Our New Year's Eve Happenings

Tonight Skylie smacked Matt's leg and grinned her cheesy grin.

Matt: "Are you being soft?"
Skylie: Gently patted Matt's leg, kissed it, and patted it again.

Pretty cute!

Even more cuter was at dinner when Matt said, "I love being married to you." And then he added with gusto. "I just love it!" Ah, shucks!

Happy New Year!

Recipe: Peanut Butter Powerballs

This is one of our favorite snacks lately.


Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup ground flax (optional)

Combine ingredients. Roll mixture into small balls. Refrigerate for one hour.

That's it! They also freeze well, so I make massive amounts to keep on hand for when we're on the go.

P.S. The movie was good. Kind of weird, but good.

I'm sick of blogging. So I'm going to watch a movie with Matt.

We'll be watching this:I'll let you know if it's good. With Zac Efron as the main guy, I'm sure I won't be disappointed. He is almost as cute as Matt.

Update

A few happenings I haven't mentioned are:

Matt

• Finished his last interview today!
• Got his test results back from a test he took in Philadelphia. It's official; Matt has no more tests as a medical student!
• Currently rotating at a clinic in Knoxville, but with so many interviews he's been MIA much of the time.
• Received 19 invites to residency programs, but he ended up turning 9 of them down since 10 programs are more than enough options for someone going into the field of psychiatry.
• In April and May Matt will be in South Africa with three of his med school BFFs. They'll be going on safaris (I imagine), but the purpose of the trip is to provide medical help. I'm wondering what cool trip I get out of this deal. Mmm. :)
• 
  

Erin

• Running around with a crazy girl named Skylie.
  
• Still working for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage doing web developing and working mostly from home.
• Beginning in January I'll be in the office on Mondays and Thursdays.
  
• For a while I toyed with the possibility of continuing to work part-time once we move in June, but I've come to the decision that I've more than paid my dues. Working from home is not all it's cracked up to be. Some days I feel like from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. (no kidding) I don't have a second to myself. Caring for Skylie, trying to be a good wife, cleaning up the constant disasters Skylie manages, being a good friend, and trying to be a reliable employee all at the same time is tough. And more often than not I fail miserably at all of them. But I try.

Skylie

Is there anything cuter than footy pajamas and pig tails?

Until tomorrow, adios!

Hello Winter

Church was cancelled today due to the hazardous road conditions. (I can't lie; snow days are nice!) It would have been better if Matt were home to spend the day with, but he's at his tenth and final interview. Hurray!

Other than the power being out in my bedroom and bathroom and having to do some crazy finagling so my Internet would work, the day in PJ's was great!

Snow fell for the first time on Saturday, and I am already sick of the cold. Spring, please come again soon.

December Parties

One of the perks I love about the Christmas season is that there are so many fun parties! A few weekends ago we jam-packed the day with three celebrations.

#1 Primary Party
Decorating sugar cookies for the other kids in Primary and watching a Christmas movie

#2 Birthday Party
Skylie's babysitter is queen at throwing birthday parties. This particular party celebrated Anne turning 10 and Siad turning 8.

I am so sad that Grandma Gloria is moving next month! She has been so good to our family.

Blowing out candles

Skylie with one of her BFFs, Arvin

Grandma Gloria with Skylie, Jacob, Arvin, Anne, and Siad

Then later that night we feasted at the ward Christmas party. Yum!

Visiting Santa

On Monday, November 29, we ventured to the mall to ride the holiday train and let Skylie see Santa. Sky was not a fan of the jolly red-suited man!

Call Me Martha

A few projects I've taken on during the last few months:

Refinishing a shelf that used to be green

Making a bracelet with the help of Shalise

Taking Michelle's suggestion to use My Publisher to make Skylie's baby books

Making Skylie flower and bow clips, after being taught by Megan and Shalise

Hanging pictures in my hallway
Pretty sure this doesn't qualify as a craft, but someday I hope to have a wall full of black and white photos of family members

ABOVE: Christmas decoration before I spruced it up
BELOW: After I reused a ribbon to make the decoration look less homely

Modge-podge picture frame for Skylie's room

They're nothing special, but doing any craft is a huge feat for me!

Christmas Quote

"As we contemplate how we are going to spend our money to buy gifts this holiday season let us plan also for how we will spend our time in order to help bring the true spirit of Christmas into the lives of others. UAdd a Note

"The Savior gave freely to all. And His gifts were of value beyond measure. Throughout His ministry, He blessed the sick, restored sight to the blind, made the deaf to hear, and the halt and the lame to walk. He gave cleanliness to the unclean. He restored breath to the lifeless. He gave hope to the despairing, and He sowed light in the darkness. UAdd a Note

"He gave us His love, His service, and His life."

President Monson

Month Fifteen

Skylie,

I’m not sure I can keep up these monthly letters! I had high hopes of writing you notes every month of your life, but we’re not even two years into this ordeal and I’m falling behind! I will try to be better.

Over the past month your vocabulary has skyrocketed! It seems like every day my jaw drops when you utter a new word. Daddy and I might be the only ones that understand what you’re saying, but you are speaking nonetheless. Yesterday I asked you, “Can Mommy have a kiss?” to which you quickly responded, “No.” Well then…

I am still recovering from that hit to my self-esteem! :)

When you wake up from naps, you’ll often bark out “Mama, mama”, in a voice that sounds more like a drill sargeant's order than a child’s plea! But my favorite phrase you’re now saying is “pees” (please) and “cheese”. You love saying the “s” sound and get a big grin every time you say those words. You have started saying a few two-word phrases, such as “more powerball” and “Hi Dadda”. You’ve been quick picking up on words like “gookie” (cookie), and are uncommonly quick to belt out “more” and “please” when treats are at stake!

You love making animal noises! Often you’ll repeat, “gitty” (kitty) and “meow”, over and over and over again. Our neighbor has a cat, and this morning you darted out our front door and headed to our neighbor's asking for “gitty”.

Once Daddy said, “Hey little monkey….” to you. You quickly responded with an “Eee-ee, Ooo-oo.” We got a big kick out of that one! But my all time favorite animal noise you make is that of an elephant. Since I can’t make an accurate elephant noise, we taught you to say “bonk, bonk, bonk” while swaying your body back and forth (the noise and movement that an elephant makes when it walks).

You love dogs and cats an aren't afraid to walk right up and give them hugs and kiss them on their mouth. Sometimes I wish you'd have a little bit of fear.

You know your body parts, and when we read the book “Eyes and Nose, Fingers and Toes,” you point to your body parts at perfect times during the story. You love sticking out your tongue! I attribute that to all the times Daddy stuck his tongue out at you on Webcam. Dad was initially hesitant for me to teach you where your bum is, but your bootie is so cute, it’d be a shame not to flaunt it! ;)

You know some shapes and can say “kircle” (circle) and “star”. Saying “car” and “voom, voom” are some of your favorite words.

You love playing the "Up Down" game. You'll sit up tall in your high chair then scrunch down and then sit up and down and up and down, over and over again. Meanwhile, Daddy or I say, "Up, down, up, down, up, down...". That game is always sure to send you into a giggle fit.

On Monday, November 29 you visited Santa and rode a holiday train at the mall. You sobbed on Santa's lap, but the train mesmerized you, and you've added "choo-choo" to your vocabulary.

You adore your babysitter! Grandma Gloria is one of your favorite people in the world, and you are always so excited to spend the day with her twice a week. I feel so lucky that you have a grandparent figure here in Iowa, since your real grandparents live so far away.

Tonight a meeting prompted me to think about my most meaningful Christmas. Without a doubt, the best Christmas I've ever experienced was two years ago. My gift arrived a little late that year, when two days after Christmas we discovered that you were on your way to join our family. You are so precious to us, and we love you dearly.

Love,
Mom

The hugs I get from you are rare, but I'll take them any chance I get!

In your Christmas dress

Hiking on trails at Ledges State Park on November 6

One night you climbed up on the kitchen chair, and we caught you with fork and knife in hand, ready to chow down on some dinner!

10 Days and Counting

Be on the look out for more posts. To wrap up this year, I'm committing to post once a day for the next ten days which will take us to the day before my family heads to Utah for the holidays!

Enjoy the read.

P.S. Posterity, this is all for you!

Five Years Down

It is always long overdue when I express my gratitude for Erin. I don’t know if she fully understood what she was getting herself into when she married me, but I wouldn’t want to imagine my life without her. It’s fun to think back on all that has happened in the time we’ve known each other. We met Erin's first semester at BYU-Idaho in August 2004, and as I got to know her, I knew she had every quality which was important to me in choosing someone to spend the rest of eternity with. I loved that she always looked to include everyone and took advantage of opportunities to serve and lift others; she was happy, adventurous, intelligent, independent, motivated, and beautiful.

I knew she would be supportive of me in whatever I did, and I was right. The last few years have involved many nights and weekends where I wasn’t around much, but she has always been understanding. She has been the bread-winner for our family since we’ve been married, but has willingly let most of the money she makes go toward paying my school tuition. She has always been the one to watch our finances and pay our bills. Although cooking is not her favorite activity of the day, I always come home to a table full of food.

Most importantly, she is a wonderful mother. Skylie loves her mother best for a reason. I have never heard Erin talking in anything but a loving voice to Skylie. She spends hours reading to Skylie (just a side note: it’s amazing that Skylie still demands to read the same books over and over again, she will grab a book, then grab your hand and shove the book in your hand and say, “dubba-dub”—which we think means, “read a book”—and then climb and sit on your lap, and she could do this for hours on end and be happy, we sometimes wish she would start liking her other toys as well as her books). She has taken the time to teach Skylie little things, like who Jesus is in pictures and to fold her arms during prayer, which will be a good foundation as we teach her more of the gospel.

I can’t thank Erin enough for marrying me, and I look forward to what the rest of our life together will entail. I am blessed to have her as my wife.

HAPPY FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY, BABE!

1 Day of Thanks

I consider myself a genius when it comes to picking out in-laws. I couldn't have nabbed better ones.

A few days ago, Matt said that he couldn't recall anything that he'd change about the home-life his parents provided him while growing up. That, in my opinion, is a great compliment to Lorry's and Patti's parenting. I can only hope that my children will say the same.

I'm completely indebted to them, because they molded Matt into the man he is today.

2 Days of Thanks

Yesterday Matt and I looked online at houses in areas where we could possibly be for Matt's residency.

As trite as it sounds, I'm really thankful Matt's in his last year of medical school and that in a year from now I most likely won't be:

1. Hauling children/groceries/everything else through three locked doors and down a flight of stairs to get inside
2. Scraping three inches of ice off our car windshield during the winter
   
3. Endlessly getting rid of non-essentials because our closets are bursting at the seams
4. Living in a poorly lit basement
   
5. Forking out quarters every time I do laundry
   

To our surprise, housing is super affordable in the cities that are our top choices for residency.

We could actually afford something like this:
Or this:Four bedrooms, our very own yard, and a garage sound like a dream!

Even though I complain, I am thankful that we've gone without these luxuries while Matt's been in school. Delayed gratification is more rewarding, right?!

I hope I'll appreciate the simple conveniences of a home, and never take the "little things" for granted.

3 Days of Thanks

Today Matt and I celebrate our fifth anniversary!

15 Month Stats

As of today, our monkey's stats are:

Weight:

19 pounds, 1 ounce; 5th percentile

Length:

30 1/2 inches; 50th percentile

4 Days of Thanks

I have the greatest parents one could ask for.

They've always been my best supporters and cheerleaders—and even though I don't do much to merit their praise—it's nice to know that they think I'm the greatest. Talk to them for five minutes about me, and you will be convinced that I'm the coolest thing since the invention of the light bulb. (Their other children are equally awesome and get the same overwhelming encouragement.) I remember once when I won a school election, I came home late at night to a huge sign posted on the garage door that read, "Congrats Erin! .....".
A few years later, after spending months in Hawaii, I came home to a ginormous "Welcome Home Erin" sign. With the scheming of my mom, Matt—boyfriend at the time—made a surprise visit that night and the sign turned into "Welcome Home Erin and Matt!" (That, I admit, was a little embarrassing. But that's what parents are for, right?)

Words can't eloquently describe my dad. He is funny and humble and good-natured and undoubtedly loves his family.
When Matt asked my dad if he could marry me, my dad said something like, "I don't know. She is very precious to me." Matt wasn't on the hot seat for long, though. Dad quickly gave his blessing.

A few years ago I was driving with my dad, and he talked to me about my mom and said that he wondered how he ever got so lucky. It may have been the sweetest thing I've ever heard.

One thing I love and appreciate about my parents it that they really make efforts to stay connected with us even though we live far away. They call, Web cam, and occasionally send packages and make the long trek to Iowa to visit us. They even print out every single blog post and keep them in a book! Skylie has recently begun pointing out pictures of my mom and saying "Grandma", and it makes me happy that Skylie knows her grandparents even though distance separates us.

Only as I've gotten older, have I started to realize the many sacrifices my parents have made for me. They've given up a lot for me, and for that I am truly thankful.

5 Days of Thanks

Today I'm thankful for Des Moines.
The other day my mind wandered to thoughts about moving in seven short months, and I couldn't help but tear up. Iowa has truly become home for Matt and me. We've spent the bulk of our marriage here, and our lives have been influenced largely by the good people here in Iowa. I love everything about Des Moines (minus the torrential winters and distance from family), and have told Matt many times that I could settle here permanently.

I love the farmers' markets; the running trails; the parks; and the the great libraries, splash pads, and year-round family-friendly activities. Des Moines has it all--all the shopping and activities one could need, without the crazy traffic, and "the country" is only a few short minutes away.

A shopping center

A park that's practically in my back yard

Des Moines University has been good to Matt, and my employer has been more accommodating than I would have ever expected.

But what I appreciate most in Des Moines are the good people and friends I've found here.
Thank you, Des Moines. There's no way I'm forgetting you any time soon.

P.S. Tonight I asked Matt is he had any ideas for me about what I should be thankful for. True to character, he said food. :)

6 Days of Thanks

As a teenager I worried that I'd get a loser husband—that he'd be the sweet spirit type of guy—but totally dull and kind of nerdy. Fortunately for me, I lucked out in the marriage department!

While Matt was traveling for three months, whenever people asked how I was handling him being gone, I'd spew out some babble about how easy it was not having to cook dinner or do twice as much laundry, blah, blah, blah. (And those were minor perks, but really I just said that because I didn't want people to feel sorry for me.) I don't think they bought it anyway, because who am I kidding? Matt's amazing.

He is willing to do/say/buy anything to make me and Skylie happy. For example:

• A couple months ago our computer crashed, and it was going to cost $2,000+ to get all of Skylie's baby pictures back. When I told him I wanted to get the pictures back, he said totally seriously, "If you're willing to spend that much money, those pictures must be really important to you so I think we should do it." (Long story short, the data recovery experts weren't able to get our pictures back, we didn't have to spend any money, and Skylie still has a 200-page baby book of pictures I'd saved elsewhere.)
  
• He voluntarily cleans/cooks/washes on a regular basis. I know I'm spoiled. But I'm okay with that.
  
• He dances with me at Gala, even though he does not like to dance. Cute, huh?
• One thing I really love and respect about him is that while he's been in medical school he hasn't put family or church responsibilities on the back burner. Even during his busiest times, he's taken time for me and Skylie. For the first three years of medical school, Matt got up around 5 a.m. practically every Sunday and tended to church responsibilities for a big chunk of the day, and I can honestly say that he never complained. I know he's made sacrifices to be the family man that he is, and I feel so fortunate.
  
• Skylie adores her Dad. Nobody makes her laugh and smile like he does. Check out this video I caught of them:
  

Matt is definitely one of the people I am most thankful for.

7 Days of Thanks

Last week we thought our 1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass had seen it's days, and we worried that the repair costs would outweigh the cars' worth. Matt's last year of medical school has been exceptionally taxing, so we weren't looking forward to buying a new car.

Fortunately, we were wrong and only one minor repair was needed. (Shows how much we know about cars, right?!)

Fhew!

I wish our Cutlass looked as good as this picture I found online!

8 Days of Thanks

Lately pudding has been my treat of choice. Buy it sugar-free, add a scoop of protein powder, and top with frozen fruit. Mmm, yum.

Totally guilt-free.

9 Days of Thanks

I am almost never sick, and when I am, it's usually just a tickle in my throat or a bit of a runny nose. I only remember once in the last 10+ years that an illness has kept me from my normal activities—and that time it was only a 1/2 day pregnancy-pukefest that kept me home from Church. (Was that too much information? Probably...)

One of my life goals is to never have poor health conditions that keep me from doing any activities I love.

So on days like today when I have an "upper respiratory infection" according to Matt (aka: a cough), I am thankful that it's nothing worse.

P.S. Let's hope I'm not jinxing myself.

Speaking of health, I thought this was hilarious and oh so true for me:

10 Days of Thanks

Some friends of mine are posting about one thing they're thankful for--every single day in November! I knew I wouldn't last all thirty days, but I'll try for the ten days leading up to Thanksgiving. Here goes!

I worked in the office today, and when Matt picked Skylie up from the babysitter, ske kept asking, "Mama?! Mama?!" (I usually pick her up, but one of our cars is getting repaired.) Our babysitter told Matt that after Skylie had woken up from her afternoon nap, they watched cars driving through the parking lot and Sky kept saying, "Mama." "Mama.". It's obvious that Skylie adores her fun dad, but it did make me feel good knowing Sky cares about her mom, too.

As I was getting dinner ready tonight, Skylie had climbed up onto one of our counter height dining chairs in what seemed like an instant, with fork and knife in hand, and was digging into the food! So funny!

Later, she managed the Everest-like feat, again and then proceeded to attempt climbing into her seat on my bike. She apparently wanted to go for a ride, because she begged to sit in the bike seat and put on her helmet.

These occurrences seem like such an ordinary day in motherhood, but they matter so much to me. Just as I've been typing this, Skylie's been climbing on my lap to give me hugs and kisses. Being a mom is also hard, real hard. I'm discovering that I'm not as patient as I thought I once was and that reading the same books 50 million times every day does--in fact--get a little old after a while. But as challenging as motherhood is, there's nothing I'd rather do and nothing as rewarding, either.

So today I'm thankful for Skylie, for the opportunity Matt and I have to raise her, and for the honor I have to be called "a mom".

I'd better go now, she's tearing apart our fake tree.

Family Pictures

A friend graciously agreed to take pictures of our family, and I squealed with delight (no joking) when I saw the final products! I love them all, but these are a few of my favorites. Thanks so much, Tara!

This one of Skylie is the one that made me squeal. Do you blame me? She's adorable.