New Stroller

*warning* this post will be incredibly boring to anyone who is not in the market for a new stroller, which is a total of... none of you. But, it's all I've been thinking about for a couple of months, so here it is.

My newest obsession? A new stroller. With a 2 year old and a newborn, it's a necessity. And, just in case, I tried going to the mall with Kate in the car seat and stroller, and holding Hyrums hand -just walking through one store to the playground area -it was a disaster. Not so much on the way in, but on the way out it became very apparent that we did need a double stroller.

Our current stroller has been an okay purchase, I loved having a jogger, but we had a few problems with it almost right away. We've made do, and it really has been a good stroller, especially for the price. The problem with the double joggers is they're HUGE!

And, the tandem double strollers and super long and hard to maneuver. I was certain that if I did enough research, read enough reviews, and tried out enough models in the store, I'd find the perfect double stroller. I've decided such a thing does not exist. You pretty much need two of them, a jogger and a tandem.

So, my choice was... do I try and buy a cheap tandem and then this spring buy a cheap jogger (keep in mind, there is actually no such thing as a cheap anything when it comes to baby gear) or... try and spend a bit of money (and to Justin, no amount of money is just a bit) on just one stroller, and hope it fits our needs.

I'm not kidding you, I lost sleep over this decision. Ridiculous, I know.

So... I went with the tandem sort, but what's called a sit and stand. It's a bit shorter than a regular double, and this one lets you put the car seat closest to you and allows the older child to sit in the front. It gives me another 6 months or so before Hyrum has to sit on the back sit/stand area. Of course, I had to choose a newer version, one that no one actually carried in their stores, so I ordered it online. I just had to hope that it would fit okay in our Civic. (A new, larger vehicle is in our near future, but not quite yet. But, strangely enough, I won't obsess over that purchase -I'm pretty sure a new Subaru will find it's way into our garage without too much of a fuss.)

Success. It came today (even after I decided on the type of stroller, then I had to kid myself for weeks thinking I could score some great deal on it, but I did okay I thought), and it fits in the trunk. I don't kick it when I walk (a problem for most strollers other than a jogger) and it seems really sturdy and good quality.

Now... I need to find a new obsession. How would I spend my ample free time if I don't?

Oh, and if anyone cares, it's a Joovy Ergo.

Welcome Aboard

It's been official for a while now, Justin accepted his commission and was sworn into the Navy last month.

This weekend he had his first drill weekend. It's a little different than a few others we know like my cousins husband and our neighbor (I guess it pays to enter the military as an officer). His weekends will be at Hill Air Force Base (30 miles away) for the most part and he gets to come home in the evenings. Also... his two week training is in Rhode Island (which happens to be extremely close to Boston), so we might try to make a vacation out of it for a few days either before or following the training this year.

We also took advantage of another military perk this week. Shopping at the commissary. For the most part, I thought it was priced like a regular grocery store, but you don't pay tax, and when things are on sale, they're REALLY on sale! I got a pound of spaghetti for .39 cents -well, I got about 6 or 8 boxes of that. Spaghetti sauce for .69 cents, great prices on the orange juice we usually buy and lunch meat and cheese. Definitely worth a trip every now and then, especially to stock up on some basics.

I'm not sure the occasional cheap bag of chocolate chips and frozen chicken is worth a year of deployment every few years, but we'll see. Justin will be doing mostly office work during his deployments, and we're hoping to pick the places that he might go. If he's able to go to Europe or stateside, our family will most likely join him. There are a few places that if he had to go... we'd definitely be staying home.

Oh... so don't forget to salute Justin next time you see him (he gets a kick out of that).

It's the little things

After a baby (even it's not the first, and sometimes especially because there's more than one) it's important to acknowledge the small accomplishments.

-I've showered EVERY single day since I had Kate. Most of the time it was before 2 o'clock, and a few of them were longer than 3 minutes.

-We've had dinner on the table almost every night. Thanks t0 freezer meals!

-We have clean clothes every day. Justin would point out that often times we need to fish them out of the dryer or a laundry basket, but at least they're washed, if not always folded.

-Every few days I get both kids down at the same time and get a nap myself. Today was one of those days.

-I'm half way through a book. I love being in the middle of a book, and with Hyrum, I don't think I picked up a non 'how to make your kid sleep' type of a book until he was 9 months old.

-I'm still losing weight. I'm not sure how long I lost weight after Hyrum, but since Christmas I've lost about 5 pounds. I'm walking every day, and even tried some ab exercises last night.

A new beginning

I guess a new year and a new blog should start with some New Years Resolutions or something like that.

We'll start with the obvious... lose weight. So far, this is too easy. Four weeks after delivering a baby I'm still losing a pound every couple of days. I know this won't last. Morning walks and/or trips to the gym and tracking my calories on a new iPhone app should help when it gets a little tougher. Plus... I'm hoping that a few strategic placed photography events (baby blessing in February, a possible wedding in April or May, and Gough family photo shoot in May or June) will keep me on track. I got within 10 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight after Hyrum, but it was only a few months before I got pregnant with Kate. I hope to be a bit better this time around.

Blog... a lot. Now that we've gone private I'm sure they will become even more like a family and personal journal than ever before. Boring for most of you who are still reading them... but important for record keeping. Last year I got 2 years worth of printed books for super cheap, and this year I need to make and order our 2010 book as well as Hyrum's first one. I'd also like to keep up with getting family and kids pictures at least once or twice a year.

Read. I've always been a reader. The Young Women have been challenged to read the Book of Mormon again (this will make 3 times in two years). I'm in a book club that tries to meet once a month, plus I usually read a few books on my own too. It's good to read something other than Curious George and Thomas the Train.

Be nice and try to find joy in my everyday life. Sometimes it gets a little boring and mundane being at home all day. Too little sleep, too few hours to myself, and having a hard time finding the time and even satisfaction of cleaning a house that can't stay clean. But, I have a hard working husband that allows me to stay at home, I have two healthy kids, and great friends and family I get to see often. I should be able to smile a bit more.

I read on another blog (I can't even begin to remember which one) goals for the mom's kids too. So, for Hyrum -toilet training. He's ready, I just need to find the time and energy to do it. And Kate? I guess getting a good sleep schedule going and making it to at least 3 months with breast feeding. It's not easy (or all that enjoyable to be honest) for me. I don't have enough milk, despite herbal supplements and a prescription that insurance doesn't cover. It doesn't hurt as much anymore, but I still feel nauseous when I breastfeed and pump.

That's it, and that's plenty, as far as I'm concerned.

Year End Review -it's tradition

This post takes forever to do... ever since blogger changed the way pictures are uploaded and move around, but I like having it here, I actually refer to it at other times. Just so I remember what has happened and when.

January was our first (mini) vacation of the year. What is becoming a fun tradition (we're headed back up a month from now) snowmobiling with the Hardcastle's.

February was an awesome trip to Hawaii with the Goughs -Justin's family. Despite a few set backs (a trip to the emergency room for the Little Man on the first night, and a miscarriage a couple of days later) we had a great time. I had never been to Hawaii, and we enjoyed all of the sights and things to do on Maui. Plus, we loved spending time with family.

March started out with one of many trips to the zoo. We bought a family pass, so we were able to get there a lot this last year. The Little Man loves the animals. I also turned 30... it wasn't too bad.

In April Justin's brother, Bryan, came home from his mission. I learned how dependent I am on cell phones, because mine wasn't working the night we went to the airport. I forgot how the Salt Lake airport worked and ended up missing the actual arrival, nut we eventually found everyone. We also found out we were expecting Little Miss.

May kicked off our camping season... and continued the Little Man's ability to harm himself. We went camping over Memorial Day with the Lafeens and he fell out of their trailer. At least this one didn't require stitches.

June... gardens, trips to Wheeler Farm, Utah State, and swimming lessons.

More camping in July. We froze with the Goughs when we went on the 4th of July... and nearly died from the heat with the Lafeen's during the family reunion. Maybe that was just the pregnant lady though. The good news? No trip so to the doctors.

Matt and Jenny also got married. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception in Huntsville.

August 1st we broke our streak, and the Little Man ended up in the hospital again. This time with a stomach bug that he couldn't shake and he got too dehydrated from throwing up. We were there about 24 hours... and it took at least a week or two to recover. In the mean time, both Justin and I got sick too. It's no fun throwing up with the stomach bug while pregnant -as if there is a GOOD time for that to happen.

Later in the month we had girls camp. I had to take the Little Man with me one evening... and guess what? About 10 minutes before we were going to leave, he fell back from a picnic table, and we were on our way to instacare. This time it was staples. Pretty gruesome to look at, but much easier to get done.

September was our annual trip to Swiss Days and Park City. Once again I was very pregnant, but I hung in there. Even during all of the shopping hours.

October brought harvesting our garden, another trip to Utah State, and Halloween. Justin had a great time carving pumpkins, and the Little Man got to wear his Super Why costume more than enough times.

We had house guests in November, when Justin's dad got evacuated from their home for a night due to a fire near his house. The Little Man turned 2 and Justin turned the big 3-0.

And, our Little Miss arrived in December. As far as labor and delivery's go, it was pretty smooth sailing -considering the options. She was healthy and beautiful, and was welcomed gladly by her parents and brother. Not to mention a lot of extended family who were all just too excited she was a little girl. Despite some time spent on lights for jaundice, she's been a great baby. A good eater and a good sleeper, everything a mom could ask for.



Bryan and Haley were married this month. I made it to the temple ceremony, but the Little Miss and I missed everything else. That's what happens when you have an 6 day old I suppose.


We lost my grandpa unexpectedly right before Christmas. I was blessed to be able to say goodbye and be with him when he died in the hospital. It's never easy to say goodbye to loved ones, and my heart aches for my grandma who has spent the last 55 years with her husband and now must learn to be on her own, but he's in a better place. Reunited with his daughter, parents, and countless others. I know he's continuing his work unhindered by the limitations his body and age imposed on him in the last few years.
And on Wednesday our family's life changed in ways that I don't think Justin and I can comprehend right now. Justin accepted his commission in the navy, and will begin his training as an Navy Reserve Supply Corps Officer. I don't expect a lot of things to change in the very near future, and we'll just have to see what the future will bring for Justin and our family.

It always amazes me what can happen in a year!

Merry Christmas to all

Once again we had a very busy Christmas season. I don't imagine that we'll ever have a calm and relaxing holiday, but I'm not sure I'd prefer that.

We missed a few of our holiday parties (a very tired mom, and a 2 year old needing a nap kept us home during Christmas Eve afternoon), but made it to most of them.

I ran a few errands (with both kids in tow) in the morning, and then we went to Justin's aunt and uncles Christmas Eve. We had a delicious dinner and a Bingo game where Justin came out $20 richer. I forgot to take pictures, but the Little Man loved playing with cousins, and we all had a really nice time.

Christmas morning was pretty fun. The Little Man got a balance bike. He's just about an inch too short still in the legs, but he'll be exactly the right size as soon as it warms up just a bit. He still really likes it, and he really got into opening presents. He would get really excited even before he knew what was in the box when he would unwrap gifts.

We went out to my aunts house for brunch, which is pretty much my favorite meal of the year. I think it has something to do with the scones and honey butter. Mmmm...

We opened a few presents (after they were all located) and headed home for naps after that. This year we also made it to the Hardcastle's for Christmas dinner. We haven't made it to that dinner since we've been married, and it was particularly nice to spend time with the family this weekend.

After dinner and visiting, my siblings and parents opened gifts. My mom, as always, was very thoughtful and the Little Man and the Little Miss got WAY too many gifts. And, as always, the cheap gag gifts that my mom finds was the biggest hit. Who knew that marshmallow's could leave welt marks when shot out of pvc pipe marshmallow guns.

We didn't make it to Justin's dad's house, so they came over on Sunday. The Little Man is in LOVE with all of his Thomas the Train stuff he got from his grandparents, I can hardly get him to eat and sleep anymore. We also went back to Justin's mom's house and had a few more gifts to open. We've been very blessed and a little spoiled this year for sure!
It was nice spending time with family, and the Little Miss was great during all of the festivities. But, having a boring day at home today has also been VERY nice!

Announcement

I've been meaning to mention this for a while now, but I keep forgetting.

After much discussion (and a few arguments) we're making our family blog private at the beginning of the year. Justin's been begging me make it private for a couple of years now. If we had been a bit smarter at the beginning we wouldn't have used our name in the address, but I don't think we thought about the privacy issue at the time.

For those of you that use Google Reader (and if you don't... why aren't you?) I'm going to keep this blog address and use it as a pre-blog. (Thanks for the idea Jodie.)

I'll post here when any of our three blogs is updated with a link, so you'll know when to check it. For me, that's the most annoying part of private blogs. I know it's a pain to log in... but I'm sure you'll get over it.

So... if you've been invited to the kids blogs (I'm still getting used to that term -kids) I'll add you (whether or not you're actually still following). And if not, send me you address in the comments -I won't post your email address. If you're a blog-lurker, and don't worry, I do it to plenty of other people, maybe just mention that to me, and we'll add you.

I really like being 'found' on the internet, and finding people that I haven't seen for a while or done a good job at keeping in contact with. But, I agree with Justin that with all of the teaching he's doing for universities... and his new adventure that starts on Wednesday, it's probably time that try and keep a little bit better control on the information that we allow on the internet.

That's our big announcement -I'm glad that none of you thought we might be announcing that I'm pregnant.