A Whirlwind Trip (Part 2)

Last time I wrote about Afton's Birthday and mentioned my graduation.  There was actually several things in between those two events, but I had to talk about them together in that order so I could tell my "Yo Mama" joke part.  If you know me well, you know I'll do anything for a good (or in this case, mediocre... okay, lame) joke.

We stayed the night with my Uncle Jim and Aunt Lesha who were great hosts.  They have two daughters, Ashlin (8) and Olivia (15 months).  Olivia, or Livie, and Afton became instant best friends.  We joked that they must have been twins in heaven because they have an uncanny amount of things in common from their temperaments to their sleep habits to the goofy way they used to crawl.  And I don't think you can deny that they're both pretty darned cute.  It was so fun to watch the two of them play together. 

Giving "loves"

Thursday morning we headed down to Provo again to go to lunch with Ty's good friend and former mission companion David, and his wife Karin.  We really enjoyed spending time with them and getting know them better.  I also let Afton wear just a diaper and walk around in Carrabba's--something I never imagined myself doing.  But we were the only people there and her clothes got covered in sauce and I wanted to listen to the conversation.  It was worth the hit to my pride.  Sorry, no pictures.  Maybe I should be grateful we have no evidence.

We also met up with Ty's cousin Justin and got ice cream at the Creamery.  I'd met his whole family before and I really like them, but Justin was on his mission every time we saw them.  So I finally got to meet him and was so glad that I did.  We had a really enjoyable conversation and Afton loved him.

Thursday night we attended a wedding dinner for my brother Josh and his (now) wife Elizabeth.  It was small  (just the two immediate families and grandparents) and fun.  We went to Rodizio Grill, and I made a deal with myself that I had to visit the salad bar in between every few pieces of meat that were brought to our table.  It ended up being a good strategy for not feeling like I had a cheeseburger oozing out of my face later on.

My two favorite people

You can see all of the grandparents in this photo (6 are looking)

My sweet girl

Afton with my dad and his parents (the two that weren't looking before)

Afton with her new Aunt Elizabeth

Siblings

Right after the dinner, we hit the road again.  Next stop: Rigby, Idaho.  We stayed the night with Ty's cousin Haley and her husband Ryan, and were preceded in our arrival by Ty's parents by a ten-minute margin.  We stayed up visiting for awhile (Afton too... she didn't exactly stay asleep when we got her out of the car).  Haley and Ryan were fabulous hosts and we really enjoyed staying with them.  

In the morning, we had a delicious breakfast, visited some more, and Haley and I drove in to Rexburg to pick up some of my graduation stuff for that night.  In the afternoon, we were joined by a ton of Ty's family (In total: Haley and Ryan, Aunt Marcia, Ty's parents Jane and Calvin, Uncle Bruce and Aunt Chris, Charlie, Jesse, and Rachel), and my parents and siblings Jayna and Dallin.  We had a lot of fun eating delicious food, visiting, and celebrating Afton's birthday.  I wish I had pictures of everyone visiting, but I only have the pictures my mom took--which of course, all include Afton.

Getting a dog.  Perfect because dogs are a bit of an obsession for her.

Her very own cupcake

Trying to get her interested in the cupcake

Not having it

Still having fun

I think this is the part when she finally poked it and licked her finger

I love these next two pictures so much.  I think they explain Afton's personality so well.

Notice her hands too... so intense.  Her whole body is tense.

All of the traveling is exhausting.

Jayna, Dallin, and my dad.

That night was graduation, but I promised Ty I'd let him write more about it.

After staying another night at Haley and Ryan's, we took off early in the morning to head back to Utah.  We made it just in time for Cole Green's baptism.  In fact, I ran into the church in my pajamas and quickly changed in the bathroom.  Jane, Ty's mom, kindly brought Afton in, changed her diaper, and got her dressed as well.  The Greens were Ty's sponsor family at the Air Force Academy--they took good care of him while he was there.  They are also responsible for setting us up.  We consider them basically family and love them.

Jake, me, Ty, Cole, Liza, Whitney, Afton, and Mike

From the baptism, we rushed back to Uncle Jim and Aunt Lesha's to shower and get ready for the wedding.

To be continued... (if you're still even reading.  If so, bless your heart)....

A Whirlwind Trip (Part 1)

Hello!  Michelle here.  We just got back the other day from what was probably the busiest vacation I've ever had.  It started out with Afton's first birthday.  I put that in italics and bold just to remind myself that it really happened.  We have a one-year-old.  You know, I've had several people ask me if that special day made me sad at all.  I think I can honestly say it didn't.  However, I'd be willing to bet that if we didn't have another baby coming close on her heels, I might have had a different answer.  Instead, I find myself wanting her to speed the grow-up process a little bit so I'll feel a bit more ready for the next one.  I know, I know, I'll regret it later.  Oh well.

She woke up in the morning to a delicious breakfast on the Special Plate.  I sat at the edge of my chair, ready to use my cat-like reflexes to pounce should she try to swipe it off the table like she does everything else.  But alas, she was acting more grown up already.

Next, we rushed her to open her presents.  We had a plane to catch.  She got some really sweet cards in the mail, including a $5 McDonald's card for a Happy Meal.  And Ty and I got her a rocking horse.  She seemed to love it in the 30 seconds that she got to ride it before being whisked out the door.

Then, we were off!  Afton got to take her first ride in her new big girl car seat.  She got a lot of smiles and attention at the airport and on the plane because of her birthday girl shirt.  She was pretty good on the plane, except that half an hour when she just screamed.  But being a little girl that has only been walking for about a month, I'd be frustrated too.

Eventually we made it to Salt Lake, rushed down to Provo to have dinner with my dear friend and roommate Shawney.  She had made one of my all-time favorite meals like the gem she is.  We had a blast and laughed pretty much the entire time we were there.  Of course we didn't take any pictures.  In fact, I'll admit it right now, pretty much every picture from our trip from here on out is most likely taken by my mom or Ty's mom.  So if neither of them were there, it likely wasn't documented.

And that was the end of Afton's birthday.  It is a little bit hard to believe that she's gotten this old already (hard to believe and sad are different).  Next thing you know, she'll be riding a bike, asking questions about everything, eating with a fork, and telling me jokes.  Some of my favorite jokes as a kid were the "Yo Mama" variety.  I can just picture it.  One day Afton will be standing around with some of her little buddies and say, "Yo mama's so fat, I tried to drive around her but I ran out of gas."  Her friends will laugh, then another one will say, "Yo mama's so dumb, it takes her two hours to watch 60 Minutes."  Laughter again.  Then another friend will say, "Well, yo mama's so dumb, it took her eight years to finish a four-year college degree."  Afton won't get that joke though.  Or she'll get offended.  Because that's what her mama did.

That's right.  I finally graduated!!!

Aaaaaanndd..... this is the part where I wrap up this post.  I don't have a whole lot to say about graduation except for that I. Am. DONE.  That's the best part.  No more homework, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks... right?  

And there is one more thing that I absolutely have to say.  Yes, this was difficult and I'm so glad I did it, and I do feel like it is an accomplishment.  But something that I feel has not been given justice (mostly my own fault) is how much Ty did to make this possible.  He didn't do my homework for me, but he picked up my slack everywhere else, he encouraged me, he put his own work aside and just squeaked by when possible, he cleaned, he cooked, he played with Afton, he stayed up late, and the list goes on.  He really sacrificed just as much, if not more, than I did for this to happen.  

There was a moment during graduation where the graduates were asked to stand up and turn around to applaud their families.  This was the most emotional moment for me, and it doesn't quite do justice to how I feel.  I am so grateful for a husband who is loving and supportive, who encourages me and believes in me.  I am grateful for a husband who is willing and does sacrifice to do what is best for our little family.  He is a great man, and this big event made me even more grateful for him.  

P.S.  Now I have time to do cool things.  Like write blogs.

Three, Soon to Be Four

Well, in case you missed it in the small print in the last blog post, I'll make it very apparent now.

In case you can't see it clearly, here it is again.

Here is the process leading up to this wonderful photo.

This is Afton practicing walking in her snow suit

Please excuse my boots.  They were all I had.

Apparently we did a good job making these snowmen look like us because this is the reaction of our neighbors dog.

He went on like this for about 10 minutes.

Happy Holidays!!!

Special Day

uper special day today!  Yep, it is my wife's birthday.  She is twenty-six and that means we get to be the same age again.  Also, after casually dating for a few months and then stopping when Michelle went to Provo, I sent her a text on this day three years ago to wish her a happy birthday and look where that got us.

In honor of my wonderful wife (notice the alliteration) who is a marvelous mother (there I go again), I am going to tell you about some of her "S" qualities.

Sweet.  Michelle is kind and generous and very thoughtful.

Smiley.  Her nicknames in high school was smiles (hence her email address).  She smiles a lot and she has a beautiful smile too.

Sappy.  She says some pretty sappy things sometimes, but I'm a sucker for it.

Sexy and Stunning.  She is beautiful.

Solid.  I can always count on Michelle to do what is right and to support me.

Sanguine.  I had to check the dictionary to make sure I was right in thinking this one.  I was right.  She is an optimist who finds the good in life.

Strong.  She has strong faith and a strong love for God.

Stylish.  Michelle recently had a mini-makeover.  She finally spent some money on herself to update her wardrobe and she is looking pretty good.

Sagely.  She is very wise and is always coming up with great ideas.

Successful.  She does extremely well when she is involved.  She is about to graduate from college with a Bachelor's degree.  She has worked hard and been successful (assuming her finals go well).

and Simple.  In a good way.  She likes the simple things in life and chooses to be that way herself.

I am so lucky.  My wife is the best.  Happy Birthday Sweetheart.  I love you.

Rabbits

Rabbits.  Because there were a few different comments about rabbits, I figured I would give you some insight into my methodology.  It was quite simple.  First, I assumed that all off-spring would be female and that there were plenty of males to go around.  I assumed all female because the number could have gotten way to big if I tried to factor in a male's offspring.  Second, I assumed that all litter sizes were at the high end with 12 kits.  Third, I assumed that all kits began breeding at the earliest possible age (6 months).  Fourth, I assumed that the rabbits stopped nursing at the age of 1 month.  This means that each doe can have a litter every 2 months (1 month gestation).  Fifth, I assumed that the rabbits lived in an environment free of predators (such as coyotes) and had an ample supply of food and a lack of disease (basically, they all survived for the entire time between the blog posts).  I invite any of you who wish to figure out how long between the posts using this information (it would be lame to go look at the dates).

Well, in honor of rabbits, here is a shout out to some of the rabbits that have done their species well.

My Favorite