Here we go

Ok, it's been a week for decisions. Here is my new one. For 1 month I am going to commit myself to a whole foods diet. I know lots of people who eat mostly raw foods, drink green smoothies, and ignore chocolate and fast foods. These people seem to have an energy and vitality for life that I envy. I have tried to do this lots of times before and I always seem to fall short after three or four days. I guess until now I only wanted to try it because everyone else was doing it. For the first time I really want to know what this life style is like for myself so here we go! My hope is that if I let all of you know you will help keep me on track here. Wish me all the luck in the world because I will need it! :)
My son is growing up so fast! Yesterday when I got him out of his crib he grabbed a flash card that was on his floor, folded it in half, scrunched up the front end, and then threw it in the air and said "airplane!". He can count to three, although not consistently, and everything is the color green except for his McQueen car which is red and yellow. Being a mom is my favorite!

Commitment

Dear Universe,
I am not actually sure that anyone is reading this and it has caused me to question the wisdom of a blog at all. However, after much deliberation I have decided that this blog must continue and here is why. In some small way I feel heard. Just putting all of my thoughts, as random and chaotic as they may be sometimes, out there makes me feel alive somehow. I can't explain it and maybe I don't need to so I will just say that where there has been, there will be more.

Spring Break!!

So this weekend was our stake conference. It was really nice to have an earlier church time and be able to be home all afternoon. I even got a nap! Kyle did so good at the church too. He played in our little row, he even sat in a chair and looked at the speakers for part of the time. Of course that may have been because we were so far in the back that we were looking at a projection screen and he thought it was a movie...
Kyle has started to fold his arms for prayer time too and it's so cute. I know I'm not supposed to but I watch him while we pray and he is so cute. He folds his arms and looks at his feet and as long as it's a short prayer he keeps his arms folded the whole time. He says amen at the end and it is so so cute! It comes out more like mmen.
It was really a fun week. We had my friend Beth and her new husband Ian come and stay with us on Thursday night and it was so good to see her and get to meet her new husband. They are moving up to Idaho and while we are somewhat jealous we are so excited for them.
On a more sad note Travis's Grandma is very sick. Her circulatory system is starting to shut down and she is in a great deal of pain. Her children are debating about rest homes and hospice care for her at this point. It has been very touching to see her family rally around her. She is truly a remarkable woman who has touched many lives and I feel privileged to have known her.
This week is my spring break from school and I cannot wait! We are leaving town!!! We are taking Travis's parents motor home up the American Fork canyon which is probably my favorite place in the whole world. We are going to camp out Wednesday and Thursday night and then the craziness will begin. My little brother Jason and sister Clara are coming out from California on Friday for a week and I can hardly wait! At the end of that week my sister Hannah will be moving in with us for the summer and I am super excited about that too. Kyle is excited for them to come and he keeps going into our office where they will be sleeping and saying, "anna? jashon? ara?" It's very cute. The picture of Kyle shows you exactly what I intend to do with the rest of my time off.
I will let you know how this all goes, have a great week!

A Beautiful day

I am sitting here with my beautiful nephew Matthew, my beautiful son is asleep in bed, and I am struck with just how beautiful day it has been. I love the beautiful people who are apart of my life and all that they do for me. I am grateful for a beautiful home in which to love and raise my family. I love the beauty and majesty of the mountains, how they calm my soul and keep me safe. Most of all I appreciate the chance to worship my Beautiful Savior in church and to remember that He lives. I didn't get a chance in church today but I want to bear my testimony that He lives! He lives and He is aware of us. He cares for us and knows us better than we know ourselves. His church has been restored and His word is on the earth. I love you all, have a beautiful week!

And we're back!

And here we are, long months later after running through the desert we are up and running! Life seems to be speeding by at breakneck speed. I can hardly believe that my little boy will be 2 in just a couple months! He just gets cuter every day. He follows me everywhere and wants to help with anything I am doing. He likes to push a kitchen chair up to the counter and stir whatever I am cooing. His favorite job is to add the salt...all the salt. My favorite is when he gets salt on his hand and he licks his fingers. Best face ever!
A few weeks ago we planted a garden at Grandma's house. Grandma got Kyle a hat to wear while we were out in the sun. Actually Kyle insisted on having a hat because Grandma had one and he was not going to miss out! So worth it just for the picture though! Our little garden is finally starting to sprout and it has been so fun.
We have been on an incredible health journey these last few months. We got a book called the 12 Steps to Whole Foods by Robyn Openshaw, otherwise known as the green smoothie girl. Her stuff is amazing, it breaks down a whole foods diet into 12 easy to implement steps. My favorite step has been adding green smoothies to our diets. Super easy to do, you just put two cups of water in a blender add greens and blend until you get to four cups and then add your choice of fruit until it tastes like a smoothie. We use spinach as a base and usually add kale and or collard greens to ours. You can add lettuce, parsley, or any green thing you like the flavor of. Even kyle drinks them and loves them. He always asks for more with a little green mustache on his upper lip. It has been a huge adjustment and parts of it have been really hard. It's tricky to give up comfort foods that you have eaten since you were a child but with a little persistence we are making the changes and feeling great!
In a few short months school will be out for the summer and I can hardly wait. This year of teaching has been so different from last year. It hasn't been perfect but it's been much smoother. I feel like I have made more progress with these kids and I have felt way less scattered. Terribly busy but not so scattered. However, I can hardly wait to spend the summer camping, hiking, and grilling with my family.
I hope all is well with you and yours. May the road rise to meet you!

Yea!

Hi everyone! Life is so wonderful and I couldn't wait another day to share it with you. I have been doing my student teaching and life has been insane! I started in a third grade classroom and then moved to a first grade classroom to finish. I never thought I would like the first grade but I love it. The kids are adorable and so eager to learn and to do well. They are still six and for the most part they are very kind towards each other. I will be done in two weeks and while I have loved it I can't say that I will be sorry to be done. I will graduate in December with my Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and I am so excited! Yea!! Also, I have tentatively been offered a part time job at the school I am student teaching at so that helps with not being sad about leaving. I will be job sharing with another first grade teacher and I am very excited about the opportunity. It will be a great way to get my foot in the door and still be with my son.
Kyle is doing great! He gets bigger every day and I feel like the luckiest mom in the world. He giggles now and laughs when we look at him. He is learning to sit up on his own and, well, we still have to work on that a little bit. He looks more like his dad every day which I love and I think that dad secretly enjoys it to even though he says he wished that Kyle looked more like me.
I hope that all is well! Love you all!

Baby update

Hi everyone! The last few weeks have been so wonderful, there are hardly words to explain. It has been such a joy and a privilege to watch my son grow. He is bigger than he was before but still smaller than 10 pounds. It is so crazy to think that we all started out this small. My mom once pointed out to me that this is the only time in our whole exsistance that we are this small and it is only for a short time. I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father let me share these few moments of heaven with him.
On a different note we had out first family road trip a few weeks ago. We took Kyle up to Travis's Grandma's house for the 4th of July. He liked it for the most part and it was so good to get out of the house! There was a great home town parade, family walks, and of course, fire works! I love fire works! Like I said, Kyle enjoyed the trip and was introduced to his favorite new toy. It's a vibrating bouncer that lights up and plays music. He loves to sit in it and he is so cute to watch. He smiles and kicks his arms and legs while the music plays.
Travis and I are getting used to sleepless nights and busy days. We are still hoping for a new job soon. Travis applied for a job at the LDS Church News but we haven't heard anything yet. It sounds like it would be a great job for him so we are praying and hoping for the best. I hope all is well with you all, know that you are in our prayers.