Remember

this post from September of 2009?

After being told we probably wouldn't get funding, then we definitely wouldn't get funding, and then again that we DEFINITELY wouldn't get funding.

Plus, we're feeling pretty good about job prospects.

I'm doing a little happy dance right now.




Look for MANY Christmas posts next week.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Today my wonderful husband turns 28. What a great way to kick off the festivities!

Something Worth Celebrating

Plus, today is day 7 of no sugar for me!

Thanksgiving 2010

I know this post is a bit overdue, but life here has been crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy. As of today, Ryan and I both finally have some time to breathe, so here we go.

We left Oregon on the  23rd to go up to Washington to be with my family for Thanksgiving. That morning, before we left, we woke up to snow! Not a ton, as you can see, but it was Nathan’s first snow and that made it special.

He wasn’t too sure about the snow. He hated that it got on his shoes and stuck there. Other than that, he didn’t really care about it.

We got to see my entire family for Thanksgiving. My brother Ryan came from Rexburg, and my brother Kevin drove down from Bellingham.

I did not eat this turkey leg. That would be gross. I realized after dinner was over that I hadn’t really taken pictures, so we threw this one in for good measure. Nathan slept through the whole meal, which was delightful.

This year, my brother Jesse’s birthday fell on Thanksgiving day so to celebrate (besides eating Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake) we all went to see Harry Potter! My parents stayed home with Nathan and it was so fun to go out and do something with all my siblings.

I wore my official Harry Potter t-shirt. The same one I’ve worn to every single Harry Potter movie. It must have shrunk a little bit because I definitely haven’t gotten any bigger since I was 15.

We loved the movie and can’t wait to see part two! I can’t remember when I was last so excited about something!

 

Nathan got in on some of the Thanksgiving action when we had pie. I was surprised to find that he LOVES pumpkin pie. Like father, like son.

My mom and I decided to do Black Friday together this year. Neither of us had done it before. So I got up at 3:30 in the morning and went to Target, all the while wondering what the heck I was thinking! Actually, I found people to be very nice and friendly- no one rude or shoving or cranky. I also discovered that it’s not the getting in that takes so much time, it’s the getting out!

On Saturday, before we headed back home, Alex and her family came down for a visit. It’s so nice that our parents live near each other so we can coordinate visits and see each other some times. This time, we got to meet baby Ben.

We just saw them in July but I was having MAJOR Alex withdrawals so it felt like it had been years. Speaking of years, in September Alex and I will have been friends for 15 years!

Hey Alex, lets ditch our kids and go on an anniversary trip!

Everybody needs an Alex. I’m so lucky.

We all took a walk to the park and let the kids play.

Then Alex and I ran off to lunch together and conveniently both forgot our phones.

What a fun trip!

Big Boy Bed

I’m trying really hard to keep Nathan from falling out of his new big boy bed, but when I went to see if he had fallen asleep, this is what I found:

And a little while later, this:

 

It’s a good thing I decided to put those pillows there! Really though, the only spot he can possibly fall out and he decides to sleep right on the edge.

P.S. a Thanksgiving post is in the works.

Ryan

I realized recently that this blog is mostly about Nathan, some about me, and hardly at all about Ryan. I thought, “that’s too bad, because he’s a pretty cool guy and I kinda like him.” So, here’s what Ryan’s been up to.

I’m not sure all of you know, but after Ryan finished his first year in the Economics PhD program here at the University of Oregon, he made the decision to switch into the Masters program instead. In other words, we went from having 4 (+) more years of school left to just 9 months! Talk about crazy! I still don’t think I can wrap my mind around the fact that he will be done in March! That’s less than 5 months, people! Anyway, so far this school year has been amazingly better than the last. This was definitely the right choice for our family and I am so proud of Ryan.

When Ryan is not focusing on school, he loves baseball. He enjoyed watching the playoffs and the World Series (especially since his precious Braves made it so far this year). He loves baseball a whole lot. But I’m not jealous or anything. He’s also getting really passionate about cycling. I’m glad since he rides his bike 5 miles to campus (and 5 miles back) everyday.

Of course, he also finds time to be a primary teacher, a great dad, and a wonderful husband. He’s always willing to go out and buy me ice cream when I’ve had a bad day. He even surprised me with flowers not too long ago. He rode his bike and carried a bouquet at the same time. Now that’s one talented guy!

Halloween Festivities

A few weeks ago, Ryan and I took Nathan to the farm to get pumpkins.

We saw bunnies.

 

and ducks,

and flowers.

And of course, lots of pumpkins. Nathan wanted to pick up all the “balls” and if he had been able to, I’m sure he would have thrown them.

We also bought some yummy little apples and some fresh apple cider.

Our pumpkins before we painted them.

Once we showed Nathan what to do, he was very serious about his artwork.

Ryan was pretty serious too (even though we ran out of brushes so he had to paint his whole pumpkin with his finger).

 

Our finished creations. Mine was supposed to be a golden snitch but it never got farther than being a pumpkin painted gold.

On the 29th we went to our ward Halloween Party.

Can you tell who we are?

In case you can’t tell, we dressed up as . . .

Ron Weasley

Hermione Granger

and Pigwidgeon, the Owl

He even had a little message to deliver.

Did I mention he was a screech owl?!

Nathan met up with his friend Lily at the party.

They are only a few days apart and spent some time hugging and kissing each other. 

Actually, Nathan was mostly on the receiving end, but I don’t think he minded too much.

  

He spent the rest of the evening running laps in the gym while Ryan and I halfheartedly chased him.

       

After about an hour of watching him run and hearing him yell things like, “I go! I go!”, “Race!”, “I’m gonna get you!”, and “RunRunRun!” we decided it would be best to opt out of the trunk or treat part of the evening.

Still, the evening was a success and we got our fill of Halloween!

Family Pictures

My friend, Christy, took some family pictures of us a few weeks ago. It’s a good thing, because the family pictures I have hanging in our house right now are from when Nathan was bald, toothless, and immobile. He did not make things easy during our photo shoot, but we got some good ones.

Here are a few:

Check out more of Christy’s photos at http://christygphotography.blogspot.com/

What I Love Wednesday

I’ve seen other people do this on their blog and I think it’s a fun idea. Not only do I get to share things I love with all of you, it also helps me think about all the things that make me happy, and all the things with which I am blessed.

Here are five things that I LOVE:

1. Tillamook Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

I’m really sorry if you live somewhere that doesn’t have Tillamook Ice Cream. If I could send you some, I would. Their web site say it’s “Hearty chocolate ice cream dancing with a thick ribbon of deliciously creamy peanut butter.” I just say it’s GOOD!

2. Netflix

We never go to the theater so this is a great way to catch up on all the movies we wanted to see but didn’t. I especially love that Netflix has every episode of Backyardigans ever made online. This is how I’m able to shower most days.

3. Pumpkin Spice Candles

Actually, I love everything pumpkin. But, on a daily basis I just have to enjoy the candle because it’s the only thing I love  that has zero calories!

4. A Clean House

HA! Well, even though I would prefer that my house magically clean itself, I do have a few favorite cleaning products that I use.

• Clorox wipes- these make clean-up so fast and easy, and they smell so nice.
• Green Works All Purpose Cleaner- I love the smell! So lemon and fresh. I also love that I don’t have a headache after using it.
• Soft Scrub Gel Cleanser with Bleach- okay, I must care a lot about smells because I love the way this one smells. I save this for things that need a really good scrub, and my house smells so sterile afterward!

5. Good Hair Days

In my life, these are pretty few and far between, but when I need a really good hair day, I reach for my Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Anti-Frizz Serum (does this feel like an infomercial to you?). I’ve tried a lot of different products and this one really works!

 

Something else I love? I love that all of you took the time to comment on my recent post “Hello?” It’s so fun to know who’s reading and who I’m talking to when I blab away about my life. I’m really horrible about commenting too! But I’ll try to do better because you all made me feel so good! Thanks!

*I would like to point out that this is a list of things I love, not people I love. Actually, Ryan wanted you to know I love him a lot too.