Utah Valley Here We Come!

5:36 PM Edit This 7 Comments »

Utah Valley - Here We Come!

So this post is totally over due - sorry about that. But! We are excited! Our condo has sold and we move out on May 9th! We are headed back to Lehi. My parents are empty nesters and are in the process of renovating their basement into an apartment which we will be renting from them for the next two years or so. We are so excited to put Merrill is his own room! And the timing is great so that Mark and I can enjoy our own room for at least a little while until the baby comes in November. 
We will definitely miss Salt Lake Valley and especially our ward here, but we are going to be closer to both our families and lots of good friends. So - HERE WE GO!

Random Happiness

4:35 PM Edit This 3 Comments »
Mark found this and showed it to me this morning - I love it! I love when there is just random happiness spread throughout - I need to do more to do my part!



Growing up!

1:59 PM Edit This 6 Comments »
Yesterday was such a completely bitter-sweet day for me. I have been in the Primary presidency for a few months now, and Mark was called to teach, so we had to try to put Merrill in nursery early. I have tried and tried, but it just wasn't happening. He turns 18 months old at the end of this month and so I decided that this was it! We tried having Mark drop him of and... IT WORKED! He stayed the whole time! It was so cute to have Mark and Merrill come to me after church and Merrill had little pictures that he colored in his hands from his class. I just felt like he was so grown up I couldn't stand it!

Merrill is a fun "helper" in the kitchen too!

Consider the Source

5:30 PM Edit This 5 Comments »
Mark has mentioned a few times on his blog our unusual neighbors. My favorite today is our "smoker." Every time I come in or go out he is out in front of his door... smoking. When I get closer I notice that the two fingers that hold his cigarettes are orange from tobacco stains. He also has recently started wearing huge bandage looking things around his neck held on with medical tape. 
Months ago - when I went out walking before the winter hit, he would stop me with Merrill every once in a while and give me nutrition advice. It baffled me.  After he was talking to me and blowing his smoke in our general direction the mother bear in me flared up I said, "No offense, but you certainly know a lot about nutrition for a smoker." He kind of nervously giggled, acknowledged it sheepishly and we ended our conversation. I felt kinda bad about saying it - but it just kind of came out! He didn't talk to me or smoke on us for a long time... until today. 
I was tending to my herbs and our one flowerbed and on my way back from the dumpster with a handful of weeds he stopped and talked to me. He mentioned how he noticed Merrill was getting teeth, eating well etc. and then I (stupidly) mentioned that we had another one on the way and needed to sell our place... that led him into a discourse about how my diet and nutrition at the time of conception would determine the gender of our baby. Apparently it has been proven for 50 years and it is a well know fact that... something about alkaline and acid and.... I kind of zoned out.
Anyway, my point is that as soon as anyone knows that someone is pregnant (and I am guilty of this too) advice just pours out. Sometimes in the most unusual places. I guess you just have to think about it and CONSIDER THE SOURCE.

Ho hum...

9:46 AM Edit This 6 Comments »


I haven't blogged in a while - something about a queasy stomach discourages blogging.....
But! Matt took some fun photos with Merrill in the park on Sunday and I had to share!