Merry Christmas

Our family was very fortunate once again to have another wonderful Christmas. To be honest, the thing that makes it the best (for real) is to have family around to spend it with...my only Christmas wish that i will keep having to wish for is that my entire family can spend it together sometime...but i am grateful to have the ones around me that i do.

Christmas Eve was spent with Mike's mom and his grandparents and Christmas day was spent with my family. This year, mike got an ipod touch and mario kart for the wii. i got a kindle (which is an ipod but for books instead of music) and a swivel sweeper which i have wanted forever! kayhlen got a TON of clothes and some toys and as a family we got our very first flatscreen tv (watch out troy, we're moving up in the world :)) We continue to be very blessed. i love every bit of christmas, from the lights, the music, and the good feelings it brings. i always get sad when it's over :(

i hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and as usual we continue to be forever grateful for the true meaning of Christmas, the celebration of Savior, Jesus Christ.

Waking up on Christmas morning

Nike was thrilled with her santa outfit

New pj's

She loves her new University of Utah balls

The best present i've ever received

Christmas dress

3 Years

It's hard to believe that 3 years ago today, Mike and i sat in the Celestial room of the Salt Lake temple waiting for our sealing to take place. At that moment we looked at each other, smiled, and said "i'll go through with it if you will"...obviously, we did go through with it. in many ways it feels like it was just yesterday and in other ways it already feels like it's been eternity. we have had our ups and our downs, like every marriage does, but the good times far outweigh the bad. unfortunately, we are unable to do anything today as far as celebration goes because mike has been and continues to be plowing the freaking snow (have i mentioned how much i hate the winters in utah) practically 24 hours a day. he has hardly slept in the last 10 days and so i was shocked when he came home this morning (after being out for 30 straight hours) with flowers for me. i am forever grateful for the man that i married. he is the only man, and i know my family would agree, that can put up with me for eternity. he would give anything and do anything just to make me happy, including letting me win all of our arguments :) i love him in so many ways and i'm so grateful to have him forever.

Utah vs BYU football game

Engagement picture

Mesa, AZ temple

San Francisco

Uncle Steve's house

I Did It

For the first time in my life, i can say that i have truly heard all of the conference talks from this last October session. I have been reading atleast one talk almost every night since we got the Ensign and last night i finished it. i have never gotten too much out of conference because i have a really hard time paying attention for that long, but i gotta say...i really enjoyed reading the talks. there were several nights when i was actually excited to go to bed so that i could read a talk. i was uplifted through the process and plan to continue reading them now for the rest of my life.

Bath Toys are Fun

Playing with Riley

Sunday was our traditional "gingerbread house" night that we do every year. Kayhlen enjoyed the icing but didn't quite grasp the concept :) Mike did make a house and did a fantastic job. I didn't get any pictures because i was doing video the whole time but it was fun. It was also great because Ron, Lori, Lacey, and Riley joined us as well (they are so good about giving us time to see Riley, Kiley's birth son). Even though Kayhlen is 6 weeks older than Riley, you wouldn't know it by looking at them because he is a tank. They were already stealing toys back and forth from each other, but thankfully neither one of them is to the stage where they really care yet. He is a cutie.




My girl knows what she wants and goes and gets it :)

Standing All the Time

Kayhlen is now a 100% standing girl. She stands up at every chance whether it be using her crib, the couch, or her favorite, my leg. She will for sure be walking before we know it.

This is funny

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/1RAFns9JibSgtBcmdfbp

Does he actually listen?

Mike is the type of personality that he feels like he needs to be doing something at all times...he's rarely able to relax or take a nap (unlike, um....me). Since the snow has yet to fall out here and he's not in school until January, he's had some time on his hands. The other day he was fidgeting and i could tell he was getting antsie (no idea how to spell that) and so i said (completely joking of course), "Mike, if you're bored i have a lot of things you could do" "Like what?" "Well, the bathrooms really need to be cleaned"...and then that was the end of that conversation. Lo and behold, however an hour later i found him like this:





Guess he was REALLY bored!

Took Me a Minute

So I was just going through the few videos on my flip camera and I came across this one. I watched it and kept thinking..."i don't remember doing this"..."i usually take Kayhlen's shirt off when i feed her, why didn't i take it off?" After watching it about 3 different times i finally realized that the voice you hear is not mine, it is actually my sister, Kiley. She must have done this while she was babysitting the other day. The funny thing is that people have a tendancy to mix the two of us up when they see us which we've always thought was ridiculous...i guess i don't have any room to talk any more since i can't even tell our voices apart.

We are silly

Christmas Time

Here is Kayhlen putting up her first ornament.

My Life is Complete

A while back, I blogged about the fact that Uconn was coming out to play BYU. It's been a dream of mine to see Uconn play in person since I became a "somewhat obsessed" fan about 10 years ago. Two times I have had tickets to games, and 2 times due to blizzards I wasn't able to go. This time, however, nothing was going to stop me. Just seeing them play in person is on my list of 10 things to do before I die. Imagine how I felt when the morning of the game I got a call inviting me to go to their shootaround practice and meet the team. My heart started pounding, my hands started sweating and my face turned beet red and stayed that way for several hours. My wonderfully thoughtful cousin, Kara, who is the coach of the Utah Sky team had arranged to go and she thought of me and my "obsession" and invited me to come. I got the call 1/2 hour before practice started and I had just finished working out for the morning and was getting ready to feed Kayhlen. I had to get down there in a jiffy (thanks Carrie for taking Kayhlen) and I certainly wasn't looking the way I would have liked :) but I didn't care!!!!! This really was a once in a lifetime opportunity. So many people would've killed to have been in my shoes. Thanks again to Kara. It was the third best day of my life!!!! (#1 wedding, #2 Kayhlen)

Tina Charles (All American) and Maya Moore (only the best player in the nation)

The man himself...the grin on my face says it all...i can't believe Geno Auriemma has his arm around me!!!

Geno Auriemma, Kalana Green, Tina Charles, Shea Ralph, Renee Montgomery, and Maya Moore...not too shabby for Jodi

The #1 team in the nation

#1 coaching staff in the nation (all 4 of them are LEGENDS)

Does BYU know they're about to get tranced on?

Told ya (the sad part is the Uconn looked pretty bad throughout)

The future #1 fan

Carlie and Ayla

48-24 Go Utes!!

The Cougars have had our number the last couple of years, but there was no way they were coming out with this one. The Utes have had a phenominal season and will be headed to a BCS bowl game. All I heard all week at work was how Max Hall was easily the dominant quarterback out of the two, so I just had to post these numbers.

C/ATT YDS TD INT
21/41 205 0 5

C/ATT YDS TD INT

30/36 303 4 0

Oh, those numbers don't include Max's fumble as well as 6 tipped passes...but who's counting really? It was a great game and a lot of fun to watch...if you're a UTE fan!!!

Is this prison?

Apparently we lowered the mattress in her crib just in time because this is what I found when I went in this morning.

Yes, she was crying

Already!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Oh boy, our lives/house are about to change.

Baby Tag

1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant?
At home
2- Who was with you?
No one, all by my lonesome
3- How did you find out that you were pregnant?
Home prego test
4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant?
A little disbelief…hence the fact that I took 3 tests just to be sure
6- Who was the first person you told?
Well, I’d like to say that it was my husband, but it was actually Michelle because we had been talking so much about it that I just had to call her…plus I wanted to tell Mike in person so I had to wait until he got home
7-Did you plan to get pregnant?
Sort of…not preventing but not “trying” if you know what I mean J
8-Was everybody happy for you?
Well, let’s see…Mike’s an only child so this is the first and only grandchild for them…I think it’s safe to say they were excited. And my mom has been counting down the days until I would have children because a long time ago she put a curse on me that my kids would be as rotten as I was as a kid…so I think my family was pretty stoked as well
9- Did you go out and celebrate?
That night we went out and bought “the book” What to expect when you’re expecting
10- Did you want to find out the sex?
Absolutely…I can’t imagine having to do all the shopping and everything after the fact
11- What was the sex?
Shockingly, a girl…I asked them several times if they were sure because I just had “known” that it was a boy…to the point that I had already bought a lot of boy stuff
12-Did anyone throw you a baby shower?
Yes
13- If yes, who?
My office had one for me and my sisters/mom had one for me
14- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going to put on your baby?
Yes
15- How much weight did you gain?
When it was all said and done I gained about 55 pounds…20 of those came literally in the last month
16- Did you lose all of the weight that you gained?
I still have about 10 pounds of pregnancy weight to lose
17- Did you get a lot of stretch marks?
I didn’t think so at the time but now in the aftermath I have quite a few on my inner legs
18- What did you crave the most?
Not so much cravings but was absolutely REPULSED by even the thought of Café Rio…still haven’t been back since
19- Did you crave anything crazy?
20- Who or what got on your nerves the most?
Um, the nausea got on my nerves A LOT…I had a rough first few months…and having to get out of bed every day and go into work got on my nerves A LOT
21- Were you married at the time?
Yes
22- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy?
High blood pressure which caused me to have to spend hours doing those freaking stress tests and keeping track of my pee which was really annoying because you have to keep it refrigerated and when your fridge is downstairs and your bathroom is upstairs it’s not fun (oh, and having to take it to work and keep it in the fridge there was REALLY fun)
23- Where were you when you went into labor?
The hospital…I was induced after 4 days past my due date
24- Did your water break?
Yes, after they stuck the rod up me and popped it is that too much info?
25- Who drove you to the hospital?
I drove myself and Mike met me there because I was going in just for an appointment and then because I was late and my blood pressure was high they sent me over for a stress test in which they found that Kayhlen’s heart rate kept dropping so they just decided to induce me then instead of my scheduled one which was still 3 days away
26- Did you go early or late?
4 days late
27- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth?
Mike, my sent from heaven nurse and the doctor
28- Was it video taped?
Never in my life
29- Did you have any drugs for the pain?
Um, yes, I am sane so you better believe I had that epidural
30-Did you go Natural or have a c-section?Natural
31- What was your first reaction after giving birth?
I started bawling…mostly I think from exhaustion. There’s just no way to truly describe in words that experience…it’s emotionally and physically overwhelming
32- How big was the baby(s)?
6 lbs 13 oz
33- Did your Husband cry?
I don’t think so but he was pretty subdued…I think he was thinking “what did I get myself into?”
34- What did you name the baby(s)?
Kayhlen Melissa Lee
37- Did the baby(s) have any complications?
She was not breathing properly when she was born and wasn’t crying either…they pretty immediately took her down to the nicu and Mike went with her where they poked and prodded and basically “jump started” her lungs. They brought her back to me about an hour later and she was fine after that. I was emotional enough without that happening but that really set me over the edge J Mike says it’s a good thing I wasn’t there to see all the stuff they did to her.
38- How old is your baby today?
6 ½ months
39- When is the next one(s) coming?
Um, it depends on who you ask
40-If you could, would you do it all over again?
You better believe it

TAG: Rhonda, Michelle, Marianne

Election Tuesday

In a few hours Mike and I will be walking over to the local elementary school to cast our vote for what I refer to really as the "lesser of two evils". I have never posted anything political and rarely talk about it because it tends to "set me off" if you will :) Yesterday, while sitting at work a bunch of the guys that sit around me were doing their daily political rant which consists of nonstop chatter about a certain candidate that they almost revere as a God. I in no way whatsover agree with their feelings and after listening to it daily for about 2 months, i finally kinda hit a breaking point yesterday. They are entitled to their opinions but i was so sick of hearing it that i quickly walked out to my car to get my Ipod and headphones. While i was walking all i could think about in my head was "are you kidding me...how can you feel like that...this person supports all these things that are just not moral to me" Anyway, as i was thinking about that i also started thinking about all the other things that are surrounding us right now...the economy, what's going on in California, the wars, the safety of our children, ect. When you think about it all at once, it can be really overwhelming and that's what started happening to me. And then it hit me. We all know that these are the last days. We all know that the scriptures tell us that things are only going to get worse. While i hope that the election goes the way i want it to, i don't really think that it will (and even if it did...it's not like i LOVE that candidate). If ever there were a time when we needed to "get our houses in order" and "cling to our faith" it is now. I, personally, have more areas that i need to work on than most, but one thing i do have is a testimony. While things in the world seem hopeless...We must continue to stand apart from it and cling to the things that we know...the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is in our testimonies that we can find the only hope there is.

She is so close!

Watch her face right as I open the door

Trick or Treat

Today was Kayhlen's first Halloween. She was a chili pepper. Obviously, since she doesn't understand what's going on she didn't get too into it, but she still looked absolutely adorable. We just walked around with my nieces like i do every year.



Pj's

Our chili pepper

She looks like a slug






Nike (a hot dog), Avrie (Snow White), Kenadie (a monkey), Baylie (a ghost) and Kayhlen

Vegas

Mike had a boys getaway trip to Vegas for the weekend. He wanted to make sure that i had something nice so i got flowers while at work on both Monday and Thursday. He also hit the Nike outlet down there and brought both me and Kayhlen some good stuff.

Shots

While giving Kayhlen a bath I noticed a bruise on her thigh. This is the first bruise she's really ever had and so i was trying to figure out where it came from. As i looked closer i noticed the 3 tiny white dots and realized it was from her shots...three in that leg and three in the other. Poor girl :(

Our Family

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

6 Months

Kayhlen is now six months old. I can't believe that it's been six months since i screamed in that delivery room :) She had her 6 month check up today and here's how she is measuring out:

Length 26 1/4 75%

Weight 14lbs 4 oz 25%
Head 42 1/4 50%

What's wierd about Kayhlen is that she seems to be bypassing the "sitting up stage" and going straight for the crawling. She has now taken a very distinct crawl on a couple different of occassions. She is constantly up on her toes with her bum in the air like a bear. We don't think it will be much longer at all before she is crawling. I also started her on vegetables today. She seemed to love her carrots so that is good. I would have gotten it on video but Mike wasn't home so i couldn't. oh well, i'll get it when i can.

Fall Family Pictures

I asked Kiley to take some family pictures of us since we need a good one. Kayhlen did AMAZING throughout the whole thing and always seemed to be happy and smiling. Unfortunately, i can't say the same for Mike :) He has a tendancy to close his eyes or make really wierd faces during pictures. Oh well, atleast we got a couple good shots out of the 100 that were taken. This was up American Fork Canyon.