The Child's

Swimming!

2010-07-10T19:11:00.000-06:00

Kaia still loves swimming! I really think she could stay at the pool all day, every day. She likes to take short breaks to sit on her chair and eat a snack, but then she's right back in the pool. She likes to crawl in the shallow end like an alligator, moving her arms saying, "look mom, I'm swimming." I think she'll be a great swimmer in no time.

July 4th Weekend, 2010 - continued

2010-07-05T12:17:00.000-06:00

Since it was too cold this 4th of July to go swimming, we went to the zoo instead. It was a great day - not too hot! A lot of the animals were out and we went and saw the bird show, which Kaia thought was pretty cool. She loves the baby elephant and after she pointed out the mommy, she asked, "where's the daddy?" How do parents answer these tough questions?

July 4th Weekend, 2010

2010-07-04T20:55:00.000-06:00

We started out the weekend of July 4th with the Kaysville 10K. My sister Becca and I ran it while Chris, Caden and Kaia saved a spot at the parade. It was Becca's first 10K and she did awesome, finishing in just over an hour! Kaia thought the race was pretty cool and insisted on running through the finish line like all the other runners. I think we might have a mother/daughter running team pretty soon!

Go Becca!

The parade was a lot of fun. Tons of candy for the kids and the weather was PERFECT! It was the first 4th of July I remember that wasn't blazing hot! It actually made our outdoor BBQ's a bit too chilly and swimming was definitely out. But it was a great holiday weekend.

MS Bike Event

2010-06-27T18:22:00.001-06:00

Brian and I rode in the MS bike event. It was held in Logan and all of the proceeds went to research to cure MS. I raised $380 and Brian raised $310. Thanks to all the friends and family who donated! I wasn't sure I could raise any money, so I was shocked by the generosity of all of my peeps. It was a really fun ride. Brian and I rode 100 miles together, which was really nice of Brian, and made it go by super fast. I'm definitely addicted to these 100 mile rides - they are so fun!

Our friends Jacque and Nat offered to watch Kaia for us during the ride, and we are so grateful to them! Kaia had such a great time with them and their daughters Tess and Shae. It was such a fun weekend!

Cousins!

2010-06-11T20:37:00.000-06:00

The cousins took a trip the Bean Museum! Wow - that really brought back memories! We thought about going to a park - but it was another weird cold June day. Kaia kept asking to "pet" the animals. I'm not sure if she thought it was weird that none of them actually moved, but she seemed pretty entertained. We went to lunch a Brick Oven - a must while in Utah County!

Little Red Riding Hood

2010-06-08T10:23:00.007-06:00

So, last minute I decided I was going to do the Little Red Riding Hood, an all-women 100 mile bike event in Logan. Two of my riding friends, Loni and Becky, were doing it and they told me it was the premier bike event - not to be missed. So I thought, why not! I wasn't sure if I could do 100 miles - but once I started I figured I would try and go for it. It was amazingly doable. At mile 75 I wasn't sure I would make it, but I caught a second wind at mile 85 and felt great at the end. Loni and Becky and their group made room for me in their car and hotel and they were so supportive of me along the way - I'm so greatful to them! It was so much fun - 3,000 women participated. The rest stops every 10-15 miles were fully stocked with yummy food, water, shot blocks, drink mix, bathrooms and happy, friendly volunteers. Lunch rocked at the "Newton Park" (I got to know a whole different side of Cache County than I did while going to USU - all of the small, small towns and farm country) with Subway sandwiches, cookies and fruit! At the finish there was even a chocolate fountain! It's all about the food, isn't it? The event organizers definitely know what women want!

My hubby was so great and took care of Kaia overnight and brought her up the next day to the finish. Our friends Jacque and Nat, who live in Logan, also came out - which was so cool of them to drop their whole day and hang out with us! It was so good to see them!

This is Tess (Jac & Nat's oldest) holding hands with Kaia - so cute!

Here's Tess and Shae (Jac & Nat's youngest). Shae is a mini-Jac - so laid back and friendly and happy! What cute sisters!

We had a BBQ that night with Sam and Kacie in their beautiful backyard. The kids played (and fought) - it was so much fun to see everyone!

Daybreak Triathlon

2010-05-29T18:03:00.000-06:00

The Daybreak Triathlon could have been an awesome event, if the weather had cooperated!!! A storm blew in the night before and dropped the temperature into the 40's. That is not outdoor swimming weather! The water temperature of Daybreak lake was reported to be about 57. All I can say is it felt like I was swimming in ICE water! I could not catch my breath and I could barely put my face in the water without inhaling it. When I got done with the swim my feet were numb, and I did not regain feeling until I finished the run! It was FREEZING! We were really lucky that it didn't actually rain on us. The bike and the run were a piece of cake. I thought, hey, maybe I should have done the Olympic distance, but then I thought, no, you couldn't pay me to do that swim again!!!

Spokes for Hope - 50 miles

2010-05-19T21:19:00.000-06:00

Spokes for Hope in St. George was my first official road bike race - and it was a great one! I couldn't have asked for better weather and it was a women only race - which was so nice. I would say only about 50 people rode, so it was nice and small. The roads were so quiet that morning. It really, really, really made me wished I lived in St. George!!

I'm smiling at the finish - barely. I definitely hit a wall around mile 45 (or as cyclists call it - bonked). The last five miles was the longest five miles of my life. My shoulders hurt and my knee ached a little, but I felt so great afterwards! Brian got in his mountain bike ride and then watched me finish. It was an awesome weekend!

Fun Fun Fun

2010-05-19T20:44:00.000-06:00

Mow Mow loves Kaia's Princess chair almost more than Kaia!

Kaia's beautiful skirt Grandma Castro made - TC helped pick out the fabric.

Aquarium! Kaia loved the fish, but wasn't too sure about the sting rays that dad was touching...

Caden & Kaia

Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. Very cool - although a bit too intangible for a 2-year-old. Maybe next year it will hold her attention a little more.

Kaia making a dam with dad. The girl is not afraid to get dirty - much to the dismay of her OCD mom!

Wo - scary!

Swimming - Kaia is a fish. She loves the water so much. The indoor pool is just a bit too cold for mom and dad - but Kaia will stay in until her lips are a dark shade of purple!

Law Day Run

2010-05-16T11:50:00.000-06:00

I recruited my whole family to run the 2010 Law Day Run this year. It was a great time! Brian finished 1st in the Baby Stroller division, except he didn't actually end up pushing the stroller. My mom walked with Caden, pushing Kaia, and they finished the whole race! My dad, Chris, Sarah and Jeremy all finished with awesome times as well. We celebrated at The Pancake House, the best place in Utah for breakfast.

The Zoo

2010-05-15T11:38:00.000-06:00

Easter Weekend

2010-04-18T14:03:00.000-06:00

Grandpa M.'s 60th birthday

Easter! Favorite Kaia saying of the holiday, "Oh my gosh" in reaction to the "hidden" eggs the Easter Bunny left. Who taught this kid how to speak?

Super excited! Candy? Without even going potty for it? Kaia's kind of holiday.

Max! Angie, Eric and Max came out over Easter to ski. It was so much fun and we had a great spring storm that weekend so the skiing was spectacular!

Max and Kaia. They learned how to fight with each other for toys really quickly.

Kaia's easter dress from Grandma M.

A Voice of Reason

2010-04-17T12:51:00.000-06:00

Guest column written for The Standard Examiner by Lynn M. Hansen, a former Ronald Reagan-appointed ambassador and LDS mission president in Germany.

I did not vote for Obama but we, the American people, did.

As an American and a resident of Weber County, I salute President Obama, Sen. Harry Reid, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi for pushing the health care reform bill through the legislative process. Until the administration of George W. Bush, I was an avid Republican and served in the Reagan and Bush (senior) administrations as a political appointee. But I will not allow Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh to define conservatism for me, nor will I accept the half-truths and invectives with which they pollute the airways.

Those who listen to these hate-mongers should realize that they have become millionaires by peddling the views they do. I recall Limbaugh frequently stating that he hoped Obama would fail. That is tantamount to wishing America would fail for Obama is our freely elected president.

What has happened to civility in this country? I did not vote for Obama but we, the American people, did. I consider myself an American, not a Utahn. I served 23 years in the United States Air Force and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance to one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

For as long as he is president, I will respect the office of president and the person who occupies it.

It is pure hypocrisy or worse for those who legislate (many, if not most of whom are millionaires) to try to deny basic insurance coverage to middle- and lower-class Americans. We must understand that each member of the House of Representatives and each senator — Republican and Democrat — has health insurance with the major portion of their premiums being paid by the taxpayer. I know because I, having worked in the government, also have such a policy. Where is the “justice for all” in this?

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the legislation would extend coverage to 32 million Americans who lack it and cut deficits by an estimated $138 billion over a decade. If realized, the expansion of coverage would include 95 percent of all eligible individuals under age 65.

For the first 10 years, it will cost about $100 billion a year. This is about the yearly cost of the Iraq War.

Why is providing health care to Americans less desirable than invading and fighting a protracted war in a country far away that did not threaten us?

Republicans constantly assert that we will pay more taxes. Wait a minute. Who will pay more taxes? Not people in my income bracket! In fact, we may well see tax relief. Those who will be taxed more are families whose income exceeds $250,000 annually or singles whose income is at $200,000. Why do those who claim we will pay more taxes never mention these details?

The insurance industry, which spent millions on advertising trying to block the bill, would come under new federal regulation. They would be forbidden from placing lifetime dollar limits on policies, from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions and from canceling policies when a policyholder becomes ill. Does the ordinary citizen understand that CEOs of insurance companies make millions of dollars every year? Some make as much as $24 million a year. Is this what we mean by free enterprise?

Never in the more than 15 years that I have resided in Europe have I met a person who wanted to trade their health care system for ours. I had a hip replacement performed in Germany. The procedure was no different or the care less than that I received for a like operation at McKay-Dee in Ogden.

It is disingenuous to say that we will receive inferior care under the legislation that Obama has signed. It is equally devious to cite horror cases from England or Canada. We have enough of our own. And it is simply wrong to call this socialized medicine knowing that people tend to associate socialism with communism.

Finally, my religious faith believes that governments are instituted of God for the good of the people — all people, not just the rich and privileged! We are often reminded of our duty to care for the less fortunate. I therefore find it odd that the residents of this state are so anti-Obama.

West Haven resident Lynn M. Hansen received a B.A. from Utah State University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Utah. Appointed ambassador by President Reagan, he served as head of the U.S. Delegation to the Geneva Conference on Disarmament and later with the CIA as vice-chairman of the National Intelligence Council. He recently returned from Hamburg, Germany, where he served as LDS mission president.

Kaia's First Stitches

2010-03-31T16:05:00.001-06:00

Yes, I said "first" stitches. I know our lives will be filled with many more accidents - partially based on Kaia's no fear personality, and partially based on the fact her parents also have a history of stitches. Brian and I say to each other every night, "Wow, she was a real handful tonight." Okay, we probably don't say it that politely, but you get the drift. She's a wild one! She fell and hit her head on the couch at the babysitters house. It was actually a padded leather couch, but she hit the base just hard enough to split open the skin. I'm really not sure who was more traumatized by the stitches - Kaia or me. She screamed bloody murder and I almost fainted when they started with the needle and thread. It was quite the ordeal, but I guess we're officially parents now that we've made a claim on our accident insurance. After the whole thing was over she was happy to chat with the doctor about how her lamb had an owie too (she bled on it) and we went for ice cream. It was quite a day!

30 is Old

2010-03-31T15:24:00.000-06:00

So, is it just me or does your body just start falling apart once you turn 30? I can't believe how much I've been getting injured lately. So, last fall I hurt my leg running (a tendon in my quad) and now I've hurt my knee (I think it's runner's knee). I'm pretty sure I did it running and now it's even aggravated when I cycle. I'm so frustrated! Remember the days when you could eat anything you wanted, exercise as much or as little as you wanted and you were still healthy as a horse? Wow - how I miss those days. And, doesn't it just go downhill from here? Every year you age, you have to eat less and your body starts giving out. Not looking forward to it!

Bike Race

2010-03-31T14:38:00.000-06:00

New race to add to the schedule:

Spokes for Hope - April 10, 2010, St. George, Utah

Now it's my knee that's giving me trouble! Hopefully it feels better by next Saturday....

Race Schedule

2010-02-18T10:56:00.001-07:00

Here's my race schedule so far for the season. Hopefully my leg holds up for running.

Law Day Run 5K, May 15, 2010 (let me know if you want to do this with me - I've got an in)
Daybreak Triathlon, May 29, 2010
Riverton Country Mile 10K, July 4, 2010 (doing this one with my sister Becca - her first 10K)

Daybreak Tri

2010-02-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

It's official. I'm signed up - for the Sprint distance - and committed (I paid a ton of money), so barring major injury or illness, I'll be there. Let the training begin.

To Tri or not to Tri

2010-01-31T13:24:00.005-07:00

Brian and I are contemplating signing up for a triathlon this summer. Brian has done a couple and we did one together in Vernal that my friend Jacque coerced us into. It was fun - but I swore I wouldn't do one again because the swim was so nasty! The water is so COLD! But the biggest issue I had was that the water is so disgustingly murky that you can't see where you're going. You put your face in the water and 1) you can't breathe because it is so COLD and 2) you can't see so you're basically breast stroking/dog paddeling to try to keep on course.

This was the year I was going to run a marathon, but that plan came to a screeching halt when I injured my leg last fall. My leg is better, but I don't think distance running is going to happen. I took 12 weeks off, and it is slow going trying to get back into it. To stay in shape I've really taken to cycling (indoors). So I figure why not use that new found obsession and put it to good use. Now I just need to get over my fear of biking on a road with cars and swimming in a gross lake and I'm in.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-17T15:03:00.015-07:00

Santa came!

Grandma M. and Kaia

Santa brought Brian some bike shoe covers.

Berkeley got a Snuggie!

Chocolate waffles!

Eric and Kaia

Aunt Karen and Kaia

Max

Grandpa Child and Kaia

December

2009-12-31T14:04:00.001-07:00

Yea! Tree's up!

Trax ride!

Temple Square

Don't open that present! No, Kaia did not understand the concept of waiting until Christmas to open presents. She opened two presents - both of which I simply taped back up instead of re-wrapping because I was so sick of wrapping! The few people I told that story to suggested I wait until Christmas to put out wrapped presents - hello! It's part of the Christmas decor!

Kaia and Max. Kaia felt very maternal around Max, trying to help by giving him her lamb, blankey, and of course, helping him with his binkie. She knows how important that is!

Kaia's lamby! She decided that he needed a diaper on. My friend Becca Batt gave her this lamb, and she loves it more than anything else. She must sleep with it every night and begs to take it with her everywhere she goes. It washes up very nicely, thank goodness.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is what Kaia's meals usually consist of. Nothing can be mixed together (no potato casserole, no pomegranate salad), no meat unless it's plain chicken (not even chicken nuggets).

Prime rib! Let the holiday eating begin!

Tanner, Caden, Kaia and Gage broke out in a spontaneous performance of Jingle Bells during Christmas Even dinner. Kaia can be quite the performer. Large groups are ok. One on one with strangers - not ok.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-11-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Kaia loves to lick the whip cream beater!

Kaia and Caden

The Zoo. One of Brian's co-workers told him that their family goes to the zoo on the day after Thanksgiving every year. We thought that was a great idea since we're not much for Black Friday shopping. It was a great day - not too cold, and not too crowded!

Bowling. Kaia loves bowling - she loves cheering for everyone and had a great time carrying her own ball.

But she loved the nachos most of all.

Family Photos 2009

2009-11-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

Halloween

2009-11-03T21:01:00.010-07:00

We decided to go all out this year, so we dressed up! I even went trick-or-treating looking like this. It was hilarious to see our neighbor's reactions. Most didn't even recognize me. Others were like, "Wow, you really went all out!" But it was a ton of fun. We had some family over and partied! Kaia loved trick or treating. She just followed her cousin's leads and caught on really quickly that if you go up to the door you get candy! She was so tired by the time we circled the neighborhood, but when we came home she cried because she wanted to keep trick-or-treating!

Our cuddly dalmatian!

50's couple (Jana & Gary), Batman (Tanner) and Cowboy (Gage) - sorry, not a great photo.

The Chef (Chris), The Witch (Becca) and Bumble Bee (Caden)

Wayne's World - Wayne (Sarah) and Garth (Jeremy)

50's girl (Mom) and "Scary" - as Kaia would say (Dad)

Kitty (Peggy), Dan and Doctor (Theresa)

Partied a little too hard.

We love fall!

2009-10-24T20:42:00.000-06:00

I think we have a future biker on our hands.

Kaia loved the princess carriage.

And she loves slides! The bigger the better.

And she loves jumping!

The girl loves pumpkins. Everywhere we go, she says, "Mommy, I see pumkins!"

"It's heavy!"

Drivin' with dad.

Our 6th Anniversary!

2009-09-20T20:31:00.002-06:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been six years. We did our "usual" anniversary trip to Park City. We stayed at Club Lespri, which is a great place. We didn't get a ton of rest, but we did play a lot. We went biking, running, saw a movie, shopped and went to dinner. It was great. The leaves were beautiful and the weather was awesome.

Kaia's 2!

2009-08-26T20:18:00.000-06:00

CAKE!

Rainbow cake - thanks Marissa, my college roommate, for the idea and recipe!

First trip to Build-A-Bear.

She loves cake batter, too!

Summer Fun!

2009-07-31T21:54:00.014-06:00

Cousins!

Who sleeps like this, really?

Brian rode 100 miles in the MS Bike Race in Logan. It was so much fun to be back in USU territory. The Malouf's let us stay in their posh house. Thank you, thank you! We had so much fun!

Classic skating! Brian had a great time reliving the good old days (he was a speed skater and also worked at Classic). Kaia couldn't quite get the hang of roller skating (the skates were way too big), but she had a grand time running around the rink and getting in the way of all the skaters.

Kaia loved the inflatable slides! Most of the toys were way too big for her, but she loved the huge slides once we got her to the top. She's an adrenaline addict already!

Swimming! Kaia absolutely loves swimming! She is a child with no fear. She likes to hang out in the shallow part of the pool, but eventually makes her way deeper laughing the whole way knowing I'm going to have to save her from going under. Although, she doesn't have much fear of that either. She is getting the hang of going under by herself and jumping out of the water. But she doesn't last too long if the water is not very warm. She gets cold really easy and then says, "Towel? Towel?"

Mow Mow

2009-07-21T20:49:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago, our cat Gimlee (a.k.a. Mow Mow), ran away. He's an indoor cat, for the most part. But it is his goal in life to run out any door that is opened to the outside before anyone can grab him. He has done this fairly often since we moved into our new house, so when he escaped one night, Brian and I didn't think much about it. He always comes back around 5 a.m. and cries at our window to let him in. Well, he didn't come back that night, and the next morning I was a bit worried, but I figured he'd be home that afternoon. He wasn't, and he was still gone the next night, and the next. We were so worried by then, and truly suspected he a) was eaten by a fox/hawk/or dog, all of which we see outside our backyard on a regular basis; b) was stolen by a neighbor kid because he's the friendliest cat in the world; or c) ran away with a neighborhood gang of cats, and went off gallivanting in the fields killing all vermin and fowl that crossed their paths. Luckily, we believe it was 'c' because he came home on the fourth night at 5 a.m., screaming at our back door. You know when you take something for granted until it's almost gone? That's how I felt about Mow Mow's great escape. He's the most friendly cat in the world (he insists on sitting on a perfect stranger's lap if they sit on our couch, especially if they are allergic), he has claws sharp as blades, but would never use them to harm a human (even a crazy toddler who pulls his tail and hauls him around the house) or a dog (who also hauls him around the yard), he loves to be petted and held, and is just a perfect pet! But only when I thought he was gone forever did I truly appreciate was a great cat he is! But lesson learned. We do not allow him anywhere near the outside world, for fear he will leave for good. And believe me, he wants to go! He cries and cries and cries at the windows and doors all day and all night! Wherever he went, he had the time of his life!

Disneyland!

2009-05-24T15:23:00.017-06:00

We took a trip to Disneyland in May with my family. Overall it was a success! Brian had never been there and it had been a long time for me. Unfortunately, this first photo sums up how the trip began. The day we left Kaia had a fever and was really sick. I really debated getting on a plane, but decided we should just do it. Kaia fell asleep as soon as we took off, thank goodness. I was so worried that she'd be that crying baby on the plane everyone glares at. But it was a short flight and before we knew it we were on the ground.

Kaia spent the first day at Disneyland in her stroller. She was asleep for most of the day, and when she wasn't, she wished she was. We ended up taking her to the ER that night because we just weren't sure what was wrong with her and she'd never acted that way before. The doctor told us it was an ear infection, reluctantly gave us some antibiotics because we were from out of town, (I guess they really don't give that stuff out anymore) and assured us kids like to sleep it off when their sick (he asked us if this was our first child - yes, we're clueless parents).

But everyday she started perking up more and more and we took her on a few rides. She loved It's a Small World. We even took her on Pirates of the Carribean. Her eyes were pretty wide during the couple of drops the boat took, but she seemed to think it was pretty cool. She slept through dinner at the Blue Bayou (her $12 mac and cheese went uneaten), but we thought it was great. She also liked the Jungle Cruise, Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo.

Kaia LOVED all of the characters we saw at Disneyland. I would have bet money that she would run the other way from anyone dressed up, but she was the complete opposite. She smiled and touched their hands and was so happy to see them. She loved Mickey (and her binky, as you can see in this photo. She's usually only allowed to have it at night and during naps, but she basically got anything she wanted this trip since she was so sick)!

This is after "Splash Mountain". I assured Brian we wouldn't get that wet (he didn't want to go), but we did! Were were frozen, but at least it was the last ride of the day.

The beach! By the fourth day Kaia was almost back to normal. We went to the beach and she LOVED playing in the sand. She was so happy to be free to get dirty and wet and no one cared. I'll upload some video we took. She was pretty funny about the cold ocean water tide.

Yes, that's Kaia's extremely white mother in the background. Can I please get a tan on sometime soon???

Oh, looks like her father needs some help in that department too!

This is at Universal Studios. Kaia once again adored the characters.

Angie's Trip

2009-05-01T20:39:00.002-06:00

Angie came out to visit at the end of April. She was seven months pregnant, but did not look a day over five months pregnant! We held a baby shower for her, which was so fun. Here's a few photos from the week.

Angie and Casey (Brian's cousin). Casey's pregnant with twin girls!

2009-04-18T14:49:00.000-06:00

Despite being as sick as I have ever been the week up to the race, I finished! I'm pretty sure I had the swine flu (if it is as bad as the media makes it out to be) because I was practically on my death bed. It was touch and go right up to the minute the race started, but I decided to just do it. I loaded up on cold and cough medicine, shot blocks and Accelorade. The first half of the race was awesome (mostly downhill and overcast). The second half was fine, but I was coughing a bit more, and feeling a little tired. But I pushed through and made it to the end. My time was 2:20. Ten minutes slower than I would have liked to do it in, but good enough considering. Hopefully I can do another one this summer, without the Swine Flu. Brian did the bike race (of course). He froze, but said it was awesome.

Half Marathon/Bike Tour

2009-04-08T06:12:00.000-06:00

So, Brian and I have been training to participate in the half marathon coming up on April 18th. Well, I should say, I've been training, Brian's been along for the ride. I've dedicated myself to a strict training schedule, while Brian goes when he can, and comes along for the 10 mile runs on Saturdays (Men!). The runs have gotten brutal. This week I'm doing 8 miles w/sprints, 7 miles w/sprints, 6 miles and 10 miles. Next week I taper off and hope I can make it through 13 miles at the race on Saturday.

Brian is still undecided as to whether he will run the half marathon with me (I shouldn't say with me - he won't actually run with me - he has to see how fast he can do it (men!)) or if he will ride in the bike tour (bikers get to ride the marathon route before the marathon begins - a good opportunity because they close all the roads).

But, this could be Brian. No bike. His broke. Or I should say it had a run in with the top of our garage while we were pulling the car in. So, he's trying to get another. But in these hard times, this could be him for the rest of the year (just kidding, hun!). I think he'd rather put the house up for sale than be without a bike.

Skiing

2009-03-09T21:48:00.004-06:00

So, Brian and I went skiing a couple of Friday's ago. It was sweet. Add it to the list of things we should have done more of before we had a kid. Now we have no time and definitely no money.

Yes, that's me with the crappy form. Hey, I'm no pro.

Art by Kaia

2009-03-09T21:19:00.005-06:00

Our life is constantly changing with Kaia in our lives. We've decided that as we approach the two year old mark, the changes aren't always for the better. For instance, Kaia has discovered the world of pens, markers and crayons.

Pen on our master bedroom wall.

Pen on the leather couch.

Permanent marker on the fabric of our dining room chair.

Crayon on the dining room table.

Tag

2009-03-09T21:09:00.005-06:00

OK, so Heidi tagged me like forever ago and I'm of course just getting around to it. I've decided blogging is not for whimps like me who go to bed at 9:30 p.m. Are most bloggers night owls? That seems like the best time to do it, but I'm usually too tired! Anyway...

Rules:

1. Go to the Document/ My Pictures Site On Your Computer

2. Go to Your Sixth File

3. Go to Your Sixth Picture

4. Blog about It

5. Tag 6 People

Here's Kaia! Of course. I think I took this picture because I tried to put pig tails in her hair (haven't done it since - she doesn't have enough hair). This picture was taken about eight months ago, I would say, when we were living at my parents. Fun times!! Sorry, I'm breaking rule 5. I've always been such a rebel.

Bowling

2009-02-28T21:37:00.001-07:00

We made the trek to Ogden to visit Kaia's cousin Caden and to hit our friend Sam's restaurant Sonora Grill. It was awesome. Kaia was not scared of bowling this time, she was actually thrilled with it as long as it was her turn. When we made her wait for her turn she cried and cried. Oh, the joy!

Spring in February

2009-02-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

First Haircut

2009-01-16T12:40:00.006-07:00

Kaia got to watch Elmo while she got her hair cut. That's why she looks zoned out. It's her usual TV watching face.

She's thrilled, can't you tell??

End result. Fabulous!

Kaia's favorite part about the whole experience - the balloon!

A Child Family Christmas...

2009-01-15T11:38:00.013-07:00

Ornaments are for playing with, right?

Christmas dress. Kaia acts so funny when we put a dress on her. She's like, what is all of this material I'm wearing? It's a Sunday only thing, obviously.

Kaia playing Mary in the Christmas Eve Nativity. She thought it was great and even kept her pillow case on her head the whole time!

Our house on Christmas morning. We were afraid we wouldn't be able to get our of our driveway.

Kaia loves Elmo! Or "Ehho" as she says it.

Chocolate waffles!

Angie and Eric, in from San Francisco. Don't we look thrilled???

New bike for Christmas from Grandpa Child! Her other favorite toys: her sunglasses and Brian's triathlon medal.

Bowling! Kaia was scared to death of the bowling alley for the first half of our round. But once we gave her a turn, she was really into it and loved the clapping part when someone got a strike!

Wow, the holidays are exhausting!

New Family Pics

2008-12-19T13:07:00.006-07:00

Oh, family photos. I was actually dreading getting photos done of Kaia, because I just knew she would not smile for any of them. She'll smile for me when I'm taking her photo. But just barely long enough for me to get one halfway decent shot. But I guess that's the life of a toddler. Way too busy to sit still for anything!

Halloween

2008-11-05T13:24:00.008-07:00

" Hmmm....what's this?"

"I bet it's something good!"

"I bet it's something REALLY good!"

"YUM!!!"

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-05T13:18:00.003-07:00

Kaia picked out her own pumpkin when we went to a pumkin patch a few weeks ago. She thought it was so fun that it as just her size and she could haul it around. It was so funny to watch her try to walk around the pumpkin patch. She kept tripping over all of the little ditches (sorry, I don't have a clue what those are called) until she finally figured out how to watch her step!

My First Computer

2008-11-05T13:14:00.003-07:00

Kaia now has her very own laptop. She loves banging on the keyboard, but gets scared when it starts beeping because "a fatal error has occured."

All Dressed Up

2008-10-14T14:25:00.002-06:00

Neighbor Spying

2008-10-14T13:55:00.003-06:00

Don't you just love spying on your neighbors? We only know like two neighbors, but for the one's we don't know it's pretty fun to try and guess what they're like. This is based mostly on what activities I see them doing while staring out the window of our office. So far I've learned that one neighbor has two giant schnauzer's, works in the medical field (always wearing scrubs) and works early hours (she was leaving in her scrubs when Berkeley and I were leaving to go running at 6 a.m.). Another neighbor has a lab and a dachshund (can you tell we're into dogs?) and hits a ball for them with a tennis racket down the street (Berkeley barks at them like they're doing something threatening). Another neighbor showed great patience by stopping her car in the middle of the street when Kaia was about to run in front of it! The real question is what do our neighbors think of us? I don't think I want to know!

Bath Beard

2008-10-14T13:50:00.005-06:00

We love bath time! If Kaia's ever a bit sad or whiny, I put her in the bath and she cheers right up. She loves to stick her face in the bubbles.

She also loves to lay down with her ears in the water and talk and talk. I think she likes the sound of her voice under water.

Yard Woes

2008-10-04T11:52:00.002-06:00

So, if I were to do it all over, I would have bought a townhouse with no yard. OK, maybe not. But I am dreading putting in our back yard. For one, it is pretty big. Which is what I liked about the area, big lots. I won't feel like our neighbors are staring in our windows 24/7. But this yard is going to be a nightmare. It is not flat, much to our dismay. When we looked at the lots, they all looked flat, but once they put in the foundation, we realized how high up our house would be from our yard. I guess builders like to be over cautious about flooding. Anyway, so that means we have to put in a retaining wall. If we could wait and do it over time, that would be awesome, because we do have a front yard, but we have a dog. And it is pretty lame to have to let him out every two hours or so. I feel like I need to set a timer, like I'm potty training a kid. Anyway, we're also in a fight with our builder to finish the grading of the back yard. It's been a month, and it's still not done. And I'm pretty sure our sunny weekends are over, so woe is me.

Moving In

2008-10-04T11:44:00.004-06:00

Wow - I forgot what a nightmare getting all unpacked is. I don't think this house will be organized for the next year! This picture is in our office. The computer is set up, but that is it. You should see the guest room. That is the catch all for anything I don't want to put in the basement. The basement is THE catch all. We have a really big basement and it is filled with boxes! How do we own this much stuff? We're not even that old! I guess if I don't open a box that's in the basement over the next year, it's trash!

Our New House

2008-09-08T15:26:00.005-06:00

We closed! It's finally ours! We're super excited to officially move in this weekend (September 13th - hint, hint...if you're available, come on over!).

Some have requested photos of the inside of the house, so here you go. This is the kitchen. Yes, Becca, we went with black granite. Thanks for the recommendation. I think it looks sweet. The kitchen is the reason I totally loved this floor plan. It opens up into the living room, so I can do dishes, keep an eye on Kaia and watch The Office all at the same time!

Here's the living room. I love the mantel. The TV is coming, to be installed by Brian above the mantel.

This is the entry. We love our huge front door. It's already made moving large pieces of furniture much easier.

The master bath. Yea, we'll finally have two sinks again. Why is it so hard to share a sink?

Staircase to the basement. I really don't want to put up a gate, and I am close to trusting Kaia to go down the stairs by herself. She can do it, but sometimes she gets distracted. At least there's a landing half way down, so it's not that far to fall. :)

Brian's throne. We may never see him again....

Kaia's One Year Birthday!

2008-08-29T12:57:00.009-06:00

Kaia turned one on August 26th! Wow - how time has flown by! It really does seem like just yesterday that I was in the hospital giving birth to her! We had several fun birthday parties over the last couple of weeks. She has loved all of the attention! And all of the chocolate!

I always wondered whether or not she would be scared of the cake or just dig in - although I had some idea considering how much she loves putting ANYTHING in her mouth, including dirt, rocks and live bugs. As you can see, she absolutely loved making a huge mess and shoving as much cake in her mouth as possible. It was hilarious.

August 26th is also Kaia's cousin Caden's birthday! He turned 5 - wow! He says he doesn't mind sharing his birthday with Kaia, just as long as he doesn't have to share his presents with her!

My Friend Heidi

2008-08-29T12:51:00.002-06:00

My best friend from high school, Heidi, came in to town for her 10th high school reunion. It was so fun for our families to get together for dinner and catch up. I really wish I could hang out with my old friends more often. It seems life is so busy all of the time it's hard to find time for the fun things! Anyway, Heidi, you definitely don't look 10 years out of high school - I can't believe you have a first grader!

300 Warriors

2008-08-20T09:43:00.007-06:00

Brian participated in the 300 Warriors bike race last Saturday. Here's a little blurb about the race:

"On the fourth and most demanding day in "America's toughest stage race," 300 citizen warriors will precede the professional teams by 4 hours. Their goal: ride 98 miles and scale 14,778 vertical feet, a feat representing over 28% of the horizontal distance and almost half the climbing in the five-day Tour of Utah stage race. Finishing this ride is the equivalent to riding the Tour de France’s Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Télégraphe, Col du Galibier and Alpe d’Huez."

He finished it in about seven hours and said he burned about 6,000 calories! He also said it was the hardest thing he's ever done. We're so proud of him!!!

This map is hard to read, but basically the race started in Park City, then they went over to Kamas, back through Heber and Midway, then to the Alpine Loop, Traverse Mountain and up to Snowbird. If you've ever driven to Snowbird, you know how steep it is. Imagine biking up it after you've already biked 90 miles! Obviously, I have no comprehension of doing anything like it.

We have brick!

2008-08-15T16:42:00.005-06:00

Hey, it looks like our house with our cars parked in the driveway! We'll most likely close the last week of August. All we need is landscaping, and we're good to go!

Summer Fun!

2008-08-15T16:30:00.008-06:00

Bike riding!

Swimming with dad!

Happy Birthday Brian!

2008-07-29T14:43:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Brian's birthday pretty much all weekend - yea! He turned the big 3-1 on July 25th. He loves the attention he gets on his birthday, but just don't mention the number! He went mountain biking Friday and Saturday morning (his gift to himself). We had sushi on Friday (his birthday lunch from me). He had Red Lobster on Saturday - his favorite restaurant. We saw Batman Saturday night (a week late - but worth the wait). And cake and presents in between! Happy b-day Bri!

We're down to the wire!

2008-07-29T13:49:00.002-06:00

The house is almost done! It's painted, carpeted and tiled! The cabinets are almost all in. All we need is brick and landscaping! The builder is saying three weeks and we'll be in. Yea!

Vegas!

2008-07-29T13:43:00.002-06:00

Brian and I went to Vegas with Angie and Eric for Eric's 30th birthday. It was his first time in Vegas! We had a great time. We got lucky with the weather - it was overcast and raining a little while we walked the strip. It was so fun to spend time with the Jelin's - we only see them twice a year, or so!

July 4th

2008-07-29T13:39:00.001-06:00

Dino Tri!

2008-06-29T13:16:00.006-06:00

Me, Brian and our friend Jacque participated in the Dino Triathlon in Vernal yesterday. It was awesome! We did the sprint distance, so the swim was 800 meters, the bike was 13 miles and the run was 3 miles. I did it in just under two hours. Brian decided to be a hero and do the Olympic bike distance - 26 miles (J/K - he took a wrong turn). But he only finished a little after I did. The swim was insanely cold, but the bike and run were sweet. I'm glad I did it and I just may be up for another one. We'll see!

Kaia - 9 Months

2008-06-17T13:05:00.004-06:00

OK, so I'm a few weeks late, but hey, she's not ten months yet! We went to the doctor and all is well. She tips the scales at 17 1/2 pounds. I've been buying her 6-12 month shorts and pants - and they are all too big around the waist! So big she cannot even wear them because they fall right off. Her 9 month clothes are getting too short. Once again, she totally takes after her father! She loves to walk while you hold her hands. Her one and only word is "hi". She especially loves saying hi to the cat. She also loves to touch the cat's eyes, wiskers and ears, much to the cat's dismay. She also loves to bother the dog, and thinks it's a fun game when we tell her no, the doggy doesn't like his fur pulled. Oh well, it's a running wager to see who will win - Kaia or Berkeley!

House Progress

2008-06-13T12:47:00.010-06:00

Our house is framed! I don't know why, but it almost feels nerve wracking. I guess it means there's no turning back! It's the biggest purchase of our lives! Brian is worried about when he's going to do his wiring because it is indeed moving fast. But hey, the sooner the better! We're excited!

Swimming

2008-06-13T12:43:00.004-06:00

We took Kaia swimming for the first time. She LOVED it. She always loves being outside, so even hanging out on the deck of the pool was fun. But she also loved the water. She would just kick and kick. She even thought it was pretty cool to put her mouth in the water. It was such a fun activity. We'll have to go every week!

Grandma Bolton

2008-06-13T12:37:00.004-06:00

Great Grandma Bolton was in town over Memorial Day weekend. Grandma had to work to hang on to Kaia because she's such a busy body!

We have a basement!

2008-05-26T11:04:00.002-06:00

Our foundation is in -- yea! Our builder told us our house could be done two months from now. We said, we'll believe it when we see it! We're super excited.

This is the view from our backyard. We back a dry creek, which is sweet because there won't be any houses directly behind us. I hated having our neighbors right on top of us. This house will feel as secluded as living in the suburbs can feel -- not very, but better than average!

2008-05-26T11:02:00.001-06:00

Vernal

2008-05-26T10:49:00.003-06:00

We visited all of our friends in Vernal when we came to town for Levi Luck's wedding. We stayed at Jacque and Nat's in their amazing house. Kaia loved playing with Tess (in photo), who started walking while we were there! She also had fun with India, who is the same age as Kaia, and Fred, who is 2, Sam and Kacie's kids.

Grandma Clements

2008-05-05T13:37:00.004-06:00

We visted Grandma and Grandpa Clements on Saturday at their new home in Springville. It was so much fun and Kaia enjoyed being the center of attention, as always. Brian and his dad helped install a new television. Kaia wasn't sure about the loud sounds of the power tools, but Brian's sure his "mini-me" daughter will grow up loving all things electronic!!!

Fun Times!

2008-05-05T13:32:00.005-06:00

OK - I'll brag! It is my blog...

2008-05-05T12:17:00.002-06:00

Deseret News:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695271497,00.html

Tribune:

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9144007?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

My Two Seconds of Fame

2008-04-29T12:13:00.002-06:00

Wow - I guess the newspapers will print anything!!!

New Pics

2008-04-16T11:48:00.006-06:00

Happy baby!

More happy!

Almost crawling....

Pebbles ponytail!

Traitor!

2008-04-03T12:26:00.003-06:00

I recently took a position at Parr Waddoups, a competitor of Jones Waldo, the law firm I was with for seven years. I just needed a change. Obviously it wasn't a huge change - I'm still doing marketing for a law firm. But, it was change enough. I have been at PW for two weeks and I really like it so far. I work for the director of marketing, Nancy, who is fabulous. My hours are part time - only 25 a week. More time with Kaia!!! My commute is exactly the same (PW is one block east of JW) - but I only work four days a week, T-F, for six hours, so it works out great.

Easter!

2008-03-31T15:42:00.010-06:00

Aunts Becca and Sarah

Aunt Angie

Daddy time!

Mikey and Kaia

Cute Photos

2008-03-31T15:20:00.013-06:00

Pepsi time!

Play time!

Fussy time!

Bath time!

Yuck!!

2008-03-31T15:08:00.004-06:00

Here's Kaia eating food about a month ago (yes - I'm way behind). She hated fruits and vegetables!!! She loves cereal, but we tried to move on the real stuff, and it just didn't happen. I'm happy to report we tried a month later, at seven months, and she loves them! Sweet potatoes, peas, you name it. Yeah!!!

Sold!

2008-03-05T09:51:00.005-07:00

Our house is sold! We accepted the offer on Monday. They want us out by March 18! So, according to my calendar, we have less than two weeks to be packed and moved out! We're moving in with my parents while we build our house. It might be somewhat of an adjustment, and my 21-year-old sister might be a bit put off about us invading her pad, but you just can't beat the cost savings, can you?

FOR SALE

2008-02-27T11:29:00.004-07:00

Our house is for sale! Yeah, I know, great timing, with the market in Utah falling. But, if the stars align, and we can sell our house and build a new one just in time for interest rates to bottom out, we're golden. We'll keep our fingers crossed!!!

Check out Kaia eating food!

2008-02-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

Kaia - all grown up

2008-01-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

Kaia's Blessing Day

We blessed Kaia at our home with our most immediate family. It was very nice. Kaia was so good. She loves social settings. She loves large groups of people that give her tons of attention. She's growing up so fast. This photo seems to say it all. She's sitting up all by herself. And her smiles are priceless. She loves being independent - as long as someone's entertaining her!

Kaia

2007-10-24T20:55:00.000-06:00

Announcing Kaia Ann Child. Kaia was born August 26, 2007. She weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces, and was 18 1/2 inches long. She was one day late, but now shares her birthday with her cousin, Caden! She was so alert when she was born. She looked at everyone, immediately following all of the voices in the delivery room with wide eyes. She cried very little at birth. Over the next two nights, the nursery attendants brought her into my hospital room to feed because she was awake, not crying. But when we brought her home she found her appetite and let us know when she was hungry. She slept most of the time for the first two weeks, but she did know the difference between night and day and never awoke for more than two feedings. She quickly cut back to one feeding and now, at eight weeks, she is consistently sleeping eight hours. Wow, I definitely missed uninterrupted sleep!!

What everyone says about Kaia is that she is such a good baby (they also say, don't expect this with subsequent babies). During the day she eats, plays and sleeps very consistantly. She's already holding her head up. She loves to look around - at everything and everyone but her mom!

When she's awake she likes to be doing something. Either jogging in the jogging stroller, vacuuming in the baby carrier, singing songs and playing peek-a-boo. She has the most expressive eyes and mouth. Her eyebrows go up and down and in, sometimes just one at a time. She smiles with her mouth open wide and sometimes with just one corner when she's getting tired.

She loves her binky. It seems to be the only thing that sooths her. She's finding her voice and loves to scream now when she's really hungry. One single scream at a time, like she's listening to herself. She laughs at her dad when he holds her, especially when he is absorbed in his favorite TV show.

Brian and I are so happy to have her in our lives. We think it is so much fun to be parents. We can't wait to make more and more memories with Kaia.