Out of the Dark

Saying our family room was dark is an understatement. The lighting was actually so bad that I was embarrassed to have people over. I told Andrew something needed to be done.

Andrew suggested that we get new, brighter bulbs which was a cheap solution. We tried it out and I still wasn't satisfied. 

Can you tell how weak the light is?

Making decisions has never been a quick or easy process for me. I felt a lot of pressure in picking out a new light. Luckily my Mom helped me. We went with a light that has 18 bulbs. What a difference it makes! Lots of people have been complimentary about our new fixture. James is intrigued by the new light and loves to stare at it intently. 

Why didn't we do this sooner? I actually bought a new light fixture right when we moved in, but returned it when I discovered it wouldn't work well in the space. It only took me over a year and a half to replace it.

I started a book club and the first meeting is in January at my house. I told Andrew that before we have all my friends in the club over, I also want a new light over our kitchen table. Check out what we had below and you'll see why.

Our ceiling is pretty low in this area. I dislike the look of a hooked chandelier which is what we had. Finding a light that worked for this space was challenging, but we finally found one. Although it took way too long (3 hours) to put up due to a poor design, even Andrew can say he likes it.

Unfortunately I don't have fantastic pictures of the transformation. Just know that I'm no longer ashamed to have people over. We still have some other light fixtures we need to replace, but for now I'm thrilled with the progress we have made.

O Christmas Tree

Andrew and I have had 5 chances to get a Christmas tree. Our statistics are improving because we are now 1 for 5. We got our first tree ever this year! We aren't anti-Christmas by any means, but we have never purchased a tree until now.

We both have different ideas about what we want in a tree. I told Andrew we could get a real tree (for him). Our plans changed due to the appendectomy. Andrew can't lift much for 2 weeks, so getting a real tree would be tricky. We didn't want to wait 2 weeks to get a tree, so Andrew told me to buy a fake one which is what I wanted all along.

I bought a $39, 6.5 ft tall tree from Walmart. No, it's not our forever tree. It works for now though. 

We put it in our front room, so you can see it through our window when you drive by. What a difference a tree makes! I love turning the lights on at night. I feel much more festive than usual. We even bought stockings and lights for our stair banister. To top it all off, we have a Christmas wreath on our door and a Christmas centerpiece on our table. It's like a whole new house this season!

There are some presents under the tree, but not many. James is enthralled by them and I'm lucky they haven't been destroyed (yet). Andrew is too good at guessing what is in a wrapped present. I learned this the hard way. Now, I usually wait to give Andrew his gifts until the day of. They are not on display under the tree. I'm dying to show Andrew what I got him this year because I think he will be pleased.  It helps that he is one of the easiest people to shop for.

I love the #lighttheworld challenge and we have been doing that again this year. It really helps change your mindset and make you remember what is most important during this time of year. One night, we gave out neighbor gifts. We finally met some neighbors that we should have introduced ourselves to ages ago. I love #lighttheworld because it suggests things to do each day and makes me step out of my comfort zone.

Here is what our neighbors and friends got this year:

I took this picture after we had already delivered some. Oops.

May your WRAPPING be MERRY and BRIGHT

Getting the mail at this time of year is my favorite. Almost daily we have a new Christmas card from family or friends. It's enjoyable to look at the pictures and to display them on our fridge. For the first time ever, we sent out a Christmas card. I now have an adorable baby to show off. I believe I ordered these cards at the beginning of November because I could hardly wait to see them.

What a wonderful time of year this is and there is still plenty more to come!

Appendectomy

As per usual I left my blogging until the end of the month. I had intentions of publishing a post on Thursday, but instead spent the day in the hospital. (The subject was going to be something exciting like COOKIES, but now is titled APPENDECTOMY. That's reality for you.)

Wednesday night, Andrew went to bed and mentioned his stomach hurt. Neither of us thought it was more than a stomach bug. His stomach worsened as time progressed and Andrew was up at 1:00am with pain and was in and out of sleep/pain the rest of the night. His alarm went off at 6:15am and he turned it off and immediately went back to sleep. At 7:30, I woke Andrew up and asked if he was going into work or not. 

He was unsure about what to do. I suggested that Andrew shower and see how he felt afterwards. At this point all I knew was that his stomach was upset and he almost threw up twice. It became quite apparent after the shower that work wasn't an option as the pain progressed. Walking seemed to cause a lot of stress.

I quickly got out of my pajamas, so I could drive Andrew to the Emergency Room. We didn't bother taking the time to change James out of his jammies. (I drove faster than usual which Andrew later commented on.) We arrived at the E.R. at about 8:00am. It didn't seem particularly busy or crowded, but took a long time. 

When the doctor came in, he pressed all over Andrew's stomach. When he touched near the appendix, Andrew screamed out in lots of pain and the doctor apologized. The doctor said if it was the olden days, they would have sent him back to surgery right away, but they needed to do a cat-scan just to verify. The results of the cat-scan took FOREVER it seemed. 

Lots of waiting

Andrew's last time holding James for 2 weeks

The nurse was supposed to give Andrew some morphine so he would be more comfortable. "I'll be right back with it..." After a long time (1 hour), I went out and asked if he could get medicine. All the nurses assumed he already had it. Finally, Andrew was able to get some relief.

The morphine had kicked in here

Right before surgery

One of the nurses came and found us before we were transferred out of the E.R. She said something like... "I didn't think it was actually your appendix. I thought it was just kidney stones." We both thought this was weird. Last time we were at this hospital was when I delivered James and the nurses didn't believe me when I told them my water broke. They must have lots of patients who have false alarms? 

We were lucky that Andrew was able to have the surgery at 12:30pm and it was just under an hour long. Apparently there usually aren't openings until later on in the day. Both of my brothers have had this surgery before, so we knew what to expect and weren't too worried. Andrew has 3 incisions on his stomach. For the operation, they shaved his belly button hair. I was surprised when Andrew came out of the operation with orange (ish) iodine all over his tummy. 

The surgeon said everything went well and Andrew has a follow-up appointment in a week. We left the hospital as soon as we could which was at 3:00pm. Many people mentioned how fast this whole surgery process was. Although the timing worked out in our favor, it was a very long day. (The little amount of the sleep the night before didn't help.) What a relief that we didn't have to spend the night in the hospital!

James was a trooper spending so much time bored in the hospital. He charmed all of the nurses and they even gave him a teddy bear. I'm so grateful we live near family. My sister came and stayed with me and helped with James during the surgery. My Mom brought food and followed us home from the hospital to make us delicious chicken noodle soup. We had friends bring by cookies and family order us pizza the next day which was such a treat. We are definitely watched over!

The recovery process hasn't been too bad. (Coming from the wife, not the patient.) In fact, Andrew is back at work today. Although I would never wish surgery on anyone, I was happy to get to see Andrew more than usual. 

James' First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving crept up so fast this year! Jill and Rob flew in from California and so all my siblings were able to be together. Both sets of my grandparents also joined us. We had such a big feast. I made 7 layer dip as well as pumpkin cookies which were a big hit. Rob made stuffing from scratch which was new to all of us. Wow, it is much better than boxed stuffing. It had sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, peppers, etc. and was phenomenal. Rob also made homemade cranberry sauce which is much different than our norm of just opening a can. Although I typically don't dip my turkey in cranberry sauce, I decided to give it a whirl and it was delicious. Rob's trick is to put cherries in with the cranberries, so the sauce tastes a little more sweet. My Mom added Mac and Cheese to the menu this year and I'm glad she did. After eating so much, we went on a little stroll to the park with the group.

Right before I lost in knock-out.

Isn't Daddy the best?

Feeding the ducks (and James) bread

On Friday, we went hiking because the weather has been crazy warm for this time of year. (I couldn't be happier about that!) The hike was a bit steep, but lead to a pretty waterfall. The hike was called Upper Falls and was up Provo Canyon. It felt good to work some of that Thanksgiving meal off.

James enjoyed facing out

Saturday we went and saw the movie, "Wonder." I have been dying to see this movie. I read the book to my fourth graders both years I taught for a reason. The movie did not disappoint (neither did the popcorn). Andrew hasn't read the book, but still thought the movie was well-done. After the movie, my Dad made "turkey hash" with all the Thanksgiving leftovers. Mmmmmm. The night went by quickly playing games.

As I reflect on all of my blessings around this time of year, I'm overwhelmed. Everything I dreamed about for my future as a little girl has come true. I'm married to the best husband and father, I have the cutest son, and get to stay home and watch him learn and grow. I also got to teach for 2 years which is something I always wanted to do. Cheers to having James around every Thanksgiving from now on.

October Festivities

It has been a beautiful October. The weather has been dreamy and I'm trying to be better at enjoying the now. I'm trying to push the "winter is coming, and it's only going to get darker" thoughts to the back of my mind. I am also taking advantage of not having to wear a jacket to the gym in the mornings. (even though I probably could use one.)

I even made a wreath with my friend. I'm not a very crafty person, and was proud of myself. Our porch looks much more festive than usual with a wreath AND a pumpkin. I think this year we're even going to get a Christmas tree which will be a first for us.

I don't feel like the picture does it justice, but that is probably because I spent longer than I'm willing to admit making this wreath.

For Family Home Evening earlier this month we went to a pumpkin patch with friends. We went on a hayride, picked out a pumpkin, and spent a lot of time warming up by the fire. It was a chilly night, but memories were made. Andrew was in heaven when his favorite author, Brandon Sanderson, happened to be at the pumpkin patch. Our friends we were with are also huge fans, so they enjoyed talking to him. Brandon was everything I imagined a Fantasy author to be.

Proud of the pumpkin we found in the picked over patch

Bundled up in 2 jackets and a blankie.

James can sit up now which is amazing, especially when shopping. When I took this picture, he didn't quite have it down, so he is buckled in tight. He has always wanted to move so much he never wants to sit still. 

My sister-n-law is an amazing photographer and took some family pictures for us in the mountains. They turned out better than I could have imagined and I can't wait to send out a Christmas card. Lindsey scouted out the best spot that still had beautiful colors and leaves. We owe her big time. Here is a sneak peak.

Pre Picture Selfie to check our outfit colors

What a big boy

This week for Family Home Evening, we made sugar cookies and used Halloween shapes to cut them out. We even attempted to turn the frosting orange, but it ended up having a pink tint. The sugar cookie making process ended up being quite an ordeal. I ended up having to remake the frosting and re-bake a couple batches of underdone cookies. In the end, we got the cookies delivered just before it was too late. We didn't take any pictures of our beautiful pink frosted Halloween cookies (or the kitchen which is still recovering from all the flour).

We can't wait to share our Halloween traditions with James on Tuesday! Having a baby definitely makes this time of year even more special and he will look pretty darn cute in his costume.

How to Survive Without Your Husband for 8 Days

Andrew recently returned from a trip to the Philippines. He went there for work to train some people. I think I would have been fine alone, but was happy to live near family because they helped the time pass by more quickly. Here is what I did each day in hopes of fast-forwarding time:

Friday, September 29th---Andrew Left
After taking Andrew to the airport around 11:00am, I went to my parents house with a suitcase packed for James and I. We went to spend some time there for conference weekend with plans to stay at least through Tuesday which is when I teach piano lessons at their house.

Friday night, I had dinner with Logan, Julia, and Henry at the Pie Pizzeria in Midvale. They were in town for general conference and I enjoyed seeing them and of course eating pizza.

Saturday, September 30th---General Conference/Ladies Night
I spent most of the day watching General Conference. I loved all of the messages and felt especially inspired this conference. I am enjoying re-listening to all the talks now.

We have the tradition on Saturday night while the boys are at the Priesthood session of conference to have Ladies Night. This year we went to Blue Lemon--a restaurant I had never tried before. Lindsey, Simon, and Esther came by and we talked/played with them for a while. Later, we had pazookies (basically gooey cookies with ice cream on-top) and Jessica and I went shopping at Old Navy and Target. We missed Jill!

Sunday, October 1st---General Conference/Family Dinner
James' nap schedule lined up perfectly and he slept during both conferences! I made a scarf while I was listening. We went on a walk in between sessions and for dinner Grandma and Grandpa Denning came as well as Jeff, Lindsey, Simon, and Esther. (Jess stayed the night Saturday.) Of course Sunday morning we had cinnamon rolls which were phenomenal as usual.

Monday, October 2nd---Lunch With Grandma
I went with Grandma Denning to Cubby's which she had never tried before. It has become one of my favorite restaurants and I can now say I'm a fan of sweet potato fries. Grandma seemed to enjoy it and we had a good time catching up. On our way home, we got Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies from Potbelly's. I ate way too much.

Monday night Joel and Jeff came over to watch Star Trek and I made dinner. I did not watch Star Trek with them. I have no interest in that show. (I tried watching 15 minutes of the first episode this season and was bored out of my mind. Sorry Andrew.)

Tuesday, October 3rd---Piano Lessons and Sodalicious with Mary
My afternoon went by quickly teaching 4 students. Mary came over shortly after I was done teaching and we had a lot to catch up on. She was my best friend in high school and had never met James before. While we were chatting, we organized music in folders with my Mom who is the Stake Music Chair and had a lot to do. We ended the night with drinks.

Wednesday, October 4th---Pizza and Bull
My Mom is in grad school, so she is in class during the day at BYU, but we had fun in the evenings. We got pizza and enjoyed watching the T.V. show, "Bull" together which is one of my favorites.

Thursday, October 5th---Alpine Loop and Piano Lessons
I went back to my house pretty early Thursday so I could hangout with Shaylee, Josh, and Philip. We drove the alpine loop which was stunning. The fall colors are unreal and we brought picnic lunches. It ended up getting kind of cold and I probably shouldn't have worn sandals because my toes went numb. I taught 3 students piano when I got back. (We're taking family pictures in these gorgeous colors this weekend. Can't wait!)

Friday, October 6th---Jessica's Concert and Girls Night
I had plans to babysit for a friend, but they fell through. It worked out well because I was able to go watch Jess play a viola solo. Things with James turned out to be quite chaotic. James and I arrived almost late to hear Jessica after trying to find a parking spot for over a half hour. When we got into the building I noticed that James had a blowout and immediately had to change that. I went to 2 different bathrooms to find a changing table and had no luck. Seriously, BYU? I finally changed him on my hands and knees on the floor. My parents texted me that my sister started playing and I immediately darted out of the bathroom and James was only in his diaper. Next problem... James was hungry which is why I came so early, so I would have time to feed him. (Booo parking) I fed him while listening to Jess play. (It was very informal in the lobby.) Jessica sounded amazing and I'm so glad I was able to come and watch her, even though things were crazy. I haven't heard Jess play a solo in a long time and she is getting so good.

After that, my parents, Jess, and I met my cousins Sam and Allie at Cubby's for lunch. (Yes, I had Cubby's twice last week.)

Friday night I had a girls night with 2 friends. They came over to watch a movie, eat yummy food, and do nails. We had a good time, but one ended up getting sick and throwing up which I felt bad about.

Saturday, October 7th---Sick
I woke up and my eye was quite pink (I was hoping it would go away while I slept) and had to wake James early so I could go get some medicine for pink eye before playing for stake baptisms. After that, we spent most of the day relaxing. James had a cold, I had pink-eye, and I cleaned the bathroom my friend threw-up in to try to avoid getting those germs as well. I joked with Andrew that he probably didn't even want to come home to our house full of germs. Andrew got in Saturday night and being united as a family again was fantastic. Andrew was worried that James wouldn't recognize or remember him after being away, but that wasn't a problem. It would be pretty hard to forget the best Dad in the world!

Although it was a great opportunity for Andrew to go to the Phillipines for work, I sure hope it doesn't happen again soon. I love my Andrew, especially when he is around.

Piano Lessons

I started advertising in June that I teach piano. NOTHING HAPPENED. Well, let me take that back. After talking to several people in the area about piano teachers, they agreed that we need more piano teachers in the area, so I felt confident I would accrue some students. NOPE. Suddenly I heard about several teachers that live very close to me. I also discovered that people don't want to pay a lot of money for a piano teacher in UT county. ($10 a lesson or about $40 a month seem typical around here. Stingy) I was discouraged and nearly gave up after not having much luck.

I'm so glad I stuck it out. The wait was worth it. I started teaching piano at the beginning of this month and am enjoying every second of it. I love feeling like I do something and having something to put my mind on. I teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I have a total of 7 students. Back in June, I thought it would be easy to teach while James was napping. He is much more mobile now and having him sleep or lay in the same place on the floor isn't really an option.

Luckily, I have family nearby and they have been so helpful. On Tuesdays, I actually drive to my parent's house in South Jordan and teach 4 students there. (All from my parent's ward.) It works out well because my Mom watches James while I teach. On Thursdays, Jessica has offered to help a couple of times a month and the other weeks I pay a babysitter. I teach 2 students who found me on Craigslist and my next door neighbor, Drake. Having a break (even if it's just for a little) from motherhood is so good for me. I also have been going to the gym more and James goes to the daycare while I workout which helps keep me sane.

It has been difficult to work with students who came from other teachers. I feel like with time things will get easier though. Not every teacher teaches the same way and I'm slowly learning what my students actually know. It has been fun for me to prepare games and type up piano policies and payment reminders. I also love bringing in a little income. Now I don't feel as bad when I spend money on "wants."

I'm adjusting to this whole staying at home thing and can even say I'm learning to love it. I think I owe a lot of this love (of staying at home) to teaching piano again. (And of course, adorable James.)

So Long Lake Cavanaugh

Originally we weren't planning on going to Lake Cavanaugh this year. Through a turn of events we decided to go. I'm so glad that we made the trip. This was the last year that Andrew's family will go there because the lake cabin is being sold in the Spring.

This year we were treated like royalty because we have the youngest baby. We actually got a bedroom in the cabin. Not just any bedroom either, but the master bedroom with an attached bathroom. We definitely didn't miss sleeping in the loft on 2 separate twin-sized beds scrunched together. 

Lots of James' cousins had never met him before and he sure got plenty of attention. Anytime I walked outside with him, James was greeted by like 10 cousins. It was adorable. At times I think James was a little overwhelmed by how loud it was and everything that was going on.

I promise we were happy and having fun

Andrew was in heaven and got to water-ski lots.

When we arrived it was chilly! In fact I was worried because I didn't really pack us ANY warm clothes because I was anticipating sunbathing by the lake. Luckily only the first day was cold and it continued to warm up over the course of our stay. I didn't end up taking James in the lake though mostly due to the temperature. James did enjoy his boat ride watching Daddy water-ski. It put him right to sleep.

There was lots of time to relax.

A highlight of the trip for Andrew was getting to jet board. (I think that is what it's called?) This usually is pricey and Andrew has never done it. A neighbor to the lakehouse (Mike) has a jet board and offered to let Andrew give it a try. Andrew got at least 20 feet above the water. It is hard to tell in the pictures.

I'm always amazed at how delicious the food is when the crowd to feed is over 35 people. I think I gained weight that weekend and I definitely will be gathering some recipes. We ended up flying and I'm so glad we did because it would have been about a 14 hour drive for us (I believe). After flying to Massachusetts, flying to Seattle was a breeze. We then rented a car and drove the hour and a half to the lake. Unfortunately, on our way back to Utah, we missed our flight. We thought our flight was at a different time, but it was earlier. We didn't have wifi or service at the lake and didn't even think about double-checking our reservation. Luckily Alaska Airlines worked with us, and we were able to get on the next flight for a grand total of $50. (Could have been much worse.) We did have to kill about 5 hours of airport time on a Sunday which was not ideal. I was happy our gate was by a nursing trailer/booth (is that what you call them?) in the airport though because it made feeding James so convenient. 

Enjoying his own seat (This was his backup outfit. When I got him out of his carseat to check-in at the airport there was poop everywhere.)

All tuckered out

As usual, after a vacation it was good to be home. We did lots of traveling right in a row and when we were finally back home, I just wanted to stay and not go anywhere for a while. This is what the month of August looked like for our family:

August 12-19: Cape Cod, Massachusetts for Jill's Wedding

August 24-27: Mt. Vernon, WA with Andrew's family for some boat time

August 30-September 3: All Brothers Hike in UT (the brothers stayed with us for 2 nights)

We even missed the Ditto reunion which was happening in this month of craziness (from August 10-13). I was bummed that all of our summer fun fell in the same month. We did have a blast though and James was a trooper. We don't really have any travel plans until December when we will head to Spokane, and I am okay with that. Oh, well except for the fact that Andrew is leaving for the Philippines next week and will be gone for 8 days! I'm trying not to think about that though.

I will miss going to beautiful Lake Cavanaugh and am glad for the happy memories I have there. (Thanks to Birch and Sara for taking most of these awesome pictures of our time there.)

Wedding

The reason we went to Cape Cod was for my sister's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and I will always remember it. Her dress was gorgeous and her genuine smile didn't disappear all night.

Unfortunately the weather decided not to cooperate, but I think that just made the experience even more memorable. I heard that it rained 7 inches the night of the wedding thanks to a tropical storm. The Bed and Breakfast Jill and Rob stayed at was hit by lightning. Rain on your wedding day is good luck. Apparently it makes the knot harder to untie. 

Jill and Rob decided they still wanted to try to have the ceremony outside despite the weather. We waited for a "break" in the storm and bolted outside when that happened. It wasn't necessarily dry-- in fact, it started drizzling while the ceremony took place. It was beautiful though and the vows they wrote each other were incredible since they're both writers.

There were a few things that made the ceremony unique. The first was that my little sister, Jessica, played, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on her viola while the wedding party walked down the aisle. Also, my Dad performed the ceremony which was neat. (I guess he just had to complete something online and go to the county clerk's office in order to do this.) I loved one piece of advice that my Dad gave to Jill and Rob. Do something nice for your spouse daily. I have been doing this since the wedding and am enjoying it. (I think Andrew is too.) The final touch that made this wedding extra special was that my Mom walked my sister down the aisle!

Jill and Mom

Sisters and Bridesmaids 

There was a dinner following the ceremony that included a Mac and Cheese bar (among other delicious delicacies) which was heavenly. There was also an open bar which had Jill's favorite drink-- a dirty Diet Coke. After dinner, some of Jill and Rob's friends made toasts which were so heartfelt and added a personal touch. All of my siblings and I each said something we love about Jill & Rob. It was hard not to get emotional. I talked about how fun Jill is to be around and that the family isn't the same when she is in CA. I specifically mentioned our family trip to Puerto Rico and how after we got home Andrew told me he didn't know Jill was so much fun. I talked about how selfless Rob is and how just the day before he spent a long time taking everyone sailing which was exhausting, but he didn't complain.

Instead of doing a first dance (nobody in our family likes to dance), Jill and Rob sang a first karaoke song, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." It was so cute. After, there was a little break before anybody had the guts to go karaoke, so I nudged Andrew and encouraged him to go up. (Side note: Jill had been in the car with us earlier in the week when James was crying. Andrew and I sing to him to help calm him down. Jill couldn't believe the deep, loud, accent Andrew sang with and encouraged him to sing at the wedding.) Andrew jumped right up and sang, "I Would Walk 500 Miles." This is by far my favorite memory of the week and hard to put into words. (You had to be there.) Andrew had the perfect accent and excellent stage presence. People are still talking about it and I couldn't stop smiling/laughing the entire time. I can't wait until I get to see the video of his performance. He had the crowd into it. Several family members said they had never seen this side of Andrew before. It was epic and I couldn't be more proud of Andrew for getting the party going.

This picture doesn't do Andrew justice. He was jumping and having the crowd echo, etc.

Jill, Jessie, and I sang, "Sisters," but unfortunately the D.J couldn't get any of the lyrics to show up on the screen which was a big disappointment. We had even practiced, and I had been instructed several times not to be too nervous to harmonize loudly like I usually do.

James was on edge near the end, and we ended up leaving a bit early (30 minutes) which I was sad about, but I don't think we could have lasted much longer. I'm anxious to see the pictures from the wedding that the photographer took. What a fun evening. I'm thrilled that Jillian and Robert found each other and that we could celebrate them in Cape Cod!