marcus lane

Music Monday - Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You [Final Scene of The Bodyguard]

2012-02-13T07:46:00.001-07:00

It only seems appropriate that we honor the legendary artist Whitney Houston today since she has passed from this world. It really is sad to see such great people die. Whitney is/was a legendary singer and she had some awesome hits! I remember as a child listening to her. I think I knew every song from the Bodyguard soundtrack that to my mom would always listen to. It was great!

I can also remember coming home late in high school with my buddies and we were in the car parked out front of my house all singing this song at the top of our lungs and my mom came out and told us to be quiet. Ha! She could hear us all the way inside the house.

So this one's for you Whitney, thanks for all the great hits! Listen and sing along with her, you know you want to!

PS- Baby #2 will be here soo soon! Stay tuned for updates and wish us luck!

A Baby Shower

2012-02-10T08:17:00.002-07:00

Last week the wifey's good friend threw her a baby shower and it was a complete success. It was nice for the wifey to get together with some family and friends and get a few more items for baby #2. I know they had good food, drinks dessert! (I got to try it all after!)

Baby #2 got quite a few handmade quilts that look awesome! I will have to post some pics of them on here in another post. Thanks to everyone who went! We truly appreciate it and Brit and Miriam thanks for hosting and putting it all together on such short notice. It is so nice to know that people still care on your second child. (ha!) Below are a few pics that Heidi send to me:

Now we will just wait until that baby gets here. While the women were at the shower, the men and this kids had a great dinner at Five Guys followed with ice cream and play time at McDonald's for the kiddies. It was a prefect night. It was nice to have the Challis Family in town too for the shower and J's baptism!!

Fatherhood and moving forward

2012-02-09T09:00:00.004-07:00

I have been a father/parent for over 2 years now and I like to think I know what I am dong. But I have been a father to a boy. I think it may be easier that being a father to a girl, but who really knows?! We are now having a baby girl sometime next week and I am starting to realize that raising a girl will probably be way different from a boy. Right now with baby T it's all about trucks, Lego's, cars, basketballs and footballs etc..... Starting next week we will be expanding our horizons and could all be pink, girly, princessy, hair, make up, etc... stuff. I am ready for it, we are ready for it! Bring it on!

Until then, T and I will continue to play and we will learn to include his baby sister. Making the jump from a 3 person family to a 4 person family feels like a big deal. But most people that have multiple kids say that 2 to 3 kids is a lot harder. So this should be cake, right?!

T is obsessed with all of these animals, maybe he will be a zoo keeper. He lined them all up last weekend before we went to his cousin's baptism and asked me to take a picture. I love it! He is obsessed with them. He is very nice to them all though. He hugs them, kisses them and I hope he will be that nice to his new sister! So here's to fatherhood and to moving on, moving forward and hoping for the best as we become a 4 person family!

That kid knows where he is

2012-02-08T08:18:00.002-07:00

I like to think that I have a good sense of direction. I also like to think that I am very aware of my surroundings and what is going on around me. The older T gets, the more I realize that he has these same traits.

For example, he goes to a place once and he know where it is and what it's called. True story. When we drive along I-15 he knows what is off the exits if we have been there before. So let's start down south and we will work our way north towards Salt Lake City.

As we drive North on I-15, T knows that off of the American Fork Main Street Exit, there is a Target there. He loves Target, we all do. We keep on going north to the Lehi Main Street exit and he points out the McDonald's there. He loves the ice cream and the play place there. The next exit is just houses, but he know that his friend Linds lives there. Now we go to the Highland/Alpine (Thanksgiving Point) exit. Now, this is a busy one because he points out the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point, the fishies at Cabela's and the drinks we get at the Maverik gas station, ha! The next exit is 14600 S in Draper. He always says Teresa's house and points up the mountain where his cousins live. The next exit is Ikea on Bangerter Highway. He always says Ikea with excitement because he knows there is free food there! Every Tuesdays kids eat free! We go and you should go too. We keep going North, and in between the 12300 and 11400 South exits is Costco. He also like Costco because of the food samples. Then we get to 10600 South where he knows it's the mall and we shop there, ha!

Now how funny is this?! T could probably get you around this area of town pretty well. He obviously knows where all of the cool stuff is in our neighborhood, his cousins and his grand parents. He likes to point out the pools and parks the best. He is an awesome kid and his wold might change when the baby comes next week. Yes, next week baby #2 will be here.

Instagram Photo a Day Challenge

2012-02-07T08:18:00.002-07:00

So I am avid Instagram user, and if you aren't, then you are missing out. It's a great app, try it, you will not be disappointed. This month there is a challenge thing going on where you post a picture everyday of something. Then you tag the photo in Instagram by #febphotoaday so others can see what you view that specific day as.

Here is the picture with what the daily pic should be of:

So for each cay of the month you post a picture that describes what it says. So for my view today (on the 1st) I posted a pic of mt current view, which was at work, working on the month end reports. Get it? So below are some more of my pics from the first week, enjoy them! I think I will post this every week so you can see them all.

Music Monday - Train - Drive By

2012-02-06T08:11:00.001-07:00

I have been hearing this song quite a bit lately and I like it. It's pretty catchy, don't ya think?
You can learn the lyrics from the video too, so read them and memorize them.
Enjoy it and Happy Monday!

February Goal

2012-02-03T08:15:00.002-07:00

Well I completed my first goal for the month of January. I did not eat any candy for 31 days, but that just means I had more dessert, ha! Of course, on February 1 I hit up the grocery store for some cinnamon bears and Starburst jelly beans. Mmmmm....they were good. And I had a Nerds Rope waiting for me from my birthday. Candy really is good and so are completing goals.

So for the month of February my goal is to run at least 20 miles every week. This shouldn't be too hard, but it will motivate me to make time to go running and get my butt in gear for the half marathon training. I only have a couple more months.

{my running shoes - asics}

So I will keep my running shoes in good use this month and get some good mileage logged on my training. I can't wait! Wish me luck with my goal for the month of February.

I'm still a kid most days

2012-02-02T08:01:00.002-07:00

Yes, most days I like to think that I am still a kid. It's true. Good thing I have an actual real life kid to remind me of that. For my birthday the wifey and T got me a scooter! Ha. It's a Airwalk Razor Scooter and I love it! G on over to amazon.com and get one for yourself, you will not be disappointed. Santa brought T a 'Cars' scooter for Christmas and he has been asking when I am going to get one, and now I have one, so thanks!

We scoot around the island in the kitchen every night and can't wait until he get a warmer day where we can scoot outside on the street and sidewalk. We just need to get helmets! Let's go get our scoot on!

Weekend Events

2012-02-01T08:14:00.001-07:00

This last weekend was fun, and it just flew right by. We had some of T's cousins over on Saturday and they had a book reading party on his new bunk beds! We visited the new Arctic Circle by our house (they have a killer play area), went running, T took multiple baths and just loves the water and he got new some kid apps on my phone where we can play with Elmo and make pics, ha!

PS- Less than 2 weeks until baby #2 is here! Can you believe it?! We are soo excited!

Murphy Built Home

2012-01-31T07:39:00.003-07:00

Do you wanna see a really cool house? Here are a few pics, check them out:

Your first sight of the house as you turn on their street.

The front view of the house. The front yard is huge!

A little computer nook just off the kitchen. So clean and simple.

Half Bath on the main floor.

Formal living and dining. The floor to ceiling windows are awesome.

Master bath. That rain shower looks awesome!

And the kitchen. I love the islands and that everything is hidden/built in.

This house was built by the wifey's friends in Reno that she grew up with. They designed it, built it, etc..... it's pretty rad huh?! The exterior gives an old Hollywood classy feel and I love all of the windows. The kitchen is so clean and sleek. I love how everything is off of the counters and is hidden in the cupboards or cabinets somewhere. Even the refrigerators blend in, and there is a pizza over in the rock part of the kitchen, pretty cool! Check out their Facebook page to see some of their other projects and like them too! :) The house has 4 bedrooms 5 bathrooms and a huge basement! Oh, and there is a guest house and boat garage, of course!

Music Monday - Ali Shields - Home Town Glory Cover

2012-01-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

Since Ali's AI audition was such a hit, I am posting a video of her singing Home Town Glory (by Adele) this week for Music Monday.

Head on over to her You Tube Page and see more of her videos that she has posted, and keep watching Idol to see what happens!

Toddler T Updates

2012-01-27T08:27:00.003-07:00

I think it is only fair that I post a couple more times about T, since his world is going to change in a couple weeks when baby #2 is here! So here is an update about him and what he is up to these days.

He is now 27 months old and has the personality to prove it. The wifey has been working to get him potty trained so we don't have 2 kids in diapers and she has nailed it! He goes potty all day every day and we give him lots of chocolate milk and juice to drink so he will pee more. He loves to get treats when he goes potty and we are yet to have a major accident! (Knock on Wood....) He got to pick out his own undies and loves to wear them around the house without any pants on, ha! We moved him out of the nursery and into his own new room. He now sleeps in a big boy bed (bun beds actually, for when his cousins sleep over) and loves to have all of his blankets and animals in bed with him. He is obsessed with his Teddy (Bob), Elmo, Panda Bear, Luis and baby Luis. He sleeps good in his bed, but gets up a lot earlier these days. He has all of his books in his new room on his new shelves and the pics/art that he likes the most are up on the walls.

T loves to jump off the furniture in our house, jump down the stairs, play basketball in the basement whenever he gets the chance, scoot around the house, play with his animals, read books, watch his baby shows, take his blankie everywhere, build towers and temples with his Lego's and as of lately he loves eating those little tangerine orange things.

He is so nice to his animals. He hold them, cuddles them, kisses them, feeds them, hugs them etc..... hopefully he will be that nice when baby #2 is here. I am sure he will, he is a good boy! We love having him around and can't wait to see him as a big brother.

(his last night in the crib with all of his blankies and animals)

(T loving his Thomas the Train undies)

(With his flock of animals, they go everywhere!)

(T's stuff in his room)

My Training Schedule

2012-01-26T08:07:00.002-07:00

The half marathon training is going pretty well so far. Some days are harder than others to find (or make) the time to run. I have been going to the gym after work to hit the treadmill, run my neighborhood streets on the cold weekends and I have even been running before work at 6 am. I know, I'm crazy. I even saw 3 other runners out that early, it was dark and they were wearing head lamps and reflectors on their shirts. They are smart. I was wearing an over sized Arizona Cardinals sweatshirt that I got for free, ha!

I have been doing pretty good with getting in the right mileage each week, so that's good. Scott and i are going to go on a longer run one of these days and see how our paces are, etc.... We just need to get our schedules to match up one day, hopefully a warmer day. I would love to go run up City Creek again, they have awesome trails up there. Hopefully some of you have signed up for the Half Marathon, it's a good race with an excellent course.

Birthday Celebrations

2012-01-25T11:53:00.002-07:00

Well, my birthday has come and gone and left me as a 30 year old, officially. It feels good, so far! Since my birthday was on a Sunday, it was mellow and nice. I like that. I did have to give a talk in church though. I spoke about teaching and went over church teachers but mainly concentrated on be a teacher as a parent. It was a good topic and I enjoyed doing some extra studying.

I woke up kind-of early with T and we made breakfast and funfetti cupcakes to celebrate the day. After church we headed to the parentals in Salt Lake and had a big southern food feast to celebrate the birthdays of myself, my mom, Teresa, Natalie (little) and Jeffrey. It was awesome! Lots of good food, desserts and family time. We watched the 49'ers lose (it was an intense overtime) and then watched Idol, where my cousin Alexis killed it! She was so great.

Here are a few pics of the evening. I love how T is licking his lips in the second picture. He must really want a cupcake.

Baby Presley send me a pic message wishing she could have been there. Her and our baby #2 will be BFF, right Lisa? Or baby T can marry her, or both will work, ha. Adios friends and family.

A Birthday Bounce

2012-01-24T07:45:00.001-07:00

So, my mom and I have the same birthday, and my little sisters is the day after, and my sister in laws in the following week and my nephews is a week before and since we are all living in Utah right now, my parents rented out Jump Around Utah last Saturday night, so we could all get our bounce on! And that we did!

This place was so much fun. We were all running and bouncing all over the place. We had birthday cake and tons of other desserts and just had a good time. The layout of the place is nice. There is a huge bouncy thing in the middle and then lots of bounce houses, slides and a kids area on all of the sides. So when the parents aren't bouncing they can see everything and keep an eye on the kiddies. T loved it! He would climb up the kids stuff, and then race to go down the slide and keep up with the older kids. It was fun!!

Ali Shields - Rap & Like A Star - American Idol 2012 - San Diego Au...

2012-01-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

American Idol has finally started, and let me say I like it way better than X Factor. X Factor is all about the judges and not the talent. So I am thrilled that the new season of Idol has finally started. And to make things even better, my cousin Ali Shields made it!! Just watch the clip, in case you missed it last night and enjoy!

How cool is she? And how funny is this? We were laughing so hard when we were watching is last night, ahhhhh!! I love it and love my family! Good job Ali!!

Music Monday - Jimmy Eat World - Pain

2012-01-23T09:57:00.001-07:00

I really like Jimmy Eat World! They are an awesome band and I have seen them in concert twice and loved them both times. I remember the good old days of going to shows all the time. It was something that I loved to do, well I still do, but I am at a different point in my life now. A better point if you will.

Any who, enjoy it and Happy Monday!

The Dirty Thirties

2012-01-22T17:23:00.002-07:00

30. That's how old I am! Can you believe it? My birthday is January 22, it's the same as my moms. Cool, huh?! So, for some odd reason 30 feels old, like really old. But then I think of turning 40, 50 and then 60! Now those numbers sound really old! I may sound a little negative here, but I am actually excited for the 30's. I call them the dirty thirties, just because.

One good thing about turning 30 is that when I race I am in an older division, which means I should get better times! I get to race the the 30-34/35 year old. Since I am a few years younger, I should be a little bit quicker, right?! Here's to my hoping and wishing!

So bring on the 30's, I am ready for you! It's going to be a good decade!

A new baby

2012-01-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Our BFF's that live in San Diego had their first baby last night! We are so excited for them!
So, I would like to introduce you to Presley Isabella Pratt! 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 19.5 inches long with tons of dark hair!! Just see for yourself:

She is the first grand baby on both sides of their family, and she is gonna get so much attention! Ha! Congrats L and L we will see you guys in a couple months!!

Cahootal

2012-01-19T08:39:00.001-07:00

My cousins are awesome! They have a new business called CAHOOTAL. It is their new baby where they sell produce, meats, cheese, chocolates, spreads and beverages all throughout Utah so you can get it locally. As they say on their website:

"Buying local is not a new concept - Neanderthals invented it. We're simply trying to keep it going. We like local food because it usually tastes better and because it helps our neighbors' farms and businesses. When we can't find something that's made locally (like real extra virgin olive oil), we buy from our local importers or from the nearest source. Cahootal is mostly for Utah/by Utah, but other people can buy, too :)"

So please support them and LIKE them on Facebook, sign up for the newsletter on their website and get the word out, thanks and go get your cahootal on, because you know I have!

Family Movie Night

2012-01-18T08:18:00.002-07:00

Last weekend we went to a movie, as a family and with other family members. It was T's second time in a real movie theater. We went to Towne Cinemas in AF and it was perfect! The tickets are only $1.50 and everyone there has kids, so it's not the end of the world if your child is a little loud, makes noise, etc......

We saw Puss in Boots, and it was a decent show. All the kiddies loved it, so that's what really matters. They love getting popcorn, drinks and candy for the show too. They have cheap suckers and candy in the theater too to keep the kids quiet for maybe 5 minutes, ha! It was fun and we ended the evening with milkshakes at the one and only JCW.

Below are a couple more pics that I took while T and I were on our Saturday morning run in our neighborhood:

T insisted on wearing these glasses. They were from a 3-D movie, ha! He is too funny!

And he loves all of the tractors that we see all the time in our neighborhood. They just keep building and building new stuff. Can't wait until it is done this fall!!

Baby Names

2012-01-17T07:46:00.003-07:00

Did you know that the baby is due in 1 month? Only 1 more month! I didn't realize it either, until the wifey came home from her appointment a few days ago and said the Doctor would induce her on a specific date if she hasn't gone into labor on her own. So, let the baby name game begin! Ha! So, we (the wifey and I) have had a list of 4-5 baby names for our little girl for quite some time now. We bounce around between each of them. So here is the list, in no particular order of course:

Monroe - We like this name a lot. There is a cute girl in our ward with this name and the wifey is a Marilyn Monroe fan. Negative thing is that Mariah Carey named one of her twins Monroe last fall and some people think it is a boy name.

Lila - This one is my favorite. It is kind-of old skool, yet classic. I like Lila Kay Shields. Don't you? Or Lila Madelyn Shields.

Sydney - Also another good one. Just a good, fun girly name. It's simple and nice, I like it!

Madelyn - This one is also a good one. I wouldn't mind calling my daughter Madelyn, or even Maddie/Maddy. I guess we can figure out the spelling if we name her that.

Julia - I like this one but I just think about Julia Gulia from the wedding singer. I know I am terrible.

I am terrible with names, because if I know someone that has the same name I will most likely dislike it. Or if I know something about someone with that name, etc....etc..... I really do like all of our name choices though. We will figure it out soon enough. Maybe we just need to see her, then we will know.

We decided to have T say each of the names and see which one sounded the best coming from his mouth. Watch this little video clip and you can decide for yourself which one we should choose:

Music Monday - Coldplay - Paradise (Peponi) African Style (Piano/Cello) Cover - The Pia...

2012-01-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

Ahhh! This song is killing me, I love it! Just listen and see for yourself!!

I call it egg toast or hole in the toast.

2012-01-13T08:15:00.001-07:00

Have you ever had this before? Some people call it egg toast, or hole in the toast, or egg in the toast, or eggs in the nest, or egg in a frame. What do you guys call it? Whatever you call it, it's good. I remember eating these as a kid and ever since we moved back to Utah I have been eating these on a regular basis. Even T likes them.

The other night we had breakfast for dinner (which I love doing) and I made one of these for me along with the hash browns another egg and another piece of toast, ha! They are pretty easy to make, just use the top of a cup to cut out the circle, then crack the egg in the hole and fry it. Some people like to toast the bread before you fry it, but I just spray the pan a little and it works fine. Then I like it with a little ketchup and some salt and pepper, see:

This was my meal, followed with a bowl of cold cereal of course. I love breakfast for dinner. Try the egg toast, or egg in a frame, you will like it!!

I must have said my prayers that day

2012-01-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

{COSTCO}

The other day after work T and I headed off to Costco to pick up a couple things. The wifey was at a church function, so it was just the boys. We headed in, got a cart, looked at cameras and tv's like usual, then headed for toys. It's what toddler T was requesting to see. As we walked down the aisle, I saw a white card, it just looked like a regular membership card to Costco. I picked it up and soon realized that it was a gift card. I looked around and there was no one else on that aisle, which is weird because Costco is always packed! So I took it up front and asked one of the employees and told him about it. He took the card into the manger office area and then came back a few minutes later and our conversation went a little like this:

Costco Employee: Well you can have it.

Me: Wait.....what?!

Costco Employee: Ya. It's all yours.

Me: Well someone lost it.

Costco Employee: Ya, but no one has come up and asked about it, and we can't just sit around waiting for someone to claim it. Plus, there is no way to track who bought it, used it, etc.... How much money is on there anyway?

Me: I don't know.

Costco Employee: Well call the number on the back and see.

Me: Dialing the # on my phone watching the employee. I hang up a minute later and say $100 bucks!

Costco Employee: Well it's your luck day, it's all yours. I gotta go, see ya!

Me: Thanks!

Now how cool is that? Sorry to whoever lost the card, but thanks for letting me use it Costco. I even let T pick something out that he wanted since we had some extra $ to spend and he picked out Toy Story. We went home with our purchases and watched the movie while we ate popcorn and drank chocolate milk. I sure am glad I said my prayers that day. :)