04/13/2008 Dear Diary,

Monday: I usually don't mention Mondays in my journal :,( ---> I think I just made up that emoticon...it's supposed to be a tear drop coming out of a sad eye.

I don't like Mondays because I'm gone for 12 hours and only see Deacon for a few minutes before bed. On the bright side, he gets to hang out with dad all day and they do manly bonding stuff. Last week it was Home Depot, today they worked on the motorcycle. Nathan took these pictures, and since this is his journal too, I uploaded them.

These are the new pipes that UPS delivered. Remember? the ones that were NOT part of the bomb I was building :) Deacon 'helped' install them so Nate's bike is MUCH louder (Nathan says it's more of a "safety" issue so that people hear him and don't pull out in front of him). I think it's more of a testosterone issue.....



Tuesday: We thought we'd see how Deacon does with whole milk.

Got Milk?

Yes. He did manage to get some in his mouth.


We also played a little bit of "dress up." Even though the PJ's I sewed last week were too small for Nathan to wear, they were a perfect shawl for Deacon. To all the babies reading this blog: it's cool to wear your onesie unsnapped and untucked.


Wednesday: Deacon had his one year check-up with the pediatrician. He loved the carnival mirror. He kept doing his Monkey Crawl (on hands & feet) around the waiting and an elderly woman next to me looked slightly horrified when she asked, "is that the way he's always crawled?"


He loved the office toys (just let me keep believing that these are disinfected daily by an attentive staff member).


He liked looking out their window too:


Notice I didn't take any pictures after he had his shots, because it was so sad :, (

Stats:
Weight-24.4 lbs -75%
Length-31.5 in-91%
Head-49.5 cm-80%

Nathan got a birthday coupon from Red Robin. Later that afternoon, we went there to use it and the gift certificate we won last month. Usually, we're the people that order just a main dish----not even drinks! So it was fun to go all out this time on someone else's tab. We even ordered an appetizer and our own desserts.




Thursday: For Deacon's birthday, we took him to the bank to open his first savings account. Thanks Grandma Jo for the opening deposit from Deacon's Easter card!

I had a Mother/Daughter Spring Fling Fashion Show for Achievement Days. It was funny because the girls got to 'design' outfits for their mom using trash bags, ribbons, toilet paper, etc.

While at the bank, the general consensus of the employees was that I was mean to even consider making Deacon a bran muffin for his "birthday treat." So I baked him a cupcake with sugary {pinkÜ} frosting. He seemed to REALLY enjoy it:




Friday: Clifford, Heather, and Corbs came to visit Thursday night. They drove all the way from Idaho to celebrate Nate & Deac's birthdays....or maybe they had a flight to catch Friday morning out of Salt Lake : ) Have fun in AZ this week!

Earlier in the week, I asked Nathan what he wanted for his birthday breakfast. He worked all night Thursday. When he came home, there were pork chops with country gravy, hash browns, eggs, and juice waiting for him.

Later that afternoon, I made Joooooooeeee Zumwalt's famous carrot cake for Nate's b-day. I really think this "2" candle was a pretty good investment for us. We've used it twice a year for the last five years, and Deac will be "2" next year : )

On Saturday we went to Delmer and Dolores Smith's 60th wedding anniversary celebration. Delmer "saved" Nathan's life back in 1993. Nate wasn't where he was supposed to be and ended up getting left at church and had to walk home. It was in the Arizona heat and Delmer convinced Nate's dad to go pick him up Ü We signed the guest book as "Representatives for Richard & Joleen Hunt."

Sunday: I was asked to meet with a member of the bishopric. I already have two callings and I've only been in them for six months, so I didn't know what to expect. I was released as RS Pianist and Achievement Day Leader and called as an advisor to the Mia Maids. He asked if I had any leadership experience in the YW program and I just smiled Ü. I've had a nice break these last two years, so I feel refreshed and ready to start anew.

For dinner, I made some hamburger buns from scratch. Not the best idea when your church gets out at 5pm and it is Fast Sunday. By the time they rose (twice) and were done baking, it was almost 8pm when we were ready to eat.

27 Things I LoVE About Nathan

Happy Birthday Nathan! Here are 27 things I love about you--one for each year Ü. I had a hard time narrowing it down, so you'll just have to live to be a million years old so I can list them all! So, in no particular order....

1) You are a very hard worker.

2) When reading our scriptures, you make funny voices for all the different characters (I especially like the falsetto for Laman & Lemuel).

3) Best Chef Ever!!! You should open a restaurant:


4) You have this spot on your shoulder that is made for my head.

5) When I come to bed late (after reading too many blogsÜ), you let me rub my freezing cold feet against your warm ones.

6) I swear you get funnier the longer we are married.

7) Acqua di Gio......mmmm....mmm....good:


8) You are a great father.

9) You're very hygienic about hand washing & showers, but not in an OCD way.

10) The craftsman skills you learned while remodeling are amazing:
Before


After

11) You are the best at "soft touches" (tickling my arm and neck).

12) You are a safe driver, and you always buckle up:

Ha,ha. Notice anything different about steering wheels down under?

13) We have similar interests, but you have enough quirks to keep it interesting.

14) When we're making a big decision, you won't agree right away (even if you totally agree). Instead, you ask questions to make me defend and prove it's the right decision.

15) I completely trust you to watch Deacon while I'm at work (see #8)

16) You forgave me for "making" you get braces:


17) You are a total handyman (this is different from craftsman knowledgeÜ). If you don't know how to fix it already, you learn quick.

18)You are so frugal--you clip more coupons & bargain shop better than anyone!

19) You support me in my endeavors (motherhood, wifehood, churchhood, workhood and so much morehood):

Trying on my Roadshow outfits to make sure they're functional

20) You don't let me get too bossy (see #14).

21)You married me in the right place,at the right time:


22)You have the best bear hugs that gobble me right up.

23) I'm impressed by your dedication in school:

First day of school. Fall 2003.

24) You "secretly" read our blog.

25) I appreciate that (for now) we split bathroom duties and you clean the toilet & tub.

26) For never having kissed another girl, you're really good at it. Sometimes I think you're tricking me when you say I was the first and only one :)


27) You're humble enough to be totally embarrassed by this list.

Has it REALLY been a year already?!

I know it sounds trite, but I really can't believe it has been a whole year since my baby was born. Here's some pictures of the past year:


First picture ever taken, his hands and feet were so white!


Later that afternoon (looking a lot more tan)


Birth Announcement

May 2007

June 2007

July 2007

August 2007


September 2007

October 2007

November 2007

December 2007

January 2008

February 2008


March 2008


April 2008

04/06/2008 Dear Diary,

Warning: long journal entry Ü

Tuesday:

I had the perfect April Fool's joke for Nathan. His classes were canceled and he was anxious to get his motorcycle registered first thing that morning. I decided to move his bike out of the garage and hide it so he'd think it was stolen. Well, the bike was too heavy and I was afraid of dropping it. So, I thought of a different idea at work.

I've always told Nate that I want to look up the accounts of celebrities who invest with us, but my company has a strict privacy policy (if you promise not to tell, I had one brush with fame when I opened an account for this celebrity). She even sent me some autographed CDs.

Anyway, the joke...I called Nathan from one of the conference rooms (so a strange number showed on his caller ID). I told him I was in the HR office because they did a random audit on all the computers. I told him I was fired---I even managed some tears and sobbing. He was so sweet in consoling me for a few minutes before saying, "This isn't some April Fool's Joke is it?"

It was a quick and simple joke. Nothing like the elaborate hoax that my sister Monica pulled on her husband--->It. Was. Awesome.

Wednesday:

Who takes pictures of their groceries? Not me. Unless I fill two shopping carts and the amount saved reaches triple digits ($156.03). Are 'Case Lot Sales' a Utah thing? Let it be known that Nathan is the Coupon King and also watches the monitor like a hawk when we are rung up because he catches pricing errors on 70% of our transactions. Also, let it be know that it was Heather who inspired us to bulk up our food storage (that, and we watched I Am Legend this week) Ü.

Thursday, or "How To Plant An Herb Garden Day":

On my annual trip to Target, I discovered the $1 section:

You'll need a pot to plant the herbs in. If you happen to have an old crock pot lying around (maybe that isn't working because, I don't know---your husband let your son break it), then that will work too.

You'll just need to poke some holes in the bottom so water can drain out.

Attention! Before using heavy machinery---such as a hammer and nail--always wear safety goggles.....or chemistry goggles. Just make sure you take a black Sharpie and cross out the name of the higher learning institution you borrowed them from before posting a picture.

Warning: do not forget to take off the goggles when answering the door for the UPS man. Otherwise, when he brings that little brown package (with a part for your husband's motorcycle), he will see your goggles and assume he has just delivered the final part necessary to finish building a bomb in your basement. Because face it, NOBODY looks 'normal' in goggles:

Make sure you break the prongs off the cord, so your son doesn't ever try to plug it in. Check back tomorrow for herbs. Just kidding. These aren't my pet Sea Monkeys...they take a little longer to grow!

Friday:

On Friday, Deacon and I went to the hospital to surprise Nathan with some birthday treats. Don't worry, you didn't miss his birthday Ü. It's not until next Friday, but he'll be on the grave shift then and I wanted to make cupcakes for his class....er, I mean co-workers. Plus, I've always wanted to deliver flowers to his work; so this way I could do both!
I took Deacon out of his stroller and he started running down the hall, around the corner, and hid in this alcove. I think he was scared because as soon as I took this picture he burst into tears.

He loves Nate's hospital tag

I'm not very good at taking self-shots, this one's a little LoP sIDed.

Nathan indulges me in a little re-creation of the moment

Saturday:

We watched conference in the morning and then I had to work in the afternoon. Later that night Nathan got a much needed haircut.

Before (Why am I always posting half-nekkid pictures of my husband?)

Nathan pretending to be a tough guy...

...but we know the truth Ü

Like Father, Like Son

On Sunday, we all watched conference. Although SOMEBODY fell asleep...

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

I also sewed some pajama pants. I know, I know...planting a garden, buying food storage, and now sewing my own clothes! Hahahaha. Actually, I bought this material and pattern to make Nathan & I matching PJs....back in September of 2006! I think I bought the "Boy" size, because I made size XL and they turned out too small.

It's Official!

Well, it's official! I just got word that we are moving to.....drumroll....dat duh duh dah.....Las Vegas! Can't wait to be neighbors Matt and Ashley!*

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
(April Fools!)

Why Vegas? Because we just finished our taxes and we owe roughly $1950 more to the State of Utah. That is in addition to the thousand bucks we already paid them! So, I decided that we need to move somewhere in Nevada, because they have no state sales tax. Either that, or we need to have another child ASAP. Which should it be?

Equals

Luckily, we "only" owe $300 for federal. Who are all these people getting giant refunds?!?!?!