The Garrett Family

Whole Wheat Bread

2012-01-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

For everyone who was interested in my homeade bread recipe, here it is!

-4 tbsp yeast
-1 cup very warm water
-1 cup brown sugar or honey ( I use honey)
-2 tbsp's salt
-1/2 cup of oil
-4 1/2 cups warm water
-12-14 cups whole wheat flour*

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup of very warm water. (I scoop out my honey then put the spoon I used in the yeast and water to activate it). Mix together honey, salt, oil, 4 1/2 cups of water and 7 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Mix dissolved yeast in then begin adding flour, enough to make dough easy to handle. (Use dough hooks if using a bosch).

Divide into 4 pieces and form loaves. (I grease my pans with crisco and use a lot on my hands because I leave my dough a little sticky. It's much easier to handle with a good amount!) Put in greased pans and raise about one hour. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, covering with foil for the last 20 minutes to keep crust from getting too dark. Take immediately out of pans and cool on rack (or they will get soggy!) Paint tops with crisco, butter or oil if desired.

*I just found organic whole wheat flour in a 25 lb bag at costco for $13.99. Does anyone else know of a better deal, and where do you get yours? Or is that a pretty good deal?

Let me know how your bread turns out if you make it! I'm happy to answer any questions too, it takes practice to get it just right! As you can tell, I'm still practicing, mine are all different sizes! Good luck :)

Camryn's 3rd Pink Pirate Birthday Bash!

2011-08-15T14:11:00.001-07:00

Camryn turned 3 on the 11th! My little girl is growing up so fast, and is starting preschool in 2 weeks! We celebrated with a big "Pink Pirate" bash, that she picked out all by herself :) It was such a fun party, thank you to all of our family and friends who came over to celebrate her special day! We started with some fun pirate music and dancing, then had a game of "Pin the Patch on the Pirate"! (Artistic work courtesy of Matt:)) Everyone got to put on pirate patch's and necklaces, but I forgot to get the tattoos out :(

She started the "Happy Birthday song herself :)

The dessert table

Camryn and Carson

Opening one of WAY too many presents!

Instead of "walk the plank" we had a "slide the plank" since it's so dang hot outside right now! All the kids had a blast on the slip n slide (yes they still make those, but they're tiny now!)

Small pool for the little ones!

My sweet 3 year old!

Camryn and her daddy!

Callie slip n slidin!

Cooper

We had a treasure chest piñata with lots of goodies inside!,,,,

My bestie Brigitte! Thank you so much for taking all the pics!

Our little pirate! Aaarrrggghhhh! Happy Birthday Captain Camryn! We love you so much!

Thoughts on Motherhood...

2011-04-29T15:20:00.001-07:00

As Mother's Day approaches I've been doing some reflecting on mother's...my mother, my mother in law, being a mother and what that means to me, and lots of other mother's around me who are inspiring in so many different ways!

My mother is such a strong, independent woman. She always makes the best of any situation and is just a happy, positive person no matter what happens in her life. The more I get into raising my 2 kids, I keep wondering more and more how she did this!?! She had all 5 of us by the time she was my age...actually a year younger than I am now! WOW! She was always doing great mommy things like baking homemade bread and cookies, canning peaches or making fresh raspberry jam. She also managed to hold down some type of job all throughout raising kids to contribute to the family. She has taught me so many wonderful lessons and most importantly, raised me in the gospel and showed me how to find true happiness and joy. I love my mother so much and am so grateful that she gets to come play with me and my kids often now that she works for the airlines! I love that mothers get to become friends with their daughters after they grow up because my mother truly is one of my best friends. Rarely does a day go by that we don't talk on the phone or see each other and when it does, it feels like something is missing from my day! I love you mom!

My mother in law is also such a strong and inspiring woman! She also had 5 young kids by her late 20's and even though I didn't know her then, I know she was an incredible mother because she somehow put up with her cute son that she raised into such a great man so I could marry him :) She has been through SO much in this life and has come out so much stronger and with such great faith in our Heavenly Father. She has welcomed me into her family and has always made me feel so loved and supported. She is a wonderful example to me and is such a fun grandma to my kids! I love you Pat!

I feel so blessed to be a mother. To be entrusted with these two sweet little souls. I love them each so much, more than I ever knew was possible to love another person!

I remember being pregnant with Levi and wondering how I was going to be able to love him as much as I loved Camryn because she was my baby girl. She was my first and I thought I would be biased because of that :) Little did I know our capacity to love is just increased and our hearts grow to love more.

There is something so special to me about being awake with my sweet boy in the early morning hours (as much as I'd LOVE to be sleeping!) to nurse him. The house is peaceful and quiet and it's just us for a few minutes. As much as I do look forward to sleeping all night long, I know I'll miss that time we get together, so I'm trying to just enjoy it while it lasts!

Being a mother to a toddler is SO fun and SO hard!!! I've never had my patience tested so many times in one day every single day of every week.....

This sweet girl of mine keeps me on my toes! I feel like it's a totally different experience than being a mother to a newborn baby who just completely relies on you for everything. She can go from perfectly happy to bawling her eyes out in 3 seconds, and does so multiple times a day. Everything is a battle (getting dressed, brushing teeth, doing hair, what to eat, getting in the carseat, getting out of the carseat, walking across the street holding hands, the little grocery carts, etc.) and it's exhausting! But on the flip side, she can smile and give me a big hug and just melt my heart, making all those tantrums and crazy emotions totally worth it. She is so much fun to be around and makes all of us laugh so much! She is learning so much so fast, I just hope I can soak it all up and enjoy every day because every day is such an adventure!

I pray every single day that I'll have the patience I need to be a good mother to her and not lose it! But how could I not just love this cute girl no matter what she does?!

I know being a mother at this stage in my life is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, and I'm grateful that I'm able to full time. I know there will be seasons in my life for other things, but right now I'm grateful I get to put all of my focus and energy into my kids/husband and being the mother/wife that they need and deserve. Some days it's hard and I just want a day off, but I know it's good for us to do hard things and really push ourselves to our limits. That's when we grow and become more Christlike so I'm grateful for those opportunities....usually a few days later :)

I hope this Mother's Day we all remember how special our mother's are, and how special we are as mothers! Motherhood is a divine calling of God, and I know he's counting on us and has confidence in us to raise and nurture these special souls. I love being a mother and I love my kids with all my heart!

6 months already?

2011-03-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

How do they go from this.....

....to this so quickly?!

I cannot believe my little Levi is already 6 months old! It's so true that it goes even faster second time around! This baby is my little angel...I am so in love with him! He has such a happy laid back personality and just goes with the flow. He giggles so easily and gives everyone that he sees the biggest cutest grin! (See above)

He tried rice cereal for the first time a few days ago and didn't super love it, but I think he'll get used to it and love it soon. Levi is rolling both ways now and really gets around pretty good. He absolutely loves his little jumper and likes to spend time in there bouncing away and laughing! He loves Camryn, she can get him to smile and laugh so good! He discovered his feet this month so he's always grabbing them when he's on his back...but can't quite get his feet in his mouth because of his CHUBBY legs! He is still such a chunkster weighing in at 17.75 lbs, which is surprisingly only the 55th %! He's 27 inches which puts him around 75th for height. He's already in 9 month clothes and size 3 diapers (and has been for quite some time!)

He was a pretty good sleeper up until about a month ago. He was going from around 9 to 4 or 5, then eating and going back to sleep for a few hours, but lately he's waking up at 2 and 6...ugh! I thought we were past that! I don't know if he's hungrier or got out of the habit when we were out of town, but I need to get him back on a good schedule so if you have any good baby sleep tips or books, please let me know!

We love this boy so much! He has brought so much happiness into our little family, and we're so grateful he's a part of it.

Unbroken

2011-02-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

My cute husband got me a book for Christmas that my mom already had, so I decided to take it back and browse Barnes and Noble for a good book for my trip to St. George. I saw this book and remembered that my brother in law Jed recommended it...and he only recommends GOOD books :) So I got it, read it, and LOVED it!!! If you're in need of a good book to read, go get this one! It's a true story about a WWII veteran who was an olympic runner before he was drafted. It truly is a story of survival, resilience, and redemption. AWESOME.

Thanks to Santa and Dora....

2011-02-05T12:14:00.000-08:00

Camryn's finally potty trained!!! I've been bribing her with going to school because she really wanted to go to school after seeing her cousins in Washington go. But that wasn't quite enough motivation...at least not only that! I finally got one of these Dora potty chairs and Santa sent Camryn this cute video for Christmas (saying she was supposed to try really hard to get to the toilet this year!), and she's been dry, nights now too, pretty much since New Years! Whenever she didn't want to go potty I would say "Oh, Dora's going to be so sad if you don't go visit her on

the toilet!" and she would go right in and go! Luckily, she hates to make people (or things or her food) sad. This was a long process because she was mostly trained before Levi came, but the day he was born, she stopped going in the toilet. It's been a battle ever since! Now that she's trained she's asking to go to school again, so I guess I better get her signed up. Luckily Challenger will take them at 2 years 9 months, which is only a couple months away :)

4 months old!

2011-01-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

Levi is 4 months old today! This little guy is such a good baby! He's almost always happy and smiley and is just so much fun to be around. He has the biggest grin that he gives anyone and everyone, especially those who change his diaper :) He rolled over for the first time 6 days ago, and is starting to do that a little more now. He's sleeping through most nights, but has had a little cold the last couple weeks that has been waking him up more often than he usually does. Levi is a sensitive little guy...if he gets scared or hears someone yell he just cries and cries and is hard to calm him down. His appointment isn't until the 19th, but I think he weighs around 16 lbs. He's very chubby and is just a fat happy little guy. We love him so so much and feel so blessed to have such a sweet boy in our family!

What's your vote?!

2010-12-22T19:53:00.000-08:00

Do you think Camryn and Levi look alike or not so much? I hear both all the time, what's your vote?

Levi 3 1/2 months

Camryn 5 months

A few more pics of Levi...1 month old

2010-11-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Just a few more pics that Tiffany took of Levi while we were up in Washington a few weeks ago! He wasn't really wanting to go to sleep, but she still got a few goodies! Thanks Tiff...you're the BEST!!

Levi & Levi!

2010-10-21T18:20:00.001-07:00

This is my cousin Angie's little boy who is also named Levi! Angie and I were due the exact same day, 9/21/10 and were both planning on naming our boys Levi, how crazy is that? This Levi was born just 5 days after my Levi and look how much smaller he is! Love these little angel babies!

Cutest Quilt Ever!

2010-10-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

My amazing sister in law Tiffany made this ADORABLE quilt for Levi!!! I am in LOVE with it!! She worked so hard on it...it's a labor of love! Thank you so much Tiff...it's going to look so cute in his room! Love ya!

Levi's Newborn Pictures!

2010-10-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

Favorite picture ever!! He must be dreaming about the angels :)

Camryn "sleeping" next to Levi! Love this picture.
She loves her little Levi so much!

Levi and Grandma Parrish!

Levi Aaron

2010-09-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

**WARNING** This is Levi's entire birth story...it's long! And includes all the details!

Last Friday I was having my yearly JAMM (girls weekend with all my college roommates!) and wanted nothing more than to get through that and Matt's neighborhood concert he was playing at Saturday night and then go into labor! Saturday morning my girlfriends and I went to the farmers market downtown and they had raspberries that looked so good, so I decided to get a huge flat of them to make jam. I went home that afternoon and debated making it that day, or waiting until Monday, which would be the last day I could make it because I was scheduled to get induced on Tuesday morning! I decided to go ahead and get it done Saturday and spent all day making 3 big batches of freezer jam. Matt left to go practice for his concert around 5:30 and I literally finished the jam right as Camryn and I were walking out the door to go watch the concert! We got there around 6:30 and ate dinner, then everyone started playing around 7, which is when my contractions started! They were super far apart and didn't hurt at all, so I thought nothing of it. People kept asking me all night, "when's this baby coming?" and I would jokingly say, "maybe tonight, I'm having contractions right now!" But I really was joking and didn't think it would happen that night. We went home around 9 and they were still coming so I told Matt we should probably time them and just see how far apart they are. They were between 8-9 minutes and my book said 2nd time mom's should go in when they're 5-6 minutes apart. My Dr. had told me not to wait too long to come in once I was having contractions because I tested positive for strep b and we had to do the iv antibiotic, which takes 4 hours but I have fast labors! So, we decided to just go in and get checked to be on the safe side. We called Matt's mom to meet us at the hospital and got our bags packed! The contractions were getting a little bit stronger at this point where I would kind of have to grab the dresser as I was packing and breathe through it, but still not super strong or painful. We walked into the hospital around 10:30 and they asked us if something was happening, but I definitely did not look like I was in labor so I just said "I'm not really sure, I've been having contractions for a few hours, but my Dr. told us not to wait because of the strep b thing." She took us back and checked me out and said "uh, yeah you're at a 5, let's go get you hooked up to your iv!" I was so excited that it was really happening and that Levi decided to come on his own! I was scheduled to get induced on Tuesday morning, but I was planning on a natural birth and knew being induced would make it so much harder, maybe impossible to do! We got into our room and started going through the list of questions the nurse has to ask, and I would just close my eyes, relax and breathe through the contractions as they would come. When the nurse was finished getting my IV in I got in the tub with my lavender oil and finally got my hypnobabies cd on and just got super relaxed. It felt so good to be in the warm water and just prepare to meet my little boy! Matt was starving by this point because he didn't get to eat dinner at the concert since he was playing so he went to the cafeteria and got some food! The nurse would come in every 20 minutes or so and listen to the heartbeat. After I'd been in the tub for awhile she said she wanted to monitor it a little closer and I was getting kind of hot so I got back into bed and was at an 8 by this point! Levi was turned sideways so she suggested to turn from side to side to see if we could get him to turn. I tried that for awhile, then my Dr. came in to check on us (who just so happened to be on call that night!!) He checked me and said I was at a 9 and asked if I wanted him to break my water at that point so I might start feeling ready to push. We were past midnight by then so I knew we weren't having a 9/11 baby, so I said why not? Let's get this baby out! We were just hanging out in the room, I had one headphone in so I could still listen to my hypnobabies during contractions, but still chat in between. After my water had been broken 10 or 15 minutes I started feeling the urge to push. He was still turned so my Dr. said he was going to reach up and turn him with the next contraction...OUCH!!! Everything had been pretty much completely pain free up to that point, but that hurt like hell! He had to do that a few times to get him turned, and that was the most uncomfortable, painful part of the whole thing. Matt was so sweet, rubbing my shoulders and telling me how good of a job I was doing, telling me he could see Levi's head! That is so motivating when you feel like you're going to have to push forever! Luckily that stage didn't last long :) Dr. told me to give a good long push, I did, and his head came out! A couple more good long pushes, shoulders and baby came out and he was here!! They put him in my arms and Matt got to cut the cord. He was officially born at 1:15 am, not even 3 hours after we got to the hospital, and he weighed 8 lbs 3 oz and was 21 inches long. (That was 10 days early, I'm sure he would have been another 9 pounder like Camryn if he'd gone full term :)) Everything went so well, I didn't tear, and Levi started breastfeeding right away. It was such a good experience overall and I'm so happy to have our sweet baby here healthy and well! I felt like I was able to get into and stay in my hypnosis a little bit better this time around, maybe just knowing what to expect second time around. I'm so glad I have fast labors!

I'm absolutely in love with this baby boy, he is the sweetest thing and loves to cuddle! He's sleeping pretty good at night, and has just been a good baby. We're definitely going through the adjustment phase with Camryn getting used to all this, but she loves Levi and always wants to kiss him and hold him and love on him. She is so cute with him!

2 Year Pics....

2010-09-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

......by my amazing sis-in-law photographer Tiffany! We tried to shoot a few when I was up in Washington a few weeks ago, but Camryn was not really in much of a picture takin' mood...kind of like last time! But she still got some goodies! I can't believe my little angel is already 2 and now baby number 2 is only 5 days away! WOW how time flies, but life is good and I'm so blessed to have this sweet girl in my life.

Happy 4 Years to Us!

2010-08-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

Little late in posting this, but I thought I'd document our 4th anniversary! It was my year to plan so I booked us a room at a cute little bed and breakfast up Ogden Canyon called the Alaskan Inn. There was a cute little restaurant just a little further up the canyon called Gray Cliff Lodge that we ate dinner at, then we were planning to go hiking but it had been a long day so we just got a couple movies and hung out in our room for the night! Thanks Luke and Amy for keeping Camryn overnight so we could enjoy our anniversary! We owe you guys big time :)

The bed and breakfast

The Gray Cliff Lodge

Here's our breakfast...we thought it was funny that we ordered everything exactly opposite on their menu...orange juice, eggs, toast and sausage for me, apple juice, pancakes, hashbrowns and bacon for Matt!

Beautiful Ogden Canyon

Matt and I have had an amazing 4 years together so far and I can't wait for the many more to come! I married such a wonderful man who is truly the best husband and father! It has been so fun to watch Matt with Camryn and see a whole new side of him...they both just light up when they see each other, I love it! And I love my man so much! Happy Anniversary :)

Our little 2 Year Old!

2010-08-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

Camryn turned 2 last Wednesday!! We were up in Washington so we had a little celebration up there, then another one here Sunday night with Matt's family. She loves Dora so I made her a Dora cake that she was pretty excited about :) She was such a ham while we sang to her...check out the video! We just let her go for the cake after we sang to her, but she's pretty petite in her cake attacking! She is a full on toddler now, talking a TON, riding her new little trike she got for her birthday, and going potty in the toilet! She is such a sweet girl and has become more and more cuddly the older she's gotten. She's getting ready to start sleeping in her big girl bed as soon as our fun summer and visitors slow down (her new room is also the guest room!) which she's done a few times and does so good. She is so excited to be a big sister and always talks about "Yevi" (she can't quite say her L's!) We have just over a month left until he should be here, we can't wait!

It's a.....

2010-05-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

BOY!!!

Pretty much everyone already knows because it's on facebook, but for those non-facebookers out there I figured I'd officially announce the gender! We are so excited to welcome this little guy into our home and can't wait to see his sweet face. Camryn seems to kind of get it...maybe! When I went in to get her up yesterday morning the first thing she did was say baby and lifted up my shirt and gave my belly a kiss! It was the sweetest thing, she's going to make a great big sister!

Fun Pictures with Blake & Amy!

2010-04-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

Amy and I had my cute sis-in-law Tiffany take some pictures of Camryn and Blake when she was in town! Camryn wasn't really in the picture taking kind of mood, but there's a couple that show her personality really well these days! She's quickly entering the "terrible two's" at only 21 months :( I bribed her with candy so she's eating that and asking for more in her pics!

Last couple months....

2010-04-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

I've been a complete blog slacker lately, like usual, and Matt is having a boys poker night tonight so I thought I'd take the opportunity to catch up! In no particular order here's what we've been up to the last couple months!

This is Camryn's crush, Drake! She loves to have him come over and play, and every time we walk past his house she says "Drake" and wants to go knock on his door and see if he's home :)

Camryn acting crazy!

This was completely my fault...I left an entire gallon of paint out Friday night then sent Camryn and my niece Kennedy downstairs Saturday morning while I was finishing writing an email. After a couple minutes I hear my niece say, "Shell, Camryn...paint!" I ran downstairs and Camryn had dumped the whole gallon all over the floor and was stepping in it! I yelled to Matt "emergency!" so he threw Cam in the tub to wash her off while I attempted cleaning up the paint mess (after taking a picture of course!) It didn't all come up so now we have a good excuse to get new floors, which we've been wanting to do for awhile now! Always an adventure with this girl :)

My cute sis-in-law Tiffany came with her three adorable kiddos and we got to spend a few days together! We made cookie dough one night and just let the kids go to town! Camryn started out taking little finger-fuls, then after she realized how good it was she just went for entire handfuls!

This girl LOVES shoes! She goes through my closet any chance she gets and just tries on all the shoes she can reach!

We took a fun trip to St. George with some good friends for my 27th birthday and just enjoyed the sunshine for a few days! Camryn was absolutely loving being outside!

For easter we did a fun little easter egg hunt at Aunt Connie's house, but I didn't get any picture's so here's a few of her finding a few eggs at home that morning! I don't think she really got what was going on but it was still cute to watch her find the eggs!

And last but definitely not least, I'm now 19 weeks along...almost half way...and we're finding out next week what we're having already!!! This first half always goes by SO fast! I'm feeling great and staying active, and growing by the day! I'm already feeling this baby kick so much...way earlier than I felt Camryn. I have no idea what it is, but I know it's going to be another active little baby! Check back in next week to find out if it's a boy or girl!

One HARD puzzle for one BIG announcement!

2010-02-20T12:14:00.001-08:00

We went to our first doctor appointment today and saw our new little baby on an ultrasound! The little thing already had little arms and legs and was moving around like crazy! We're so excited to meet this new addition to our little family!

So I thought it would be fun to get these puzzles for our families to announce the pregnancy! I ordered them online and thought they would be really simple and easy to put together 10 piece puzzles or something. Little did I know they would be 100 piece giant puzzles that would be almost impossible to put together! Luckily, my cute mom is a puzzle lover and has to finish everything she starts, so she eventually got it put together after everyone had already guessed what it said :) We sent each of my family members in Washington a handful of puzzle pieces so they all had to get together to complete it, and we gave Matt's mom hers on her birthday as part of her present. Now...patience until we can find out if it's a boy or girl!

She's 18 months already...

2010-02-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

My little angel is already 18 months old! Wow that went by fast, but it has been such a fun adventure raising this little monkey and getting to know her CUTE personality! She is a busy girl and there's never a dull moment at our house. Camryn loves to read books and recently started saying "book book book book" over and over when she wants to read. Kinda sounds like a little chicken, so cute! She's saying new words every day...some of her favorites are ball, bird, book, bath, more, NO! (with a raised finger) mama and dada of course, Ninny (for Lindy) cheese, buh bye, toot :)

She's loving shoes. I think she's going to be a shoe girl for sure. She puts on my high heels and tries to walk around as best she can, but it usually doesn't work very well! Then she gets so frustrated and does her sign for help after they fall off.

She really is a monkey and loves to climb up on the counters, on her changing table, anything she can! But thankfully she has not yet tried to climb out of her crib...yet...I hope that lasts awhile longer. That's the one place she'll just relax and be still :)

Dancing is still a favorite! Anytime she hears music she gets her groove on, it's so fun to watch!

Camryn is such a friendly little girl and will pretty much go to anyone, but also has her favorite friends she always has to go find at church and sit on their laps! She loves to give kisses and just started making the kissy noise with her lips when she gives them, I love it. She has turned in to quite the little cuddler first thing in the morning and that is my favorite part of the whole day! I get her up and we go lay on the couch together while she drinks her bottle (yeah, she's still on the bottle) and then she just cuddles for a few minutes...cherished minutes!

Trying on hats with Daddy and unlce Parker!

She loves her vegetables! When she's in the mood to eat.

We got her first ponytail over Christmas! Its small, but its there! And she is SO addicted to her blanket...in a scary way.

We love this little girl so much and love that she's in our family every day! What a joy and a blessing she is. Love you Camryn!

Caribbean Cruise 2010!!

2010-02-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I'm a month late in posting pics from our caribbean cruise in January, but every time I get on to finish this post there's just SO many pictures to go through and it overwhelms me! So, here's a few pics of the flowrider in Grand Turk and all the couples at dinner...if you want to see LOTS more pictures and read more about the cruise, go here! Thanks Cami, for taking the time to go through all the pics! (I hope you don't mind!) The only thing on here that's not on Cami's blog that you MUST watch is the video of Matt doing "chubby bunny" with some crazy drunk lady at the very bottom...hilarious!

We had such a wonderful time on the cruise with all of our wonderful friends...thanks for the great memories everyone!

One more week!

2010-01-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

I will be here....

in exactly one week!

Can't wait to soak up some rays.

A rough day...

2009-12-14T19:53:00.001-08:00

See the huge blue-ish green bruise on her left eyebr0w? We went to our ward christmas party Saturday morning and while Camryn was out in the hall playing with some other kids, one little girl turned around and ran off, slamming her right into the corner of a doorway. She hit her eyebrow so hard...that was definitely the hardest I've ever heard her scream :( She recovered fairly quickly then went to play in the nursery with some other little kids. Someone opened up the cupboard right into her face again.

Then we were ready to leave so I put her in her carseat, gave her my car keys (which I USED to do all the time!) and shut her door. I went around to open my door...and she'd locked it with her teeth!! I ran over to Matt, who had driven separately to tell him Camryn just locked herself in the car. He calmly asked if I wanted him to drive home and get the spare set of keys. I told him he couldn't because the other set of keys was also in the car, in the center console. Camryn was happy for a few minutes playing with her keys, and we were trying to get her to push the unlock button but it's the smaller one and she wouldn't. She finally got bored with the keys and chucked them on the ground, so we decided we better call a locksmith. Thanks to Danny we called the police because he informed us if there's a child in the car they'll come for free! So a cute blonde police lady (who had hot pink handcuff's in her back pocket!) came and opened the car for us, at which point Camryn was screaming! She was fine but ready to go home and have a bottle and go to sleep. It was a rough day....

thanksgiving

2009-12-03T19:49:00.001-08:00

We had a busy, fun and eventful Thanksgiving this year! Our plan was to fly out to California to spend the holiday with all of Matt's family but Camryn woke up with a 103.5 fever Thursday morning so we decided not to get on the plane if she was getting sick. Parker was driving down to Cali Thursday afternoon, so after eating Thanksgiving dinner (Matt with his family, Camryn and I with mine) we headed out!

We got there at 3 am, but thanks to Parker who drove the whole way....I got to sleep a little on the way! Friday all the girls headed to the American Girl doll store. WOW! That place was amazing...a little girls dream! Each doll had it's own little room with her story and clothes and accessories...which are ridiculously priced but you get sucked in while you're there! We had lunch at the cafe there, where the little girls got to bring their dolls and they give you high chairs so they get to sit right next to you :) They only serve pink lemonade and hot chocolate to drink, ( so fitting) and we had a delicious lunch. It was so fun to see my cute nieces light up at all their favorite dolls and pick out their one outfit to take home!

Saturday we drove to the beach so the boys could surf, but the waves weren't great so we just ended up having a fun picnic on the beach and letting all the kids run around in the sand!

Sunday we drove down to see Amber and Bryan's cute house! Then we hit up Disneyland on Monday! It was so fun to take Camryn even though she doesn't really get the whole magic of it all. But she liked going on the rides and seeing all the people and lights and trying to escape from mom and dad :) We had to leave early to catch our flight home so we didn't get to be there as long as we would have liked, but it was so nice to spend time with our family and be in the nice 80 degree weather! Why don't we live in Califnornia?

I'm so grateful for my wonderful little family, for my sweet husband who is my rock and takes such good care of us, for Camryn who brings so much joy and love into our lives and teaches us how to be more selfless. I feel so blessed for everything I have and love this time of year that we get to show our gratitude for all we have!

I might start posting more often...

2009-10-31T19:30:00.001-07:00

So my excuse for not posting very often is that my old computer was SO slow and every time I got on to upload my most recent pictures, it would take too long and I'd run out of time! Well we have a new wonderful computer that is FAST and it only took like 4 seconds to upload everything! I no longer have that excuse so I might start posting more often! For now, here's a catch up of the last couple months...

We took a fun trip to St. George with Luke and Amy a couple weeks ago and finally went and hiked the crack! Last time we tried to do it I was 8 months pregnant and couldn't fit :)

What do you find when you don't watch Camryn for 3 seconds? She climbed into my mom's suitcase and dumped out all her pads :)
Outside the temple at Amber's beautiful wedding , of which I have no other pictures because I was chasing this monkey around all day!
I love this picture of my sweet girl!
Camryn LOVES to dance every time she hears music...check it out!

Cutest octopus ever!

2009-10-31T19:21:00.001-07:00

We went to our ward's trunk or treat last night and Camryn was an octopus! She was so cute in her costume, she kept grabbing the legs (?) and clapping them together. Matt and I were lame and didn't dress up :) Duckworth's...we need you guys to move back and start throwing your Halloween party again!

Horse back riding

2009-09-17T19:11:00.001-07:00

While my niece Aizlyn was here I kept telling her we could go ride Amy's horses so we finally made it happen! Camryn was so scared of the horses the first time she saw them (before this) but she liked them a lot better this time. She actually got on and rode around with me! Thanks Amy for all the fun days at the farm!

Camryn's 2nd 1st birthday!

2009-09-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Camryn at 3 weeks old.....

1 Year old!

After our trip to Washington we threw Camryn her second 1st birthday party with Matt's side of the family! The second attempt at the giant "cupcake" cake turned out way worse than the first...but it tasted great, once again! She had so much fun seeing all her cousins and little friends. We've just loved this last year watching her grow up into such a happy, busy little girl! She really makes everyday so much brighter and more fun, and we love her SO much!

Camryn and Mommy!

The birthday girl!

Camryn and her best buddy Blake!

Camryn and Daddy!

Camryn with Aunt Lindy!

Some of Camryn's favorites at age 1:

walking!

climbing on the toys at the park

climbing in the dishwasher

going through the cupboards in the kitchen

playing chase and hide and seek

reading books

dogs

taking something she knows she's not supposed to have and running away when we tell her to stop!

jumping into the pool

her bath's

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMRYN!

Some funny pictures

2009-09-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

This girl makes me laugh every day! We were at Grandma Pat's the other day and she has all of the toys in these little plastic tubs. Of course, Camryn has no interest in the actual toys, but the tubs make a great toy! She took out all the toys and climbed right in! Matt and Parker pushed her around until she rolled backwards and got hurt.

Look at this cute face! She was having the time of her life eating raspberries. More like smashing and smearing raspberries.

Oops :) She found her new favorite toy...she always goes right to that cupboard. I guess I should move those.

Washington

2009-09-10T21:25:00.001-07:00

This is my first attempt at her "cupcake" birthday cake...anyone think it looks more like a mushroom?! But it tasted sooo good!

The giant tomato that came out of my brothers garden!

Camryn had SO much fun playing with her cousins all week! She was always entertained, and it was so fun to watch her get to know them all better.

Camping at Porcupine Bay

Camryn's first tubing ride! She loved it, she was waving at everyone the whole time!

Matt and I planned to go camping with my family at one of my favorite camping places growing up called Porcupine Bay the beginning of August. Well...we forgot to check with his business partner on the dates, and his partner scheduled a trip for his whole family to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas! So the camping trip got the boot. Camryn and I still flew up and went, but the bees were so bad that everyone (including me) was ready to come home the night after we got there! Almost everyone got stung at least once. We spent another fun filled week up in Tri-Cities with my family, and we were there over Camryn's 1st birthday, so she got two parties! I got to go on a couple of bike rides with my mom and sister, running, swimming, ate lots of good food (of course!) and spent lots of QT with the fam. Thanks everyone for a great week!

One Year Pics...right on time!

2009-08-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Camryn's first birthday, she's one already!?!?! How does it go by so fast? I just kept thinking all day yesterday, "at this time we were going into the hospital" "at this time I was in labor" "at this time she was born" and now she laughs and runs around and eats real food. It's just crazy! Every time I tell someone she's one the first thing they say is "oh, it's time for another one!" Hmmm.....
Well, once again my amazing photographer SIL Tiffany took the cutest pictures of Camryn a few days ago! She has such a good eye for places to take pictures...she see's an old building that I would never look twice at and see's a good opportunity for amazing pics. Enjoy! I'll post her actual birthday pictures later...I don't have them with me :)

9 Month Pictures...a little late!

2009-08-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love this little girl! She makes me laugh just looking at these pictures! I couldn't narrow them down any more- there were just too many favorites- so enjoy all of them! Camryn is so full of life and has such a FUN personality! Thank you to Pat for taking these adorable pictures...we love them!

Would you all stop blogging so I can update?!

2009-07-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

Every single time I get on here to update my blog I end up reading everyone else's, and by the time I'm done I can't look at the computer any longer...or I'm out of time! So, if everyone would just stop like me for 2 months, I could actually update and not have to catch up on everyone else's! Just kidding...I just need to stop being such a slacker! So, in no particular order, here's our last 2 months....+

= our 3rd anniversary! We celebrated with a fun filled day at Lagoon, a par 3 golf course, (yes, I golfed 9 holes!) and then Melting Pot for dinner/dessert! What a fabulous day...and Matt was in charge! I just want to say THANK YOU to my sweet husband for a such a great day, and even more importantly, for a great last 3 years. We truly have a wonderful marriage and I feel so blessed to have Matt as my husband. He is such a hard worker and an AMAZING daddy to our little angel! I can't wait for the next 3 years...I love you babe!

And a BIG thank you to Amy for watching Camryn :)

My first mother's day!

I ran the Salt Lake 1/2 marathon!

Camryn is officially walking now! She took her first few steps at 9 1/2 months but it's taken a little while for her to get stable. She just cruises around on her little feet, it almost looks like she's too young to be walking, but she's doing great! She's even busier than normal...if you can imagine that!

For the 4th of July we had a little neighborhood bbq and then watched fireworks at Davis in Kaysville with Danny & Delana and Scott & Maureen! Maureen made the best dessert ever...homeade ice cream and mississippi mud...delish! We thought the fireworks would scare Camryn but she watched for a minute and then seemed to get bored and was looking the next form of entertainment :)

Just a few cute pics!

2009-05-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a few pictures of Camryn lately...she's at such a fun stage right now and is constantly moving! She just has so much to get done...grab that piece of paper, put it in the mouth, open the book, throw the ball, crawl over to the chair, stand up, slide everything off the table, crawl to the tv, open the entertainment center, take out all the dvd's, eat all the magazines, you get the idea. She's so curious about everything, especially how it tastes! What a sweet but independent little soul we have! We love this girl!

This is what I wake up to on a good morning when she got enough sleep!

Just playin' with her favorite toy from Grandma!

Push up position!
Herkie!
Toe touch
She's just strong!

She's getting so close to walking!

Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat!!

2009-05-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

186.8 miles. I know...why would anyone want to run all night long, not sleep (much), get sick and keep running again in the morning? Because it's FUN!! At least some people think so. Like Team Ragnolians!

Last weekend all my sister-in-laws and cousins from Utah and sister and friends from Washington and Oregon headed to the beach to run a 186.8 mile relay race with the other sister-in-laws from Cali! Here's the proof:

Vegas and St. George!

2009-03-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Camryn and I headed south to Vegas for a few days to spend some time with my parents! It was my mom's birthday and my dad loves to watch BYU play in the tournament down there, so we decided to join. It was pretty low key (not much in Vegas for babies other than swimming!) but it was still very fun, and much warmer than Salt Lake! Sadly, I did not get any pictures with Grandma and Grandpa :( But we loved hanging out with them.

Camryn is now sitting in high chairs at restaurants and LOVING it! She reaches and grabs for anything and everything, so we gave her a garlic breadstick to munch on while we ate. She had garlic breath for the rest of the night, but she loved it :)

She is still loving sticking her feet in that big mouth of hers!

Matt came and got me Friday afternoon so we could spend some time in St. George with the Christensen's and Hickcox's! We had a great time laying in the sun, swimming, the guys got to play some golf, and all us girls ran in the Spectrum 10k Saturday morning! It was such a beautiful run down Snow Canyon, like a little mini St. George marathon :) I was a fan of being done after only 6 miles.

This girl LOVES to be in the water! She would sit in the little floatie and just chillax in the hot tub, it was so cute. She would stay in there all day if we let her!

On Sunday, Matt drove home but Camryn and I stayed in St. George for our next adventure! Amy Larsen and cute little Blake came down and we hung out for 6 more days! (Rough life right?)
Amy brought all these fun new toys, Camryn loved the walker since we don't have one! They could both push themselves backward...but not forward!
These girls finally notice each other and are actually playing together now! It was so much fun to watch them interact and share toys. We had a great time laying in the sun and swimming some more!
The babies in their diapers! They're going to be BFF's, we already decided :)
It was also really fun to see how different these two personalities are! They really are born with their own personality and it's really starting to shine now that they're 6+ months! Blake was a little angel all week, but Camryn was kind of having a rough time :( She was away from home for almost 2 weeks, and I think she was teething also. She just wanted to be in her bed with her music and back in her familiar surroundings.
Here's the girls in the tub! Not a very good picture but we tried SO many times to get them both looking at the camera, and this was the best we could do!

Blake was a little angel all week, but Camryn was kind of having a rough time :( She was away from home for almost 2 weeks, and I think she was teething also. She just wanted to be in her bed with her music and back in her familiar surroundings. Luckily, they both conked out for about half the drive home, and were happy about until we got to Bountiful.

We had so much fun hanging out with Amy and Blake, and we loved the warm St. George weather...especially now that it's snowing again! We need to go again soon :)

More cute pics by Tiffany!

2009-03-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

LOVE LOVE LOVE these pictures...thanks Tiff!

She's Crawling!!

2009-03-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

I've officially been voted the world's worst blogger! I'm sorry I've been such a slacker, we've been out of town for awhile and sharing a computer so I just don't have as much computer time during the day when Matt takes it to work with him! But all excuses aside, I got a video of Camryn CRAWLING today! That's right, she's on the move :) We knew it would happen any day, but I laid her down today and she went after Matt's xbox controller! Enjoy.

Dear Camryn...

2009-02-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

6 months ago our lives changed in a way we could have never known until it actually happened. 6 months ago our lives became more meaningful, deeper, richer, more complete. 6 months ago we welcomed you into our arms and have loved you every second since!
It was rough on you coming into this world...I don't think you wanted to come quite yet, but we kind of made you! We just couldn't wait to meet this sweet little person growing inside me!

Ever since you were born, you've been super busy! You've always loved to kick your legs, move your arms, and now you roll around like crazy and you love the jumper. You are very close to crawling, I think it will happen any day now! I love to go into your room in the morning to see the huge beautiful smile you give me! It gives me butterflies every time :)

At 6 months you weigh 15 lbs. 15 oz. (51%) and you are 17.5 inches (96%) long! You're our long skinny girl.

Some things you're doing at this age:

-sitting up by yourself
-rolling both ways
-giving kisses
-"bonking" your head
-babbling
-spitting bubbles with your mouth
-standing when we hold your hands
-sleeping at least 12 hours at night
-smiling

Some things you love:

-playing with mom & dad
-your exersaucer
-your jumper
-sleeping
-taking baths
-eating
-moving around
-watching baby einsteins
-sticking out your tongue
-sucking on your fingers or anything you can get into your mouth...
-...except for a bottle...you will NOT take a bottle!

Look at this smile!

We are so happy to have you in our family and we love you SO much! Thank you for being such an amazing baby girl!

Camryn

2009-01-21T11:14:00.000-08:00

Here's some recent pictures of Camryn!

Palm Beach Gardens

2009-01-21T10:44:00.000-08:00

Matt had his annual sales meeting in sunny Florida this year so Camryn and I decided to tag along to get out of the cold for a few days. I didn't get a ton of pictures, but here's a few out by the pool, and of Camryn STANDING all by herself in the crib!!

We had a fun time just lounging by the pool and being in the sunshine! That's always much needed around this time of year.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-21T09:54:00.000-08:00

November, then December, and now almost January have flown by...where has the time gone?! It's been over 2 months since I've posted, thanks to a busy holiday season and 2 broken computers during the busy holiday season! Mine is back up and running (very slowly) so here goes a little update of the last...while.

We started off our lovely Christmas Eve with a yummy dinner of salad, rolls and clam chowder, followed by a sweet nativity presentation by all the little ones.

"Christmas bells are ringing..." sung by all the kids with their little bells

Brooke made all of us girls these super cute aprons and gloves for Christmas! We loved them.

The babies of 2008! Eli, Camryn and Will.

Matt got me a new camera for Christmas, and this cute black coat!

I got him a new ipod, after many long months without one!

Camryn had some help from her cousins opening up her presents! I think she liked the sound of the wrapping paper in her hands better than anything else :)

Daddy and Camryn

We played some serious rock band this Christmas!

Our sweet little angel! It was such a blessing to celebrate Christmas this year with our newest addition. We love her so very much and are grateful for her every day.

We're also so grateful for this time of year to spend lots of time with family and friends, and most importantly celebrate the life of our Savior. We missed not being able to see my family this year and are excited to go to Washington in just a few weeks to visit!

Cute pics by Tiff!

2008-11-13T20:23:00.000-08:00

My sweet sister in law took these pictures last time Camryn and I went up to Washington...I love them! She is a great photographer..check out her website www.tiffanyparrishphotography.com Thanks Tiff!

Just a bunch of pictures!

2008-11-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!

2008-11-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

We had a super fun Halloween party at Brooke and Jed's house last night complete with Bat Wing Salad, Spider Web Pizza, a Yummy Mummy, Witch's Brew, Skeleton Teeth, and Cow Pies for dessert! All the kids looked so cute in their costumes and were nice enough to share some of their candy :)

For Camryn's first Halloween she dressed up as a bunny! She looked so cute and cozy in her little outfit! Cousin Eli was a pea in a pod...how cute is that?!

Janey was the cutest little witch I think I've ever seen!

Jacob was a 70's basketball player, and Kaela was a 70's disco girl...Brooke is amazing at costumes! They all looked great!

Camryn's 3 Week Pictures

2008-10-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in forever, I'm going to do an update soon with new pictures...until then, here's Camryn's 3 week pictures by Matt's amazing mother, Pat!

She's Smiling!!!

2008-09-27T10:11:00.001-07:00

Camryn is starting to smile SO much, I love it!! There's nothing better than when she's happy and content, and just looks at me and gives me one of these huge grins! I love this girl!

I can't figure out how to turn this picture...anyone know how? Sorry, you gotta look sideways!

Blake & Camryn!

2008-09-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

Blake and Camryn got to meet for the first time last Saturday!

They're almost exactly 5 weeks apart...but you probably can't tell by looking at them right?! They look more like 3 months apart :)

Blake is an absolute doll...she is so tiny compared to Camryn, I felt like I was holding a feather! She only weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz.! Camryn was never that size...that I got to see :)

Check out the difference in the size of their feet!! Holy cow!

We're so excited for Luke and Amy to have their new little angel and Camryn's new buddy!

Golfing Adventure!

2008-09-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Cami and I like to join our husbands on their golf outings, so we thought it would be fun to take Camryn too!

It started out a little rough...she was hungry of course, but I somehow managed to nurse her in the golf cart, then we put her in the baby bjorn and she fell right asleep for the rest of the time!

"Isn't watching them golf boring?" you might ask...not with Matt and Sam...there's never a dull moment! Cami and I are constantly entertained and laughing :)

We had such a fun time, and it was nice to be outside in this great weather for a couple hours!

One Month Old!

2008-09-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

I know I probably sound like such a typical new mom, but this is already going by so fast! Camryn is already one month old today, and we're just loving every minute of being parents...except for the ones is the middle of the night when she's screaming :) Ok, we still love those minutes too, because it means we have a healthy, usually happy, baby girl! Not much has changed since she was a week old, she still loves her swing the most, likes to be outside, and to be in the car. She weighs about 10 lbs. 4 oz. today, according to my scale holding her, then not holding her..don't know how accurate is really is! She is smiling a little more, and is waking up more during the day, which is so fun. We love this girl SO much, and are so lucky to have her in our home as part of our family! Enjoy the pics and the video of her!

Happy Birthday Matt & congrats Camryn!

2008-09-02T11:58:00.001-07:00

Last Monday was Matt's 28th birthday, and of course, I didn't take any pictures but I wanted to say how lucky I am to have Matt as my husband and as Camryn's daddy! He is so cute with her and is a great father already. We had a good day of sleeping in, having lunch at Matt's aunt Connie's house with his whole family, then he got to go golfing with Sam, Danny, and Lance, then we all went out to dinner at Red Lobster so Matt could eat crab legs...his favorite! After dinner we came back to our house to eat cake and ice cream and play some Tiger Woods golf on the x-box. It was a great day and we're so grateful to have such wonderful family and friends to spend special days like that with. Thanks everyone!

Matt was also able to bless Camryn last Sunday. He did SUCH a good job, even though she screamed through the whole thing! He was somehow able to focus and say everything he needed to say through her crying and it was an amazing blessing. We are so lucky to have Matt, who is worthy and honors his priesthood and we love him so much! This picture is of Camryn with her 2 newest cousins! Eli on the left and Will on the right. They were all born this summer.

A bunch of firsts!

2008-09-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

One week old!

2008-08-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

Camryn is already one week old...it's already going by so fast, and I'm sure it's only going to get worse! Here are some pictures of her first week of life at home. She had jaundice when we left the hospital because her and I have different blood types, so we had what's called the bili bed (for bilirubin) brought to our house so that she could lay under the lights to help it go down. It looked like a little miniature tanning bed, it was cute :)She spent her first few days wearing just a diaper and laying under the lights, so I haven't gotten to play dress up much! But she did really good, and her last blood test showed her bilirubin count was back down to normal so we got to send the bed back and get some clothes on her!

So far, Camryn loves her swing, sleeping with her hands/arms over her face or chest, eating, being held, and being outside. If she's mad and I take her for a little walk, she usually calms right down. She is such a sweet baby, and we are LOVING being parents! It's so fun to just sit and watch her, I could do it for hours...I guess I do do it for hours :)

Camryn Elise!!!

2008-08-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

So all this blogging and facebooking takes ALOT longer now days! Slowly but surely I will get everything up and written about Camryn's birth!

Matt and I welcomed Camryn Elise into the world Monday August 11th at 6:27 pm! She was a VERY healthy and unexpected 9 lbs 1 oz and 22 inches long! The doctor, nurse, and Matt and I were absolutely shocked at how big she was when she came out, but she is absolutely perfect in every way. She has lots of dark hair and is such a sweet little angel. She has been such a good baby, though her days and nights are still mixed up, of course :) We feel so blessed to have had such a good experience bringing this precious little girl into the world, and to have her as part of our family.

If you want to read all the details about the birth, read below all the pictures! But warning..it's pretty detailed!

My water broke Monday morning at 9, but I was not having any contractions right away so Matt and I walked around Costco and Best Buy, then went to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast to waste some time and get the contractions going. Nothing was happening by 11, so we went ahead and checked into the hospital and got all settled in. Matt did paper work while the nurse got me hooked up to the hep lock...just in case...and monitored the baby's heart rate for awhile. I was dialated to a 4 and 90% effaced by this point, and everything looked good so we just hung out, walked around the hospital, (Matt played on the wheelchairs!), and Matt read while we waited for the contractions to start. The doctor came down about 1 pm to check on us and said if things don't get going soon we would have to consider the pitocin, which I really did not want. Luckily, right around 2 pm they started coming and just kept getting stronger and stronger. At 3 pm the nurse checked me again and I was at a 5 and about 95%, so we were progressing slowly but surely. I started my hypno birthing stuff, just listening to some scripts and relaxing music and trying to stay calm and breathe deeply, and moving from the birthing ball to the bed, but from 3 pm-5 pm the contractions got really intense and close together. I was feeling really nauseaus and kept running back and forth to the bathroom, so the nurse gave me a bag of fluids. I felt so sick at this point, I was really considering asking for the epidural. I was feeling so tired and was so relaxed that I would almost fall asleep, and then came another strong contraction! I just kept thinking how nice it would be to sleep and be comfortable right then. Once I was finished with the fluids the nurse left and I ran straight to the bathroom and up came lots of fluid! I felt a lot better after that, just really cold, so I went and sat by Matt on the couch and he wrapped me up in his blanket. I told him I wanted to get in the bathtub to warm up, so he suggested I have the nurse give me some anti-nausea stuff and get checked again to see where we were at. For some reason I felt like I had just been checked so I didn't want to, but it had been 2 hours so we went ahead with it. The nurse looked at me surprised and said "you're not going to believe what you're at! A 9!" That gave me the extra boost I needed to keep on going. I finally felt like I could do this, and like we're almost there! I got in the bathtub, and Matt just sat by me and talked to me through contractions while we tried to guess what time she would be born. Matt was so close guessing 6:15! The nurse had told me to just let her know if I started feeling like I needed to push, so when I started feeling it, she got me out of the tub, dried off and back onto the bed. The baby's heart rate had dropped a little bit, so she had to put an oxygen mask on me for awhile, which made me feel so claustophobic..I hated it. Somewhere between getting in and out of the tub, baby turned around to posterior so I wouldn't quite dialte all the way to a 10. The nurse suggested I get on my hands and knees to try and get her to turn, so that's what I did. I was still having urges to push, which I think is what got her to turn after 5 or 10 minutes. I turned back around and laid on my side and started actually pushing at 6:08. Matt was right there keeping me relaxed and encouraging me every step of the way, telling me I was doing such a good job and to keep pushing! After a short, but what seemed like a long 19 minutes, out she came at 6:27! Matt was able to cut the umbilical cord, then I got to hold our baby for the first time ever! What an amazing experience...hard but amazing and worth every second of it!

We've had lots of visitors and phone calls, and I just want to say thank you to everyone! It's been so nice to hear from and see close friends and family, and we love you all so much! We love visitors, so don't be shy :)

38 Week Belly Pictures

2008-07-29T17:46:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Bear Lake

2008-07-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

I love Bear Lake! It's just like being at the beach, but only 2 or 3 hours away! We got to go spend the week up there with Matt's whole family, and it was a fun filled week for everyone...even pregnant me who couldn't do much more than sit on the beach or drive the boat :) But no complaints..that was the place to be 8 months pregnant. Everyone had fun wakeboarding, surfing, skiing, tubing, playing frisbee football, paddle boating, reading books, and eating great food! Here's a few pics from the week...

2 years!!

2008-07-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind and late on posting this, (or posting anything really!) but Monday July 7th was mine and Matt's 2 year anniversary! I woke up to Matt telling me he was going to make me breakfast, and to stay in bed. He made super good french toast and eggs and we ate in bed together, it was the perfect way to start the day! We decided to go to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack once again (that's where we went last year!) to keep the tradition alive. We thought we'd be smart and map quest which Joe's was closer between Sandy and West Jordan. West Jordan won by 5 miles so we took Bangerter and got completely stopped in traffic for about a half hour. That part sucked, but I think Matt was secretly happy because it got him out of having to go see Made of Honor! The night before our anniversary we were on the computer looking at some old pictures of when we were dating, and it made me feel so grateful to be married and sealed in the temple. Dating was fun and all, but I definitely don't miss those days! I feel so blessed to be married to Matt and to have the comfortable life that we do. What a fun experience these last two years have been building our marriage and our life together, and preparing to bring a child into our family! Happy Anniversary sweetie, I love you so much!

This is the traffic we had to sit in on the way to dinner that night :(

My cute husband cooking me breakfast in bed!

The yummy french toast and eggs breakfast he cooked for us!

Happy 3rd Birthday Aizlyn!!

2008-06-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday was my cute niece Aizlyn's 3rd birthday! We had a fun party with all her little friends, some yummy cake, and lots of swimming! It's been so much fun to have her and my sister close by so we can spend more time with them and watch her grow up. Aizlyn is such a good, sweet girl, and we love her SO much! Happy Birthday Aiz!

30 Weeks!!!

2008-06-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

We've made it to the 30 week mark...only 10 more to go (hopefully!) Here are a few belly pics for all of you who we don't get to see often enough!

Cabo...one last hoorah before the baby comes!

2008-05-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

Matt and I headed down to Cabo with Luke and Amy for one last big vacation before both of our babies come and our lives change forever! We stayed at a resort about a half hour north of Cabo San Lucas, which was right on the beautiful beach and so nice. (Check out the view from our room in the slideshow!) Matt and Luke rented surfboards for the whole week, but since Amy and I are both very pregnant, we couln't join in the surfing this time! We were both a little disappointed about that, but it was worth it to keep our babies alive and well :) We dug holes in the sand for our belly's to fit into and read the whole time we were on the beach. We were both surprised to find that digging holes really works for pregnant belly's!

Other than surfing and laying on the beach, we did take one horrible excursion in our wonderful little Nissan Platina down to Cabo San Lucas to go snorkeling at Lovers Beach. We took what was called the "Glass Bottom Boat" (which was just an old ghetto boat with a strip of glass through the middle of it!) out to the island, which had so many boats coming in and out that there were no fish to be seen! Needless to say, we didn't snorkel very long, but the boys played in the huge waves and got annihilated...it was really entertaining to watch! After our snorkeling adventure, we went to get in our car that would not start! We called the rental company, and all they did was try jumping it 30 times, even though we knew it was not battery related. They finally took us back to the office and gave us a new Platina...silver instead of white this time! We were all starving by then so we went to what looked like a nice restaraunt, only to be disappointed by crappy fish tacos and ribs. They were so gross I couldn't eat more than one bite, so we left and went through the McDonalds drive thru!

All in all, it was an awesome vacation and we would definitely go back someday. The condo was very kid-friendly so we may go back as a family at some point! There was an awesome pool area right in front of the beach, shuffleboar which Luke and Amy kicked our butts at!), beach volleyball, tennis, mini-golf...all kinds of fun activities. And to top it off, it's only a 2 1/2 hour direct flight from Salt Lake! Thanks for a great vacation Larsen's...we can't wait for the next one!!

Happy Birthday to me!

2008-04-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

I turned the big 25 on March 27th!! It was a wonderful birthday week, not just day. It all started on Tuesday the 25th with my ultrasound. My mom flew down from Washington for that, and then took me to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with my Aunt Loralee, my sister Lindy, her littler girl Aizlyn, and the girl she nannies Lexi.

Later that night we went to dinner at Firehouse with Sam, Cami, my brother Brent, Lindy, and mom again. Matt and all my sisters hooked me up with gift certificates for the Garden Day Spa and Salon...which I'm SO excited about because I get to go get pampered a few times over the next few months!!!

On Wednesday night Matt and I drove down to St. George to spend the weekend with his family. We enjoyed a wonderful weekend of laying in the sun, rollerblading, swimming, yummy food, and just relaxing! It was the perfect week and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday (week). Thanks to everyone who called/emailed/text me, you are all so sweet and I love you all!

We're having a baby GIRL!!!

2008-03-26T10:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the big day of our 20 week ultrasound and we found out we're having a little girl! We are so excited!!! The ultrasound was the coolest thing ever, it's really amazing how clearly you can see everything from their little toes and legs, to their brain and heart. Everything looked great and she seems to be healthy and progressing right on track. According to the size of her head, she's measuring just a day before her due date, (August 9th) so pretty close...but I'm still hoping for a few days earlier :)

I Need Some Help!!

2008-03-08T23:11:00.000-08:00

I'm 18 weeks...this if flying by! I decided I better start thinking about what happens after this baby really gets here. Here's my dilema...I just started looking at all these birthing and prenatal classes that my hospital offers, and I don't know which, if any, I should sign up for. There are so many of them, but they're a little time consuming! So any of you ladies who have had babies, I would love some input on what you tried and liked or didn't like. Breastfeeding, baby massage, lamaze (do people still do that stuff?!) first time mom and dad, third trimester class (?) Those are some offered, and I just don't know if these are really worth the time. Let me know if any of you have any thoughts...thanks ladies!

I'm a movie maniac!

2008-03-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've been to SO many movies lately, so I'm going to do a little recap for anyone who's thinking about going to see any of these and wants my review! Remember, just my opinion on all of them, but let me know what you think!

August Rush-***** I LOVED this movie! I thought it was such a powerful movie that everyone should see. I loved the music and the story line, but I do wish that the end would have given me a little more closure. If you've seen it, you know what I mean, but I won't say too much!

Enchanted-*** Cute movie, definitely one to go to either with kids or girlfriends! Entertaining though...made me laugh and smile most of the way through.

Fools Gold-*** I liked this movie pretty well. It was definitely not as good as their last movie together, and not one I will buy or watch over and over like I do with How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, but cute and worth seeing for sure.

27 Dresses-***** I really liked this one a lot. I love Katherine Heigl, and James Marsden. They were so cute together, and made me laugh alot! I didn't go with Matt, but I don't think he would have hated it like he does some chick flicks. I'll probably buy this one.

Over Her Dead Body-*** This was cute, Matt would have hated it if I'd made him go! Has some funny parts, but kind of a different story line...reminded me of Just Like Heaven with Reese Witherspoon a little bit.

PS I Love You-**** This was a good chick flick. I went twice and both times, everyone I was with was bawling throughout almost the entire movie! Take tissue, but so cute. And it's the guy from Phantom of the Opera in it!

The Other Boleyn Girl-** I didn't like this much at all. It was just the same guy sleeping with different women then leaving them throughout the whole movie. Cool story line because it's history and where Queen Elizabeth came from, but really didn't like the movie. I heard the book is better.

Juno-**** Great movie! A little crude at times, but very funny and just a well done movie.

A little update...

2008-03-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

So being the very nice and supportive wife that I am :) I let my husband go to Maui for a week without me last week so he could visit his brother who lives there! Everyone thought I was crazy, and don't get me wrong, I wanted to go SOOOO bad, but it just didn't make a whole lot of sense. Here's why: Matt flew for super cheap on a buddy pass, and I would have had to buy a ticket the day before, which would have been super expensive. Matt stayed at his brothers house and slept on the floor, and I would probably have wanted to get a hotel so I had a comfy bed, which would have been super expensive. They were planning on surfing pretty much the whole time, which I love to do, but can't right now because of this little baby growing inside of me! So it basically came down to it would have been very expensive for me to go and not be able to do what they were doing. He had such a fun time though, and his brother was very happy to have a visitor for the week! I missed him SO much, but it felt good to be supportive about something that is important to my husband. He never complains about my girls weekends (aka JAMM!!!) and is always very supportive, so it was the least I could do to let him go have some guy/brother time!

After being home for a whole 4 days, he's off again to San Francisco today (sunday)!! But this time it's for work, not pleasure. He'll be home on Tuesday afternoon, and then on Wednesday afternoon.......I'm off to Vegas to spend time with my mom in the warm weather! She's there visiting for hte week, and I'm so excited to be in the sun, but I'm not used to being away from my husband for this long, I don't like it. But we're trying to get lots of vacations in before the baby comes in August!

Hill-Billy!!

2008-02-06T15:59:00.001-08:00

This just made me smile...she better not win or we're moving to Costa Rica for awhile!!

I've Been Tagged!!

2008-02-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

What were you doing 10 yrs ago: Wow..10 years ago I was 14 years old which means I was a freshman in high school I think. I was just hanging out with my friends all the time and doing gymnastics, and going through a really "fun and interesting" time of life!

5 Things on my to do list Today: Work, go register our new car at the DMV, go get my food handlers permit, watch my cute niece Aizlyn, and I should probably make dinner...we'll see if that happens :)

Things I would do if I suddenly was a Billionaire: I would get completely out of debt, build my dream home, and set some aside for traveling the world, and then invest the rest of it in real estate projects probably.

3 of my bad habits: I guess I'm vengeful...Matt tells me that all the time :) I wish I blogged more and was more creative as far as scrapbooking and decorating goes. I need some help in that department!

Places I have lived: Kennewick, WA Salt Lake City, UT Holladay, UT Farmington, UT...I haven't lived in very many different cities, just a lot of different houses in Utah!

Jobs I have had: Hot Dog on a Stick, Zions Bank, California Pizza Kitchen, Utahbrides.com, Paychex, and U1st Financial

Things most people don't know about me: Most of the people who will read this probably know most thigns about me...I went skydiving one time and would love to do it again! I am pregnant and due in August!! I have run 4 marathons now, and would like to pick it back up after the baby comes, or at least 1/2 marathons. I like to be busy and have things to do, and I am super excited to be a mom!!

An addition to the Garrett Family!

2008-01-09T15:14:00.000-08:00

For those of you who haven't heard yet, or those who just want a little update, I am officially pregnant and Matt and I are expecting our first little one on August 15th, 2008! (Hopefully a little sooner since it's in the middle of the HOT summer!) We are so excited to embark on this new adventure of parenthood and start our family.

I had my first doctors appointment today and got to see the ultrasound of the little being that is starting to form inside of me, it was so neat! I could see the heart beating and everything. The doctor said it was still a little too early to actually hear it, but next visit we will. My appointment wasn't supposed to be till next week, but we're going to Disney World on Friday, so it had to get bumped up! Seeing the pictures today made it all seem a little more real, because for awhile there I kept wondering, "what if I'm not really pregnant and I just randomly missed two months in a row and the test showed up positive?" Anyways, now I know it's real, and I'm SO excited! I can't wait to find out what it's going to be :)

Lunch with the Girls!

2008-01-05T23:32:00.000-08:00

Today I got to meet up with two of my best girlfriends/ex-roomates for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes and pedicures! It was so much fun to catch up after the business of the holidays and just hear what's going on in everyone's lives. It is such a blessing to have good friends, and to be able to spend days like these together every once in awhile. Ashley, we missed you today and wish you could have been here with us!

Christmas in Washington!

2008-01-03T14:03:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Christmas up in Washington with my family! It was a long drive up, but we had so much fun once we got there. We again, ate lots of food, spent lots of time with the family just hanging out, and instead of guitar hero, we played lots of Rock Band! That was a blast and "The Kennedy's" were a big hit! (our band name)

Matt and I Christmas morning...he's getting the guitar ready for rock band!

Grandma and Grandpa with Kyson and his cool leapster! The kids are big fans of those.

Aizlyn got baby bottles for her babies for Christmas and she loves them! She kept trying to feed them to Kennedy, it was so cute.

Jacob is opening Kennedy's cabbage patch doll that walks with her!

Kyson and Landon got a new wagon from Grandma and Grandpa!

Matt and I got Paige and Ty little BYU beanies...Paige didn't like it so much, but Ty loved his!

Go BYU!

Decorating Christmas cookies!

2008-01-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

Lindy, Aizlyn, and Lexi came over to help me decorate all my Christmas cookies this year! It was nice to have the help cuz there were a lot of them, but the girls kept wanting to eat them! Aizlyn loved all the green ones, that's her new favorite color.

Aizlyn wouldn't even touch the ones that weren't green!

Thanksgiving...little late!

2008-01-03T13:39:00.001-08:00

This post is a little late, but I thought I'd put up pictures of our Thanksgiving trip this year! We went down to Beaver with Matt's family and stayed in these cute little condo's up at what used to be a ski resort. We played lots of guitar hero, fusion frenzy, and ate way too much food, of course, but it was so fun to spend time with the family!

Here's Matt throwing rocks at the frozen lake

We went for a little walk around the old ski lifts that aren't running anymore

It was windy and FREEZING up there!

Here's our cute nieces, Kaela, Janey, and Avie playing in the snow!

Here they are again with Lucy

Girls on the Run!

2007-11-11T20:31:00.000-08:00

Last spring I met someone who was bringing a program called Girls on the Run to Salt Lake, and I thought it sounded really worthwhile so I decided to volunteer as an assistant coach at Backman Elementary in Rose Park. We met with 11 girls, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, twice a week after school to have a little lesson on self esteem, honesty, staying drug free, eating healthy, or something along those lines, and tie it into running. For 10 weeks these girls are training to run a 5k. They get a running budding who also volunteers to run just the 5k with them and encourage them along the way. This last Saturday was the girls' 5k and it was so neat to see them run and accomplish their goal that they've been working so hard for! I loved getting to know these girls and it was a really cool experience to try and help them learn the importance of staying healthy inside and out. We're starting another session of Girls on the Run in March, so if any of you runners out there want to volunteer to be a running buddy and run the 5k with a girl, let me know! I'll need people around May :)

Happy Halloween!!

2007-11-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

We got to attend a few super fun Halloween parties this year...of course, the Duckworth's bash up at their cabin, (which I have no pictures of!) as well as his mom's yearly party. She always does such a good job and makes it so much fun for everyone with her decorations, halloween dishes, (check out the menu below) and games for the kids. Matt and I dressed up as Office Space characters Bill Lumberg and Joanna, the waitress at Chotsky's! Amber came up from California as a burn victim, which everyone loved, and his sister Brooke and her husband were Nacho Libre and the nun! Great costumes, great food, great Halloween!

The witches brew :)

Amber...burn victim from southern California!

Brooke, Jed, Kaela, Jacob, and Janey

St. George Marathon!

2007-10-09T13:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 6th I ran my first St. George marathon! It was such a beautiful course, running through the canyons and the red rock. I was so nervous Friday night because the weather forecast said it was supposed to be cold, windy, and rainy, but we lucked out and had the perfect day. No rain, no wind, and about 60 degress! Debby Barney and I ran together for the first 19 miles, then I started feeling a little sick and slowed down a lot. She kept a great pace and rolled in at 3:47 and I came in at 4:02, after stopping for a little throw-up break at mile 25 in front of A LOT of people! It was a little embarrassing, but I felt SO much better after that, and had a good last mile of the race! As always, I was so very happy to cross the finish line and be done running. After the race, Amy Larsen and I went and got massage's, which was awesome. I think it speeds up the recovery process by a few weeks, it's only Tuesday and I'm walking totally normal :)

Almost to the end, can't wait!

Crossing the finish line and receiving my first St. George Marathon medal!

Grabbing some after the run water and gatorade...all of which came up about 15 minutes later!

Debby and I ran together most of the way...until I started feeling sick at about mile 19!

Finally finished...and SO happy about it!

It's Been Too Long...

2007-10-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry to all who have had to look at that stupid "Peroxide Uses" for almost 3 months now! I haven't posted in quite some time, so once again, I need to play a little catch up!

This summer has been so much fun...Matt and I have done lots of vacationing and playing and it's been a blast! Here's a few pics of what we've done! Enjoy!

Parrot Head in St. George...we ate there EVERY day!

This is on the wall at Parrot Head...I liked it ;)

Matt and Luke...skateboarding in St. George! We have the cutest husbands!

We've been playing a lot of Guitar Hero's! Matt is now on expert, along with Aizlyn :)

We had a little Garrett Family Reunion at Bear Lake which was SO much fun, I love that place! The weather was beautiful and we got to do a lot of surfing, wakeboarding, playing with all the nieces and nephews, and of course, good food!

Beautiful Bear Lake

Cute Amber and Matt...we miss you Amber!

Favorite Uncle Matt on the tube with all the kids!

Sister sister!

Amber and I trying to balance on the tube. We did great until Matt threw us off!

Peroxide Uses

2007-07-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is what Oxi-Clean is... 3% peroxide did you know that????

This was written by Becky Ransey of Indiana

"I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little old bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at any drug store. My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide, or they would lose thousands of dollars."

1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 min. daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe) No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash. (Small print says mouth wash and gargle right on the bottle).

2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of "Peroxide" to keep them free of germs.

3. Clean your counters, table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dish rag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.

4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus on my feet for years - until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine, but was healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other
disinfectants will.

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, or plugged sinuses. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes then blow your nose into a tissue.

9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.

10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide
burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages, but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually so it's not a drastic change.

11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections.

12. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors, and there is no smearing which is why I love it so much for this.

I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no home should be without! With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there's a way to save tons of money in such a simple, healthy manner.

My Favorite 4's!

2007-07-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

4 jobs I've had: 1) Hot Dog on a Stick! 2) California Pizza Kitchen 3)Paychex 4) Granite DM
4 movies I can watch over and over again: 1)How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days 2) Wedding Planner 3) The Holiday 4) Wedding Crashers
4 places I've lived: 1) Kennewick, WA 2) Salt Lake City, UT 3) Holladay, UT 4) Farmington, UT
4 favorite TV shows: 1) Grey's Anatomy 2) The Office 3) Lost 4)The Apprentice
4 places I've been: 1) North Shore, Hawaii 2) Costa Rica 3) Maui, Hawaii 4) Canada
4 favorite foods: 1) Cafe Rio chicken salad 2) costa rica mango's 3) pineapple 4) chocolate n' peanut butter anything :)
4 websites I visit daily: 1) my blog 2) gmail 3) my bank accounts 4) citydeals.com (check it out, its amazing!)
4 places I'd rather be: 1) at the beach 2) in the mountains 3) at the lake wakeboarding 4) in my bed with my hubby
4 blog buddies I want to tag: 1) Ashley Poole 2) Tiffany Parrish 3) Cami Hickcox
4) Sarah Sorenson

Wasatch Back Relay Race

2007-07-11T12:33:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago I ran the Wasatch Back Relay race with a team that just got thrown together the week before the race...and we ended up finishing 22nd out of 300 teams! I think everyone that runs should do this race next year, it was SO much fun! You ride in a car along the whole course...which is Logan to Park City...just taking care of whoever is running on your team, giving them water, cold rags, gatorade, whatever they need. The total distance is 176 miles, but it is BEAUTIFUL!

We snuck into a pool between our first and second legs to cool off and clean off! It felt so good, just what we all needed to get ready for the next leg.

Sisters!

2007-07-11T07:25:00.001-07:00

My sister Lindy and her cute baby girl Aizlyn just moved in with Matt and I for a little while! We've been having so much fun spending more time together now that we're not 10 hours away from each other, its so nice to have family close by, especially when they're your friends too! Love you sister!

Sisters & best friends!

Cutest little girl ever!

Vegas Baby!

2007-07-11T07:22:00.001-07:00

Matt and I met Sam and Cami in Vegas on their way up from California at the beginning of June! It was such a fun, relaxing weekend. We stayed at the MGM Grand which was so nice and had a super nice pool. On Thursday night we got there late and didn't do too much, but Friday was the John Mayer concert, which was SO fun! It was a weekend of American Idols...Cami saw Phil Stacey at the MGM pool...then Blake Lewis and Chris Richards were at the concert. It seems like there was one more, but I can't remember who it was :) Saturday night we went and saw Ocean's 13...then walked out right onto the strip, it was pretty cool! It was such a fun weekend and we're SO happy Sam and Cami have one again joined us all back in Utah!

John Mayer rockin' out!

Matt and I up on one of the bridges

just chillin' at the MGM!

Cami and I did some great shopping while we were there, of course!

Our New House!

2007-07-11T07:18:00.001-07:00

Our new house in Sandy is supposed to start framing any day now! We're so excited to be back down south and not commute so far, but we still have a little while. Here's a picture of our house-to-be! I drive by there about 4 times a week just to see if any progress has been made, and so far, we only have cement, but this is our lot!

We love Lake Powell!

2007-07-11T07:10:00.001-07:00

Lake Powell was such a blast! Thanks Mitch and Lindsay for an awesome weekend!

Trying to stay up on the surfboard!

Girl battles on the surfboard! Michelle & Michelle

Matt and I surfing together!!

The guys couldn't figure out why we like to just "lay out"!

Matt and Mitch having a way on the board!

He makes it look so easy....

My surfer boy :)

Cuddling on the couch!

Happy One Year Anniversary!!!

2007-07-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday, 7.7.07 was mine and Matt's one year anniversary! We had such a fun day celebrating.

We started off the day with lunch at Joe's Crab Shack, then headed to the Jordan River Temple.
Next stop was Baskin Robbins for an amazing peanut butter treat for me, and an oreo shake for Matt Last but not least was Transformers!! I was not very excited to see it, but Matt talked me into it, and I was actually very entertained! It was so fun to just spend a whole day together talking about what we were doing last year at this time and remembering the most amazing day of our lives. This last year has been amazing, thanks to my wonderful husband! He is truly my best friend, he makes me laugh everyday, and I am so grateful for Matt. I love you babe!

Costa Rica trip!

2007-05-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Matt and I went to Costa Rica with Luke and Amy Larsen April 28th-May 7th. It was SO much fun! We had a blast and had a hard time coming home to real life, work, and school. I posted a slideshow of all 200 pictures, so look through them if you have time, its a beautiful place! We did a lot of surfing while we were there, a hike up to some waterfalls, lots of laying out, eating good food, (the best fresh fruit ever!) playing games, and just enjoying each other's company. We stayed in two different places, the first was called Playa (beach in spanish) Hermosa. We were there for 3 days, then went to Playa Samara where we stayed the rest of the trip. That's where the tree houses were that you'll see in the pictures, they were AWESOME! The whole city was just one main street, so we'd wake up in the morning and walk to the bakery for fresh warm bread, then walk to the fruit stand and get a fresh pineapple cut up, and some avocados for the bread, then hit the beach by about 7:30 or 8! We had these great hammack's underneath our treehouse that I loved to just lay in and read, take a nap, or just look at the beach. This was such an amazing vacation, we're so lucky to be able to travel around a little before the babies come and see some of the beautiful places we did!

Beautiful Costa Rica!!!

2007-05-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Salt Lake City & St. George Marathons!

2007-04-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 21st was the Salt Lake City Marathon! For the last 2 years I've run this marathon, and for some reason decided I didn't really want to train and run all that way seeing as how last year was MISERABLE for me! But I did decide to volunteer instead and hand people gatorade as they crossed the finish line. It was kind of fun to be on the other side and actually see the winner (a kenyan of course!) come across the finish line. Well, watching everyone else run and not being in on it made me kinda miss it...so I decided to start training for the St. George Marathon! I haven't done this one yet, but I've heard good things about it. I keep saying I'm not going to do another one, but then I miss it...I guess what they say is true, they're addicting! My goal for St. George is to finish in 3:40 (20 minutes off my best time) and qualify for Boston!! We'll see how that goes...maybe I can even talk my hubby into running it with me :)

Blades of Glory

2007-04-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Over Easter weekend, Matt and I went and saw Blades of Glory...it was pretty funny! There were so many parts that just had me busting up laughing :) These two were perfect for a male skating couple. And for any of you OFFICE fans...Pam is hot in this movie! I've heard a few people say they thought it was dumb, so I guess you have to be in the right mood to go see it....which I was! If you see it, let me know what you think.

Costa Rica...here we come!!!

2007-04-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

We only have 2 more weeks until we leave for Costa Rica! I cannot explain in words how excited I am for this vacation, its going to be wonderful! This is a picture of the treehouses we're staying in when we are in a town called Samara...just wanted to give everyone a little sneak preview of where we'll be! We'll have lots of fun pictures afterwards, so until then....

Happy Birthday to me!

2007-03-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was my 24th birthday!!! My sweet husband surprised me after work with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and the best new headphones that actually stay in my ears! We kicked off the night reminiscing at Buter Middle School (Matt's middle school) We were in the neighborhood and decided to take a little trip down memory lane! Try it sometime, its kinda fun...everything seems a lot smaller than you remember! Here we are doing pull-ups (in my case, attempting!) in the school gym.

After that, we celebrated by going out to dinner at Porcupine Grill with Luke and Amy, then going ice skating! It was so much fun, its been awhile since we've all been ice skating, so it was pretty entertaining. I took a good fall...too bad we don't have a picture of that one :) It was a great day, thanks to all of you who made it special and called me, and to all of you who sacrificed and missed my husbands presence at the basketball game! Thank you all for your friendship!

We're here...

2007-03-21T22:04:00.000-07:00

The day has finally come...we've given in and decided to start this whole blogging thing before we turn 30. Yes, before the days of obligatory seasonal diagnostic tests usually resulting in long rides home in the car with the radio down and very little blinking. Oh the times we have to look forward to... :)

This is the most recent picture we have..snowboarding at Park City on the most beautiful day ever! We've been fortunate enough to make it up to the mountain 3 times so far this year, and I'm pulling for a couple more.

Hopefully with the idea of blogging on my mind, I'll get better at taking my camera with me, and actually remembering to take pictures! Stay tuned for the fun, funny, and maybe not so funny daily happenings of the Garrett family!