2 Months Old and 26 Years Old

Wow, I wasn't sure I was ever going to be able to post again! I keep taking pictures of my cute little munchkin in hopes of sharing them with all of you and still we have no internet. Once again I am using a friends house to borrow the internet and blog. I've spent the last 2 hours trying to catch up and read what is happening with everyone else and now that I feel a little more up-to-date I wanted to share what has kept us occupied since Sawyer's arrival.

The last 2 months have flown by and it has been fun to learn and grow with a new baby. I have spent most of my time doing the normal new mom things (feeding the baby, changing his diapers, doing laundry, and working on his baby book). I do have a new skill that I picked up, much to Tony's dismay. I can tell you what time many of the shows air on NBC or ABC between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. I also have been doing lots of reading (mostly just parenting magazines and handouts from throughout my pregnancy, but at least I am reading!). Each day I try to conquer chores around the house such as raking the leaves and unloading boxes, but it seems I only get a small amount of what I really want to get done accomplished. I've been told that comes with being a new mom.

I turned 26 yesterday and it was the first real date Tony and I have been on in a few months. We went to a sushi restaurant and had a delicious dinner (and free dessert) and then to the Festival of Trees. I was bummed because I love to watch the ballroom dancing performances and they were all over for the evening. (Boo, hiss). It didn't seem as big as last year, but we got to see some really interesting trees, smell yummy baked goods, and donate to a local group who helps people with disabilities. On the way home, we stopped at Walmart to pick up Wall-E and some milk (pretty, adventurous aren't we?). It was nice to be out with my husband, but it was great going home to a sweet little boy too.

Tony is working so hard at his job and I am really proud of him! He seems to be happy at work and that makes me happy too. He is still trying to study and pass that dumb ol' CPA exam, so that is where the bulk of his free time is spent. He loves Sawyer and is such a good dad. It is fun to watch the progression of their relationship as Sawyer becomes more interactive.

Ok, now on to the info. you really want to hear--about the baby. He is getting so big and is such a wonderful blessing in our lives. We went for his 2 month check up today and he weighs 10 lbs. 15 oz. (with a wet diaper on). I thought he must be getting close to 11 lbs. because my arms are getting more of a workout. He is a long little guy at 23 in. The doctor says he is doing great and that he is eating and gaining well. I am so grateful for his health and his cute little spirit in our home. He really likes his Winnie the Pooh mobile over his bassinet and he will smile and coo at them as they spin around. He seems to enjoy music and he has found his right hand with his eyes. He isn't sure what to do with his hand yet, but he knows that something is there and he will stare at it for several minutes. What you would see if you peered in on him: his arms and legs would be moving like crazy unless he was sleeping.

I've learned that I could fill several GB with his cute little face. I seem to be taking his photo all the time. Here are a few that I just had to share with you.


#1:
1 week old

#2:
3 weeks old

#3:
4 weeks at the pumpking patch

#4:
6 weeks old with a receeding hairline

Photos

My cousin had photos of Sawyer on her computer so here are a couple at last :) I know I am biased, but I think he is such a pretty baby!

He's Finally Here!

Hello and I am so sorry it has taken me so long to post. We don't have the internet at our house yet which means I have to go to my cousins and borrow hers. Today was the first day I had time and felt up to doing so. I don't have any pictures to post because I was just supposed to be checking my email and then going home, but I can't resist. (Posting is kind of an addiction for me.) Here is the important information and then I will post again soon with photos and more.

Date: September 20, 2008
Time: 2:23 a.m.
Weight: 7 lbs. 7 oz.
Length: 20.5 inches
Name: Sawyer James Bastar

He is a beautiful baby and was born with hair (I was so excited!). We are so blessed to have him as an addition to our family and I am very thankful he is healthy and all has turned out well.

Sorry for the tease. I would tell you to look online at the hospital website for a photo, but there were no volunteers working since he was born on the weekend and they are in charge of posting those photos. My conclusion is someone is slacking. :(

I will post ASAP. Love to all!

P.S. For those of you who didn't get the text about his birth--I am sorry. I got a new Blackberry phone 3 days before he was born and apparantly texting is not something I really know how to do because only 4 of the 15 people on my list received the message. So sorry that I am technologically challenged!

Another Dr.'s Visit

For those of you concerned that we haven't called to update you about Sawyer's arrival--rest assured because he isn't here yet (stop panicking). I saw the Dr. on Tuesday and she said he is measuring 40 weeks and doing fine, but that she will induce me Tuesday the 23rd if he isn't born before then. With my 1st calculated due date falling on the 22nd she said Tuesday would work just fine if I could hold out. I have felt nauseous this week and swollen as normal, but besides that (oh except for an itchy rash) I am not any more uncomfortable than I have been for the last few months.

I appreciate all of your loving phone calls, but if I don't answer, it is because I am tired of talking about the same thing over and over and over. (Sorry if that is rude!) People warned me that the phone calls and advice would become annoying at this point, but I didn't believe them until now. My favorite question is, "Have you had that baby yet?" It is all I can do to not look them straight in the face and say in a Jeff Foxworthy accent, "Yep, but I'm just keepin' it from y'all and I am hidin' a basketball in my shirt for later. Here's your sign!" I typed up a phone and text list for Tony and I promise you will all be informed as soon as any news is ready to share.

Once again I hope you know how much I appreciate all of you and I promise that I won't hide the baby from you once he is born. :) Talk to you soon.
Love,
Lindsey

Long Awaited Update

This is going to be short, sweet, and to the point because I am at my cousin's and Tony is at home waiting to have dinner together. Ten things you need to know:
1. We made it safely back to Idaho.
2. We are packing Tony's dad's things, cleaning, and then putting away our own things.
3. Tony likes his new job very much.
4. Tony turned 27 last Friday.
5. I am really fat and my legs and feet are still really swollen.
6. I have been 80% effaced and dialated to a 2 for 2 weeks.
7. My due date is in 2 days.
8. I am going to see the doctor next Tuesday and we will discuss induction if he hasn't arrived.
9. I want the baby to come, but I am ok with him staying in there a little bit longer too.
10. I love Idaho and we are happy to be back!

Love to all! We'll keep you updated...

Our 1st Anniversary!

Oops! I forgot to blog about our first anniversary. It is such an important milestone and I have been so caught up with everything else that I did a bad job of posting about it. It wasn't an anniversary we would have planned for ourselves, but it was nice. We actually celebrated it at our Filer baby shower. Tony was bummed because he wanted to spend more of it just the two of us, since we won't be just the two of us for a while, but life happens. Sunday the 3rd was our actual anniversary. We exchanged gifts (I thought we had set a $ limit, so my gift was much more frugal than Tony's). He got The Office season 2 and I got a ipod home speaker alarm clock. We spent most of the day doing the shower business and then the night driving back to Utah. (I already broke out our cake the week previous, knowing we wouldn't be home and I couldn't wait. It was deliciouso! Our freezing technique worked wonders.) Here's a photo of the last slice.

Monday night we used the money my family gave us to go out and eat at The Cheesecake Factory. I had a super yummy chicken and avocado sandwich, Tony had a chicken pasta, and we chose a delectable triple chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Thanks Grandma, Grandpa, & Aunt Lori. My Aunt Tessie gave us a cute family frame to put photos in. My mom and Kenny put extra $ towards our beautiful rocker for Sawyer and got us a heart balloon. Overall it was fun and maybe next year we can have someone watch the baby and we can spend the day just the two of us :)

Cute dress!

I didn't know where this fit in my last two posts, but I wanted to thank my Aunt Tessie for her great bargain shopping. She found this dress for a steal and I got to wear somthing new and comfortable. It was so exciting! Thank you.

Tony took this on the 9th of August, so I was 35 weeks.

Our Life...an update!

It seems as though I have been slacking off in my blogging and many other things around the house, but my body struggles to let me do much sitting or standing or anything really productive for very long. I feel trapped in a useless body and that is frustrating! My brain knows what needs to be accomplished, but my fat legs and feet won't let me do quite what I want. So I thought I would blog really quickly before I tried to get some things done around the house.

Baby update: I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow here in SLC and then my next appointment will be in Idaho (weird). Last week the doctor said I was 50% effaced and dialated to a 1. She sent me down to do a non-stress test because the baby's heart rate was a little higher than normal (for him) and I hadn't felt him move much that day. Everything turned out fine. I had pushed myself too hard the day before and not drank enough water. The ultrasound tech said he is definately a boy and that everything looked good. It made me feel better to see him on the ultrasound and hear his heart beat (I wish Tony could have been there).

I went to our last baby class this week and learned the ins and outs of breastfeeding. I forgot to post the photo of Tony wearing the sympathy belly from the week before. Oddly enough he didn't really like the 25 extra pounds of shot put and weights that filled the belly. He tried to pretend like it wasn't uncomfortable and we women were making a big deal out of nothing, but he took that belly off pretty quickly and didn't want me to take photos of him in it. With the help of our childbirth educator, we got it accomplished. Here he is! Isn't he cute?

House update: We received an offer on our house 2 weeks ago (I think). Anyhow, the inspection was supposed to be done last week and we should know what else we have to do this coming week. My aunt worked really hard to paint the Lord of the Rings room (our extra bedroom), and the day she got finished was the day we got the offer. I am sad we won't get to enjoy the fruits of her labor, but I am very happy that it helped us to get an offer. The tree service cleaned up the fallen debris and the standing part of the tree. I haven't seen it, but supposedly it looks nice, will pass inspection, and we can be free of the tree. Say a little prayer that the house will sell and we can close before the baby comes.

Utah vs. Idaho update: Idaho it is! Tony's last day of work here was the 15th and he has spent almost every waking moment since then studying for his CPA exam. He takes it tomorrow at 4 p.m. He works so hard. I hope he passes it with flying colors and then he can move on to the 4th and final test before the end of the year. We are scheduled to pick up the Budget moving van at 7 a.m. on Tuesday. That means I have to seriously get in gear loading boxes and being ready to direct what needs to go where. If we get everything loaded, cleaned, and inspected before about 7 p.m. on Tuesday, then we will head to Idaho then. If not we will leave the morning of the 27th to come to Idaho. Since we are trying to sell our house (cross our fingers), Tony's dad is letting us live in his house until we know what we are doing. I hope to be able to have a place for Sawyer when he is born, but I am just going with the flow at this point. Depending on what the week brings Tony could start his new job either Thursday or Friday of this week or the Tuesday of next. I feel at peace even though moving is horrible. I really feel like we are making the right choice and that this is going to be good once we are settled somewhere.

With that incredibly long post I will probably leave you for a time. I don't know when we will have internet access again, but I will try my best to blog before the baby comes so that I don't fall too far behind. I hope everything is going well for everyone. I love this time of year, with school starting and fall around the corner. I even broke down and bought some candy corn to kick off the season. Love to all!

Thank you!!!

We wanted to say "thank you" to everyone for your kindness and support at both of our baby showers. We got almost everything we need and more! It was fun to see all of you and I hope that the next time I see you I have a smaller stomach and less swollen feet.

Here is a photo of us at the Pocatello Shower.And the Filer shower:

Thanks again for everything. Love to all! Lindsey, Tony, & Baby Sawyer

Baby Showers

I am hoping many of you have recieved the invitations, but I thought posting here might also help remind family and friends that this is the big weekend of baby showers. Saturday my cousin Tami is having a picnic/shower for us at Ok Ward Park in Chubbock at 6:30 p.m. Sunday my mom is having a shower for us in Filer at that Nazarene Church Fellowship Hall at 4 p.m. We decided to squish it all into one weekend and try to save some gas $. I hope to see all of you there! (Even though I know lots of you already have fun family plans in place.) So excited to see you soon!

33 Weeks

Wow! Can I tell you how ready I am to be done with the whole pregnancy thing! How did any of you ever do this and how could you have possibly enjoyed it? I am very anti the swollen feet thing. It really has gotten so much worse this week. I don't like puffy feet. I am currently down to one pair of flip flops that have good arch support and still fit my fat feet. I pray my shoes will fit again someday. Another crummy aspect of pregnancy can be summed up in two words: stretch marks. Ooh, and I also don't love that I am struggling to paint my toes and lotion my feet. I think that is all I have to say on that subject.

Other than these few nuisances I am doing ok and I go to the doctor again on Monday. I am pretty sure she is going to look at me like a crazy person when I mention the potential of going back to Idaho before the baby is born. I've imagined my part of the conversation to go something like this, " Hi Dr. K. I know that this is the first time we have met, but I think I am moving back to Idaho somewhere between 36 and 38 weeks. What do you think about that?" I am hoping for a positive response, but I don't really know how it will all pan out considering I have only been in her care since 30 weeks and I have already paid her up front. I keep hoping that all this prepaying will lead to refunds in the end (hey, I can hope, right?)

I am going to go put on my swimming suit that is dangerously close to not fitting me anymore, so you all can enjoy the greatness of my current physique. It also might be an excuse to get Tony to swim in the pool with me. He is studying for the 3rd section of the CPA exam that he has to take in 1 month. I am trying to be a supportive wife by being quiet and not bothering him.

I think this will be one of the last photos of me in my swimming suit. I can't handle the whole puffy Lindsey view. It is kind of depressing.

This Sounds Fun!

I need a lift in my spirits and maybe this will help!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.

What Do We Do?

I thought for sure, moving and selling our home were the only challenges we had ahead of us when we left Idaho Falls a month and a half ago---I thought wrong!

Maybe it is because I am pregnant and emotional or something, but this is all so hard to deal with. How do we make the right choice? I suppose I should let you in as to the choices at hand. Here is what we are faced with:

Scenario #1
We continue to live in Utah, possibly still paying for a home in Idaho that doesn't want to sell (we are paying about $1400 a month between both residences). We live on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex (climbing 24 stairs with groceries, baby in carseat, etc.). We must walk our dog 3 times a day to use the restroom. Tony works for his uncle; makes more $-:), job security-:), job training-:(. We have insurance for the baby as soon as he is born. We have very little family support to help with the baby. Tony has more time to study for his CPA exams, but has to have a master's degree to become a CPA in Utah (3 more years of night school). We have to walk outside and down the hall to the community, coin-op washer and dryer. Dishwasher.

Scenario #2
We pack up and move back to Idaho. We have to pay all the costs to move back (breaking lease-$2190, gas to move home-$400, extras-$50). We live in our house that could sell at any moment (please dear Lord help us) and have to move again. Buddy has a backyard. Tony works for a company who seems to have a great environment; less $ to start-:(, job security not as stable-:(, job training- :). We don't have insurance for the baby until December 1st, so we will have to pay for Cobra ($700 a month) or try to see if we qualify for assistance. We have family and friends support to help with the baby. Tony has less time to study for CPA, but once he passes 2 more tests he is a CPA. We have a washer and dryer inside our house. No dishwasher.

I could keep adding more pros and cons to the list, but I think this gives you a pretty detailed picture. Since Monday we have been discussing what we should do and we still haven't been struck with what decision will be the best for our family. I want Tony to be happy in his work and he wants me to be happy in general. We have until tomorrow morning to choose to say yes to the new job offer or not.

My job today is to try to decide what I want and I obviously would love to go back to Idaho, but the money is such a huge deterrent that I don't know how we can afford to. I suggested we result to flipping coins and Tony doesn't feel like that is a good idea. If anyone has any profound words of advice or great suggestions, please let me know. Thank you!

P.S. Try not to call me until after 7 p.m. because moving here has also caused a HUMONGOUS cell phone increase for me.

Our Awesome Willow Tree

On Saturday our realtor called us and updated us to a fallen branch in our yard. I vote it is much more than a fallen branch! (In his defense, he was out of town and was relaying information a neighbor had called him with.) Does anyone know where our house is? I can't see it! We are working to find someone to clean up and decide if the whole tree needs to go. Pray for us and our fun adventures :)

Here's the house. It was playing hide and seek. Maybe it doesn't want to be sold so it is hiding from the people who could potentially look at it.

Blessings

I am having a day where I want to tell you all the bad things that are happening in my life, but instead of having a pity party for me and continuing to cry I am going to list all the things I am grateful for and focus on the wonderful blessings I have. Here it goes:
1. My dad for giving me a brand new computer
2. My brand new computer
3. Air conditioning
4. Cute little Buddy Bastar (our dog)
5. Wonderful friends and family who offer great words of encouragment and support
6. Food and shelter to meet our needs
7. My husband
8. My faith that even though I feel like I am stuck in the middle of a terrible storm of my life that this too shall pass and there is a plan greater than the one I keep trying to make for myself
9. Our baby
10. Prenatal classes that Tony and I get to attend together
11. Ice cream (the only thing that would make it better is no calories)
12. Knowing I am never alone
13. My nails are kind of growing and somewhat strong
14. My beautiful pink zinnias that are sitting in my living room because they are painting our balcony.
15. Toilet paper and indoor plumbing (becasue I use the bathroom alot recently and I would be sad without this amenity.

I think that is a fairly good list of blessings and now I shall continue to keep my hopes up for sunnier skies to come our way. I hope all of you are having a glorious day and that this reminds you to always be thankful for the little things in you life that make you smile.

Moving Change of Info.

As if moving isn't already a giant pain in the rear, I HATE changing over billing information, setting up new services, and cancelling old services. I respect customer service representatives and the job they are intended to do, but for some reason, they never seem to accomplish the goals I need them to.
In this recent moving process I have somehow managed to thouroughly confuse my car insurance and car payment company, the old internet company, my home loan company, and hmm, I think that is it. My car payment didn't get paid and then they took out double payment and my car insurance had to be reset and a new policy opened. These things aren't a huge deal (thank goodness for internet banking), but it is frustrating to go through the process to get things in the correct order.
Currently I am dealing with the idiots at Cable One in trying to figure out my unpaid bill. I called and cancelled service on June 9th, but they have managed to bill me for last month and the upcoming month. I have spent the last hour trying to contact them, but their automated system says, "We are experiencing a high volume of calls. Please try again later. Goodbye." and then it hangs up on me. How incredibly irritating!
As for my house, I have a IHFA loan and I failed to remember that I have to live there the life of the loan. Anyhow, I had to fill out a 6 month waiver form in order to not be in vialation. I did so, sent it off, and recieved an approved letter and a copy of the form for my records. Yesterday I was sent a final notice with the same waiver form inside. When I called to check up on the issue the woman in Boise said she has never seen or recieved any of my information, but she is the one whose signature is on my approval form. I am so very confused and once again irritated by this monotonous process. (Update: This lady got things in order, she forgot to update my account after the approval form was sent!)

Sorry about the grumpy post, but I find it so very frustrating and I had to share! Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Oh, if anyone needs my new address, please email me at lindseylou19@yahoo.com.

Belly Pics at Last!

I really want to post everything that has happened in the last month, but as I look at the clock (4:10 p.m.) I realize my husband will be home in 1 hour and 20 minutes and by that time I have to have dinner ready and get myself ready to go tour St. Mark's Hospital at 6 p.m. That being said here is an incredibly short post with 3 photos of my progressively protruding belly. Love to all- Lindsey

This was the first side shot we took on March 30th. I was visiting Tony in Salt Lake for spring break.


Here is the 2nd belly pic. on May 10th. I finally got the nerve to put on my swimming suit and have Tony take my photo.

This is the most recent side shot on June 16th. Enjoy (Sorry the photo quality isn't awesome, but I haven't saved them to Tony's computer yet. They are coming straight from my camera.)

Broken Computers Suck!

I wish there was a world where computers worked forever and ever. My wonderful Apple laptop I bought in college 3 years ago has had charging issues since last year. My great husband ordered a part online and installed it last November. He helped it work up until about a month ago and then it wouldn't charge again. I took it into a computer store to see if they could diagnose it and the news was bad. I can either pay $650 to fix it or have no computer! I am way bummed because I do love my Apple, but paying more than I could buy a new laptop for is ridiculous. This distressing news is what has caused my lack of blogging. I have taken some fat girl photos of myself, but haven't been able to post them yet. Since Tony and I only have the weekends together and that is also the only time I have a computer, it is challenging to get time to post.

At the moment Tony and I are playing Nintendo. He went to a used movie and cd store this weekend and found Double Dragon for $10 so we had to bust out the Nintendo my mom bought him for Christmas a couple years ago and play. So far we've played Super Mario Bros. 1 and 3. I am Luigi. I forget how much fun it is, but also incredibly frustrating because I really have a huge lack of hand eye coordination. I do like that in Mario 3 you start with more lives and you can work as a team. Anyhow, back to more interesting things... I think that there is too much to stuff into one post so I will sum it up in a list.

Things We've Done Since My Last Blog
1. I've felt the baby move a lot more.
2. Tony felt the baby move last Saturday for the first time.
3. We've worked really hard to clean the house to get it ready to sell.
4. I have tried to start packing.
5. Tony took another section of his CPA exam (hopefully he passed!)
6. I taught my last week of school as a 1st grade teacher at Fairview Elementary.
7. We registered at Target for the baby things we think we might need.
8. I got to have my first baby shower (my school threw it for me).
9. We've seen both Indiana Jones and Iron Man (I thought they were both good.)
10.We've walked our dogs and gotten them a haircut.

I think that pretty much is the last month in review(excluding the extreme stress, crippling back pain, and frequent tears that Tony constantly has attributed to my being pregnant.) I am sure some of the things I am suffering from are due to the pregnancy, but there are so many stressers in our lives right now, I think if I was not even pregnant stress and some tears would be involved.

Well, all of that being said, I better go because Tony is getting ready to head back to SLC for the week :(. I will try to post the fat picture ASAP and get another updated one up next week.

Have a good week everyone!

Dr.'s Appointment

Last Monday I had my 3rd doctor's appointment. I have gained 5 lbs. since last month :(, but my thyroid has regulated with the medication they have given me. The baby's heartrate is normal and they scheduled my ultrasound for May 5th. We get to take a video with us so they can record it. I am really excited to find out the sex of the baby. I will be 20 weeks exactly so I hope the baby will show us his/her stuff! I also found out I am rh negative. It was concerning at first, but now that I have read up on it, I feel much better knowing it is just a shot at 28 weeks and when the baby is born. It was really good to be able to find out my blood type as well (A-).

This weekend we painted our house (yuck!) and we are working to get it ready to sell. My computer is on the fritz again, so I am at Tera's house borrowing her's. Since it is almost 8 p.m. and my dogs haven't been outside yet, I better get going, but I hope all is well with everyone and I will blog again sooner than later.

We're having a baby

It seems odd to post these words on the blog I had planned for my and Tony's adventures in our early marriage. This is obviously going to be one of our adventures, but I never thought it would be so soon in our marriage. We took 3 tests on February 2nd, and my first appointment was President's Day. I wanted to wait to post this until we had told almost all of our family. I didn't want anyone to be upset because they found out via blog.

Due to the fact that we have only been married for 6 months, the shock was pretty overwhelming. I had wanted kids someday, but Tony waivered between never and maybe someday. Our life is full of change right now (Tony in Utah, me here, the upcoming move to Utah, new jobs, etc.) so this huge news almost pushed us over the top. After about a week we came to the conclusion that The Lord felt it was time for us to be blessed with a baby and this baby wants to be a part of our family. Now we are both pretty excited!

Tony came with me to my first appointment and we got to have an ultrasound. It was reassuring for us both to know that there really was a baby in there and that things were going ok so far. It is nice to be able to see the tiny ultrasound pictures on days, when I feel not ready or worried about what the future holds. Some days I still don't feel ready or old enough to be a parent, but I hope with time that will come.

I went to my second appointment last Monday and I got to hear the heartbeat. It was 164 to 175 beats a minute. I really think you should get to have an ultrasound every visit so you can actually see it, but I guess I will have to wait until the first of May when we have the "real" one. My next appiointment in April they will be testing my thyroid again because it wasn't working normally.

I am 14 weeks now and have been lucky enough to only have thrown up once from brushing my teeth in the a.m. I am starting to show and feeling very large. I have failed to exercise very well since our wedding and now my gym membership is up, so I am currently searching for a good exercise routine that will help me feel better about myself. I want to go outside and walk, but the weather is more crummy than not. If anyone has any good ideas, please let me know. :)

I got lost!

Ahh~ I finally found my way back! It seems as though the past two months have been filled with so much I haven't shared with everyone. Since my last blog in January much has happened. I'll start with where I left off--the dog.

Buddy Bastar is doing well. I took him to the vet for a check up because he was vomitting bile, shaking, and hiding from me. After a $100 bill I was reasured there is nothing wrong with him. Our conclusion is that he is just neurotic, misses Tony, and needs to chew his food better. Since our visit the beginning of February, he seems to be doing less of the previously mentioned behaviors. He recenctly got a haircut, so we no longer have a small sheep, but our little barky-bunch schnauzer back. Riley Brown is the same as always. His life's excitements are the words "treat", "walk", and "squirrel". He waits patiently for the day when Buddy is not bothering him and he longs to run free on Aunt Bonnie's farm.

The weather is finally looking somewhat like spring. We still have patches of snow from the mounds we did have, but I can see our unraked yard. I wanted to take a picture of how high the snow was, but I never got around to it. I did take pictures of Tony on our roof shoveling off all the built up snow (I'll have to see if I can upload them). The city had to plow our neighborhood twice because we all had a hard time getting in and out of the streets. I am so thankful to finally see some sunny skies and the beginnings of green grass, though. I know we needed this winter to be long, but wow, white skies for days on end makes me unmotivated and depressed. I saw some of my flowers trying to poke their heads through the ground yesterday when I came home. Hooray!

The warmer weather is also motivating me to get our house ready to sell. With Tony in Salt Lake and me stuck here without him, I am very motivated to be where he is as soon as possible. There is much to be done (painting, organizing, dejunking, yard work, etc.), but I would like to have our house on the market sometime in May. I just pray someone will want to buy our home and that we will be able to find a nice home to move into in Utah.

Teaching has kept me very busy as well. We have already made it through 3 quarters and only have 48 days of school left! I had to give up my job last week and that was really hard to do. My principal needed to post the open job positions so he can start filling them. Even though I am sure we will be in Utah, it was hard to admit that I won't be teaching next school year. This week is spring break (hence, why I am finally blogging), so I hope to get lots of my to do list accomplished.

Tony is working very hard doing taxes for his uncle. There are days he seems to enjoy it and others where he would prefer more guidance. He complains about his mistakes a lot, but I am sure he doing well. He likes numbers and computers so hopefully he will get the hang of it soon and be able to feel more successful. He comes home almost every weekend. I plan to go to Utah this weekend to see him if he isn't too busy with taxes. We are excited to see each other every weekend, but I can't wait until we get to be together again each day.

I think that mostly updates everyone on what we are up to. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the coming spring. I will try to be a more frequent blogger, even if it is only once a month. It is a good goal!

Our Poor Little Dog

This week threw me for a loop! Our dog Buddy had a cancerous cyst on his leg. Tony took him to the vet a couple weeks ago and they removed the cyst. Our instructions were to clean it with hydrogen peroxide and have him wear one of those e-collar cone-looking things on his head so he wouldn't lick the incision. Last week was so busy, it took me until Wednesday to get it cleaned. I dabbed on the peroxide and thought it still looked red, so I used some Tea Tree oil on it. Tea tree oil is a powerful yet natural antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal medicine, so I thought if I works on my cuts, why not his?

I went to work for a very long day of teaching and parent teacher conferences (not my favorite part of the year). I came home in between school and conferences to let our dogs outside. Buddy was shaking and he wouldn't jump down from a very small bench he was sitting on. I walked to the back door and thought for sure he would jump down. I waited, called and he never came, so I went back in the living room and picked up the still shaking puppy and carried him outside. He walked around, but didn't act normal. I became concerned because Buddy's normal behavior is a hyper, happy, I want to lick your face all over attitude. When he came in, I gave him a rawhide chew and thought he would perk up. Instead, he fell over trying to pick it up. I left my cell phone at school, so I didn't know what to do.

I ended up leaving him home, running to school and calling my husband. He panicked and told me to cancel my conferences and take Buddy straight to the vet. It was 4:58 p.m. and my conferences began at 5:00 p.m. What was I supposed to do? He ended up calling around and he got ahold of my aunt who was able to come to my school, get my house key, grab Buddy, and rush him to the vet. Tony explained what I had done and after an examination, a call to poison control, a $60 call to animal poison control, a blood test, and IV fluids the vet determined Tea Tree oil is poisonous and paralyzing to dogs and cats. Good information to know earlier that morning!

After conferences I was able to pick up Buddy at my Aunt Bonnie's house. He was 100% different than the dog I had left 4 hours before. He jumped around, wagged his tail, and licked like crazy. I am very thankful to have family to help when Tony is gone and for the vast amout of medical information we can access online. I will spread the word to EVERYONE I know, so that this won't happen to another family. Tony also found out that Tea Tree oil can be poisonous to babies as well, because their bodies can't metabolize the oil. I am so thankful I learned this before we have a baby! I know now to always do my research before I use anything to treat animals, children, or myself.

Wedding day fun

Here's one of my favorite photos from our wedding. Tony was too heavy and I was standing on my dress to try to hold him for the picture.

Tony moves to SLC

So as far as the "daily happenings" I spoke of in the title, yeah, um, I am obviously behind on that statement! Life has been busy and now with the holidays over, I am still trying to recreate a normal household with out cutsey Christmas decor all around. I am currently unsuccessful in that area, but have it ink on my to do list.

The last few days have been really challenging because Tony packed up his things to go live and work in Salt Lake for the tax season. He got a job as a staff accountant for his uncle and has really been excited about it until this weekend. The HUGE downfall is that I won't be able to be there until I can sell the house and complete my teaching contract (May 29th). He is now living in an all-boy bachelor pad. Yet another big adjustment from our newly married home. He has a small, basement room in a pig infested, decor deficient home. The poor thing is struggling to make the bridge between what he knows and loves to what is new and not so lovely!

I do believe we all have trials/difficult times we must endure. This is one of those times in our lives! We have learned how much we do love each other and how thankful we are to be married. We have shed many tears, but have to stop to be thankful for the gifts of email, IM, and newly purchased webcams we can hopefully set up this week. The upside is we will be able to spend more quality, fun time together on the weekends and accomplish individual goals throughout the week. I hope to be better at keeping our home in order, to work only until 6 or 7 each night, and to excercise and eat right. I don't know what Tony's goals are, but since our last conversation it might be to simply make it through this first night apart with out packing up and moving home.

Honey, we can do this and we will make it. To the rest of you, keep us in your prayers and send Tony an uplifting message if you can. Thanks :)