How far would you go...

TO SAVE A USED PIECE OF GUM????????

one of us REALLY likes gum!

Vacation to Boise

We just returned from an AWESOME vacation to one of our favorite states...IDAHO! We loved spending time with the family and shopping for the holidays. Upon our return we discovered a THREE page typed document (pictured) detailing every move bogart made while we were away. We hired a dog walker to come over four times and she gave quite the report...let me pick out choice passages:

"When we walked into the park first thing this afternoon he peed about halfway past the ballfield he pooped across the path from the basketball courts. Changed him from his short to his long leash."

"The two dogs wrestled a little in the yard and did a lot of those "you chase me!" "No, you chase me!" standoffs. He drank a lot of water from the outdoor dish and the birdbath."

"We went back out in the yard around 5:30 and they made some more overtures to play but didn't really get going. He peed, though probably not all he drank."

"He (Bogart) has really been a pleasure, and I've tried to tell him so."

"Both dogs rated the walk boring and unsatisfactory."

So we were very impressed with the level of customer service we were given by the dog walker. We can only hope that we will get this same service from our soon to be babysitters. "Baby cried until just passed 2am. Soiled so we went commando for a while. Peed on the speakers. Both me and baby rated the night boring and sleepless. "

BELLY UPDATE... my seven month (31 1/2 week belly is growin) For those of you who don't know, Phil and I are having a little boy the middle of Feb. and we couldn't be more thrilled.

Bogie

The Turkey Run-Off

Chasing the dog has become a daily routine. Bogart has become part of the family. He is very sweet and has a hilarious personality.

Somethingest Man Alive!

Listen. I can't be standing still for all kindsa photo-opps everytime we walk by People mags. I am happy with Somethingest Man Alive for now. That leaves the door open for maybe seconds on desert, or maybe I won't go running this month, or maybe I won't make millions of dollars by starring as a warewolf with no past, or a ghost hunter with no past, or the inventor of the elevator.

Just take me the way I am!

Christmas came early :)

Christmas came early this year with a lovely gift from my in-laws! After many years of secretly wanting a sewing machine...I FINALLY have my very own and I LOVE it. It came just in time so that I could piece together the quilts for a service project for Relief Society. Although I will take credit for the stitching, I can't take credit for the lovely material combinations (sarcastic comment). I used the best material from the donated scraps we asked ladies to provide...I guess I don't live in Utah where craftiness is found in abundance...I'll note that for future projects :)




Oh and I think we're all waiting to hear who won the competition that Phil initiated...it's not very nice to keep us all in suspense like this!!

We're getting EVICTED

Okay, not really evicted...but it kinda feels like it. Our wonderful landlord called us last week and informed us that he cannot renew our lease because he is going to let his son and daughter in-law live in our cute little townhouse. Now, this alone is not the problem. He wants us to move out February 1st...TWO WEEKS before I'm due to have a baby. Excuse me? Is it possible to move when you are moments away from delivering? Apparently our unsympathetic landlord believes so as he won't let us out of our lease early and doesn't seem to have any suggestions for a reasonable comprimise. Bless his heart, he did suggest that we pay through the end of our lease (January) yet move out anytime we wanted...basically suggesting that we pay for two places for the month of January. I'm glad I got his permission for that genius idea. All plans to paint the nursery have been put on hold.

Journal Bribe

If you can't read his handwriting, it says "You can spend this when you find it" and placed in my journal was a crisp 100 dollar bill :)
Have I spent the money? NO. I am an honest person and will not take what is not earned.
Is $100 dollars incentive enough to actually write in my journal? Since he tried to bribe me over 3 weeks ago and I have yet to make a journal entry apparently it's not an adequate price for the effort it would take.

CONFESSION...I have written in journals before, in fact I had two journals full of entries cover to cover, however, I have destroyed them (before I was married...I'm not sure Phil would allow that to happen). It started with a curiosity to read old entries...after a grimace and a disapproval of the grammar, the content, or the organization, I simply ripped out a single entry...this happened again and again and left my journal with obvious holes so the only logical thing to do was throw the entire thing away. Now that I'm married to an advocate of Journaling, what I put on paper is permanent...no remedies allowed :(

Oh by the way...the wedding dress picture was taken a month ago...I can no longer fit. Here's our belly competition (Phil's trying to keep up with me)

I'm bordering 6 months pregnant (25 weeks) ...and we found out that we're having a BOY :)

Haunted Halloween

Bogart -> Bogartina.
This is a blog take over. Yes, I am taking over because you haven't touched it for like 4 months. And don't give me this about oh I'm pregnant, oh I'm working on my thesis, oh I'm substituting, oh I'm teaching piano and voice, oh I'm in the relief society presidency. Prioritize, come on.
Some how she has found time to make a costume for the dog that pushes most of the boundaries of normal accepted society. Behold.



Nothing a couple weeks of..hold on a sec. Major snoring coming from the couch
and its

.

Mel is still getting used to being pregnant and she is doing a great job. She is still in all her normal clothes and that is apparently a very big deal. Seriously though, Melanie I am so proud of you, keep up the good work.

"See, it still fits."




Our recent trip to Nashville was a success. Tennessee is beautiful and full of country music stars.



Seen here are a pair of glasses from a local star. Our competition tonight is to see who can guess to whom these glasses currently belong. "Comment" your answers. And check back soon for the revealing truth.
Good night.

I got tagged...

my good friend sara tagged me and who could refuse answering a few questions for a hot mamma of 4 like her :)

10 years ago I:
1. wasn't pregnant
2. lived in beautiful san luis obispo
3. was a ballerina wearing a pink tutu
4. sang in a jazz choir and travelled to Canada and Germany competing
5. had three nasty brothers...which I still have but the nasty part has changed

5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. don't get sick
2. beat yesterday's record of eating 6 meals (they were all healthy...but yes SIX)
3. work on my thesis and pray that my graduate advisor decides to email me back
4. run with my navy pal Kayleigh
5. clean up after my husband and my dog

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. carrots (I have turned orange in the past so I have to limit my intake)
2. yogurt covered prezels
3. apples
4. crackers and cheese
5. cottage cheese

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. invest
2. buy a home
3. take my parents on a vaca
4. buy myself a position to teach at a university
5. teach music lessons for free...I'm no good at charging anyway

5 places I have lived:
1. San Luis Obispo, CA
2. Rexburg, ID
3. Provo, Utah
4. San Diego, CA
5. Annapolis, MD

My baby's first pic

We went to our first ultrasound appointment yesterday and we fell in love with the baby!!! It was seriously so awesome to watch the little guy move...and let me tell you he/she's an active little thing. We saw the baby kicking, stretching, moving, and wiggling. That's my kid :)

Breaking Silence

After marriage...then come kids! After over a month of keeping relatively quiet (minus those who have been informed by either my mom or Phil) I figure it's time to make the official announcement! I'm pregnant. As of this week I'm 11 weeks along and looking forward to the second trimester...I hear that after the 12th week morning sickness goes away :) Phil and I are very excited to be parents 6 months earlier than we initially planned...oops!! I do have one very big problem! When I start to feel hungry I know the battle is on! I go to the fridge open it up, look at every ingredient that I have and try to come up with the possibilities, and regardless of how full the fridge is I can't even bear the thought of eating anything other than cream cheese. Now, I can't survive on cream cheese...however I have been unusually creative with it but honestly I need more ideas. Eventually, I'm sure cream cheese will retire like all other ingredients in my fridge but until that day, I need ideas of ways to incorporate it into my meals. Finding something not just appetizing but something that won't make me gag is the goal for now, nutrition will be a concern for the second trimester when hopefully food is not the battle.

Oh...and Phil is not suffering at all...he still gets cooked meals without cream cheese!

Pupdate

We finally named our little puppy!!! After considering all the many good suggestions, we've named him Bogart...against my wishes! I wanted to name the dog Dante after the author Dante Alighieri hoping that the name would label him as an intellectual but sadly that name was not liked by a few important decision makers including the missionaries serving in our ward. (I guess you can't buy the missionaries votes with many good meals). Mr. Darcy was also passed up for 'other' reasons. Whatever. His name is Bogart and it's growing on me. We've finally had our first official puppy mess of course besides all the other 'messes' he makes...he's still not entirely potty-trained. We left him alone in the kitchen for 10 minutes and he had chewed up the entire egg carton and left egg shells all over the floor. We're so proud of the little guy. Some of our favorite things about the puppy are the following...
-the noises he makes when he's sleeping. He SNORES!!! I got freaked out one night thinking Bogart had a seizure but I guess he was dreaming about running. Phil assured me he was fine.
-he LOVES food and will do ANYTHING for it. He eats practically anything...grass, acorns, worms, dead birds, caterpillars, anything we're eating, and yes...his own poop. You would think we didn't feed the poor guy but he just has an unquenchable appetite.
-he will stare at inanimate objects anticipating that they will all of a sudden move so Bogart will pounce on them.
-he already knows to run and hide under things when I call his name...I think Phil taught him that one.

In addition to Bogart we have several other pets that we're keeping an eye on. We found some tadpoles while we were fly fishing and decided to bring some home to take care of until they transformed into frogs. Unfortunately I killed 8 out of the 9 by feeding them cake. I was trying to avoid eating the yummy cake myself so feeding it to the tadpoles seemed like a good way to discard it without wasting. I'll stick with dog food with Bogart:) We also found a larva and were curious what insect it would turn into...so we put it into a jar...and yes...it died. I think that we better stay away from the insects and amphibians and stick to training the dog!

We have finally done something worth blogging. Nevermind the recent marriage, relocation to the eastcoast, eastern civilization integration (failure), and scientific experimentations...WE GOT A PUPPY!!! We have been in the market for over two months due to Melanie's paranoia of the crime invested neighborhoods of Maryland. After disclosing every personal detail to dog adoption agencies, we've realized that this will be the ONLY adoption process we'll EVER subject ourselves to. Who knew that applying for a stray dog that was euthenasia bound would mean a 10 page application, home inspection, and lists of references...you would think that any environment would be better than death. Anyway...we're happy and proud parents of a 9-week old boxer...the name of which is yet to be determined. We are open to suggestions however all names resembling your own name or members of your family will be immediately overlooked.