruth didn't want to be in the movie, she just wanted the book to be in it.

Remember when...?

I was thinking about my old couch the other day. It had a lot of meaning to me during my growing-up years. The couch was the place where my friends and I would hang out. My younger brother and his friends would watch Veggie Tales on that couch every day after school (yes, they were in high school). My older brother and his friends would crash there after spending the night partying. It was there that I began my relationship with my first boyfriend (no, I will not share details...) I spent many nights with my girlfriends laughing, crying, and analyzing the actions of all the boys we were crushing on. It seemed that whenever my siblings and I had our friends over, we would somehow ALL pile on the couch like clowns in a little car. I even spent half my junior year in high school sleeping on that couch at night (my cousin had come to live with us and she was given my room). I didn't mind at all...I loved that couch.

A 9 person pile-up. This was not an unusual sight. Sorry you can't see the actual couch. My two brothers, two sisters (the baby is my little sister), two cousins, and 4 friends are all there just hanging out.

After a night of who-knows-what, my brother Aric (in the middle) and his two friends needed a place to rest. Thanks to the couch, they were very comfortable.

Another evening of hangin' out with my cousin Nic, brother Aric, BFF Sheri, and BF Jess. Those were the good ol' days.
When I went away to college, I was at work and really missing the couch and all the memories I had there so I wrote a poem. Do you want to read it?? Okay!
Oh, this picture is my favorite. My BFF Angel is on top of my brother Aric, who is on top of my brother Dustin. They were actually sleeping (or at least pretending to sleep).

Ode To My Couch
by Havilah (Capel) Jones

The sun is shining, the grass is green.
Friends voices are heard as they laugh and sing.
But I am not with them because I am
Inside on my couch.

The books I read, the games I played,
The tears I cried, the bed it made.
I remember them all because I was
Inside on my couch.

The memories I share with my siblings and friends
The jokes, the movies, the nights with no end
Will not be forgotten because we were
Inside on my couch.

I remember the time when I moved away.
The tears flowed freely cause the couch had to stay.
My thoughts now turn to those times now past.
Those times I thought would always last.
The times when I was
Inside on my couch.

Hooray for memories! I think we're going to post about our memories on a regular basis so stay tuned. Maybe next time it will be a memory from Jones (he needs to post more!)

Hair?

I need your opinion. Jonesy's opinion just isn't really helping me at this point in my life. Let's talk about hair... It wasn't until I was 19 that I became brave enough to cut my hair. In high school my hair was very long. It went down to about 3 inches above my waist. After I had Ruth I completely chopped it off and I've been experimenting with it ever since. A big part of me wants to grow it out again to the length it was in high school. But the rest of me (the practical side) is very tempted to cut it again. I wear my hair in a pony tail all day everyday so it seems to me to be a little silly to not cut it. Cutting it will make my hair very easy to manage while also having it look like I actually spent time on it. Maybe I can just wait to grow my hair out again until my kids are older and I have more time and motivation in the mornings to actually do my hair?


So now it's up to YOU. Should I cut it? If I do cut it, what style should I cut it in?

Choice #1 I don't have a good picture to show what I'm thinking but basically the front would be chin length while the back is very short and kinda spiky. It would be short in back, chin-length in front.. no in between or gradual changes between it. Just imagine the picture on the left as the front mixed with the picture on the right in the back.




Choice #2: Pictured to the right. This one takes a little more work because it requires a hot iron every day. It looks WAY bad without straightening it so I would be forced to do my hair every morning (but knowing me, I might just decide to live with the embarrassment of yucky hair).





Choice #3: Very short. This picture represents the shortest I've ever gone. I loved that I didn't have to do ANYTHING to it besides wash it. (and it was fun to put cute little hair things in it to dress it up).





So now the decision is in your hands. I want everyone to vote on the poll I have up. (When I say everyone, I really mean everyone...even all you 'blurkers' out there (blurkers --blog-lurkers-- is a term describing a person who reads (lurks around) somebodies blog without making comments).

Feel free to express your opinions in the comments section as well! I want this decided by next Wendsday. If we do decide to cut my hair, it would be fun thing to do on my birthday :)

Old Memories

We were going through our old pictures and we found some video we shot of Ruth when she was the same age that Gareth is now (11 months). She was just learning to walk...

Fall in Logan

I stole this picture off of a friend's blog. It is a picture of sardine canyon right outside of Logan. This is right about where Jonesy and I met (working at a Haunted Forest) at exactly this time of year five years ago. This is what I miss most about Logan, Utah.