The Thomas Trio

The pumpkin patch

2011-10-29T20:37:00.001-07:00

We had a lot of fun visiting the pumpkin patch here in Albuquerque. There was a lot more going on than I thought. Trey loved watching all the kids play and had fun trying all the activities. He was so distracted by all the people that it was hard to get him to look at me for a picture but I tried anyway. We will definitely be making this a halloween tradition.

He may not be smiling but at least we got him to look at the camera

Sitting in the corn pit. I love this idea. It just seems so much cleaner than a sand pit. And yes my baby is rocking some skinny jeans :)

Are you guys sure I should be driving this 15 years before I get my license?

Mommy's little man

I don't know about this daddy...

Baby pumpkin for the baby boy

When Grandma came to town

2011-10-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

Trey and I were so excited when Grandma Thomas told us she bought a ticket to come visit us. We were counting down the days! She was here all last week and we had a blast! I must say Trey is extremely lucky to have two sets of grandparents who love him to pieces. He is the only grandchild so far on the Thomas side so he tends to get extra spoiled. Grammy took him to the aquarium, park, Old Town, pumpkin patch, toy store, and lots of restaurants! We had quite a week! I especially enjoyed that grammy woke up with Trey every morning so I got to sleep in a little! We miss her already! Here are some pics of grammy's visit

Trey swinging at the park and loving every minute of it.

Grammy and Trey eating breadsticks at Trey's favorite restaurant...Olive Garden (Aunt Becca will be so happy!)

Playing dress up at an Old Town shop. He actually liked this Daniel Boone hat and totally rocks the look!

Getting showered with love. Trey kept giving Grammy kisses at this Old Town restaurant but of course I couldn't get a good one on camera.

Trey with Daddy and Grammy

At the aquarium...Trey just wanted to touch all the fish.

Thanks for an awesome week Mona. Now Trey and I will be counting down to Christmas so he can see all the Thomas family and the Huntington's too!

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!

2011-09-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well it's official people...Ethan got a job in Las Vegas! We couldn't be more excited that 1. He has a job in this economy and 2. We will be by family! I never thought I would be the type that insisted on living by family but once we had our little munchkin I realized how helpful it would be to have family around to help out. I think it really does take a village to raise a child and I have enough family in Vegas to constitute a village:) It will also be really nice to be closer to Ethan's family because I really want Trey to be close to both sides of his family. He is a lucky boy with lots of amazing Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents. Now the countdown begins...8 months till graduation and then we move. Now onto the good stuff. Trey is 9 1/2 months old and into everything of course. He crawls surprisingly fast, can stand on anything, will eat anything, and still smiles and laughs all the time. Some of his favorite things are playing peek a boo with me or the dogs, helping mommy put the dishes in the dishwasher, and playing fetch with himself (he literally throws a ball across the room, crawls to it, picks it up and throws it to the other side of the room). He also loves standing on the side of the bathtub and pushing my shampoo and conditioner into the tub. He is definitely a momma's boy and wants me in his line of sight at all times. He loves playing with his daddy, especially when daddy gets on all fours and chases him around the house. He also loves playing with our dog Dexter. Trey will take Dexter's bone out of his mouth and then put it back in over and over. The dogs are quite patient with him luckily. Lately he is cheesing it up for the camera which you would think would mean I would get a lot of cute smiling pics but instead I get a baby with his head thrown back and a giant open mouth goofy smile. Oh well he is still cute as can be. Here are some pics:

Cheesing it up! I'm just so funny mom!

What are you talking about mom? Doing the dishes is so much fun!

Who says I can't fit into that box?

Notice the hand holding onto the curtain...that would be Trey playing peekaboo with the pups!

Helping mom celebrate her birthday - Mommy couldn't have picked better company :)

Yes he really is this cute.

Pearly White

2011-08-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

Trey officially has his first tooth. He actually got it about a month ago but that is how behind I am with my blog. Summer went by way too quickly but we had a lot of fun. We will miss being with my family and being closer to Ethan's family but I think we are both ready to get this last year of law school out of the way. Trey is crawling everywhere and standing up on everything. It's a whole new world for both of us! I can't believe my baby will be a year old in 3 short months. He no longer looks like my little baby, he looks like a little man. I love him more and more every day and with his cute smile and heart warming laugh everyone who meets him loves him too! Here are my attempts at catching a picture of his tooth (Click on the pictures to expand and get a better glimpse).

My little cutie loves his bath time and his Aunt Court loves putting his hair in a mohawk!

Fun in the Sun

2011-07-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

To beat the Las Vegas summer heat, Trey and I have tried to spend some quality time in the nice cool pool. Trey loves his baths so I figured he would love the pool. I just put his rubber duckies in the pool and let him play. Ethan's family rented a house in St. George for a week and this place had a great pool and hot tub so we got even more pool time in. This pool had a little waterfall that Trey was obsessed with. He would just reach out to touch it and we would swim him over to feel the waterfall. Here are some pics of our pooling adventures

He was entertaining himself by watching his feet move around!

Playing with daddy

Hot tubbing with Uncle Chase (Don't worry the water wasn't too hot)

Loving life!

Late Father's Day Post

2011-06-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

My sister gave a talk at church on Father's day. She mentioned a study done at some University where they asked a group of children why they loved their dads. All of them said they loved their dad because he spent time with them and played with them. It's crazy to think of what a huge impact you can have on a child just by giving them your time. Kids don't care about how much money you're making or how gourmet your dinners are. They don't care about how many blog posts you do or how many things you can sew in a week. They care about how much time you spend with them. Even though Trey is just a baby, he still notices when my attention is somewhere else or when we aren't playing with him as much as usual. He still wants our time. Even though Ethan has been so busy with school and now his internship with the Las Vegas DA's office, he still tries to make time for his son. Trey can be in such a bad mood but the second he sees his daddy walk through the door, he puts on a big smile and gets happy because he knows daddy is going to play with him. Ethan was the first one to get him to laugh and he still can get him laughing better than the rest of us. I know he will be there to teach our kids to play sports. He will be there to one day give Trey advice on girls. He will take us on fun family vacations. He will listen when our kids need someone to talk to. I know that no matter how busy Ethan gets, he will always make time for his family. We are lucky to have such a great Father/Husband! We love you babe, Happy Father's Day!

6 Months!

2011-06-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little boy is half a year old. It almost makes me sad seeing him grow up so fast. I know the day is fast approaching where he no longer wants me to hold him and I'm pretty sure I will cry that day. I love being a mom - I remember leaving the hospital with him and thinking "now what?" Well luckily you figure things out quickly when you're a mom. He is such a good baby. He sleeps 11-12 hours a night and is so easy to put to bed. He definitely gives me a workout carrying him around all day. He is in the 68th percentile for weight, the 63th percentile for height and still 90th percentile for head size. Here are some things about my little guy:

*He loves mirrors and he smiles EVERY time he sees himself in the mirror. He also will usually smile or laugh when he sees pictures of himself. Vain? Maybe but how can you blame him when he is that ridiculously handsome?
*He loves his bath time and always has. He now splashes with his hands but gets confused at why water is flying in his face.
*He rolls around so easily and is scooting on his back. We are working on crawling and he is getting pretty close.
*He is a wild sleeper and is usually on the opposite side of the crib when I go to feed him.
*He is a good eater and has been happy with every baby food I have offered besides the first rice cereal
*He sucks on his hands but lately he has been just been putting his pointer and middle fingers in his mouth. Unfortunately he sticks them down so far that he gags himself quite frequently.
*He is a very happy baby and smiles and laughs all the time. I love it!
*He loves watching the dogs play and being outside.
*He is grabbing EVERYTHING!
* He can almost sit by himself. He is getting squirmy when you hold him.
* He loves when daddy plays with him but mostly he is a mommas boy.

Well here are some pics of him at 6 months

My little stud :)

Trey likes hanging out with the boys! His friend Crew is only 3 months older than him.

Loving those fingers

Trey and me at my Dad's birthday party. He was melting all the girls' hearts!

Such a happy little guy. I hope all my babies are this way! He is spoiling me :)

Camera shy...

2011-05-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

The other day Trey and I were having fun playing. He was giggling and I told Ethan to grab my camera and get a quick video of him. As you can see, the second he spots the camera he stops laughing and gets wide eyed staring at it. I think he might just be a little camera shy. We are going to have to work on that because I love taking pictures and videos of my little man.

Tuesday Cuteness!

2011-05-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

I have definitely become one of those moms who has nothing to talk about besides how cute her baby is. Sorry but that's just the way it goes sometimes. I do have some projects in the works that I'll be posting but not for awhile because everything I do takes a lot longer now that I have this babe taking up 95% of my time. Right now we are just getting ready to move to Vegas for the summer. I am so excited to have Trey get to spend time with both mine and Ethan's family this summer. The move is less than 2 weeks away and I can't wait! Well here is some cuteness for your Tuesday, Enjoy!

First time in the jumper!

This is his GQ model pose!

The cutest face in the world :)

Love this boy to pieces!

4 Months!

2011-04-08T13:49:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my little baby is 4 months old. Everyone says enjoy the newborn stage because it goes by so fast but when you are waking up with him every 2 hours at night you think that stage will last forever. But it didn't and now he is sleeping around 10 hours a night waking up once for about 10 minutes to eat. He is smiling and laughing a lot which I absolutely love. He can now roll over from his back to his stomach. He loves it when I have him stand on my legs and he just starts jumping like crazy. He now weighs 15.6 pounds - 62%. It's no wonder I keep losing weight since I carry this little chubster around everywhere. He's in the 46% range for height and 90% range for head size. He's also the cutest thing on this planet! His doc said we can start giving him rice cereal and since he has seemed more interested in food lately, we decided to try it. Turns out he isn't into the idea of eating anything other than mommy's milk. Oh well, we will try again later. Here are some pics of his cereal adventure

Hmm what is this?

I don't know about this mommy

Are you trying to poison me? Where is my milk?

Free Baby Sling!

2011-04-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

I just got a coupon in the mail for a free baby carrier/sling. You just pay around 10 dollars for shipping/handling. I bought one because they were cute and free is just too good to pass up, however, I haven't received it yet so I don't know how well it works. I just thought I'd put it out there for anyone in the market for a baby sling. All you do is go to www.sevenslings.com and click on shop now. Click on slings and pick any sling you like. Make sure to look up the sizing so you get the right size. Enter the promo code "New Mexico" and they will deduct 100% of the price. Oh and you can also go to www.uddercovers.com to get a free nursing cover - just enter the the promo code "seven" and pay shipping. They are the good nursing covers too - the ones with the stiff neck so you can see your baby. Even if you aren't in the market for a nursing cover or sling they would be a great baby shower gift! Here is the sling I got!

Utah Trip!

2011-04-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

Ethan had his spring break a few weeks ago and we jumped on the opportunity to visit family in Utah. We spent more time with my family over Christmas break so we thought it would be fair to spend some extra time with Ethan's family. But since my family was only 6 hours away and my Grandma has an apartment in Salt Lake, they decided a road trip to Utah would be fun. So we got to spend time with both families. When the time came to go back home, Trey and I were having too much fun and didn't want to go so we extended our vacation another week and a half. Ethan headed back to school and we kept on playing. It's hard not having any family around so any chance I have to visit with them I am going to take. I really want Trey to know both sides of his family and be comfortable with them. To help this process we also try to skype regularly with both families. Here are a bunch of pictures of our Utah trip.

The Huntington clan at our favorite place - Olive Garden!

Family picture - I wish that my Dr. Pepper wasn't taking the spotlight

Mommy loves her baby boy!

All the girls plus Trey

Trey with both his Grandmas. What a lucky boy

My mom with her first Grandson. My sister in law has a boy on the way and we are so excited!

Trey with his Aunt Courtney. The two hoodrats!

Hanging out with the boys!

My sweet little bumbo boy!

Cuteness!

2011-03-05T19:49:00.001-08:00

Ok yes we are first time parents who get a kick out of pretty much everything Trey does! And yes he really is this cute!

Giggles

2011-03-03T08:05:00.000-08:00

Even though this video is horrible quality and shows my lack of video taking skills, I couldn't resist putting it up. My parents will be mad because they got me an amazing video camera for Christmas but my camera was on the couch when he started giggling so I couldn't risk running off to get my nice camera...sorry guys. Trey is doing the cutest big laughs but of course I can never catch those. Luckily his small giggle noises are pretty cute too. Enjoy!

I love this little face!

Family Pictures

2011-02-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

While we were in Vegas spending Christmas with my family, my super talented super cute cousin Jennie took some family photos for us. It's funny because I look at the pictures and look at Trey now and he looks totally different. It's crazy how quickly babies change. He is growing and learning and doing something new every day and I love watching and being there to help him and play with him. I'm so blessed to be home with him - even on the hard days. I keep trying every day to get him to nap without me but with little success. Even though that has been tough, I'm so thankful that he does pretty good at night. He usually sleeps about 9 hours and wakes 1 or 2 times for 10 minutes each. Not too bad. He is my little stud and I can't imagine life without him :)

My little angel face

Our happy little family

The whole family...now with 2 grandbabies and 1 one the way! Becca you're up next :)

I love this picture of my dad holding his first grandson. So sweet

Trey was fast asleep

The proud pappa!

2 months and lots of smiles!

2011-02-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

Well my baby is 2 months old already. It's gone by fast but at the same time I feel like i've had him for forever. He is such a sweet little guy and Ethan and I are truly so blessed to have him in our lives. He has me wrapped around his little finger and I don't mind one bit. We went to the pediatrician last week and learned he is in the 50th percentile for height, weight, and head circumference. Completely proportional :) He had to get his shots and did pretty well with them. He only cried for about 2 minutes after it happened and was fine for the next 4 hours. Then he woke up from his nap screaming and we got him some baby tylenol to help soothe the pain. It's the worst feeling as a mom to hear your baby in pain and not be able to make it go away but luckily he only cried for about 30-40 minutes. I've had friends whose babies cried for 3 hours straight after their shots. He is a champ. Here are some pictures of my little stud.

Here we are at the pediatricians office. Such a cute little pot belly

My happy little guy!

So happy that his Grandma Thomas came to visit!

Enjoying a night out on the town

Enjoying some daddy time

Late Christmas Post

2011-01-30T15:15:00.001-08:00

I know this is so late but it's hard to get a lot done when you have a baby who will only nap during the day if he's in your arms. I think he got spoiled his first few weeks of life by being around a ton of family who all wanted to hold him. Now I am paying the consequences but it's alright because holding a sweet sleeping baby really is the best thing in the world. Anyways, once Trey had his 2 week appointment we hopped on a plane with my mom and headed to Vegas for Christmas - Ethan met us there a week later. Trey got to meet all of his Vegas relatives before taking off for Salt Lake to meet his Utah family. Luckily he liked being on the move and does really well with lots of noise. He was the hit of the party and everyone loved this kid - who could blame them? Here are some pictures of his travels!

Here his Uncle Davis is trying to teach Trey's cousin Piper to touch babies softly :)

Trey's first meeting with Santa Clause - he slept through the whole thing!

Christmas Day...I love how he is pointing his finger at the camera.

Trey's blessing day. I don't like the old man stuffy white suit look on babies so I opted for a white collar button up Gap shirt with black corduroy pants. We had a tie for him but we couldn't button the top button of his shirt so unfortunately it didn't work but he looked adorable anyways

Trey spent a lot of time in his Aunt Becca's arms and also in the arms of his Aunt Ivy, Aunt Courtney, and Aunt Jessica

His Grandma and Grandpa Thomas loved spending time with their first grandchild

He even got to meet his friend Crew who was born about 3 months earlier

The Nursery

2011-01-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

I'm way late posting these pictures but better late than never. And I promise the nursery did get done before the baby was born...only a few days before but thats ok. So when I was trying to plan for the nursery I wanted something modern and wanted to use greys and yellows. I did NOT want a themed nursery. I looked everywhere for bedding and was even willing to make it but couldn't even find fabric that I liked. Every time I went looking and came home disappointed Ethan would say that it would be cool to have a sports theme in the nursery. Ethan is a sports fanatic for those of you who don't know. I kept saying no, I don't want a theme like that plus all the sports bedding I've seen has been so cheesy. I kept looking but couldn't find anything like I had pictured in my head. My mom and I went to pottery barn kids and there was a sports bedding that I actually really liked. I took this as a sign and decided to go with it since my husband would love it and Trey probably will too when he gets a little bigger. So it wasn't what I originally wanted but I think it turned out cute anyways. Here are the pics:

Here is a close up of the name sign. I'm proud of it because I made that frame by myself. I bought molding and a miter box and paint. I would have gladly bought a frame but I couldn't find one that were the right dimensions for the size of wall letters I bought. It was a lot of work but I like the way it turned out.

I think these sheets are so adorable. Again, it is hard to find sports bedding that isn't totally cheesy.

I ordered toddler jerseys of Ethan's favorite teams - The Utah Jazz and the BYU Cougars. I know Trey will be a fan too. For the middle piece, I bought a frame and took out the glass. I sprayed the glass with chalkboard paint and then I wrote the Jazz game schedule on it. In the fall it will change to the Cougars schedule.

The sports balls above the dresser/changing table were actually purchased at Hobby Lobby. I looked for forever for some type of sports art that I liked but I didn't want anything in frames since I already had so many in the room. Everything I found was super expensive. Then I found these antique looking metal sports balls and I loved them and loved the price at 50% off!

And here is Dexter enjoying my awesome rocking chair that I love. It actually fits my little body so I can reach the floor! And thats the nursery. I know Trey doesn't appreciate it yet but I like having a nursery that's put together and that I feel good about. Oh and Ethan likes it too :)

Our Baby Boy is Here!

2010-12-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

Trey Daniel Thomas was born one week early on December 1st at 5:20 a.m after 28 long hours of labor! He weighed in at 6 pounds 9 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long. He couldn't be more perfect! I was hoping he would come early since his due date was a day before my husband started law school finals but because I really wanted him to come early I figured he would be a week late. Luckily he knew I needed him sooner. At 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning I started feeling contractions that were 10 minutes apart. By 9:30 a.m. the contractions were close enough that we decided to head to the hospital. I was only dilated to a 2 but the contractions were getting really painful. The midwife told me that I was too tense and my body wasn't letting the contractions dilate me enough so she gave me some muscle relaxants and told me to go home, eat something, take a warm bath and have a nap. Then if I still had contractions to come back in. At that point I thought this isn't going to happen today and I told my mom she might want to postpone her flight out here. I tried the bath and the nap but after about 20 minutes at home I felt like the contractions were going to kill me so I told Ethan we had to go back. After waiting for about an hour to be seen they checked me and I had dilated a little more but because of how strong the contractions were they decided to get me into labor and delivery and give me an epidural so my body could relax. Luckily my mom came despite my doubt about the baby coming that day. I got my epidural around 6 p.m. on Tuesday and my blood pressure dropped. I couldn't breathe well because the drugs got up in my lungs so they put me on oxygen. We got that under control and then pretty soon after I started feeling the contractions again on the right side of my body. The anesthesiologist kept having to come back to give me more drugs. We figured out that the epidural was in the wrong spot but the anesthesiologist didn't want to fix it because he was worried I would get a spinal headache which are very painful and last a long time. So for about 9 hours I would get the contraction pain on my right side every 30 minutes to an hour and have to get more drugs. Finally at around 3 a.m. they gave me 3 extra doses of the epidural and it did nothing so the anesthesiologist decided he needed to take it out and redo it. Luckily it worked the second time and the relief I felt was amazing! 2 hours later I started pushing and I only pushed for 15-20 minutes before my little guy shot out - yes he literally shot out of me. The midwife had to scramble to catch him. It was crazy because before I started pushing I was going to ask my nurse if they have some kind of contraption to catch the baby in case he came out fast but then I thought it was a stupid question. Turns out he did fly out and I am just grateful the midwife did catch him. Unfortunately, because of the way he came out-so fast and all at once, I got 3rd almost 4th degree tears. It took the OBGYN 2 hours to stitch me all up. It was so hard not being able to hold or feed my baby because of the tears. Then after I went home I started feeling like something was wrong so we went back to the Dr. who stitched me up and found out that I got an infection that caused my stitches to dissolve. So now I have an open gaping wound that I will have to get reconstructive surgery on in about 2 months. Even though recovery has been difficult I would go through the whole thing 100 times to have my little guy with me. I am truly so grateful that these complications are happening to me and Trey is healthy and happy. I don't know if I could handle it if he were having medical issues. He is such an angel and has been a really good baby. My mom has been here with me since the labor and I really couldn't have done this without her. She has basically made me breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day while still taking care of Trey and me. Being a mom is the best thing ever. It's hard to describe the instant change that happens after you hold your baby for the first time but all I can say is that it is amazing! Ethan and I have been very blessed. So now here are some pictures of our little stud!

My first time holding my son - so incredible!

Daddy holding Trey while mommy gets stitched up

Trey with both his grandmas

35 Weeks!

2010-11-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

It's crazy to feel and look this big and then realize that you still have 5 more weeks to grow before the baby is due! The weekdays are going by too slowly and the weekends are going by way too quick. My tasks for next week are to get pre-registered at the hospital and get my hospital bag packed and ready to go. I also want to get the car seat set up in my car so I feel prepared in case this baby decides to make me really happy and come early :) Well here is a picture of me at 35 weeks - large and in charge!

Update on last post

2010-11-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

My dear sweet husband knew how distressed I have been over Kitty so he found her a home. A lady who works at his law school has been wanting to add a female cat to her family. She lost her female cat to old age last year and she and her husband have been wanting another cat. They already have a male cat and a few dogs and they think Kitty would fit right in. Apparently dogs and cats can live together in harmony once they get used to each other - who knew! I was so happy when Ethan told me about them. Kitty deserves a good home, even though I'll miss having her greet me at my classroom every morning. I've honestly become increasingly stressed over Kitty because she has been getting more and more needy of me every day. She just wants to hang out and have me pet her all day long. She just waits outside my classroom for me to have a break and come see her. I'm so glad she will now have a home with 2 people taking care of her and giving her the love and attention she needs. Even though my husband thinks I'm crazy I know he secretly likes that I care so much about animals and I know he does too or else he wouldn't have gone to all the effort to find her a home. Thanks babe for lifting this weight off my shoulders and making Kitty and I happy!

My new friend

2010-11-01T12:38:00.001-07:00

This is my new friend Kitty. I started noticing her around my school in the morning about 2 weeks ago. I tried to get her attention a few times but she would just run off. Then about a week ago she was sitting outside my classroom so I ran in and got her some milk. She loved it. From that point on she started hanging out around my room. I bought some cat food and started putting it out for her. She would come into my room during my breaks and hang out. Soon she wanted me to play with her and pet her (yes I wash my hands after I touch her). Even though I've always been a dog person, I bonded with this cat. I call her Kitty and every morning at about 6:50 when I get to school I find Kitty waiting for me under my porch. She starts meowing like crazy the second she sees me. I've been desperately trying to find Kitty a home. I would even take Kitty home if it weren't for the fact that my two dogs freak out every time they see a cat. I have asked all my classes if anyone is interested in a cat and emailed all the teachers at my school. I even got Ethan to email his whole school to see if anyone would be interested in adopting Kitty. It breaks my heart to see homeless animals. I've even started coming to my school on weekends to feed Kitty. I'm becoming the crazy cat lady which is ironic considering I know nothing about cats and have never owned a cat in my life. I told Ethan that we have to figure something out for Kitty before I go on maternity leave but I'm hoping we figure it out way before then. I hate thinking about her sleeping under the school portables in the cold. I'm just a big animal lover - Ethan thinks I need to start working for PETA but I told him it would make me too depressed. If anyone has any ideas for what I could do with Kitty let me know

Thoughts on teaching while pregnant

2010-10-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I decided to go into teaching is because I always thought it would be a great job to have if I had to be a working mom. I still believe this because teaching allows you to be home in the afternoons and evenings with your family. You get every weekend and holiday off. And of course you have the whole summer to play with your kids. It's also a job that provides good benefits. Yet as great as teaching is when you have to be or want to be a working mom I'm starting to think it's one of the worst jobs for being pregnant. The reasons being are:

- You can't cut back on your hours when you are huge, exhausted, swollen, and feel like your back may break at any moment

- You have to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes but unfortunately your classes are 100

minutes long and the nearest bathroom is 100 yards away

- You have to wake up at 5:30 in the morning after a night of tossing and turning because no position is comfortable when your belly is that large

Even though it is getting really hard to work full time at this stage of my pregnancy, I'm very grateful for my job. It's been very hard but also rewarding and it's helped Ethan and I a lot. I was able to get Ethan in state tuition our first year because of my job. I also have good insurance through my job. We have both been very blessed since moving to ABQ and we are about to become a whole lot more blessed with the addition of our little guy in only 5 1/2 weeks! We are so excited and can't wait for it to be December 7th! Now if only I can find enough energy to finish the nursery!

33 Weeks Pic

2010-10-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

Alright, so Ethan makes me take pictures like all the time. Unfortunately I hate most of the pictures because they have basically all been taken at 6:30 in morning in our poorly lit apartment so I have been bad about posting them. But thanks to the harassment of my family I'm finally putting one up. This picture was taken at 33 weeks and 4 days. I definitely feel bigger every day now. He is growing so much. I finished painting the nursery this weekend and now I'm just waiting for a couple things I ordered to come in so I can finish it completely. I know I'm probably putting more effort into this nursery than I should since we will only be in it for another year or so but it's worth it to me. Ethan says that the baby won't care what it looks like but I said that I will be spending almost as much time in their as the baby and I DO care! Luckily Ethan typically ends up liking and appreciating what I do. Anyways back to the pic, here it is:

So other than me becoming larger by the second, I've just been working and trying to get everything ready for our addition. Ethan has been working hard at law school and stressing out about Cougar football. We have also been trying to give our pups a lot of attention because they will probably feel a little neglected when we bring home the baby. Here are our babies enjoying some quality daddy time

The Final Countdown

2010-10-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

Ok so it may be too early to say it's the final countdown but I really only have 7 weeks and 1 day until my due date. Sometimes when I think about 7 weeks I think it is still forever away and other times I think Ethan and I need to take advantage of these last weeks we have being child free. I am so excited and nervous about being a mommy. I'm mostly nervous about the labor and delivery but I know I can get through it. My parents were in town this past weekend and they helped us out so much. We got a cute light fixture in Trey's room and my handyman dad installed it. For some reason the apartment complex had a little plastic box covering the place where you could put a light fixture so we have been living without a light in that room for over a year now. Trust me lamps don't light up a room like a ceiling light. We got the travel system assembled. We picked up our rocking chair and my parent gave us a dresser. Oh and my mom found an awesome lamp that matches the theme of the nursery. Everything is coming together. All I really need now is a baby swing so I can still shower and cook while the baby is awake. The nursery is about half done and hopefully will be completely finished in the next 2-3 weeks. I'll post pictures soon. I've had a really easy pregnancy up until this point. It has definitely gotten more difficult in the past 2 weeks or so. I have to use the bathroom every hour, sleep is no longer my best friend, my hands and feet swell and I had to send my wedding ring home with my parents. Rings don't look so pretty when you have hot dog fingers. Hearburn is not fun and I now must have perfect posture since bending hurts. The baby likes to either be high in my ribs or low on my bladder. He gets the hiccups a lot lately which was cute at first but now I find it very distracting. But even though it has gotten harder I'm still so grateful to be at this point without any complications. He already makes me so happy and it will only get better from here. On a brighter pregnancy note, I'm right on track with my weight gain. I'm hoping to only gain the minimum of 25 pounds and right now i've gained 18. I'm supposed to gain about 1 pound per week until he comes. I know I'm bad about posting pictures but I'll try to get a 33 week picture up in the next few days and maybe a sneak peak of the nursery as well.

29 weeks and a root canal

2010-09-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last week was my birthday and my husband made a great effort to make it special. He got me some grey boots i've been wanting, a crib skirt that matches the baby bedding, and the documentary movie Babies that i've been wanting to see. Since my birthday was Tuesday and I'm usually too tired after work to go out, we decided to order in dinner and do my real birthday dinner at Tocanos on Saturday. Little did I know that on Thursday I would have to get a root canal. Needless to say, there was no Tocanos this weekend. I mostly sipped soup and drank smoothies. I was very worried about getting dental work done while I was 29 weeks pregnant but my dentist called my doctor to make sure all the medication he prescribed was ok. She said that it was but I've still been avoiding taking the vicodin and opted for extra strength tylenol instead. Oh the sacrifices us mommies make for our little ones :) Yes, it was a long weekend for me. But in happier news, we got the crib set up this weekend and the bedding has arrived. Now I need to order the mattress and I can get the crib/bedding all set up. My little guy has been moving around like crazy which feels much stranger than him kicking. He is starting to get in my ribs...not my favorite but I'm still happy every time I feel him. I also had a doctors appt. last week and everything looks good. No gestational diabetes and his heartbeat is good. We only have 10 weeks and 2 days left and even though I feel like that is forever away, I know it will go by fast. I just can't wait to be a mommy to this little guy!

27 Weeks!

2010-09-12T15:59:00.000-07:00

Well I wish I could say that time is flying by but it's not. Now that i'm getting into the final stretch, I feel like each day is a week. I'm dying to meet my little man and Ethan is surprisingly as impatient as I am. We both want him here now but I know he needs to cook in there a bit longer. It's actually a good thing I have 3 months left (or so I keep telling myself) because I have not yet started on the nursery. I have basically everything I need but I'm waiting for my parents to come and bring me the dresser and take the queen bed out of the nursery. I also need to find out if I can paint. Does anyone know? Anyways some things that have developed in the last week:

- Painting my toe nails is extremely difficult and uncomfortable

- Bending over in general won't be happening for the next 3 months

- Heart burn, heart burn, heart burn

- Looking down at my belly and seeing it move as he kicks is awesome (though that's been happening for a long time now)

- Bulges on the right side of my belly and me and Ethan trying to figure out what body part of his the bulge belongs to

- Ethan talking to him gets him kicking like crazy! It's so cute!

- And finally, the realization that my belly button will not be an inny much longer. It's hanging on for dear life at the moment.

I have to admit I have had a very easy pregnancy so far. I'm a lucky duck. I'm just an impatient lucky duck. Oh well, he will be worth the wait. Here is a 27 week picture. It's hard to believe I've only gained 13 pounds when I feel so huge.

One Lucky Momma

2010-08-30T12:53:00.001-07:00

This post is kinda just me bragging about how awesome my family is. I've been a little overwhelmed by the amount of things I will need for this little man in my tummy. I wish money grew on trees or at least that teachers got paid better. It's been a challenge supporting myself, my husband, and my two pups on a teaching salary and now we are adding a baby to the mix. Needless to say I don't have much money left over after the bills to buy the things I want for my little guy. Luckily I have an awesome family who always helps out when I need something. Here are a few a my favorite things that my amazing family has got for me and the babe:

This cute Graco travel system is curtesy of my sweet Grandma Hyer who I have always adored. I liked this one because it has boy colors but the pattern is cute for both girls and boys.

My stylish little sis. got me my petunia pickle bottom diaper bag that I have been swooning over. She totally surprised me with it at my baby shower. And yes, she is so cool that she even filled the bag with awesome baby toys and the cutest ralph lauren romper I've ever seen.

Having a good, comfortable chair to rock and feed my baby in was very important to me. It was one of the things I cared most about. However, I'm picky. It needed to be the right size for me since I'm short. That was harder than I thought - my feet dangled off the ground in most of them which wouldn't be conducive to rocking. I also wanted a very dark brown and either leather or vinyl chair (that way I could easily wipe up any diaper blowouts or spit-up that happened on the chair). When my dad realized how much I was struggling to find a chair in my price range, he graciously decided to buy me the perfect chair for my birthday. Note: this is not the actual chair, I couldn't find a picture of my chair but it looks similar to this one.

Even though I'm a little embarrassed to put this gift up, I'm very grateful for it. I want my baby to be able to take a bottle but I also want to give him all the benefits of breast milk so having this top of the line medela electric double breast pump will be a huge blessing. Thanks mom for the great gift that will hopefully allow for me and Ethan to have a date night every once in awhile! Since my mom is also giving us a dresser, the only big purchase Ethan and I have left is the crib.

I also have to thank my awesome in-laws, extended family, and friends for the wonderful baby shower gifts. (Utah friends: your thank-you cards are coming soon). Trey's grandma Thomas has already spoiled him with adorable clothes, pajamas, shoes, bassinet, and baby bath. He is one lucky boy and I am one lucky momma. Thanks again!

Cabo Trip!

2010-08-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

I know, I know I'm horrible at blogging. I won't lie, I'm not going to get any better over these next 3 1/2 months while I'm teaching full time and getting ready for our little guy to join us. Sorry! Hopefully after I'm done working I'll make a little more time for it. We will see. Anyways, my awesome, vacation loving dad decided to take the family on a trip to Cabo this summer. We were all so excited about the opportunity to relax, go swim at the beach, and eat yummy food in Mexico. My niece Piper had a blast swimming in the amazing and warm hotel pools. Here are some pics of the trip:

Me and Ethan by the hotel pool

Here we are in front of the famous Cabo Arch. It was really so pretty

The girls on our snorkeling adventure. We took an hour and a half boat ride to get to this snorkeling spot and when we got their, the guide told us that there are jelly fish in the water so to go at our own risk. We all looked over the boat at the water and saw swarms of small jelly fish. I was nervous but we thought we would give it a try. The second we jumped in Becca said I think I got stung. I said No you are just imagining it, keep going. Well we all started getting stung so after 10 minutes we started swimming for dear life back to the boat. Becca had welts on her bikini line, stomach, and arm. Ethan had several on his arms, Ivy got it on her leg, and I had it on my arms! Those jelly fish got us good but the boat ride out there was fun!

Ethan and I enjoying our virgin pina coladas on our boat ride! And yes it was basically a booze cruise!

Here is the whole gang right before we left to catch our plane back home. Sad sad. No one was ready to leave just yet.

Boating at Lake Mead

2010-07-01T22:03:00.001-07:00

Last weekend my Dad, Ethan, Ivy, Piper, and I went boating with a family friend out at Lake Mead. It was prettier than I ever remember it being and I loved being out on the water. I wish I could have water skied but Ethan kind of talked my out of it. He didn't want anything to happen to our son and I couldn't argue there. So I enjoyed the ride and I did take my turn on the tube. My 6 month old niece Piper Loved going fast on the boat. She was in this huge life jacket that she hated but the second the boat started going she would stop crying and enjoy the ride. She even took a ride in the tube and loved it. The girl has a need for speed! Ethan hasn't spent too much time at the lake in his life so this was the first time he went water skiing and I had no faith that he would get up on his first try. He proved me wrong and got up every time he tried. I was quite impressed! We saw plenty of fish and we even fed some ducks...I can never resist! Here are some pics of our adventure at the Lake!

IT'S A ________!!

2010-06-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

A girl in my home ward told us about a place you could go to in Vegas called Baby's First Image where they will tell you at 15 weeks whether it's a girl or a boy. This being my first baby, of course I couldn't pass up that opportunity and wait 5 more weeks until the 20 week appt. So my mom, sister, husband, and I went down for my appointment. Now for the past month Ethan and I have been pretty convinced it's a boy. When I first found out I was pregnant I went back and forth between boy and girl but for the last month I was just thinking boy. Ethan was mostly hoping boy. But the week prior to the ultrasound, Ethan kept saying I think it's a girl. I knew, however, that he was just saying that so he wouldn't be disappointed if it ended up being a girl! Well as most of you guessed, it is a BOY!!! There was no doubt after watching the ultrasound - we saw his man parts in 2-D and 3-D! Yes, definitely a boy:) I would put pictures up but they kind of look like gremlins at this stage - albeit very cute gremlins. We are so excited! We have liked the name Trey for a long time now and it feels right, so that is what we are calling him for now! So Trey has already racked up some pretty cute clothes, an adorable baby tie, books, and toys from his aunts, grandmas, and even great grandma. He is a lucky boy. I'm still feeling pretty good, I haven't really popped yet but I know it will be any day so I'll post pictures when I have a real belly to show. Oh and Ethan is so happy he is getting a boy! And so am I!

Baby Thomas

2010-05-27T19:40:00.001-07:00

So we went in for our first ultrasound today. I was very nervous because they told me I needed to drink 32 ounces of water and not go to the bathroom for 45 minutes prior to my appointment. How do they expect a pregnant girl to do that? I mean I had a small bladder before I got pregnant and it's gotten like 50 times worse. Oh well I drank as much as I could and prayed I could make it through without wetting my pants. Ethan and I couldn't believe how much our little tyke was squirming and moving in my belly. It was so cute and fun to watch. At one point it looked like the baby was sucking his/her thumb. We got some good pictures and things definitely feel more "real" when you get to see the baby. We are so excited to meet this little one. Oh and the doctor predicted it was a BOY!! Even though she said it was too early to tell for sure, she thought she saw a little something in between those legs! Of course that was music to Ethan's ears! Ethan keeps saying "can this baby just be here already?" Ha ha, sorry babe, gotta wait until December! Anyway, here is a little profile pic of our little one. Have you ever seen anything so cute? I seriously doubt it!

Exciting News!

2010-05-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

Warning: This post will be a short novel so proceed with caution.

Ethan and I are very excited to announce that we are expecting a baby around December 8th. Now to be totally honest, this baby is a bit of a surprise. We were planning on waiting until the fall to try and get pregnant so I would know if I still had a job and insurance (we are having a budget crisis in our school district). Obviously this baby was ready to come now :). I'm guessing it's a whole lot more fun to tell your husband you're pregnant when it's a surprise as opposed to when you are actually trying. So this is how it went down. I decided to take a pregnancy test on April 1st (that's right...April Fools Day!) I honestly don't know why I even took the test, I had no symptoms and it's totally normal for my period to be a day late. I guess I just thought it would be fun to take one since I never have taken one before. When I went to check on the test I saw just one line (negative) which is completely what I expected to see. I picked it up to throw it away and noticed a VERY faint second line. Hmmm. Well because of how faint it was I figured it still meant negative but to ease my mind I started googling what a very faint line on a pregnancy test meant. To my surprise everyone said that if there is a line, no matter how faint, you are pregnant! I still wasn't completely convinced so I called my sister at work and said "I think I might be pregnant!" Of course she was so excited and asked me what Ethan said. Oops! I haven't told him yet. For one, I didn't really want to tell him on April Fools day because I KNEW he would never believe me. I also wanted to take a digital read test so there would be no confusion on the results. The whole night I kept this huge secret from Ethan. Sorry babe! My sister's husband Davis knew Ethan was going to be a Dad before Ethan knew! Ha ha! So obviously the digital test said pregnant. I immediately ran out to do what I do best (shop!) for a baby boy and baby girl outfit. Idea stolen from my friend Jami. Here are the outfits I picked:

I told Ethan that I had bought him T-shirts at the mall and the girl at the store was bored and wanted to gift wrap his shirts. He totally bought it! When Ethan got home I led him to his present and told him to open it. He pulled out the baby boy outfit. As I anxiously waited for a response, this is what I hear "Aww baby clothes." Hmm not the response I expected. I just stared at him for a minute waiting to see if he would get it. He didn't. Apparently he thought I had bought my niece or friend's baby an outfit. Finally I got impatient and pulled out the two positive pregnancy tests. That got his attention! Now only if there were a word to describe his face. Oh wait there is...SHOCK! After a minute he started laughing and said "Wait this is a late April Fools joke right?" See I told you I couldn't tell him ON April Fools Day. I assured him it was not and that we were really going to be parents.

He was still very skeptical but realized it was in His best interest to take me out to dinner to celebrate. Right after dinner he went to Wal-Mart to buy another preggo test. I guess he wanted to make sure I wasn't getting the positive tests from a friend or something. Still pregnant babe! After the shock wore off he got really excited and says it would be cool to have twins (please no)! He really wants a boy but my mom is thinking it's a girl. I have no clue. I just want my baby to be healthy.

I haven't been sick at all thank goodness, just tired. I'm 11 1/2 weeks and today we got to hear it's little heartbeat. It was so fast and it made me so happy to hear. Thursday we have our first ultrasound and hopefully we will find out the sex in July. The dogs aren't quite sure what to think yet. We are sure they will have an opinion once the baby gets here. Zoey is actually really good with babies. She likes to sniff their baby heads! Dex we will have to watch closely!

We will keep you posted on the rest as it comes!

Just waiting...

2010-05-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

This semester has been a long and hard one for Ethan and it's taken it's toll on our family - well mostly Zoey. She really is only truly happy when both her parents are home, although she has gotten better ever since we added little Dexter to the family. But still I catch her laying by the front door just staring at it hoping her daddy will be walking through any moment. Her other daddy watching spot is on our big comfy chair by the window. She loves looking at that window. On those lucky days when she spots daddy pulling up in the parking lot she comes and lets me know (barks loudly!) so I can open the front door and let her run down the stairs to greet her daddy! I really think Ethan loves it when I let the dogs out to greet him. I mean really, who is ever as happy to see you as your dog? Anyways, Today is the last day Zoey will be waiting by the door until Fall - Ethan is taking his last final as I write. I couldn't be more excited for both of us to be done with school (me teaching, him studying) for the year and move to Vegas for the summer. Zoey and Dexy will be so happy to have a huge backyard to play in and a cousin (Becca's dog Lexy) to play with. Well here are some pics of Zoe Zoe in her favorite spots.

Goals for Summer Break

2010-03-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

Since I'm very lucky to have 2 1/2 months off this summer (another perk of teaching), I'm setting some goals of what I want to accomplish. I figure if I write them down for people to actually see them, I might be more motivated to do them. So here they are:

1. Sew, sew, sew. I have a ton of projects in my head and lots of fabric to use up.
2. Cook a lot! I have found so many recipes that I'm dying to try but since I work full time
I am usually too tired or I don't have enough time to make a lot of recipes. Plus I'll be
at home and cooking for my parents so I think they will buy the ingredients!
3. Work out - this is going to be the hardest goal to accomplish. I am lazy by nature and I
hate running, hate being sweaty, and hate wearing tennis shoes (I know that last one is
weird but it's true). But despite all that I really do want to get in shape, so I will try!
4. Spend time with my husband. Since law school stole him away from me this year, I
have really missed having him around. Hopefully his internship won't be as grueling
as his first year of law school and we can actually find time to do things together.
5. Get our new dog Dexter completely trained! This is definitely the most ambitious of
my goals and you would know this if you have met little Dex! He is one stubborn pup!
He is cuter than cute but very mischievious!

Well, wish me luck! I know it's early to be posting about summer but I'm seriously counting down the days! I can't wait to be home with my family and it's so awesome that I'll be there with Becca and Davis, Calder, Ivy, and Piper, and my parents! I also can't wait to hang out with my grams! I miss them all so much! And another exciting thing about being in Vegas is Utah is so close that we can do weekend trips to visit Ethan's family and our friends! Yay!! Seriously can it just be summer already!

Spring Break 2010!!

2010-03-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

For the first time since high school I got to enjoy spring break (BYU doesn't believe in spring break)! It's one of the perks of being a teacher. And Ethan had his spring break at the same time, it's been so awesome and relaxing. My parents came down for a couple days to spoil us! We went to a bunch of really good restaurants, went to the movies, and explored ABQ! We went to the Acoma Pueblos which is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the U.S! Pretty cool. We also went to the Petroglyph National Park and Old Town. Thanks again mom and dad, you treat us well! Here are some pics of the vacation!

Me and Ethan at the Acoma Pueblos or City in the sky!

Me and Ethan by their "ovens!" Thank goodness we live in modern times with electricity!

Us by a few petroglyphs! So cool!

At the Acoma pueblos. They built some of the houses with the only entrance to the house on the roof so if the Spanish came to invade they could pull up the ladders and they couldn't get into their homes! Good plan but those ladders look pretty dang heavy.

Me and my dad! So precious!

HAHA! Best Commercial Ever!

2010-02-24T18:50:00.001-08:00

Ethan and I saw this commercial on TV the other night and couldn't stop laughing! Ethan kept saying "don't you dare look at me and then at him!" Aren't funny commercials the best? Here it is for your viewing pleasure...Enjoy!

Welcome to the family Dexter!

2010-02-16T17:45:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting another dog ever since we moved to New Mexico. The reason being that our dog Zoey has been very depressed since we brought her here. She doesn't have any friends here. In Utah she played with Ethan's parents dogs Kanye and Coco every week. She also played with our upstairs neighbors dog Ellie all the time. She loved her life in Utah but since we came to Albuquerque she has been lonely and depressed. She even gained 3 pounds! She was eating her feelings! I gave Ethan lots of not so subtle hints about getting a new dog. He came through on Valentines with a little Westie (the Caesar dog). We named him Dexter. He's a little beast but we love him and Zoey is happy and has her energy back! He's adjusted to his new environment very quickly, in fact he never missed a beat. He's a great addition to our family! Hope the potty training goes quickly! Here are some pics of the little guy!

2010-02-16T17:36:00.000-08:00

My Law-bound baby!

2010-01-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

I don't usually like to brag, mostly since I don't usually like to be the center of attention but in this case I'm not bragging about myself so I think it's ok! My husband Ethan just finished his first semester of law school (the one everyone says is the hardest) and he did so well. He got 3 A's and 2 B's. He even made the Dean's List! Top 10% of his class - not too shabby! Who knew I married such a smart man? Needless to say, I'm very proud of him. In college when we dated he never seemed like the "buckle down so I can get a good grade" type. I feel really blessed to have a husband who thinks about our future and wants to do all he can to provide for me and our future family. Well that's my limit for lovey dovey stuff for one day!

Dreaming of New York

2010-01-20T07:08:00.000-08:00

It's so frustrating to me when I find a clothing style I want to try and make or I have a design for a great shirt or dress in my head and I go to the fabric store and they don't have anything even close to the fabric I need. I realize that L.A and New York have the best fabric stores to work with but does that mean that everywhere else has to fall so so short? The Joanne's here in Albuquerque is so incredibly small and Hancock fabric isn't exactly known for high fashion fabrics. Oh well, next time I go to New York I am seriously loading up on fabric - I mean I'm bringing an empty suitcase just for that purpose! Anyways here are some things I'm wanting to make:

2010-01-20T06:58:00.000-08:00

Gotta love American Idol

2010-01-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

I want this guy to come into my classes and sing this song for all my students who like to sag their pants. They need to learn that nobody wants to see that!

New Years Resolutions

2010-01-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

I know it's a little late to post these since the month is already halfway done but I'm going to do it anyway. Here are a few things I want to do this year:
- Eat healthier (Easier said than done when you're busy)
- Be better with money (I've been pretty good but I can always be better)
- Try to enjoy my job more (Some days it's really hard)
- Keep my place clean ( It makes my husband happy to come home to a clean house)
- Find more time to sew (It makes me happy)
- Explore more (We haven't done much in Albuquerque yet because we are either really
busy or really tired.)

Christmas Break

2010-01-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

Ethan and I were fortunate enough to spend time with both our families over Christmas break. That's one of the perks of being a teacher while my husband is in school. We both get decent holiday breaks! We definitely got spoiled during our break. Amazing food, awesome presents, fun shopping trips, movies movies movies, sleeping in, relaxing, and most importantly...no school work!!! It was a much needed, much enjoyed vacation for us. Thanks to both families for the good times!

Piper Elizabeth Huntington

2010-01-11T08:03:00.001-08:00

Here she is! Can't wait to meet her!

Congrats to the new parents Calder and Ivy

2010-01-11T08:00:00.001-08:00

These people had a baby! I'm finally an aunt for the first time! Congrats to the new parents!

2010-01-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

I made this cute little dress for my new niece Piper. It's so cute and little. Making baby dresses is really the funnest thing ever and yes I know funnest is not a real word but i'm going to use it anyway!

2010-01-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

I turned this into this for my sister in law for Christmas. All I did was stitch on some cool lace and add awesome pearl buttons. Voila! It was a lot cheaper than buying the Nordstrom version!

2010-01-11T07:38:00.000-08:00

Whats been going on

2010-01-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

Good Day at Work!

2009-11-10T12:49:00.000-08:00

Well I feel bad since I have only blogged about my bad day at work and haven't blogged about any good days. That gives an unfair representation. There have been a lot more good days than bad days and the one day I told you all about was completely out of the ordinary (thank goodness!) So I'll tell you about one of my good days. It was a conversation with one of my students. I'll call him Ryan. This is how it went:
Ryan: I love cooking, it's awesome. This is my favorite class
Me: Well i'm glad! You should definitely take Culinary Arts II next year.
Ryan: Do you teach that class?
Me: No, another teacher teaches that class.
Ryan: Well if you aren't the teacher, I don't want to take that class. Do you teach any other classes?
Me: Yes, I teach nutrition but there really isn't cooking in that class. It's a lot of facts, information, and some experiments.
Ryan: Well your my favorite teacher, so if you're teaching it, I'll take it.
Me: Thanks Ryan!

Teachers definitely need to hear things like that every once in while!

SCARY DAY AT WORK!

2009-11-06T07:38:00.001-08:00

I kind of figured it would happen one day. I hoped it wouldn't of course, but it did. It could have been much much worse but it was still pretty scary. I have a student in my class who I will call Nate (not real name). He is a freshman, he is failing every class, he always smells like pot, and he always wants to be at my desk talking to me. He comes to my desk at the strangest times. I'll be in the middle of a lesson and he will walk up and stand at my desk and wait for me to be done so he can talk. He would talk about the strangest things. Yesterday before the incident, he talked to me about being tired. He said his energy must have transferred to someone else in the class. He said it was a spiritual thing. He clearly had issues but I didn't know what they were. Then it happened. He snapped while the class was waiting for their breakfast to finish cooking. I don't even know what happened to make him snap. He told two of the girls in his lab group that he had arranged for the to get "jumped" after school. When two of my best behaved, nicest boys heard him they told him to back off. Then Nate started yelling that he was going to kill the two boys. I told him he needs to leave my class and cool off. He ignored me and yelled profanities at the two boys and two girls. I told him I was going to call security if he didn't go to the office right away. I tried to lead him out by gently grabbing his arm but he didn't want to go and I couldn't make him. I called security and convinced the two good boys to step outside. Then Nate freaked out that I called security. He yelled at me saying "how could you do that? It's gonna be like this, then?" He then told the class that he's been to juvi. and he isn't scared to go back. He said he shot someone and that he'll shoot the boys in my class. Security was no where in sight. I kept talking to him saying he could have told me about the problem, i've always listened to him. He said no one will ever understand him. He yelled that he's been abandoned and betrayed by everyone in his life. His dad left when he was three. He didn't know where his mom was. He asked me if I know how that feels...No I don't. My heart broke for him because I have no doubt that all that was true. Then He picked up a butcher knife from one of the kitchens and gripped it. PANICK!! Still no security. Before I could even form words he came to his senses and put it down. He shoved one of the ovens. Still no security. Yelled more profanities at the girls. Finally security came. He told security it was messed up that I called and it was unnecessary. Wow, finally he was out of my room and away from my students and the kitchen knives. I was shaking slightly but at least I didn't wet my pants! My students all told me I handled it well. Thanks guys! They told me they wanted to jump out the window when he grabbed the knife...me too! I really feel sad that he can't be in my class anymore. He clearly needs someone who can help him work through his emotional problems. I really hope he gets the help he needs, and I really, really hope he stays away from the two boys and two girls in my class. Needless to say, I was glad when the bell rang that day! Hopefully that will be my one and only scary incidence in class!

Excuse me, where do you think you're going?

2009-11-01T18:20:00.001-08:00

When I first started working at Manzano High School I thought it was funny that everyone there was mistaking me for a student. I mean it's been almost 7 years since I was in high school. I'm 25 years old and to think that people are confusing me for a14-18 year old girl is kinda funny. I have teachers tell me to get to class when I leave my room during prep. period. I've had the school police ask me for my student I.D because they thought I was ditching. When I went to take my turn proctoring a test, the teacher who went before me asked what I needed (he thought I was a student taking the practice SAT). When office aides come into my class with a note for a student they look around the class for the teacher until they give up and ask one of my students who the teacher is. So it was funny for awhile but I was getting tired of explaining who I was to everyone. It was getting to be embarrassing. I've been wanting to do an A-line haircut for over a year now but everytime I went I got scared and changed my mind. Then everyone started doing it and I like being a little different. But I realized that an A-line might look a little more sophisticated and make me look a little older so I decided to take the plunge. I don't miss my long hair at all, especially since I never have time to do it anymore. I have to wake up around 5:30 now and I wasn't willing to wake up any earlier to curl my hair. Anyways here is a not so good picture (I need to teach my husband to take a good pic.) of my new hair do!

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Living in New Mexico

2009-10-12T12:37:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I have blogged and I probably shouldn't be blogging now. I'm at school and my students are working on an assignment. Life has been pretty crazy the past three months but so far it's been going by pretty fast. Sometimes Ethan is at school from 8 am to 10pm. I hate those nights, especially since I now cannot sleep until he is home. Lame I know but it's true. I miss having Ethan's family around and having my family visit often. Being a first year teacher is about as hard as I figured it would be but the funny thing is that the actual teaching really isn't too difficult, it's dealing with all the district and school stuff that's been frustrating. But I have had a lot more good days than bad days and I think that's a pretty big blessing. Ethan is enjoying his classes (most of them) and working hard. Our poor puppy has been a little neglected - she got used to one of us being around for her since Ethan and I used to work different hours. Anyways, I'm going to be an aunt for the first time in December which i'm excited about, I just hope I'll be able to see the baby. I also wish I had time to make her some clothes before she comes but I'll just have to wait for the summer to sew. Anyways, here are some Thomas family pictures from right before Ethan and I moved.

It's a dog fight...

2009-03-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

This is our dog Zoe and the upstairs neighbor's dog ellie. They have basically been best friends ever since we moved in last summer. They love wrestling with each other. They would go for hours if we didn't stop them. Me and Courtney (Ellie's mom) have been talking about how sad they will both be when we move away for law school in a few months. Zoe will be friendless without Ellie and Ethan's parents' dogs who we go see every Sunday at least. Anyway here is some video of one of the many dog fights we see!

Huntington/Thomas Family Pictures

2009-03-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is taken in our backyard. I think it's so pretty back there!

AWWW!! How cute is our little Zoey?!

Does black and white make our family look more sophisticated? I think so!

The whole clan in the family room with the Christmas tree as our backdrop. Love it

When we were all home for Christmas my mom had my talented cousin Jenni come and do some family pictures for us. Me and Ethan were even able to have our own family portrait taken with our dog Zoey!

A Vegas Wedding

2009-03-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

My husband, my mother-in-law Mona, and me about to go to dinner with all of Mona's extended family.

This picture was taken right before the wedding. If you look closely, you can see the faces of Courtney and Jackie between mine and Ethan's heads! Just like them trying to be the center of attention!!

This is Me, my sister-in-law Courtney, and her friend Jackie

The bride and groom had a creative idea for their sign in book. They had all these props on a table and a boy was waiting there with a polaroid camera. The guests were told to use the props and have their picture taken. Then they gave you the picture and we glued it in the book and signed the page! Mona on the far right looks the best!

Last weekend, one of Ethan's cousins got married in Las Vegas. It wasn't how most people would imagine a Vegas wedding though. It was NOT on the strip and the officiator was NOT an Elvis impersonator (although that would have been cool). The wedding actually took place at the Charleston Lodge way up in the mountains. In fact it was snowing there when we arrived. Needless to say, it was not what most of the guests imagined Las Vegas would be like. Being from Vegas, I tried to warn my husband and his family that this place was far away from the city and we would be surrounded by mountains in the cold. The hotel was a little bit eerie. They used dead stuffed bears and dears as decorations (if you know me at all you know i HATE that type of stuff) and the place was pretty dark. They had old fashion piano music playing and it kinda looked like a setting for a horror movie. But regardless we had some good times with my husband's family. Here are some pics

Thomas Family Picture

2009-02-23T21:00:00.001-08:00

This picture was taken over Thanksgiving weekend and yes I am just now getting it posted but what can you do right? My sister in law, Courtney is experiencing college life as a Freshman at UVU. I don't know if i'd say she's enjoying it but she has had some fun times and made some good friends (I know that because we work together at Allyse's Bridal and she has made friends with all the cute, fun girls there). Court is definately full of life and I think she's enjoyed having a sister for the first time in her life just as i've enjoyed having a second sister. My brother in law Chase is still working his way up at Wells Fargo and he is enjoying living with all his buddies in a house near the U of U. He has a new girlfriend so instead of leaving right after dinner on Sunday he has actually been staying around with Jessica and hanging out with the family. We are loving it. Mona is still enjoying her work and I enjoy teasing her about how she puts in way more hours than secondary education teachers. She doesn't get home until between 5 and 6 everyday but when I was student teaching at the junior high and high school I noticed all the teachers left half an hour after the bell rang. Kelly got a new job and is enjoying it so far. He is still the "dog whisperer" in the family. Whenever he's around all the dogs want to be around him. Hey when you've got it, you've got it right?!

Four and Counting!

2009-02-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

Well it's been an exciting few weeks for us. Ethan has been accepted into four law schools so far and we are waiting to hear back from a couple more. So far he has been offered a spot at St. Thomas (our first choice due to the full tuition scholarship), Drake University, Gonzaga University, and Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Getting the scholarship at St. Thomas has kind of taken the excitement out of getting accepted at these other schools because we know that we can't turn down that kind of offer but it's still nice to know that several schools are intersted in my husband. Gonzaga was at the top of our list besides University of Utah and UNLV because of it's beautiful campus, decent weather, outdoor activities, and low cost of living (from what we heard) but we are getting excited about the prospect of living in Minneapolis. It's nice to know that we will have family there (at least for 1 year) while my brother Calder finishes his last year of law school and his wife Ivy works towards her degree in Engineering.

We're Moving to Minneapolis...We think!

2009-02-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

Well it's official, Ethan got into law school! The school is St. Thomas and it is in Minneapolis. The first letter Ethan got was a rejection and he was so worried he wasn't going to get into to any of the schools he applied to. He is usually really calm and doesn't get stressed out easily but I noticed a change in his disposition after that first letter. He was definately worried so when we got accepted he was so happy. It was on a Monday and we had both just finished work. He opened the letter as I was looking for seasoning for the steak he was going to cook for dinner. He read the first line aloud and we started celebrating right after hearing the words "congratulations, you have been accepted..." We probably celebrated for a good 10-15 minutes before going back and actually reading the whole letter. Then came the shocking part...St. Thomas offered him a full tuition 3 year scholarship!!! We were literally in shock! We proabably re-read it 10 times just to make sure those words were still on the page. The boy who was worried he wouldn't get into a single law school just got a full tuition scholarship! I was so proud! We called his parents and then my parents who were all so excited for us (although I think Mona was secretly sad because she really doesn't want us to leave Utah). Last we called my brother who is also going to law school in Minneapolis at a different school. He was the one that convinced Ethan to apply to St. Thomas. Finally after all the calls Ethan said there was no way he was cooking tonight so we went out to celebrate the amazing news. What a great day!

Black Friday Sadness

2008-12-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

I've decided I really don't like black friday. The stores get your hopes up with all the great deals but you have to act like an animal in order to get those deals. I had my eye on a 7 1/2 Ft. Christmas tree at Home Depot on sale for $50.00 and I was so excited to have it in my home and get it all decorated. My mother-in-law and I went out on Friday morning and we got to the store 7 minutes after it opened only to find that the tree was already sold out. I wasn't even about to set foot in Wal-mart for their good deals but I did try to buy my husband the X-box 360 with guitar hero online; of course those were sold out just as soon as the clock struck midnight. As poor as I am right now with me student teaching and not working I am not poor enough to camp out in the freezing cold to save a few bucks. Oh well I guess I'll just have to try my luck at the after Christmas sales. Hopefully by next year I will have my tree.

2008-11-20T09:13:00.001-08:00

After experiencing lots of peer pressure from friends and family, i've decided to be trendy and join the world of blogging! I'm sorry to say that our life right now is not super exciting - i'm just finishing student teaching and Ethan is applying for law school but we are very happy and figured we can keep everyone updated through this blog. It may take me awhile to figure everything out so don't give up on me too early :)