Lundstrom Park

time is rushing by

2011-10-26T01:41:00.001-06:00

*Song: Mindy Gledhill - Hourglass

3 years

2011-09-30T15:45:00.000-06:00

3 down, eternity to go.

*This is 3 days late, I know. Blogger wouldn't let me publish until now.

bedtime prayers

2011-09-21T13:16:00.002-06:00

Warning: this may be the cutest thing you've ever seen.

it's been a while...

2011-09-21T00:03:00.001-06:00

We've been busy! Lots to catch up on but I really don't know if I have the determination to write lengthy posts about all the fun we've been having these past few weeks. So here are some pictures and a list of main events:

Oak and I were in Oregon visiting my family for a whole month while Straton was on a wildland fire in Wyoming.
My mom somehow convinced me to let her cut off oaklen's mullet. I'm so regretting that now.
Oaklen has learned SO much. Which I'll be updating in more detail on his blog later. (let me know if you'd like an invite)
I read a book. It was glorious.
We visited family in California, swam in the pool and ate delicious food. We miss you already meema Jan and grandpa Alan!
We got to meet the newest cousin in the family, Landyn. She's the cutest little thing.
Straton shaved his head. bald. let's not talk about it.
We went to the Tulelake fair.
I turned 23. It was a blasty blast.
Oaklen is in nursery!! NURSERY!! And as soon as we get his safety rail for his toddler bed, he'll be sleeping like a big boy! Here come the tears....

little talker

2011-08-04T22:14:00.000-06:00

As of the last couple of weeks, Oaklen has been repeating just about everything we say. At times it may not sound anything similar to the actual word but we know he's trying his best to communicate with us.
As of now he can say about 8 words pretty clearly.

I can't believe he's at this stage. Where did my tiny little baby go?!

summer days

2011-07-26T13:07:00.004-06:00

I thought once summer rolled around I would have post after post to keep this blog busy.

Fortunately I'm spending less time at the computer

and more time doing fun things outside of the house.

And to be honest,

I think I still need to cut back on the amount of time I'm getting on the internet

or sitting inside the house.

So for the last couple of months of this beautiful hot weather, I'm making it a goal to spend as much time as possible outside of this blasted house.

Whether it's going for a walk, to the grocery store or just sitting outside on the front porch all day, I'm breaking free from this house.

I want Oak to run around outside all day long rather than watching sesame street and reading books.

He needs to be wild and free before the cold winter snow cages us back inside.

So if you don't hear from me too much in the next few weeks, I'll be glad. That means we're having fun.

Here are some pictures of our Pioneer day weekend to hold you over in the meantime:

s+s 7.9.11

2011-07-19T06:10:00.000-06:00

It's insanely weird to me that this lady is married right now.

My "albino" (or as her father calls her, "rat") little cousin is a big girl now.

I always called her my albino cousin when I was younger because of her glowing white hair.

You could see through it to her pale pink scalp.

And that's pretty much how I remember her when we were younger.

Moving to Utah and living close to her family, I had no idea how close I would become with them. Especially Siera.

She immediately became my little sister and best friend.

Watching her start dating and listening to her talk about marriage made me realize how much I protected her.

I'm so happy she found Sage and that he loves her so much.

Here's to a very happy relationship with your husband, a bright and successful future and lots and lots of babies. Soon. =)

what it's all about

2011-07-17T21:05:00.002-06:00

red, white & blue

2011-07-06T00:29:00.000-06:00

to sum up our 4th of July weekend: 

lots of food, family, fireworks and fun. 

Bear Lake - 1

2011-06-29T02:17:00.001-06:00

I had to label this Bear Lake trip number 1 because there will probably be 76 more visits before the summer ends. I would live at the cabin all summer if I could. But there is no internet. Me + no internet = death.

Our nieces and nephew have been visiting from Illinois for the last few weeks and we spent last weekend with them at the cabin. There is no better way to babysit, I'll tell you what. They can run outside, play in the water, play in the sand, make messes and play games all day. Which sounds about the same as my daily schedule at the lake, come to think of it.

bye bye, bink

2011-06-22T12:57:00.001-06:00

Dear Binky,

We told you upon arrival that you needed to be out of the house when Oaklen turned 1. But those days came and went. You were good to us, Bink. Don't think otherwise. You saved mom and dad lots of stress and gave us lots of sleep. You were the world's greatest mute button for those times we needed a quiet baby asap. But you've worn out your welcome. In fact, these last couple of weeks you've been attached to Oaklen's face and caused more drama than we ever needed. So your getting the boot.

See you in a couple years,

mom & dad

<< weekend

2011-06-21T12:58:00.002-06:00

As much as I love relaxing by the pool and being a lazy little fart for the last week and a half, I have to say it's good to be home. I have projects that have been screaming my name for weeks and a house that is buried under laundry and dirty dishes. So this week is pretty much dedicated to cleaning, organizing and working on a better daily routine. But while I have 3.4 seconds before Oaklen figures out I'm not reading him the (26th) book of the day, I'll show you a glimpse of what our weekend looked like.

1. mama & Oak at the Logan temple

2. Logan temple

3. Oak and random kitty at the temple. I literally had to drag him away from this cat as he was screaming and reaching for more hugs.

4. teaching Oak how to roll down the hill
5. my white chocolate with strawberry and graham crackers caramel apple from Summerfest

6. ~~Straton~~ Jack Sparrow making a visit at a pirate themed family party.

7. pirate ship
8. Oak sword fighting like a champ

the little things

2011-06-11T17:49:00.001-06:00

Oaklen has two favorite things.

Animals and water.

You can always see a smile on that boy's face if you give him one or the other.

When I went in the backyard to water our (wild) garden and trees, he insisted on holding the hose. The water was freezing cold but he didn't mind getting wet. He kept hosing his face down every time he wanted a drink. Instead of freaking out he would be right back at it.

Crazy kid.

laundry day

2011-06-09T19:35:00.000-06:00

A while ago we were in the market for a nice new camera.

We looked around for a little bit, then decided it wasn't the right time to invest in something like that.

So we put it off.

Of course, I started to crave that nice new camera I'd been daydreaming about. So after a few more weeks, a little more research and a few Youtube videos later, we caved. Or should I say, Straton caved. And next thing I knew we hit the road to pick it up AND take a quick detour to IKEA.

Best husband. Ever.

Now I can't put it down. I'm trying to learn everything I can about this new member of our family.

As I was taking the sheets off our bed to throw them in the wash today, I thought of this image that's been floating around Pinterest for a little while now.

I immediately stripped Oaklen down to his diaper, grabbed my camera and did my own version.

I had to bribe him the whole time with goldfish, that little stinker.

He just wanted to roll around in the sheets and jump off the bed.

Copycat or not, they turned out dang cute.

gee-tar

2011-06-08T00:51:00.000-06:00

If there is one thing I could push Oaklen into it would be music. I was never a big singer or instrument player when I was young, but I wish so badly I was. I think music does so much for kids. I love seeing children playing and learning music. Whether it's knowing how to play five instruments or loving to listen to different kinds of music, I hope Oak is involved somehow.

first year - in photos

2011-06-02T17:59:00.002-06:00

I'm pretty surprised I kept up with this monthly picture collage. It was so fun to look forward to every month. The changes he would make in just a short month period always shocked me.

It's fun to look back on these pictures and see the little boy he was growing into.

Unfortunately, the pictures have come to an end.

I would still be putting him in a white onesie, on the same chair, until he was 12 if he let me.

I think that would be a little awkward, though.

12 months is good enough.

(March 1, 2010 - March 1st, 2011)

tweet tweet

2011-05-23T00:01:00.011-06:00

I caved! We'll see how long I last. I seriously need a crash course for this...

I'm now on Twitter.

to the rescue!

2011-05-20T06:00:00.003-06:00

Here's a fun, easy and super quick (and maybe the best part, cheap) project for all those superheros out there. I hated throwing away all those lotion and shampoo bottles we were using because they seemed to be the one thing Oak would actually play with in (or out of) the tub. Forget all the toys that we happily spent money on thinking he was going to love. That cheap little bottle would do just fine in his book.

So I thought of a way to cover that empty bottle up and make it more boyish and fun for him to carry around. Plus I filled it with small rocks to give it a little something extra when he shook it.

cost: less than $5, including the cost of the lotion.
time: 40-60 min

(The face is drawn on. I didn't care to get too fancy with it.)

where troubles melt like lemon drops

2011-05-19T00:01:00.019-06:00

(a beautiful summer evening from our front yard last year)

Ever since I heard Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, it instantly became my go-to song. I would put it on if I was sad and needed a little cheering up or if I just wanted some peaceful background music as I did my chores for the day. I liked it so much that I told my husband that it was the song I wanted to be played at my funeral. A little creepy, maybe? You have to be prepared for things like this.

Anyway, I searched for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in my Grooveshark account one Sunday (thinking I would get nothing. And then I remembered why I love Grooveshark so much. They have everything) and found their version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, which I never knew existed. Shame on me. I can't stop listening to it. Everyday, at least 10 times. I know I'm already a pretty big boob, but it puts me in tears each time. So of course I had to tell my husband the news and update my future funeral song.

Am I the only one that does this?!

Enjoy!

baby boy pants - refashion

2011-05-18T00:02:00.000-06:00

I've been eyeing a pair of cut-off shorts for the Oakster for a while now.

Of course there was no way I was going to pay 20-30 dollars on shorts for my rapidly growing 1 year old. I figured I could salvage a decent pair of jeans from the D.I. that I could cut into shorts.

As soon as I saw this little ($3) pair of pants I knew they would be the perfect little cut-offs.

It took me maybe an hour from start to finish. Plus I made them slim fit.

Super easy and quick.

It was darn near impossible to get any straight on shots of this little guy.

He is always moving, moving, moving now.

<< weekend

2011-05-17T01:01:00.000-06:00

1. SLC, UT temple

2. Oak posing in front of the temple in the blinding sun

3. Giraffes! Hogle Zoo (pretty sure we spent a good 20 minutes at that stop)

4. Trying to give loves to the tigers at the Hogle Zoo

5. cute baby in jean diaper. And a prancing little puppy.

monkeys and turtles and birds, oh my!

2011-05-12T00:07:00.000-06:00

We're pretty happy about this spring weather we've had. Sure it rains and floods a few days. But when the sun shines, it shines. It makes for a much happier, energetic day when we're outside soaking up those rays. Which is why we'll be spending many more days at the zoo this summer. Oaklen loves being outside and he loves animals.

Oaklen + zoo = happy baby = happy mama

out and about

2011-05-11T01:44:00.000-06:00

Now that Oak can walk like a champ, it makes everything so much easier.

Going on walks with him is a new adventure.

He has already gotten to the stage where he sometimes refuses to hold my hand.

Now I get why my mom always made me promise to hold her hand, no matter if I was 14, 25 or 42. My response was always a yes until I realized I was "cool" and couldn't be seen doing such a thing.

Oaklen, you are hereby sentenced eternally to hand holding with

your mother whether you like it or not.

Failure to do so will result in torture of embarrassment by

kissing your mother in public until you're 18 years old.

blog-cation--Mother's Day

2011-05-10T00:17:00.002-06:00

I took a little time off from blogging. Well, I took time off from my computer in general.

It was nice to clear my head, spend time with my little guy and just relax.

Now I feel like it's time to DO SOMETHING.

I have projects I want to get done and places I want to go now that spring is finally here.

Of course when I have some energy and time to do these things, we all get sick. That's my luck.

Here's to us getting better. And to some more blogging and crafts.

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I know it's late (just like last year) but I think it's only fair that I wish my mom a
happy mother's day!

(my mother's day flowers)
I was a stubborn child, "independent" tween and total pain in the butt teenager.
There are times when I look back at my past and want to smack myself upside the head.
I had no idea what I was actually doing to my own mother until I became one.

With Oaklen, it's like my heart is now walking around outside my chest. I'm hoping with every step he takes that he won't trip and fall and get hurt. I'm praying that he never breaks a bone or gets stitches.
And heaven forbid he get his heart broken one day.
Just thinking about all the life lessons I need to teach him for the future gives me ulcers.
How on earth do I do this?!
How am I supposed to teach him everything he needs to know about being a gentlemen, husband, neighbor and friend?!

It's moments like these when I want to kiss the ground my mom walks on.
I think she did a pretty darn good job raising 3 girls.
To be honest, I don't like hearing the typical "my mom is perfect" speeches that others give.
My mom isn't perfect.
Yes, that's right. She is NOT perfect.
And that's what makes me love her so much! I feel comfortable with her.
She gets me. She understands. She works hard.
She is an amazing woman. And if she were so perfect all the time I don't think I would have learned and felt so much as I did and do now. I liked seeing her make a small mistake here and there. It's just another lesson to me that mistakes happen and it's no big deal.
Move on, be happy and forget all about them.

So mom, if you're reading this and are a little confused, I just want you to know that I love you.
I love that we made mistakes and learned from them, together.
Because you weren't a perfect mother, I now feel more confident in raising my own children.
They don't always need a perfectionist, cookie cutter mother who has life figured out.
But rather someone they can learn WITH and not feel intimidated by.

Thank you for just being you, mom.
You are a fantastic mother!

xoxox

These are the only pictures I have on my computer (be thankful, mom!) but how cut is she?!

My mom (on right) with her twin sister, Jan.

mom and (fresh off his mission) dad. hellooooo bell-bottom jumpsuit.

She's going to hate me for putting this picture up, but if that isn't the happiest/cutest face she's making.....

(leaving our wedding reception in style, baby)

like father like son

2011-04-26T11:45:00.002-06:00

The weather has been clear enough for Straton to mow our lawn for the first time this year.

Whenever Oaklen hears that lawn mower outside, he immediately needs to be outside watching.

Usually I hold him up to the windows or sliding glass door so he can watch. This time I took him outside and let him do some "mowing" on his own. I'm not sure if he was happy or not. He mostly just stood in one place with the same blank stare on his face.

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P.S.

We are in the market for a new camera.

Something that will last as long as possible

(I don't seem to have the best luck with cameras these days), take great photos,

easy to learn and inexpensive. I don't know a thing about cameras.

I've used the same pink digital camera since high school. Straton and I are ready to move up in the world.

So my friends, I need all the advice you can give. Nikon? Canon?

We want to keep it below $700 if possible.

We aren't photographers, so something simple (but still nice quality) will do just fine.

please and thank you!