Showers all around!

Last week my colleages banded together to give a few of us who are having babies or getting married a shower.. not that kind. haha! It was so sweet and fun to get together with the wonderful people I work with and share in the joy of these events. I am so grateful to have been back at Kellogg this year with these fabulous people. They really do amazing things with these crazy middle schoolers. Thanks again!

PS-I'm really not that big. It's the shirt I'm wearing...

The parable of the dandelion

Spring is officially in full bloom here in Minnesota and we can't be happier. The rainstorms we've had have turned our brown and barren wilderness into a luscious green forest. Bulbs are starting to bloom and eggs are hatching. We found this robin's nest in our backyard and are anxious to see these new little ones.

To welcome the new life we've had to get rid of the old growth from last year. Our yard was once beautifully landscaped but has been neglected by previous owners. Kurtis and I are trying to tame the weeds and saplings that are out of control in our yard. We've put down weed killer but it seems that it was more fertilizer then killer. So Kurtis has 'lawn envy' of our neighbors with the pristine emerald lawns free of the dreaded dandelion. He found a weed puller the other day at a garage sale and got the idea he'd just attack them head on, one by one. Well, he did the corner of the lawn and after the first 100..he was overwhelmed. There are just too many.

This made me reflect on my life and how I let my guard down and allow places for 'weeds' to grow. Weeds of selfishness, pride, carelessness, neglect, etc. You never hear of just 1 weed either, you hear of many weeds! If you don't take care of them right away, you have an overwhelming amount. To get rid of them you've got to pull them out, one by one and make sure to get the root (which are stubbornly long!) so they don't grow back. You must also fortify yourself against future weeds and continue to watch for newcomers so you can pluck them out immediately. I learned a profound lesson that day that I need to be more of an active weeder in the garden of my life so I'm not overwhelmed (and worried!) at the Judgement Day. I'm so grateful for my Savior and His Atonement. Without which, we could not free ourselves of these weeds of sin.

Calling all Moms!

Ok people, I've only got 10 weeks left 'til this baby comes and I need some advice! There are a million and a half things to buy for babies and I just don't know which one or which color to get. I'm a terrible decision maker. So, I've got some questions. Feel free to answer them with your opinions, add any helpful tips or just leave a 'hey! what's up? you're cool..' note because those are always fun. :)

1. Should I buy the stroller 'travel system' OR the infant seat + the snap-n-go stroller?

2. Should I get a swing and a bouncy chair OR just one? But which one..?

3. Should I get a manual OR electric breast pump OR just scrap it altogether?

4. Are the boppy pillows really worth it? I'm quite curious.

5. Any other baby must-have's???

So come one, come all with your baby expertise. Heaven knows I (we) need all the advice I can get! :) Thanks a million!

March maddness

Goodness the month of March has flown by! Both Kurtis and I have birthdays in March. This year Kurtis turned 26 and me 24. After various high aspirations of traveling to far off destinations like Chicago, Hawaii or the Wisconsin Dells..we decided to stick around here and celebrate quietly. We went out to eat with friends for our birthdays, bought ourselves small indulgences to appease our childlike desire for birthday presents and ate a fabulous dessert Kurtis made for me! Now, I haven't explained that Kurtis is a master chef. He can cook great food (when I let him) and he follows the recepie to a T! No subsitutes or cutting corners for this top chef. For this particular birthday occasion he insisted on making 'dirt and worms' - a finger-licking tub of yummyness. Who knew pudding could taste so good!? It also had 2 packages of gummy worms!! (I'm a sucker for any fruity-flavored gummy treat)


We also got to start working on preparing our yard for springtime and our house for the new baby. On the beautiful days we raked leaves, cut back old growth and took care of the unsightly posts that are cemeted in the backyard for some mysterious reason.. Kurtis only has 1 more out of 6 to remove.. I began organizing the baby's room and clearing the house of all winter items finally! Pictures to come! I also headed into my last trimester with my pregnancy. It's crazy how close yet so far I am from my June due-date. We started our child-birth class too, which makes it seem more real. Only 10 weeks left! Don't be fooled by this picture though, I'm bigger then I seem!

I guess the last thing we did in March is start Kurtis' GMAT class. He's planning on going back to school to get an MBA in the coming year and needed a boost on this insanely hard test! He's studying like a mad-man and I'm trying to use my time wisely instead of watching American Idol... :) Yes, I admit it. I've become an American Idol addict. I've NEVER followed any of the seasons but got hooked early on with this one. It's those stupid yet hilarious audition shows that get you! I've decided the final 2 will be Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert. Adam scares me some days but he's got the most amazing voice. I still really like Lil Rounds and Allison Iraheta but don't think they'll make it. Anyway, goodbye March, hello April!

Read!

“The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
-Dr. Seuss

This year I have become a reading teacher. I not only teach reading to students but I've realized the vital importance of reading in everyone's life. I am so greatful for parents (and siblings!) who read to me when I was little. This week we're focusing heavily on reading in school because Monday was the official 'Read Across America' day in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday. Did you know that Dr. Seuss not only wrote silly stories or social commentaries, but he wrote stories that children would actually enjoy and with rhyming words to build their vocabularies!? No more, 'See Jane run' types! We want 'one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish!' Everyone is a reading teacher in some way. Let's embrace it and read!! Encourage your children to read and be good examples by reading yourself. Currently, I'm reading 2 books: 'Finding Darwin's God' and 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.' My husband and I are reading 'Marley and Me' aloud, which is hilariosu! Any suggestions on what I else I need to read?