Moving Day

Tomorrow... well, really today... we are moving to Missouri. We're not at all ready. We still have hours of packing ahead of us, with hours of cleaning to follow that, and we need to be awake and ready to pick up the Uhaul in about 6 hours. Wish us luck... we need it!

Goodbye, Utah... Hello Missouri!

Our Fake Anniversary & Naomi's 3 Months

Our first wedding anniversary was June 9, and although we had planned to do something to celebrate, the day came and went just as any other. Jacob was fired the day before and we made a pretty sudden decision to move to Missouri, so we spent most of our anniversary day trying to work out the details for the move. I didn't even make us a nice dinner like I had been planning to do (we couldn't afford to go out) because we were invited by my friend Emilie to have dinner with her and her family. Ordinarily, I would have said no because it was our anniversary, but again, our spur-of-the-moment plans to move really changed things. I wanted to be able to see her once more before we left the state, and there really wasn't much time.

Since our first anniversary was such a bust, Jacob and I decided to choose another day and pretend that it was our anniversary. So yesterday was the day! Jacob's sister Rachel came over to watch Naomi for us, and Jacob and I went for a bike ride. We had bought Jacob a cheap bike at Walmart a little over a month ago so we could ride together, but we hadn't yet been able to find the time. I really wanted to ride on the bike trail going up through the Provo Canyon parks, and this was our last chance. It was fun, but it really showed me how out of shape I am! 5 minutes into riding, I was completely exhausted and seriously contemplating turning around. But somehow we made it from our starting point at Bridal Veil Falls to the trail's end at Vivian Park. Sadly, I forgot to bring my camera, so I didn't get any pictures. I want to drive up through the canyon once more before we leave... it's just so beautiful. I am really going to miss these mountains! *sigh* Every time I think about leaving Utah for good next week, I want to cry.

Anyway, back to our anniversary! I know tradition dictates that you save the top layer of your wedding cake, freeze it for a year, and then eat it on your first anniversary... but personally, I think this is completely ridiculous. Wedding cakes are extremely expensive! Everything about our wedding was done cheaply, including the cake, but what we paid was still an outrageous amount of money to pay for a cake in my opinion. So why on earth would I want to freeze my cake for a year?! Cake that has been frozen for that long will never be as good as it was when it was fresh. So we ate the top layer of our cake as soon as we got back from our honeymoon. It was delicious, and I don't regret it at all! And instead of eating year-old wedding cake yesterday, we spent 8 bucks at a bakery and bought a delicious, FRESH German Chocolate cake. It was scrumptious!

In other news, Naomi turned 3 months old on the 22nd. I ended up having to take her to the doctor for something random on that day, which wasn't fun, but the good news was that it meant we got her updated weight and height! She now weighs a whopping 11 pounds, 11 ounces (exactly 6 pounds more than she was at birth) and is 23 inches long! I can't believe how much she has grown! She is more than double her birth weight.

Thankfully, she has changed as much in temperament as she has in size. The first 6-8 weeks of her life, she screamed constantly. It was really hard! I knew that newborns cried, and I thought I could handle crying babies as well as anyone, but it was SO much harder than I had expected. It didn't help that all of my friends who had babies around the same time all seemed to have perfect, happy babies who never cried or fussed and who slept 8-hours straight right off the bat. (Ok, so that may be an exaggeration, but that's how it seemed. And Naomi still wakes up every 3 hours or so for feedings... the girl loves to eat!)

Anyway, Naomi now seems almost like a different child. She is so good and so happy! She really only gets upset when she is hungry or when she doesn't feel well. She is perfectly content much of the time to just be near us or to play on her musical rainforest play mat (I LOVE that thing... I will post pictures of her playing in it later). She always has smiles for her mommy and daddy, and we love it. We love our baby girl!

How do you train your man?

I have come to an important realization about my husband this past year: Special occasions/holidays are not his forte.

Valentine's Day was the one holiday on which he remembered to do something nice. But for my birthday, Christmas, my first Mother's Day as a mom, and now our first anniversary... nothing. It's not even that he forgets that it's a holiday... that fact, he remembers. He just forgets that on those days, you're supposed to do something special for your wife. I've even tried being so direct as to say, "Jacob, for my birthday I want this movie on DVD," and still, nothing. I love Jacob with all my heart, but the man is hopeless!

Are all husbands this clueless when it comes to special occasions? Mine is in need of some serious training... and my birthday is coming up! ;)

Outraged

As I was job-hunting online today, I came across this article about breastfeeding in public. It told about numerous occasions where women were asked to leave establishments or to move to other locations to breastfeed their babies. I was shocked. I was naive enough to believe that because there are laws that protect a woman's right to breastfeed their children in public, that it shouldn't be a problem. Breasts are EVERYWHERE in our society as sex objects, and that's ok... women walk around half-dressed with shirts that not only expose their chest but that enhance it as well to make it even more sexually appealing, and that's ok... and yet, people are disgusted with breastfeeding! Breasts are beautiful and sexy, until you attach a baby to them... then suddenly they're offensive. I don't understand it. Breastfeeding is natural. Women have done it for thousands of years. The research has shown time and again that breastfeeding is best for babies. So why are people so squeamish around it?

One woman in the article mentioned that she was even covered with a blanket when she was asked to leave. Seriously?! No one could even see any skin, but just knowing that she was breastfeeding under the blanket was enough to gross them out. Breastfeeding is hard enough--I would have given up on day 2 if I hadn't had help from the hospital lactation specialist, and I almost gave up again a few weeks later and probably would have if it hadn't been for all of the encouragement I received from friends and family. Americans need to shape up, grow up, and embrace breastfeeding instead of shunning it.

Father's Day

We had Naomi's baby blessing in church today. Sadly, the bishopric somehow lost our papers and had no idea that we were going to do it today, so that was pretty annoying, but we got it done. Naomi cried through the whole thing, so the only part I heard was her name (which I already knew!), but I'm sure it was lovely.

Jacob requested steak for his special Father's Day dinner, so I had my first attempt at making steak tonight! I was really nervous, but it turned out pretty yummy! (The brussel sprouts were also Jacob's request... for some reason, his family LOVES them. Blech!)

Happy Father's Day to my dad, my wonderful husband, and to all you other fathers out there!

Where our family began

Today we went to Salt Lake City to see the temple one last time before the move. It was a GORGEOUS day--perfect for walking around temple square. And we were able to get a picture of our little family in front of the temple where we were married.

I'm so sad to be leaving! I can't believe we move in less than 2 weeks. It is going to be a sad, sad day.

Uncle Baby

Two Weeks...

That is how much time I have left in Utah. I'm incredibly sad. I have so many things to do before we leave... so many people and places to say goodbye to. I hate goodbyes. I'm an emotional wreck!

I realized the other day that I won't be able to go to Jamba Juice once we move... they don't exist in Missouri. I think I'm almost as sad about that as I am about leaving my friends! (Ok, not really... but I really LOVE Jamba Juice.) I suppose I will have to attempt to make my own, although it will never be the same. Before we leave, I intend to get a Jamba Juice at least two or three more times.

I also need to go to J-dawgs one last time before we leave Utah for good. I hardly ever went when I lived just down the street at Regency during my single years, and now I won't be able to. So sad! (Alicia, didn't you somehow concoct your own "secret sauce"? What did you put in it?)

Other places I need to see one last time before we go...

*BYU! I've been wanting to put Naomi in her stroller and take her on a walk around campus, but I kept putting it off. If I don't do it soon, I'll lose the chance.

*Salt Lake/Temple Square. We were married in that temple, and I'd like to get a picture of my little family in front of it. Temple Square really is so pretty, and I don't think I've been back since our wedding.

*My favorite park... Nielsen's Grove Park, I believe it is called (out by the Orem Walmart). I just like it because it's pretty. :)

*The Provo temple. I don't know if we'll be able to do it, but I'd like to do a session with Jacob. We haven't been back since I went through the temple right before our wedding last June (I know that sounds awful... don't judge!) We kept wanting to go, but I got pregnant pretty much right away, and then I got sick and was sick for almost all 9 months of the pregnancy, so it just didn't happen. It will be even harder to go to the temple once we move to Missouri, so I'd really like to go before the move.

I can't think of anything else at the moment, which is probably a good thing, because I don't think we can possibly fit in anything more in just two weeks!

Because I have no picture to go with this post, I will leave you with a video of my beautiful baby!

My Little Family

Our First Year

One year ago today, I married my love.

Year One:

Bring on Year Two!

The Past 6 Years

There is a good chance that we could be leaving Utah sooner than we had originally planned... much, much sooner, in fact. We've been saying for months now that we are ready to leave Provo and we welcome the day we can get out. But now that "that day" could be any day now, I'm not sure that I am ready. I thought I had more time! I had a whole list of things that I wanted to do with Jacob and with our new little family before we left, and I will no longer have the time I expected to have.

I have LOVED the time I have spent here in Utah. I know Provo is often not appreciated by non-Utahns, and I have definitely had my moments... but I really have loved being here for so many reasons.

First, I love BYU. The campus is beautiful--spring, summer, fall, winter... it's pretty at every time of the year for different reasons. And despite all of the anxiety and tears that this university caused me throughout the four and a half years I attended, I had so much fun.

Provo is close to so many other fun places to visit. Vegas, Disney Land, the beach, Moab... I had a blast going on weekend or even day trips with my friends.

I loved the social scene here when I was single and still in school. Not that I was a very social person (at all!), but I always had my few good friends and I had a blast with them. Most of my best friendships were made here at BYU.

Most importantly, I met and married my husband and best friend while going to BYU and living here in Provo (our wedding anniversary is on Wednesday! woot!). And about 9 months and 2 weeks later, I gave birth to our beautiful baby girl.

I came out to Utah in August of 2004 as a shy, terrified little freshmen who didn't know a soul. 6 years later, I will leave Utah with many amazing memories, some great friends, a degree, and a husband and baby who I love more than anything. Who knows what this next phase of my life will bring?

Family Picnic

Last summer I bought my adorable new picnic basket from Target. I was so excited to use it. But somehow, the summer months came and went, and didn't use it once. So today, we finally went on a picnic! I was so excited. We had meant to make a picnic lunch and go to the park around noon, but noon turned into 5:00, so we had a picnic dinner instead. It was probably for the best, though, because by 5:00 it was BEAUTIFUL outside. At noon it would have been really sunny and hot, but the weather was perfect this evening. I didn't have to worry about Naomi getting sunburn, and Jacob and I were comfortable in t-shirts and jeans.
For our picnic we had ham and cheese sandwiches, chips, potato salad, sodas, and for dessert-- strawberries & chocolate covered pretzels! Yum!

We stayed for a couple hours after finishing our picnic to read and just enjoy being outside. Naomi slept for the majority of the time we were there...




But she eventually woke up to play with us! Naomi loves being outside. If she is upset and Jacob can't get her to calm down, he will often walk around with her outside our apartment. As soon as she gets outside, she quiets down. The downside, however, is that as soon as we take her back inside, she starts crying again. But I'm glad she enjoys being outdoors, and I'm hoping to play outside a lot this summer!