"Every traveler has a home of his own, and he learns to appreciate it the more from his wandering"

The Mason Panzer Division

2012-01-28T20:36:00.001-08:00

When Austin's parents came to visit after Mason was born, Terry helped Austin fulfill a longtime dream of his.....building a rocking tank. It started out as a hilarious discussion about how fun it would be, but seemed impossible. But those amazing Keaton men made it happen! It was so endearing to watch Austin becoming a new dad, and then working with his dad on such a cute project. The painting is still a work in progress, but Mason loves it! Spencer and Seth have big plans for some big kid upgrades--a real gun on the front, an engine, wheels, a remote control, etc. We'll wait until Mason actually grows into it first.

Why wives shouldn't nag their husbands about their hobbies

2012-01-26T08:37:00.000-08:00

Austin has always been obsessed with guns and shooting. I knew this dating him, I knew this when I married him.
He worked at a gun store for 4 1/2 years.
Our entire basement was dedicated to gun cleaning, repairing, ammo reloading, etc.
When we moved 40% of our possessions were guns and ammo related.
We can't use the coat closet downstairs in our townhouse because it has to house the gun safe.
We receive a regular subscription to Guns & Ammo magazine.
And monthly Austin has me do the "drill" where I show him that I know how to use the home defense shotgun in under five seconds.
Many times I have been tempted to be annoyed by this true love of his. I would hold my breath when anyone brought up the issue of gun control, knowing we were all in for a good rant.
He has always said that his absolute dream would be if he could teach history or turn his love of shooting into a career. I would usually give a nice sarcastic eye roll at that.

But I have been humbled.

I can't believe he was actually able to do the latter.

And he is amazing at this new job.

I've always assumed he knew quite a bit in this area, but I had no idea just how much he really knows. In four weeks at his new job he has become their source of all gun information. The people working there know ammunition since that's what they do. But no one knows as much about the actual guns as Austin does. He has answered questions for the board of directors during meetings, and his boss is having him fix one of his collector M1 Garands.

And earlier this week he discovered a manufacturing error in one of their lines of ammunition that will save the company millions of dollars. His boss's boss's boss came down to personally thank him.

The best part is that he is also learning a ton, which he loves to do. He comes home every day (at 4:30 which is awesome) and just seems over the moon about whatever it is he got to do that day. They actually pay him to go and shoot guns on their gun range. And talk to people all day about guns. And his boss was a history major and they talk history all day long. Austin has always gotten along best with anyone above the age of 60, and that describes about 90% of the people he works with. He is really just in heaven.

I am so proud of him and so happy for him.

And that was worth moving to Lewiston for.

The truth about natural birth

2012-01-24T07:57:00.000-08:00

I read this article today called "The Truth About Epidurals". I was obviously expecting to be slightly annoyed at the content of it, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it was written. The information is presented in a biased, yes, but matter of fact way. Birth articles tend to get emotional, and this author did a good job. BUT....

What always drives me crazy about these kinds of discussions on the birth issue is that natural birth does not mean just no epidural. It means so many other things. I chose to have our baby outside of the hospital because I wanted the option to NOT have....Pitocin, unnecessary IV fluids, antibiotic eye ointment, Hep B vaccine, to not have to deliver on my back, to not have a ticking clock on my labor progression, or an automatic induction if I was overdue, etc.

If I had just wanted no epidural, I probably would have delivered in a hospital, like so many women do just fine. But so many of those other standard protocol interventions were not what I wanted as part of our birth experience, and I believe many of them would have made it harder to give birth without pain medication. And the fact that they don't offer, at least where we live, alternative methods to coping with pain is pretty backwards to me. None of the hospitals in Utah offer a birthing tub at all. A CNM told me that they can't let women labor in tubs because the malpractice insurance won't cover them if they do. So that tells me that their decisions during my birth would be made based on pleasing their insurance company rather than on what was best for me as an individual.

Maybe epidurals are better than they were 20 years ago as the article states, but it does not change the fact that birth has been overmedicalized in a billion other ways. And it IS a slippery slope of interventions, no one can deny that. The author of the article even said that she blames her emergency C-section on the fact that she was medically induced.

I'm not someone who judges how other women give birth, I think it's a fundamental right for women to choose that experience for themselves. But what does bother me is the lack of research that women put into how they will give birth. I wish women read more books or just talked more openly about childbirth experiences. Make an INFORMED decision rather than just going in blindly hoping things go okay. Maybe I'm just a control freak and wanted to know every detail of everything that could happen to me during childbirth. But everything went exactly how I had hoped, and I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful experience. And I believe that being prepared and informed was 99% of why it went so well for us.

But I don't know the other side because I obviously have never had an epidural, or hospital birth, or an emergency that required medical intervention. I love to hear any birth experiences, and would love it if anyone wants to share theirs and how they made that decision!

2012-01-22T16:02:00.001-08:00

I read this cute article today about following Dad's lead when it comes to certain aspects of parenting.
Austin has already taught me so many things just watching him take care of Mason. And I don't think he had ever held a baby before we had our own, so it's all instinct with him.
He was the first one brave enough to put Mason in the real tub when he was clearly too big for the infant one.
Or he lets him stand up against walls and furniture that I would never consider, but Mason is totally capable.
Even Austin's willingness to just take him to the store for a quick errand when I feel like it's a hassle to put him in the car seat and drag him out.
Sometimes Austin will take Mason in the mornings if he doesn't have to work so I can sleep in a little bit. I'll come downstairs to find Mason either just in a diaper or some crazy outfit, playing in a giant pile of toys. And he is always absolutely delighted.
Or this afternoon when I came out of the kitchen and found Mason in a giant box. He played in that box for over an hour, having the time of his life.
Who would think of that except a Dad?
I'm grateful that our little guy will grow up with the influence of both parents. Daddy is fun, but someone has to do the laundry. =)

Skyping with Grandma and Grandpa from his new box home.

Gender Wars

2012-01-20T11:55:00.001-08:00

I read a couple of articles about "gender disappointment" before I got pregnant and thought it was pretty far-fetched.
{The sociologist in me has to make a disclaimer that this really should be called SEX disappointment, because it's the sex of the baby that is being discussed, not technically gender. But I guess that would make for a really weird title of an article}
I came across another article today. It meant something completely different to me now, having a child of my own, and especially having a boy. Now I realize that it's absolutely absurd. Apparently moms who are disappointed most often are those who found out they were having boys instead of girls.
Read it here if you like:
http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/fetal_development/genetics_gender/article/overcoming-gender-disappointment

Seriously....you get pregnant {miracle}, you have a perfect, beautiful little baby {miracle}. And you're going to act disappointed that you can't dress it the way you imagined? Or you can't buy the toys you always pictured? Or because you swore it was supposed to be a girl and how did this mix up happen?

Am I opposed to having a girl? Absolutely not. I love the relationship I have with my mom and would love to have that someday if we have a daughter.
But will I actually go through depression if we continue to have boys?
I certainly hope I will have a little more perspective than that.
Maybe I'm way off base and tons of people feel this way. It really just never crossed my mind to have a true and honest preference to the point of being worried that I wouldn't get what I had pictured.

People always asked us before we found out the sex of the baby what we "wanted".
Well, we wanted a baby.
That's why we got pregnant.
And thank the heavens, the ultrasound confirmed that it was just what we always wanted.
A sweet, darling baby.

Who would be disappointed in this?

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

I decided that this would be my year for actually writing down and making a plan for keeping some New Year's resolutions. Austin and I set a lot together, and our first one is the most typical of all resolutions--to lose 10 pounds. Everyone says "I'm gonna lose weight" and then they just keep doing whatever they're doing and just act confused about why they're not making their goal.
So we are going to do it in 6 weeks, and do it by more closely following the diet we were given by our homeopathic nutritionist Cecelia.
I've been doing the diet for Mason's sake since the beginning of November, but with the move and the holidays it was really hard to keep it up as strictly as I should have been. Basically it's no dairy, no soy, no gluten. ALL organic-fruits, vegetables, seasonings, everything. Free range chicken and turkey and only grass-fed organic beef.
It's definitely a life adjustment, but I feel amazing when I'm sticking to it. And it doesn't feel at all like deprivation. I get to eat things I never would have when I was dieting before-like peanut butter, nuts, organic potato chips, etc. Eating this way has gotten me 6 pounds under what I weighed when I got pregnant. But as every mother knows, things still aren't the same as before, it's like everything shifted around. I'm pretty sure I will have muffin tops for the rest of my life no matter what I do. =)
Part of my goal is to start exercising on a more regular basis again. I was doing spin class again and I LOVE it, but we decided not to renew our gym membership cause it's so expensive. And it's hard with a 7 month old to find the time/motivation. Any moms have a good suggestion for me? Anything that's worked for you?
I figure writing out my goal on my blog will motivate me to actually stick to it. I'll give some updates on our progress as we embark!
What are you New Year's resolutions for 2012??

Our Town

2012-01-17T14:59:00.001-08:00

Lewiston Idaho is a darling little town.
There are a lot of quirky, one of a kind things that we've discovered in just the week that we've lived here so far.
But it's also missing a few things.
Main Street is adorable, with the coolest old vintage buildings. There are so many spaces that would make for a perfect....

bookstore
breakfast cafe
dessert shop
clothing boutique
ice cream shop
vintage store
stationary/paper shop
organic foods store

Just to name a few.
I guess we'll have to live here a little longer and then see if we are brave enough to try to fill a niche with our own store.
I've always wanted to do that, and this feels like the perfect place!
Anyone want to encourage/discourage/tell me I'm crazy for even considering opening a business in this kind of economy?? I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.

We are obsessed with our baby

2012-01-16T14:03:00.001-08:00

Two Idahoans and a Baby

2012-01-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

I am totally lame. I'm sorry about the complete lack of blogging. Isn't it ironic that when nothing is going on in our lives I write more blogs because I have time, but now that a billion things have happened, I've written nothing at all? This habit coincides nicely with my journal writing, sadly. Which is why New Year's Resolution #7 is NOT to blog more, but to write in my journal more consistently.

Anyway, I have no pictures to post because we do not have a camera cord easily accessible as of late. But I will post later. For now, here's a little update.

We moved to Lewiston, Idaho one week ago. The drive took 16 1/2 hours (10 1/2 at normal speed) because we had the truck hauling the car and had to go super slow. Siara and Tyler are saints and drove up with us so that I wouldn't have to drive alone with the babe. Mason was a little trooper. I think he cried about ten minutes of the entire trip. He slept, played, ate, and enjoyed listening to the Republican debates in New Hampshire with us. We made it safely and were able to unload the truck and unpack a good portion of the house while Siara and Ty were still here. Austin LOVES his job. He works four 10 hour days, so we have 3 day weekends permanently. And his commute is about 3 minutes, so we get to see him for his lunch breaks too. We love the town so far, it's extremely reminiscent of Camas, WA where I grew up--even has a paper mill and a little downtown theater called The Liberty! And thankfully, our townhouse is nice. We were concerned since we decided to rent it based only on pictures and not having seen it in person. We are adjusting well to the area, I haven't cried in 4 days. =) I don't miss Utah, just the people there. Particularly my sissy. I've never lived anywhere that she wasn't there with me. And that's all I'm going to say about that cause I might break my 4 day no crying streak.

Little Mason man is 7 months old now. He weighs 20 pounds even and I'm not sure of his length because I haven't unpacked my sewing box and don't have a measuring tape. =) But he is definitely a chubby, healthy baby. He is starting to crawl, getting on his hands and knees and scooching around. He can make his way all around a room gathering his toys. And as I'm writing this he made his way up to the couch and is currently trying to pull himself up. Uh-oh. Better babyproof ASAP! Our little night owl still doesn't sleep through the night, but it's tolerable. And I just read an article that says that gifted children have a hard time sleeping through the night because they can't "tune out the world that they are so interested in learning about". We'll just pretend that's the case here. It will be my one solace, that possibly I'm mentoring a genius at 4 am every day. He typically only wakes up once, and he has a cold and is teething and we just uprooted everything he was familiar with to move to a new place. So I can see where he's still struggling. He is an absolute delight to play with, he is so curious and interested in everything. He loves books and will pay close attention while he's read to. He LOVES to be sung to still. Anything will do, as long as we sing it really enthusiastically. And he still loves Taylor Swift, she saved us a few times on the drive up. He's eating solids regularly now, his favorites are peas, avocado, potatoes, pears, and bananas. He's not the biggest fan of sweet potatoes and carrots, but we are working on a good variety of veggies so he still gets them in the line up. He has two teeth, the two bottom front, and he likes to chomp your fingers with them. He's babbling more word-like sounds now, and I secretly tell him to say "mama" all day while we're together. =) He is a seasoned little traveler as well. He had been to 6 states by the time he was 6 months old, has been on a plane three times, and one looooong road trip.

Okay that's all for now because we have a huge day ahead of us running errands and finishing setting up the house. I LOVE this new 3 day weekend schedule! We can get so much more done!! Which I'm sure is exactly what Austin is thinking....=)

The Vintage Pearl

2011-12-22T19:25:00.001-08:00

I love love love the Vintage Pearl. They make the most incredible and unique jewelry and gifts. All of their items are handmade and so beautiful. We have given them as gifts to my mom and mother-in-law. They make perfect little keepsakes. Go here to shop their store!

http://www.thevintagepearl.com/categories/simple_c4

2011-12-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been this long since I've blogged. There will be a 6 month Mason post to come soon. For now, here's a little shorthand list of everything that's been going on!

*We have a place to live in Lewiston. A darling townhouse that's only a few minutes from Austin's work and about two blocks from our church building.
*Mason is officially 6 months old as of last Sunday. Time is FLYING!
*Even though we are trying to pack for the move, we decided we needed to get a Christmas tree for Mason's first Christmas season. So our home is filled with holiday cheer and lots of boxes.
*Scott, Nicole, Bailey and Norah are staying with us for a few days and it has already been a house full of toys, books, Disney movies, and playtime galore! And not much sleep trying to coordinate three little ones' bedtimes. But we are having a blast! And having our eyes opened to what life is like with multiple children. =)
*We are leaving in 8 days to spend a week in North Carolina for Christmas. We are so excited to celebrate Mason's first Christmas with our east coast loved ones!
*Spencer and Adrianna were married in the Portland Temple and we were lucky enough to be there with our whole family. It really is a piece of heaven to be all together.
*Siara and Tyler are saints and are going to drive with us to Lewiston and help move us in.

And....that's about it!! Pictures and more to come soon.

The next big adventure

2011-11-29T18:26:00.000-08:00

Austin was offered a really great job opportunity in Lewiston, Idaho. So great that yes, we are actually going to move. After sobbing for a good few hours about leaving my sister, my friends, my Utah, my last seven years, I have decided to buck up and be an adult. It is really an amazing job for Austin and such a darling little town. People keep comparing it to Camas where I grew up, it even has a paper mill and everything! Oh, and we feel like this is totally where we are supposed to be, so I am grateful for this opportunity to exercise my faith and trust in my Heavenly Father. Austin will start January 2nd, so we will be in quite a rush to get packed up and relocate. Austin is going up this weekend so he will take a few real pictures of the town, but here's a few from our many google searches of where we will be spending the next many years.

New Addition

2011-11-18T14:16:00.001-08:00

We added a member to our little family today...

A 2007 Jeep Patriot. =)

Stick shift. 4 wheel drive. Power locks and windows and keyless entry-such luxuries! We love her already. She is so much fun to drive!

5 Months Old

2011-11-12T12:38:00.000-08:00

This is a day late because Mason has decided that he STILL doesn't need to take regular naps, even at 5 months. He's just got too much to do!
He is 16 lbs 13 oz and 27 inches long.
He rolls over more intentionally now, and he can sit up on his own for about five minutes at a time-with close supervision. He still wobbles like a weeble-wobble. =)
He is so pudgy and cute and I could just kiss his little cheeks all day.
He loves his feet and likes to pull his socks off.
He can now dump himself head first out of his swing, so we are done using it. It's too much hassle to actually buckle him in.
He's still not a great sleeper. It's an ongoing battle to figure out what it is that is bothering his little tummy. But he makes up for that by being so adorable that I love seeing him anytime of day or night.
He recognizes people now, and gets excited when he sees them, particularly Aunt Siara and Jess. And when Uncle Seth was over the other night he insisted on grabbing his face constantly and laying big slobbery baby kisses all over him.
He recognizes his name now too, and will turn when you say it.
He is so full of smiles and giggles and chatter, and gets super excited when strangers talk to him. He is very social and lets just about anyone hold him. He went with dad to go vote last week and the little old ladies working the booths were just in love with him and gave him an "I Voted" sticker for his little jacket.
He loves to be swung up and down and thrown up in the air and play "airplane".
He had his first real photo shoot with Rachel and she did an amazing job! He still gets camera shy, so we didn't get many of him smiling. But still so cute.
And he most definitely still sucks his thumb and pointer finger.

I put him on his tummy to let him play with his toys this morning in the living room while I was cleaning up the kitchen. I heard him start fussing pretty intently, and went in to find this.

2011-11-04T16:04:00.001-07:00

I saw this video on YouTube and it made me cry. It's a little deaf baby having his cochlear implant turned on for the first time. The way he reacts to his mother's voice is so sweet.

I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!

2011-10-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Best day of the year. I was almost starting to think the magic of Halloween had passed me by as an adult now, but I've gotten all of that joy back being able to share it with our little man. I love that having a baby renews all the love and fun of childhood holidays.

2011-10-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

I am in love with Fall. The crisp fresh air, the beautiful colors of the changing leaves, pumpkins on everyone's porches. It all makes my heart skip a beat. We celebrated Fall today by getting our pumpkins and going for a drive up Sundance. The only thing that could make this season better is getting to share it with our sweet little boy for the first time.

Sleepless in Utah

2011-10-22T08:45:00.001-07:00

It's been a rough couple of weeks on the sleep front here in the Keaton home. Mason has just not been feeling well at all, and started having food allergy symptoms again even though I've been meticulous about not eating dairy. He won't nap for longer than a 45 minute stretch and has been waking up anywhere from 3-7 times a night. Yes, 7 times in one night. Not crying, just awake cause he's uncomfortable and then decides he wants to talk and play.
So we took him to an allergist and they did some skin testing. The skin tests aren't really accurate this young, but they ruled out more serious allergies like peanuts or tree nuts. The allergist said it's most likely a sensitivity to soy in addition to the dairy. He was really sweet and commended me for nursing him because his reactions would be way worse if he was on formula. We can't even switch him to formula unless we pay $40 a container for Neocate. I wouldn't want to stop nursing anyway, but that cost is just out of the question! And he said to nurse for at least a year to make sure he grows out of the sensitivities, maybe longer if needed.
I've been off soy since Monday now and it is rough. Pretty much anything packaged has soy because it's a preservative. Canned tuna, refried beans, Mountain Dew, chicken broth, nonstick cooking spray, canned soups, all cookies, graham crackers, Wheat thins, and a lot of chips.
I guess I can see this as a really good opportunity for me to get uber healthy. No preservatives, all raw foods. I've been surviving on smoothies with rice milk, fruit, spinach, and agave. And oatmeal with honey and almond milk is a huge treat. My sweet sister is going to find a good recipe for homemade vegetable broth and make some for me to freeze so that I can make soups.
I asked Austin if he was going to give up dairy and soy with me to be supportive.
His answer was "I would die of starvation".
I kind of feel like I am.
But Mason only woke up once during the night last night and took a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon.
The sleep is worth it.
This little monster is worth it too.

4 Months Old!

2011-10-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's already time for the 4 month post. Is time going this fast for everyone else in the world??
Our little dude had his 4 month check up last week and was 16 lbs 1/2 oz (75%) and 26 inches long (95%).
We have successfully alleviated the flat spot on his head with lots of tummy time and the fact that he likes to be held 24/7. =) I don't mind that, I love that we have a cuddly baby.
He is still going strong on the thumb and pointer finger sucking. It puts him to sleep and helps him go back to sleep if he wakes up at night and he's not hungry. He's been sleeping in his crib for over two weeks now, a huge feat for us! And last night he even slept a 9 hour stretch!!!! I couldn't believe it. It was heavenly. He woke up to eat and went back to sleep for 2 more.
He is just entering the phase where everything goes straight into his mouth. We'll put out his toys around him on the floor and as soon as he gets a grip on something he just has to get a taste.
He loves to be held up on his legs, and likes to stand leaning on the coffee table.
He laughs out loud a lot now, at least a few times a day. And sometimes in the middle of the night, which is still adorable. We can't catch it on video cause he's still so camera shy. He just looks all wide eyed and quiet when he sees it.
He has started to actually enjoy playing with toys, he'll get kind of upset if one goes out of his reach or if we pick him up before he's done exploring.
He loves to "talk". All day long, he just babbles away. And when he wakes up in the morning I hear him on the monitor just chatting with himself. I love it.
He is officially wearing 6 month clothes, and 12-24 month socks. He has huge feet! We were told we could start him on solids soon if we want, but because of his allergy I'm going to wait until six months. He can't have any dairy until he's a year old, and even then it's only if he doesn't have a reaction. I know it's going to be hard to keep people from feeding him, so I'll just go ahead and delay the solids as long as possible so we don't have to worry about it! Why is it that people love to feed babies treats so much??

And now here's a billion pictures for everyone! We are obsessed with our baby.

He's getting so good with his hands. Sometimes he gets such a grip on those toys it looks like he's gonna pull the whole bar down on himself!

Still loooooves the thumb sucking.

The nights are getting pretty cold and his little sleep sacks are the best ever.

We wanted him to wear this outfit for Halloween, but there is now way he'll still fit into it by then!

The hat will definitely still fit though...

We took Mason down to the Big Red Barn for the pumpkin patch hay ride, a dream of mine since before we even knew we were going to have him. And as you may recall, the Big Red Barn is the first outing we took our new little babe on back in June!
It almost makes me cry seeing how tiny this little guy is.

He was actually awake for this trip though.

Milk, Milk, Lemonade.......hold the milk.

2011-10-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

If there were any doubts about Mason being allergic to milk they are now banished. I unwittingly ate dairy on Saturday night. My punishment was delayed until Sunday night when Mason was up with tummy issues every 2 hours. I felt horrible first because I was exhausted, but mostly because I had made him so sick.

New motivation: If I want to sleep, don't eat dairy.

Sorry, Mason. =(

The loves of my life.

2011-10-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just want to sit on the porch with your dad and enjoy a nice Indian Summer night.

And we have mobility

2011-09-18T08:18:00.001-07:00

Mason decided he's had it with all this tummy time, so he just up and rolled out of it.

Wild Keaton Kingdom

2011-09-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

While he may look like a harmless creature...

Beware the hungry, predatorial look in his eyes, an indication that he is about to strike.

He stretches to his full height to intimidate his predators.

And contorts his face into a fierce and menacing scowl.

Before letting out a mighty and ferocious cry of attack.

Because he is in fact a ruthless, flesh eating mammal.

3 Months Old

2011-09-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

Our little monster is 3 months old today!
He is 15 pounds 1 ounce, almost double his birth weight.
He is starting to giggle more and more now, it's just hard to catch on video because he always stops and gives the camera a suspicious look when it's near him. His first laugh was induced by Pop pop in California when he was 10 weeks, and we have been trying everything possible to continue hearing the sweet little sound.
He's just started to take notice of his feet and will grab them when I change his diaper and they are in his line of sight.
He is definitely a thumb sucker, well really he sucks his thumb and pointer finger at the same time.
We just found out for sure yesterday that he has a food intolerance, though we've suspected it for a while. The most common one in babies is dairy, and second most common is wheat. So momma is off the dairy for now to see if it helps him feel better. And his constant congestion is possibly because of acid reflux, so we'll be starting him on baby Prilosec. Eucalyptus oil seems to help the congestion as well, which is the worst at night and interrupts his sleep.
In spite of it all, he is a pleasant, mellow, sweet little addition to our home.
His chorus of "words" continues to expand, and tummy time is something he actually enjoys now...for a few minutes.
He can sit up with pillows propping him up, and he hangs onto things when we put them near his hands. He likes to reach for our hands if we put them up in front of him, and seems particularly interested in my painted nails.
He looooves being outside, especially when it's windy-he loves the wind on his face.
If it's possible we fall more in love with him every day, maybe even every hour. He gets cuter and cuter and is just learning so much so fast. We are so blessed.

A more enjoyable tummy time

He looks like he's balding here because of the flash. He really does have little seedling hairs coming in underneath! =)

He let me put him in the Moby for 5 minutes before freaking out. A new record since he was a few weeks old and used to love it.

He'll sleep just about anywhere once he's asleep. It's getting him asleep that proves tricky at times.

More tummy time video!

Baby Date

2011-09-04T10:53:00.001-07:00

What do you do when baby has a cold and didn't sleep through the night or nap for the last two days?

Cuddle up in the living room for a lazy Saturday of Gossip Girl, baby board books, and napping, napping, napping.

2 Months Old

2011-08-13T11:10:00.001-07:00

This is a couple days late, but our little babe is 2 months old! I really can't believe how fast time has flown, but I also can't hardly remember life without this little guy. We went to the doctor on Tuesday for his 2 month check up. Here are the stats:

Weight: 12 lbs 8 1/2 oz-55% percentile
Length: 24 1/2"-90-95% percentile
Head Circ.: 39 cm-50%

So he's growing, growing, growing! He now smiles all day long and loves to talk. He is learning new sounds every day that his voice can make, and he likes to try out the new ones he discovers. I swear he understands the inflection in your voice when you ask him a question, cause he always responds with an adorable chorus of coos and ahhs and baby talk.
He squeals in delight now, just on the verge of laughing. When we sing to him he does a little high pitched squeal like he's trying to sing along.
He loves to be read to and when he's in the mood he'll pay attention to three or four board books. He likes to stare at each page.
He loves to be outside and will calm right down if we walk him out there. He seems particularly enthralled with birds, we have lots of quail that run around in the puddles here and he always seems mesmerized by them.
His favorite song is "Popcorn Popping" and he loves the sound of "snoring" when we mimic it.
He can hold his head up and puts weight on his legs, and when he's trying to chase his fist that he wants to suck on, he can almost roll over, but always gets stuck on his little arm.
He HATES tummy time, which seems to be a universal baby hatred. But the pediatrician said that letting them cry for a little bit is what motivates them to move out of that position. So we let him fuss and he does start to try and push with his hands and roll back over.
The pediatrician also said that if he decides to suck his thumb that we should let him, especially because he doesn't take a pacifier. I'm okay with him sucking his hands, but we'll see if we are totally okay if the thumb makes it in there. That's a hard habit to break because you can't take a thumb away and hide it like you can the pacifier. =)
He hasn't gotten a bald spot yet and his lashes are SO long and his eyes look like they might be turning green.
He has decided that his bedtime is 10:30 pm and he goes down pretty much right at it every night. He loves to have his bath and then we massage his little feet with some lotion and put on his jammies and he is out within a few minutes. It's wonderful.
And that's all the updates I can think of! Here are some more pictures and videos of course. We just can't get enough of this little man!

Playing with daddy, one of his favorite pastimes!

I love his fat baby cheeks

We were skyping with Grandpa Terry and Grandma Ann and he was trying to talk but had the hiccups, poor little guy.

Sorry for the weird angle, it's hard to film and play at the same time!

This is pretty much about how all tummy times go

Technologically Impaired

2011-08-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends {and technically relative} Ashton has a darling dessert site called Something Swanky. I have been trying to figure out how to follow her blog for about two weeks now. Too embarrassed to ask her how to follow a blog {something that someone who has been blogging for 4 years should know by now} I just kept fumbling around her site trying to do it. And then I would get distracted by the 12 1/2 pound monster that I'm responsible for.
Today I finally broke down and just asked her how to do it. She told me, and I still couldn't. So she told me another way, and I still couldn't. So she told me that it might work if I turn off my content filter, and I don't know how to do that.
I am lame.
In conclusion, I am not very computer savvy, something I never realized fully until today.
Also in conclusion, go look at her website!! http://www.somethingswanky.com/
It's much cuter, fancier, technological than anything I could ever manage! =)

Adventures in Breastfeeding

2011-08-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

When I write posts like this I'm under the assumption that anyone who reads my blog is 1) Female 2) A family member or a close friend. If that is incorrect and you have no desire to read this {almost} TMI post, you can scroll to the end where there are pictures and videos of the babe for general viewing pleasure.

Mostly I wanted to write about everything we've been going through with breastfeeding because I wish someone had shared with me just how hard it can be. It's not hard for everyone, or with every child. And it really is natural and wonderful and perfect. But there are a lot of challenges and discomforts that come with it. And over the past 8 weeks we seem to have been blessed with a taste of just about every single one of them. In spite of this, I have still loved nursing. I wouldn't do it differently even for a day. It has helped me so much every time someone says "just stick with it, it's so worth it!" So that's my little post today. It's not a big whine-fest. I just want to be up front about some of our struggles and hopefully encourage anyone who may have experienced, or be experiencing, or will experience the same things.

So here's our laundry list of little obstacles on our path to breastfeeding:

1) The sore nipples and learning to latch. Sore nipples for the first little bit seem to be the norm, and of course there's a learning curve for baby with the latching. But there were times that it would take 1-2 HOURS for him to get latched. Seriously. And at 3 am that's really frustrating. My poor mom suffered through this with us for the first couple of weeks, and I don't know how I would have gotten through it without her support and encouragement. There was a lot of crying and wailing. And not just from the baby. He eventually got to where he could latch no problem. But after several weeks, my sore nipples did not go away.

2) The cracked nipple. My continued soreness made me think maybe his latch was bad, but I couldn't see anything to correct. It looked exactly like every picture and video I could find of a good latch. But somehow my left side ended up with a crack after about four weeks. Mason spit up blood one day and I freaked out, until I realized it was my blood. Ouch. I called my midwife and got the recipe for Dr. Jack Newman's ointment and used it religiously, but there was only mild improvement. By this point I was just loading up on Ibuprofen pretty much around the clock to keep from crying every time he needed to eat on the cracked side.

3) The clogged duct. After the whole blood incident, Mason decided to refuse to eat on that side. I can't really blame him I guess, but any woman who has nursed knows what it's like if baby doesn't eat for several hours. And he refused to eat for almost 24 hours on that side. I had to pump, but it was still so painful, and caused a clogged duct. After many warm compresses and a lot of persuasion, he finally ate on that side and we were able to clear it up before it got worse or turned into mastitis.

4) The Thrush. Due to the cracked nipple, we were left open and susceptible to the infamous thrush. We realized this about a week ago when I had horrible shooting pains in my breast one morning after nursing. So bad that I laid in bed and cried for an hour before I quit being a stupid baby and got up and called my midwife AGAIN. So we painted his mouth with Gentian Violet and I got on Diflucan. I was feeling so positive, feeling like we had finally gotten to the root of all our problems.

5) The tongue-tie. After a couple days of treating the thrush I noticed a crack starting on my other side. Which obviously made no sense. I didn't expect to be healed in a day, but I really didn't think we should be getting worse. I was sure it had to be his latch. So yesterday I called my midwife. Yes, again. She had me come in right then and she inspected the 8 weeks of damage and watched him latch and eat--confirming that his latch was actually great. Then she noticed that he couldn't stick his tongue out past his lips-to his lips, but not past. So she looked and sure enough, he had a posterior tongue-tie. It wasn't a full tongue-tie, so he's been able to eat just fine (he is over 12 lbs), but my nipples have been the collateral damage.

6) The frenuloplasty. Thank heavens that I worked at an Ear, Nose, Throat office. I had seen this done at least a dozen times and knew what we had to do. I took him in that afternoon, and one of the wonderful doctors did it right then. They just clip that little piece of skin (frenulum) under the tongue. He's a little old to have it done in the office, but there was no way I was going to put this babe under anesthesia for something so small. So luckily I know the doctor well and he was fine doing it there. He bled a little and cried a little and then slept a lot. And it has been almost instant relief.

7) The milk blister or "bleb". (grossest word ever, right??) While seeing my midwife she informed me that this is what the horrible white spots are. So apparently this happens if the milk is too thick and it clogs the duct at the opening. I had to open up the blister with a needle, and now I have to take Lecithin supplements to thin the milk to prevent it from happening anymore. And Lecithin is absolutely the most wretched substance known to man. I tried to eat it in eggs as suggested online and almost puked. So I baked it into some oatmeal walnut chocolate chip cookies with about a pound of cinnamon and nutmeg to hide the taste. They're still gross, but I can choke down one of those a day to get my dose.

We're still healing and treating all the aftermath, but it's actually possible for us to make progress now. The huge blessing through all of this is that Mason hasn't suffered really at all (except the frenuloplasty) because he's been getting plenty to eat. And like my midwife said, she's glad when she has problems to work through because it helps her help other moms. So maybe that's why our nursing adventure has been fraught with hardships, to teach me some empathy. It's all been worth it though. It is such a beautiful privilege to be the source of this baby's nutrition, and I would go through it all again and again if I had to. But let's pray that I won't.

And now, the pictures and videos. The REAL reason you stopped by my blog. =)

Sometimes we have nowhere to sit

Dad's idea of playing with the canning rings

Chubby baby

Some new jammies and post-bath crazy eyes

He loves to eat his hands. Sometimes when he wakes up we don't even know until we hear the sucking noises coming from the room because he just soothes himself with it. We are trying really hard to keep the thumb out though. We don't want to break a thumb sucking habit!!

Sometimes Austin and I have fun at his expense =)

Prankster

2011-07-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was changing Mason's diaper.
Which occurs about 8-10 times a day.
I laid him in the crib at our little changing station.
He had definitely had quite the blow out. I was finished cleaning him up, and there was that few seconds when the old diaper was off, and I hadn't quite gotten the new diaper under his bottom.
In that very small window of opportunity, he let out the loudest fart I have ever heard come out of his little body.
It was so loud it actually made me jump.
It was luckily not followed by anymore Mason mess, and I started laughing out loud cause it had startled me so bad.
I exclaimed "Mason!!", and our little jokester just had a huge grin on his face and let out a big giggle.

I think we are going to have a very mischievous little boy on our hands.

You can dance if you want to

2011-07-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

We discovered another little quirk about our dear baby yesterday. Mason was in one of those moods where he wants all the attention (how unreasonable for a baby right?!), but he was pretty fussy even when I was holding him. And here is my embarrassing confession. Almost every Saturday after Austin goes to work I turn on music pretty loud and dance around the house. And this was no exception when I was pregnant. I also just read an article that said that you should expose your baby to all types of music, "from Mozart to the Black Eyed Peas". We always listen to classical music in the car, so I thought maybe it was time to try other music and dancing. So I turned on an iTunes playlist and we danced and sang to Ingrid Michaelson, Boston, Taylor Swift, Beach Boys, etc. He LOVED it. At first he just cooed and smiled, and within a few songs he had actually fallen fast asleep. While rocking out to loud music and dancing with mama. And we did the same thing this morning and he went right to sleep again. I guess what we do while pregnant can be comforting to them later!

This kid sleeps like a rock when he finally decides to go down. Watching him sleep makes me wish I could sleep that comfortably and peacefully.

I always have to swaddle his arms when I nurse him, otherwise he flails them around and they get in his way. But he HATES to be swaddled while he's sleeping. He fell asleep nursing the other day so I put him in his sleeper wrapped up. About five minutes later I heard him grunting and struggling, and then calm down again. When I went in to check on him, he had busted out of the swaddle, and had the blanket in both his fists up by his head. As soon as his arms were free he had calmly gone back to sleep.

These are his crazy eyes that he ALWAYS makes after we do his bath and I lay him in the crib to get him dressed. It's seriously hilarious.

And some more videos! Sorry they all seem kind of blurry, I need to fix the settings on my camera.

We play peek a boo with him and sometimes he loves it and sometimes he just looks really shocked...

....and sometimes he kicks like a mad man when you cover up his face

He doesn't always love being in his swing, but this was a good day for it.

One Month Old

2011-07-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

We officially have a one month old. I cannot believe how fast time has flown! And how much he has changed since we first brought him home. We weighed him today and he is 10 lb 10 oz. A whole pound of weight gain in about a week! He can hold his head up when we put him on his tummy, he loves his hands and now looks at them and plays with them every time he remembers that they are there, and best of all he smiles like crazy now when we talk to him. He recognizes us and focuses on faces, and he'll turn his head to keep watching you if you walk away from him. He looks like he is just dying to roll over. Every time we lay him on his back he gets up on his side and gets frustrated that he can't go further. And he looooves to stretch. I have never seen anything like the stretches this little guy does when he wakes up. So here's a few videos and pictures of our little man!

Sorry about the weird angle of the camera, he gets all shy and confused if he sees the camera and he doesn't smile, so I had to hold it off to the side where he wouldn't notice it.

"What, Mom?"

Daddy thought it would be funny to bury him. And this is rare documentation of him taking a pacifier. He now spits it out while making a gagging noise as though he's insulted that we tried to quiet him with it.

One day he was fussing and we couldn't figure out what was wrong, so we took his clothes off and let him lay around naked. He loved it.

Him waking up is one of my favorite things to watch. He always has to try like eight times before he decides he's ready to be awake.

By the way, we had a baby...

2011-07-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

...which is why I haven't blogged in like, years. Okay just a couple of months, but I can't believe that I'm even finding the time right now to write anything. Plenty of adorable baby pictures are currently available on facebook, where they upload a lot faster than on blogger. So for your fix, go there.
But for here, I wanted to just do a quick recap of the birth of our darling little boy. I wasn't sure I was going to write anything out, but I got a few requests for the story. I'll spare some details, mostly to avoid writing the word "cervix" and "placenta" so many times that it makes everyone queasy. Although I can't avoid those words altogether, so consider that a disclaimer. This is a story about childbirth, after all! If you want more details than this, or want to know more about how we had him, just let me know and we can chat. =)
First I must make a small confession, a detail that a surprisingly small number of people know. I did not give birth to our baby in a hospital. The reason we chose to share this with a select few is because of the initial reaction that we generally get when providing this information. Not that we were ashamed or thought we were doing something crazy, simply because we were so passionate about our decision that we got tired of people making us feel like we should feel ashamed or that we were doing something crazy. And all of the reasons why we made this choice will have to be saved for a later post, at which time I will alight my soapbox and rant quite a bit about all sorts of birth controversy. For now, I want this to be about Mason's wonderful birth. I just thought that was a pretty important fact to share right up front.
Baby Mason was due on June 9th, so I made my last day of work June 8th. Not because I wasn't feeling great, mainly because I kind of couldn't handle another day of everyone asking me why I hadn't been induced yet. So I spent the day running errands, and around 12:30 pm I started to have what I guessed were some contractions, though sporadic and not bad at all. Well, I thought they were pretty painful, but considering how bad the real contractions are, looking back, they were really nothing. I had been dilated to 2 cm and about 80% effaced for almost two weeks, so I figured it was time to get the show on the road. They continued throughout the day, so my mom decided she was going to fly in that night. That was really the hardest part, trying to time it for my mom to come out! Childbirth can be so inconvenient.
My mom arrived safely around 2 am, but nothing much else happened that night. The next morning my mom and I walked around the mall to get the contractions going, and they were coming about every 15 minutes, but still pretty light and sporadic. I had a prenatal scheduled that night at 5:00, so we went in and I was 4 cm and still 80%. Heather, my amazing midwife, said that it could be tonight, it could be next week. Just to keep walking and call if something happened. On the drive home from the appointment my contractions doubled in intensity, and we figured that was just because I had been checked and that usually causes cramping. About an hour and a half later things were not slowing down. My contractions were about 3 minutes apart and lasting for a full minute. The timing of these contractions was kept perfectly by my mom, who had downloaded the stopwatch app on her phone just for the occasion! I was able to lean on Austin to get through the pain, and was talking and laughing with my family between the contractions.
By 8:00 I felt things take a turn, and I knew this was the real deal. I was no longer laughing about anything during these ones. I called Heather and had to hand the phone off to my mom when a contraction started. That let her know that they were bad enough for me to come in. She said to bring our bags in case we needed to stay. Obviously I started crying because it was just so overwhelming that this was actually happening. We packed up and headed out.
We arrived at the birth center in Pleasant Grove at 8:30 and when Heather checked me I was 5 cm and 90% effaced. Being checked really sucks because I have a tilted cervix, and the baby's head was SO low. It made me nauseous and I ended up throwing up right after. Heather had my mom and Austin and I walk around outside while they got everything ready.
It was just getting dark and we walked around the beautiful yard at the center. It started to rain and I was so happy, I was really hoping it would rain on the night we had him. I really felt like it was Heavenly Father's way of sending me comfort during such an uncomfortable experience. I threw up outside again, and figured that wasn't a good sign for how the rest of my labor was going to go.
After it was pretty dark we went back inside and they had set up the birthing tub. I wasn't really sure how I felt about the whole water birth thing, but Heather said that I should just try it for the labor pains, that most moms really liked it. So I figured I'd try about anything for some relief. And oh. my. gosh. Anyone who ever has a baby should use any water available to them. It basically cut the pain of the contractions in half. I honestly felt like I was high, the water felt so divine. And I know this sounds really weird, but I was falling asleep between contractions, that's how relaxed I was. The student midwives were there to help with the birth, and they showed my mom how she could push on my hips during contractions to help me cope. And Austin sat at the edge of the tub and put a cold washcloth on my forehead and would let me squeeze the heck out of his arms when I was having a contraction.
After the heavenly water experience, things took a little turn for the worse. After two hours of intense labor, Heather checked me and I was only 5 cm {she told me I was 6 cm to make me feel better, but later told me she lied. Bless her for seeing the value of a good fib}. So I basically hadn't progressed at all, and she said I was working hard enough that I should have. What was happening was the baby's head was so low and my cervix was tilted so far back that contractions weren't making me dilate at all. They were basically just pushing my cervix into the baby's head with no result.
I had to get out of the tub and they had me go through some contractions while they did some painful maneuvering to get my cervix pulled forward far enough to dilate. Without gruesome details, it was about an hour and a half of some of the most hellish pain of my entire life, and Austin was kind of starting to have a panic attack. The only time during the entire labor when I truly felt like I couldn't do it was during this time when they had me flat on my back for some contractions. That was honestly the worst position I could have ever possibly been in to cope with the pain. And I was still so nauseous, at the end of each contraction I would just have a huge wave of nausea and want to throw up. They had me smell peppermint to help with it, and I was able to throw up a couple of times which felt like a huge relief when I did.
After such a discouraging stall in my progress, Heather, being the genius midwife that she is, made a concoction of essential oils that they put onto my cervix, and I dilated from 5 cm to 8 cm in just three contractions. We laughed later because Mason came out smelling so good because of the oils that ended up on his little head. At this point Heather told me I was allowed to get back in the tub as I started to go through transition.
I knew that Siara was going to come for just the end, and I guess my mom had called her. I was kind of unaware of what was going on around me during the last couple of hours of labor. But she walked in and said "Sis you look so beautiful!" If I had any energy I would have started bawling, I was so happy to see her. It was like having renewed strength in the room with me. My mom and Austin had provided so much incredible support for me, and I knew that I couldn't do it without my sister there as well. It was like everyone I needed was there now, so it was time to have this baby.
After about 15 minutes, during which I thought I broke Austin's wrist during a contraction, it was most definitely time to push. I was a full 10 cm so Heather said to just push if I felt like I needed to. It was as though I had no choice but to push, my body just knew it was time and did what it needed to do. Contractions were completely back to back, without any rest between. I could hardly breathe because it was happening so fast, so they had me breathe through the oxygen mask. My water still hadn't broken when I started pushing so Heather broke it for me. Baby's heartbeat had been fantastic through the entire labor, but after my water broke it started to drop. I just remember Heather telling Austin to get me out, and then Austin pulling me up by my armpits, like a little kid being yanked out of the bath tub. She told me that I needed to get the baby out now, and put me on the birthing stool. After about 3 more pushes his head was out, and I heard one of the assistants, JaNee, say that there was no cord around his neck. So I pushed one more time and felt his little shoulders go through, and he was out.
Heather caught him briefly and handed him right to me. His eyes were wide open and he was looking up at me. The feeling was completely indescribable. It was like this switch in me that turned on this capacity for love that I didn't know I was capable of. In a split second I knew I was a different person because of this little baby. He was so perfect and so amazing, and it honestly felt like heaven had opened up to us for those few seconds.
I knew he wasn't breathing and they were giving him pumps of oxygen, but I was completely overwhelmed with the feeling that he was okay. I didn't feel any sort of panic even for a second. His face and feet looked completely blue, but when he was handed to me his face flushed pink. I looked into his perfect little eyes and I knew that he was ours and that he was healthy and fine. They don't cut the cord right away at the birthing center, so he was still getting blood and oxygen pumped into him. JaNee was taking the pulse of the cord and I heard her calling out the numbers-60's, 90's, 100, 130's. Heather pumped his lungs a few times and he finally let out this adorable little wail. And about ten seconds after he was born he pooped all down my arm. It was like his hilarious little way of breaking the tension, because it made everyone laugh.
It was all over, and I have never felt so much relief in my entire life. He was healthy and perfect and we had done it. After about 6 hours of hard labor, including 30 minutes of pushing, baby Mason was here. He was 7 lbs 13 oz and 22 1/2 inches long. I was able to nurse him 45 minutes after he was born, and we got to take him home about 5 hours later.
It was exactly the experience we had wanted. The birthing center was like being in a spa, the lights were low and quiet music played and everyone talked calmly and quietly. The entire experience feels dreamy to me in a way, mostly I remember just feeling so relaxed. Which seems ironic, considering the amount of pain that was involved. But the atmosphere that was created there helped me have a beautiful and spiritual birth. I was able to feel in control, but also safe that Heather was there to guide me when it was needed.
Having an out-of-hospital birth just really worked for us. I know it's not something that everyone agrees with, let alone something that a lot of people would do. But I feel like I couldn't do it any other way. I don't know any doctor who would have let me continue labor without progression like that, or who would have mixed up some essential oils for that matter. I'm grateful for the decision that we made and for the amazing midwife that took such wonderful care of us. I'm grateful for my mom and sister who were so supportive and loving of our choice, and who were there for such an important event. And mostly I'm grateful for Austin, who listened to me talk about nothing but birth for the last nine months, who went to the classes, who learned how to support me in labor, and who was my constant during the labor and delivery. We are a very lucky little family.

A few minutes after Mason was born.

Mama's Day

2011-05-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a bump shot to commemorate what our baby Mason looked like on his first mother's day! We are 36 weeks and now counting down to his debut! According to the books/websites he is pretty much a full 20" and weighs about 5 1/2 pounds. Just enough baby to make it hard to breathe/sleep/sit/walk/eat. But we love him anyway. =)

To celebrate this weekend Austin and I hiked the Y yesterday. It was the first time I've ever hiked it, I swore I would never do it while I was a student there, but I figured it was about time. Don't ask me what possessed me to do it 9 months pregnant. We made it to the top, but we had to stop at pretty much every switchback. But now I can say that I did it!
We also bought a new vacuum. We have been researching for months, and we have been long overdue for a new one. This old one has served us well for the last three years. It was an extra my parents had that they were kind enough to give to us.

It was even custom made for my dad when he worked for Karcher.

It has been well used and loved, but it has definitely seen better days, as you can see by the duct tape holding the hoses together.
So after much review reading and online research, we decided on the Electrolux Nimble. I know, I know. Why not a Dyson?! Here's why...every place that had reviews gave it a total of 4 out of 5 stars, even the actual Dyson website. And that's based on thousands of ratings. There were just too many possibilities of issues for us to spend almost $500 on it. If we're gonna spend that much we want perfection! And this Electrolux was on sale at Target, got amazing reviews, has a 5 year warranty, and cost less than half what the Dyson does.
We decided to do the test where you vacuum your carpet with your old vacuum, and then vacuum with the new one. And oh. my. gosh. Here's the canister after JUST the living room.

It should be noted that we full on cleaned our carpets a month ago. YUCK. We are so far more than happy with it. I will let you know as we use it on a regular basis if we end up regretting not going with the Dyson trend.

And last of all, here's to my own dear mother. I'm really not sure how I would survive anything without her, let alone becoming a mother myself. In sacrament meeting today the little kids sang "Mother, I love you" which always makes me cry anyway. But especially today, feeling my own little darling kick me like crazy all during the meeting, I'm so grateful that Father in Heaven sent him to me, and that I was sent to you, Mom. Happy Mother's Day, I love you!

Don't Sweat It

2011-05-02T10:54:00.001-07:00

As a recovering chronic wearer of sweats in public, (5 years clean!) I greatly appreciated this article.

During said phase of my life, my sister in particular was horrified by my complete lack of regard for my appearance.

I have since tried to be the opposite of that girl. I have tried to take some pride in how I look, knowing it is a reflection of who I am and how I feel about myself. And I've taken some inspiration from the women leaders of our church. I've never seen Julie Beck looking anything less than polished and refined. It's not about vanity or buying expensive clothes or spending hours in front of a mirror. Just looking like you kind of have it together, even when you don't.

When I found out I was pregnant, I knew how easy it could be for me to fall into the sweats slump again. I wear scrubs to work, so my day is spent in what essentially feels like pajamas. I could easily go from scrubs to workout clothes to pajamas each day. {Or just scrubs to pajamas.} So I set a goal to wear jeans for at least an hour every single day of my pregnancy. What better gauge for how you're taking care of your body than how your jeans fit, right? Try squeezing into a pair of old jeans and all you want to eat is celery for a month. On the other hand, just put on a pair of comfy old pajamas or sweats and try to NOT eat ice cream.

So for better or worse, I am a recovering sweatpants addict and I hope to remain in remission. I'll give myself a couple of weeks after childbirth for some guiltless lounging. Even then, I'll try to make them some halfway decent yoga pants.

To my darling mother

2011-04-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Today we are celebrating the birth of the most wonderful woman I know.
I can only hope that I look this fabulous at her age {which I won't disclose on the internet} and after giving birth to and raising eight children.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

N.Y.C. Day 3

2011-04-09T07:55:00.001-07:00

Okay FINALLY! Here are pictures of our Saturday in New York! As per the usual disclaimer, there are a LOT of pictures.

I'll let you guess where we went first...

Even the Subway stop lets you know you're on the right track

A dear President

We didn't really think through the fact that we were going on Saturday morning, so it was packed with kids. But it added to the fun of it all!

We saw all sorts of things

Elephants

Other dead animals

Huge minerals

Indian canoes

Ancient trees

Probably the whale that swallowed Jonah

Human skulls

Giant meteorites

And of course.....

DINOSAURS

It doesn't bode well that we already look pretty exhausted

Then we decided to cross through Central Park to get to 5th Avenue. It's not exactly as clear as you'd think just going West to East, and once we were in the middle we thought we'd never find our way out. But the views from inside are so classic New York

Eventually we did find our way out, and surprisingly right where we wanted to be!

The beautiful Metropolitan Museum of Art

I like to pretend that I'm in Gossip Girl....you know, just an average day eating yogurt on the steps of the Met. =)

Upper East Side

Then it was down the street to the amazing Guggenheim

Then it was downtown a little ways to see some historical New York landmarks

Bergdorf...I wish.

F.A.O. Schwartz of course!

The candy shop from every child's dream. That soldier is made completely out of jelly beans.

Barbie fooseball!!! Siara and I would have gone crazy for this.

And....the Big Piano! Turns out that nowadays you don't just get to jump on it like you're Tom Hanks, you have to pay money and book a time. But seeing it was just as cool.

Just down the street, home at last.

So many designer shops, so little time. Or money. Whichever. You do just feel a little classier being on this street though!

Per our dear friend Jess, Shake Shack was an absolute must while we were in NYC. So we ventured out for some dinner.

The only places to sit are outside, so we almost froze to death waiting for our food.

But it was, honestly and truly with no exaggeration, the BEST hamburger and fries we have ever eaten. And we've tried a lot of burger places all over the country/world. This rivals my original Burgerville favorite. The Gale family may kill me for such blasphemy, but YUM.

Our last stop of the day was a ride to the top of the Empire State Building. We figured we did Top of the Rock during the day, so we should get the view from the Empire State at night.

Umm...that may have been a mistake. The wind was blowing so hard we could hardly take a picture without the camera blowing away!

But it was worth it, because the views are incredible.

Okay, Empire State building was ALMOST our last stop. We had to go through Grand Central anyway, so we made another little pit stop at Magnolia Bakery. I'm in heaven.

The Grand Central cupcake

A delicious end to a very perfect day.

A bump. A nursery. A baby shower.

2011-04-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

I swear I'm going to finish out the New York blogs. They just take so long and I've been so busy and a million other excuses. But for now, here is a quick update of what's been going on!

I am 30 weeks pregnant. Can you believe it?! Baby is head down, I'm measuring exactly 30 cm, and I have now officially surpassed Austin in weight. Ugh. Here's a snap shot of the belly.

We've also pretty much finished the nursery. We finally got our crib mattress, and put up a little shelf of things to inspire him to be a sailor. Austin's mom sent us some of Austin's darling baby clothes, including the little saddle shoes that fit perfectly into the display. And Ashton made us the vinyl letters for the sign with that adorable saying. My contribution has been to make bibs and little baby booties that didn't really turn out looking fantastic, but it's just my first try!

Grandma Ann has also sent us outfits aplenty for this lucky little boy. He is going to be the best-dressed baby around! But this one is the most important if he's going to carry the Keaton name.

We are working on finding him the perfect BYU outfit too! So him and Grandpa Gale can watch games together, but only if Pop Pop learns not to yell so much during them. =)

Wednesday night was the big SURPRISE baby shower for Brittany! Sadly I did not get a picture of the actual surprise, if anyone else has one let me know!

We crammed a lot of people into our little living room!

Diaper cake, cupcakes, and cookie favors courtesy of Ashton. I am ever impressed by her ability to make things scrapbook-worthy.

Brittany's face opening presents was priceless, I love any pregnant woman's reactions to cute baby things!! Little Henry is now well-equipped to come into the world in June!

Our guest of honor with two of the secret party planners

Emily is pretty pumped about this baby.

The happy pregnant couple

The ACTUAL happy pregnant couple!

Genetics

2011-03-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

I can't handle how adorable this picture of Bailey is....

And how reminiscent it is of a certain classic Aunt Siara outfit some decades ago.

Great fashion sense runs in the family.

A break from New York posts...

2011-02-26T13:36:00.001-08:00

...to give you a bump update. I realized it's been almost six weeks since I last took one. This is starting out my 26th week. I can't believe how fast this whole pregnancy is going now, just 14 more weeks. Maybe one or two less if baby is anxious. =) He's now almost 14 inches and weighs 1 2/3 pounds. He kicks like crazy all day long, but hasn't woken me up at night yet, bless him. Just a couple more weeks until we're officially into the third trimester!

P.S. don't ask me why I always do these pictures with no make up on, and then I look so pale I can't bear to get my face in the shot. Someday I'll take one where I look halfway decent.

N.Y.C. Day 2

2011-02-21T20:09:00.000-08:00

Friday was another very cold but very gorgeous New York day.

We started off by finding our way to the Lincoln Center to pick up our opera tickets for that night.

It happened to be Fashion Week while we were there too.

The Metropolitan Opera House

Juilliard

We had planned to find the Manhattan Temple, and then we just accidentally stumbled upon it because it's right outside Lincoln Center. It's so cool how it just blends right in, but it still stands out so much.

Then we headed back to Times Square for a black and white cookie from Roxy (recommended by my bestie Jessa) and to pick up our New York Passes (which I personally highly recommend if you visit)

If you know the Seinfeld reference regarding this cookie you are amazing.

Then we headed to Rockefeller Center

The ice skating rink

The biggest most beautiful Anthropologie store I have ever seen

I'm in love.

Home of one of our favorite TV Shows

And then we did Top of the Rock

The view from the bottom...

The view from the top...

Central Park is seriously HUGE.

The New Year's Eve ball drop

Next stop was the Museum of Modern Art

We saw some of the classics including Warhol, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Lichtenstein

On our way back to Rockefeller Center we stopped off for a quick lunch...classic New York hot dog. It was delicious. Maybe it was just because it's the first hot dog I've had since I've been pregnant, cause it actually looks disgusting in this picture.

Next was the NBC Studio Tour

We are pumped.

Gregory Peck's employment card from when he was a tour guide at NBC. Everyone's gotta start somewhere.

We weren't allowed to take pictures during the tour. There aren't that many sets to see since so many shows are filmed in L.A., but we did get to see the SNL set, and saw Kristen Wiig and Russell Brand rehearsing for the next night's show, our only celeb sighting during our trip! We also got to see the Today show set and the NBC Nightly News sets.

On our way home we saw Radio City Music Hall and Carnegie Hall but didn't have time to tour either of them.

Our subway train change took us through Grand Central Station, which is absolutely gorgeous.

We even found a Magnolia Cupcake bakery inside Grand Central. This is the only treat that I knew I had to have while in NYC. But we were in a rush to get ready for the opera and the line was too long

But we did have time to stop for dinner at the iconic Carnegie Deli. We had a hard time even finding time to eat meals, so we figured we had to make each one something delicious, and this place came highly recommended by my mama.

Austin had never had pastrami, so what better place to try it than at the Carnegie Deli? About 3/4 of that was left over.

Then it was back to our city home to get ready for the Met. Uptown to the hotel and back downtown to Lincoln Center.

The opera house all lit up

It was opening night of Don Pasquale, so it was sold out and completely packed. It's unbelievable how many people the house holds. They are super strict about taking pictures, so this is the only decent shot of the inside that I got. The building is so beautiful and the actual theater is incredible. They have these screens in front of each seat that interprets the words for you so that you can actually understand the story. I'm glad we decided to see a comedy because we were exhausted after such a long day, and it would have been hard to stay awake for a romance or tragedy.

After the opera we headed home at around 11:30 pm. Apparently after 11 the normal uptown trains stop running because of construction. We managed to get ourselves onto an A train that dropped us at the right street, but about 5 avenues away from our hotel. So we had to walk. At midnight. By Central Park. On the West side. I guess everyone needs a scary New York mugging adventure right? Luckily we made it home alive, and we've never been so happy to be back in such a tiny little room.

Stay tuned for day 3 and even MORE pictures...if you can handle it!

N.Y.C. Day 1

2011-02-19T19:53:00.001-08:00

As I finally got around to uploading our New York pictures today, I found that we had taken over 500 while we were there. Considering how long Blogger takes to upload just one photo, I'll just give a sampling here on the blog. And to make it a more reasonable task, we'll just do one day at a time! So here is our first day in the big city.

Our hotel was a pretty big question mark for us. When you search "cheap" and "New York City" on travelocity, it's really just a big gamble as to what you're going to get. So we were relieved to find that it did not smell weird, it was clean, and there were no bedbugs. Although it was absolutely tiny.

It even had the classic NYC exposed brick wall that I love.

We were also very happy to find out that there was a subway stop literally right outside the door of our hotel.

We stayed on the upper west side on 103rd St. via the #1 train. In case you want to go see it.

We got there in time to put in for the Wicked ticket lottery the first night. It was FREEZING and we had to stand outside forever waiting to put our names in. We did not win. Apparently you have to be Asian to win this lottery.

So we went to walk off our defeat at Times Square.

Drowning my sorrows that we didn't get to see Wicked.

Then we were starving from our travels, so we ate our first authentic New York slice of pizza. I couldn't even get a picture before I took a bite, it was that delicious.

And that sums up our first 5 hours in the city! There are more pictures that have us in them on days 2 thru 4, I promise!

Oh Baby

2011-02-06T16:33:00.001-08:00

We've been doing a lot of preparation for this baby as of late. The time seems to be flying, putting me and Austin both into panic mode to be prepared, lest we bring him home and have nothing to offer.

Baby clothes have been accumulating rather quickly since we found out we are having a boy, so first order of business was to get a dresser to put them all in. Here is our $20 D.I. dresser before....

After a few stabilizing nails and some nautical painting work...

With plenty of drawers to house his future wardrobe

But where will this well-dressed little man sleep? In the crib that his crazy mama almost managed to build all by herself. I had to claim defeat when it wouldn't fit through the hallway into his room.

And how will baby get home? In this darling unisex colored, high safety rated car seat!

How will his mama push this car seat around? When it's attached to this amazingly lightweight stroller.

What will he have to do around here all day? Read lots of stimulating literature.

When he wakes up in the morning, what will he have to look at? Pictures of Elizabeth City and some of beautiful Washington (coming soon)

We hope that baby Mason approves whole-heartedly of our preparations, and rewards us by sleeping through the night, crying only when he has a good reason, and only going through 2-3 diapers a day.

Not gonna happen??

Well, I guess we will love him anyway.

Bump It....Again

2011-01-29T22:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a halfway shot for all ya'll. It's actually a couple weeks late, but you get the picture! Don't mind how messy the living room is. Or how wretchedly tired I look. That pretty much gives you the general picture of what I look like every day though. =)

A moderately sappy post

2011-01-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

I've never been one of those girls who publicly praises and adores my husband. I love him, no doubt about that. And it's not like I don't hold his hand or show affection in public or something. It's just that I've never like gotten up in sacrament meeting and went on and on about how wonderful he is, or written hyperbolic facebook statuses like "Shanna Gale Keaton has the best husband ever! Isn't being married the best?!" That kind of thing is just not my style. It's like when people say "my baby is cuter than yours". Of course you think your baby is cuter. Everyone thinks their own baby is the cutest. It would be sad if you thought your baby was uglier than other babies. There's nothing wrong with thinking that, it's just not something I always find the need to brag about or say.

But I think Austin deserves a post dedicated to how wonderful he is.

Obviously I think he's wonderful, we have been married for almost three years and we are about to have a darling baby boy together. It's just that over the last few months I have felt so beyond blessed that I get to spend every day with him, and have been looking forward even more to starting a family together. Here's just a few reasons why I feel so lucky to be married to this guy.

A couple of weeks ago I came home from work and he had cleaned out everything I don't want to clean. The outside storage shed, the basement, the junk closet. All of it. Cleaned, boxed, organized, and moved to the appropriate area for long-term storage. The best part of this is that most of his work cleared space in what will be the nursery, making us both feel more ready to have this baby.

And when we came back from Christmas break I didn't feel well after the flight, so he unpacked our suitcases, did the laundry, shoveled the driveway of the two feet of snow that had fallen, and then came inside and made dinner.

When we built the crib the other night I was dumb and took all the pieces to the living room so that I could watch TV while we did it, and then it wouldn't fit down the hallway into the nursery. Exactly as Austin had predicted that it wouldn't. And even though he had warned me, he didn't say I told you so, he patiently took the crib apart until it was small enough to turn the corner and fit in the bedroom. And then put it back together again.

Last week he came to my work and switched our cars, then took mine and changed the oil and the air filter and filled my wiper fluid which I use much too liberally during the winter.

Then today when I texted him because my morning was foreboding of an awful day ahead, he said that when I got home I should just take a bath and then he would rub my feet for me. Something I used to hate until I got pregnant, and now he rubs my feet every night before bed.

And later today when I got home he had taken my watch to get a new battery put in because it's been dead for months now. And when I climbed into bed he had put the heating pad down by where my feet would be to warm it up for me.

Every day he finds small ways to show me that he's thinking about me and that he loves me. And those things end up being the most important and meaningful.

So there's my brag post about my husband. Basically I'm just really lucky.

What things do you love about your husband??

Baby's First Photo Shoot

2011-01-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

Here are some still shots from the ultrasound yesterday! I still can't believe how amazing it is to actually see him in there.

This one is my favorite, look at that little hand.

A darling little profile

And proof....it's definitely a boy!

The best part is that everything is healthy. I can't even believe how many things can go wrong, and how miraculous it is that they all go right so often. Heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, spine, diaphragm, all normal and healthy. That adds up to a healthy little baby boy that we get to meet in just 21 more weeks!
Now for the name....any suggestions??

And the verdict is...

2011-01-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

....it's a boy!!

Healthy, normal, adorable, little boy.

We couldn't be happier.

Pictures to follow. =)

Bump-It

2010-12-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

I swore I wouldn't do any bump pictures, but I guess maybe I'll want a few for posterity. I'll probably just offer up one each trimester. I'm already behind, since I'm now two weeks into my second. So here's the bump at a little over 14 weeks! (It's in my work out clothes cause that's when it's the most apparent)

Thank You Notes

2010-12-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Peak ENT,
Thank you for my very generous Christmas bonus. I like working for you.

Dear New York,
Thank you for existing so we can visit you in February (yes, we have decided to come see you). But please warm up a tiny little bit before we get there, and have a delicious cupcake and a good Broadway show ready for our arrival.

Dear Aust,
Thank you for rubbing the cramp out of my left foot last night, even though I was being really whiny. And for always letting me watch both hours of Biggest Loser. And for bringing me cold water in my favorite "S" cup all the time. And thanks for insisting that I don't look pregnant at all yet.

Dear Corolla,
I just love you. Please don't ever die. You are so cute and are so nice to me when I have to drive a lot for work.

Dear J,
Thanks for always wanting to hang out with me and seeing movies with me that no one else will want to see. And I'll always say thanks for sharing Jam at the Adelaide in London with me. Best ever.

Dear Pandora,
My Coldplay station has been divine today. Thank you for being so intuitive about exactly what I need to hear.

Dear Utah,
Thank you for not snowing very much at all this year. And for even being kind of warm.

Dear Baby,
Thank you for not giving me any morning sickness at all. You are already so well-behaved. And happy 14th week Birthday today. We'll see you in just 26 more! =)

Dear Sis,
Thanks for being my BFF since birth. And for always giving me good hair.

Shanna-isms

2010-12-07T09:14:00.001-08:00

Last night Siara and I were reminiscing about some people of our past and couldn't remember someone's name, so we dug into my hope chest to find a middle school yearbook to solve the dilemma.

During the rummaging I unearthed my many journals that I've kept over the years. When I say many I mean like 12 full books. I was a pretty avid record keeper in my days. We couldn't resist, and cracked open a few to hear what I had to say. The high school ones are undoubtedly hilarious. Page after page of I love this boy, no it's that boy, I'm so mad at this friend, I love my friends so much I would die without them, my family doesn't understand me, I never want to leave home I love my family so much. You know. Average teenage woes.

But the real gem is from 1992, barely 5 year old Shanna, not even in Kindergarten yet and my mom would dictate whatever I asked her to write for me. Within a year or two that journal morphed into me writing by myself, and that's where the quotes really get just unbelievable. So I'll share a few excerpts in the blog here for all to enjoy. And just to bear my witness of the joy of keeping journals!

March 24, 1992
"I was mad because I wanted to color in the book Siara had-even though she gave me a new one to color in myself. So Mom swatted my bottom and had me to go my room and think about being thankful for what I have."

I think my mom may have taken some liberties with that entry. And also the one where she wrote on February 19, 1993 "I pouted and cried all morning because I got up too early and I was grumpy." hahaha

Thank you for keeping my records accurate, Mom. =)

Public Poll

2010-12-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

Austin and I are considering a little trip to New York in February over Valentine's Day. I know, as Jess said, "So Sleepless in Seattle"! We wanted to take another trip before baby comes, and we've both always wanted to go to New York. Plane tickets are pretty inexpensive, and we found a good deal on a hotel.
Our moral dilemma is obviously that we are about to have a baby, and should we spend the money? We think it would be worthwhile and a big stress relief to be able to go somewhere like that for a weekend. But then our financially responsible side tells us to just put more money away for the babes.

So we need you to help us decide.

What do you think??

Today we are especially thankful for....

2010-11-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

Baby Keaton #1

12 weeks along today

Healthy heartbeat--140 BPM

Scheduled to arrive: June 2011

And we couldn't be happier!

An October Summary

2010-11-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

Here's what happened during my favorite month of the year.

I got a haircut

We went to North Carolina.

We visited Elizabeth City

Ate good Southern food, including Captain Bob's

Went to Hillridge Farms to look at pumpkins

We picked pecans at the park where Kyle works

Then we came home in time to pick our own pumpkins from the garden

I got a sewing machine for my birthday and made us some new pillows

Before

After

And we canned peaches for the first time

What did your October look like??

Wishy Washy

2010-11-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

Okay I'm dumb and I've now made my blog public again. I guess I just completely stopped blogging when it was private, and even I hate having to login to my blog if I wanna just look at it. =) So for now, it is public again.

Probably temporarily, next time I'll make a better effort.

Facebook is still out of our lives.

The most wonderful time of the year

2010-10-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

I love October.

General Conference, my Birthday, Halloween, colorful leaves on the trees, crisp Fall weather, scarves and boots, Honeycrisp apples, I love it all.

Ashton gave me my first Birthday/Halloween present of the season today, and I'm pretty much
ecstatic about it.

A darling Halloween quilt!!

Yesterday I also got a little early Birthday treat in the mail. I used to be moderately anti-Uggs, but when a glitch in the Nordstrom computer made these $40 instead of $140, how could I not get them??

My plans for the afternoon include sweatpants, those incredibly comfy boots, and my new quilt, on the couch watching conference.

There may or may not be ice cream involved as well.

Happy Fall everyone!!

Sometimes....

2010-09-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

....you just need a little privacy.
Lately I've been feeling the need to stop making my entire life accessible to the world.
Hence the private blog.
And we've also gotten off of Facebook.
Maybe this is just a phase. But it already feels so freeing. I don't feel the need to impress some sort of an anonymous audience somewhere in the wasteland that is the internet.
And facebook....ugh. What a waste of time. I can think of at least 87 more productive things I could be doing other than browsing facebook. At least.
So if you are reading this, thanks for wanting to read my blog enough to log in each time.
I'll try and make it worth your while.

I'd like you to meet...

2010-09-14T20:08:00.001-07:00

Norah Ashley Gale
8 lbs 9 oz 20 inches long
Born September 14, 2010
Scott and Nicole, I hope you don't mind me sharing these. She's just too darling to keep to myself!

Favorite Things: Being an Aunt

2010-09-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

Today I get to become an aunt twice over.
I cannot wait.
It's hard to even describe how much I love little Bailey, and I can't wait to fall in love with this new little doll.
Hopefully pictures to come soon!

Favorite Things: Gale Family Brownies

2010-09-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

There is no better Sunday night Family Home Evening treat than Gale family brownies. We've been making these since we were old enough to climb on a chair and hold a mixing spoon. The page in the original recipe book is completely covered with brown batter. I made some Sunday for family dinner at the Christensen's.

Just try and not lick that bowl...it's impossible. Yummm.

And I suppose I can share the secret recipe. For anyone who has never tried homemade brownies, or thinks they only come from a box (like my darling Ashton =), these are the easiest thing you will ever make.

Gale Family Favorite Brownies
1 cup butter
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 t. vanilla

Beat butter, cocoa, sugar and eggs until fluffy. Beat in flour and vanilla. Pour into 9x11 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
You can add walnuts or chopped caramels or chocolate chips or even put marshmallows on top before you bake it. We always particularly enjoyed them with powdered sugar on top.

Favorite Things: Real Salt Lake games

2010-09-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

Siara and Tyler are in love with Real Salt Lake and have season tickets, so we've joined them for a few games this season and absolutely love it.
Our 2 year anniversary in April was spent at the Real Salt Lake season opener. They were the 2009 national champions so it was a pretty big deal to be there at their first game. And there was a surprise half-time guest...who else in Utah would it be except David Archuleta?? The best part was that this adorable little boy made a wish with the Make A Wish Foundation to
sing at a RSL game with David. It was maybe so cute that Siara and I both cried.

Oh and here's us!

Favorite Things: Red Velvet Cake

2010-09-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

There's not much to say about this favorite thing. I love red velvet cake. I adore red velvet cake. I dream about red velvet cake. I would do anything for a piece of red velvet cake right now.
This particular red velvet is from "The Chocolate", a darling bakery here in Orem.
My ultimate favorite is the red velvet from Hummingbird Bakery in London.
But let's be honest, any red velvet will do.
This is my one true treat love.

*Please don't judge the fact that the cake is already half eaten. I literally couldn't even hold off long enough to take a picture. I have a problem.

Favorite Things: Neverending box of Bounce dryer sheets

2010-09-04T16:28:00.000-07:00

When I moved to Utah to attend BYU in 2004, my mom came down and bought me all the essentials, including this box of Bounce dryer sheets.
Since that time I have graduated college, gotten married, and moved a total of ten times. And this box of Bounce is still in my cupboard, still going strong. I have lost clothes, jewelry, bedding, dishes, a bike, and many other more important possessions over the last six years. But this box of dryer sheets has somehow managed to hang onto me. And I'm not kidding when I tell you that I even took it to London on study abroad.
That corner advertisement says 35% more.
I guess 35% more=eternity.
Thanks, Mom.
I'll never have to buy dryer sheets again.

Favorite Things: Scarf-Tied Oxfords

2010-09-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

***Disclaimer: This post is completely shallow, materialistic, and without substance. Please enjoy the frivolity of it at your own risk***

If you know me at all, you know I am in love with these shoes. From the moment I saw them I knew I would make them mine, whatever the cost (monetary or emotional).
They were out of my size online, and when I called I was told that they were also out of pretty much every single size in every single store in the entire country. My determination did not wane.
I put the Anthropologie customer service department on my speed dial and called just about every hour for two straight days until they found a pair at a store in Las Vegas.
In a few short days they were mine.
And they were everything I dreamed they would be.
Bless you Anthropologie. You give me so many pretty things to waste my money on.

Favorite Things: Spin Class

2010-09-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

I have to work off that homemade pizza somehow, and my new gym addiction is spin class. I used to be terrified of it, but my friend and work buddy Brittany and I started going at 6 am before work and now I am in love. Here's a pretty nasty picture to document just how much work this class is.

The front of my shirt after spin

The back of my shirt after spin.

Favorite Things: Homemade Pizza

2010-09-01T17:49:00.001-07:00

My mom does these super cute "Favorite Things" blogs. And I've been a terrible blogger lately, so here's a little copycat series. These are some of the Keaton household favorite things, starting with:

Homemade Pizza!

Hand made dough

Fresh basil from the garden

Garden fresh tomato sauce

Add some turkey pepperoni and voila! Homemade pizza, a favorite dish in the Keaton home. (Clearly the half with vegetables on it is mine)

CSI: Orem

2010-08-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Let's ignore the fact that this is my first blog in a month. The irony is that when nothing is going on in my life, I have time to blog, but nothing to blog about. And now that things have been crazy, there's lots to blog and no time to do it!

My first blog back is unfortunately a sad tale.

We have decided to move to the upstairs of the house that we have lived in the basement of for two years. (This is not the sad news)

I was raised with a "mom" standard of clean that I now uphold wherever I live. So I've spent the last four days scrubbing the house top to bottom before we move into it. (This is not the sad news either)

The windows were my first task, because the previous tenants had a child and apparently hadn't heard of Windex. After scrubbing them inside and out, I pulled up all the blinds and let the beautiful natural light pour in through all the perfectly clear windows.

So last night I started moving our kitchen stuff upstairs. I had been going up and down for hours and had only been inside the basement for a few minutes loading another box. When I walked back up the stairs, suddenly at the top step there was a little bird. It looked fake because it was in perfect condition, except for the fact that it was dead.

I looked around frantically, thinking about what a dead bird suddenly showing up on my doorstep could possibly mean. Was it just a cat leaving a meal for us? Was it a threat, ala The Godfather-horse's head in bed? There was no evidence of a struggle, no suspects lurking, no explanation for a little dead bird.

After pondering the situation and being a little paranoid, it came to me. The gigantic, crystal clean front window. Sure enough, stuck to the window in little patches--bird feathers. The poor little traveler couldn't see the window because it was so streak-free and beautiful.

I was so proud of those clean windows, and now I just feel like a killer.

But also kind of like a detective.

Hopefully this is the only casualty of having a clean home.

Last night's score....

2010-07-14T09:01:00.001-07:00

Austin: 70
Shanna: 63

I'm blaming that on my hour and a half of yoga Monday night. My shoulders were already worn out before I even started.

It's on again tonight.

I'm going for 71.

Family Traditions

2010-07-12T11:37:00.001-07:00

Austin and I decided we need some traditions. We've only come up with two so far.

Tuesday night is pancake night.
(A tradition that was a result of the giant Costco box of Bisquick my mom bought while the family was here in May and then didn't use)

Now we've also added the nightly push-up contest. The results for the last three nights have been as follows:

Friday
Shanna: 52
Austin: 55

Saturday
Shanna: 59
Austin: 63

Sunday
Shanna: 60
Austin: 61

To make sure it's fair and that one of us isn't doing just enough to beat the other one's number, we count our own and write it down on a slip of paper, then compare. Then there's no cheating. Unless one of us lies when we write it down...

We're still working out the kinks.

What are your family traditions?

I Heart Nie

2010-07-10T00:28:00.001-07:00

I love NieNie. She is my favorite celeb. I am always secretly hoping I'll run into her at Sunflower because Ashton saw her there once.

So last Saturday my bestie Jess brought this to my attention: Nie's Birthday!

Eat a cupcake, help a darling family? Can do!

So we headed down to Sweet Tooth Fairy and enjoyed a vaNIElla squared cupcake to show our support.

Sometimes charity just requires sacrifice, ya know?

At long last

2010-07-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

I have never been able to do cartwheels.

I always desperately wanted to. In the 5th grade I did one perfect one, once. I was too scared to ever try again.

But last night, at age 23, I learned how to do a cartwheel.

And who was my gymnastics teacher?

My 26 year old husband.

Yes, Austin does perfect cartwheels. Almost as well as he ice skates.
{a skill he attributes to years of roller-blading, you know, the cool version of ice skating}

The moral of this story is it's never too late to fulfill a childhood dream.

Cartwheels are just as wonderful as I always imagined they would be.

Judge not...

2010-06-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

Yeah. I saw it. It was free, it was with my two best friends, it was for the 13 year old girl inside me.
I'm not suggesting any academy awards or anything, but you can't really argue with something that has gained the fame that Twilight has in just a few years.
{Although the face Robert Pattinson makes every time he kisses Kristen Stewart makes me laugh my head off}

Alternate

2010-06-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

I was pretty proud of my clever Shakespearean reference in my previous blog post title, so after I wrote it I said to Austin:

Me: "I wrote a blog about that chicken in the trunk of my car, guess what I called it?"

Austin: "Junk in the trunk?"

The creative writing skills and literary knowledge in our home are abundant.

Something Rotten in the State of Utah

2010-06-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

We went grocery shopping last week.

My trunk was still pretty full of boxes containing various Relief Society items passed down from president to president. When I say pretty full, I mean we could barely cram the bags of groceries in around everything. We got home, unloaded the food, and didn't think twice.

Two days later...

I got into my car to go to work and a rancid, pungent smell greeted me from the depths of my little Corolla. Being too busy to figure it out right then, I rolled the windows down and forgot about it during my day's work.

That evening I went to get back into my car and the 90 degree weather had exponentially multiplied the odor. I had to get to the bottom of it.

Shifting through the boxes in the back, in the very farthest reaches of my trunk, there it was. One lone grocery bag. My favorite navy blue shopping bag with the red and white birds. Birds symbolizing all the wildlife I save by using said reusable shopping bag.

Inside.......

Chicken.

Half-cooked, greenish tinted, rotten chicken.

I guess the color of it and the fact that I knew full well how long it had been in there wasn't enough proof that it was bad. What did I do?

I took a big whiff of it.

You know, just to make sure that's where the smell was coming from. Just in case something else in my car could be radiating such a hellish stench. Just in case it had somehow miraculously survived the two day ordeal in blazing heat and we could still eat it. That's normal, right?

Needless to say that chicken sacrificed its life in vain. My guilt at such a pointless death may drive me to vegetarianism.

In the meantime, it did at least drive me to clean out my trunk.

Mais, Oui

2010-06-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

Just an ordinary Saturday wishing....

...that pink balloons could make this happen to me.

Overheard in the Christensen basement

2010-05-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

Siara: I keep scissors in my room to cut the muslin that I use to wax my armpits

Me: AJ, do you wanna wax your armpits?

AJ (Tyler's 13 year old stepbrother): There's no hair under my armpits!!!

Priceless

2010-05-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

I was at the mall today and walked into Gap just to look around. Lately they've been kind of overpriced and have some weird styles (i.e. the weird short polo shirts from like 1998, and jeans for $80) so I wasn't really expecting to find anything.
The sales associate handed me a little scratch-off promo code and it was worth $25 off a pair of jeans. $80-$25=still too much for Gap jeans.
So I found a really cute cropped pair that was on sale for 24.99, figuring they'd tell me I couldn't use the card on sale items.

Here's the register scenario:
Me: "This card is for $25 off and these are only $24.99, can I use it for this pair?"
Gap guy: "I don't think you can use this on sale items, and I really don't think it would make them cost nothing."
Me: "That's fine I'll just keep the card and come back and look another day"
Gap guy: "Well, let me just try it first really quick" (scans both)
Register: "$0.00"
Gap guy: "Whoa, that's pretty cool."
Me: "Free pants?!"
Gap guy: "It's your lucky day, and that was so cool I'm gonna give you another discount card"

The second card I got was worth $20 off another pair of jeans. I'm paying the good karma forward and giving it to my sister, lest I ruin my streak of luck with selfishness.

A pair of $80 jeans for free makes for a pretty good trip to the mall.

Between husband and wife

2010-05-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Austin: "I promise that when we have a real house you can have a huge greenhouse"

Me: "Well I don't need a HUGE greenhouse, just one big enough to grow some tomato plants"

Austin: "Yeah and poinsettas. And then at Christmas we can give them away to people we like, and we'll make the people we don't like buy them from us"

Me: "No we'll just give them to the people we don't like because they're poisonous"

Austin: "Yeah dry them out and make poisoned poinsetta tea"

Me: "Who do we really dislike enough to want to give poisioned tea to?"

Austin: thinks carefully for several seconds..."{name of current acquanitance that we cannot stand, but cannot be named on a public blog}"

Me: "Perrrrrfect"

Saved by Chanel

2010-05-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

I've been having a hard time coping lately.
A more severe breakdown than usual on Monday caused me to go haywire about wanting to quit my job and move away and lock myself in a dank dark basement and not have to interact with humans until the end of time.

No. Exaggeration.

And then a bright light in my Tuesday evening pulled me from my wallowing haze of self-destruction.

C.H.A.N.E.L.

Chance Eau Tendre perfume

in a darling little black bag

on a bed of other decadent samples

And this is how I feel.

Thank you Austin.

Thank you Siara.

And at the risk of sounding like a materialistic bitty, it was really the thoughtfulness and generosity of these two very important people in my life that brightened my day/week/month/however long this perfume lasts. Not just the Chanel.

BUT {a little Chanel never hurt anyone}

Did I mention?

2010-05-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

Austin had a birthday

With a four layer vanilla cake with chocolate frosting (Magnolia bakery recipe)

AND.....

Siara had a birthday too!

With classic Gale oatmeal cake

The happy couple

AND..........

Austin graduated!

It was too windy to get pictures outside. And then I left my camera on video. So we have moving pictures of us....

The Can-Can

2010-05-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

What you will need:

10 pounds of strawberries

Massive amounts of sugar

Pectin

Sweet new pressure cooker from your wonderful in-laws

Darling little half pint and pint jars

Lids and rings

The official Ball Canning Guide Book

A mama to call for advice and encouragement

A slight head injury to be crazy enough to try canning in the tiniest kitchen ever

A husband to take embarrassing video of you (optional)
Here's the first batch all filled up

Bathtime

And oh the joyful sound of the popping as the lids seal! My mom told me this was like music to her ears, and The Pioneer Woman called it a blessed symphony. I felt like I was in third grade jumping up and down and counting out loud as each one made it's little POP! The sound of provident living success.

The finished product

Say nice things about me and I'll send you some.

Dear Frankie

2010-05-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

This movie is indescribably wonderful.

Please watch it.

You will cry.

Pot of Gold

2010-05-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness can you even imagine how delicious this rainbow cake is?

I'm going to throw a party just so I can make this. The colored layers are actual pureed fruit, not just food coloring. And it's covered in whipped cream instead of frosting.

Yummmm.

Would you eat a slice??

Napster

2010-05-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

All naps are not created equal.
There's so many factors that determine the quality of a nap.
The lighting, the comfort of your clothes, the outside noise, how much time you have to nap, your obligations following the nap, how close the nap is to bedtime, the blankets you are under, what you ate prior to the nap, etc. etc.
All variables taken into account, here is a list of my top 5 best naps ever.

1) The day after my high school graduation and the all night senior party. Nap in my extremely comfortable bed in pajamas and loads of pillows. No time limit for the nap, no outside noise, perfect June weather to have the window open. And the peace of knowing high school was over.

2) Freshman year, I had been sick all week and couldn't find any time to rest because it was midterms and I was working. Saturday early afternoon, done with exams, silent dorm hall, surprisingly comfortable dorm bed, sleeping mask. I slept all that day and through the night, 18 hours total. I recorded that one in my journal cause it was so good.

3) Sophomore year, P2 apartment, Sunday afternoon, Lovesac, A&E Pride and Prejudice on in the background. Enough said.

4) The day we arrived in London and had been awake and traveling for almost 24 hours. We hauled all of our bags to our flat, and Rache and I promised we weren't going to go to sleep so that we could adjust to the time change. We both fell asleep on our paper thin mattresses to a perfect London breeze and lots of London traffic and noise. Perfect beginning to one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.

5) Yesterday evening, 6:30-8:30 pm. Typically too close to bedtime to be a perfect nap, but I haven't been able to catch up on sleep for weeks between work and Sunday meetings/responsibilties. Sweatpants, pitch black bedroom, a weekend full of accomplishments behind me. Blissful rest.

What are the best naps you've ever had?

Disaster Averted

2010-05-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spilled nail polish on the carpet in the living room.

The color was "An Affair in Red Square".

It was indeed....red.

Our carpet is most definitely....light beige.

Loss of apartment deposit.....inevitable.

But google to the rescue! I knew I couldn't be the only girl to spill nail polish on the carpet.

Solution to my plight?

WINDEX.

A few sprays and some scrubbing and the carpet is like new.

Disaster averted.

2010-04-27T10:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I bought these cute skirts from J.Crew because they finally went on sale.

Then Julie made me aware that they are offering an extra 20% off all sale items today.

So I called J.Crew and they made the price adjustment for me AND gave me free shipping.

I love J.Crew.

I love floral pencil skirts.

I love getting things on sale that I wanted when they were full price.

A little courage

2010-04-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a big week.

This has been helping me get through it.

"My dear sisters, do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of your tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle."
~President Thomas S. Monson

I have a problem

2010-04-20T07:59:00.001-07:00

I don't know how to say no to people.

Ask me to do something, I will do it.

So when a girl comes to my front door selling organic cleaning products, and she looks like she could really use the help, and is so enthusiastic about what she's selling that she drinks it to prove it's totally natural, what do you think happened?

After I purchased said bottle of cleaning product, we proceded to talk for almost an hour about her recent break up with her boyfriend. I felt like she maybe just needed to talk to somebody. She seemed really worn out.

I am grateful I don't have to sell cleaning products door to door to make a living

I am grateful that I bought something from her, even if I was scammed a little.

I am grateful the stuff actually works. Our bathtub is completely white for the first time ever.

Baby Mama

2010-04-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

"There is nothing in this world as influential, as nurturing, or as life changing as a good woman."
~M. Russell Ballard

Here's to the greatest woman I know.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

Are you kidding me??

2010-04-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

How is it humanly possible for a baby to get this adorable?

Via Text

2010-03-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Me: Oh and Candleshoe* is in my Netflix queue for this weekend.

Siara: Sweet!!! We can make wedding favors and party like it's 1994.

*Disney movie starring Jodie Foster circa 1977. Frequently watched throughout the early 90's in the Gale home.

2010-03-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

I just recently finished reading Nicholas Nickleby. I've read Dickens before, but it was always required reading, and I just skimmed through to get what I needed out of it for a class. But this time was a life changing experience. I can truthfully say that I am now obsessed with Dickens.

Austin and I went to Barnes and Noble on Saturday night, and after selecting his WWII history book, he found me in the literary fiction section holding no less than 9 Dickens novels. I was in severe distress trying to pick the next one to read, and couldn't bring myself to put any of them back on the shelf. He calmly told me that he would buy me one for each holiday, starting with St. Patrick's Day. So in just a few days I will be getting David Copperfield. Or maybe Bleak House. Or maybe The Pickwick Papers...Good thing Austin will just be making the decision for me.

And as excited as I am to read every blessed word that man has ever written, it's hard to imagine I will love any as much as I loved Nicholas Nickleby. The story is one of the most heart wrenching and tragic, but at the same time so heroic and good. Dickens has a way of creating the most wretched, evil, horrible characters who do unspeakable things, and then contrasting them with characters that represent the goodness and charity that exist inherently in mankind. Just when you think all hope is lost, he restores your faith in humanity.

Even if you don't want to tackle the massive book, the movie is wonderful too. It obviously doesn't do the story total justice, considering that at least twelve characters are left out for the sake of time and simplicity. And it just can't represent the giving nature of the Cheeryble Brothers. Or the villanous evil of Wackford and Mrs. Squeers. Or the hilarity of Vincent Crummles and the infant phenomenon......so maybe just make sure you watch the movie AND read the book. It's more than worth it.