Thanks Grandma!

These first 2 pictures are purely for the enjoyment of Grandma Kay, she spoiled Ty with some new clothes that came in the mail today. They are a little big, but I think in a month they'll fit him perfectly... and they are 12 month! I have an (almost) 8 month old in 12 month clothes, YIKES! I think Grandpa Harvey is always happy to hear about it though...   

About a week ago I was reading a friends blog about how her little lady that is 2 weeks older then Ty loved Graham Crackers. I got thinking, maybe the puffs are too small and dissolve in his hand too quickly, I should try a Graham cracker with Ty. He LOVED it! It's one of his favorites now. He'll eat an entire Graham Cracker, I just break it up into eigths and he goes to town. I think next i'll try Vanilla Wafers. He also likes to eat Cheerios too.

Before we were even thinking about getting pregnant, Matt and I were shopping and saw a tiny baby shirt that said "I drink until I pass out" Matt thought it was hilarous. I wouldnt let him buy it. I thought of that shirt 2 nights ago when I came downstairs to find Ty like this. I actually started laughing so hard that Ty woke up.  

Last but not least here is a Bonus Video: Ty playing with his Piano. No I dont think my child is advanced. My Mom got the piano for Ty for Christmas even though it said 1-3 years on the box. She jokingly told me she was confident Ty would enjoy it because her grandchildren are so "advanced".  

When I say my son is a good eater...

I mean it! Look at that... Perfect form! Haha I laugh everytime he does it. Ty's thoughts are probably something like "Mom can we find a bigger spoon? Look how wide I am opening my mouth..."

Jazz Game

On Saturday we went to the Jazz game! Matt's co-workers all share season tickets and they all decided to give their tickets to us for last Saturday. It could be because the Jazz played the Nets who have only won ohhhh 3 games all season. None the less it was fun to go to the game. We took Ty with us. I think he was more excited to ride TRAX then he was to watch the game.

 Matt and I had a decent time though, It wasnts a very good game the Jazz were winning by a ton the entire time. Ty liked lying under the chairs (suprisingly clean) and playing with his toys we brought.

If you look close both of us have an ear-bud in :)

 I brought my FM Radio/MP3 player and we listened to the BYU Basketball game while we were there and on the way home. The Cougs won too so it was a good night.

Tender Mercies Tuesday: Words of Affirmation

Remember that post I had a while back about which of the 5 love languages I spoke? I was thinking about it more over the weekend. I have come to realize that I like to recieve DIFFERENT Love languages from different groups of people and GIVE love differently as well. From my husband and immeadiate family members it's acts of service, hands down. But from co-workers, friends or even random strangers? It's definitely words of affirmation, not necessarily "I love you" (don't want to hear that from my boss) but more things like, "Way to go!", "I know you worked hard on that and I really appreciate it", "Good Thinking!", "Wow that color looks nice on you." or a simple Thank You note.

I have received a lot of this type of thing during last week. It really means a lot to me and brightens my day! Once I realized that I really enjoyed a happy note or words of affirmation from others I have tried to put it into action myself by giving more genuine compliments and encouragement to EVERYONE! I've used more You're Awesome's, Way to Go's, You are a great help, Hope you have a good day's and a TON more well thought out THANK YOU'S, then ever before!

Think about it... Count your blessings... What brighten's your day? Once you figure it out... PASS IT ON! 

Help for Haiti Babies

I COPIED THIS FROM MY PSEUDO UTAH MOM'S BLOG, IT IS WRITTEN BY HER SISTER- IF YOU CAN HELP LEAVE A COMMENT HERE: http://bids2calvin.blogspot.com/ THIS IS TO HER SISTERS BLOG WHO IS COLLECTING SUPPLIES, SHE WILL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS.


"If you've been wondering what you can do to personally help the people of Haiti here is something for you. My sister's work is collecting supplies care of Dr. MacArthur. Dr. MacArthur has been down there assisting the medical community. They are having to do a lot of amputations to save lives, especially on children. They need canes, crutches and wheelchairs. They could also use any type of bandages. Here is something truly heart wrenching. They desperately need baby formula. There are many orphaned babies and they have been feeding them sugar water to keep them soothed but it does not offer any nutrition. If you have any formula at your house or you know someone who might have some at their house or can purchase some, please bring it to my house (Provo, UT) by Thursday morning. Costco formula is fairly inexpensive as far as formula goes. If you can't donate formula, you can donate money and I will purchase the formula for you. Again, it needs to be brought to Amy's house (Provo, Ut) by Thursday morning. Thanks all."
 
Just thought I would put the word out there for all of you around Utah and Salt Lake Counties that may be able to help.

Quick Dinner: Mongolian BBQ

I was sitting there at about 6:30 on the couch thinking Ugh I am starving and I didn't plan ANYTHING for dinner! What do I have... Ugh nothing, nothing, nothing! Frozen everything and leftovers...


Here's what I came up with, any of you from my hometown have probably been to a place called Mongolian BBQ, or something close to it. You basically get ramen like noodles in a bowl then you add all the veggies and meats that you want. Then you dump a bunch of different sauces on top and give it to these cooks to put on a super hot grill thing and essentially fry it up for you.

I thought "Hey I can do that!"

I got out my pork and chicken that was frozen and sliced it thinly with my filet knife (it's EASIER when frozen, not fun, but easier, I employed my husband for this) I got out my bag of frozen stir-fry veggies and fired up my Wok. The result was delicious! Here's the (make shift) recipe.

1 large frozen Chicken breast thinly sliced
1 to 1/2 pound Pork Tenderloin (or chops or whatever) thinly sliced
You may add beef too, I didn't have any on hand...
1 bag frozen stir fry veggies
1 package cooked and drained Al Dente spaghetti noodles(I had left over rice so I used that instead)
Soy Sauce to taste
Teriyaki Sauce to taste

(Really the possibilities are endless! Any kind of meat thinly sliced in any amount would work. Mongolian BBQ even has shrimp and Tofu. Also any sauces will do too, like spicy ones or even minced garlic could be added... whatever you want!)

First fire up your Wok, or large frying pan to about 400 degrees. Put about 1 tsp oil in then dump in all veggies, meat and noodles. Pour in at least a couple tablespoons of all sauces. Fry for 5-7 minutes or until meat is cooked.

If you've been to Mongolian BBQ just remember how much sauce you use, which sauces you use and what you like to put in your bowl.
Matt and I actually cooked this together and picked which veggies we wanted and everything. It was really fun cooking with him and having him put everything in that he wanted.
So NEXT time you think... yep bowl of cereal it is for dinner, I am so hungry and I don’t have any time to make dinner. THINK OF THIS! It took MAYBE 20 minutes for us throw it together.
Happy Frying!

Photo Curtesy of "The Wok"n'South" Google Images

Good Refresher: Choking and CPR on infants

This is a good refresher, I just had to dislodge something from Ty's mouth (nothing serious but made him gag) and I thought to myself that I should look it up and post a refresher course on this... I got it from babycenter.com. This is for 12 mo. and younger, for toddlers and elementary age kids, check out THIS link. Couldn't hurt to take a few minutes and read through this, you never know it just may save a life some day. Oh and a tip that a EMT gave me one time was whenever clearing a babies mouth NEVER use your index finger, it's too strong and sometimes you will unknowingly push the object deeper in your babies mouth. Always use another finger usually your middle finger. (A mom pushed a piece of meat further down the babies throat because she couldn't feel it and was frantic)

Infant First Aid for Choking and CPR


Reviewed by emergency services experts at the American Red Cross, May 2008.

Choking

• Step 1: Assess the situation quickly.
If your baby is suddenly unable to cry or cough, something may be blocking her airway, and you'll need to help her get it out. She may make odd noises or no sound at all while opening her mouth, and her skin may turn bright red or blue.

If she's coughing or gagging, her airway is only partially blocked. In this case, let her continue to cough. Coughing is the most effective way to dislodge a blockage.

If your baby isn't able to cough up the object, ask someone to call 911 or the local emergency number while you begin back blows and chest thrusts (see step 2, below).

If you're alone with your baby, give two minutes of care, then call 911.

On the other hand, if you suspect that your baby's airway is closed off because her throat has swollen shut, call 911 immediately. Your baby may be having an allergic reaction — to something she ate or to an insect bite, for example — or she may have an infection, like croup.

Also call right away if your baby is at high risk for heart problems.

• Step 2: Try to dislodge the object with back blows and chest thrusts.
If your baby can't clear her airway on her own and you believe something is trapped there, carefully position her facedown on your forearm with your hand supporting her head and neck. Rest the arm holding your baby on your thigh.

Support your baby so that her head is lower than the rest of her body. Then, using the heel of your hand, give her five firm and distinct back blows between her shoulder blades to try to dislodge the object.

Next, place your free hand (the one that had been delivering the back blows) on the back of your baby's head with your arm along her spine. Carefully turn her over while supporting her head and neck. Support your baby faceup with your forearm resting on your thigh, still keeping her head lower than the rest of her body.

Place the pads of two or three fingers just below an imaginary line running between your baby's nipples. To give a chest thrust, push straight down on the chest 1/2 inch to 1 inch, then allow the chest to come back to its normal position.

Give five chest thrusts. The chest thrusts should be smooth, not jerky.

Continue the sequence of five back blows and five chest thrusts until the object is forced out or your baby starts to cough. If she's coughing, let her try to cough up the object.

If your baby becomes unconscious at any time, she'll need modified CPR (see full instructions below).

Give her two rescue breaths. If the air doesn't go in (you don't see her chest rise), retilt her head and try two rescue breaths again.

If her chest still doesn't rise, give her 30 chest compressions. Look in her mouth and remove the object if you see it. Give her two more rescue breaths, repeat the chest compressions, and so on, until help arrives.

How to Give CPR
What is CPR?

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This is the lifesaving measure you can take to save your baby if she shows no signs of life (breathing or movement).

CPR uses chest compressions and rescue breaths to circulate blood that contains oxygen to the brain and other vital organs until emergency medical personnel arrive. Keeping oxygenated blood circulating can help prevent brain damage — which can occur within a few minutes — and death.
Giving CPR isn't hard to do. Follow these steps:

• Step 1: Check your baby's condition.
Is your baby conscious? Flick her foot or gently tap on her shoulder and call out. If she doesn't respond, have someone call 911 or the local emergency number. (If you're alone with your baby, give two minutes of care as described below, then call 911 yourself.)

Swiftly but gently place your baby on her back on a firm surface.

Make sure she isn't bleeding severely. If she is, take measures to stop the bleeding by applying pressure to the area. Do not administer CPR until the bleeding is under control.

• Step 2: Open your baby's airway.
Tilt your baby's head back with one hand and lift her chin slightly with the other. (You don't need to tilt an infant's head back very far to open her airway.)

Check for signs of life (movement and breathing) for no more than ten seconds.

To check for your baby's breath, put your head down next to her mouth, looking toward her feet. Look to see whether her chest is rising and listen for breathing sounds. If she's breathing, you should be able to feel her breath on your cheek.

• Step 3: Give her two gentle breaths.

If your baby isn't breathing, give her two little breaths, each lasting just one second. Cover your baby's nose and mouth with your mouth and gently exhale into her lungs only until you see her chest rise.

Remember that a baby's lungs are much smaller than yours, so it takes much less than a full breath to fill them. Breathing too hard or too fast can force air into the infant's stomach or damage her lungs.

If her chest doesn't rise, her airway is blocked. Give her first aid for choking, above.

If the breaths go in, give your baby two breaths in a row, pausing between rescue breaths to let the air flow back out.

• Step 4: Give her 30 chest compressions.

With your baby still lying on her back, place the pads of two or three fingers just below an imaginary line running between your baby's nipples.

With the pads of these fingers on that spot, compress the chest 1/2 inch to 1 inch. Push straight down. Compressions should be smooth, not jerky.

Give her 30 chest compressions at the rate of 100 per minute. When you complete 30 compressions, give two rescue breaths (step 3, above).
• Step 5: Repeat compressions and breaths.

Repeat the cycle of 30 compressions and two breaths. If you're alone with your baby, call 911 or the local emergency number after two minutes of care. Continue the cycle of compressions and breaths until help arrives.

Even if your baby seems fine by the time help arrives, you'll want to have her checked by a doctor to make sure that her airway is completely clear and that she hasn't sustained any internal injuries.

All About Ty

He's quite chatty, probably because I talk to him all day long. He squeals, squeaks and does a lot of mumumumumumumum, dadadadadadadada, nununununun, ggggggggguh gggggguuuh. You know the usual baby noises. He especially likes bathrooms at public places or our clubhouse gym because they echo.

He LOVES my necklace, earrings and rings. He will always try to grab them. He has only successfully ripped out my earring once. Ouch.

He's now started to lick things more. Instead of trying to eat it, he just licks it... like a toy or a book. In this picture I am feeding him and he'll push the food out of his mouth onto his bib, then he licks the food off his bib. NO this is NOT going to be a habit, he has only done it once.

He has two full bottom teeth and I keep feeling for more.

Matt and I think he hit a growth spurt again because he doesn't fit most of his 6-9 month clothes anymore. He mainly wears 12 mo. and it's a little big on him.

He gets really bored now, he doesn't like not being able to crawl around. He sticks his bum in the air or he gets up on his hands... but never really at the same time. He knows how to scoot/roll around in circles or go backwards. It's forwards that he's working on.

He LOVES his Daddy. He grabs Matt's face and pulls him close, he gives Matt way more "bonks" and "bear hugs" then he gives his Mom. Pretty sure he's always been a Daddy's boy even though he looks more like his Mom. (We'll see about that when he gets older)

He thinks TONS of things are funny, if everyone else is laughing he likes to laugh. I know he knows what is funny though because he'll be watching Baby DaVinci (Baby Einstein) and he starts cracking up at this one spot every time all though the show doesn't have a laugh track or anything.

He likes the remote, phones, books, keys, cameras, laptop etc. Anything you like to use, he wants it... then he slobbers all over it...

He has yet to get how to put FOOD in his own mouth. Everything else he likes to put in his mouth BUT food. With his cereal puffs he'll pick ‘em up, and be fully capable of eating them himself but waits for you to put one in his mouth. Not sure what that’s all about.

He's on a PERFECT Nap schedule, he wakes up at 8 am gets a bottle for breakfast, he plays then goes back down for nap between 9:30-10 then wakes up around 11-11:30. He eats at 12 usually some baby food and a bottle, he'll play again until about 1:30-2 he'll sleep until about 3:30-4 wakes up gets some finger foods and more baby food then plays until about 7 where he'll take a cat nap and drink his last bottle around 8. At that point either we put him right in bed or (sometimes) I keep him up until Matt gets home from school at about 9:15 or 9:30. Then he for sure goes to bed and sleeps all the way til about 8 am the next morning. :) Talk about an easy baby!

This is how I put him down for naps, yes he is usually smiling...

Somewhere in between he starts to do this...

And he usually wakes up looking something like this! (Yes I know these are different days I forgot to get a picture when I woke him up from this particular nap)

Cougar Obsession?

Boy do we love our Cougars, at least 10-15 minutes each day Matt and I will be discussing the latest and greatest or most recent articles that we have read regarding our Cougars...

We for sure LOVE our basketball team, and we LOVE to go to the GAMES! Ty really likes it too, most babies would get bored or fussy but Ty? Nope he watches the game too! When it gets loud he wants to know what's going on. You would think that he just wants to look around but when we pick him up but he watches the game and not really anything else. He also thinks Cosmo Cougar is a little crazy... he just smiles at him when he comes by, but lets be honest Ty smiles at ANYBODY when they come by. So I dont think that is a special treatment.

Poor kid, he's been "blessed" with some goofy parents

Our half attempt at Normalcy... I don't think it can happen haha

This is a flash into the future about 65 years for Matt and Preston... you should hear these guys they are HILARIOUS and come to every game sweatpants and all. I told Matt that when Suzanne and I die he and Preston will have nothing else to do with their time... so might as well pull on the old school t-shirts and grab the oxygen tank for the game. I bet Will would be with them, looking 20 years younger then them haha.

BYU is currently ranked 14 in the nation (19-1 with the win over Wyoming last night), we've seen this before with the football team and were disappointed. Hopefully they continue to do well. Jimmer is still coming back from his bout with MONO... I was telling Matt before the last game we went to that we needed to make a sign but I wasn’t sure what it would say. I had been thinking about it for days and never came up with anything. Leave it up to Matt to come up with something clever seconds after I suggest it, "Jimmer, Mono y Mono, you're the BEST!" I thought it was hilarious! Matt wouldn't let me MAKE the sign though, so if anyone wants to steal that one and take it to the game it would be awesome. Jimmer would love it.

Tender Mercies Tuesday: Shock and Surprise

Ty and I went to work this morning at the main office and after our meetings I was talking to our office manager Sheila, she had mentioned that the owner of the company I work for paid for her sons tuition. I responded with something like a "Wow, that is awesome!" She said "Yeah he pays a certain percentage, so not all of it, but every bit helps." At that moment before I could say anything else, the owner of Garbett Homes, Bryson Garbett turned the corner and said, "Mickie doesn't Matt attend the University of Utah?" I responded affirmatively and he said he would help pay for Matt's tuition as well. I was honestly at a loss for words, I felt my face get hot as I realized that I was about to cry. I held back the tears, thankfully, while Bryson urged Sheila to get me all the required paperwork for Matt to fill out. That has been completed and now the check is ready and waiting for Bryson to sign and we'll have it by the end of the DAY.

Yeah, I got in the car and cried a bit of course. This will pay for all of Matt's books which are QUITE spendy this semester, and most of the gas it will cost to get him there Mon-Wed evenings. Yes, Matt's work does pay for tuition as well but it pays at the END of the semester so we needed to come up with all the money up front first, which since he is in the business program is even MORE expensive then regular tuition.

This was quite the unexpected Tender Mercy indeed and DEFINTELY an ANSWER to our many PRAYERS.

Don't I work for an AWESOME Company? Yes, yes I do...

I had many more tender mercies to write about today as well, but this one takes the cake. Until next time.

Grandparents Special Syrup

Matt works full time and goes to school at nights, he only gets about 15 minutes with Ty before he goes to bed most of the time. The first few videos come from that small amount of time. None the less here are alllll videos of Ty... and some of Matt, but mostly just our Ty baby... pull up a chair and turn up the volume(especially on the last one to hear his full belly), there is a TON of syrup-y goodness to behold. Some of these are so long I am conviced only Grandparents would sit through them.

Ty's Teeth

First here is a video, this is what he does while I work sometimes...

Dont listen to me, I sound Crazy. Ty will sit there and watch though, it's pretty nice while I have to make a ton of phone calls for work.

It took me a while to get these pictures because he didn't want to smile or show them off at all.

Unsucsesful attepmt... Check out those baby blues though! Just like his Daddy and Grandpa's. (Curse you blogspot for dulling the colors of pictures)

Bingo, there they are! Mid-tongue click.

Yay! I got a picture of them, finally!

It's nap time now, tomorrow will be a documentary of that adventure. :)

Problem? Maybe

So I know most of you would probably kill for a problem like this, but I'm wondering when I should begin to be concerned.


All three of us Bragg girlies, have started to loose weight, NOT trying of course. All of us are healthy girls (well Suzanne has that stomach deal... so maybe that's her problem) but both Kristin and I have been loosing weight too.

I don’t think I have weighed this much since my freshman year of high school. I still eat have a healthy appetite and I drink tons of water, exercise etc. etc. I don’t feel like have changed anything. But I am still dropping about 2 pounds a week. I am wondering at what point should I be worried about this? What would you all do? Should I PIG OUT on a whole bag or Oreo’s and drink a gallon of whole milk to try and gain weight? Should I count it as a blessing and not worry about it? I have dropped almost 10 pounds in the last month...I was previously at my healthy pre-preggo weight. I don’t think I can stand to loose another 10 pounds. Hmmmm.... The stomach flu didn’t help either...

What do you all think I should do?

Tender Mercies Tuesday: Music

Disclaimer: No I haven't lost my mind I know it is Monday, i just forsee an extremely busy day tomorrow and while I was thinking of it I wanted to check this off my list of things to do... without further adieu.. Tender Mercies...errmmm Monday :)

I have made many New Years resolutions in my quarter of a decade, I cant think of one that I haven’t stuck too. Maybe its because I have only made a handful? It all started when I was 10 or 11 years old and after drinking 2 cans of "Jolt" soda on New Years eve, I decided I was hyperactive enough so drinking caffeine should be done away with, and so it was. I haven't knowingly drank caffeine since. To add on top of that somewhere during my high school years it was determined that sports were for Saturday not for Sunday. I watch all the football, basketball, and who knows what else on Saturdays not on my Sundays... (this was a whole family thing that I resolutely kept for myself as well) I would never make someone change the channel at their house, if I am there and it's on I would not complain and pull an attitude, I am just saying that it doesn't go on in my house while I am in the room. (who knows what Matt watches while I am taking a Sunday afternoon nap :) The list goes on of resolutions I have made, I did make one this year and so far (since November) I have done a great job :)
The reason I give you this preface is to let you know of another such New Years resolution that I made long ago. Not sure when it was... again probably in my high school days, I decided that Sunday was a day of worship and should be different then the rest of the days, so in effort to keep it different I resolved to only listen to uplifting gospel centered music on the Sabbath. I listen to a certain radio station around here that only plays this type of music on the Sabbath which is a great help but when I didn’t live here I listened to a ton of classical and EFY (especially for youth) cd's. I think this is a help to get my mind centered on what is truly important and help in my worship for the day. I really appreciate it.

Music in general is an amazing thing to me, it can make my mood change in an instant. I have felt happy, sad, hyper, silly, thoughtful, spiritual...and the list goes on, while listening to music. I love a great variety as well, so i never get bored with it.

I thought that along with this post I would give you a taste of some of the latest and greatest that bring a smile to my face, the first of course is a Sunday approved song. It is from the soundtrack to the movie "Pride and Prejudice" which is HANDS DOWN my favorite book. I just finished it for the 5th or 6th time a few days ago. This song seriously inspires me, I NEED TO LEARN TO PLAY TO PIANO SO I CAN PLAY IT! Oh I would love to learn how to play this entire sound track. It's AMAZING.

The second song is a song I was introduced to just last Wednesday my HILARIOUS B.I.L Preston, who was BELTING it out at a Basketball game during the half time show. I thought it was SO FUNNY that I had to look it up, (I cant help but laugh out loud when I think of him singing it... if I could go back in time I would FOR SURE video that moment) ever since I haven't been able to get it out of my head! Crank it up and dance to it, you know you want to! (Preston next family cruise you WILL be singing that song Karaoke I’ll help... promise)

This third song, is a newer one by my favoirte bands latest album, dare you not to tap your toe to it... it's impossilbe. Thanks to my B.I.L. Will for the heads up on this one.

The last song is one that whenever it's on I just can't help but grab my little man and dance around the living room. He is starting to hear songs he likes too and he ALWAYS smiles while we dance to this one particularly... maybe it's becasue when I sing it he thinks I am constantly professing my love to him. Oh wait I am...Haha

So my question to you is, Spiritual or not, what songs do you LOVE and why do you LOVE them? Please share them with me! I am always in need of a good tune to get stuck in my head :) Hopefully one of mine have made your day like they make mine...

Random Rambles

My baby is 7 months old now, can you believe that! I was thinking of it for sometime this morning when he uncharacteristically woke up at 4:30 a.m. inconsolably upset. (more teeth maybe? We ran out of Tylenol yesterday...) What got me thinking of it was after about 3 minutes of crying with no let up, I decided to check his diaper and see if it needed changing. This caused me to pick him up (We have a firm once you are in your crib for the night you are NOT PICKED UP AGAIN until the next morning around 8 a.m. rule. Yes I broke it last night) he did not however need a diaper change but seeing how distraught he was I decided to try and cuddle him to sleep (I don’t think that has happened in the middle of the night since he was younger than a month old) As I walked around for a moment holding him I realized that both of us were entirely uncomfortable. He weighs so much that I can't hold him sideways like that for a long period of time and his legs were dangling so far off my side I was convinced that he was just upset because of having to worry about half his body not being supported. I decided sitting down was a better option, but if any of you have EVER held a baby you know that sitting down to soothe a screaming child will never work and in fact makes them more upset.


He persisted in his screams for about 3 minutes so I thought... BLAH I am going back to the basics "Have fun crying in your crib son there is nothing else I can do for you". And so it was, he cried and screamed for about 15-20 minutes until I went back in, popped that pacifier in his mouth and rubbed his head for about 2 minutes before he was back asleep for the rest of the morning. The whole escapade took about an hour and as I was falling back asleep around 5:45 I thought "Since when was my baby too big for me to cuddle him like that. When did that happen!" Of that I am not sure... but I will say, along with all you other parents out there that YES children grow up TOO quickly... and I know once I have my last baby I will really miss that newborn stage for sure. I think with each child we have, more and more I will enjoy it, then miss it more and more after it’s gone. No wonder moms LOVE to hold others little tiny 2 month old kiddos.

Also, Ty got his first bump yesterday. He is resolved to NEVER lie down on his back to play anymore, he must be on his tummy, sitting up, or in his jumper. Which sometimes when he is standing up with your help he thinks to jump… that’s a funny unexpected moment. He is very good at sitting up these days but yesterday he was sitting on the floor at church and lunged forward to grab the chair in front of him. My kids noggin his quite large and gravity did the rest. Instead of his hand reaching the chair first his forehead did. Yup it was followed swiftly with a scream and a good sized bruise and goose egg. Matt was taking care of him at that time and how did Matt console him? "I am sorry Ty but you will need to get used to that, it's the first of a lot of bumps and bruises to come..." ha ha Of course Matt snuggled him for quite sometime before Ty calmed down as well. But it is a just warning for our little guy… it’s gonna happen… and a lot.

Gotta love that toothy grin he is flashing these days. I'll try and get a picture of the latest installments to his adorable smile soon.  

Special Edition Matt Post: "Everything on my INSIDE wants to be on my OUTSIDE"

The last three to four days for the Spence's have been rough in our immediate family. There is a long list of illness that has ran through the extended family and was past on to our family. I have to say, it was one of the worst I have felt in years. I didn't feel great Sunday, but I survived and made it to work Monday. Then came Monday night! Everything on my insides wanted to be on my outsides, and there was nothing I was going to do about it. Right when I got home from work, I proceeded to throw up every 30 minutes for the next 20 hrs. The toilet quickly became my closest companion and the country song, "I need you now," reminded me how much I missed the toilet, on our drive down to Provo that night. Apparently, it was the gift that kept on giving, as I heard of other family members and co-workers who sadly came in contact with us during that duration. I am finally back to feeling pretty good just today. I sadly lost 7 lbs in two days, so I will have to spend the next two years trying to get that back. For anyone who thinks it would be great to lose that kind of weight, by way of the flu, I suggest cutting off limbs before considering something as violent as that illness. Anyway, the family is doing better, with the exception of Ty, who feels the need to grow two bottom teeth, and tell everyone about it. He is handling it quite well, but we can tell he is struggling at times.


I did want to say "good luck" to all the a Texas fans tonight, and I hope they do to Alabama, what Utah did to them last year. "Hook 'em," up!

Big Boy

Ty is growing up, and pretty dang fast... He holds his own bottle now and is growing some hair (it's now visable in pictures even!). He can sit up for long periods of time now with out falling over and LOVES to eat, eat, eat. He'll eat anything you put in his mouth. Because of this I have had numerous talks with his cousins they they are NOT allowed to give Ty anything small and only give him things to eat that I say is okay. Jason is very good about it he even took something away from him last night that he deemed too small for Ty to play with he told him, "No, No, Ty Ty you can't play with that, you  might choke on it if you try to eat it!" So sweet.

Ty is currently cutting teeth as well and has his two middle bottom teeth coming in. You can see them both when he smiles at you. They are so cute. He is still the most mild manored baby ever, unless you get around him when he wants to talk to you... boy does he squeal! At least it's squealing instead of crying...He is so long now that when I am holding him he looks to be about half my size... Hopefully this means he'll MUCH taller then me. Thanks to him I get quite the arm work out.

Everyday we love him more, he's quick to smile at just about anyone and loves his tummy time, I am thinking soon he'll be crawling, maybe in a month or so.  

Tender Mercies Tuesday: JUMP?

Saturday afternoon Suzanne Preston Ty Matt and I all embarked on a trip out west... okay really to the other side of Saratoga Springs, where we were going shooting. Matt brought all of his guns and Preston brought quite a few of his with tons of Ammo and Clay Pigeons it was a nice day. Preston and his beefy tires needed to go somewhere super cool to shoot so we went pretty hard core off roading... I kept screaming "We're all gonna DIE!!!" then I look over at Ty who has a huge grin on his face... Like Father like Son.

Matt was testing out the Clay Pigeon Thrower

Suzanne...uhhh couldnt quite figure it out.

Preston trying to show her how to do it.

Matt patiently waiting

Yay! She did it!

TY was happy just playing with his Toys in the Truck.

Mom Let me see that camera.... Pleeeeaaase?

Gotta clean up the shells.

22 time

HE GOT IT!

This one, WAY UP HERE! Dang Dad did a great job sighting in his scope!

Right through the middle... SWEEET.

Dad's doing it so it must be okay....

Random Videos

We ended up in an obscure spot about 2 miles off the road on the other side of a very large hill. Ty and I stuck around in the truck but we were the designated Photographers so I needed to roll up and down the window. I turned the key backwards about 2-3 times. This left the radio on for about 5 minutes each time. At the end we all started to pack up and Suzanne hopped in the car and turned the key backward and kept it there... are you seeing what is happening? Yep we had a dead battery in pretty much the middle of no where. About 200 yards behind us there were 3 big trucks all with trailers and 4 wheelers. They were riding on Utah Lake and pulling sleds behind them. Preston took a little jog to talk to them. Their response was..."Uhh I don’t have any but maybe my buddy does, I’ll ask him when he gets back on the 4 Wheeler" So Preston gets back to the truck and we all sit inside and wait for these guys to make some sort of Yay or Nay movements so we can either get ready to leave or try to find another option. We waited about 10 minutes. Everyone got back on their 4 wheelers then just took off again... Wha? Okay so I guess you guys did have jumper cables... but come on at least drive one of them up here and say you didn’t instead of just taking off.

Not sure what to do, we called a few people. My mom was ready to come help but it was going to take her at least an hour to get where we were plus we were unsure the Santa Fe could make it due to the extreme off roading earlier mentioned.

Matt and Preston took a walk up over the top off the really big hill and found some sledders, no go there... then they found to two younger guys who were about seconds away from leaving. They were shooting too, they said they did have jumper cables and drove Matt and Preston back over to where Suzanne Ty and I sat and they jumped the truck with their Avalanche and we were on our way. By the looks of things they had a pretty fun time off roading too.

Did those guys have to jump us? No... They could have just said "no we have to be somewhere...." or lied and said they didn’t have jumper cables and take off. But they didn't and they seriously made my (and a few other peoples) day by saving us from being stranded there for hours and trying to explain to my mom where the heck we were.

Moral of the story is, if you have jumper cables... know how to use them and always be willing to give others a jump especially if they are stuck in the middle of no where. I know I would :)

2010 New Years Day, didn't quite go as planned....

Since I forgot to pull out my camera the ENTIRE weekend, I’ll sum up some of the things I would like to remember with bullet points. A LOT of bullet points.


-Nate, Kelly, Tanner and Dallin came down from Pocatello to visit, Braden came for a visit from Kansas on his way to Oregon.

-We went to the Wu's for New Years Eve and played Scattergories

-Matt mistakenly jumped from using J as his letter back to our previous letter of W. (You had to be there it was hilarious)

-Nate and Kelly had the same thing almost every time, both were convinced one or the other was copying

-Tanner was in heaven with all of Jason’s "Cars" cars.

-I would try to read a book to Dallin and if he didn’t like the book after a page or two he would say "Stop" and slam his hand down on the page. Then he would go find another book

-Kristin and Kelly seemed to read a bunch while the football games were on

-Braden and his friend Colt went to the Ogio international headquarters on New Years Eve only to get there 7 minutes late, they closed at 3 pm they got there at 3:07. Bummer.

-Everyone got sick... well not everyone but a ton of us got sick (not me thank goodness)

-At one point Braden didn't know he was sick until we had to pull over for him to puke, Matt (like any brother would do) teased him relentlessly WHILE he was pucking and kept saying things like... "Whoa was that chicken?" followed by Nate pulling his car up next to ours and saying "Braden when was the last time you ate chicken?" Brothers... sheesh. He's sick and they tease.

-We took the kids to the mall to play at the play house there. The sign said "Parents do not let your children climb on top of the Dinosaurs" uhhh there are in the middle a play ground area... kids are gonna climb on it... not sure what that sign was all about.

-Sierra tried to run away into Sports Authority while we were eating, good thing her older brother Jason noticed... he kept pointing saying "c-ra, C-RA, MICKIE!! C-RA!!!" I looked just soon enough to see her little head bob around the corner. I ran to get and her and she cried because I was stern with her.

-Even though Braden was sick he insisted he was hungry and bought some Taco Bell (I told him not too) it didn’t last long in his stomach... he should have believed me.

- I tried to give Dallin a hug as they were leaving and he resisted so I grabbed him anyways and gave him a big hug... he cried... HAHA I’ll blame it on him being sick? He threw up 6 times on the way home. (I used Lysol on the whole house the day before too! We all tried so hard for no one to get sick, it started with Jason a few weeks ago, then Will, then BAYLEE, then My mom, Laycee, H, and Brit, then Braden, then Dallin, then Ty and Matt. We are hoping NO ONE ELSE gets it)

-Jordan Michaela and Calin got back from their California Christmas Vacation and we enjoyed chatting with them and getting a little family Wii action in.

I think it was a fun visit, I wish that the dang 12-24 hour flu wasn’t going around... that made it a little gross... But I enjoyed the laughs we did have and fun times.

It's time like this where I wish I had a 6 bedroom house so everyone would be more comfortable and everyone could stay with us. We sure love having people come visit! I do enjoy our little home for now though, I’ll keep wishing for someday. Oh and I am sure there are tons of things I missed, one adventure is definitely a "Tender Mercy" post for tomorrow.