The Birches

Halloween

2011-11-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

Living on campus has a lot of benefits. Every Halloween the area office puts together a ton of Halloween activties for families living on campus. We didn't end up going to most of them because we have a tendancy to forget, but we did make it trick or treating. The area doens't encourage kids to go to every door in our 39 building complex so they ask one of the girl dorms to hand out candy that they give to them. For a two year old this is great, he doesn't have to get in and out of the car a million times and he doesn't have to walk far to get more candy. So at about 5 we walked over to the dorm it was at and walked up to the 6th floor. (we didn't feel like going up to the 7th), You just walk up and down the hallway and trick or treat at doors that have a sign on them. It was awesome, the girls were great and were so sweet and Shayne loves to talk to everyone so it worked out well. He wouldn't say trick or treat but he would say thank you, which everyone loved. I even made his costume and I am very proud of that!

the craft my ward did for our activity ( I was in charge)

Shayne eating candy and running away from the camera

Side view so you can see the tail

Summer

2011-10-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

So, I have been really lazy at blogging. So let me know inform you about the rest of my summer. July was fun and super busy. I spent the first part at my parents because it was the 4th of July and then my birthday on the 9th. For my birthday I hung out with my family and went to lunch with them then headed back to Logan because Don was not on a fire. For the next week Don still wasn't on a fire which was nice but he was slightly grumpy because they weren't on a fire yet. Then over Pioneer weekend I spent some time in Bern with Don's family watching Star Treck and finally went and saw the Harry Potter movie. It was nice but I got a call on Saturday from Don saying he was headed home so we quickly packed up and headed to Logan to meet him.

Pool Party with some friends, He really enjoyed the ice cream

The 30th we went to Pocatello to have a birthday party for my nephew Carter at Lava Hot Springs. It was so much fun and Shayne loved it. Unfortunatly it was chilly, but the pool was nice and warm so all of us just hung out in the water to keep warm. Don that day left for Nevada for two weeks.
August was busy, my mom had a tumor removed from her brain the 11th. Shayne and I went down to the hospital in Salt Lake to visit her and see my dad. Shayne was really concerned with why Nana was sick and didn't like to leave her in the hospital. It was really cute. Of course with all of this going on my mom (who was chairman for the family reunion this year) couldn't fullfill her duties and I got to take them on. It wasn't hard and wasn't a big deal. The reunion went great. The day before my sister Crystal and I decided to meet at the Lake to have some fun in the sun. It was great. The water was just about perfect (although it was super high levels) Then went to the condo to eat and hang out. The rest of my sisters didn't get there until 10 but that didn't stop us from hanging out and staying up way too late.

Then Don got home the 28th (our anniversary and the day before he started school) and it was back to school and life hasn't slowed down yet!

June

2011-07-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Apparently summer goes very quickly when you are only home for a week at a time. With Don on fires again Shayne and I have been doing some traveling. We spent some time in Rupert with my parents in May and then in June we decided to go see family in Boise. Boise has to be one of my favorite cities. There is so much to do there, I love it. We drove to Rupert on Saturday before Father's Day so we could spend time with my dad. Then Sunday afternoon we drove on to Boise to spend the next couple of days with Don's twin Tim and his girlfriend Christine. We played in the pool, made great food, and just hang out. Shayne started to call Tim: Dadda. Which was hard to explain to him that it wasn't Dadda, they are identical and to a little boy who wants to see his dad it didn't matter. On Tuesday we went to Zoo Boise with Tim, Christine, my sister Caitlin, and her daughter Catherine. I of course forgot my camera but Caitlin took some pictures on her phone. (HINT HINT, Caiti) It was really cool and have a lot more animals than I expected. There was tigers, bears, monkeys, lions, zebras (which Caitlin prounanced zeb-ras not zeeb-ras the entire time), hyenas, giraffes, african porcupines, leapards, and just about anything else a zoo in Idaho might have. Tim and Christine left after about an hour but I kept dragging Caitlin around to see the rest of the zoo. Shayne even got a lime green monkey out of it. After two and a half hours we finally went back to Caitlin and Scotts apartment so the kiddies could sleep.

The next day I convinced Caitlin that we should go swimming... it was supposed to reach 90 in Boise so it was a good idea. Except by the time we got the kids ready and us ready Catherine fell asleep. So we had to find a way to shade her so she could sleep. Shayne was not a fan of the water and would scream any time it touched his belly. But he did learn than if he threw his baby we would go get it. We then got out and showered so we could have a picnic before Scott had to go to work. We went to Julia Davis park and had good picnic food, then Caitlin and I walked the kids around the rose garden. Shayne liked the gazebo. Then we went shopping becasue I wanted some shoes from REI and Caitlin needed to stop at Target. By now this is the third day in a row I was at REI because Don isn't available during the day and had something else for me to pick up. Thursday Caitlin and I headed back to Rupert because she needed to take some tests and I was headed back anyway. So I took the kids while she took a test. By the way, two kids under two in a park is not fun. Especailly when they decide they need to have messy diapers.

The next day in Rupert, we called over to my sister Heather's and invited her two boys to come swim with Shayne in the back yard. It was a little cold but who cares when you are allowed to play in water. But after a little bit they were all shivering and wanted to be held. It was a fun trip and I enjoyed being in Boise for a couple of day, even if I didn't get done everything I wanted to.

Easter

2011-05-31T12:18:00.001-07:00

Well the semester is coming to an end and that means Don sends me to my parents house to visit so he can study. It so happens that this year Don didn't have any final test but instead had final projects all due the weekend before Finals week. It happens to be that it also fell on Easter weekend that I needed to be gone. So for the first time since I've been married I actually spent Easter with my family. It was great. All of the girls in my family made it to my parents that weekend and we had a great time hanging out and playing with the kids. We had WAY too much candy. We had a family egg hunt in the back yard and all the kids got plenty of eggs. Shayne had a great time. He apparently really like yellow eggs because most of his basket was filled with those. We ended up having both Ham and Turkey for dinner, and spent a good 15 minutes arranging the seating because we had to fit a lot of people around the table and a lot of little kids that had to be next to parents. Hahaha we even had to make place cards so we could remember, it took a lot of brain power to pull it off. But it all worked out in the end and we had a wonderful day. I spent the next couple days there to let Don get some projects done and enjoyed my time there.

Robie Creek

2011-05-31T12:18:00.000-07:00

It is that time again. This is the third year in a row that Don and his brother Tim and Tim's girlfriend Christine have ran Robie Creek. The goal this year was to make it under the 2 hour mark. Christine had the splits all worked out and knew, based on years past experience, what was needed to make it. (Note: the course is a hill, you run up and then you run down. All three of them complain about the downhill because of the pressure on their knees, it makes the downhill slower) Don figures about 130 people pass him on the downhill. Christine calculated what time she needed to be at when she hit the top so she could take the downhill in her pace. Christine did really well and made it under two hours by several minutes. Don finished in 2:00:15, they hit the top within a minute of each other. I can honestly say the only reason pushed it on the downhill was because of Christine's calculations. Tim came in a couple minutes later about the same time as the last two years.And the worst thing is I missed Don coming in! There is a lot of people that run this race but still its no excuse. He had to come and find me at the end of the race. Then while everyone was relaxing and eating, Christine ran the course back to the start finishing in 2 1/2 hours. Crazy! It was so much fun and it was great to cheer them all on. I love to watch races, I blame my brother! Everyone every year asks me why I am not running it. I watch them all run it and how they act afterwards and how Don is for the next couple days and I can honestly say I have no desire to do that to myself. This year Shayne stayed with Don's parents and had a great time in Bern, and I got to enjoy the race without tantrums, tears, and a tired toddler. It was nice to get home and have him home. Not that he even noticed.

Montana

2011-03-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last week was spring break for Donovan and we decided to take a trip to Missoula to check out the graduate program there and see his sister. We left Tuesday and stopped in Pocatello and saw the newest addition to the family. My younger sister Caitlin had her baby on Monday and was home Tuesday and we got to see her adorable little girl Catherine Belle. We then drove through some of the night while Shayne was asleep in the car and made it to Butte, MT. We really should have stopped in Dillon because Shayne woke up about then, but oh well. Wednesday we slept in and took our time getting ready then headed to Missoula. We got into town about noon and decided to do a little shopping (yay for new running shoes!) Stopped at the Iron Horse Pub for lunch and went looking for Fire boots for Don. We finally found a store that carried them and as we were getting out of the car Shayne stuck his hand under the car and touched the brake drum. We did a little shopping before he was just beyond upset about his hand.

Thursday Don had a meeting with some professors, Shayne and I wandered around campus and a couple of buildings waiting for him. Don was supposed to have a campus tour at 11 but his meetings went late and so missed the tour. We decided to go and find food and have lunch with Sami, (she works on campus). Don found out how to get to the boot shop he needed to so we went and finally found him some boots.(LOTS of one way streets and no left turns) 15 minutes later and he had the shoes he needs for the summer fire season.

Friday we decided to do something for Shayne because he really hadn't had any fun. We went to the Children's museum in Downtown and played for several hours then took him to the indoor carousel and took a ride on the authentic carousel. Shayne absolutely loved it! We wanted to be in Idaho Falls that night because we were having a party for Toni Saturday, so we made the long drive that afternoon. Shayne had movies and took a nap but by the end we was so bored he kept putting his hands over his ears. Sorry, I forgot my camera in the car and so we only have a couple pictures and they are on the phone.

Saturday Don, Tim, and Christine went for a long run...(gross). Then at noon we got Toni over to Rachel's parents house to have a party. For the first time in a very long time they had all of the Family together. We had good food and lots of chocolate! Then we took a trip to St. Anthony to see Grandma Birch. We decided to head towards home then. We needed to stop in Pocatello and see my sisters and get Shayne ready for bed. Then took the last leg of our trip. It was a very long trip and lots of driving but it was worth it.

15 months

2011-02-08T21:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Shayne had his 15 month check-up. He now weighs 20.69 lbs - 6th percentile, is 30.5 inches tall - 30th percentile, and has a head circumference of 18 inches - 15th percentile. So basically he is a lightweight. He started out as such a big baby that when he dropped percentiles the doctor was concerned but he is now retaining his current size on the charts. He is also at or above developmentally. He talks constantly and is understandable about 10% of the time. But that doesn't stop him from talking. He has recently learned how to climb onto the kitchen table and how to get to things above his reach. I caught him pulling a book off the top shelf of his armioure, he pulled his ride along car infront of it pulled out the top drawer and used that to get to the top shelf.He is really scary. It is nice when he played quietly by himself but I can always tell when he is up to something because it gets really quiet. And that been happening more and more often now.
He is becoming used to the little boy I babysit during the week. They are funny together and Shayne is my big helper. He always wants to put the pacifier in the little guys mouth and give him toys. Unfortunately that doesn't always work, Shayne lacks the depth perception and knowledge of strength to be actually helpful. He always ends up making the baby cry because he has been hit in the face, stepped on, or the pacifier shoved in his eye. But he always tries.

Triathlon

2011-01-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a busy one. Friday Don took the GRE and don't ask me how it went all I get is a shrug and the comment "I don't know". We'll see when he gets his results. Then Saturday the Athletic department does an indoor triathlon and it's not very big and not very long. So Saturday we got up and picked up our bountiful basket and then hurried to sign up for the race. Then Don went to get ready and I ran home to get the camera. Because we need proof that he did this.

Don is the second person from the bottom. A little late start but it turned out okay. 7 lap swim

Drying off to run across the street to do the rest of the race.

On the far side. 4 mile bike

Good form. Mile and a half run

Shayne and Daddy afterward. Don came in 14th with a time of 38 min total.
He really enjoyed doing it and gave him a chance to see where he stands.

Catch up

2011-01-12T14:24:00.000-08:00

He looks just like Don as a little kid. Its so cute.

So I'm a little behind on posting...great way to start out the new year. Our Christmas break was great. Don finished classes mid December and then we spent the next week working and playing and getting the last of Christmas items done. For Christmas we went to Bern to spend it with Don's family. It was great, and Shayne loved all the attention. A couple of Don's siblings were already there when we arrived and we spent some time making lots of treats. I got my first taste of candied orange peals and taught Rissa how to make pie crust. She made a Pecan pie, which was delicious. Christmas Eve came and Tim and Christine showed up in time for dinner which is quite the event at the Birch house. Traditionally they have summer sausage, cheese, crackers, and cheese balls. It ended up being a huge banquet and we ate leftovers of that for days.

Christmas Eve getting ready for bed.

Christmas day was exciting. We got up and had cereal and donuts then opened presents. Shayne loved it but was confused because as soon as he opened one and wanted to play with it we had to take it away so he could open more. We played with the new toys and then started making dinner. Christine made us Yorkshire pudding, a traditional English dish, and we had lots of other good food. We played for the next couple day and enjoyed all of our time there.

Uncle Tim listening to Shayne's heartbeat with the toy doctor instruments

Greg and Don playing with their new toys.

On a snowmobile ride. I also saw a Moose one day and we went back to get a picture and couldn't find her.

Decorating Gingerbread people. My German Gingerbread couple.

Monday Nick and Rachel showed up and we spent a couple hours hanging out with them before we needed to get home before a storm hit. It was cute to watch Shayne play with his cousins and was taught some very inconvienent things. He learned to climb on everything and get on the bed and then how to jump on the bed. At one point he was trailing behind Robbie holding the back of his shirt. It was too cute.

We spent a couple days at home and then went to my parents house for New Year's Eve. It was a lot of fun and was good to spend some time with my family and work on some craft projects. I made a shirt with my mom and worked on the invitations for my sisters baby shower.

We came back on Monday and worked on some more projects around the house. (I finally got a shelf over my washer for storage) We spent the rest of the week doing more projects and Don went up the the cabin he's been working on. All in all it was a good (and busy) break.

Now school is back in and everything has settled down. Don is already busy and I've started babysitting. Its a little boy who is 5 months old and is so cute. Shayne is adjusting and not sure if he likes the new arrangement. But he'll get used to it.

No he doesn't have a bloody nose its frosting.

Little bit of everything

2010-12-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

Shayne playing with the kitty.

Life gets so busy this time of year. Between traveling, shopping, finals, and everything else that comes up it seems like we run out of time. Thanksgiving was spent at my parents and Don and I both had projects to do while we were there. I needed my mom's help with some Christmas presents I was making and Don made a toy chest for Shayne. And of course there was the weather... it was so cold, it made working in the garage hard. On our way back home it took 4 1/2 hours to make a normally 2 hour trip! It was a long day.

For the Forestry club this time of year means Christmas Tree sales. Unfortunately, they weren't able to make it up to Evanston, WY to get their normal trees. They traveled down to Layton and ended up buying ones from a tree farm so they didn't have near as many and didn't make a lot of money. Since Don is in the forestry club we always get first pick of trees. This year we had to put our tree up on a table because Shayne is into everything.

Finals have come and they were crazy this year. Don had several research papers due on top of finals. His finals took two days but had 3 tests and 3 papers due. It was not very fun for Don. Every finals week Don sends me and Shayne to my parents house so he can study and not worry about us being alone. It was great to spend a week with my family right before Christmas since we wont be spending Christmas there. I also got to finish all of my Christmas there without Don around.

I convinced my mom and sisters to do a Mary Kay party for me so I could get some practice. This is the results

Shayne loves his push car. If only he could go forward...

I really enjoy Christmas, but one thing I love about Christmas is the baking and treats. I especially love to bake for other people because then I don't feel obligated to eat whatever I bake. While at my parents I made a special treat for them, and since the majority of those there are gluten free I was limited on what I could make. But there is always something. Since Rice Krispy Treats are gluten free (just in case you ever wanted to know) I decided to make it festive.

Excited!

2010-11-18T13:00:00.000-08:00

Can I just say how excited I am for the holiday season! I love this time of year and all the wonderful things that go on. I know that this isn't Shayne's first Thanksgiving or Christmas but he was so little then. Now he is walking and exploring and getting into all sorts of stuff. Last year he slept a lot. So this is going to be so much fun! I love, love, love thanksgiving, I have my parents to thank for that. My parents always made sure thanksgiving wasn't overshadowed by Christmas. We weren't allowed to put up decorations, play Christmas music, or any thing related until after Thanksgiving. I remember several years of irritating my dad with the little things we could get away with before Thanksgiving. My sisters and I all play piano and you have to start practicing the songs for the Christmas recital in late September. So, we always got to play Christmas songs before Thanksgiving but it turned out to be a catch 22, by the time got around to actually wanting to play Christmas songs we were sick of them because we had to practice them all the time. (or at least I did) Takes the joy out of things. But for my family, Dad especially, thanksgiving is important because all it is about is being thankful and being with family. It's not commercialized and annoying, it is just about the important things. I am so thankful for my family and for all that I have in my life.

My baby is one

2010-11-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

Shayne turned one on Saturday! Holy moly where has the time gone? We had a party for Shayne at the local zoo here in Logan. Don's parents, My parents, Crystal and Danny, Caitlin, Jennifer, Hallie, Carter, Wesley, Topher and Leska all showed up and had a lunch with us then went to to zoo. It was tons of fun. The weather was perfect (for November 6th). Shayne had a cookie monster cake and it turned out great.

Shayne wandering around while we were getting ready. He loves to walk and is always getting away from me.

Shayne got lots of toys and was intermittently interested in opening them. Here he is opening a truck from Aunt Heather, Uncle Kyle, Wesley, and Jonathen. He loves to play with the truck (it makes lots of noise).

Carter snuck off with the mega block truck and ball. Shayne went over after he opened all his presents to play with him.

After lunch was done and presents opened we went to the zoo. The kids had lots of fun and loved feeding the ducks and seeing all the animals.

It was so nice for us that as many people as could came to celebrate with us. We were really lucky the weather held out for us. It is snowing as I post this!

Halloween

2010-11-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

I'm running a little behind on my posts. Halloween was tons of fun. Don was out of town so I went to Rupert and went trick-or-treating with my sister and her family. We only went to 6 houses but we did get a lot of candy. Shayne was a monkey and was super cute. I was glad to be there because taking a one year old trick-or-treating is pointless and I didn't want the candy but it was good to show off his cute costume.

Before Don left we carved pumpkins. Shayne at first was unsure of the goop we were pulling out and then he tried to eat it. (gross) Don and I had a competition to with our pumpkin. I made a vampire and he did a classic design. Shayne kept on trying to eat the pumpkins, it was too cute.

Tagged

2010-10-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking on these questions since Crystal posted them last week. They are surprisingly difficult despite their seemingly easy appearance.
1.Who is someone who has been very influential in your life and why?

Well as anyone could guess, my daddy. He always pushed me to be the best I could be in everything, and as long as I did my best that was good enough. He also told me I could be whatever I wanted to be and to never be held back by stereotypes. Also my husband Don. He is always pushing me to be better in all things. He makes my life better everyday by pushing me to do those things I don't want to do but should. And having the courage to do hard things even if you fail.

2.What is one of your most embarrassing moments? (I know we all used to love sitting around and telling these stories in high school)
Oh, but I have so many, how will I ever choose. I guess it stems from the fact that I am easily embaraased and I tend to talk too much. This seems silly now but I got embarrassed. In the 7th grade I was fighting with Greg Christiansen and he stabbed me with my pen (that he stole) and had to go down to the office to get patched up and all the girls where freaking out and put me at the center of attention. I hated it. There is also the many many times I have tripped and fallen over or mixed up my words while speaking in front of large groups. (I've gotten better).

3. What is your favorite book, why?
Elle Enchanted. I first read it in the 5th grade and it is book that really got me started reading. I love it, it is a twist on the cinderella story and is just such a sweet story. I even have it on audiobook and am on my second copy of it. That is how much I love it.

4. What is something you swore you would never do before you became a mom and now *gasp* you do?

My son is still fairly young and I am sure there are many more things I swore I would never do. I *gasp* get upset and frustrated for no good reason with my son. I swore I would never do that, but patience is a never ending battle with a 11 month old boy.

5. What is YOUR guilty pleasure (I had to tell mine, now you all have to share)?
Reading-when there is work to be done!
Staying up late to read and then sleeping late the next morning (Don hates this)

6. I find smells bring back memories - What is one of your nostalgic smells?

Coffee, I love the smell of it and it always reminds me of being young and my dad's coffee in the morning.
Sagebrush, especially right after a good rain. growing up in the mini-cassia there is a lot of sagebrush and not much of anything else.
Fresh cut fields or grass also

7. We all have miracles in our lives, whether big or small - what are your miracle(s)?
Shayne, He really is a miracle. In one day he can show me how to love and be patient, then frustrate me beyond words and test my sanity.

8. Since we have building on the brain, what does your dream house look like, and where would it be?
I am still deciding. I love love love the Victorian style with the turrets and brick and lots of stories and rooms with interesting windows and a large porch. But I also like the Cape Cod style with dormers and painted white with a large porch that wraps around and has the eaves painted a contrasting color. Basically it will have a good porch and hard wood floors, that is all I have absolutely decided on.

There you go Crys.

Salmon

2010-09-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

Sept 18 was the Salmon marathon and half marathon. Christine (Tim's girlfriend) was doing the full marathon and we told her we would be there so Don figured he might as well run in the half. He only had 3 weeks of training but he did really well. He finished with a time of 1:48 and came in 5th overall and 1st in his age group. Go DON!!! We had a ton of fun with family and enjoyed the time there. Unfortunately we had a 5 hour drive both ways, poor Shayne, he was miserable by the time we got home.

Christine finishing her race at 3:48!

The group minus Sami

Well as soon as we got home I started with some strange symptoms and turned out to be...... HAND, FOOT, AND MOUTH DISEASE!!!

I know I know so weird. But apparently it does happen, not very often, but it can. Mostly children get it and normally can't tell you how much pain they are in. Let me tell you, it is painful! So very very painful. I've got blisters on my fingers, feet, and inside my mouth. It hurts to walk and to use my hands at all. I should be better in 3-5 days, so here's hoping!

2010-09-20T20:47:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted. Don is in school and busy with school. Don went on a field trip the second weekend of school so Shayne and I went to hang out with almost all my family and watch Uncle Danny compete in a triathlon. It was a fun weekend and Shayne loved all the attention. He also loves to play with his cousins. But mostly he just crawled everywhere he could because he had so much space to roam.

Shayne had his first taste of jello. He loved the squishy red jello and played with it constantly. He didn't actually eat very much.

He gets so funny sometimes. He loves the camera a takes pictures well. He loves to point at everything and jabbers all the time at me. He loves to say Dada and cries when Don leaves.

Shayne

2010-08-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

He is getting such a fun personality and it is great to watch him learn things and be a big boy. This is his "So Big" pose. He also waves now and shakes his head at everything.

I'm not sure how he got back there because its a tight squeeze through there but he did it. And all for the elephant he wanted to suck on. How he didn't smack his head I may never know but he didn't cry so I had to go find him after not seeing him for a couple minutes.

Shayne got a hold of a couple PEZ dispensers... Like father like son. Don collects PEZ and to keep Shayne busy while I was cleaning he got to play with some. He loves them. They are brightly colored and he can pull on their heads. What more could little boy want?

Busy Busy

2010-08-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

We have been buys lately. Don has been gone on another fire and so Shayne and I have been getting everything together for school to start. A couple weeks ago was the Crane reunion and Crystal, Danny & family , Caiti, Scott, Jenn, Mom, Dad and Wesley were all there. The reunion was the same as always and after wards we all headed down to the lake to play in the sun. It was so much fun, we had a gorgeous day for it and the water was pleasant. Shayne loved playing in the mud in the shallows and was just covered in mud. He thought it was a game to crawl away from me. After we went to the Ranch Hand and ate some really bad-for-you food. Shayne loved all the attention and was so worn out after wards.

Shayne and I have been just us for the last couple weeks but he is loving it. He is really getting into the crawling and roams the apartment all day. Shayne loves to play with anything he thinks he isn't supposed to be playing with. I was putting groceries away and I found him playing the drums on the watermelon. So much fun.

Don's crew keeps on saying they are going to do a golf day so a couple weeks ago we went to DI and found some golf clothes for him (they like to dress up). This is his outfit he is really proud of it.

Shayne grabbed a whole plum and ate all of it but the pit and the skin. He was such a mess afterwards.

We got a new entertainment center from IKEA. ( Really long shopping trip) Shayne did not approve of the large box that he couldn't move and while crawling all over it he got himself stuck and we were busy rearranging items so it took him doing a little bit of screaming to figure out what was wrong. This is what we found

First Tooth

2010-07-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

On July 15 Shayne got his first tooth! He has been working on it for the last month and a half and finally got one through. Only 25 more to go in the next several years.

This picture is from the 4th of July parade and it was really cold so he stayed in his stroller out of the wind. He thought it was pretty cool. Lots of cars and horses and girls and otter pops.

This is at the park after we got done at the temple on my birthday. He loves Papa.

About a week ago we went to the zoo here in Logan. It is in a nice area that is cool and has lots of trees so we went to escape the heat. This is a weird bird that we saw (I can't remember the name of it) but look at its feet!

Shayne of course loved the monkeys they move around a lot and play with each other. Another kid near us kept on calling them cats, it was so cute.

We went to the pool again recently and Shayne cried until we got in the pool. He was really upset with why he had to wait to get in (Mommy had to get sun screen on him).

And since Shayne learned to crawl he has learned how to pull himself up to things. He loves to stand at a stool I have and yell at me while I'm in the kitchen (he's not allowed over there because he likes the fan a little too much)

Update

2010-07-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while since I have posted. Its been a crazy couple of weeks. Don left on a fire mid June to New Mexico then was home for a couple days then left again for Nevada. He's home at the moment and Shayne is loving it. On one of Don's days off we went to the water park here in Logan. It was great, the pool was shallow enough for Shayne to stand in. We also found out he loves snow cones and otter pops. (Don is absolutely fine with this)

My brother was in town over the 4th of July so we partied hard for a week. We went to Lava Monday through Wednesday and on our way back we stopped and gathered everyone together to get a family picture. I think the entire family was together for less than 10 minutes to take the group shot. Don got there we took the picture then Crystal had to take off to get to mutual.(I will post pictures when we get them) It was a crazy night! Friday was my birthday and we sealed my grandfather (Reddington) to his parents and my great-grandfather (Reddington) and his sister to their parents. It was an awesome experience and was very special to be able to do on my birthday.

Shayne is crawling! He is into everything, an hour after getting to my parents house he tried to crawl into a baby seat and then slipped and bruised his eye. He is still army crawling but is getting better about being up on his knees.

The Wedding

2010-06-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

Shayne went swimming for the first time! He loved it. At first he wasn't sure because he kept getting water in his mouth, but he figured it out and loved every moment of it.

Shayne and Ami played all the time together. She is so good with little ones and he thought she was wonderful.

Rissa right before the wedding. (I did her flowers) I love her dress is was so beautiful.

The three sisters standing in front of the old Bern school.

Shayne and I right before the wedding.

I love the look on Derek's face in this picture.

This weekend was Derek and Rissa's wedding. It was the busiest of all the weddings I've gone to in the last 3 months. But that was because I had to help with this one. It was supposed to be held outside at the fish pond (Don and I had our reception there) but the weather was uncooperative and it had to be moved inside. But we made it work. It turned out beautiful and went smoothly. Friday we spent more than 6 hours working on either setting things up or dipping strawberries in chocolate. (you can guess which one I helped with). Saturday was the big day and it was wonderful. Rissa's dress was gorgeous and they both looked so happy. Shayne was a little tired by the end of the day, he refused to take a nap longer than 45 minutes all day.

The dipping of the strawberries! Even Ami wanted to help and Megan melted the chocolate in 15 second intervals (sorry I had to put that in there).

Grandpa and Grandma Faller boxing up the finished product

Robbie had a bad reaction to his MMR and was not feeling well all week. You can see his rash all over his little body.

Rissa playing on the merry-go-round in her wedding dress.

My weekend in Boise

2010-06-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was a busy one. My college roommate Katie Canoy got married in Boise. Don and I didn't know if he would be able to come so we planned for me to attend alone. I drove to Rupert Friday night and spent some quality time with my family. Heather and Kyle brought over their wii game "Just Dance" and we got an excellent workout, especially with Wesley after every song saying "Another song! Another song!" All of us were pooped before he was. Saturday I drove on to Boise to spend some time with Christine (my brother-in-laws girlfriend). It was really nice to just spend some girl time talking and hanging out without the guys around. Sunday was the wedding and it was beautiful. It was so nice to spend some time with old roommates and watch our friend get married. She was a gorgeous bride and I am so glad I could be apart of her special day.

Now on to this weekend with another wedding! I think Shayne is getting a little tired of his suit...

6 Months

2010-05-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

Shayne had his well baby checkup today. He is 18 lbs 7 oz and 27 1/2 in long. He is such a big boy! He also got a major haircut this last weekend and so did Don so now they match. As you can see he is having a hard time tonight. At the doctor's office he got a book too. Every checkup he has he will get a book from now on so promote parents to read to their kids, so there was good thing about his checkup.

End Of School!

2010-05-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

Today was Donovan's last final! HOORAY!!! The beginning of summer has begun...its not like it snowed yesterday or anything. (Yuck) Tuesday Don starts work and for two weeks he will definitely be around and after that there is no guarantee that we will see him more than once a month or so. But for the time being he has no homework and will be home before 5! The last week has been really busy, Don has been studying for his finals so Shayne and I went to my parents house for a visit to give him some quiet. Around this time is busy with birthdays and mother's day with my family so it was nice to visit around my Mom's and Heather's Birthdays. (Somehow I missed both by a day or two). Saturday Heather had to work and while she was gone we weeded her flower beds and planted some flowers for her, happy birthday Sis! Shayne has become a lot more opinionated lately and does what he wants to when he wants to. He has learned how to go from sitting to his belly with out hitting his head on the floor. And can scoot on his back across a room. I hope he starts to crawl before his daddy leaves for the summer so he can see it.

2010-04-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

Shayne is such a cutie. He loves food and really loves pickles. This is his pickle face. He is really into doing it himself and tries to help mom feed him...he is so helpful. He is getting so funny and we have found the trick to get him to roll over....Paper! If it is a piece of paper and he wants to get ahold of it there is no stopping him. He loves it and makes a huge mess whenever he gets a piece. He wont roll over for anything else but by golly if there is a piece of paper he is going to get it one way or another. His onesie says "ambassador of peas" so when he was eating peas we just had to get a picture of it.

Race to Robie Creek

2010-04-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday Don and his twin brother Tim decided for the second year in a row to do the Race to Robie Creek. It is named the hardest half in the west and it really is. About a week before Don was starting to wonder what made him decide to do this awful event again! But to the amazement of all...he beat his time by 21 minutes and beat Christine (Tim's girlfriend) -which he didn't last year-. It was a really long weekend but it was worth it. We made the drive up to Boise on Friday and had a carbo load with a couple of other runners and then stayed up way to late for them to be running the next morning. At 10 ish we went to the park that they start from and got them set up with the time chips, stamps, gatorade, energy gels, water, and anything else they wanted. Shayne and I left about 30 minutes before the race to feed him and drive up to the bus stop to get up the last 10 miles or so that they wont let you drive up because there is no parking. He did really well and we didn't get lost once. We got up to the end of race and had about an hour to waste until the runners started to show up. So we ate and played in the shade then went to wait at the finish line for everyone to come across. Tim came in first and then Don and Christine came in about 10 minutes after him. Don and Christine were 25 seconds apart and 18 people came in between them! Crazy. Everyone met up and relaxed for a little while and got some food then we headed to the line to get back to the cars. I think we were in line for half and hour waiting for the bus! But Don is really proud of his time and for all of his complaining about how bad it was going to be, he did really well and we are all proud of him. Now I need to get ready for my 5K next month and do him proud because he wont be able to be there to watch.

5 Months Old

2010-04-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

Shayne turned 5 months yesterday! He is getting so big, he can roll over from his belly to his back(when he decides he wants to). He also really enjoys and cord he can get a hold of. He is such a sweet little guy.

For Easter we traveled to Bern to spend it with Don's family. Shayne loved spending time playing with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Rissa. We dyed eggs -four dozen of them- and put together Rissa and Derek's wedding announcements. We watched conference and relaxed for the weekend. Which was nice because Don doesn't get too much time to relax with four weeks left of school.

Vacation Time - St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we drove down the mountain to Ogden to play in the sunshine. It was 60 degrees so we went to the nature park and walked around. We saw Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Turkeys, a herd of Deer, and any bird native to the region. Shayne fell asleep on our walk but he normally does when we start walking.

Once Shayne woke up at the end and decided he wanted to eat.

At the nature center they had a whole trail dedicated to bird houses. These were some of our favorites.

We went out to eat at a Greek place and Shayne wanted to help Daddy eat. Shayne is getting so good at putting things in his mouth on his own. He has a piece of pita bread that he completely mutilated but never actually ate any of.

Vacation Time Part 1

2010-03-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

This last week was Spring Break for Don. We had some vacation credits to use at a condo so we decided to go to Wolf Creek in Eden, UT. It was great to relax and just spend some time as a family. Don did homework but mostly we just hung out at the condo doing a whole lot of nothing, which was fine for everyone except Shayne (he thought we should be playing and moving around all day).

This is what Don looked like at least once a day.

Shayne looking so cute playing with his toys

Shayne playing in the Johnny Jumper he loves it and this was the first time we could try it out.

Shayne fell asleep while eating one night. He wont go to sleep until he eats but after he gets his tummy full he is out.

Rollie Pollie

2010-03-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

Shayne had his 4 month well baby check up this week. He is getting so big. He weighs 16 lbs. 3 oz. and is 25 in. long. He is just a little chunk. He also got shots and that was just torture for the little guy.

Don and I went to Diavolo on Tuesday evening and thoroughly enjoyed it. Such an amazing performance. I was amazed at the the workings of what they did and the choreography. Wednesday I had our Relief Society Birthday Party, I was asked to help decorate and we had the theme of Pioneers for decorations. We found a lot of items from ladies in the ward and the three of us that were on the committee. I borrowed items from my mother-in-law and they were great.

This coming week is Spring break and we are headed to Wolf Creek. I am so excited even though there will probably be more snow there than here :( Oh well.

Time in Rupert

2010-03-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

We spent some time in Rupert this last weekend with my parents. When we got there Heather and Kyle came over so they could see us before they left for Boise the next day. Heather told Wesley that they were going to go see baby Shayne and Uncle Don, knowing that he never much cares for his aunts (he likes all of my sister's and my husbands more than he likes us). Half way to my parents house he pipes up and says and Aunt Elisa? Yes, he does know that I exist and that I come with baby Shayne and Uncle Don. This is a first because when we ask him where I am in pictures he points at Don and says his name. But when they got there Shayne really wanted to hug Wesley and Wes was not all too sure about Shayne invading his personal space. But later Wesley wanted to hold him and Shayne was not too sure about that.

Heather is getting really close to her due date so the fact that she had both of the boys on her lap is amazing because there isn't much room left there.

Shayne was watching Wesley with great interest while Wesley ate some food. Shayne loves food and is getting really good at bringing everything to his mouth. We started cereal a little bit ago and Shayne loves it, he gets so excited and screams if we are not fast enough.

We went to my parents house so Don could use a wood lathe and make a project for the Xi Sigma Pi Honors Society. He did a really good job on it and I'll get some pictures of the finished project and put them up here. He was really ambitious and made a 3D tree from a log. This week is the Logger's Ball and it will be a lot of fun. Don is going to dress up as Paul Bunyan to promote it, I will have to get some pictures of that.

Shayne is a sleepy boy. I tried to get him to sleep on the bed and he woke up and then he fell asleep in the swing! Silly boy. But sooooo cute!

New developments

2010-02-22T21:13:00.000-08:00

Shayne is getting so big! He rolled over for the first time today! I had him on his belly in his crib while I got clothes out for him and when I turned back around he was on his back giving me a surprised look. He is so funny, he has begun to find his feet and likes to use his feet to kick his over head toys. He loves to have Daddy come home from school, he just looks at him with adoration when he gets home everyday. Shayne loves to giggle and will do so at some of the weirdest things, he really enjoys being upside down, and looking at that baby in the mirror.

Don is as busy as ever. He is getting ready for the Logger's Ball (which sounds more formal than it is) and a couple of big meetings that need to be planned before the end of the school year. I'm looking forward to April when they will change the presidency of the Forestry Club. School is going good for Don, he is enjoying his forestry classes and not enjoying the art class he is taking because it takes so much of his extra time to do all the things required. I am enjoying the class because I get to go to plays and art galleries and Architecture lectures. But life moves along quickly and this will all be old news soon.

One of Don's professors gave us a whole bunch of baby clothes and this hat was in there and Don thought it was the coolest hat ever.

I did Shayne's hair all spiky, it didn't last long because of hats and he rubs his head all over things when sitting or lying on the floor.

3 months already!

2010-02-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

So Saturday Shayne turned 3 months. Wow time flies fast. He is growing like a weed and is just too cute. He can almost roll over and loves to laugh and look in mirrors. He thinks the baby in the mirror is just too funny some days. We finally decided to give him a full hair cut instead of just trimming the back and sides (it was starting to hang in his eyes). He handled it fairly well and thought the clippers were pretty interesting (he kept on turning is head to look at them). So now he looks like a little man.

Also on Saturday we went to Avatar with Don's mom. Shayne handled it really well. He slept for a good while and then wanted fed but other than that he did just fine. It was a little loud and would jump at the noise. We all really enjoyed the movie.

Latest...

2010-01-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

Things have been pretty slow for us lately. Don is back at school and up to his usual activities. Shayne is getting bigger every day. He loves to smile and play with his hands, which makes everything really wet because he thinks they should go in his mouth at all times. Shayne had his first non-family babysitter last night. Don is taking a class that he has to attend several plays and art events and Shayne is not welcomed to a majority of them. I attend with him so he doesn't have to attend plays by himself. So a couple in our ward watched him for us. It was nice for Don and I to go to something for an evening.

All smiles after church.
Looking intently at the lights. He has some of the funniest faces

With some of our Christmas money we went a bought a couple things that Shayne needed. So we bought a stroller because Shayne loves to look around. This is after a walk we took and he was not happy to be back from the walk so early. But I was cold and if I was cold so was he.

10 Weeks

2010-01-16T15:40:00.000-08:00

Shayne is now 10 weeks old and changing all the time. He is smiling all the time and loves to look at things. He has a mat with hanging toys on it and he spends hours playing on there and loves his play friends(the hanging toys). He laughes at the toys as much he does mommy. Don started school this week and we are settling back into a routine which is nice for Shayne.
Shayne on his play mat looking at his toys and mommy.

Shayne smiles and then sticks out his tongue.

He loves to play with Daddy.
Shayne and Don look so much alike sometimes it isn't funny. Shayne has the trademark look down already!

The fun continues...

2010-01-04T12:05:00.001-08:00

After Christmas we went to Bern to spend some time with Don's family and see his siblings. We only spent a couple days there before we had to leave to make it to Caitlin's wedding.

Shayne is getting so big. He has started to smile and coo all the time now. I finally caught one on camera.

He's so happy

After Caitlin's wedding in St. George. Shayne looked so cute in his outfit.8 weeks old

Christmas

2010-01-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was busy and went by too quickly. We spent a couple days before Christmas and Christmas with my family in Rupert and had a lot of fun. Christmas day we got up early and opened presents. The funnest person to watch with presents was Wesley. He is at the right age to really love presents. The only problem was keeping him on task. He just wanted to play as soon as he opened a present.

Wesley with his Elmo phone. It says his name when he pushes buttons.

Caitlin and Scott got married 5 days after Christmas so then spent it together. She wouldn't smile for the picture so I took it anyway. Don't worry she looked a lot prettier for the wedding.

Shayne got a sock monkey from Santa. He slept all the way through opening presents though.

After we were done we were trying to figure out how a present from Don's mom worked and it freaked out the dog, but it was really funny. Shayne finally woke up and got to see all the opened presents.

Shayne's Blessing

2009-12-06T22:09:00.001-08:00

We blessed Shayne this weekend and it was wonderful. Both families came (well as much as was able to) and braved the weather to be there for us. Hallie is such a good cousin and is such a sweetheart. You can tell she is a big sister because she is really good at holding a baby.

As many of the cousins that live near by from my side of the family. Hallie, Wesley, and Carter with Shayne. I'm proud I got all the kids to look at me besides Carter. But he is 4 months old we will excuse that.

Our little family! We are so happy and are enjoying this first Christmas season with our beautiful little boy. I am extremely grateful for both of our families and the love that they show us. I hope every one is having a wonderful holiday season!

First Hair Cut

2009-12-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving day we decided to give Shayne his first hair cut. Only 3 weeks old and getting his hair cut! He was not excited. As we have found out when around family everyone must gather around and watch while we do activities that are mundane but with a baby become fascinating.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and love being around family.

Two weeks old

2009-11-24T15:18:00.000-08:00

Shayne is getting so big. Two weeks go by so fast. Right after I took these pictures Shayne proceeded to spit up all over his outfit. Such is life with a newborn I guess. He is doing well, sleeping 4-6 hours at night, eating well and gaining weight. But his head is only in the 30 percentile of kids his age while in length he is in the 69%. Apparently he is tall with a small head.

Tim (Don's twin brother) and Christine came up and stayed with us for a couple of days before heading to Bern for Thanksgiving. While they were here Christine and I decided we wanted to go to New Moon. It was a lot of fun and we left Shayne with the men and spent some good girl time at the movie. By the way we really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Shayne Alexander Birch

2009-11-07T20:59:00.001-08:00

Our little guy has arrived! He is so cute with a full head of blond hair and chubby cheeks. Shayne Alexander Birch arrived at 5:44 pm on November 6 weighing 8lbs 15 oz and 21 in long. He is a good baby and we love him so much. I'll post more later. Here are some pictures of the little guy.

he is one day old now in this picture. He loves to look around and gets easily distracted if he is awake.

Forestry Club recent activities

2009-10-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

Last week was Natural Resources Week and to kick it off the Forestry Club had a Logger's Breakfast. This is Don all decked out in Logger gear which was needed as it was so cold all morning long. They had a good turn out.
I decided to help out and keep track of the money for them. My fingers were freezing all morning long. By the time we were done the baby had bruised my ribs and I was so tired.

Tuesday was the Day on the Quad and they had a bunch of saws to show. They had a lot of fun showing the kids all the old saws vs. new saws. Don has been working on a 1946 Two Man Chainsaw and got it working for this. It was really loud and noisy.
Good old Paul. Two different guys put on this suit for the day and had a lot of fun and ran all around campus and told people to come see us.
Also the week before was the SAF convention in Orlando, Florida. They competed in the Quiz bowl and lost. But it was ok because they won last year. They spent five days there and enjoyed themselves. I wouldn't have wanted to do it but they went and did and were tired afterwards. They got home Sunday and had to have everything ready to go for Natural resources week the next day. Busy busy busy. But this week we are slowing down. I am getting really close to my due date nearly 3 weeks left!

Back to school

2009-09-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

I have been slacking off on this. We have moved back to Logan and Don started school. He is super busy and always has something to do with the forestry club. He is getting ready for the SAF convention at the end of this month. They will be traveling to Orlando, Florida and will compete in the Quiz Bowl which they won last year!

I am 33 weeks along now. I am so huge. But everything is going great. I am starting to feel the pressure to get everything done before the little guy gets here.

Last weeekend we went up to my parents to get a washer and dryer set (thanks Heather & Kyle) and got to spend some time playing with my nephew. Don and Wesley are so cute together it makes me laugh.

I have been selling Mary Kay for a while now but I wanted to post a picture of some of what I have learned. This is some makeup tips I tried. I wasn't so sure about it at first but I always get compliments on this look. So I am pleased. I always enjoy playing with different makeup items and this has given me a great opportunity to do that.

Utah residents

2009-08-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

We have some very exciting news, Don is a Utah resident! I never thought I would be so happy to say that. But tuition for a resident is a lot cheaper than for a non-resident, so we are ok with being residents. School starts in a little over a week which means a lot of work between now and then. Don is still on a fire in Oregon and wont be back until Tuesday, sad day. So between now and then I have to get the entire house packed up and ready to go. Once he gets back we'll have a day to get the last of everything in order and then we move.

Well, everything else is going well. I had a doctor's appointment this week and got to learn about all the tests that they had to run on me. But good news, no gestational diabetes and no other complications. The baby is healthy and is good on size, my doctor hopes our little guy will not be as big as my sister's baby was. 9lbs 9oz is a big baby.

Fires and new babies

2009-07-30T19:56:00.001-07:00

This summer is going by so fast. We have been running around for the last couple weeks. Don was on the fire in Bryce canyon (lost his wallet while there) then they went to Richfield, UT for a couple days. They got home and Don went in to work the next morning to see if he could have someone look for his wallet down in Cedar City and they got called out the fire west of Montpelier, ID. He got home the next evening had monday off and was asked to go to Swan Valley to fill a spot of someone taking extra training for two weeks. He was up there 2 days and they got called out to a fire in Crater Lake, OR. He is on his way there now in the helicopter.

I have started working at JC Penney's, which is nice because Don is gone. I work 20 hours a week and do not wish anymore, I don't think my poor feet could take it. It is fun being back at my old job and everything has come back fairly easy. The baby is doing fine with it. He just likes to kick sometimes at work which becomes uncomfortable.

Also in baby news...My sister Crystal had her baby boy. Carter Daniel Miles was born July 29, 2009 at 11:22 a.m. 9lbs 9oz 21 inches long. Beautiful baby boy with red hair, just like his daddy and older sister. I am suprised by how much Hallie and Carter look alike as babies. It is fun because in three months I will be bringing our little bundle of joy home.

Jennifer and Carter

Work work work

2009-07-18T07:42:00.001-07:00

Don left for a fire today! He is just excited to have something to do. They are driving to Cedar City today. He doesn't know if there is a fire or if they are just on standby, but at least he has something to do.

I also have work to do. I will be working as a temp for the back to school season at JC Penney. So I wont be bored while Don is out of town on fire.

We had a check up this week and the baby is doing well and I am right on schedule. We have not decided on a name and wont until closer to the birth. But it is fun to listen to all the suggestions everyone has.

Boy, Work, 4th, & Birthday

2009-07-09T09:26:00.001-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. We haven't had internet for about a month now and so I haven't had time to update when I actually did get to a computer. But here is a few of our highlights lately

We are having a baby boy! We found out on June 15th. We are super excited and have been thinking of names for him but wont decide until October. (that was a comprimise) And have been making lists of everything that needs to get done before our little boy gets here.

Don has not seen a fire yet. We can only hope that a fire will actually happen before we have to leave to go back to school. It has been raining so much lately there has actually been flooding in Pocatello. Thankfully we didn't get any as we are living in the basement of a house!

We had a good 4th, not much happened for us. Don worked and I joined him at the base for a potluck that afternoon. Then I spent the rest of my afternoon making a cherry pie and doing some homework.

Well my birthday is today but it was celebrated before. My parents came up yesterday and took us out to dinner with the family. On Tuesday Don sent me to the spa for a pre natal massage pedicure and maniucre. It was wonderful! I spent three hours in bliss, and now I have very pretty toe nails and finger nails.

Jobs and co-workers

2009-06-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

I am now an official Mary Kay Independant Beauty Consultant. I am excited to start doing everything. I will be having a Grand Opening Party in the next coming weeks. I will let you all know when I get some more information on when and where. I also have an interview today with Teleperformance at 3:30. I am hoping all goes well. It would be nice to actually have a job(I've been without a job for a year now).

So Don enjoys telling awful stories about me to his co-workers. One of the guys on the crew got engaged over the weekend and already has her dress bought. Well Don then had to tell all of the crew that his wife (me) had her dress bought nearly two years in advance... I'm not weird. The reason is; a bridal shop was going out of business in town and were selling all of their dresses for cheap. So my sister and I went over to check it out and I found a dress I really liked and it was $50. I figured I would get married eventually and as long as I didn't gain a lot of weight I would be fine. So I bought it. Don was freaked out when he found that out when we were dating. But it all worked out. But I was just being sensible not weird.

Just an update

2009-05-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

We are now in Pocatello for the summer. Don started work two weeks ago and is tired all the time. I am still looking for a job, that that is life... I am starting my own Mary Kay business though. That should keep me busy.

The helicopter becomes available June 20 so Don will start heading out on fires then. Luckily that is right after the ultrasound when we find out the gender of our baby!

This last weekend was Memorial Day and I spent it in Rupert with family and Don was out on a prescribed fire. I will put some pictures up of our picnic when my mom posts some(hint, hint).

But good news, Nick and Rachel had their baby boy on Monday! 8 lbs. 21 inches. I don't know the name yet, but I will find out. We are so excited for them and happy Rachel and the baby are healthy and home already.

I decided to start one

2009-04-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

So not much is going on lately. If you didn't already know, we are pregnant. I'm 10 weeks along and am really tired of morning sickness. Don was just appointed the president of the forstry club at USU. We are moving for the summer to Pocatello, Don got on a Heli-tack crew there and we are excited to be back in Idaho. I have an apt set up for us, now all I have to do is find a job there and get everything packed up here... We are excited for the summer and for the pregnancy.