Oldie But A Goodie

This picture was taken quite awhile ago but it's pretty funny and I totally forgot about it. Pete was asked to take pictures at the Primary Activity of the little kids as missionaries. A lady in the ward brought cardboard cut-outs of her kids on missions and the kids stuck their heads in them. They were hilarious pictures.

Stop Feeling Sorry For Me

You can all stop feeling sorry for me because I look fat in all these recent posts. Yes I do have a baby bump. Now all the rumors can stop.
(Pete just informed me that no one feels sorry for me and there are probably no rumors. For a second I thought I would be featured on the cover of US.)

Family Pictures

With Pete being a photographer family pictures are near impossible. Not only cause we are busy taking other people's pictures but Pete hates being in pictures. I convinced him that this was the year we would do family pictures and send out Christmas cards. We asked one of our favorite friends if he wouldn't mind taking a few quick shots before we went out of town. By the time Pete got home from work and we made it back to Orem it was too dark to do anything outside. So we headed to a festive holiday display at Target, yes Target.


We tried to be all sneaky and act like we were admiring the decorated trees as we arranged them to our liking. We even took a ladder from another section to boost Cora up. We got a few weird looks and security walked by extra slow but we were able to get a few shots in.


This is Pete trying to be out-of focus and therefore out of the shot. He thought it was a good idea until he realized he looked like a creepy stalker in the background. And not part of the family.

Suite Jazz Game

Pete won Jazz tickets at work by making an awesomely high tower from Post-It Notes and straws, we are very proud of his skills. When I was working at Nu Skin we had the chance to go to games quite a bit. Since we hadn't been in 2 years we were super excited to get the chance.

Cora absolutely loves basketball games. She actually loves the mascots, from far away, as soon as they get within reach she freaks out. We sat in the Nu Skin Suite and were able to snack and keep hydrated as we watched the Jazz lose. It was a fun night and we hope Pete can build an even higher tower next time so we can go again.

N ew Addition

Our house was previously owned by my brother Blake and he always hoped to someday replace the driveway. Well last month we made that wish come true. My awesome family and great neighbors helped us demo the driveway one Saturday. We started at 9:00 in the morning and finished just in time for the last load to make it to the dump before closing time. We were able to us Blake's dump trailer and our neighbor "borrowed" a Bobcat from the city with a jackhammer on it. It was so nice to have everyone there to help.

We have yet to drive on it but we are sure it will be wonderful. And our neighbor John will love the difference when he shovels it after every snowstorm.







Here is Cora's contribution to the new driveway.

Just A Taste

Just a little taste of more posts to come. I have the blogging spirit and will be posting all night. We love you and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Stealing from Whit-Ing

A good family friend challenged her readers and I thought it would be fun.

Things I don't care about;
Cora being in her pajamas or grubby clothes all day. If I go out I dress her the best I can. But when we are in, what's the point?

Making presents or treats for every person in the neighborhood. I apologize but I am sure they will all get enough sugar creations to last them through the holidays. It doesn't mean I care about them any less.

Dressing like I "should." Whether this means dressing like an adult or like every other "Utah" mom I don't care. I do spot the occasional outfit that I would love to have, but we all know I couldn't put it together if I tried. So I wear what I want when I want and don't care. Although Pete's opinion does matter sometimes, he has a great eye.

Trying to be different. We are all different in our own way. And everyone is spending way too much time and effort to try to be different. Little do they know they are all being the same.

A certain person. She chose to see things the way she wanted to. And in doing so has ruined a great friendship for her husband and mine. But I don't care anymore. I have no regrets and did nothing wrong.

Eating too many Oreos. Until I am getting Oreo stained teeth I will eat Oreos to my little hearts content.

Staying up too late. Pete is a late owl and I hate going to bed without him. So I stay up way too late everynight.

Halloween

4O9O1931, originally uploaded by | PETE |.

Yes we are mean parents and dressed Cora up as a crass man for Halloween. But can you blame us? She looks just like him and it was the last Halloween she probably wouldn't have an opinion. Check out more photos on Pete's flickr account.

Thankful November

11.6.08
I am thankful for...
1. The LV Stott's. They give Cora great hand-me-downs.
2. Etsy, that place is a lookers paradise.
3. 4H, I learned how to sew with the help of my mom of course.

11.7.08
I am thankful for...
1. Rain.
2. Creme of Wheat, good eats.
3. My Lovesac

11.8.08
I am thankful for...
1. Gift Cards.
2. Good families to take pictures of.
3. Rubios, best fresh Mex around.

11.9.08
1. Strong missionaries going in the field.
2. Seeing old ward friends.
3. Sunday dinner at the Balmforth's.

Thankful November

11.4.08
I am thankful for...
1. My mom.
2. Gloriana's laugh.
3. Cora's early bedtime

11.5.08
I am thankful for...
1. The snow, so beautiful.
2. People who beg to watch Cora.
3. The ability to make money while still at home.

Copying Sue, again.

I am doing Thankful November again because it will helped me be more aware of how blessed I am.

11.1.08
I am thankful for...
1. The ability to work in my yard.
2. A husband who is a master of all trades.
3. My brother-in-law Ryan.

11.2.08
I am thankful for...
1. A good primary presidency that can shuffle things around when I am sick.
2. Coco-motion, best hot drink maker ever.
3. Pete taking care of Cora so I can sleep.

11.3.08
I am thankful for...
1. Roxanne's test was negative.
2. Best neighbor's, The Goodman's
3. Cora's dance moves.

Anyone need a house for the Holidays :)

Does anyone need or know someone who needs a nice place to stay during the holidays? Wouldn't you rather stay at a house with nice beds and a crib for your little one, instead of a blow-up mattress and a pack and play for the tike? Well here's your chance. During Christmas we are looking for someone to stay at our house. If you are interested let me know and I'll give you more details.

Cora's Fall

Cora has had a very eventful Fall. She has become even cooler and has outgrown her crib, nope she doesn't want to sleep in a toddler bed, she just climbs out of her crib without any help. Time for a crib tent, anyone anyone? She also got her first haircut. I know I know she doesn't even have much hair, but it was turning into a a scary front mullet and scraggly mess. So we just took a little off to help clean it up.
She is officially in nursery, although she has been coming with momma for awhile now. But she does pretty good with sharing and picking on the big kids. She attended her first NuSkin Convention and was a great sport running crazy with mom while I attended to everything I needed to at the Convention.
Cora took her first trip up to Gardner's Village. She loved trying to call the ducks to come to her. She got really frustrated and started clicking her tongue, that's when you know she really wants something.







She brought along some of her very favorite things and loved having them at the Village. Gretta of course and her stroller that Aunt Jer made for her. She's sitting in it :) She pushes Gretta around the house all day in that thing.














She of course busted out a few of her moves to let everyone know she has serious skills. Whenever Cora hears music she has to dance. I would describe her moves similar to those of Elaine Benis of Seinfeld.

Thank You Hot or Not

Don't act like you don't remember the awesomeness that was Hot or Not. This was a great site on which you could post a picture of yourself and hope to get a stellar rating. I at one point I was at a rating of 8.5. No, I didn't put myself on there... here's the story. I was living in West Virginia at the time. One day while talking on the phone to my friend, Klark (who was in Utah), I was told to log on to Hot or Not and check myself out. I was mortified. I had no idea how many people he had made small talk with, pretending to be me. Nor did I want to be in the "online dating" scene. It was all a little sketchy to me.
When I returned back to Utah I quickly recovered my stolen identity from Klark and starting cruising Hot or Not for entertainment. It was funny coming across people I knew in high school and giving others the stellar ratings they were hoping for. At one point I come across this profile picture:

It said he was living in Orem which sparked my attention, maybe I knew him. So I added him as a "contact" and left it at that. Then he contacted me and gave a link to a page with more pictures of him and friends. That is when it all started. I knew all of his friends. One of them was a family friend from our home ward, Matt Brown. He and Matt were roommates and had been in several places. Another friend of his was an older brother of a friend from high school, Scott Aland. He was also home teaching companions with my brother Mitch in a singles ward. I thought the connections were cool and felt that it was okay to start talking to this guy. Well we started writing emails back and forth and talked on IM when my parents Internet was working. There was a time when I wondered if he was ever going to ask me out. We had talked long enough and we knew so many of the same people that I knew he wasn't a scary online liar.
Finally, after more than a month of chatting online, he asked me out. He asked if I wanted to go to a BYU Women's Volleyball game and I was super excited. Only drawback...the date was like 3 weeks away. We kept talking on IM and then started talking on the phone. There were so many phone conversations that he would ask, "So what are you doing tonight?" I would always say, "nothing", in hopes he would ask me to hang out earlier then our date that was still 12 days away. But he just kept getting my hopes up.
Before our date came around I consulted with my Sister, Jeremy, to see if she felt it was safe for me to go out with this guy. She assured me that since I knew all his friends that is seemed pretty harmless. This sealed it for me and made me super stoked for our date.
Well October 25Th came and the date was great. He picked me up at my house in Lehi and then we went to the BYU volleyball game. I don't' remember any strong feelings on the date but I just remember being super comfortable the whole time. After the game we went to eat at the European Connection in Provo. It was there he did the first thing to make me really like him. He mixed fruit punch and sprite for his drink--something my dad does.
The next day my friend Ben Weekes came over and I had him help me make cookies for Pete. I knew by doing that I was guaranteed another date. Sure enough we went out again. We went with my brother Mitch and his wife Kendall to the Haunted Forest in American Fork. It wasn't until later I learned that Pete hated haunted houses and that sort of thing. That meant he totally dug me. That whole night I was trying to get him to hold my hand. I was acting super scared at every turn. I got a little contact but not much.
The Next day was a Sunday and Pete's family was in town so we headed up to Draper to meet his mom and dad. We ate dinner at his brother's house and I remember that was the first time he gave me chills. I was standing at the sink washing dishes and he put his hand on my shoulders. Don't you just love the sappy love chills?
That weekend was an awesome start to our life. The first day we spent apart was that next Monday and Pete did the most monumental thing that day. He told me later that while riding in the car with his friend Scott he played a song from a CD I had left in his car (on, um, accident) and told Scott that he would dance with me at our wedding to that song (and we did, by the way, so great!)
On November 1st we had our first kiss, and on the 11th we said "I love you" to each other. We spent as much time as possible together while we were dating. When my curfew approached each night I would cry. I hated leaving him and having to make the long drive home to Lehi. He proposed on March 9th and we were married on July 5th. I love our love story and am thankful to Klark....and of course to Hot Or Not. I know, shocking. We are an internet love story. Haa haa I would have never thought in a million years.

Cause She's That Cute

So, we are super awesome because we have super awesome friends with super awesome creativity. Do you get the point, we are awesome. And this is why; our good friends the Harrison's design and create their own scrapbook paper and products. They also do clothing and plush toys of their "iconic" creatures. The wife of the Harrison's is also part of the very posh Garden Girl Scrapbook Team. Because of their awesomeness and talent we benefit immensely. I can't scrapbook one ounce, I am too indecisive. So Mrs. Harrison does it for me. And most recently one of her fellow Garden Girls realized how cute Cora was and wanted to scrap her. Cause she's that cute. And lucky for us she's awesome as well. She check out what Sarah Klemish has done for us. And check out her other stuff.

New Kitchen

We have decided it's way past time to get a new kitchen. The cabinets we have are so old that I get sawdust in all the dishes that are in my drawers. And I am pretty sure the cabinets have been painted about 7 times. Needless to say we are super excited. But we need help. We need advise, input, and ideas. Here is what we are thinking, and if you have any input or know people that you would recommend to do the job please let us know.
For the cabinets we are going with a knotty alder. I have always wanted white but have realized it's super expensive to have. So I'll settle for alder. We have a few bids out there and are pretty set on one company, OA Kitchen. They do work for my brother, Blake, and gave us a great good deal.
As far as the counter top that is where we are having the biggest problem. We have talked about Granite, but I don't love the shininess of it (which I could have it honed but I am not sure how much cost that would add.) Any reviews on granite?
We have also looked into a concrete overlay. I have seen this in a few show homes and love that I can have it any color I want. But I actually love the color of concrete in it's natural state. We have also heard you can do a concrete overlay on floors. Which would be AWESOME cause we hate our tile but it would not be worth it to chip it up. Have any of you guys ever heard of doing this or done it? We would love to hear.
Now for the colors of the kitchen. I already have a little color scheme going. I have yellow and green Fiestaware dishes,












And curtains that are yellow, green, and orange. So I am wanting to stick with that scheme. However I have always wanted to add another color to my dishes and the scheme. I would love to incorporate this color;

But I am not sure how that would work with the curtains. And if I was to do that, what color could I paint my kitchen walls? We are wanting to do white beadboard 3/4 up the wall and then do a fun color. Any suggestions?
There are so many talented people out there that I am hoping I can get some help from. I don't want to look at my kitchen after it's done and think about what I am going to do to change it. I want to LOVE it. And I will love you for helping me :)

Turning into a Journal

I have decided to start taking my blog more serious and use it as not only a way to keep connected with family and friends, but also a way to keep memories fresh. I have a terrible memory and would never want to forget the great times in my life. So humor me as I go back in time and write up little stories that I hope one day my kids will read and cherish.

Virginia Beach

On August 4th we headed out to Virginia Beach to attend the wedding of one of my bestest friends, Eryn Roles. We were invited to stay in a beach house all week and then attend the wedding on 08/08/08. It was a great week and there were lots of fun activities. One of the highlights was the Dave Mathews Band concert. It was Cora's first concert and she loved it. She rocked out all night. She may have even gotten a little "high" there was crazy smoke everywhere.

Here is a rare picture of Pete and me. This was at at the concert. Fellow wedding friends Rob-Roy and Shannon are behind us.












Here is a shot of Cora enjoying the music.













Cora loved the beach. She would sit on the shore all day and cover herself in sand. Here is a picture of her getting ready. Notice the nice huge ear plugs.



















Check out how awesome curly her hair was in the humidity. It was pretty cute.



















We had an awesome time and loved Virginia. It was so pretty and there was some great food. We went to a buffet and all had ridiculous amounts of crab legs. Cora did so well even though she averaged six hours of sleep a night. And if we were super lucky she took a nap. She was the biggest form of entertainment there. She met tons of new friends who wanted to adopt her. I wonder if the offers still stand when she gets an attitude and an opinion?
I'll post more picture of our week including some great shots from the wedding. We love Eryn and Gabe and are so glad they invited us out.

It's A Miracle

I know I know I am posting, it's a miracle. Quite honestly I have been busy and lazy and haven't given blogging a second thought. But the other day I was thinking of all the cool things Cora is doing and I thought I should post them for keepsake later on.

Things Cora does that make her awesome
*Sleeps well after 9 a.m. everyday
*Says Walter. She also gets his treats out of the pantry and yells his name for him to come and eat.
*Learned head shoulders knees and toes. She does it all the time, however she just says "head shoes head shoes" it's super cute
*Has very in depth conversations on her iPhone and says "huh?" and fake laughs in her conversations.
*Cleans everything. If you give her any type of rag, wet wipe, or washcloth she will wipe down everything. Her room is spotless.
*Loves showers. She had graduated from the tub and loves standing in the shower.
*Dances to any sort of music. Today she busted moves to hymns in church.
*Says prayers. She knows when it's bedtime and goes into her room, sits down, and folds her arms.
*She's an awesome eater. She eats anything we give her. And when she is done she will put everything in her bowl and hand it to me.
*Dresses herself. She can put on her shoes and pants all by herself.
*Love Gretta. She has started taking Gretta with her everywhere. And she treats her like a person. She feeds her, combs her hair (fur), cleans her hands, take her on the slide. She even wanted to make sure Gretta could see out the plane window while flying this past week.

Current Obsession

I am taking Mals lead and listing my current obsessions. These are things that literally keep me up at night.
Yoga-Just attended my local rec center for a yoga class. I freaking loved it. I wish it was offered more then once week. Luckily I have my second obsession.
Wii Fit- So fun. The only video games Cora will play.
Kissing Balls- So cute and fun to make.
Making my bed- I feel completely mis-placed until this is done each day.
Sweeping- I sweep my kitchen at least twice a day.
Orla Keily- A sweet friend "Bean" gave me an Orla Keily bag. I absolutely love her stuff and am indebted to Bean for passing one on.
Sewing- Or the thought of sewing. If I had a room where I could leave my sewing machine out at all times I would sew all the ideas in my head. I have heather Bailey fabric just sitting in a closet waiting to be turned into awesomeness.
Anna Maria- Her fabric and creations are so delicious (eye candy).
Cora- Need I say more.
Gardening- I started a garden and it's struggling. But I am still excited to see what comes of it.
Sweet Potatoes- I love them, prepared any way. They make amazing macaroni and cheese.
Vegas- We usually go to Vegas like once every other month but because of gas we haven't been in way too long. But we have a trip planned in September and I am excited and so looking forward to hanging out in the sleazy city.
Phil and Teds- I want one so so bad.
Softball- I miss playing on a regularly basis. So I am making a resolve to practice, get better, and play more.
Chicken Green Chile Salad or Quesadilla- So amazing and makes me happy every time I have it.
Christian Bale- Who would have thought he would go from pushin' papes to being the best Batman EVER!!!
Glasses- I am blind and need to find a good pair a frames to fit my weird face.
Attempting to be positive- I let other people bring me down. There is a certain person who brings out the worst in me. And I hate that someone like that has an effect on me. So I am trying to be positive and forget about that person and be positive more often.
Pete- He's so great and I am obsessed with being around him.

Playing in the sprinklers

4O9O7571, originally uploaded by | PETE |.

Cora and I were in the backyard playing in the sprinklers and Pete grabbed the camera and got some great shots.

Photo Shoot

4O9O8057, originally uploaded by | PETE |.

Pete had a studio shoot last Monday so I thought I would take advantage and get some of Cora as well. I am so glad Pete is a photographer. I would hate to take her to a studio and try the ridiculous things we did to get her to stay in place. Notice the distraction, Daddy's iPhone. Also she is following after her mom with an under-bite. I hope she doesn't have to go through the orthodontic work I had to endure.
I am excited to pick out my favorites of this shoot and hang them up. I have several frames all ready I just need to pick the pictures and get them hung. It will be our Cora wall :)

4O9O8095, originally uploaded by | PETE |.

4O9O8164, originally uploaded by | PETE |.

4O9O8121, originally uploaded by | PETE |.

Strawberry Days

My Life

So I took what Megs did and added a little more. I wanted to so a mosaic that represented my life. So here it is.
1. LOST, 2. LDS SLC Temple Morning Reflection, 3. Canon Robo-Photographer, 4. Drawing Room by Anna Maria Horner, 5. _MG_7603, 6. _MG_3403, 7. I love xmas, i love Elsie..... i love la vie..., 8. Eye Booger, 9. Clovis, 10. Stripes, 11. _MG_2186, 12. superbot!, 13. _MG_8544, 14. Untitled, 15. _MG_6094, 16. _MG_0683

Copying Megs

Thankful Thursday

Thursday I was thankful for...

1.Cora - She is amazing. I watched my brother's kids on Thursday night, sleeping at their house in Saratoga Springs.  Since Cora hasn't spent many nights away from her own bed she didn't do so well in the Pack n' play.  She eventually fell to sleep after crying for 15 minutes.  But she woke up about an hour later.  So I decided to put her in the bed with me and watch So You Think You Can Dance.  She was so tired but was fighting sleep while we watched the show.  She spent the next hour or so snuggling on every inch of the bed, including me.  Which was awesome cause she rarely just chills and snuggles with me unless she is really really sick. She also clapped at the end of each dance piece.  She has a very heightened sense for fine art :) She eventually fell to sleep at the foot of the bed.  So I drug her back to me and got her under the covers.

Even though I got no sleep that night I couldn't have asked for anything better then to snuggle with Cora and take in that small moment of realizing how much love a mom can have.

2. Cool Guys - Watching them be cool is so comical.  I know this is kind of a negative appreciation but I find small joy in watching cool guys make fools of themselves.  I was waiting outside of Costco for Pete when a huge Hummer pulled into a parking stall.  Well when the driver made his exit and tried to get out of the car I had to laugh.  I say try because he had done a crappy parking job and was too close to a tree.  Then as he stepped out he tripped on the step-up bar falling to his knees.  I wouldn't have laughed but he was cool, hat crooked, big shirt, bling, and baggy shorts so I figured it was ok to get a chuckle out of it. He of course recovered quickly and managed to walk into Costco still looking... well,  cool.

3. Strawberry Days- Every town has their special Summer celebration and PG has Strawberry Days.  I won't go into detail but I love it.  And what makes it so great is that we live on the parade route so it make that much more fun.

Cora's Toys

I find it hilarious what Cora plays with. She grabs the most peculiar things and they entertain her for hours. Today's toy of choice was one of Dad's extension cords. She draped it around her neck and tried for ever to connect the two ends. Then she walked around the house with it dragging and thought it was so cool.
She has also started a new language. She walks around the house talking so so so so much. But nothing even remotely resembles words. I LOVE IT. Hopefully I can get a recording of it.

Thankful Thursday

This week I haven't been very "Thankful" so I think I will throw in a few extra things to make me recognize my blessings.
Today I am thankful for.....
1. Shoes - Cora loves shoes and they keep her entertained for hours. She tries on every pair of her shoes and has now moved on to putting on her socks.
2. Early Rising - I have been rising a little earlier then usual and I love it. I feel I accomplish so much more in the day and I feel better.
3. Coach Gilchrist - He was my high school softball coach and I love him. He was like a dad to me through high school and always made me a better person. He magically appeared in one of our neighborhoods and made the ward that much better.
4. Tuesdays - I clean a house on Tuesdays and I LOVE IT. It's a lot of work but it's so great to come home with a check and an appreciation for a smaller home :)

UnThankful Wednesday

My awesome mom watched Cora last night so Pete and I could go to a Movie. We have wanted to see Iron Man for a really long time but just couldn't get things lined up. So we went and ate at Bajio and then headed to the theaters.
We have several movie tickets from rewards at Nu Skin. So while we were in line we decided it would be fun to give someone in line a pair of tickets. There weren't any couples in line. But we spotted a couple girls what looked like they would appreciate the tickets. So we handed them the tickets. Well they didn't even care, all they did was look at each other weird, take the tickets, and then left. Well thanks for saying thanks girls. Hope you don't enjoy your free movie.

New Pics

I realize I haven't put up pictures of Cora for a long time. I say this cause I assume no one really cares about much else :) So here are a few of my favorite pics from recent weeks.