THE RUECKERTS

My Parker Bragging Momment & Potty Training

2012-01-18T15:15:00.004-07:00

Parker has had quite the monumental day today . . .

1st - He said his first unassisted prayer:
After I gave him his lunch today, I heard Parker say, "Mommy, Daddy, Baby Max, Jesus Christ, Amen" I asked him if he just prayed and he said "Yes"

2nd - He woke up dry from his nap:
I decided one week ago today to start potty training Parker. Until a few days ago I was putting a diaper on him at nap time. So far nap time has resulted in a load of laundry needing to be done. Today he woke up and hadn't wet his pants. YIPEE!!!

We have been at potty training since last Wednesday. I originally was going to wait until I was done with school, but was feeling motivated last Wednesday so we kicked off the experience by buying some underwear. Since that time I have decided to take a somewhat casual approach. When we are home he wears underwear, but if we go out I put a diaper on him. However getting him to want to wear underwear afterwards is harder than when he just wears underwear so I may decide tokeep him in underwear except at night, and while he is being watched when I'm at school.

Right now I just have him sit on the potty every hour or hour and a half and most of the time he goes. I haven't been brave enough to see if he will go on his own. I might just keep doing what I'm doing for a few more weeks, and then start allowing him time to fail and hopefully learn to tell me when he needs to go. I'm guessing I'll need to tweek my reward system when that happens.

His reward system is rather pathetic, but it is working so I feel ok about it. If he sits on the potty he gets to use toilet paper, and then make bubbles with his hands (aka wash his hands). I also cheer for him, which I think makes his day. Yesterday I had school, so he was in a diaper until 4pm. He was in a rather crumby mood most of the day. I'm guessing the joy he feels from the praises he gets for going on the potty carrys over to play time too.

Max - 8 Months!!!

2012-01-16T22:36:00.004-07:00

In the last month the following have happened:

*He got his second tooth.

*Got really mobile (mostly via rolling, but he will scoot forward as well)

*Celebrated his first Christmas
*Started sharing a room with Parker
*Has gotten pretty good at feeding himself finger foods (He can down a whole banana)*Likes to play with toys (His favorite is a bouncy ball dinosaur thing he got from Grandma Rueckert for Christmas)

His sleeping schedule has pretty much normalized he is now sleeping from about 8pm or 9pm until 6am or 7am. He then takes a two hour morning nap, and a 1 hour afternoon nap. Part of me wishes he would take his long nap in the afternoon when Parker naps, and part of me like the one-on-one time I get with Parker during that time.

It seems like he is starting to slim a little. I suspect he is MUCH shorter then the average, because I can put 6 month sleepers on him and they fit him just fine. He weighs around 18 lbs. We'll get an "official" weight next month.

He sucks a Binky when he is in bed, but when that isn't available he quickly employs his thumb.

Max is such a GEM. I'm so happy he is my son!

Troy's Cross Country Ski Trip

2012-01-13T13:29:00.005-07:00

Troy's family makes a yearly trip up to some yurts (similar to a tent, but a lot sturdier) near Evanston, WY each year. This year since I'm nursing Max, I stayed home, but Troy went.

The whole clan - you can see the yurt on the right

The trip requires a few mile trek to the yurts. Troy's family cross country skies. I'm sure you could snow shoe, but if you have tried both you know cross country skiing is much less work. Troy's family ALWAYS gets there in the dark so once they get to the yurt it is dinner, games, a little night skiing and then off to bed. The next day is the fun day where they find a nice hill and attempt over and over again to do a train with all that are attending. Usually they end in a tangled mess of skies, legs, and an occasional head.

This year there wasn't much snow, but there was enough to enjoy the trip. The ironic part if it snowed the morning after Troy got home. It would have been so nice to have some fresh snow for the trip, but this is just another example of god's sense of humor.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

This Christmas was fun. We celebrated it out at Troy's parent's house. Due to some scheduling issues we ended going out to Troy's parents to celebrate everything one day earlier than usual. We had the spiritual Christmas on the 23rd. It was great as always. This year two of Troy's siblings lead the discussion. They did a great job, and made me think about two things: 1- What makes a gift special, and 2 - What everyday gifts have God given to me?

They then had their traditional hockey game on the ice in their backyard. I choose to stay inside and finish wrapping gifts, and getting other things ready for Christmas. It would have been nice to go out, but I just felt like I had so much to do that I wouldn't have enjoyed it.

The next morning (Dec 24th) was our Christmas. The tree was packed and family was abundant. Parker was fun this year, however he got tired of unwrapping present. We had to attack the pile in shifts. Next year the plan is one big gift (the goal is a swing set) and a few small things.

The "loot" before the madness began

Max with his stocking (no he didn't get a flashlight, but it did work great as a teething toy)

Parker with his stocking

Parker had a Mater Teeth sucker in his stocking

Some of Parker's top picks:

Bright Builders (Shhh - - Santa found these at the thrift store)

Curious George DVD

Max was as cute as usual, and just sat on the couch and watch all the action while sucking on his Binky. I was surprised he was so content, because I didn't nurse him when he woke up, but I guess with everything going on (and his Binky) he was content.

After a fun day out at Troy's parents we returned home. Christmas morning we woke up and treated like any other morning. We went to church and then went to my family's Christmas party that night.

This year was the year of big gifts for me so. Which made it nice, because then I was able to help the kids with their gifts. I did have a little to open on Christmas, but my biggest gift came a few days after Christmas. We have been wanting a upright freezer for a while, and I had saved a little money for one, but was still short so we decided to spend some of our Christmas money making up the difference and bought one.

In the end the wrapping and the packaging were a hit. One of Parker's gift was actually just a box filled with packaging pillows. He loved every minute of popping the pillows.

Parker insisted on climbing in this box. It is hard to see, but it was only about 3 inches wide.

Max enjoying the wrapping paper

Max crawled under the tree. I thought it was a fitting place as he is the GREATEST gift I was give this year.

Max at 4, 5, 6 and 7Months

2011-12-28T13:49:00.008-07:00

Catch-up time . . . not only am I out of school for a few weeks, but I also recently moved the boys into the same room, which has resulted in them napping at the same time, and has left our office without a crib in it so now during nap time I can update the blog.

4 Months

Max went from sleeping through the night to waking up ever 4 or so hours. I figured it was because he was either teething or hungry. I would just nurse him and then put him back to sleep. Around this same time I started another class for the semester so it was hard having to get up a few times during the night, and then function in school.

He was quite the droller

Happy boy!!!

5 Months

Max's sleeping pattern was still less than desirable however it was still better than Parker's was at the same age. Max would wake up about two times a night, and take about 2-3 naps during the day. Still drooling, but no teeth yet. For Halloween Max wore the same pumpkin costume we used for Parker when he was about the same age. Max is a little weightier than Parker was so it fit great. (If you are curious look for a Halloween post . . .I'll date it 10/31/11)

Our sweet pumpkin

6 Months

Max's was still waking a few times during the night. A few days before he hit the 6 month mark I decided to start feeding him cereal. I was hoping this would help him sleep longer, but I think he got in the habit of waking up during the night, because it didn't change a darn thing. He didn't seem to like the food, and practically shivered with every bite. (If you are more curious look for a Feeding Time post . . .I'll date it 12/15/11)

7 Months

Max FINALLY started sleeping better at night. I started feeding him two times a day with more substantial foods like fruits and veggies and that helped, but I also STOPPED nursing him during the night. I would just hold him and let him suck on a Binky until he fell back asleep. I knew he could self sooth, because he would do it during the day. But at night he grew accustom to me nursing him. A few times of me NOT nursing him led to him sleeping better through the night. Also he finally had a tooth break through the gums shortly after he turned 6 months. I also broke down and bought teething gel.

He is starting to love to stand. He can't do it by himself, but with just a little help he can. He is still SUPER happy . . . he doesn't cry much, and if he does there is usually a GOOD reason for it. . .like Parker growling at him or something. He does startle easily though and Parker's growling is just enough to set him off. He's getting really good with eating he is now eating pieces of food . . .like bananas, bread, pears, etc. He has also started rolling to get from place to place. He doesn't roll a lot unless there is something he wants then he gets there just fine and in no time at all.

BROTHER'S

Max standing . . . with the help of Big Brother Parker.

I can't believe how fast time has gone since we had him. I have to keep reminding myself he isn't a newborn anymore.

Another Semester Down

2011-12-20T15:27:00.004-07:00

I just finished another semester, and when meeting with my advisor found out I only have 1 more class to complete before I'll have a Bachelor of Science in Biology with an emphasis in Cellular and Molecular Biology. I also qualify for a Chemistry minor.

I am so glad to be almost done. This last semester was really hard on Parker. I had class 5 days of the week, two of those days I had labs that meant I was away for around 6 hours. Not to mention the many nights I would lock the kids downstairs with Troy while I studied upstairs. There were days I would tell Parker I had to leave to school, and he would start crying. I wanted to cry right along with him, but kept my composure for him.

I contemplated whether I should take a lighter load then usual this semester because I had just had Max, and I wasn't sure how I was going to juggle the responsibilities of two kids, and two classes that both had a lab component. After the fact, I'm so glad I didn't. Max has been such an easy going baby that it made it possible for me to keep my sanity while juggling family, church, and school responsibilities. He is starting to get more mobile, and needs more attention so now next semester will be possible, because I'll only have the one class.

Many people have asked me what my plans are once I'm done. Well . . . for right now it will just make me a mom with options. I feel my time will be best spent at home raising my kids, but I find relieve knowing if something happened to Troy I have a degree. After my kids don't need me as much in the home I may choose to go get a teaching certificate and go teach secondary education biology, but that is still a few years away.

Feeding Time

2011-12-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

I have to admit starting Max on solids caused me some emotional distress. First how in the world did he get so big so fast, and second it meant I now had to think about what to feed him and when. Before this I would just nurse him when he complained, and it appeared he was hungry.

Max seems to be a lot different at eating compared to Parker. Parker would eat everything and anything, and very quickly. I couldn't shovel it in quick enough. Max started out a lot more picky and is a slower eater.

Here is Max's first try at solids:

See what Max thinks of peas:

Here is Parker feeding Max:

isn't he so helpful . . .

Halloween

2011-10-31T15:11:00.000-06:00

Troy and I dressed up as old people. SORRY no pictures . . . but just know we were cute, but not as cute as our two kids.

Parker was a sea otter

Max was a pumpkin

We handed out glow sticks until they were all gone, and then we handed out fruit snacks.

Giant Zucchini Meets Toddler

2011-08-25T15:43:00.003-06:00

Today while doing my routine walk around the garden to pick any vegetable that were ready I found a HUGE zucchini. Even with picking every other day or so I must have missed it the last couple of times because it was HUGE. It will be good for shredding and making zucchini bread but not much else.

I picked it and put it on the lawn since it wouldn't fit in the bucket. While I was picking the green beans I heard Parker say "I did it." and then a crash. I looked up and didn't see the zucchini. I asked Parker where it was, and he pointed into the squash plant. I looked and looked for it, and couldn't see it. Finally I found it. It was safe, but I think Parker hit a crookneck squash with it that won't make it.

Not sure if Parker was seeing why it was called a squash, or if he was just trying to get rid of it so he wouldn't have to eat it.

My loot from today: we are getting a lot of produce now. I go out and pick the vegetable almost every other day.

Max - 3 Months

2011-08-15T16:06:00.000-06:00

Max is now 1/4 a year old!!!

Max is a very easy going baby.

However he disobediently sucks his thumb. I have however decided that if it gets me a full night sleep and a happy baby I guess I can live with it.

He is a GREAT sleeper.

We moved him out of our room and in with the computer. They seem to make good roommates.

He is now sleeping 9 hours straight at night. He is still sleeping a lot during the day. He is usually awake for about 1-2 hours at a time during the day, however he seems to be up for about 3-4 hours in the evening.

He also will fall asleep on his own. I just put him in his bed when he shows signs of being tired and then he falls asleep. If I try and hold him and rock him when he is tired he just gets cranky.

I also no longer swaddle him. Our house is warm enough that I don't even have to cover him with a blanket.

Max is VERY ticklish - it is a guaranteed way to get him to laugh.

Max eats quick he usually only eats for a total of 10-15 minutes. He's eating about 6-7 times a day.

During tummy time he doesn't pick up his head much, but he does kick his leg and if given enough time he will inch off the blanket. If he keeps this up he will be crawling before he picks up his head.

Max loves Parker - I love to see Max's eyes light up when Parker comes to say hi to him. I try to point out Max's smile to Parker, which makes Parker's day.

Bountiful Baskets

2011-08-13T13:46:00.005-06:00

What is Bountiful Baskets?
A volunteer based food co-op available in about 16 states including: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

What do they offer?
Mainly fresh produce (in what they call a basket), but they also have additional items you can buy like granola, bread, and bulk items (ie 20lbs of peaches, or 35lbs of pears etc.). A basket contains 50% fruits and 50% vegetables consisting of about 5 varieties of each.

How often can you order?
Ordering can be done as often as once a week.

How do you order?
Orders have to be received between Monday at noon and Tuesday at midnight on the week you want to receive food. Ordering is done through their website .

When do you get your food?
Food is received on the Saturday following when you placed your order.

How much does it cost?
For one basket it is $16.50 [$15.00 (basket price) + $1.50 (processing fee)]. There is also a 1 time $3 fee the first time you order.

Where does the produce come from?
The produce is roughly the same produce you would get from the store. When possible they buy local.

Here are typical items they get from different areas:

State	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Arizona	Citrus, melons, carrots, lettuce, dark leafy greens,	corn, melons	corn, hard shell squash, carrots	citrus, dark leafy greens, hard shell squash, broccoli, carrots, lettuce
California	Soft Shell Squash, Corn, Tomatoes, Strawberries, dark leafy greens,	apples, lettuce, dark leafy greens, tomatoes, peaches, nectarines, plums, berries	lettuce, apples, tomatoes	Soft Shell Squash, Corn, Tomatoes, Strawberries, citrus, hard shell squash
Colorado		Corn, Carrots	Corn
Idaho	potatoes, onions, grains & beans	grains & beans	potatoes, onions, Apples, grains & beans	potatoes, onions, Apples, grains & beans
Texas	citrus	green beans, Cabbage	green beans, cabbage	citrus
Utah	honey	honey	peaches, apples, corn, honey	storage apples, honey
Washington	grains & beans	grains & beans	apples, grains & beans	storage apples, grains & beans
Mexico	Soft Shell Squash, Corn, Tomatoes, Strawberries	Berries	Berries	Soft Shell Squash, Corn, Tomatoes, Strawberries

I have now ordered twice from Bountiful Baskets, and have been please both times. I find for our family ordering twice a month is PERFECT!!! I love having the wonderful assortment of fresh fruits and veggies in my home.

Here is a sample of the Bountiful Basket I picked up just this morning:

Fruits: large bag of black seedless grapes, cantaloupe, 2 mangoes, 5 red plums, 4 bananas, 1lb of strawberries.
Vegetables: romaine lettuce, 2 bell peppers, 6 Roma tomatoes, 7 cobs of corn, 3 onions.

YUM I can't wait to eat it!

Camping as a Family of Four

2011-08-08T14:41:00.007-06:00

We went on our traditional yearly camp out with our two other friend's families. Many changes have occurred since last year. For our family that meant camping with an additional kid. Another friend got married, and the last ones now have 5 kids.

This year we camped at Nunn Park up Provo Canyon.

Our family got up there Thursday night, but most everyone else had been there since Wednesday. I just didn't want to camp with the kids alone, and with only having one car transportation would have been a nightmare.

We were in charge of dinner Thursday night I cooked baked potatoes and brought them hot. We also had chili and hot dogs. I thought it turned out OK, but I wish we could have gotten up there earlier so we wouldn't have eaten so late.

That night we learned that woodland creatures can open coolers and eat any left overs. By morning the only things left in our cooler were the ketchup and mustard. Something ate 8 hotdogs, 8+ buns, and a little less then 2lbs of cheese. I suspect it was a raccoon, since they have opposable thumbs.

Parker had a hard time the first night. He didn't really understand why we were having him sleep in a tent. He finally fell asleep around 10:30 or 11, but then woke a few times in the night. He finally woke up at 5:30 which woke Max. After I fed Max I knew getting Parker back to sleep was a lost cause so I walked with him to Bridal Veil Falls; there he just threw rocks into the water. The second night Parker did a lot better, but still was the first in our tent up.

Max was a happy camper. I was a little worried he wouldn't sleep very well, and I'd say bye bye to him sleeping 9 hours straight like he did at home. He slept great!!!

While we were up there Parker played with sticks, threw rocks (which was a no-no), played on the little playground, played with his Lego's, and surprisingly stayed mostly clean. Parker hates being dirty so that wasn't too surprising. He also obtain his share of bruises from falling down more than him or I cared to see.

I forgot how much I loved camping. I can't wait to go again.

After the camping trip I decided I want to buy a dutch oven, and a propane lantern.

Our Tent and Occupants

Hanging with my boys by the fire

Max working hard while everyone was packing up to go home

The whole camping gang

Proof you can survive camping with a 2 1/2 month old

To add to the craziness when we got home we had family picture. And then after that I went out to my parents to can peaches, and peach jam

Garden As Of August 1st

2011-08-02T13:17:00.014-06:00

I have really enjoyed having a garden. For future reverence I wanted to document how my garden is doing as of August 1st. Hopefully I can learn from this year's experience and have an even better garden next year.

First off my cantaloupe plants all died. I have one cucumber plant that survived, but but I don't have any expectations for it. Also my one pepper plant is probably not going to give me anything, but it may still surprise me.

Peas, Green Onions/Marigolds, Egg Plant

Egg Plant

I planted one egg plant start and have been very pleased with the production. I have already picked one egg plant off of it, and now have 3 more growing. I had to tie the stem to a stick to help support the poor stem that was being weighed down by all the fruits.

Green Onions

If you look really close in the first picture you can see a few. Last year we had one marigold plant here and I just let it over winter and then didn't worry about the seed when I was prepping the ground for planting. I'm guessing the marigolds won the fight and so now I only have a few green onions.

Peas

It is really past pea season and I should plant again for another crop during late summer early fall. This batch of peas did rather well. I was able to go out every few days and pick a large hand full of peas.

Corn/Green Beans/Watermelon/Yellow, Zucchini, Butternut, Acorn Squash/Pumpkin

In general these did OK, but the plants planted closest to the fence didn't survive so I lost a lot of plants. I'm not sure if they died because they didn't get as much water or sunlight or maybe a combination of the two.

Pumpkin

I planted a whole row of pumpkins, but only 2-3 plants survived. I started them from seeds on May 14th. However the seeds were 3 years old so I didn't think they would grow.

I have about 5 good sized pumpkins ranging in size from a softball to a basketball.

Acorn Squash

This is the only fruit I know about. I was so excited to see fruit not just leaves.

Butternut Squash

This plant is not doing very well. It is significantly smaller then the other winter squash plants and doesn't have any fruit on it. I love butternut squash so I hope it can pull itself together and start producing something.

Yellow "Crook Neck" and Zucchini Squash
This massive pile of leaves consists of yellow squash, and zucchini plants. The larger leaves on the left are the yellow squash and the smaller leaves on the right are the zucchini. I have gotten about 5 zucchinis and 2 yellow squash from these plants so far.

The massive yellow squash plant's leaves

The yellow squash plant has a few squash growing.

Watermelon This plant has smaller leaves by they have gone every which way so it takes up a lot of space.

I have two good sized watermelons growing. This is the larger of the two. This plant is suppose to produce @6 lb fruits. I suspect this one might be ripe soon.

Green Beans These produce about 2 handfuls of green bean a few times a week. I think next year I'll plant two rows. I love green beans.

CornI wanted continued corn so I planted the right row first and then a week or so later planted the next row to the left and so on until the farthest left row was planted. I haven't picked any of the corn yet, but I think next year I'll plant it all at the same time as I suspect the pollination didn't go as well since not all the corn was at the same stage at the same time.

The corn should be ready by the end of the week. I can't wait to pick, cook and eat it all with in a few hours.

TomatoesI planted 1 cherry, 1 grape, 4 Roma, and 4 beefsteak tomato plants. All of them seem to be growing good.

Grape Tomatoes

These are super delicious and sweet.

Cherry Tomatoes I have only picked one cherry tomatoes. It was good and I can't wait for more to ripen up.

Roma Tomatoes

These get watered by the sprinkling system so many of them have blossom end rot. Next year I'll probably plant these somewhere else.

Beef Steak

none of these have gotten ripe yet

Strawberries I bought this planter, but I think I might replant them into the ground in the fall. I've gotten a few ripe strawberries, but it is too hard to remember to water it and I have just the spot for it. I just need to get rid of all the weeds :)

Some may have thought I was crazy for planting the garden the day before and the week after I had Max, but I absolutely love having a garden a being able to make dinner with fresh veggies and think the sacrifice has been worth it.

Sleeping Under The Stars

2011-08-01T13:39:00.007-06:00

We finally did it. . . We put paint on the walls of our house (I know it only took 2 years) !!!

I wanted to do a space themed room for Parker. I wanted it to feel like you were in space, but wasn't sure how to do it without making it too dark, and then I thought I could just paint the top part of the wall dark blue, and the rest of the wall gray with a border in between. I put glow in the dark stars and planets on the ceiling and blue part of the wall. While putting the stars up I decided to organize some into constellations so he has the big and little dipper, along with the north star, and Orion. The planets are organized around the ceiling light as if it was the sun so Mercury is closest to the light and Pluto (yes the set it had included "8 planets and Pluto") is the farthest.

His new room

I was able to find an outer space toddler bedding set for a good price.

Little Dipper & North Star
Big Dipper (You can also see Mercury, Venus, Earth & Mars)

Orion

The Happy Astronaut

I think it turned out cute. After we finished Troy asked if we could do this to our room :).

2 1/2 Month Stats

2011-07-29T15:49:00.003-06:00

Weight = 13 lbs 6oz (71.73%)
Height = 23.5" (53.35%)
HC = 41.5cm (73.09%)

Some how Troy and I have a baby that is bigger then average????

We love our chunky MAX monkey!!!

From what I have read breast fed babies grow faster in the first couple months and then slow down later on so I suspect that may explain things a bit.

Max - 2 Months

2011-07-18T08:39:00.003-06:00

I can't believe how lightning fast the last 2 months have gone. I swear someone has taken hours out of the day, or days out of the week, maybe a little of both since we became a family of 4.

Max has been a delightful little boy during the last two months. We are so happy he is apart of our family.

He doesn't have his 2 month appointment until the end of this month so I don't have official stats, but I suspect he will weight at least 12lbs.

He is a great sleeper. I usually get up with him once a night. He has been going to bed around 9pm, wakes around 3 or 4am and then goes back to sleep until 7 or 8am. One day last week he slept from around 9pm to 6am. He also will fall asleep on his own. It is so nice having a baby that sleeps.

He eats really well. He eats about every 2-3 hours, for about a total of 10-15 minutes. We've given milk in a bottle a few times and he seems to take in OK. I have found he takes it a lot better from the Playtex bottles with the disposable liners.

He has started to smile but mostly reserves them for dad.

It has been fun to see the similarities and differences between the Max and Parker infant experience. I feel a lot more confident this time, but maybe part of that is because I have a baby this is a lot easier to please.

Fruits of My Labor

2011-07-18T08:24:00.003-06:00

I love to work in the yard. I find it very theoroputic. It is a lot harder now with a 2 year old that doesn't understand the difference between the corn stalks and the dandilion, but I have still managed to squeese in a little time in the yard. This year in our garden I planted tomatoes, red bell peppers, eggplant, peas, spinach, green onions, pumpkins, acorn squash, butternut squash, zuchinni, yellow squash, cantaloupe, cucumbers, watermelon, green beans, and corn.

The cataloupe and cucumbers died or were eaten, the peas and spinach did ok, only a few of the green onions came up. I'm still waiting to see how the winter squashes, corn and watermellon will do, but it seems like the summer squashes are going to be keeping us fed for the next few months. The beans seem to be doing OK, but I think next year I will plant two rows of them instead of just one.

My favorite thing about about a garden is harvesting. It feels so rewarding.

I'm most excited and proud of that AWESOME eggplant.

Smart Boys

2011-06-26T05:06:00.004-06:00

Parker loves to play with this structure Troy made

Yesterday Parker decided he wanted to put his outside toys which consisted of a beach ball, a playground ball, a small sand pail, shovel, and strainer, a little people doll, and a small Winnie the Pooh figurine in an empty flower pot. He started by putting all the small stuff in then the balls last, but he found that the last ball wouldn't fit. Troy was watching this and was so proud of Parker for picking up his toys, until Parker started taking them all out. I told Troy to just watch and see what Parker was going to do. That is when Troy got both REALLY proud and SCARED at the same time.

After he took out all the small stuff, he put the two large balls in. Then in the gaps he put the smaller items making it possible to fit all the items in the pot.

Troy proudly said, "He's going to be an engineer." Then somewhat worried he said, "He's going to out engineer me when he's in high school.

Not sure what the future has in store for Parker, but he does seem to have a amplitude for spacial perception, which some say is a early sign of mathematical ability.

Coupon Shopping

2011-06-19T10:58:00.005-06:00

About a year ago I was introduced to the art of couponing. I went to a Grocery Smarts class and learned about some great FREE resources available. I've been able to get some great deals by matching sale items with coupons.

Check out two of my recent shopping trips:

May 7th
Smith's
Total = 17.86
All of these items were on sale, and most I had coupons for.
They were part of a by 10 items and get $5 off
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 18th
Smith's
Total = 63.59
Most of these items were on sale and I had coupons.
Most were part of a promotion if you bought 5 items you got $5 off.
However the root beer, coleslaw and fresh ground peanut butter were not on sale and I didn't have a coupon. I just needed them.

A friend from my neighborhood teaches free classes if anyone is interested in attending a class let me know and I can either host a class, or I can get you info on how to attend a class

Max at 1 Month

2011-06-15T13:30:00.003-06:00

I can't believe is has already been one month. At the same time I feels as though Max has been apart of our little family for a lot longer then that.

Time sure does seem to be speeding by. Part of that may be due to the additional responsibility it is to have 2 children or maybe time just goes faster when you have an infant that changes so quickly.

Max is growing like a champ. I suspect he weights a little over 10lbs. At his 2 weeks appointment he weighted 9lbs 3oz. Yesterday I weighed him on our scales at home (with clothes on) and he weighs 11lbs.

Max is really good at eating. He eats about every 2-3 hours during the day, and about every 4-6 hours at night. I can deal with this feeding schedule when compared to Parker who ate practically around the clock for the first 2-3 months. At about 2 weeks with Parker I actually gave him 2oz of formula, because I just needed a little bit of a break. With Max we haven't had to open the can of formula yet. I'm hoping it stays that way for as long as possible.

Max is sleeping pretty good. It has been such a blessing to have a baby that not only sleeps at night, but also sleeps during the day as well. He usually has one 2 hour nap during the day along with a lot of other 1/2 hour cat naps. At night he has good and bad nights. On a bad night he wakes about every 2-3 hours eats and then goes back to sleep. On a good night he sleeps for 6 hours eats, and then goes back to sleep for another 3-4 hours. It seems like we have been having more good nights lately so hopefully there won't be too many more bad nights.

Life for Parker seems to be getting better. He has always been really sweet towards the baby. He would give Max hugs and kisses, and occationally asked to hold him. However after we brought Max home he all of a sudden became a 2 year old. He would act out and when asked to do or not do something he wouldn't obey. He also became completely irrational at times. He's calmed down quite a bit. Parker calls Max by name (Mack is what he calls him).

Life for me is understandably busier. I'm still trying to figure out how to do some basic things like cleaning and eating, but even more difficult showering. I'm sure as Max gets on more of a schedule these things will get easier. I feel like I've recovered really quickly from the delivery. The Saturday after I had Max I put in my garden. I started jogging this last Monday. I've started slow and do 2 miles of walking and jogging and then a mile of walking. It has been fun getting back into it. Not to mention the hope that someday I won't have to wear my maternity clothes.

Troy has been really helpful. He usually hold Max during dinner. It is so nice to have my hands free during at least one meal of the day. He has learned he needs to wear ear plugs at night so he can get enough sleep. I would have him get up with the baby on the weekends, but I figure since I have to get up anyways there isn't really any reason for both of us to be tired.

Max SLEEPS!!!!

2011-05-21T06:31:00.004-06:00

Max is a very chill kid. To the point Troy once said, "I hope he has the motivation to go to college."

Well I think he knows all about goals and making deals.

I told him when we got home from the hospital I didn't mind feeding him every 2 hours during the day, but in return, at night I only want him to eat every 4 hours, and sleep in-between feedings.

Guess what . . . that is exactly what I got last night :)

Introducing Our Max Man

2011-05-20T11:24:00.005-06:00

Introducing our newest edition:

Max J. Rueckert

Born: Sunday, May 15th @ 5:11 pm

8lbs 1oz

21 1/2 inches long

Max's Birth Story

I was lucky to have a fairly easy pregnancy. I went to my 39 week appointment and was told he was still really high. The doctor recommended I just walk a lot to get the baby to move down. I walked 3 miles for the next two days and then about a mile the next two days. I also started drinking 1 cup of raspberry leaf tea every day. The day before Max was born I started putting in my garden and then Troy and I went to his work's recognition night which included dancing. We danced about 4 dances before I decided I had done enough.

That doesn't tell the whole story though you see starting Friday I noticed I was leaking fluid. At first I thought the baby just dropped so my bladder had extra pressure. However by Sunday I decided I better at least go to the hospital to at least have it checked out.

We sent Parker to church with a neighbor, and then headed to the hospital for testing. Upon getting the results back it was determined the fluid was amniotic fluid. My doctor was at the hospital delivering another baby so when she came in and finished breaking my water, and then they started me on pitocin at about 1:30.

Troy needed to leave to figure out what to do with Parker. We had made arrangements for Troy's parents to take him while we were at the hospital, but we couldn't get a hold of them because they were at church. We also still had his car seat, and his bags in our car. I told Troy earlier rather than later would be the best time to leave. So he left . . .

While Troy was gone my contractions started to get more intense. I just wanted him to get back, and help me through the contractions. Troy got back around 3:30 and soon after the anaesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural. I was really glad Troy was there while I was getting the epidural. I might have yelled at the poor man if I hadn't had the support of Troy.

Once the epidural kicked in I was able to actually enjoy life again. The epidural was great. I was still able to move my legs, and even had some sense of feeling, but I didn't feel the contractions. I expected the epidural to stop progress like it did when I had one with Parker, but was pleasantly surprised when I continued to progress. At about 5pm the nurse checked me and told me I was ready to start pushing. After my doctor came in they had me start pushing. I was told to push twice during my first contraction, and then 4 times during the next contraction, and Max was here. The whole thing was WAY quicker then I was expecting.

Mom enjoying holding Max in my arms

Dad holding Max

I felt really good after the delivery, and even felt good enough to go to the first bath. The hospital was OK. I got really tired of them coming in every two hours to get vitals, clean the room, or bring me food. I wish we would have left before our 2nd night I think we would have been able to relax more at home.

Parker visiting the hospital

Since returning home Max has been a gem. He cries to be fed or have his diaper changed, but is so easily consoled.

Max sleeping in his bed at home

Parker is still adjusting to the change. I think he likes the baby, but he's also acting out. He likes to go check the babies bed to see him. He occasionally gets interested in him and will rub his head, but for the most part he has kept his distance. It has been nice to have Troy home for the week so I can play with Parker while Troy is holding Max.

The first time Parker held Max

39 Weeks- Keeping Busy, Pampering

2011-05-09T13:21:00.003-06:00

Now that I'm done with the semester I have found new things to keep me busy. I'm trying to get our yard ready for a garden, getting stuff ready for the new baby, and spending time pampering myself.

I have been out weeding our flowerbeds, and garden areas. I try and do most of it with the spading fork so I don't have to bend down too much. It is getting close to being ready to plant some AWESOME veggies. I was hoping to finish up in the next couple days, but since it will be rainy the next couple days I don't think it will get done until Wednesday or Thursday. O-well in the next few days I can work on cleaning the house, and starting some redecorating to one of our bathrooms.

I still need to pack the hospital bag, and get the car seat base installed in our car, but I now have all the baby clothes washed, the bassinet set up, and Parker's bag packed.

In the last week I went swimming, which was AWESOME. I want to go again this week if we find we have time. It was nice being in the water and not feel pregnant. Parker was really timid at first, but after I threw him up and caught him a few times he started to love it. We taught him how to climb out of the pool on his own. He loved jumping back in off the side into one of our arms.

I also went and got a pedicure and manicure. Personally I could do with out the manicure, but I believe a pedicure is an absolute for anyone that is pregnant. For some this can get the baby to come, but that didn't happen for me, but it was such an enjoyable experience, and now I have blue sparkly toes.

We also have had the opportunity to go hang out with some friends, that included hot dog roasting over a fire. It was fun to be able to just relax, and visit for the evening.

During this next week Troy and I are planning on doing some "light" dancing. Troy's work has an awards banquet and as part of it they will have a band and a dance floor. I don't know how much dancing will actually happen by us, but as long as we aren't enjoying a new baby we will be there, and at least attempting to dance.

I've also been receiving some really nice comments from people lately. Many people don't realize how nice it is to hear "You look so good!" when you are pregnant. I really appreciate my friends, family and strangers who have said that to me.

At my doctors appointment today I was told I was a "2" and the baby still hasn't dropped, and my cervix is still really thick. My doctor suggested I walk a lot to get the baby to move down and start helping the cervix to thin. If you ask me my uterus is super cozy and my kids just love it.

For the last few days I've felt GREAT!!! I will try to enjoy every moment I have with this pregnancy, and with Parker until the baby comes. I want to enjoy just having one kid for as long as God, and baby #2 thinks is necessary.

Happy Birthday 2 Parker

2011-04-05T14:41:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Parker's 2nd Birthday a few weeks ago. We had the grandparents over for some cake and ice cream, and they spoiled him greatly, with books, toys and most importantly attention.

I had Troy's family help me bow up some balloons. Parker was in heaven with around 30 balloons to play around with.

I wanted to get Parker a wooden train set. I figured it was a toy that could grow with Parker. He's mostly just interested in the train cars right now. The track is a little neglected, but I'm sure that will change as he gets older.

Our good friend gave him this ride on 4-wheeler to Parker. She said she had to, because she knew Troy and I wouldn't ever get him something like this. She right, but man he LOVES it.

Parker at 2:

Doesn't say a lot of things I understand.
He loves to sing . . . Once There Was A Snowman, and The Wheels on the Bus
He loves to play with cars and balls
He loves babies
He has started climbing - a few days ago I caught him on top of a bookcase that is in his room.
He sleeps really well (11 hrs at night, and a 2 hr nap)
He loves to brush his teeth
He loves Sesame Street

Parker has been a joy in our home over the last 2 years. I'm so glad we have him as part of our family.

34 weeks - My Half Way Mark (Almost)

2011-04-05T14:11:00.004-06:00

I've been pretty lucky to have pretty easy pregnancies. I figure for me the last 10 weeks is really the hardest so I've declared 35 weeks my half way mark.

Just this weeks bending over has become rather impossible at times, and uncomfortable every time. For church, I'm torn between putting nylons on or shaving my legs but I think I've decided shaving is less painful then putting the nylons on and then wearing them throughout the day. And if I shave my legs then I can wear capri pants during the weeks. Now we just need consistently warm weather :).

This baby seems a lot more active than Parker did. I swear he has enrolled in a 9pm - 4am tumbling class. Luckily I'm a pretty solid sleeper so I can sleep through most of it.

However my sleep in being disrupted because I get too hot. I usually sleep well from 10pm-3am, and am up for a few hours. This makes me REALLY tired. I figure I'll be getting a lot less sleep then this once the baby comes so I'll enjoy 5 straight hours for now.

If the myths are correct I suspect this baby to have less hair than Parker. I remember with Parker taking antacids practically every night. With this pregnancy I only talk them occasionally.

Another thing I haven't experienced as much with this pregnancy is leg cramps. With Parker I would wake up often with my calf muscles bundled in tight knots. A few times I would have to jump out of bed to stretch them out. However I haven't had to do that once yet (knock on wood).

I just had my doctor's appointment, she said everything looked good. She said my size was good. She actually said I'm measuring a little small, but nothing to be concerned of. I told her I didn't feel like I was small. She said it is because the baby is all in the front, rather than being distributed to by sides.

We haven't picked out a name yet. . . we've started talking a lot more about this. Troy and I really like one name, but I told him we can't name him it, because Troy has too many cousins with that name, so I think we might use it as a middle name. I also think we have a front runner for the first name, but at this point that could change. However if we do end up naming him these names he will have the same initials as a grandpa whom he may end up sharing a birthday with.

I have hope . . .

2011-03-30T14:38:00.004-06:00

Parker will be a GREAT big brother.

If he takes a toy from another kids and the kid throws a fit he nicely gives the toy back, and says, "Here you go."

He LOVES LOVES LOVES babies. At church he is constantly looking at and pointing out all the babies in the chapel.

He loves to look at, hug and kiss my belly. The other night he even pointed at my belly and told me the baby was stuck :).

He cuddles his baby doll so tenderly.

I'm still expecting a transition period when he realizes the little baby will always be around and will even have needs that I'll need to attend to, but I'm hopeful he will love having a baby around.

30 Weeks

2011-03-06T22:44:00.005-07:00

Today I'm 30 weeks along ~ meaning our little boy should be making an appearance in about 10 weeks. I'm due on May 15th, and hoping the baby doesn't come before May 4th since I have my last final for the semester on that day. Some may say that is cutting it close, but since Parker came late, I'm expecting this one to come at the end of May. That way when this baby doesn't come on the due date I won't be too disappointed.

I love feeling the baby kick - I feel like I learn a little more about our little boy with each jab. I wouldn't give up this experience for anything, and am looking forward to meeting this baby face to face.

Parker loves to cuddle up with me. Sometimes the baby kicks him, I figure he's getting in all the jabs to big brother that he can. Parker loves to rub, and kiss my belly. I still don't think he knows what it all means, but I have hope he will be a great big brother.

For Christmas we got Parker a blue doll so he could learn to take care of a baby. He's really cute with it sometimes and other times he thinks its fun to throw the doll. It seems like lately he's been really lovey with his doll. Last night he even insisted upon taking the doll to bed with him. He loves babies and any time there is a baby around he wants to go see it.

Just Like His Mom. . .

2011-03-02T15:47:00.003-07:00

Today I tried to put some brown corduroy pants on Parker. He was in already in a bad mood when I started dressing him so I had to use all 4 limbs and my growing belly to pin Parker down and get the pants on him. After dressing him I was attempting to get everything ready to leave the house and he continued to cry. Soon he brought in a pair of blue jeans and motioned he wanted me to put those pants on him. I refused, since I was busy getting other things together, and he already had on the essential one pair of pants. Soon I saw him attempting to put the pair of pants on himself, however he missed the memo of taking off the offending pair of pants so the task became rather impossible. I let him cry and struggle for awhile before making his day and changing the his pants for him. At first I thought this is just the start of this wonderful terrible 2 stage we are in then I remembered a time when I wasn't much older than Parker. My mom was trying to put some brown polyester pants on me that I HATED. I cried the whole time she was putting them on me and then when she was done I changed my own clothes so I wouldn't have to wear those ugly brown pants. After that my mom let me dress myself.

The brown pants
(before he decided he didn't like them)

Maybe Parker and I just have a similar taste in clothes.

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-27T08:27:00.002-07:00

Trying to decide what to do for Troy on Valentine's Day is always a struggle for me. This year I had the "perfect" idea. Troy gets up WAY earlier than me so he can be ready to leave the house around 6am when his carpools comes to pick him up. He loves eating breakfast, but some morning he decides he'd rather sleep a little longer so he ends up not having time to eat anything before he leaves.

My idea was to get up and make a batch of banana muffins. This way he would be able to sleep in if he wished and be able to just grab a couple muffins as he ran out the door. I ended up not sleeping well, because I was so worried I wouldn't wake up early enough. I finally started making the muffins around 5am. I was working away when I heard Troy talking in the bedroom. At the same time I went to go see who he was talking to he come to investigate the noise in the kitchen. We met in the hallway where he said, "Yep, it is just my wife." He had a really freaked out look on his face. I knew EXACTLY who he was talking to. It kinda made me giggle a little. He had thought I was intruder and had called 9-1-1.

He ended up not being able to sleep after that so he ended up going to work really tired, making his day long.

I gave him a hard time about not taking the time to look to his side to see if I was in bed before calling 911, when he pointed out often I get up in the middle of the night and go down stairs to read or whatever so even if I wasn't there it wouldn't have ruled out the possibility of an intruder.

Troy said before calling the police he was going to come investigate with his Hurley stick, but decided if the person had a gun he wouldn't fair so well. He said, "maybe I should get a gun." I said, "Yeah, then you can shoot your wife instead of just beat her."

We ended the night by putting Parker to bed a little early and getting a to-go order from Bucca Di Peppo and a double cream blueberry pie from Marie Calendars. It was delicious and relaxing.

BOY, but at least he's SWEET about it

2011-02-09T15:07:00.002-07:00

I love it when people ask me if it is normal for a kid to do ___________ (fill in the blank). I say it is for Parker. This is the joy of not having another kid to compare him to.

Boys are know for being rough - Here's Parker's way of being NORMAL!

The other day he was playing with some cars. Before this time he would just drive the cars around on the carpet or around object (including mom). On this particular day he started ramming the cars into each other. . .head on. I watched for a while, before saying be soft with your toys. He continued to ram the cars together. So I decided to show him a better way to play with them. We pushed the cars back and forth. We each had a car and on the count of 3 we would roll our car to the other person. He had fun for a while, but then he decided it would be more fun if the cars hit each other instead of innocently passing by each other. I thought O-great the age of destruction is here. That is when I noticed whenever the cars hit each other he would pick up the cars find the front and give them each a KISS.

I love Parker kisses, and I bet his cars and trucks do too.

Ultrasound Results

2010-12-19T06:23:00.003-07:00

The ultrasound showed a fabulous little BOY that is growing well and his size is right on schedule.

(Sorry I'm keeping the family jewel's picture to ourselves)

I'm grateful for this opportunity to be a mom to another boy, and look forward to having two little boys. We saw a shirt at the store that said, "No Girls (but mom) Allowed." This will be true in our family for now, and I couldn't be more thrilled about being the only girl in our house.

Parker has showed signs, that he just MIGHT do well with a little sibling. At our ward Christmas party a mom of a 10 month old said Parker came over to her little boy gabbered to him for a minute and then just sat down next to him for a little while. I'm sure there will be an adjustment period, but I see hope. Like any question, when I ask him if he wants a brother he says no, but he will sign baby when I say it.

In preperation for a new baby we moved Parker out of the crib into a toddler bed. He has done OK with it. The first few nights he would wake up crying and all I needed to do was put him back in bed. I've found to get him down for naps I just need to stay in the room until he falls asleep. At night, so far, EVENTUALLY he falls asleep. Last night he didn't fall asleep until after 11pm, but this morning when I peeked in on him he was safely asleep in bed.

I LOVE MY THREE GUYS!!!

2 Weeks Away- Vote Now

2010-12-03T20:27:00.003-07:00

Yes we plan on finding out the gender of our next baby. We have our ultrasound scheduled for two weeks from today.

Vote whether you think it will be a boy, girl, or inconclusive.

Growing

2010-11-14T07:56:00.002-07:00

Parker
Parker is continuing to grow in both size and ability. He is now tall enough to reach things that are hanging over the side of the counter. He can also climb up a slide at the play ground. He is starting to say more words I understand. My favorite thing he says is thank you. Yesterday he sat at our kitchen table and folded his arms and started mumbling something. I think he was saying a prayer.

Me
I'm growing both mentally and physically. School this semester has been going well. I'm about 1 month away from being done, and therefore being 2 classes closer to graduating. Physically my clothes are also getting a little snug.

Baby #2
We should be meeting this member face to face around May 15th. At the last doctor's appointment the doctor said the heart beat sounded good.

Our family is excitedly awaiting baby #2.

I'm 14 weeks along today, and have been able to enjoy it so far. We should find out around Christmas whether we will be parents to another little boy or if we will get to experience a change and have a little girl.

PS: I'm not going to be posting anything regarding this on facebook for another month or so, so please don't leave a comment on my wall regarding this.

Dancing King

2010-11-12T21:54:00.002-07:00

Parker is quite the little dancer. About a month ago we were watching a moving and Parker started jamming to the songs that played during the closing credits of the movie. ENJOY!!!

Halloween!!!

2010-10-31T21:27:00.004-06:00

Halloween was fun this year. We didn't do a lot of the traditional things; we sadly didn't go trick-or-treating, or carve pumpkins. We did however dress-up, and we handed out candy to the 75 or so trick-or treaters that braved the Saturday storm to get their loot of candy.

Parker the white tiger

Troy and I as Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss's the Cat in the Hat
(P.S. red pants are HARD to find)

Discover Gateway

2010-10-10T21:10:00.004-06:00

We went to the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum in SLC. Parker enjoyed it. He would get mad any time I would move him from one station, but once we were in the next place something would catch his attention and he would happily play. He is still rather young for many of the exhibits, but there were plenty of things he could enjoy.

The ball room was a hit

Driving

Playing in the water

Figuring out how to make music

1 1/2 YEARS OLD!!!

2010-09-22T11:41:00.003-06:00

At 18 Months Parker is doing good.

He is gradually saying words I understand, but most of the time his jabbering seems foreign.

He loves to climb. (I even caught he trying to climb into his crib - Getting closer to a big boy bed)

He LOVES animals.

He loves sticks, rocks, and dirt

He usually takes 1 nap at some point during the day, but there are days he doesn't take one and other days when he takes 2.

He is a pretty good eater. He has even started eating some meat.

He likes to look at books, but if I try to read one to him he throws a fit.

He is small for his age . . . especially his feet. He just grew out of his first pair of shoes, a size 3 pair of sneakers.

He loves to throw things: balls, toys, books, rocks, etc.

He loves to be outside.

He also loves to wear bracelets.

Parker's friend Sadie is so nice to feed his love of bracelets.

Troy's Awesome Work Party

2010-08-27T19:39:00.003-06:00

Troy's work had a work party that had something for our whole family. A 5K for me, Old Fashion root beer, music, Wild West shoot out, blacksmith and a cowboy poet for Troy, and a petting zoo, pony rides and train rides for Parker. We all had a blast!!!

5K
before

during
getting my congratulations
Pony Ride

Petting Zoo
Looks like that goat gave up running away from Parker
Parker, you're suppose to be looking at the animals not the girls!
Here piggy piggy piggy

Parker don't pick the cow's nose.

Parker even wanted to pet the water.

Train Ride

A Little of This . . . A Little of That

2010-07-09T11:50:00.005-06:00

Parker Loves Books. . .
Favorites: Articles of Faith by Talmage, Eernie & The Twiddle Bug Town Fair, Daniel & the Lion's Den
He likes to pretend to read the first.
He likes the 2nd so much he tried to give it a bath.
The last book will calm him down at any time, it has little flaps he can peek under.

Parker Loves Water. . .

We got a little kiddy pool for him to play in. He thinks it is pretty awesome.

We gave him his first "BUBBLE" bath. He was a little frightened to get in at first, but once he found out the bubbles didn't hurt he wanted to eat them.

It seems he even likes to ride on the water. We are going to let him play in the lake next time we are there. We shall see what he thinks of that.

Parker Loves FIREWORKS. . .

This was just a smoke bomb, but when we shot off our personal fireworks he thought they were pretty neat. We didn't go to a park or anything this year. Maybe on the 24th we will venture off to see a big display to see how he likes them.

Parker Loves the Zoo. . .

Especially the train

He loves outside, and knows he needs his shoes on, so he will often bring them to me as his sign it is time to go outside.

He is recognizing shapes and can put most of the shapes in his shape block.

Circle - - He will rotate the block until he finds the circle spot then put it in.
All the other - - He will correctly put the shape in the correct spot if the spot it goes on is face up.

He has started to build with his building blocks. (Most of the time only one or two block high)

He has just started using a spoon . . .sometimes. . . for eating. Although his tool of choice is his hands.

I try to give him a cup with a little water every day. He love to dump it on himself.

He is getting a little more picky, but will still eat most things. He has never been good about eating meat.

Some of his favorite foods are: yogurt, apple sauce, animal crackers, milk, bananas, peas, macaroni & cheese, & PB & J sandwiches.

Ragnar - Wasatch Back

2010-06-20T20:38:00.012-06:00

For those who may not know I love running. Last Friday and Saturday I participated in an event called the Wasatch Back Relay. It is part of a relay series called the Ragnar Relay Series. It started with the Wasatch Back in 2004, and now there are 12 different Relays through out the country.

Each relay is about 200 miles total and designed for 12 runners. Each runner runs 3 legs of the relay. There are a few "Ultra" teams of 6. Members of these teams each run 6 legs (2 legs back to back, 3 times). Each team is advised to have 2 vans (6 members/van) that bring the runners from one location to another. It actually works pretty good because they just drop off the runner that is going out, and then pick up the runner that just finished, then you drive to the next exchange spot and wait for that runner and drop off the next runner. When your 6th runner gets done you proceed to the next major exchange spot to eat, and relax until the other van's 6 runners finish.

The Wasatch Back starts in Logan and 188 miles later finishes in Park City. Each leg varies in intensity, and distance. Most runs are on asphalt, but there were some that were on dirt roads.

Here's a look at the leg I did:

Leg #12 (3.1 miles/Very Hard):

Time from @ 3:30 -4:00 pm

This was a hard run, but because I had fresh legs it was doable. It also helped that the road was windy so I never could see the whole hill all at once. I was able to make small manageable goals and get through.

It also helped that the 1 mile to go sign was missing on this leg so I was pleasantly surprised when the volunteer told me the exchange was just around the corner. It was heaven to my ears because I thought I still had at least a mile to go.
I didn't eat a whole lot before this so I went into the Snow Basin ski lodge and got an over priced ($11) turkey wrap that was delicious. I normally wouldn't have bought it, but decided I needed some REAL food if I was going to have a chance at running any more.

While running my first leg

"I'm done. . for now" - One down 2 to go.

Leg # 24 (6.5 miles/Hard)
Time from @ 2:30 - 3:30 am

This was by far my funnest leg. I was a little worried about the distance, but for the most part I felt really good. The hills on this one were gradual enough I would get winded by them, but was able to recover, and get right back into the groove. It was windy for the first half or so, but again that was when my legs were freshest so I was able to push through it.

I also fell in LOVE with running in the middle of the night. I loved everything about it. I just wish that I could run with a HUGE group at 4am every morning, but there is NO way I'm going alone.

When I finished I was disappointed to find out our Van #1 hadn't arrived yet, because they were stuck in traffic, We ended having to wait about 15- 20 min for them to get there.

For the night we drove to the next exchange spot that we would have to take over (Rocky Mountain Middle School in Heber) We paid $2 to sleep on the gym floor for about 3-4 hours. Man was it worth it. It was hard, but quiet, and in the morning we had access to the running toilets which STUNK, but there was only 5 people in line rather than a 1/4 mile line waiting to use the Honey Bucket that stunk even worse.

Leg #36 (4.7 Miles/Moderate)
Time from: 2:00-2:45 pm

This was by far the hardest all my legs. I'm sure some of it was fatigue, and heat. But I think the hill climb for the last two miles is what in the end did me in. I ended up walking up some of the hills. I also found myself over anxious for the finish line that just never seemed to come. It did finally come. After I crossed the finish line I just wanted to go home and sleep.

AND THAT IS JUST WHAT I DID (of course after I stopped by the Hawaiian shave ice stand by my house for a delicious shave ice with ice cream.

The faithful Van #2 runners
+ the girl in the tutu (She just hijacked her way into the picture)

The WHOLE CREW !!!

Recipes

2010-06-13T18:14:00.004-06:00

I have decided on occasion to share of few of my favorite recipes. The first in the series is for some tasty egg rolls.

See my new blog:

recipiesofkatie.blogspot.com/

Check back from time to time for some of my favorite recipes.

Thanks Goodness For Summer

2010-06-07T21:40:00.005-06:00

We sent the invitation to summer and although it came a little later than we would have liked it finally arrived and we have taken advantage of it.

Parker loves being outside. He throws a fit if I don't let him out enough.

Hike up City Creek Canyon

His futures so bright he has to wear shades :)

Yeah for friends willing to come with us.

Memorial Day Volley Ball

Moab

River rafting down the Colorado

Delicate Arch

No Parker on this trip

I love having a camera again to capture these experiences.

Why is Parker mad at DAD?

2010-05-25T10:09:00.005-06:00

So Troy and I went on a be-lated 5th Anniversary outing this last weekend.

It was great . . . we did a "stay-cation"

After dropping Parker off at Granny and Grandpa's house @ 3pm we headed to nowhere else but. . . Salt Lake City (I know really far) We checked into our hotel (Little America), dropped off our stuff, changed into some nicer close, and then headed out.

We went to Olive Garden for dinner. We didn't know what to do with our left overs since we weren't going to be going back to our hotel (and there wasn't a fridge there anyways). I suggested we just find someone on the streets to give it to. The task seemed a lot easier then it ended up being. After wondering around for a while we finally found someone.

We then went to The Off Broadway Theater for their production of Star Ward. A parody of Star Wars with an LDS twist to is. It was funny, and I would recommend it if you have the time.

We then retired to our hotel. The next morning we went and worked out at the gym, and then went off to the BREAKFAST BUFFET at the Little America Resturant. I stuffed my self SO SILLY. I didn't need anything to eat the rest of the day. The food was SO GOOD!!!

We then went over to the Clark Planetarium, and saw a 3D Hubble Telescope movie, and then headed back to get Parker.

Since returning Parker has given Troy the cold shoulder. If I'm around he wants nothing to do with his dad. Yesterday when Troy picked Parker up from a sitters he didn't even acknowledge his existance.

I think Parker is mad at him because he took his mom away from him.

Great website for Runners or Walkers

2010-05-11T10:13:00.002-06:00

Recently I found a GREAT website.

WWW.RUN.COM

So often I'll go for a run and can only estimate on how many miles I've run.

On this website you can track your route and get almost exactly how far you have gone. Also you can suggest routes to other runners. And see what routes others have done, and what they thought of them.

This website is especially helpful for windy routes, or routes that you can't drive the route to figure out the distance.

I LOVE IT and recommend it to all.

Learn From Anothers Misfortune

2010-04-16T22:18:00.003-06:00

Recently the news reported that a family that attended a REAL Salt Lake game not only had their car broke into while at the game, but also their house. The thieves took among other things their garage door opener, and got their address from their car registration.

The thieves figured the people would not be home, and wouldn't be returning for awhile.

PLEASE:

Lock all your doors (car & home)
Hide your garage door opener (or take it with you when you get out of your car)
Black out or remove your address from your car registration
Keep valuable belongings out of sight

This specifically hasn't happened to us. Having a stranger come into your home without your permission takes more than your stuff. Most importantly it also takes away your feeling of peace and comfort in your own house. You will fill violated. And if you have small children imagine trying to explain to them, it will be OK when you aren't convinced of that yourself.

I DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO ANYONE, BUT ESPECIALLY MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

Parker's at 1-YEAR

2010-03-17T07:46:00.005-06:00

At one year Parker is a joy most of the time, and even when he's not the journey is worth it.

His eye color - depends on the light, but seem to be a light brown with a little blue most of the time. But if you look at them from the right angle and light they look blue.

Is really good at throwing fits

Sometimes forgets he's no longer connected to mom by an inbilical cord

Seems to have a good immune system

Loves to be outside (THANK GOD for the warmer lately)

Really likes to toss a ball back and forth

Likes to walk along furniture, walls, or with the help of mom & dad

Loves remotes and telephones (and seems to know what they are used for)

Is really good at doing the "more" sign (he even curls his fingers in)

Is a little confused on the "finished" sign (he just starts throwing his food on the floor)

Loves to wave and clap

Has 6 teeth (he hasn't gotten any teeth since Christmas)

Loves to eat: bananas, mac & cheese, peas, gram crackers, and apple sauce.

Doesn't like: ??? Right now he isn't too picky, up until recently he wasn't eatting food he had to chew very well, but in the last weeks, he's gotten a lot better about it.
Will mimic speach, but doesn't seem to use any words constant enough for me to regognize them. He does say "yeah" a lot though.

Parker is a fun kid and BOY do we love our little BOY.

***I'll post pictures later***

Mattress Shopping

2010-02-17T09:33:00.003-07:00

Buying a mattress is a tricky thing. . . To the naked eye they are all white, and rectangular. Some may feel better than other for the 5 min you try them out, but how do you know it will feel good, or give you support you need for a whole nights sleep.

Troy bought our first mattress 5+ years ago, right before we got married. He said one of the cheapest ones felt the nicest. We had it delivered, and after we got married started putting it to use. It wasn't too long until it started to have divots where we would sleep, and it caved into the middle. Troy and I have a combined weight of 255lbs so we are not big people. The problem is we just bought a cheap mattress, and didn't know anything when we went shopping.

Recently TROY decided we needed a new mattress (I could care less, and could sleep on the floor all the same). This time Troy did some research. He found that 3 things matter when buying a mattress:

Spring count
Spring gauge
Spring thickness

PROBLEM: Try asking someone at a furniture retail store about this, and you'll get an honest answer. . . I don't know????

SOLUTION: Shop around until you find someone who will answer these questions for you. We found a mattress company that was able to answer these questions.

We as consumers have responsibilities, if we don't demand info about products we are buying we won't get it, but if many people start demanding undisclosed information it will start becoming more available.

ksl.com - Criminals 'skimming' account information at gas pumps

2010-02-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

ksl.com - Criminals 'skimming' account information at gas pumps

SCARY - consumer warning

2010-02-16T21:36:00.005-07:00

Today on the news they reported a story about two gas pumps in Sandy that were tampered with, in such a way, that people were able to steal your credit card info without you knowing. SOLUTION: Go inside and pay either with cash or credit, or just risk it and make sure you keep an eye on your statements.

On another note credit card companies are changing some of their benefits so make sure you understand and pay attention to any changes your credit cards may be doing. I recently canceled a credit card because I found out they decreased the grace period for new purchases to ZERO days. MEANING if I don't pay my bill on the date the billing cycle ends I will have to start paying interest, and I REFUSE to pay interest on anything besides my house.

The Life of an Optimist!!

2010-02-16T21:26:00.004-07:00

I like to think of myself as an optimistic person. When things don't seem to be going good I'm usually able to find even the littlest bit of hope or I look at the situation in a light situation. This is my coping strategy.

This may sound like a good think? Or not? depending on your look in life. My problem with this is when people that have SERIOUS things happening in their life, and all I do is make jokes or try to make it sound like it isn't that big of a deal they don't appreciate it. I recognize my fault, but now for the next step of changing my strategy when dealing with others.

1 Year ago today

2010-02-15T21:11:00.002-07:00

1 Year ago today I was doing something although I wouldn't recommend it, I'm still proud I actually did it.

For the record my back hurt for the next week, and I don't think it brought Parker here any quicker. . . Maybe it even scared him and is the reason he came 6 days after his due date.

Here's a copy of the post. . .

I got this idea at a friend's baby shower. It was mentioned as a joke, but I've tested it and it is possible. Although I don't know what long term consequences come from this activity. Remember I'm the girl who did push-ups a day after breaking my collar bone.

People at work have told me I do too much as a pregnant women. I have tried to continue to do things as long as I feel up to it. Honestly I feel the best when I'm doing something active. It is when I'm trying to relax that I feel the most PAIN. Last night Troy and I went swing dancing. I'm sure it was quite the sight seeing a 8 month pregnant women dancing. I can only imagine what my co-workers would say if they saw me do these stunts???

Parker's Funny Quarks

2010-02-11T20:21:00.005-07:00

Being a parent is a wonderful blessing. Parker has some things he does that may be normal, or they may be unique. To me they are just part of the complete Parker package.

He loves to toss balls back and forth
He loves to play peek-a-boo
He loves to take baths
He loves to be surprised
He loves to take dishes out of the cupboards
He loves paper, remotes, pens and bathrooms :(
He loves bananas
He laughs just because we laugh
He greets everything with his mouth
He is happiest when we are in public, but usually happy
He is patient unless it involves being fed in which case he wants it NOW!!!
He plays by himself really well
He is really good at turning the pages of his board books
He gets excited when he sees things in order, and know he's NEEDed to spread it all around until not order can be detected
He never sneezes just once
He is definitely a morning person
He makes his parents SUPER HAPPY

There are days I can't wait for this little guy to wake-up. Other days I wonder why he's waking up at 5am and is ready to play, but he's happy just playing with his toys on the floor.

He's growing up so fast, and I feel like I can't hold on to the moments tight enough, but am so excited with every new development he makes.

Today Parker has seemed sick. In the past when Parker has been sick he has refused to take naps, and is CRANKY, but today he has slept more than normal, and has been really cuddly. I've really loved just sitting down with him and him putting his head against my chest.

You Know You're Married To An Engineer When He . . .

2010-01-21T11:50:00.008-07:00

*talks about resistors, and capacitors like they are good friends.

*gets gitty when he talks about making catapults.

*gets excited when ANYTHING breaks so he can take it apart, and put it back together.

*mentions he wants to take apart the 4 function solar powered calculator so he can experiment with the solar cell.

*can't wait for his MAKE Magazine to come in the mail.

*looks at your sewing project's pattern and refers to the instructions as a list of procedures, the supplies list as a bill of materials, and the fabric as building materials.

I SURE DO LOVE MY ENGINEER

Game Review - Bandits

2010-01-05T11:45:00.005-07:00

GENERAL INFO:
Name: Bandits Card Game
Manufacture: Buffalo Games Inc.
Players: 2-6
Age: 10+
Object: Get the most money

Troy and I bought this game last year around Christmas time, but didn't play it for the first time until yesterday when we finally read the rules and figured out how to play.

It is a fast, easy, fun game. I wish we would have taken the 5-10 min a year ago to learn how to play.

One great thing about this game is it can be played with 2 players. Many games work better if you have more than 2 people so it is nice to have a game that works well with only 2 players. I imagine when playing with more players it takes more strategy and becomes a little more complex.

This game is simple, and the learning curve is small. I would say this is a great game to bring to a family reunion because you can explain it quickly, and the game doesn't take too long so people aren't tied down for long periods of time once the game starts. For your turn you only have the choice to do one of three things (draw a card, stash money, or attack your opponent), and once you do that one thing your turn is over.

In some games you get to point where you can't do anything. One nice thing about this game is you are required to always have at least 6 cards in your hand so if any time you find yourself with less than 6 cards you get draw until you have 6. Its nice to get a fresh hand when your cards get taken from you, and it makes the fact that your cards just got stolen not quiet as bitter.

This game isn't exactly like any game I've ever played, but if I was forced to compare it to a game I would say it is somewhat like LOOT. If you like LOOT I think you will LOVE Bandits.

This game is also inexpensive. The one we have was bought at a game shop and has a tag on it for $7.98, however we were able to buy it on sale so I think it was around $5.

I would recommend this game if you like simple games that involve some strategy, but still rely on some chance.

9 Months - First Christmas

2009-12-30T12:40:00.007-07:00

It sure was fun seeing how Parker would react to our Christmas traditions.

I brought him to see Santa on the Tuesday before Christmas. The line to see Santa was long, but he just jabbered the whole time. Upon getting to Santa I put him on Santa's lap. I wasn't surprised when he handled himself well. I was however surprised that he didn't try to pull Santa's beard or hair. I told Santa he wanted his two front teeth for Christmas.

See Santa I need my other tooth

Christmas Eve Parker broke two teeth. So now he has a total of 5 teeth. He is learning to use his little chompers. I just wish he would reserve it for food and not my neck, arm, knee, etc.

On Christmas morning Santa brought just what Parker wanted....

PAPER, BOXES, & . . . window washer fluid.

There were a few gifts that said Parker's name on them. He for the most part didn't want anything to do with them.

The-Christmas-Spirit

2009-12-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

My Christmas tree if finally up!!!

Follow this link for a wonderful Christmas video:

The-Christmas-Spirit

I'm ashamed to say I worried about the tree before the nativity set.

I'm far from perfect and needed this reminder.

May you find CHRIST in Christmas this year.

Parker's Stair Adventure

2009-12-13T13:01:00.001-07:00

Our lives just got a little more exciting. . .

Parker can now climb stairs Its funny how they sneak up on you and learn these things. Lucky both Troy and I saw him "practicing" at the same time. Troy from the bottom of the stairs, and me from the top. We were both able to run and help him finish getting to the top of the stairs, and then coach him back down. He was pretty tired by the time he got to the top, but he did pretty good for his first time. I have to say its fun to see him learn new things. I wish they would tell us when they about to try something so we could watch them and make sure they don't get TOO hurt.

OK OK OK maybe we should invest in a child gate or two.

8 Months - Time to baby-proof

2009-11-23T13:52:00.003-07:00

Parker is now 8 months old. I can't believe how fast he is growing up. This month has been a fun one, and Parker has continued to grow and develop normally.

He is now eating solids 3 times a day

And he love to play with balls. He's pretty smart and has found if he throws the ball on the bottom shelf of the bookcase it will come back to him.

He is now officially crawling (although he still arm crawls sometimes)

A few days after he started "really crawling" he started "climbing" Nothing is safe now. He can now touch the VCR and DVD player, and can get books off the second shelf of the book case. He can also pull the drawers out of Troy's dresser. BTW I just went and checked on him after putting him down for a nap, and found he had pulled himself up, and he was STANDING at the side of his crib. All in all we really need to get to baby proofing.

LOOK Mom more buttons to play with :(

Climbing to the fireplace :(

He likes to spit. CUTE unless he's eatting.

Binky Battle

2009-11-17T11:58:00.002-07:00

Parker loves his binky

Parker started out with a unruly desire to suck. I didn't want him to suck his thumb, because I figured when the time came for him to give up the sucking I could take away a binky, but I couldn't take away his thumb.

It took a while for him to keep the binky in his mouth by himself. We usually would have to hold it in so his little tongue didn't pop it out. He eventually got to the point he would hold it in himself, and it rarely popped out.

Recently he got to the point where he seemed to really love this little binky. It would give him great comfort. At night I would put him to sleep, and just put the binky in his crib with him. He would usually find it and start sucking away. If he would wake in the middle of the night he would cry for a short period of time, and then find his binky and go back to sleep.

Most recently he has decided if he throws the binky out of his crib he can just cry and cry and cry, and we willl come to his rescue. He did this for a few days, and then I decided he's just going to have to learn how to go on without it. Normally I wouldn't worry about a almost 8 month old having a binky, but given the situation I saw no other way.

The first two night were REALLY REALLY LONG. The first night I fed him at about 3am and then laid him back in bed. (Normally this is when he would find his binky, and fall asleep). He started to cry. I tried to let him just cry, but after an hour of crying, and then hearing him start to cough I went and comforted him. The next night he started to cry and I went in there and tried to hold him and comfort him, but he wanted nothing of that sort. Eventually I fed him and held him some more until he went to sleep.

Last night. . . . he slept over 8 hours and then I fed him, and he went right back to sleep. YIPEEE SKIPPY

I'm guessing our problem isn't over, but last night sure was delightful!!!!

Do something you love!!!

2009-11-09T14:21:00.003-07:00

Parker ready for run with mom

Just because you love something doesn't mean you have to be the best at it. For that matter you don't even have to be good at it. All that matters is you enjoy the time you spend doing it.

MANY years ago I was a "fast" runner. I enjoyed it, but found myself running for others rather than myself. Today I run for myself. If I see a duck and want to watch it I'll stop and watch. I may not be as fast as I once was, but I enjoy the time I spend doing it, and that is all that matters to me.

I still push myself at times, as I find joy is seeing what the limit of my body is, but I do it on my own terms.

7 Months - Harvesting our pumpkin

2009-10-22T13:50:00.001-06:00

Our monthly tradition is to take pictures of Parker. This month I decided to bring him to Garner Village to take some pictures of him with their wonderful Halloween decorations as the background. I told our friends about it and after their son fell in love with a pumpkin costume we decided we would go together.

Parker wasn't to thrilled to have to sit on the prickly hay, but he did quiet well. I learned it is much harder to get a good picture when you increase the number of babies in the picture.

I can't believe Parker is already 7 months old. For his 7 month old milestone I got him the H1N1 flu shot. He wasn't really to thrilled about the gift, but he forgave me really quickly.

Parker now has 2 complete teeth.

He getting better every day at getting around. He is getting really good at the army crawl, and will get on his knees, but hasn't actually crawled on them yet.

He loves to play with anything he shouldn't have (electrical cords, outlets, paper, plastic bags, etc)

He loves the tags on anything. I don't know what it is about the little black and white care instruction tags on blanks, plush toys, and pillows, but I'll tell you they entertain him.

He has really started liking his binky. If he sees me holding it he'll open his mouth really big so I can put it in for him. I hold it out for him to grab and put in.

He's is now eating solids twice a day and doing really good with it. There have been a few things he's made faces like he doesn't like it (like rice cereal mixed with water), but he eats it any ways pulling faces the whole time.

He truly has been a blessing, and it sure has been fun watching him grow and develop.

Parker and his best buddy Weston!

Bath Time Fun

2009-10-14T09:43:00.005-06:00

Parker loves his baths, and I love his laughs and smiles.

They usually start out calm

Soon the splashing begins

Man does he love bath time.

First Camping Trip

2009-10-01T21:36:00.004-06:00

On Saturday the 26th we went up to Spruces campground up Big Cottonwood Canyon for an overnight camp out with some friends of ours. It was CRAZY fun. We were the only ones there with a kid so they were so happy and willing (or should I say demanding) to hold Parker. I was worried Parker might get cold and not sleep well, and we would have a long night, but I'm happy to report he slept great, and was really happy the entire time. I hope we make this an annual tradition (that is, until they have kids j/k).

2 long sleeve onsies + 2 pairs of socks + 2 blankets + 1 hat + 1 heavy sleeper = 1 sleepy WARM baby.

A rare site, me holding Parker.

First Trip to the Zoo

2009-09-24T17:51:00.004-06:00

After school on Thursday the 24th I met Parker and our friends Niki, and Weston as The Hogle Zoo. Parker enjoyed being out of the house for the afternoon, and I enjoyed walking around the zoo.

We go to see the WAY CUTE baby elephant,

And the EQUALLY AS CUTE baby giraffe,
(We also saw the ADORABLE baby tigers, but I didn't take a picture of them)

The SCARY leopard

And we even took a ride on the train and got DANGEROUSLY close to some bison, and who's idea was it to forget the fence around them. OK so they were on the far side of the field but still. . . Where was the fence.

It was a great opportunity, and I can't wait to bring him back next year.

6 Months - Halfy Birthday

2009-09-24T16:17:00.004-06:00

I can't believe how time has flown by these last few months. It sure has been fun to watch this little one learn and grow.

This month has been a fun one:

Parker has loved playing with friends almost every day while Mom goes to school.
He has become a champion roller and can now roll across the room.
He has scooted forward a few times (usually to get something he shouldn't have like the remote).
He can sit-up for brief periods.
Usually sleeps 6-8 hours straight at night.
Sleeps good during the day at least one day a week.
He is for the most part a happy kid.
He is also starting to get some little pearly whites. (It looks like he's getting 2 on the bottom)
He is now getting big enough that I no longer enjoy carrying him in the front carrier.
We still aren't sure what color his eyes will be, right now they are a blue-brown combo.
He has learned to love jumping.

To celebrate Parker making it to 1/2 a year we gave him "solid" food.

He did really good with the food. It was like we couldn't get it to his mouth quick enough. He also really liked holding on to the spoon. We finally had to get him a spoon to play with so he wouldn't go crazy when we kept taking the spoon away from him.

I have to admit I have mixed emotions about this. I really enjoy nursing Parker. At times it is hard but for the most part I've had a good experience. At the same time, it sure is nice to get a little relief and know I can be gone for longer than 2 hours and Parker would be fine.

Grandpa Max

2009-09-04T17:32:00.005-06:00

July 9, 1926 -- September 1, 2009

Troy's Grandpa's earthly mission is complete, but his memory will live on. Parker seemed to know what was going on better then we did. I was getting so frustrated with him the night of Grandpa's passing, because I he was being so fussy. It wasn't until later that night we found out grandpa had passed. I'm grateful we were able to visit with him not too long ago and got these pictures of him holding Parker.

Memories of Grandpa:
*Always "dressed up"
*Always happy
*Always had a punny line (Troy has a similar since of humor)
*Always had ice cream, and as you would eat it he would warn you, "You better watch out it might get in your mouth."
*Very Friendly

I remember going into his workshop and was fascinated by the bags of sawdust, I always wanted to take it home and put it into a big pile and jump into it like a pile of leaves. My dad somehow would always convince me that I didn't need to.

I will alway share the mission experience in Ireland, they served a church education system mission there 10 years before I did. I actualy remember singing "We will bring the world his truth (Armies of Helaman)", that song has been my favorite childrens hymn ever since.

While my grandparents lived in there old house there never was a visit without ice cream, Grandpa was always the one to scoop out the ice cream.

When we would eat over (maybe it was before ice cream) we woulod have to wash our hands, and when we were realy little grandpa would help, especially for drying our hands. Grandpa would hold the towel over his open hands and when I would put my hand in the town he would rub our hands vigorously until they were dry.

Every birthday Grandpa (and Grandma) would take us to lunch, our time of one on one [two]. It was even more special due to us rarely ever going out to eat as a family. We would always (when we were really little) go get a "Whopper" from burger king, Grandpa always said they were the best burgers.

Grandpa was a car man, he always would notice the cars make and models around him, and always drove.

he had "golden plates" that he made, I'm guessing for seminary, and showed us grandkids at a family night with all of the grandkids.

Whenever we would get a glass of water he would use the same line of "be careful it will get your mouth wet"

We are happy that families can be together forever.

5 Months

2009-08-29T12:08:00.003-06:00

Man how time flies when you are having fun. I can't believe Parker is already 5 months old.

He has learned to roll over from his back to his front.
He now gets mad if he wakes and is swaddled.
He is sleeping better during the day.
He is nursing less often for shorter periods???
He loves to put anything and everything in his mouth.
He enjoys being outside.
He loves baths.

We are happy and proud that he is healthy, and growing.

Tour of Our Lemon-aid Stand

2009-08-12T21:00:00.007-06:00

As requested here is a tour of our new house (AKA our lemon-aid stand). We hope to paint it in a few years to a more mellow color.

Front View
Front Room (it will probably be empty for a while)
Entry Way (I must say I love the tile that goes all the way to the kitchen, but not a fan that the kitchen sink is so visible from the front door).
Kitchen
Dining Area
Upstairs Bathroom
Master Bedroom

Office/Spare Bedroom

Parker's Room

DOWNSTAIRS

Family Room

Creative/Game/Play Area

Laundry/Storage/Sewing Room

Spare Bedroom

3/4 Bathroom (it doesn't look this good in real life)
Backyard (With our friend Gabe who we are tending)

Now that we are more settled we are really loving the place. I'm enjoying having so much open space. We still have a lot of work to do, but we will have plenty of time to get everything we want done in the coming years.

Thanks to all who helped make this move possible. We appreciate those who helped by moving our things, watching Parker, and cleaning both the new place and the old place. We feel blessed to have such great friends.

Troy's Transformation

2009-08-12T20:57:00.006-06:00

I usually cut Troy's hair. I remember being really pregnant last time I cut Troy's hair. Troy hasn't has a hair cut since then. Parker is now 4 1/2 months old so needless to say Troy has been in desperate need of a hair cut for some time. I've been telling him I'm too busy and he should just go pay someone, but he never took the time to go get one; so finally on Saturday I said, "I'm cutting your hair once Parker goes to sleep."

Here are the results:

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

I'm not very good at the hair cutting thing, but I figured there was no way I could make it look any worse than it already did so I just went at it.

It took me like 1 1/2 hours to do the hair cut, but it was fun being able to spend that time with Troy. I'd like to think that was part of my plan (get both of us really tired so the hair cut looks 10 times better), but it really just takes me a long time to get it to look half-way decent.

Burton Transplant Benefit Fund

2009-08-07T11:18:00.002-06:00

My cousin's husband Doug Burton, 35, also a father of Anya and Isaac is in desperate need of a kidney and pancreas transplant. Struggling with juvenile diabetes since his youth, Doug is now on dialysis. Please join us in helping Doug restored back to health with this vital surgery.

Doug has worked for years in the company business, Burton Auto, helping his dad and granddad in their West Jordan shop. A few years ago he was able to get a job, in the printing department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The health insurance from this blessed job, will pay most of the bills. Now unable to work, we ask that you please lend a hand in helping us raise his portion of the surgical costs.

Friday, August 14, 2009, come join the festivities at Pioneer Hall 1137 West 7800 South in West Jordan, Utah, with an all day boutique and silent auction
Prince & Princess Party 2-4pm for children, which includes meeting a favorite princess, fairy godmother, games & royal treats. $5
Western Party with the Deloy Allred Country Band is $20 per couple 7-9pm which includes, program, dancing & goodies.

Purchase tickets for either event at either Burton Automotive (7709 S Redwood Road), or Macey's Grocery (7589 S 3200 W) in West Jordan.

If you are unable to make it to either event, but want to help out; donations can be made to any Mountain America Credit Union.

Growing Up So Fast

2009-07-31T17:12:00.005-06:00

I thought I was going to have a little petite child. HE CAME OUT 8lbs 4oz.
I thought he was going to be short (like both mom and dad). HE CAME OUT NORMAL LENGTH

Today's doctor's appointment went well. He is healthy and on level.

He is now

14 lbs 4 oz (that is 4lbs in 2 months)
25 inches tall

The doctor told me I can start him on cereal whenever I want.

These babies sure do grow up quick.

4 Months

2009-07-24T15:17:00.002-06:00

Parker became 4 months old on Thursday the 22nd of July.

The last months has been a fun filled one he has learned and grown a lot.

He has gotten really good at sharing his smile with others.

He has gotten really good with his hands. He now holds his own toys. He has even grabbed at my face.

He loves to put everything in his mouth (toys, blankets, hands, and toes).

He still doesn't sleep well during the day, but he is sleeping ok at night. He usually only wakes once each night, and once his belly is full he goes right back to sleep. Also I'm not sure if it is the heat, or just him growing, but he no longer needs to be swaddled to sleep.

We gave him his gift 2 weeks early when we bought him his own bedroom (I don't know if this was more for him or us). We also upgraded from his bassinet to a crib. It was a little rough the first night until I got used to listening a little closer for his cry.

HOME-It's About Time!!!!

2009-07-23T14:48:00.001-06:00

After a few months of looking and waiting as of July 9th we are officially home owners.

We have found a cute 4 bedroom, 1 3/4 bathroom rambler. It is about 3 times larger than our apartment, and takes much more time to clean. I used to be able to vacuum my apartment in 7 min. It now take double that for just the basement.

We will be making the place feel more like ours with some small improvement over the next little while.

We feel truly blessed we were able to buy a house and celebrated with a Cold Duck.

A New Trick In The Bag

2009-07-06T19:02:00.003-06:00

Today during "tummny time" Parker add a trick to the bag of things he can do.

HE ROLLED OVER
(more like fell over)

I was so surprised I actually startled Parker. We put him back on his tummy and he did it again.

I'm excited I just hope we get in a bigger place before he starts steam rolling all around.

Product Review - magicJack

2009-07-02T08:20:00.002-06:00

At the beginning of this year we found ourselves needing to ditch our old dial-up Internet service for high speed Internet. Along with this change we decided we either needed to ditch our land line phone service or find an alternative. I really didn't want to not have a land line, because my cell phone is a pay as you go, and although I don't talk on the phone a lot a saw this getting more expensive than my minimum $20/3 months I'm required to spend to keep my phone in service. We saw an add for the magicJack and thought what the heck. Here is what we have learned and experienced with the magicJack in the last 6 months.

What is magicJack?
Magic Jack is an Internet based phone service.

How does it work?
First the little magicJack box is plugged into a USB port of any computer that has high speed Internet. Next a phone is plugged into the phone jack on the magicJack. Soon the magicJack is loaded and you are able to get a phone number and start making calls.

Where can you get a magicJack?
We bought ours at Radio Shack, but I've seen them at Office Depot, and heard Best Buy sells them. I also believe you can request one from the magicJack website.

How much does it cost?
We bought ours for $39.95 plus tax. This was the cost for the little box which also includes 1 year of service. Additional years of service can be purchased for $19.95. Although I've seen adds were you can buy 5 years of service for $59.99.

PROS:

Cost: You can't beat$19.99 for a full year of service.
Portability: Your phone number can go anywhere your computer can. So if move you don't have to change numbers.
No long distance charges: Within the US there is no additional charge to calls made to the US or Canada.
You can store phone numbers on the magicJack interface: This is especially nice because you will have the phone numbers as long as you have the magicJack.
You are notified via email when someone leaves a message. This can be nice if you are away from your magicJack, but have access to your email.

CONS:

Reliability: Many times the magicJack is plugged in and the computer is on, but for so reason the caller doesn't get through.
Quality: Many times the call breaks up. I've also had many times when I answer and they can hear me, but I can't hear them.
Quantity: You only have one jack per magicJack so unless you have a cordless phone system with more than one hand set you only have one phone. (We recently bought a multi-handset cordless phone set, but are waiting until we move out of our 1 bedroom apartment before testing it)
Caller-ID: I'm not sure if the caller ID box on a phone would work with it hooked up to the magicJack, but the system for caller ID on the computer only shows you the number that is calling you, so if the name and number isn't stored in your contacts you only get the number that is calling you and not the name. Also along these sames lines, when you call someone your name doesn't show up on their caller ID. I believe all the recipient sees is the number and something like out-of-area.
You have to get a new number: Although once you get the magicJack number you won't ever have to change it, currently you aren't able to switch over your existing number to the magicJack number. Supposedly this is something they are working on. . .
Energy: I'm assuming the magicJack system uses a lot more energy than a regular telephone, because for it to work it must be connected to a computer that is connected to the Internet. This means you have to pay for the energy for the computer to be constantly running. The computer will not hibernate as long as the magicJack is connected.

Conclusion:

If you are considering giving up your land line, but are still a little apprehensive I recommend the magicJack.

If you are one of the select few people out there without a cell phone I would definitely NOT recommend the magicJack. It is too unreliable to be able to count on it in a time of emergency.

I'm glad we bought it, and it has already paid for itself in the money we've saved by not having to pay a monthly phone bill.

3 Months

2009-06-22T09:53:00.001-06:00

O-MY How time flies!!!

After 3 months here are some of Parker's favorites:

Thing to eat -- It's a toss up between his hands, and milk.

Toy -- Another toss between his bouncer chair, and Dad.

Position -- Anything but his belly, although when he sleeps he likes to have his hands by his ears.

Thing to watch -- Anything on TV, if the TV is on his is staring at it with HUGE eyes.

Game -- Tickle me, but only with dad

Past time -- Taking walks with mom and dad. He keeps his eyes wide open for most of the walk so he doesn't miss a thing.

He seems to be an easy going little boy as long as he isn't hungry. When he is hungry he forgets all manners and demands food right then. He however doesn't care too much how he gets his foods. He will take a bottle or breast, cold or warm. Sometimes I can tell he doesn't like the cold bottles, but once he realises it has food he eats away

He loves to smile, and doesn't even care if he knows you. He shares his smiles with all around.

He's a little picky when it comes to sleeping. He falls a sleep best when tightly wrapped in a blanket, and a pacifer is placed in his mouth. During the day he takes a few short naps. At night he usually sleeps one 5 hour session, and 2 2 hour session.

He is really growing and changing fast. I'm greatful I'll be around to see him learn and grow.

12 Weeks = ???

2009-06-14T15:22:00.003-06:00

Parker sure is a happy baby (most of the time). Today he is 12 Weeks and we got a first on the camera.

Parker sure does have fun with his dad.

I'm glad he did this when we were both around.

FUNNY

2009-06-03T18:23:00.006-06:00

I'm not a Star Trek Fan or as some call it a Trekkie, but I found this hillarious.

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/trekkies_bash_new_star_trek_film?utm_source=videoembed

NOTE I HAVE NOT SEEN THE NEW MOVIE

2 Months

2009-05-22T20:49:00.002-06:00

Two months ago at this time I was in labor. I had no idea what lie ahead of me besides knowing I was going to be a mother. Since that time I have gone through the struggles every new mother goes through and have fallen in love with this little boy.

He is now sleeping for 4-6 hours straight at night. He doesn't sleep too well during the day, but we are working on that one. With this sleep we have discovered an adorable smile. It is fun looking at him and have his whole face light up. Yesturday when Troy came home Parker wouldn't take his eyes off of him. It was precious.

Day of the BS ME

2009-05-16T14:05:00.006-06:00

On May 8th Troy officially became an alumni of the

University of Utah.

After many hard years of school he now has a Bachelor Of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Parker must be really proud of Troy because he was extremely happy or slept during both ceremonies.

Hats off to Troy. He has worked really hard, and missed many nights of sleep. We are excited for what this means for our future.

Now that he is graduated Troy will be taking up mechanical bull riding.

Actually Troy will be working full time as a mechanical engineer, and plans to return to school in a year to start a masters degree.

Troy's Senior Design

2009-05-02T20:36:00.003-06:00

Troy has worked hard the last two years to develop a hybrid powered elevator.

The project was inspired by the New Orleans area. After Hurricane Katrina the building code requires all houses to be at least 4 feet off the ground. The cost for a traditional elevator is more than most people can afford. Troy was able to help come up with a design that can be built from products found at many hardware store and can be built at a fraction of the cost of a traditional evelator. He was able to show off his design at the U of U's Mechanical Engineered Design Day.

Troy's senior desing team

Katie & Parker taking a ride

Troy riding the elevator

Sleeping Update

2009-05-02T20:09:00.004-06:00

It seems Parker has finally learned how to sleep. For the last week he has slept for 2-3 hours at a time during the night, and is only up for 1 hour between each shift. He even slept for 4 hours straight one night. During the day he is sleeping for 1/2-1 hour at a time. He usually is up for about 1 hour between each shift. It has been so nice having a happy baby.

After 1 Month

2009-04-21T14:44:00.003-06:00

1 month old

Parker is REALLY good at two things eating and messing his diaper.

If he had his way he would eat 24/7. He sometimes will go more than 2 hours between feedings, but usually wants to eat every 1 1/2 hours. Luckily He is my only responsibility so I can devote all of my time to his growing body.

I joke that he has a chronic dirty diaper. I doesn't matter when it is changed he will mess it minutes later. He even decided to go once while I way changing him. I've learned to look out for the fire house, but the blow hole was a new adventure.

We are still working on him sleeping. He is more like his dad in that if anything is going on he won't sleep. This usually results in a very cranky Parker. He will only fall asleep after being rocked until long past the point that your arms feel ready to fall off. Many times either Mom or Dad fall asleep in the quest to put him to sleep. During the day he stays asleep for about 30 minutes. At night he sleep for 1-2 hours at a time.

Parker seems to have two volumes - - content and quiet or WAWAWAWAWA at the top of his lungs. There isn't much in between those.

We have gotten some great smiles out of him, and even some cute squeaks. He has even laughed a few times. I can't wait until these are stimulated, and not just a coincidence.

We have made it one month. I don't know what is a better feat that we've survived or him. Although we still have a lot to learn we haven't completely failed at this quest to be half way decent parents.

It's A Boy

2009-03-25T08:32:00.006-06:00

It is official

HE is a boy!!!

Name: PARKER ALBERT RUECKERT (because we named him this I found out the birth certificate person at the hospital knew Troy's dad in high school -- Albert is Troy's grandpa's name)

Weight: A hearty 8lbs 4oz (I've been saying this whole time, "I refuse to give birth to anything over 8lbs," but I'm sure this is not the 1st time he will show me up" I honestly didn't think my little body could do it, but BOO RAH momma is tough - but sore). As the doctor was stitching me up I asked when I could run a marathon, she gave me a look of horror and said 6 weeks. I said, "Great I'll sign-up for one," she really got concerned and said, "I think you'll need some time to train." I have been given the OK to walk in a week or so, but have promised no running until after I get an OK.

Length: 20in long.

Born on: Sunday 3/22 @ 10:59 pm (I figured at 4:30 am when I started having labor pains that we would have a Sunday baby, but didn't know he was going to cut it so close).

Funniest moment: After he was born both mom and dad were so wow'd by the whole experience that neither thought to look to see if we had a boy or girl. About 5 min after the birth a nurse finally said. "Hey, wait was that a boy or a girl." We had joked before hand after he is born when people ask what we had we would say, "I don't know, we didn't find out." I didn't know it might actually happen.

2nd Funniest moment: Watching our WONDERFUL FRIEND (we won't embarrass with a name) experience his first pee. WONDERFUL FRIEND know both mom and dad have now had similar experiences. The only difference both of ours happened at home, and we couldn't just call the nurse to come clean it up.

We love him and are excited for our future family with Parker as the big brother.

You can see some really cute pictures at: http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=f36c888a-4ad4-4abc-9565-e131b1b6264e&babyid=e699c9d8-1271-4df9-a129-3358af49a82b

Shelf

2009-03-21T09:50:00.007-06:00

The other day I was innocently eating a grapefruit. Troy looked over at me an laughed. At first I asked, "Why are you laughing at me?" I then looked down and imagined what he saw and as well started to laugh.

I couldn't help myself, I can't bend down to be closer to the bowl, and this belly was at just the right height for what I needed. I've been told I'm going to miss my little "shelf" and this is just one thing I'll have to get used to.

Troy has been really funny lately. He has been telling the baby it is time to come (sometimes he even tells my uterus its time to let the baby out), and every time I grimace he wonders if I'm in labor. We both want the baby to come soon. Up until about 2 days ago I was more scared of delivery than I was excited for the baby to come so I was alright with the baby waiting until I realized I have to go through the pain no matter what; now I just want the baby to come so I can step into the next stage of my life. So many people have given me ideas on how to get labor started. I've tried some, but for the most part they don't sound that appealing so I don't even consider them. I'd rather be pumped with pitocin rather than castrol oil. For now I will just keep walking my 2 miles each day and hope the baby comes soon.

LET ME OUT

2009-03-15T18:55:00.005-06:00

Last night our baby was really active so Troy pulled out the camera to try to catch the movement. Our batteries died about 15 sec into the video, but you get the idea.

I know more nudity, but just like last time there is no better way.

I hope you are able to see the movement good. I really liked watching this because I only get to see the top of my belly move, so this is not a view I'm used to getting. It has been so fun watching this little body get stronger over the last couple of months.

I've told the baby it can come out whenever it wants, and have assured it that there is more space to wiggle out here, but still the baby hasn't made any really indication it is taking me up on the invitation.

Tomorrow is my due date. I've decided although I'm OK with going over it is just like running a race and thinking you are running into the straight-away of your last lap of 2 mile race just to find out you really have another lap until you are done.

Baby Shower Round-Up

2009-03-15T18:52:00.001-06:00

Well the 3rd and 4th baby showers have come and gone. (I know this baby is spoiled)

The 3rd baby shower was from Troy's family. We had a salad bar lunch, and tied baby quilts for the Humanitarian Center. It was great being able to give something that we have in abundance to others who have nothing. I'm so grateful we have all the necessities and many of the luxuries of life.

The 4th and final baby shower was one for my family and a few friends. My mom's cousin Elaine threw the shower, but sadly was sick the night of the shower so after all her hard work she stayed in the basement while we partied. I hope see gets better quickly. At the shower we also tied a baby quilt, ate yummy cake and ice cream, and had some great visiting with each other.

I'm so grateful for such supportive family on both sides of our family. I love all my families. Our baby is loved not just by mommy and daddy, but also many aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and friends.

37 Weeks - Basketball vs Belly

2009-02-28T08:46:00.008-07:00

(Sorry for the nudity, but there was no other way)

My favorite saying, "Baby is growing and so is mommy, even if mommy doesn't want to."

This is a standard basketball. I had the misconception we should use the smaller women's ball to compare size. NOPE looks like this kids is the size of a full size basketball.

I don't quiet feel ready to have this baby yet. I'm enjoying every moment of the pregnancy and the sleep I am getting right now. It is not the type of sleep I used to get, but I'm sure it's better then what I'll get once the baby comes. And for all it's worth the baby is protected and safe.

I am getting excited to meet the little one. This baby has been very well behaved. I have carried this baby very high and have only gotten a few painful kicks in my ribs. Maybe with the genetics of a 5'1" mom and a 5'5" dad it can't reach them. I've also been able to keep up my energy level through this last little bit. I just hope Baby isn't patient and will check out by the check out time. March 16th is coming full speed ahead.

Don't forget to put in you prediction of what gender Baby Rueckert will be. Time is running out.

Cabin Fever

2009-02-28T08:27:00.002-07:00

On Saturday, February the 21st, Troy and I had the opportunity to go with some great friends to their cabin. It was really fun and just what I needed. Our friends went up Friday, but because of the baby shower we just went up Saturday morning and stayed until Sunday morning.

When we got there we ate some amazing German pancakes before heading out to go sledding. We would sled down this road that was o-so perfect and then get a lift back to the top with on their snow mobile. This is totally the way to do sledding any time, especially when you are pregnant. It made going down that much funner, there was no climbing back up.

For me the cabin time was perfect. I had such a hard week at work (or maybe it was the hula hooping), and was in constant pain sometimes to the point I wanted to cry. At the cabin I was able to relax, and ended feeling fabulous.

Thanks to Marie for a perfect weekend get-a-way, and the wonderful Snuggli.

Baby Shower #2

2009-02-28T08:20:00.002-07:00

On Friday the 20th of February I was able to get with some great friends, and neighbors from my childhood and high school. I took my camera so I could take pictures, but then left it in my car. Honestly I don't know if I would have remembered to take any pictures any ways.

It was great seeing such a great turn out. I wasn't sure what to expect. Many of the people invited I hadn't seen for years so I wasn't sure if they would come or not, but was happy to see so many people. There were even some people there I used to babysit. FUN!!!

While at the shower one women showed me how to fold baby socks and wash cloths REALLY REALLY fast. All I need to do I have 7 kids and I too may be that fast some day.

It was so great seeing everyone, and being able to share a night of this special time in my life with them.

36 Weeks - Can't be too long especially after this.

2009-02-15T22:26:00.004-07:00

1st Shower

2009-02-07T16:18:00.003-07:00

I had my first baby showers. My great co-works worked hard to set up a pot luck surprise baby shower for me. They were wonderful and supplied me with some great things for the baby. The food was great too, even if I did eat way too many cookies. I work with some wonderful people.

33 Weeks

2009-01-31T12:10:00.005-07:00

We are excited Baby is growing, even if it means Mommy is too!!!!

Troy's Service

2009-01-31T11:50:00.003-07:00

Troy is a great person. He is willing to do pretty much anything for me. He is very thoughtful, and considerate. When we were only married about a year or so I was making dinner. He came into the kitchen. He asked, "Is there anything you want me to do?" I looked around and really didn't have anything he could do to help with dinner. I thought about his question and realised he said "anything" so I responded with, "You know what I really need done?" He said "what." I said, "The bath tub needs to be scrubbed. Would you scrub it for me?" He went and scrubbed the tub without too much complaining. I've used this once and know better than to use it again as I don't want him to stop asking if I need help.

I'm not the only person Troy is willing to serve. About 6 months ago he was stressing because there was a baptism for my nephew, a meeting for school, and a friend of his moving all at generally the same time. He was stressing because he didn't know how he was going to be able to help this friend move. He said maybe I can just go for a half hour, but I pointed out that even that may be difficult. I HAD to point out to him he had just helped this friend move 6 months earlier and he really didn't HAVE to help again. It was almost like he never even thought, "I'm too busy I can't serve." Man I sure do have a lot of learning to do.

Troy and the M & M

2009-01-31T11:31:00.005-07:00

This is my favorite story about my husband. It is completely true and does a great job of describing just how he is.

A few years ago Troy went home teaching to some friends that just lived in the apartment building next to us. While he was there they gave him a partially eatten large bag of plain M&Ms. The family decided they were tired of them, and Troy being the great home teacher he was jumped at the oppurtunity to help them out with this "need" of theirs.

He brought the M&Ms home and over the next several weeks possibly even months we both would eat some here and there. I'm not a huge plain chocolate fan or else they would have been eaten quicker. Troy likes chocolate, but he also likes to savor anything he likes. When most people eat M&M's they take a small hand full pop them in their mouth and start chewing. When Troy eats M&M's he takes them one at a time puts the M&M in his mouth and savors every gain of sugar. After a while of enjoying these M&Ms Troy went to go get a few. He grabbed out as many M&Ms as he wanted to savor and realize there were only 3 M&Ms left in the bag.

Any "normal" person would have just taken those 3 plain little M&Ms and started munching on them. Troy isn't normal so when he looked at those 3 M&M's he saw at least 30 minuts of savoring time. He said, "I think I'll save these for later." He then went and grabbed a little sandwich baggie and deposited the M&Ms in it, and put them back in the cupboard.

7 weeks and counting

2009-01-23T18:51:00.001-07:00

Well today marks 7 weeks until the most ideal day for the baby to come.

I know the baby will come when the baby will come, but if it comes March 13th (Also Friday the 13th) scheduling will be wonderful. This is the Friday before spring break so if it comes Troy will be able to be around a lot more the week right after Baby comes. My due date is March 16th so I don't think I'm asking too much for it to come 3 days early.

I can't wait to meet this little ninja inside of me, or maybe we have a dancer.

For the last little while I've felt like it is going to be a boy, but just a few night ago I had a dream and it was a active little girl. We shall see.