Crew is two! However, for some reason he already acts like a teenager. He still talks a lot of gibberish but his tones and eye rolls belong to a 13 year old I swear. He just cracks Damon and I up every single day, it’s honestly been super fun. Every day when he’s hungry he opens the door to the pantry and reaches (pretty high) and grabs the Dave’s Killer bread and peanut butter and brings it to me wherever I am and says “nack!” for snack. It’s pretty funny. He finally learned how to say I love you and has cute little hand motions he does: “eye (he points to his eye) hove (puts his hand on his heart) you! (And points to me).”
Just today he had hit me so I put him in his room for “quiet time” and he hated it. I let him out when it was over and he grabs a remote from my room and starts talking on it saying “dada (a bunch of gibberish... momma (a bunch of gibberish)” like he was tattling on me hahah he then went in his room and closed the door and proceeded to talk on the remote hahaha
Sleeptime is getting better! Damon went on a trip to Toronto for his job training (oh yeah new job #2 for Dame) and Crew was only waking up like once a night. Before that he cried for Damon every couple hours poor kid. It finally got better and we all got little colds so we are just making due.
He is obsessed, like obsessed... with basketball still. We’ve watched the Kevin Durant movie “Thunder”twice and he sits through the entire thing (no it is not a cartoon). I had his little birthday party be basketball themed and he loved it. Basketball balloons, a basketball cake, the whole shabang. We had his cute little cousin and her fam over and Damon’s mom flew into town. It was a lot of fun!
I got him an IKEA kitchen cause he LOVES them at other peoples houses. Dame got him a new basketball and Peggy got him a fire truck and a police car. My mom sent tons of presents like a bathtub basketball hoop, books, and legos.
He finally has most of his teeth coming in, he just recently got his eye teeth and bottom eye teeth. He was a slow guy when it came to teeth.
Lots has happened last time I wrote! Crew and I got to go visit our newest family member! My sister had another little girl, Parker. And I got to see my brothers farewell talk. We then all flew home and I got to take him to the MTC with my dad. It was a sweet experience. It’s been so fun and amazing to see him doing so well in the MTC, he heads to Honduras on Monday!
We were home for a few weeks then Damon’s job change happened and he had a week to spare. We headed to Washington again making a few more stops. We first went to Ephrata, then Mill Creek for Aubrey’s bday party, then left Crew and spent a couple days in Vancouver BC. It was awesome. Dame and I really needed time with just each other! The first time overnight without Crew. He did super well at my moms. She claims he’s a really easy kid. Hahahah. Of course when we get home he flips the switch. Oh children.
Our house is coming along! They poured the foundation and we had our preconstruction meeting. We planned a large slab of concrete which will be super nice for some patio furniture and a basketball court area down the line.
We are getting more used to being in Utah! It’s actually really nice how often the sun is out here compared to in Seattle. Shocking I know but it is actually kind of shocking how much it helps my mood. It’ll be super nice to really enjoy going outside more when we have a backyard!
Our ward boundaries just changed and our new ward seems super great. Crew actually stays in nursery for the whole two hours (after crying for like 10 minutes 😬). It’s been really nice!
We don’t know why we are here in Utah quite yet but are excited to figure it out.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Monday, August 13, 2018
the UTAH life
We are now living in UTAH! It has been an adjustment but nothing we can't handle.
For the first few weeks.. well really up until we went on a trip to the lake house... his sleeping habits were just horrible. He sleeps in the same crib he used to and has the same furniture in his room and his same stuffed animals etc but would NOT sleep in his crib for ANYTHING. We went to Bear Lake for a family reunion and he slept in his own king size bed while Damon and I took the bunks. We all slept amazing that weekend. Then we came back to the apartment and he hated the crib (which makes more sense now post king size bed). We were at the point where to put him to sleep we had to DRIVE him in the car.. every time. It was really bad but we were desperate. Finally after we went to the pink house, for some reason he started sleeping at normal times again. Maybe it was all just his insecurities getting to him and the lake house was a familiar place with familiar people, who knows. Back at the apartment he is getting better! He is in his big boy bed and sleeps normal times again thank goodness!
Its kind of a cool feeling to have no one recognize me or know who I am. I just don't care at all what I look like going out hahaha. No one knows my name or anything! If they think I look weird they won't even know what to call me. I know that will change once we are all settled in. That fun will end, but its also a nice feeling to have a fresh start and form new habits I want to have and just be who I've wanted to be. I don't think I really needed a "fresh start" or anything, I just like the idea. I'm always trying to progress and it seems a little easier when I don't know anyone here for some reason.
The apartment life is... interesting! It's super easy to clean up cause it's so small. It also is brand new, we are the first tenants, which is kind of nice. Some not so fun things are that they are building another complex right across the parking lot from us so we kind of have dust and dirt flying around and whatnot. Crew loves seeing all the trucks and the workers though so its kind of cute. The apartment is little dark. We do need to leave often so we don't feel claustrophobic. Its safe to say we are really excited to live in a house again with a yard and in a neighborhood (that is way better/safer than our last one by the way, yayyyy).
The house thing is coming along! We recently changed from a two story to a rambler. We had our most recent construction and design meeting. We are happy with the "downgrade" that really doesn't feel like a downgrade at all. I'm excited to live in a rambler, it'll be something new. We are so blessed to get to build our dream home this young. We love that the Utah dollar goes a lot further than the Washington dollar.
We don't quite know why the Lord wanted us here but we are here and ready to find out why. Not knowing many people really frees up your schedule. We do what we want to do. There is a super fun splash pad we go to often, yummy fun restaurants, and some service opportunities I've had time to participate in.
We miss having a free babysitter! Thankfully my mom and grandma come soon so we can have a chance to go to the temple. My brother and my good friend maybe will babysit for us too. We are grateful to get some close friends and immediate family here soon.
When we tell people why we moved here we often hear: "wow, I couldn't leave my family like that!" It gives me a little tummy ache because I do still miss them all the time. Leaving the lake house I was a mess because of it. We just had to listen to what we felt was the right thing to do. We have to look at the bigger picture.
08.13.18
For the first few weeks.. well really up until we went on a trip to the lake house... his sleeping habits were just horrible. He sleeps in the same crib he used to and has the same furniture in his room and his same stuffed animals etc but would NOT sleep in his crib for ANYTHING. We went to Bear Lake for a family reunion and he slept in his own king size bed while Damon and I took the bunks. We all slept amazing that weekend. Then we came back to the apartment and he hated the crib (which makes more sense now post king size bed). We were at the point where to put him to sleep we had to DRIVE him in the car.. every time. It was really bad but we were desperate. Finally after we went to the pink house, for some reason he started sleeping at normal times again. Maybe it was all just his insecurities getting to him and the lake house was a familiar place with familiar people, who knows. Back at the apartment he is getting better! He is in his big boy bed and sleeps normal times again thank goodness!
Its kind of a cool feeling to have no one recognize me or know who I am. I just don't care at all what I look like going out hahaha. No one knows my name or anything! If they think I look weird they won't even know what to call me. I know that will change once we are all settled in. That fun will end, but its also a nice feeling to have a fresh start and form new habits I want to have and just be who I've wanted to be. I don't think I really needed a "fresh start" or anything, I just like the idea. I'm always trying to progress and it seems a little easier when I don't know anyone here for some reason.
The apartment life is... interesting! It's super easy to clean up cause it's so small. It also is brand new, we are the first tenants, which is kind of nice. Some not so fun things are that they are building another complex right across the parking lot from us so we kind of have dust and dirt flying around and whatnot. Crew loves seeing all the trucks and the workers though so its kind of cute. The apartment is little dark. We do need to leave often so we don't feel claustrophobic. Its safe to say we are really excited to live in a house again with a yard and in a neighborhood (that is way better/safer than our last one by the way, yayyyy).
The house thing is coming along! We recently changed from a two story to a rambler. We had our most recent construction and design meeting. We are happy with the "downgrade" that really doesn't feel like a downgrade at all. I'm excited to live in a rambler, it'll be something new. We are so blessed to get to build our dream home this young. We love that the Utah dollar goes a lot further than the Washington dollar.
We don't quite know why the Lord wanted us here but we are here and ready to find out why. Not knowing many people really frees up your schedule. We do what we want to do. There is a super fun splash pad we go to often, yummy fun restaurants, and some service opportunities I've had time to participate in.
We miss having a free babysitter! Thankfully my mom and grandma come soon so we can have a chance to go to the temple. My brother and my good friend maybe will babysit for us too. We are grateful to get some close friends and immediate family here soon.
When we tell people why we moved here we often hear: "wow, I couldn't leave my family like that!" It gives me a little tummy ache because I do still miss them all the time. Leaving the lake house I was a mess because of it. We just had to listen to what we felt was the right thing to do. We have to look at the bigger picture.
08.13.18
Sunday, June 24, 2018
CREW
Enough about me. CREW has been just the best sport with everything thats happening. He is such a happy kid. He is also a jokester and is constantly trying to make people laugh. He's just really fun. Right now, amongst all the nonsense with Damon gone and my healing from surgery he is also teething or has a bad cold. Poor guy. He has been waking up really early! Its really really hard for me not to hold him right now.
He's quite the chatter box, even if it doesn't make sense. He can say a lot of words, he can learn words easily too if I just ask him to say something he tries to say it. He is still taking a good sized nap around 12:30 for a couple hours.
He's starting to get some big teeth in there! I think he has 8 plus molars and a couple big ones. He's been pretty slow with teeth. In Feb he only had 7 then April he had 8 and now he has more but his little friend has like a full set it looks like! Teething is so rough.
This trip at the Pink House he is obsessed with cars! Goes to sleep saying car wakes up saying car. He LOVES going on the quads which he calls cars too. Such a sweetie.
6.24.18
He's quite the chatter box, even if it doesn't make sense. He can say a lot of words, he can learn words easily too if I just ask him to say something he tries to say it. He is still taking a good sized nap around 12:30 for a couple hours.
He's starting to get some big teeth in there! I think he has 8 plus molars and a couple big ones. He's been pretty slow with teeth. In Feb he only had 7 then April he had 8 and now he has more but his little friend has like a full set it looks like! Teething is so rough.
This trip at the Pink House he is obsessed with cars! Goes to sleep saying car wakes up saying car. He LOVES going on the quads which he calls cars too. Such a sweetie.
6.24.18
last surgery done!
I should be a lot happier that the last surgery is done but I'm just not quite ready to celebrate. I don't think I've ever been this stressed. Post surgery without Damon has been really hard for me. Relying on other people to mother my child is really hard for me. I feel like we are a burden to them although no one feels that way. My mom has been the main caretaker for the past two weeks; however, she left for a much deserved cruise last Saturday and my grandma has been taking care of him. I still have two more weeks before I'm supposed to carry him; when I cheat and do it, I have really bad nerve pain. My grandpa was real with me and told me that her back has been hurting. She has had a lot of back pain in the past. So Damon is on his way. Because he works in Utah he's missed a lot of work, we didn't want him to miss any more but he has to now. Its just really stressful for me. He has me make the call if he should come or not so I just feel a lot of guilt for making him miss work. I'm in pain too so I think its just physically and emotionally a hard time for me. I'm excited for it to all be over.
6.24.18
6.24.18
Thursday, May 31, 2018
the end is in sight
Since the last post a lot has happened.
I was able to visit with a lot of my friends which I don't get to do a ton. I love it. Its so much fun to hear about the lives of people you haven't seen in a while and to just click with them just like you did in high school. I love it. I've also grown close with my friends who have become mom's like I have, it's been the best. Family and friends make life so great. (even if your husband lives in utah hahaha)
I had my second fill on April 24th and it didn't quite go as smoothly as the first. I decided to go by myself for this fill cause it really wasn't a super big deal the first time. Just go in, stick me with a needle, pump me up, and send me out the door. Psych. This time was actually horrible. Once she filled me up, I got this stabbing pain in the area of my heart. She said it can take a second for your body to get used to but that I should be fine once I sit up. Yeah I sat up and it was not fine. More pain but I wanted to be tough. She just had me take my time. I got dressed really slowly and felt that if I was really careful I could walk to my car without any stabbing pains in my chest. (Why I chose to walk away from the hospital with this feeling..no idea.) On the way to the car I guess I looked a little off cause people kept asking me if I was okay. I said yes, although I wasn't. I just honestly have such a hard time being a bother/being dramatic/asking for help etc. unless its like from my mom (who had my child) or Damon (who is in utah). I finally get to my car and feel like an idiot for attempting to drive. (I didn't want to pay more money to park there, wow I'm so cheap).This really sweet lady told me to drive safe and I really shouldn't have driven at all. Anyways so I get on the road and the pain is not getting better, but actually worse. Like I'm talking child birth pain, a full 10. I called my mom and asked her to look up heart attack symptoms. There was no pulling over on the freeway so I just suffered through it and figured once I was home it would feel fine. I'm so dumb; I arrived home and continued to feel in horrible pain. We call the doctor we just saw and she told us to COME BACK to Seattle. I was so sad cause the car ride was the most painful part. I though time would have helped but she said we needed to come in to take some fluid out. We got back after a tear-filled car ride and the doc said that the fluid make it so the expander and the ribcage were squishing the pectoral muscle causing it to spasm. After they took out some it was a really nice relief and I was cured.
At the end of April, Crew and I went down to visit with Dame and to pick out our home design features. (Oh yeah we got to pick out a lot with Edge homes and get to choose the features of the home cause its not built yet, woo!) It was A BLAST for me. It was the best day ever. I was there for SIX hours picking stuff out. Sorry Edge Homes. We are very blessed.
Just a few days after getting home from that trip we went to San Diego for Chad and Bri's wedding. That was really fun, we love San Diego! We got to go to this yummy Taco Stand, enjoy time in the nice hotel, see where Dame and I took our honeymoon, and spend a day at the San Diego Zoo.
I then had my last fill on May 11th which went a lot better than the previous one, Damon was there to drive me too haha. Dr Said and I chatted for a while and he convinced me to actually go with the Gummy Bear tear drop shape implants. I feel good about that.
We then had a good Mother's Day and then Tanner came home from his mission on May 23rd! Its been exciting. He really wants Crew to love him but Crew is taking his time getting used to him haha.
The surgery is happening on Monday, in four days! I should get a call tomorrow to see what time it's at. I'm just hoping these implants are a lot softer than these dang expanders!
5.31.18
I was able to visit with a lot of my friends which I don't get to do a ton. I love it. Its so much fun to hear about the lives of people you haven't seen in a while and to just click with them just like you did in high school. I love it. I've also grown close with my friends who have become mom's like I have, it's been the best. Family and friends make life so great. (even if your husband lives in utah hahaha)
I had my second fill on April 24th and it didn't quite go as smoothly as the first. I decided to go by myself for this fill cause it really wasn't a super big deal the first time. Just go in, stick me with a needle, pump me up, and send me out the door. Psych. This time was actually horrible. Once she filled me up, I got this stabbing pain in the area of my heart. She said it can take a second for your body to get used to but that I should be fine once I sit up. Yeah I sat up and it was not fine. More pain but I wanted to be tough. She just had me take my time. I got dressed really slowly and felt that if I was really careful I could walk to my car without any stabbing pains in my chest. (Why I chose to walk away from the hospital with this feeling..no idea.) On the way to the car I guess I looked a little off cause people kept asking me if I was okay. I said yes, although I wasn't. I just honestly have such a hard time being a bother/being dramatic/asking for help etc. unless its like from my mom (who had my child) or Damon (who is in utah). I finally get to my car and feel like an idiot for attempting to drive. (I didn't want to pay more money to park there, wow I'm so cheap).This really sweet lady told me to drive safe and I really shouldn't have driven at all. Anyways so I get on the road and the pain is not getting better, but actually worse. Like I'm talking child birth pain, a full 10. I called my mom and asked her to look up heart attack symptoms. There was no pulling over on the freeway so I just suffered through it and figured once I was home it would feel fine. I'm so dumb; I arrived home and continued to feel in horrible pain. We call the doctor we just saw and she told us to COME BACK to Seattle. I was so sad cause the car ride was the most painful part. I though time would have helped but she said we needed to come in to take some fluid out. We got back after a tear-filled car ride and the doc said that the fluid make it so the expander and the ribcage were squishing the pectoral muscle causing it to spasm. After they took out some it was a really nice relief and I was cured.
At the end of April, Crew and I went down to visit with Dame and to pick out our home design features. (Oh yeah we got to pick out a lot with Edge homes and get to choose the features of the home cause its not built yet, woo!) It was A BLAST for me. It was the best day ever. I was there for SIX hours picking stuff out. Sorry Edge Homes. We are very blessed.
Just a few days after getting home from that trip we went to San Diego for Chad and Bri's wedding. That was really fun, we love San Diego! We got to go to this yummy Taco Stand, enjoy time in the nice hotel, see where Dame and I took our honeymoon, and spend a day at the San Diego Zoo.
I then had my last fill on May 11th which went a lot better than the previous one, Damon was there to drive me too haha. Dr Said and I chatted for a while and he convinced me to actually go with the Gummy Bear tear drop shape implants. I feel good about that.
We then had a good Mother's Day and then Tanner came home from his mission on May 23rd! Its been exciting. He really wants Crew to love him but Crew is taking his time getting used to him haha.
The surgery is happening on Monday, in four days! I should get a call tomorrow to see what time it's at. I'm just hoping these implants are a lot softer than these dang expanders!
5.31.18
Saturday, April 14, 2018
back to "real life"
I wrote a post in October talking about Breast Cancer and I took some action!
March 8th I had my first surgery, a double mastectomy (nipple sparing). My mom and Damon took really good care of me. The Eastmont ward and my friends who live here showered me with flowers and so much love. I will never forget the love I felt after surgery.
There was a minor complication during surgery and I lost more blood than the average person doing this type of procedure. I stayed overnight in the hospital and in the morning they gave me 1 unit of blood. I didn't want to have to do the blood transfusion, it honestly grossed me out. BUT thats just what it came down to. I wasn't getting better, my blood pressure was super low and I could barely sit up without passing out. After the blood I seriously felt AMAZING and wanted more haha just kidding. I really do feel like it was magic blood or something though cause after 1 week and 6 days I had Crew all on my own!
Then two weeks after surgery came the next surgery! This surgery is where they place the expanders to expand my skin so I can have boobs again (: This surgery was quite a bit harder for me to heal from. What didn't help is that Damon left around a week and a half after surgery to start a new job in UTAH. Yes we are now moving within all this commotion haha. Thankfully Ive lived with my mom since he left. (He came to visit for 36 hours which was super fun). We went to the lake and are now living at her house. She's been a life saver. It took me about three weeks to not be in pain and to start feeling normal.
After this surgery I go in for fills that expand my skin. I had my first expansion on April 10th, my breast size doubled (there wasn't much in there to start out with haha), it was insane! They just stick a needle in your boob and start filling you with saline. My breasts do not feel like breasts, they feel like a flat basketball. The rubber for the expanders is super thick and not comfortable at all. The top of the expander is kind of rectangle so the shape isn't like a very round implant but they don't look too scary.
Yesterday I scheduled my FINAL surgery for June 4th! The end is in sight. In that surgery they will trade the expanders out for implants. At that point, it will be all over after I heal! Then we will move to Utah officially. Which is insane.
Utah story: A lot of things happened to get to this point, but we feel like the right thing to do for our family right now is to move to Utah! (never did I ever thought I would be saying that) After much prayer, it was a very obvious answer for the both of us. I am going to miss my family so much but I am also excited for the new adventure.
04.14.18
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
new year & a cruise!
The new year has been amazing. With some little adjustments in our lives, we've been so happy as a family. It feels great!
January 28- Feb 4 we went on a cruise! It was a blast.
We flew to Florida on the 27th and flying with a 15th month old was... busy. He took all the safety pamphlets and magazines out of the pockets in front of us and just wanted to move then entire 5 hours! He wasn't sad but he wasn't still either. It could have gone much worse.
Florida was exciting! We stayed in this hotel that is a part of a mall, it was bizarre but kind of fun! We spent a lot of time window shopping and looking for some tennis shoes for Crew. We also ate at Shake Shack, it was DELICIOUS. The bleu cheese bacon burger and custard I ordered was honestly amazing. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it as well.
The drive to the port was totally fine and getting on to the ship was easy, everything went smoothly. It was exciting to see all the ship attractions. Lots of pools, hot tubs, a big pool play area (for potty trained kids only), a carousel, an aqua theater, a cute little shopping strip with a hot dog place, candy shop, ice cream/cupcake shop etc. There was a rock climbing wall, two flo riders, a sports court, mini golf course, and tons of places to eat. We ate a lot at Sorrentos and the Coastal Kitchen (I'll get there).
Day two we got this knock on our door from this official looking man who told us that there is maintenance that needed to be done in our room and that we could move either tomorrow or tonight to our SUITE. We said tonight would be fine haha. It was AMAZING. The balcony was three times the size of our other one. We had a kitchen, living room, and bedroom, TONS of space. It was honestly a dream come true. My grandpa said those rooms go for like 20k! We were shocked because things like that don't usually happen to Damon or I haha. Anyways so we were just chilling in our room and there was this folder of all the "perks" we get for being in a royal suite with our new purple cards. We got priority seating for shows, we got free towels instead of having to scan them on our card, we got free internet, little treats in our room, and the BEST perk was getting to eat at THE COASTAL KITCHEN.
New paragraph for this place. Seriously amazing. It made me feel really bad but the food at this place compared to everywhere else on the ship was so yummy. Only people with these cards could get in. At first we didn't know if we were allowed in here because we were fonys and our cards didn't work to get in hahah but we asked our concierge and he said that we get all the perks (SCORE!). We were excited. When we didn't port we ate breakfast and lunch there. It was kind of a bummer being away from the family (everyone had rooms by each other) but it was worth it. The staff was so sweet too. They ALL loved Crew and would tickle and play with him and Crew would talk to them and yell for them, it was adorable. I miss the Coastal Kitchen.
The ports were a ton of fun. I wasn't the biggest fan of St. Maarten but that's just the selfish part of me. It was just really dirty and run down because of the hurricane damage. It was honestly heartbreaking and very humbling.
San Juan, Puerto Rico was really fun. I didn't know what it was like there at all so I of course just throw on a swimsuit and a cover up. It was not a beach hahahah. It was really cool and historic so I wasn't dressed right for the day. It was pretty funny. We toured this huge castle and saw an iguana just chilling on it. It was kind of sad to hear about the history of the island.
Labadee, Haiti was A DREAM. It's land on Haiti that Royal Caribbean owns so its kind of a fake paradise but that is totally fine with me. I got enough of reality with the other two ports. The sand was so soft, the mountain was so green, the water was beautiful, we got to chill on the beach and play volleyball which is always fun. Waiting in line for lunch took FOREVER, we missed the coastal kitchen, but overall it was a great port.
Back on the ship, the rest of the trip was nice and relaxing. I got to play volleyball on the sports court. We played in the pool earlier in the week and because I'm tiny compared to all the males who play, pool isn't my fav. The court playing was super fun. I played with this really cute asian couple and this other really cute couple who just got done with medical school and got jobs as residents. I know all about it cause I'm on season 11 of Grey's Anatomy. They were cuties.
One of my favorite parts every night is getting together with everyone for the dinners. I loved it. Dressing up is fun too (but it was more fun when I didn't have a child and need to pack all his and I's stuff in a 50 pound luggage and a carry on). I just loved spending time with the family the most. Watching the boys dominate dodgeball or basketball was super fun. It was also the cutest watching Crew and Aubrey get to play together all the time. They are so cute.
Getting off the ship was nice, Royal Suite stayers got to get off whenever they wanted AND we got our luggage sent to Seattle, it was really convenient. The plane ride wasn't my favorite. Crew had a lot of fussing. Aubrey fussed quite a bit and threw up. The Walker boys were honestly angels. I was jealous. They are so good at going with the flow.
We miss the cruise so much but it also felt good to get back home. We will always remember that trip. It was a lot of fun with all the family! We are very lucky to have as many family members on that boat. We've had a lot of family scares and cherish the blessing of good health that God has given us.
02.13.18
January 28- Feb 4 we went on a cruise! It was a blast.
We flew to Florida on the 27th and flying with a 15th month old was... busy. He took all the safety pamphlets and magazines out of the pockets in front of us and just wanted to move then entire 5 hours! He wasn't sad but he wasn't still either. It could have gone much worse.
Florida was exciting! We stayed in this hotel that is a part of a mall, it was bizarre but kind of fun! We spent a lot of time window shopping and looking for some tennis shoes for Crew. We also ate at Shake Shack, it was DELICIOUS. The bleu cheese bacon burger and custard I ordered was honestly amazing. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it as well.
The drive to the port was totally fine and getting on to the ship was easy, everything went smoothly. It was exciting to see all the ship attractions. Lots of pools, hot tubs, a big pool play area (for potty trained kids only), a carousel, an aqua theater, a cute little shopping strip with a hot dog place, candy shop, ice cream/cupcake shop etc. There was a rock climbing wall, two flo riders, a sports court, mini golf course, and tons of places to eat. We ate a lot at Sorrentos and the Coastal Kitchen (I'll get there).
Day two we got this knock on our door from this official looking man who told us that there is maintenance that needed to be done in our room and that we could move either tomorrow or tonight to our SUITE. We said tonight would be fine haha. It was AMAZING. The balcony was three times the size of our other one. We had a kitchen, living room, and bedroom, TONS of space. It was honestly a dream come true. My grandpa said those rooms go for like 20k! We were shocked because things like that don't usually happen to Damon or I haha. Anyways so we were just chilling in our room and there was this folder of all the "perks" we get for being in a royal suite with our new purple cards. We got priority seating for shows, we got free towels instead of having to scan them on our card, we got free internet, little treats in our room, and the BEST perk was getting to eat at THE COASTAL KITCHEN.
New paragraph for this place. Seriously amazing. It made me feel really bad but the food at this place compared to everywhere else on the ship was so yummy. Only people with these cards could get in. At first we didn't know if we were allowed in here because we were fonys and our cards didn't work to get in hahah but we asked our concierge and he said that we get all the perks (SCORE!). We were excited. When we didn't port we ate breakfast and lunch there. It was kind of a bummer being away from the family (everyone had rooms by each other) but it was worth it. The staff was so sweet too. They ALL loved Crew and would tickle and play with him and Crew would talk to them and yell for them, it was adorable. I miss the Coastal Kitchen.
The ports were a ton of fun. I wasn't the biggest fan of St. Maarten but that's just the selfish part of me. It was just really dirty and run down because of the hurricane damage. It was honestly heartbreaking and very humbling.
San Juan, Puerto Rico was really fun. I didn't know what it was like there at all so I of course just throw on a swimsuit and a cover up. It was not a beach hahahah. It was really cool and historic so I wasn't dressed right for the day. It was pretty funny. We toured this huge castle and saw an iguana just chilling on it. It was kind of sad to hear about the history of the island.
Labadee, Haiti was A DREAM. It's land on Haiti that Royal Caribbean owns so its kind of a fake paradise but that is totally fine with me. I got enough of reality with the other two ports. The sand was so soft, the mountain was so green, the water was beautiful, we got to chill on the beach and play volleyball which is always fun. Waiting in line for lunch took FOREVER, we missed the coastal kitchen, but overall it was a great port.
Back on the ship, the rest of the trip was nice and relaxing. I got to play volleyball on the sports court. We played in the pool earlier in the week and because I'm tiny compared to all the males who play, pool isn't my fav. The court playing was super fun. I played with this really cute asian couple and this other really cute couple who just got done with medical school and got jobs as residents. I know all about it cause I'm on season 11 of Grey's Anatomy. They were cuties.
One of my favorite parts every night is getting together with everyone for the dinners. I loved it. Dressing up is fun too (but it was more fun when I didn't have a child and need to pack all his and I's stuff in a 50 pound luggage and a carry on). I just loved spending time with the family the most. Watching the boys dominate dodgeball or basketball was super fun. It was also the cutest watching Crew and Aubrey get to play together all the time. They are so cute.
Getting off the ship was nice, Royal Suite stayers got to get off whenever they wanted AND we got our luggage sent to Seattle, it was really convenient. The plane ride wasn't my favorite. Crew had a lot of fussing. Aubrey fussed quite a bit and threw up. The Walker boys were honestly angels. I was jealous. They are so good at going with the flow.
We miss the cruise so much but it also felt good to get back home. We will always remember that trip. It was a lot of fun with all the family! We are very lucky to have as many family members on that boat. We've had a lot of family scares and cherish the blessing of good health that God has given us.
02.13.18
Monday, January 15, 2018
changes
When I got married I knew I would have to go wherever my husband got a job. I was willing to go with him, but ultimately, I of course wanted to be near my family. We lucked out and he did well working for my dad. He is still doing well, but has been presented with some different opportunities that give him a lot more flexibility and even a little increase in pay. The hard part is that some of these great offers are located in Utah.
I never ever ever ever ever thought I would live in Utah. Growing up I always thought that "bad" Mormons would make my children want to be bad (I've become less naive since then). I never didn't like it, I just had never envisioned myself living there.
When Damon first brought the idea up to me I felt really fine about possibly moving to Utah, maybe even a little bit excited. It was so weird. He actually brought it up to me a couple months ago and I was like NO WAY. However, this time was different. I didn't feel scared about the idea at all. I have a lot of family and a lot of friends there right now. I'll also most likely have both my brothers there and my cousin who I'm really close with. Another plus, is that the homes there are A LOT less expensive.
I had only thought about the good. But of course the thought of moving there didn't leave my mind. I spent time with my family a little bit then realized how hard it would be to leave them. I'm not attached to Everett (at all), and I'm honestly not attached to how rainy and gloomy it can be here, but I'm SO very attached to my parents and my grandparents.
Damon hasn't even received a job offer to any places in Utah yet, but it just feels inevitable. I feel like I had these initial non-scared kind of good feelings for a reason but I guess we really never know. Maybe I just need to be open to it now because it may happen later? Or maybe it's the Lord just testing me. I'm not sure.
Right now all I can do is wait and see what Damons offered, make a decision, and pray to know if we should do it. It's hard to look at the big picture when thinking about leaving my parents and grandparents but thankfully these jobs actually offer unlimited paid time off. I just need to follow the Lord's plan for me and it will make me the happiest.
01.15.18
I never ever ever ever ever thought I would live in Utah. Growing up I always thought that "bad" Mormons would make my children want to be bad (I've become less naive since then). I never didn't like it, I just had never envisioned myself living there.
When Damon first brought the idea up to me I felt really fine about possibly moving to Utah, maybe even a little bit excited. It was so weird. He actually brought it up to me a couple months ago and I was like NO WAY. However, this time was different. I didn't feel scared about the idea at all. I have a lot of family and a lot of friends there right now. I'll also most likely have both my brothers there and my cousin who I'm really close with. Another plus, is that the homes there are A LOT less expensive.
I had only thought about the good. But of course the thought of moving there didn't leave my mind. I spent time with my family a little bit then realized how hard it would be to leave them. I'm not attached to Everett (at all), and I'm honestly not attached to how rainy and gloomy it can be here, but I'm SO very attached to my parents and my grandparents.
Damon hasn't even received a job offer to any places in Utah yet, but it just feels inevitable. I feel like I had these initial non-scared kind of good feelings for a reason but I guess we really never know. Maybe I just need to be open to it now because it may happen later? Or maybe it's the Lord just testing me. I'm not sure.
Right now all I can do is wait and see what Damons offered, make a decision, and pray to know if we should do it. It's hard to look at the big picture when thinking about leaving my parents and grandparents but thankfully these jobs actually offer unlimited paid time off. I just need to follow the Lord's plan for me and it will make me the happiest.
01.15.18
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Christmas/post Christmas road trips/ the NEW YEAR!
Christmas 2017 was so much fun. Crew being 1 year old didn't quite understand much of what was happening but he loved being with people and was a little trooper taking naps in random places on Christmas eve and on Christmas day. He got this stuffed Lion from my mom which he is OBSESSED with and tons of new cute "brain" toys from his grandma peg. I got him a lot of boring books haha but he actually really loves books. I think he'll end up liking them. Grandma Pat got him blocks, a sports toy, and tons of other toys. He was SPOILED. And I have no clue where it will all fit in my house. He'll love it though.
We had a new Christmas dinner with assorted soups and salads and wheat rolls. We are all trying to eat healthier which we all need to be so I'm glad for that. We also got to present this hilarious video we filmed at the crack of dawn in 2 degree weather in Snohomish in hick clothes for my grandpa and it was well worth it. It was actually super fun creating it haha. OH and I almost forgot! We got to talk to TANNER! It was the best. I felt bad for him cause he got to watch the video we made without him :( but he comes home SO soon. I can't wait for the gang to all be back together again. And for him to get to hang with my baby and meet him in person finally. It'll be the greatest. ALSO, Jake taught Crew how to walk and he took like 5 steps by himself. <3
Post Christmas road trips were super great! Except for the time on the road haha Crew is just at that hard age where he doesn't love being rear facing in the car for 5 hours. Makes sense. We headed to Ephrata the 26th which was only supposed to be a 2.5/3 hour drive. It took FIVE (crying face). Luckily Crew (who was sick like 24 hours earlier) was an angel. He slept for like two hours and just hung out after that. We ate in Ellensburg at The Palace (not the best food we've had) then went to Ephrata. Such a tender mercy that Crew was good for that.
In Ephrata we got to say goodbye to a family friend of Damon's (Tucker) who is headed off on a mission soon. He's going to Ohio (near Tanner). We, of course, ate at TimeOut which didn't disappoint. Then we got to hang with Mag, Anna, and the Hansen crews. It was good seeing them all! Crew slept better there than he did over Thanksgiving which was nice.
After Ephrata, we went up to the Lake. It's a pretty drive! It was a super relaxing time there. Just my parents and us three. Crew had a hard time sleeping there which was extra hard on Damon because Crew mainly only wanted him at 3am and 6am (sorry Dame). I got a lot of rest actually! haha Except on the day Dame needed to drive us home (i'm not that mean). One of the days we drove to town to rent a movie and we had to stop 3 or 4 times for families of DEER! It was so cool. I really love the wildlife up there. Unfortunately, we saw one deer... well one half of a deer out on the ice with its guts exposed. The next day we drove the quads out to see it and my dad drove on some thin ice and (we thought) almost sunk in the water but I guess it was super shallow anyways. It was scary then, super funny now haha. The next night Crew had a nightly waking and I heard this meow moan sound. I look out the window and have Dame come check it out too. We spot an animal on the ice. Wow I sound like I'm the narrator to Planet Earth right now haha. Anyways, we see this animal and assume its either a coyote or a cougar. Which we think most likely killed the poor bambi still chilling on the ice (that will soon turn into the lake water we let our children swim in). Hopefully other animals will take it away from the water for us.
It really was a fun trip though. The ride home was pretty good! Crew slept all the way to Wenatchee which is about 2.5ish hours which was really nice. Then we ate at this super good place called McGlinns. It was SO good. I got this BLT thing and Damon got this yummy chicken burger and we shared the most amazing Peanut Butter Cheesecake pie. It was so delicious. Crew had a harder time after that in the car but we finally made it home!
New years eve is tonight! Goals for me: not as many sweets until the Cruise (except on my birthday of course), and to get more mentally and spiritually healthy. Goals for Damon: enjoy life with the family even more. Goals for Crew: LEARN TO WALK haha He actually made such good progress this last weekend at the lake!
12.31.17
12.31.17
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
its almost CHRISTMAS
It's almost Christmas and I thought my little guy would be walking by now! hahahah I think its so funny how fast he crawls and just how fast he gets anywhere. He slides down the stairs seriously so quicky. He straightens his arms and legs and just slides on down. I try to get him to practice walking and he just bends his knees to crawl haha. He walks more with Chelsi than me! Thankfully, he is starting to stand all by himself so I think he is getting closer. We have a family trip planned in January and we thought for sure he would be walking but who knows honestly haha.
Lately I've been trying to get all healthy and whatnot. I did not realize how much nursing was helping me out with staying small! Once I stopped nursing I gained like 5 pounds super quick. Hopefully I can lay off the sweets but its SO hard this time of year. It's also hard trying to determine what is and isn't healthy. All the sudden meat is like bad for you according to some people! And the world renowned What the Health Documentary says that eating 1 egg a day is as bad for you as smoking 5 cigarettes a day. I still eat eggs, and chicken, and I'll probably still eat ground turkey too! We'll see if I get lung cancer.
We are almost all done with the little sickness that hit our ENTIRE family. It'll be perfect timing for Christmas!
Lately I've been trying to get all healthy and whatnot. I did not realize how much nursing was helping me out with staying small! Once I stopped nursing I gained like 5 pounds super quick. Hopefully I can lay off the sweets but its SO hard this time of year. It's also hard trying to determine what is and isn't healthy. All the sudden meat is like bad for you according to some people! And the world renowned What the Health Documentary says that eating 1 egg a day is as bad for you as smoking 5 cigarettes a day. I still eat eggs, and chicken, and I'll probably still eat ground turkey too! We'll see if I get lung cancer.
We are almost all done with the little sickness that hit our ENTIRE family. It'll be perfect timing for Christmas!
winter sickness
Crew came down with a sickness a couple days ago. He had a runny nose then that night we went to WildLights at the Zoo so that probably didn't help much. Whoops. He loved it though.
Ever since I heard that uncured strep can be really bad for your lungs, I've brought Crew in to make sure he only has a cold and not strep. This time when we brought him in, the nurse took the test by choking him with a cotton swab and he threw up! It was so sad. Already not feeling well with a fever, cough, and runny nose and then he threw up. Thankfully the strep test came back negative! I caught the same sickness and my throat is super scratchy so I'm glad that I can be at rest that it isn't strep.
We were planning on heading over to Ephrata to see Damon's family this weekend. We like to go over there to celebrate the holidays with them before Christmas. Unfortunately, the pass was really really snowy. We just aren't willing to risk taking that dangerous drive. It worked out because I doubt they would want us there anyways because we all got sick!
This Christmas season has been good so far. We got to bring warm cookies over to the neighbors with a Light the World Card the missionaries gave us, we got to feed the missionaries chicken pockets and peppermint bark, we got to write letters to some people we haven't talked to in a while, we sent out Christmas cards, we got to bring Crew to visit Santa, we brought some clothes to the DI truck, I got to take my friend to her OB doctors appointment who actually ended up having her baby that day, and since then, we've been sick so hopefully once we get better we can continue making this Christmas season special.
Crew has brightened my Christmas season so much. It has been a rough couple months due to some personal trials but his little scrunch face smile just lightens my world every time. He is such a little dancer too. He dances to all of his toys that make noise, to tunes playing in the store, and to anything we put on. He in particular has really loved when I play Taylor Swifts country albums haha.
We can't wait to talk to our missionary in a week and can't wait for him to come home in MAY!
12.18.17
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
oh my ... personality has arrived
My little sweetie is now only a little sweetie when he wants to be. He has opinions now! When he doesn't want to be held by you he will push your face away (pretty much hit you in the face). When I tell him "no no" he doesn't know what to think of it. Sometimes he laughs at my reaction to it and does it again. Sometimes he gives me the very intense eyebrow glare. I'm not sure what to do with this guy. I think maybe I should just ignore him but thats not really teaching him anything about "hitting."
Most of the time Crew is really happy! He is seriously so hilarious lately. He has another new face where he pushes his lips together and tries to blow raspberries. He doesn't really hit that much anymore (I wrote that first paragraph a week ago).
He is getting more and more mobile too! He will stand for a couple seconds and will really scale the furniture.
Sleep is going semi okay! He recently has changed from two naps to one nap. He has been sleeping pretty well at night too so I'm hoping he is now comfortable will a longer wake time. (He's been sleeping through the night ever since he was about 1 years old).
He loves climbing the stairs, going in a room, and closing the door. He is still OBSESSED with his dad. He loves going outside and looking at lights. He's the best.
Lately, we haven't been up to much! Crew and I did some swim lessons. He was so fun! He loves the water.
We did go to Ephrata for Thanksgiving. Traveling during the day was a mistake. Crew really did not like being in the car seat for that long. He didn't take a nap in the car until the last 20 minutes of the trip either. We arrived to Ephrata and it was great. Night time wasn't too bad. He slept for an hour or two in the pack and play but then was up throughout the night. He ended up sleeping with us which didn't last too long. It wasn't as bad as it sounds! The next day was good too! I made a pie with Peggy and dinner was yummy. We ended up having to leave that evening because it was going to snow on the pass the entire night. Traveling at night was the way to go! Crew almost slept the whole time but woke up a couple times upset. It was a lot better than the way there.
We went for a little walk around the neighborhood to show Crew the Christmas lights. Crew LOVES looking at them. He's so cute.
12.06.17
Most of the time Crew is really happy! He is seriously so hilarious lately. He has another new face where he pushes his lips together and tries to blow raspberries. He doesn't really hit that much anymore (I wrote that first paragraph a week ago).
He is getting more and more mobile too! He will stand for a couple seconds and will really scale the furniture.
Sleep is going semi okay! He recently has changed from two naps to one nap. He has been sleeping pretty well at night too so I'm hoping he is now comfortable will a longer wake time. (He's been sleeping through the night ever since he was about 1 years old).
He loves climbing the stairs, going in a room, and closing the door. He is still OBSESSED with his dad. He loves going outside and looking at lights. He's the best.
Lately, we haven't been up to much! Crew and I did some swim lessons. He was so fun! He loves the water.
We did go to Ephrata for Thanksgiving. Traveling during the day was a mistake. Crew really did not like being in the car seat for that long. He didn't take a nap in the car until the last 20 minutes of the trip either. We arrived to Ephrata and it was great. Night time wasn't too bad. He slept for an hour or two in the pack and play but then was up throughout the night. He ended up sleeping with us which didn't last too long. It wasn't as bad as it sounds! The next day was good too! I made a pie with Peggy and dinner was yummy. We ended up having to leave that evening because it was going to snow on the pass the entire night. Traveling at night was the way to go! Crew almost slept the whole time but woke up a couple times upset. It was a lot better than the way there.
We went for a little walk around the neighborhood to show Crew the Christmas lights. Crew LOVES looking at them. He's so cute.
12.06.17
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