Blasphemous Confession

Blogapalooza is tomorrow night. I've been excited about it. Until today. Maybe it's the craptastic weather we're having. Maybe it's the fact that due to my husband's schedule, I'm going to be the only one with a baby there. Maybe it's the fact that since we don't have lots of disposable funds to be used at my discretion, I didn't get the new outfit, eyebrow wax and pedicure that I wanted. Maybe it's the fact that I have yet to deal with my door prize. Whatever it is, please, get me pumped!!!

My Best Buddy

Obviously, we're not really friends, because I don't have any pictures of her that haven't already been posted, but today is Heather's birthday!!

Heather is my best buddy! Because of her, I'm unwilling to move out of the Pleasant Grove/Lindon City limits, because we'd be too far away. Right now, we live about 3 1/2 minutes away from each other, and some days, that's pushing it. Heather is my best buddy because she's a lot of fun, and always lets me play with her. I keep on telling her Jason and I are going to buy a house next door to her, but I don't want Brad to leave, so maybe we'll settle with down the street. Heather is a good mom, and sometimes, when my kid is driving me nuts, she trades with me, and I play with her girls, and she coddles the whiner. (He's really good 95% of the time). Heather is my best buddy because we're really funny. Seriously. Really really really funny. Come, play with us. We'll either make you feel lame, because you're not as funny as we are, or we'll brighten your day because we're really cool. Heather is my best buddy, because her social calendar has gone to crap so she can hang out with me all of the time. She's my main friend, and I always feel like she wants to play with me the most out of all of her friends. That makes a girl feel pretty good. Heather is my best buddy because she's a hard worker. After being pregnant for the last 4 years...literally, she's doing a triathalon in 4 weeks, and the weight is literally melting off of her. She's a babe. Heather is my best buddy, because she's the pretty sister. (Don't worry, Heid, you're the skinny one). But, instead of making me feel bad, she told me I was the crafty one, and that made me feel really good about myself. See, she always does stuff like that; make you feel good about yourself. Heather is my best buddy because she text messages me. The messages are always really funny, and she's very prompt in her responses. I like that about a text messager. Heather is my best buddy because she does really thoughtful things. She likes to think about the sentimental value of things. She's the best one to have around in a personal crisis- because she takes care of you; even though she has a lot of kids.

So, Best Buddy, thanks for having a birthday! We love you a lot. Thanks for being my best buddy!

Snapshot of Now

This is how I literally look right now, blog readers:

It's 7 pm on Friday and my Single-Mom shift should end at about 5:30 pm, but Jason is on-call with the Fire Department, which means he has training. Today, it means that some idiot got the Fire Truck stuck, and so he has to go somewhere and dig it out. This also means that I just had my Mommy and Me time extended another bedtime. Yes, those are real tears. It's really quite pathetic, why am I crying? Because I'm exhausted. Hazen is either growing/teething/or has ANOTHER FETCHING EAR INFECTION, and he isn't sleeping. He's normally so great, and I feel sorry for him, but my patience is waning right now. Probably because i'm doing it all by myself. I think another reason I'm so upset about this, is because all week long, I tell myself I can handle anything until 6pm on Friday. Yeah, 6 pm came and went, and I've just about unraveled.

So no, my life isn't perfect. I have an absent husband, and it freaking blows.

Anniversary Wrap-Up

Sorry I haven't given the Down-low of our Anniversary for a few days. To be honest, I've been trying to capture a good picture of my present. Seeing as our camera is less than ideal, it was a little bit of a challenge.

Jason didn't go to Fire Academy on Tuesday so that he could take me out to dinner. We went to Happy Sumo, in Provo. The Sushi was amazing! The seating was....cozy, so we had the people sitting right next to us take a picture. I'm so glad it came out so centered.....

For my Anniversary gift, Jason got me a Anniversary band! I'm so excited, I've wanted one since the day we got married. It's perfect- it has diamonds that go half way around the band. I'm in love with it! I am excited to finally be wearing my wedding ring again, after turning into Freddie Fat Fingers due to the Pregnancy. I had to cave in and get it resized. I was reminded how GORGEOUS my ring is, though.

It was a great Anniversary. The only downside? My Mothers Day gift??? You're looking at it. Can't wait for next year!!

(By the way, the scab on my hand is not a wart- I scraped my hand up rushing out the door to take HAL to the Hospital a few weeks ago.)

And....just for good measure:

My Boy is Great

Hazen is perfect. Really, he is. In fact, I have these giant fears that are sometimes suffocating about having another baby, because I'm afraid I won't be able to love them as much. (No, I'm not pregnant). I'm sure, when the time comes, that I will, but really, Hazen is a dream baby. He's funny, he's happy, he's sweet, he's affectionate, loves to snuggle, and is my kind of baby. With that said, some things from the recent week/s that I want to remember:


-He's learning how to wrap his Mama around his little finger. When he's in his play saucer, and I'm across the room, he'll get really quiet until I look over at him, and then smile with this little puppy dog face. It melts my heart, and inevitably I go and pick him up or go over and play with him. I know, I'm a sap.

-Speaking of Puppy, Hazen has 3 animal alter-egos. 1. The owl. He makes this sound JUST like an owl. It's hilarious, and his lips go in this perfect little "hooo". 2. The puppy. He likes to play with his toys by just putting them in his mouth like a little puppy playing fetch. It's classic when you can see his two little teeth while he's working on the chew-toy. 3. The parrot. Jason likes to put him on his shoulders, and he's his little parrot. He looks around like he's the King. So funny.


-Today, he bit me. It drew blood, and I screamed. It was really just unfortunate placement, as he bit me on the nail bed. It's still a little tender. It's ok. One day I'll bite him back. Kidding!

-He is sitting up by himself for extended periods of time now. He still falls flat on his face, but he does it without crying.

-He is still kind of a little "fragile" around cousin Max. I think it's because Max can sit on HAL, and that's scary. They're becoming really good friends, though, and it's so cute. Max is WAY more compliant when it comes to taking pictures, which makes me love him. Case in point listed above.

I love my little boy. I know you probably get sick of hearing about it so much, but he is the joy of my life. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

I did it...

I changed my commenter name. I'm now AnnEE.

My darling blog friend, Jessica, brought up a good point, that i'm sure plagues most of you bloggers that don't know me in person, and/or don't read my blog, but read my comments.

I think I've posted about this before, but I'm posting again, but know, I'm not mad! I'm just clarifying, and not venting. :o)

My first name is Anne. AnnEE. When I was single, my last name was Hazen, hence my kid's first name. AnnEE Hazen. Super easy to know it was a first and last name. Then, I met the love of my life: Jason Lee. Not the actor from "My Name is Earl", and not Asian. Enter the problem; Anne Lee. Annalee. Anneleigh. It is probably one of my biggest pet peeves, but I realize that bloggers who don't know me can't really help it, unless I've already corrected them, then they're just boogers. Nor.

So thar she blows. When you see AnnEE commenting on your blog, it's me.

Happy Anniversary, my Dear!

Guess what happened two years ago today? Not only did I almost vomit from nerves on the way to the Temple, but I married my smokin' hot husband, Jason. I'm sure that as long as I continue to blog, you'll get a yearly rhetoric on how much I love Jason, as he well deserves. Two years ago today, Jason and I were married for Time and All Eternity. We didn't have a clue of the roller coaster that we would face, but we knew, because we had many confirming experiences before we were married, that we would be well equipped to deal with anything that life would throw at us.

Life has thrown, and we have dealt. I'm so grateful to have such a fantastic husband who is always there for his family. He does everything to provide for us, both emotionally, financially, and spiritually, but he's such a wonderful friend as well. Jason is such a great Dad to Hazen. We didn't expect to have a baby when we did (no, Hazen wasn't an accident), but we can't imagine our life any other way. Jason is so supportive of my wants and needs, and I always look forward to all of our time together. Since not many people know Jason like I do, I want to share 10 little tidbits about him and us:

1. Jason and I have played a game, whether it be a card game, Settlers, or Video game nearly every day of our marriage. The days that we have missed can probably be numbered on one, maybe two hands. We love it!
2. Jason's passion is to become a Fire Fighter. He discovered this passion a little bit later in his life (like, when he was 24 or 25), and now, he is moving ahead, full force, to achieve this.
3. Jason dances like a white boy. REALLLLY white boy. It's really funny.

4. Jason does the floors. I hate doing floors of all kinds, and he knows this, so he pretty much always does floors for me. (Sweeping, mopping, vacuuming. It rocks.)
5. Jason will put Cayenne pepper on anything. This drives me nuts. Cayenne does not belong on Pasta with Pine Nuts and Goat Cheese.
6. Jason hates sharing food, but he shares with me, without getting too angry. Most times.
7. Jason bites his straws into little slits. This also drives me crazy at places like the movie theater, when we share straws. He also will no longer consume any beverage without a straw. We can thank my weird fascination with straws during my pregnancy for this.
8. When Jason sleeps, he puts his head almost face down into his pillow. This astounded me for a LONG time, because I had no clue how he could a- actually sleep like that, and b- not die.
9. Jason will watch movies over and over and over again. Even though, after watching it once, he has it memorized. It's really quite something.
10. Jason is the grill-master. He deals with any and all things that are cooked on the grill. I won't touch it- and it always turns out great.
11. I was reminded in a recent post by Jessica, about nicknames. Jason hates being called Jase. My dad does it, which kind of makes me laugh, but just because my dad is so cute. Jason, however, is too nice to say, "Hey, World, I don't like the nickname Jase." I call him J, but only because it's our kinky love thing. Just kidding. It just happened one day, and I think it fits.

I love you, Jason! Thanks for the great first 2 years. You're my best buddy, and I love you more than anything. Thank you for being a great dad to Hazen, and a smokin' hot hubby to me!

I couldn't resist...

I kind of hate it when people put video after video....but I couldn't rob all of you of this adorability. Not a word, I know.

Cute boy

Here is a video from when we played today. Obsessed much? I am.

Ouch!

Hazen has a new favorite pass-time. While it is so flipping cute, it's really painful. Whenever I pick him up if he's been sleeping, or playing by himself for a while, he gets really really excited. This part is really cute! Then, he grabs my ears/cheeks/HAIR, and goes in for the kill to give me a big, fat kiss. I love that he gives me such sweet kisses, but now, if I'm anywhere near him, he grabs my hair, and either pulls me towards him to give me a big, fat, open-mouth kiss, or he decides to suck on my hair. Last night, after I put him to bed, my face felt crusty from all of the slobber it had on it, and my hair was flat/matted together from his hands and mouth. At least there are showers. You know what though? I wouldn't trade any of this for anything. I love my sweet, perfect little boy.

Musings of Me...

I was just looking at pictures on Facebook of people I went to High School with.

I have gotten fat since High School, I know that.

I also know that said fatness wasn't brought on by alcohol consumption, because you can TOTALLY tell when that's the story.

At least I have a wedding ring and a kid to show for it, you know?

I think I need to Clarify....

My blog is my journal. Some people think this is weird, but I don't have the time and self-discipline to write in a journal. So, this is it for me. As such, I want to be able to look back and remember that I had thoughts and emotions other than thinking my baby was so cute...which he is.

With that said.....to me, the word "vent" has such a negative connotation. When I write posts like the last one, it's not to get out all of my anger and feelings of injustice towards the world, it's honestly to remember how I felt about things as a 23 year old new mom. So, while I'm so happy that people like the posts like yesterdays so much, I kind of hate that everyone calls them "venting posts". It makes me feel like people think that I'm so irritated about everything, when really, it's just my opinion that I'm plainly stating. If my "tone of voice" in my writing is venty, then it's something I need to work on, but, just so we all know, it's my recordings of the things that I believe. Just plainly stated.

And now, since I know that only reason you come here anyway:

I've been thinking. Again.

So, this post might offend some, but it's my blog, and so I'm entitled to my thoughts.

You know what I hate?

People who believe that since they have strong opinions about things, naturally you should share this opinion. I think this is brought out the MOST in the birthing process of children. Just to clear the air, the particular occurances of which I am speaking come from people who don't read/comment on my blog, so calm down, I'm not talking about you.

I respect those who have researched things out. I think that's great- I'm so glad that you have done what felt right for you. HOWEVER, just because I don't feel the same way, please don't talk down, and please, stop "bible-bashing" your birth plan to the rest of us! ENOUGH ALREADY!!

Epidurals: Medicine is here for a reason. Am I "strong enough" to have a baby naturally? Probably, yes. Do I want to? Absolutely not. So don't try to tell otherwise. My body, my decision. (And no, I'm not pregnant)

Breast Feeding: Is it the best option? You betcha. But if I read ONE MORE FRIGGIN' pamphlet telling me that Hazen is going to be allergic to everything, sick all of the time (ok, you got me there), or not be bonded to his mother, I might just set something on fire. (Mother's Touch Lactation....better watch YO self. I pumped without fail 8 times a day for the entire 2 months Hazen was in the hospital. I probably missed 6-7 pumps TOTAL the entire time. I wanted to keep my milk up for when he came home. However, he came home. And I fear that him not doing any type of eating (other than what was given to him via tube feeding) did irreparable damage, and he was unable to nurse. We were both very unhappy, and due to all of the nursing paraphernalia, I felt like a failure of a mother. But guess what? I tried. I did my best, and yes, my kid gets sick all of the time, but guess what else? He knows and loves his mommy, and I believe he knows she does the best she can. So shove it.

Circumcision: Guess what- I left this one to Jason. Please don't let this be TMI, but I've never seen it the other way, so I didn't really care. I've read Anti-Circ stuff, and guess what else? IT WAS HORRIBLE! I've never been so angry with myself for inflicting pain on my baby, but, when it's all said and done, he's fine, and, in the words of Dr. Lauret, "Man, that's a great looking circ." Hey, Hazen in the future, if you're ticked at your dad's decision, take it up with him. And for the record- for future sons, I told Jason if he wants it done again, fine, but I WILL HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. I'm going to Heather's. You can deal with the screaming baby in the middle of the night.

Sleeping on Tummy: I know that the numbers for SIDS can't be argued with since we've taken to sleeping our babies on their backs. However, my Dr weighed two options in his hands: 1- Mom and Dad would kill their little boy because he didn't. sleep.at.all. OR 2- Sleep Hazen on his belly, "set the apnea monitor, and pray to whomever it is that you pray to that your baby will be ok" (Funny that we found the only non-member Pediatrician in all of Utah Valley. He's so great though!!!) Guess what? He's not dead. And he sleeps. And I love my baby exponentially more now because of it. So stop giving me THAT look, mmkay?

Midwives: If you're going to get ticked off, just skip over this part. I think it's great that some people research out a birthing plan, etc, and decide to do home-births (which I think is absolutely nuts, but that's just my opinion), but that's for you to do, and it's not for me. There is no way in heck Hazen would have made it had we decided to do something like this (I know, I know, A Midwife wouldn't let me deliver at home at 31 weeks), but I think there is value in Western Medicine, so let me enjoy that, ok? I like my OB/GYN who still calls me Ann. I like hospitals, and I like the assurance that there ain't gonna be no after-birth on my $2,000 mattress.

Vaccinations: I will do it. I find it irresponsible not to. End of story. If you have a problem with that, save it- I will NOT knowingly give my child to "opportunity" to contract certain illnesses. He's been through enough already. Someone debate me. I dare you.

I just feel like Politics and Child Birth can bring out the ugly in people. I'll let you do it your way, and you just sit back and let me do it mine.

And furthermore- I was told on Saturday that since Hazen was a Premie, he's basically relegated to Autism. I've been annoyed about it ever since. Thanks, as if I don't have enough things to worry about...I really appreciate you diagnosing my child. That is it.

See, being a mom hasn't made me completely devoid of thoughts! They're just thoughts about kids now, as opposed to thoughts about Finances and Insurance and Real Estate, but I assure you, my mind is no less challenged each day.

Oh, and Last thing: I need to renew my Subscription to Parenting, but with it comes a free one-year Subscription. Heather doesn't want it, because she knows everything about raising kids, so first person to comment about wanting it gets it!

Thought Provoked...

We're home. Hazen is doing much better- I do have to take him to the Hospital at least once a day to get all suctioned out, but for the most part, he seems to be improving. Just getting all of the crap out of his lungs will probably take a while, but we've seen worse.

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about something I read in "The Five Love Languages for Children", recently. It's an interesting book, but I actually didn't finish it, because it was due back at the Library. Anyway, in the section about the Words of Affection to show your child your love, it warned about being "too forthcoming" with ones words of encouragement. It said that if you congratulated or encouraged your child too much about things, then your child will grow up thinking that you're not being sincere, or your child will be a big fat loser because you congratulated them for doing things they should be doing anyway. I think it said somewhere in there about not telling them you love them ALL of the time, because then you become insincere.

Now that I've butchered the explanation of that, my thoughts:

I'm not sure how much I agree with this. I try to always tell Hazen how much I love him, and what a good boy I think he is. Do I stop telling him what a good boy he is because it's expected that he eats his food? No. I am a HUGE proponent of positive reinforcement, and I'm not going to stop because some dude tells me to. I think as Hazen grows up, and things like eating his food aren't such a big deal, saying "Thank You, Hazen, for eating such a good dinner", will go a long way. Letting the little things go unnoticed because they're expected? How do YOU feel when no one thanks you for doing the laundry, because it's expected? How would YOU feel if your spouse or parents only told you they loved you now and again, because they didn't want to come across as insincere? I will tell my little boy how much I love him, and shower him with hugs and kisses until the day I die. I may not be as kissy kissy with him when he's say, 27, but I sure as heck will always let him know how much I love him and how proud I am of him.

And you can take that to the bank.

The Pictures from Our Adventure

This is Hazen and Daddy doing a breathing treatment. Hazen is starting to like these less and less each time that we have to do them, which is unfortunate, because we have to do them just about 5 times a day.


This is right as we were leaving to go to the Hospital with the HALster.


Mommy and Hazen hung out for a while in the admitting room as we waited to get into our plush deluxe suite.
Once we got to Hazen's room, he was pretty upset because he had just received an IV, so he needed some snuggles with his Mama.

As it got later in the night, Hazen got less stoked about life. Please take note of the splint that they put on his arm so that he couldn't pull out his IV. He rocked his Mama with it every time he would touch my face. Not fun.
This was Hazen's Respiratory Therapist who would come in and administer the breathing treatments to Hazen. Because he had something that was really contagious, they had to suit up in order to come into our room.


Lastly, this is Daddy in Hazen's giant Man-Crib. It was the funniest thing ever, because it was big enough for big people to hang out in. He had a grand 'ole time rolling all over the place last night!!

Updatily-do

We don't really have too many updates as of right now, but the suction and breathing treatments have really helped Hazen. He was able to sleep for a good 5 hours last night, which, in turn, meant that we got 5 hours or so of sleep. However, waking up every few hours and adjusting yourself on the springy mattress doesn't give you the best sleep imaginable.

We haven't been seen by the Dr today yet- I imagine he'll be by around lunch time, which means we can't go home until AT LEAST then. I really hope we don't have another night here, but we'll have to see. I'll update as I get more information.

***Update 11:00 am***

Flu times two. Not only does HAL have one type of flu, but he has ANOTHER flu as well. It's very similar to RSV, but isn't quite RSV. We're still waiting for a Dr to show up to tell us to go home, and then we will. Even though it's not the HUGEST DEAL, I'm still really glad that we came last night, because the hospital has some equipment that we didn't have, and it allowed Hazen to get even better care. We do feel very special though, because there's a big fat sign on our door that requires everyone to don a mask, gloves, and yellow gown before coming in because he has a contagious disease. Betta watch yo' self...my baby might infect you! Hopefully the next update I have comes from home....after a nice long nap. And shower. And teeth brushing.

I was feeling neglected....

Since HAL got home from the hospital in October, and has been doing really well, I have noticed that my comment count has gone way down. So, in keeping with my need to be popular, I have infected my kid with some mysterious illness, so as to get him back in the hospital.


Yes. I am serious.


We are at Utah Valley, but this time we're in the PICU, as opposed to the NICU. We're awaiting the respiratory therapist to come and take some mucus samples to find out what we're dealing with. However, as a devoted Blurber and Blogger, I have been taking pictures ever step of the way! I just forgot my cord to upload pictures. Hopefully we won't be here that long, because Hospitals blow, but whatever we need to do to get him all better. I'll be updating as we find things out, so you better stay up all night long to check back- as well as leaving millions of comments, because that's the reason I made my baby sick in the first place.

***Update 1:35 am***

See, I told you to stay up all night. Promised I would make it worth your while. When Hazen first got here, at around 8 pm, he was in pretty good spirits. This all changed at around 10 pm, when he was not only 2 hours past his bedtime, but held down by 3 nurses so they could do an IV in him. It was not pretty. I felt so bad just holding his screaming little head as the tears ran down his face and sweat accumulated all over his tiny body because he was crying so hard. We did sing some songs though, and I like to think that it made it just a little bit better. Nothing happened for many hours- he got some sleep, but was having a really hard time getting much at all, because his breathing was so labored. At about 12:45, the RT came in and got a biopsy of the mucus in his throat, and then suctioned him out. Hazen was absolutely distraught. Then he threw up all over everything because he was crying/coughing so bad. Poor guy. I held him and got myself covered in snot/sweat/blood/tears as the RT administered a breathing treatment. It seemed to really help this time around. I held him as he slept for about another 20 minutes until he got too sweaty, so now he seems to be sleeping soundly. Jason is on the pull-out couch sleeping as well. I'm glad my boys are getting some rest. Did I mention I'm really tired?

I just threw up.

Paige thinks that she looked big the day before she had twins. She looked awesome. This is me, about 10 minutes before they sliced Hazen out of me. This is, without doubt, the most disgusting thing I've ever seen.



IN MY DEFENSE..... I had just been OD'ed with Morphine, and I was scared to death about the thought of having a baby sliced out of me 9 weeks early.


But still.....

Doing My Part

I don't know how to attach pictures from the internet to make my blog better...maybe someone can teach me someday, but I feel very strongly after reading an article that it is my job to maybe clear up a little something to my small realm of influence as far as my church is concerned. Let me begin by stating that the FLDS Church: Fundamental Latter Day Saints is NOT the same as the LDS Church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. With that said, the activity that has been occurring on the Polygamist Compound over the past week or so is entirely not related to our church. The fact that the word "Mormons", which is a commonly used name for members of the LDS church, has been thrown around so often breaks my heart.

The LDS church is not Polygamist. The colonies of Polygamists that you so often hear about do not belong to the same church that I do. I find it very interesting that at our last General Conference, just last weekend, there was a talk given by Richard G. Scott, one of our Apostles about "Healing the Shattering Consequences of Abuse". Correct me if I'm wrong, but this talk was given days before any of this nonsense occurred in Texas. Talk about Divine Inspiration.

I think the thing that upsets me the most about this is the talk of the Temple. I've never been inside of an FLDS Temple, but I have had many beautiful and sacred experiences inside the LDS Temple, so I can only speak what I know to be true. The fact that there are "marriage beds" inside the FLDS Temples both sickens me and breaks my heart. I guess I'm so upset by this because as a member of the LDS Church, where we have over 100 temples on the earth today, I hate to see such a sacred place possibly be tarnished. We don't talk about what goes on inside the Temple, not because it's a big fat secret, but because it's such a sacred place where we can become closer to God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. There, we can also learn more about ourselves, which is such a beautiful opportunity. I can tell you: There are no marriage beds in our Temples. We do not publicly consummate our marriage in front of many others- in fact, sex is a sacred thing to be enjoyed only by a husband and wife.

Argh. That's about it, but I just wanted to try to help clear up any confusion that might have been caused by all of this jazz. Any questions, please ask.

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend was rad. Really, it was! On Friday, we went to dinner at La Vigna again. The Va-Jay-Jay never disappoints. Seriously though, they have the best bread, so I just got the Soup and Salad, and went to town on the bread. Afterwards, we came back to our house, and Jason and Andy, his friend from the FD, studied for EMT Reciprocity stuff. It was really boring for Emily and I, but we lived.

Saturday: My friend Natalie came over for the weekend. There's something in Payson that keeps her occupied during the weekends, so she stays with us at night. It's fun- we're trying to get her to move in, but I don't think she'll go for it! Heather and the kids came up and watched conference at our house. For the afternoon session, we went to her house, where Brad had HOOKED US UP with Conference Snacks. The best thing about watching Conference at Heather's house, is that we go in the Basement, and watch it on the Projector. They have super comfy couches, a love sack, and a fireplace, and there's even a bathroom down there, so it couldn't be better. This year, they concocted a buffet table with Fruit and Veggie trays, Chips and Guacamole and Hummus and Queso, and Brownie Bites. It was amazing. We really enjoyed listening to the messages shared with us, and (in the morning) it was neat being able to participate in the solemn assembly. While I know that Hazen will never remember the experience, but he was there, in his Grandparent's home while we sustained our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson. So cool. Speaking of so cool: Jason's parents got their mission call! They're serving in the Paraguay Ascension Temple for 18 months starting July 21st. We'll miss them, and Hazen will grow so much while they're gone, but I look forward to hearing of their adventures! Saturday during Priesthood, we kind of sat around and did nothing, and then Jason and I went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of baby food. Hazen still doesn't like Fruits, which really boggles my mind. He will go to town on Veggies, but it's like pulling teeth to get him to swallow the Fruits. I'm not giving up, though.

Sunday: I will discuss Conference, but I HAVE to mention the food. For Breakfast, we had Orange Juice, Breakfast Casserole, Regular Monkey Bread, and Orange Monkey Bread. We downed a lot of food, and it felt good. For lunch, we had Turkey Sandwiches with Cream Cheese, Cranberry, Sprouts on Costco Rolls, Fruit with Fruit Dip that I made, more Chips and Guacamole, and more Veggies. I made No-Bake Cookies, and my mom brought over a Coconut Cream Pie. I'm pretty sure I gained 5 lbs this weekend. Oh well, it was so worth it!

I have been thinking a ton about Elder Ballards talk about young mothers. I am one. I know I can do better, but I think I'm doing ok...most times. I'll have a blog going further into details on this later this week, once I collect my thoughts more. Now, it's time to go play Skip-Bo with the Hubby before bed.

Please enjoy these cute pictures of Hazen, because he rocks:

Paying Our Dues

I am going to complain for a minute. This is so one day our kids can look back, and realize that they are in no way entitled to have the life that we inevitably will have worked very hard for. This is just a vent, and I don't want anyone to think that I'm ungrateful for all of the opportunities that Jason has.

With that said: I miss my husband. He leaves every morning at about 6:45, and works until 5 pm. After that, on Mondays and Wednesdays, he comes home for about an hour, and then he goes to Chemistry, until about 10- except for tonight, when he's on duty for the Fire Department, so he just got home: at 9:30; but his pager is on, so he could be forced to leave his dinner as we speak and go running out to door to save some lives. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he goes straight to the Fire Academy. I bring him dinner, and he gets home around 10. If he's lucky, he can give the baby a kiss as I pass the dinner through the window. Fridays, he gets home at around 6- so that's nice. Saturdays, he has Fire Academy from 8-12, or like last week, 8-almost 2. Sundays, unless he's working for the Department, I get him.

He's busy, and being a single mom is hard. I will say that it has shown me what I CAN do, but I'll admit that by Friday evening, if I have to look at one more diaper, or worry about changing clothes one more time, I think I might pass out. I am so lucky that Hazen is such a perfect little baby. I feel bad for him though, because he's teething, so last night, for example, he was up twice absolutely shrieking in pain. Thank goodness for Tylenol.

The upside? This will not be forever. I am grateful for a husband who spends every minute that he's not at work/school/Fire Academy fully devoted to his family. After July, things will substantially calm down....for a while, at least!

So what am I trying to say? Life is hard right now. Not in the conventional hard way, but in the I'm really lonely, so I go to Kneaders for lunch just so I can sit next to random people and talk to them way. Luckily though, this isn't anything harder than anything we've done before. Vent done.

I'm remembering....

So, this is another one of those boring family history things that are totally boring for most of you...unless you're obsessed with me and my family, in which case you should be enthralled.

Jason:
-has started the POST academy
-has started the Fire Academy
-finally got the crap done for EMT Reciprocity
-Ran 1 1/2 miles in his fastest time ever (in his most recent Physical Tests he's taken)
-is really hot
-sees his family on Friday and Saturday nights, and on Sundays. He misses us. We miss him, too.
-came home with handcuffs today. Real ones. Bowchickawowwow.

Anne:
-has styled her hair every day since last Saturday, and is smokin' hot. You should pay lots of money to her BF (not boyfriend) Natalie to have her do your hair!
-quit her job today. She feels great about it!
-loves her baby and husband
-is knee-deep in a FHE project. It's taking forever. It makes her never want to have FHE again
-went to a shoe party yesterday with her Sister. It was fun. We were funny. You should invite us places, because we WILL entertain you.

HAL:
-is the most amazing thing in our lives. Still
-rolled ALL THE WAY OVER about 5 times today. He's progressing from previously only going from back to belly. This makes Mama happy, because he won't yell at her anymore when he gets ticked he's stuck on his tummy
-is continuing to get his first teeth
-gave Daddy his first kiss today. Mama enjoys them all day long. They're really cute, but they leave your ENTIRE face really wet. REALLY wet. (Be prepared for an opened mouth kiss RIGHT on top of your mouth.)
-Has eaten Sweet Potatoes, Squash, Carrots, Peas, and Applesauce. His favorite? Carrots. Least favorite? Applesauce. I was really surprised because I wasn't sure how he'd feel about the Peas, but he likes them more than the Applesauce.
-is perfect.