This is how we bowl

Jake strikes fear into the pins hearts.

I chose a more light-hearted approach.

Jake has good form.

I throw the ball between my legs.

With both hands.

May I Go Potty!!

When your married all of a sudden you need to ask for time to do a lot of things like: play basketball, go workout, study longer, or buy something. Somehow during the course of our marriage, Julia has managed to fit, "Can I go to the bathroom?" into that list. I feel like an army drill sergeant every time she asks, and she asks quite frequently. For those of you who don't know, women have a bladder the size of a juice box. When we first got married, Julia had to stop five times in four hours to go to the bathroom on the drive home. So as of right now, I am giving Julia, a no limit all access pass to go to the bathroom whenever she needs to, without asking permission. The bathroom is now free and you can rest at ease knowing permission has been granted.

Home Cooking is Anything but Black and White

As part of my wife's new found freedom (having been forced to graduate from BYU), she has decided to work on some of her talents. Tonights talent was cooking. Normally I do the cooking, both because I love to cook and also because let's face it, I love to eat. Tonight however, Julia tried out her Pleasantville, 50's housewife skills and had dinner ready and weighting for me when I got home from school. She made taco's from scratch, guacamole, and everything else you could think of for a hearty Mexican meal. She even made smoothies! Julia definitely would have earned some color for this one, it was awesome. I love when Julia expands her skills and I wouldn't mind if she worked on this one every day, wink wink nudge nudge;-). I love you wifey.

Recent Discoveries

Jake saw an I-Pod Shuffle on Ebay with a starting bid of 1 cent. Ever mindful of his loving wife, he decided to bid on it because he knew she would love it. He was so excited when he won it, only to notice the fine print. (Enhanced for effect)

Hi Jake,Congratulations on winning this item! The next step is to pay the seller. Check out and pay with PayPal to get your item within 3-10 days.

Apple iPod shuffle 2nd Generation (1 GB) non-working Sale price: $5.50 Estimated delivery: 3-10 business days Shipping & Handling: US Postal Service Parcel Post 0 Seller: pepee6465 [contact seller] Seller Information: Ryan J Clark Springfield, MO 65803 United States

Arrange payment

He had bought a broken I-Pod.
"It's the thought that counts" he reminds me.

Driving to clogging on Tuesday, I discovered that the louder I turn up the volume in the car, the more I sound like Taylor Swift when I'm singing along.



Last night Jake discovered that 7:30 AM looks a lot like 2:30 AM on our digital clock. He got up at 2:30 thinking it said 7:30, showered, brushed his teeth, put his contacts in , came in to wake me up, where I informed him it was 2:45 AM and most definitely not time to be getting ready for the day.

He gratefully came back to bed. :)

The Story of the Pull Up Bar

Jake got a pull up bar for Christmas.

He's been faithful about using it.

And faithful in pushing me to try it.

Last night he convinced me to give it a try.

He stood in front of me and helped me get my hands positioned.

I then jumped and started to pull myself up.

(Yes I know you're not supposed to jump)

As I was pulling myself up, I kicked my legs to give me more uhmp.

I ended up kicking Jake squarely in the crotch.

Good thing we're already pregnant.

Doug

Saturday evening Jake and I were at the grocery store picking out the necessary ingredients for the pulled pork and sweet and spicy coleslaw we made on Sunday. (Side note: it was amazing...I ate 3 sandwiches)

As we were coming out of the store, a man stopped us and asked if we would like to buy some chocolate. We said that we were OK and continued on to our car, but I couldn't shake the feeling of desperation the man's voice had betrayed. He wasn't well dressed. He had a slight stutter and his face looked worn and tired.

When we got to our car, we decided we should buy some of his chocolate. As Jake was loading the car I ran back to him with my wallet.

I only bought 2 bars, but as I was talking to Doug I realized how much more the man needed a little hope. He had lost his job and was overwhelmed with financial strain.

I think we often see people who need a little bit of help. We can go past and rationalize that they would probably just spend money on alcohol or smoking or other things we might not approve of. But maybe in helping them out, and asking their name, we could restore a little bit hope for them in us as people and in themselves that somehow everything will be OK.

Rebel Without a Cause

We were in Salt Lake a week ago for dinner. We were driving down East Temple when our lane was semi-blocked by an obnoxious, parked, police truck who didn't have his lights on. Jake looked in his blind spot to see if we could get into the other lane and as we started to do that, the police truck abruptly backed up and almost hit us. Jake honked the horn at him and hit the breaks so we avoided getting hit. As we resumed driving Jake said: "I just honked at a cop. I just HONKED at a COP! It was awesome!" For the rest of the evening Jake would randomly insert that statement into conversation.

Me: "Do you want to go to Arizona in April?"
Jake: "I honked at a cop tonight."
Me: "Yes you did honey."
Jake: "It was awesome."

Jake is still very proud of this. My little rebel. :)

Dream Tales

I've heard that pregnancy can do some whacked out things to your dreams. In any case, I'm blaming my recent dreams on it. Here is a sampling of some of the crazies going through my head while we sleep.

One night I dreamed that I gave birth to 4 cinnamon gummy bears that were all connected. I kept losing them every where I went. The day after I gave birth I went to sleep over at my sister's house. I lost the gummy babies and when I found them they were covered with lint and other fuzzies. The doctor didn't believe I had really given birth to them and said I was unfit to be a mother. It was very distressing.

Another night I dreamed that I bought $1000 dollars worth of black lamas and $1000 dollars worth of Guinea pigs to save them from the slaughter house. They were all living in or around our apartment. Jake said that I was blowing our retirement fund. It was also distressing.

I also dreamed that I kissed Taylor Swift's dad...and I don't even know his name!! And this is not what he looked like in my dream. But I knew it was him. Perhaps I need to stop listening to her Fearless CD Jake got me for Christmas every day. On repeat.

This is all very distressing.

New Job

This is a couple of weeks late, but I got a new job! I am a teacher at a school for autistic kids called Clear Horizons. I work in a classroom with 7 kids and 6 other teachers so it's a lot of one on one time with the kids which is great. They are all low functioning, meaning that they have very limited speech abilities and also have a lot of difficulties with their spatial and temporal perceptions. For example, one of the girls is 12, but is at the level of an 2 year old.

It's hard some days because the kids become disregulated quickly so what we do is help them become regulated and then try to engage them to play with us, rather than with a toy or by themselves. Some days are better than others. It's been a great patience builder because you have to work at the kids pace and since they don't have great verbal abilities, you have to learn to read their cues.

But over all it's a great job. Today I got to wear an Elmo costume which most of the kids loved. (It did freak one little guy out) I made a girl spit her gum out one day and she looked at me and said "How dare you!" with a big smile on her face. I sing LOTS of Disney songs, wrestle, dance, give lots of kisses and tickle and try to convince kids to walk when they collapse on the floor.

And I've finally learned if I don't want my hair to get pulled I should wear it in a pony tail. This has been a blessed revelation.

:)

What's in a Name?

I was sitting on campus a few weeks ago waiting for Jake. A mom was sitting next to me watching her little boy run around in front of her. He was a cute little guy so I asked what his name was. This was the preceding conversation.

Mom: "Oh thanks! Yeah his name is Gryffin"

Me: (thinking) "Interesting...a little different, but it's cute."

Mom continues: "It's actually short for Gryffindor...I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan."

Me, unsure how to respond: "I love Harry Potter too..."

Mom: "Yeah, if my husband will let me, I want to name our little girl Ravenclaw, but call her Raven for short."

Me: Yeah...(trying to sound enthusiastic), oh there is my husband! Bye.

She wins the "I Love Harry Potter the Most" award. Hands down.

Dear Baby

We heard your heart beat today! Your pulsing 150 beats per minute. You were so fast, darting around mom's tummy and avoided the nurse's heart monitor. It made your mom and dad a little nervous. We really wanted a confirmation that we were pregnant...besides mom throwing up, being exhausted and monitoring her belly growth each week. But then we heard your little heart beat, so strong and wonderful.

We are so excited for you to come. The morning I took the pregnancy test we couldn't tell at first if we were pregnant with you or not. But when it was confirmed your dad's eyes lit up. He was SO happy. He loves to kiss my belly, but is afraid to give me a zerber because he thinks it might make you go deaf. :) Not that I mind. :)

We pray for you every day and we are trying to learn to be good parents. Be healthy and happy in my tummy. We'll see you in a 6 months.

Love, your first time parents

The American Dream

Little house in a nice neighborhood, white picket fence, a dog, two kids - in other words the American Dream. Jake and I have a great apartment, but no picket fence. We have a fish and a baby on the way. So we are on our way to the American dream.

And now we are one step closer with our very own Costco card!

Who says buying 80 packs of fruit snacks for $4.87
isn't part of the American dream?

Lovin' to the Husbin'

I have been meaning to laud my husbands recent accomplishments for awhile now. He's a champion and deserves a post in his honor.

So to start...

This semester he got a great internship! It's with a social entrepreneurship company called Ashoka. So not only is he working 20 hours a week and carrying a full school load and caring for an occasionally moody pregnant wife, but he added this as well.

His grades came in and he did great. Dating and marrying me has put a strain on his school work (we like to have fun) but he worked his butt of this semester and I'm so proud of him.

He cleans the snow off the car every time it snows. I get to wait in the car and turn my seat heater on. He's a hero.

He has been very accommodating with my ever changing food preferences. The other night he made me toast upon my request. When he brought me the toast...I didn't want it any more.

Going along with the pregnancy theme, he encourages me to go to bed early and even though he is more of a night owl, he comes to bed with me. (I hate sleeping alone)

He is taking a photography class this semester. The reason I include this is that Jake is SO good about trying to improve and develop new talents. He's always trying to be a little bit better.

Finally, Jake is all around a cheerful, optimistic guy. He is happy 99% of the time and rarely complains. :)

I love him.

A Year in Review

On December 30th Jake and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. It doesn't seem like it's been a whole year...525,600 minutes together. And with at the risk of sounding cheesy it's been the best year of our lives. :)

Here is a recap of our adventures;

January: Honeymoon in Rivera Mexico.
February: Vi Va Las Vegas and Cirque du Soleil
March: Cuddling on the couch becoming obsessed with LOST.
April: Wedding and four wheeling in Arizona. Wedding in Oregon. Held a baby Jaguar and played with lion cubs.
May: White water rafting and camping in Idaho
June: Kidnapping Jake for a weekend at Lagoon.
July: Arizona to see WICKED (twice)
August: Brother's wedding in Colorado. Longest drive yet attempted together. 8 hours. Weekend at bear lake. Jake's first time on jet skis.
September: Kentucky for John's wedding reception.
October: Camping and hiking in Moab.
November: New driving record set. 16 hours to Oregon to surprise Jake's family for Thanksgiving. Found out we are pregnant. :)
December: Leaving on a jet plane for my old Kentucky home.

We've had a GREAT first year of marriage.
And we still like to hold hands when we drive. :)

How to Make a Gingerbread House

1. Buy lots of icing, candy and graham crackers.








2. As you are constructing your house, eat lots of candy.

3. Be patient, your house will probably collapse...at least twice.


4. You will know when you have eaten sufficient candy when your tummy starts to hurt just a little.








5. After many tries, you will create a winter wonderland of candy.



6. Maybe you'll have created Barbie's Malibu Beach House.



7. (Please note the blue waves. Jane was very proud of them.)




8. You'll know your house is almost complete when there is no more room for candy decorations.









9. Your gingerbread house muse might have inspired you to make a gingerbread tee-pee. Complete with totem pole. (This is Jake's)













10. In the end you'll have made a gingerbread house village. Each house custom designed winter wonderland. Congratulations!

Twas the Night Before Chirstmas

And all through the house,

Christmas lights were strung,

Even on the grumpy mouse.

With mom looking on so slim,

and the tree almost ready to trim,

All gathered round,

To trim the tree from the tip to the ground. :)

Temple Square

Love this temple.

It was so cold. The camera caught Jake's breath.

So sparkly.

I was the angel putting the star on the tree.

Jake made me do this 5 times so that he could get the "perfect shot."
The Chinese tourists found it quite entertaining.

Merry Christmas!

500 Pieces

Five reasons why we love puzzles:

1. They are addicting.
2. You start with chaos and end up with a pretty picture.
3. You can race to see who can put the most pieces together.
4. It's a rush when you finish a section where every piece looked exactly the same.
5. There is nothing more cozy than a fire, a puzzle, family and popcorn.

Daily Chores

Jake wants a leaf blower. Not necessarily to blow leaves.
He'd rather use it's air blowing capabilities to attack his wife.

I like to vacuum. Especially when there is music.
The vacuum makes a great dance partner.

Week Ten

Week ten of pregnancy. Still no belly. Sometimes I think there is a bump...but then it disappears. At my last doctor's appointment they told me to eat more. That I'm not gaining any weight. More? I already feel like I'm eating more than Jake.

So how much is more?