Your Assignment!

My sister, Heather, and I have read about 7 books in the past 3 weeks or so. We're quite enjoying this reading hobby we've resumed. So far, I've read:

Kite Runner: Loved it. Took a few minutes to get into, but I really thought it was a great book.

A Thousand Splendid Suns: Liked it even more than Kite Runner. This one made me cry. I recommend it to anyone who wants a little bit more than just a QUICK read, but it still only took me 2 1/2 days.

Fablehaven 2: These Fablehaven books are darling. I totally recommend them! They're a quick, enjoyable, happy read; but there is still some adventure. If you liked Harry Potter, but not as dark, these are really cute. I also would recommend them for any kids 8-9+

Life of Pi: As long as I skimmed over the LENGTHY religion part at the beginning, it was a good book. The end REALLY makes you think. In fact, it's still one of those books that I'm still thinking about weeks later!

A Girl Named Disaster: Eh. I read this directly after Life of Pi, so I felt like I spend A LOT of time at sea or on a boat.

5 Love Languages: Jason and I already have a great marriage, but I felt like REALLY understanding better his love languages has transformed our marriage for the better. I'm trying to be a better wife, and I see more clearly the wonderful things he does to show me love, as well. I'm so looking forward to reading the one for kids. It's fun for me to try to show Hazen love in ALL of the love languages each day so he will grow up without a doubt that his Mama loves him.

Stop Dressing Your 6 Year Old Like A Skank: Funny book compiled of essays about various topics. A fun read- If you don't have kids, don't bother, because I had a hard time relating at times because I only have a baby. Definitely good for Mom's with somewhat older kids.

Today, I'm going to the Library to pick up "The Candy Shop Wars", and "Night". One happy, and one holocaust depressing book. (Shhh...don't tell Heather, because I'm taking them both to San Diego without leaving her with anything....)

Your assignment is to add to my reading list! What books must I definitely read? Don't tell me "Pillars of the Earth", because I took it back after getting 15 pages into it. I'm sorry, but I don't have TIME to devote 975 pages to a book that isn't interesting immediately. I also took back "The Golden Compass" because it made me stop believing in God. Just kidding. I thought it was boring.

Let's hear 'em!

A Day with HAL

The Morning Starts at anywhere from 7:45 am to 9:30 am. This morning, it was 9:15. I heard a few little coughs and some moans, and I left this:



And rushed into the kitchen to make Hazen 6-8 oz of this:



I rush into his room, because he's so stinking cute, and immediately smile when I see this darling sight:



Even though he's still so cute, HAL is normally tired for a few minutes. So, sometimes before we eat, HAL and Mama snuggle for a few minutes on the couch. I tell him stories and we talk about how much I missed him in the night. I also thank him over and over again for sleeping for 12 whole hours!



After Breakfast, if Dad's home, HAL and Daddy like to play for a bit while Mom blogs....er, cleans the house like a dutiful wife should. They are so cute, it makes me happy to have them!



Before you know it, it's time for another little meal of Rice Cereal. It's always the easiest to strip HAL nekkid and feed him like that. He is still adjusting to the taste of the cereal!



Hazen gets nice and dirty, so we give him baths EVERYDAY! (Yeah right, it's like 3 times a week, tops.)



Hazen is starting to really enjoy playing in his Saucer, so we let him tire himself out there. He is happy!



After all of that hard work, it's time to take a nap. He winds himself down on either Mama or Daddy.



Few days go by without seeing MiaMia, Abbie, Cousin Maximo, and Aunt Dadoo. The boys play together while the girls either dress them up or play with them otherwise.



Before Bedtime, HAL joins Mama and Daddy in a game of cards. He loves to help out!



HAL and Mama have kisses and loves, and before you know it, it's 8 or 9 pm, time for bed!!

Sorry Barack, Ya Just Lost Me

Barack Obama on the Primary
Originally uploaded by jurvetson

So. The decision has been made. While I'm not crazy AT ALL about the Republican Candidates, I've been doing some research today, and I found a deal breaker.

Barack Obama AND Hilary Clinton both do not support the ban on Partial Birth Abortions. I can not, and WILL NOT support people who are not vehemently against this evil practice.

Partial Birth Abortion, is described below by Wikipedia:

Usually, preliminary procedures are performed over a period of two to three days, to gradually dilate the cervix using laminaria tents (sticks of seaweed which absorb fluid and swell). Sometimes drugs such as synthetic pitocin are used to induce labor. Once the cervix is sufficiently dilated, the doctor uses an ultrasound and forceps to grasp the fetus' leg. The fetus is turned to a breech position, if necessary, and the doctor pulls one or both legs out of the birth canal, causing what is referred to by some people as the 'partial birth' of the fetus. The doctor subsequently extracts the rest of the fetus, usually without the aid of forceps, leaving only the head still inside the birth canal. An incision is made at the base of the skull, scissors are inserted into the incision and opened to widen the opening[9], and then a suction catheter is inserted into the opening. The brain is suctioned out, which causes the skull to collapse and allows the fetus to pass more easily through the birth canal. The placenta is removed and the uterine wall is vacuum aspirated using a suction curette.

This is so wrong and so evil on so many accounts. I cried as a read an account from a nurse who was present for one such abortion:

Brenda Pratt Shafer, a registered nurse from Dayton, Ohio, assisted Dr. Haskell in a Partial Birth Abortion on a 26-1/2 week (over 6 months) pre-born baby boy. She testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee (on 11/17/95) about what she witnessed. According to nurse Shafer, the baby was alive and moving as the abortionist “delivered the baby’s body and arms - everything but the head. The doctor kept the baby’s head just inside the uterus. The baby’s little fingers were clasping and unclasping, his feet were kicking. Then the doctor stuck the scissors through the back of his head, and the baby’s arms jerked out in a flinch, a startle reaction, like a baby does when he thinks he might fall. The doctor opened up the scissors, stuck a high-powered suction tube into the opening and sucked the baby’s brains out. Now the baby was completely limp.”

This abortion is used for babies who are over 16 weeks gestation, traditionally between 20-24 weeks. As someone who was pregnant not TOO long ago, I can tell you that at that point, you have a BABY inside of you. A baby who moves, kicks, gets the hiccups, and is preparing for a life outside in the world.

Call me harsh, but anyone who supports this horrible, evil practice, has a bit of evil in them. Shame on you, Barack. Shame on you.

Why it sucks to have older sisters...By Max D.

I love Valentine's Day!!

Yesterday did not disappoint! I woke up at 5 am with some mysterious allergy attack, so I took a Benedryl that knocked me out until 10 am. Luckily, Jason was home, so he took great care of the boy. When I woke up, I was greeted by this:



Then, Jason made me Pancakes, and Hazen and I snuggled while he did this:



I took another Benedryl, and then was knocked out for another 3 hours. For dinner, Jason took me to La Vigna. La Vigna is a new restaurant around here in American Fork. It is also the butt of MANY a joke. For those of you who don't get it, add an A to the word, mix around the letters...... Honestly, WHO named that place? Needless to say, it was really good, and we enjoyed a very romantic dinner out while Heather and my mom watched HAL.

It was a great day, and I'm so grateful that I have the best, funniest, kindest, sexiest eternal Valentine!!

I heart???

I know this post is going to come back and bite me in the butt, but I have a pet peeve, and I'm going to let er rip.

I hate HATE HATE the phrase "I heart". As in, "OMG, I heart your new shoes" or, "I heart Heather." Why do I hate this? Because I think it's lame. (Rachel, you're exempt from your recent blog, because I'll assume that you were referring to the shirt). Are we still in Middle School? LOL. No. Wait, I'll BRB....


Gah. I am pretty sure that I hate the phrase "I heart" more than just about anything. Either you love something or you don't. I'll assume that you're less sincere if you tell me that you heart me, than if you just really like me. So, don't tell me you "heart" Hazen, because my only response will be that I "frowny face" you.

Weekly Update

So, this week was a pretty exciting one for us.

Monday: Jason worked, but also had his Polygraph test for the job at the Prison. Luckily, as we learned a few weeks prior, he isn't crazy, but he's also not a big fat liar. He passed. Hazen and I went and got a Library Card and two books. One sucked, so I took it back. The other one, "The Life of Pi" was loved by Heather, and I am currently on page 60 or so. It had snowed well over a foot the day before, so, while driving Jason's car, and trying not to die, I vowed it would be one of the last times I did so.

Tuesday: Jason, after hearing me tell him over and over again that I would never drive his car again, and I would feel much better having him avoid doing the same thing, consented to take a little drive over to Utah Auto Sales. While there, we test drove abotu 6 cars (all were taken to our house to see if they could make it up the treacherous driveway). We finally fell in love with a Blue Durango. Weren't we excited when we found out we could get a red one in better shape for less????

Wednesday: Looked for excuses to drive the Durango. Got Insurance, went tanning. Very eventful. Jason had his first test in Chemistry-- we think/hope he did well. The baby was still sick, however, I'm convinced that each day that goes by, he gets cuter and cuter. I am obsessed with this baby. (Do you love subsequent children as much??????) His Developmentalist came over, and was so impressed with all of his progress! He really is a rock star. He grew over 2 inches last month!! He is going to be strong and tall just like his daddy. I will forever be relegated to being the shrimp in my family, however, I'll have so nice big men to protect me!!

Thursday: Looked for more excuses to drive the Durango. We went to Verizon Wireless to see what phone I'm going to want in 2 weeks when I'm up for my "new every 2". I was disappointed, because nothing seems as cool to me now as the Razor seemed two years ago. We went to Physical Therapy with Hazen. He was a little bit cranky, but seemed to do pretty well. His head, which had a 7 mm differential 6 weeks ago, now only has less than a 6 mm differential. (translation: Mama's doing a good job at looking out for my baby when the inevitable happens and he's bald like his dad; he WILL have a nicely shaped head) The torticollis is improving, and he's right on track for where he should be. He's even ahead of his adjusted age (4 months) in some areas. We're so grateful he's making up so much ground. The exercises and stress are sure worth it. Did I mention I love my boys more than anything in the entire planet?? Jason had his Fire Class. I secretly love it because he's making 10 bucks an hour to go to school. The SAME training that we about paid 8k for him to do.

Friday: Duh Duh DUUUUUUUUUHHHHH!!! Jason got the job at the Prison. (Officially) We knew he pretty much had it for a while, but it's official now. He will be working with the Medical Department at the Utah State Prison. We are so excited! This job will afford our family so many opportunities, and we feel so blessed. I can't tell you how hard my husband works! He is such a stud, and he has stepped up to the plate like a maniac in doing what it takes to look out for his family. He rocks! Friday night, we went over to our friend's, Phil and Marci's house with our other friends, Andy and Emily. They (the men) all work on the Fire Department together, and we have really loved getting to know them better over the last few weeks. It's really nice, because since I have so many friends that I've been friends with for YEARS, Jason gets to have his friends from work. I love the wives, too, so everyone's happy. Phil and Marci have 3 kids, and Andy and Emily are finally pregnant after over 2 years of hoping!! It's awesome to have the kid thing in common, too.

Saturday: The fam did jack squat until about 5. We then went to Williams & Sonoma, and then to CPK for dinner. The baby was SOOO good on our date night. He is just so much fun to have around. My mom babysat him the night before, and I can't tell you how much I missed him by the time the night was over. Yeah, I'm THAT mom. Get over it. Anyone who has known me for longer than a year should be jumping for joy that I actually like my kid!

It was a good week. Jason starts work bright and early tomorrow morning (6 am-6 pm shifts) I also got an On-Call job at the Gold's Gym daycare. Meaning, I can work as much or as little as I want, but it will get us out of the house a little bit. I'm looking forward to it, because I really like the girls that I've gotten to know while dropping HAL off so I can go sweat to the oldies.

Our Country is Retarded

I will rarely speak on politics, because I think that for a large part, they bring out the ugly in people (except from Kirsten...I admire how well researched she is, and how willing she is to say how she feels) HOWEVER....

Huckabee just won another caucus. How does that work? Thank you, Nation, for reaffirming my beliefs that a large portion of you are retarded.

Remember the time we bought a car???

We did, yesterday! It is amazing and wonderful, and we couldn't be more excited! I'm so excited that we're both going to be able to be on the road now, and I won't be fearing for all of our lives! The snow has been horrible this season, and we're really realizing how important a safe car is!

We got a Dodge Durango, and it was THE BEST deal!! We are so excited! So, if you ever see a smokin' hot chick driving around in a Red Durango, it's me.