4 more, and three, two, last one!

Hey ebedeebuddy! I just wanted to post quickly about my recent love affair. No serious infidelity, just aerobics. So for those of you who don't know I am currently teaching an aerobics class on Saturday mornings in the gym of our church. It is seriously the most fun thing I have done in a long time. Last Saturday was my third class and I had 6 repeat offenders. We got our sweat on from 7-8 am and it was intense. I was a new woman after and just felt like I was totally in my element.

Anyway, I am thinking about starting a blog about real people work outs. By real people I mean, gals like me who are stretch marked here and have some jiggling going on there but who still like to strap on the spandex (or the t-shirt and sweats). I have always actually enjoyed exercise (even if it doesn't always show) and I feel passionately about it on most days. So let me know if you would read this blog and if so what you think I should put in it. Ideas people ideas!!! I need them.

A fabulous day at the beach!

So yesterday was the most gorgeous day in Hawaii. The sky was so clear and blue that I couldn't even stand to be inside. Me and Chunks went to the park while Daddy was at work and then we all took a trip to Makapu'u. Mommy did some serious boogy boarding, Daddy body surfed and baby got daring splashing around. Seriously, this one will go down in the books.

Kokua Festival

Here are some pictures from our trip to the Kokua Festival. We heard Mason Jennings, Dave Matthews but missed Jack Johnson because it was Chunky's bedtime. It was a total blast and we even had a chance to walk along the beach at sunset! Awww...

Chunky in a Helmet

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Kauai come and gone

Ok so Kauai was a total blast but not at all what I expected it to be. I was imagining a high pressure situation and to be totally uncomfortable. It turned out to be so relaxing and more like hanging out with a group of friends. Plus instead of still photos it was all video! How crazy! I guess the future of stock photography is headed towards video. I will post some of the stuff (if I am allowed to) when I get a copy of it. It may be a while so please have patience. :)

Now on to the more important issue of my day. I am going bananas! Currently Jack is in the other room screaming his little head off and it is all I can do not to scream my own off. Why is he wailing you ask? Because I put him down for a nap too early. Why did I do this you ask? Because he has been a terror all day long. Why has he been such a terror you ask? I don't freakin' know but I can't handle it right now, so there!

After sticking him in his bed I knew that he would just cry forever and ever and not fall asleep but I did it anyway. Am I a bad Mom? You might think so but let me just explain that I can only sing so many primary songs and do so many sets of "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes" before I go crazy. And the second I stop all of the charades he goes crazy. It is not a great combo. Plus when Michael came home from work today he couldn't find his key in his bag so he rang the doorbell, thus waking up the Chunky. See! He never got a proper nap in the first place. So it is ok for me to be forcing him to bed two hours too early. Justify, justify, justify.

On top of all this Chunky is mad at me, or at least doesn't want to be around me. When Daddy left to go surfing a half hour after getting home from work the baby threw a royal fit and pounded on the front door like a drum. He reached those rotund little arms as far as they would reach but never got his Daddy back. So to distract him, I picked him up and played peek-a-boo as enthusiastically as possible but to no avail. He did not want the Mommy he sees everyday, he wanted the Daddy who is only around half of the time. The one who gives him whatever he wants and plays with him unceasingly. Now don't get me wrong, Michael deserves to be surfing. Heaven knows that. I mean he works like a dog and hasn't really been getting a lot of surf time in because of how crappy the surf has been in the last few weeks. But, I hate the situation I am in right now. I hate it so bad that I feel I must blog.

Now I will go and pick up my baby and put on Baby Einstein and hold him calmly like we never had this fight. I am so grateful that I was able to sit here and rant and rave even if it made no sense. And one final thought to all of you who don't have children yet. Don't get discouraged by this little excerpt from the life of a weirdo, you should still plan on having kids and it will be amazing.

Kauai here we come...

Ok so it is like 7:30 and in twelve hours we will be on our way to the airport to catch our flight to Kauai!!! I am very excited (as noted by all the exclamation points) and I think Michael is a bit nervous. He is suddenly very concerned about what he should be wearing for the pictures. Actually he just sent me a pic message of a pair of new swim trunks to make sure that I approve. Aren't men funny? You plan a month ahead for something and they wait until the night before to get a whole year of things done. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled he finally shaved and cut his hair (no more mountain man!) but I just wish he didn't wait because it ends up stressing me out too.



Anyway, rant and rave aside, along with the excitement I am feeling very nervous. One because I don't know how well the baby will do without a proper nap for over 14 hours. Two because my Birthday wish did not come true (for those who are wondering it was to lose 10 pounds before this blasted photo shoot). Not that I really thought it would come true but that is why they call it wishing. But seriously, I just hope that everything goes smoothly and that Jessica doesn't regret convincing her boss to "hire" us.



Now that I have officially done my own bit of procrastination by publishing this pointless post, I will get back to the cleanin' and the packin'. Aloha!




This is an attempt at a family photo from the first Kauai trip. The baby looks fat and ugly, Michael has a mustache and my arm is the size of Texas. Cute right...

Chubby Monkey

I just really wanted to post a few pics of my little naked boy. This was at the end of our pool fieldtrip the other day.

Model Schmodel

Ok so really quick I just need to clear up this "model" talk. Basically I am just doing a friend a favor so she can get a free ticket to Hawaii. My friend Jessica Peterson is an amazing photographer and works for a stock photography company in Utah called Rubber Ball. Basically they take generic images that can be sold to advertising companies, which then slap their own label on them. I like to think of myself modeling for the tacky insert in the picture frame when you first buy it. You know, like the woman smiling with the happy baby on the dollar store bottle of bubbles or something. So, it is not a huge deal or, to me, a real "modeling" job. It is a free ticket to Kauai for only one day so I can finally hang out with a longtime friend. Ta da! That's it, nothing more, nothing less. So lets stop talking about it, I am feeling a bit uncomfortable and it really is no big deal. I do however, appreciate all of the people who think I should model. You are very kind to say such nice things but obviously have some sort of substance abuse problem. Remember crack kills and can severely skew your image of those around you! Much love...

Bath time = Me time

My wonderful husband has without fail been faithfully bathing Jack for the last, oh I don't know, 6 months every night he is home. He never even puts up a fuss (Michael not the baby) and to make it even better he is very patient. He actually likes to let the baby splash and play for at least 20 minutes every night. This is like heaven for me. I'll admit that most nights I run around the apartment repairing the damages of the day done by King Kong Jack but tonight...nothin', I did nothin'. There are still dishes in the sink, the laundry is waiting to be folded in the dryer and I still haven't eaten dinner. But who the freak cares, I am allowed to slum it for one night and not be the perfect wife/mother. (Not like I ever will be but...) I am just so grateful to my sexy and dedicated husband who is willing to take the baby for the last part of everyday and do the dirty work.


Moving on, so my Birf-day was stellar! Lets list a few of the highlights; I got to watch conference baby free, eat a ginormous cheeseburger and a basket-o-fries, surf waikiki at sunset, spend two hours at home alone, attend a surprise dinner party and open a gaggle of gifts! I recieved so many phone calls, text messages, emails and birthday cards that I can't remember a time I felt more loved on one day. So thankyou to all who were kind and thoughtful, thanks especially to my husband who bought me exactly what I wanted and made sure I had a spectacular 24th!





Both Michael and my little sister Josie bought me the same card! Seriously what are the odds?

I still haven't gotten my wish! Freak!
Daddy and baby went shopping in matching plaid shirts...aww!
Mommy's spread while she was home alone for two whole hours! How relaxing.
I am smiling like I love them but really I can't wait for them to leave me alone. :)
Once again matching for the priesthood session. So adorable, I mean just so freakin' adorable!
My special surprise party at CPK. (Yeah that's right, I just initialed California Pizza Kitchen, wazzup?)

Warm Fuzzies

Currently I am:
1. Licking the bowl clean that was used to make my cake.
2. Reading and re-reading the most nicest and wonderfulest thing that anyone has ever said about me.
3. Watching the final four game, wait it just ended, scratch that one.
4. Being consumed by the warm fuzzies.

Seriously people, if I knew that blogging land would be so friendly and kind I would have joined a loooong time ago. Thanks everyone for the Birthday wishes and for just thinking positively about me. I really do appreciate you taking up brain space for a second to ponder little old me!!! So far it has been a stellar day and I have the feeling that it will continue! (cause I haven't even opened my presents! I am rubbing my hands together like a greedy troll right now! he he he!) Hopefully we will have some great photos of our day that I can post soon. Until then, Aloha my peeps and Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAT!!!!

This post is being written by guest author and close friend, Heather Bigler....yes, she once told me her password and I STILL REMEMBER and now I'm HACKING INTO HER BLOG to tell the world how WONDERFUL she is and why we are all so lucky that she came into the world on April 5th. This is a picture of me and Kat at my surprise birthday party...SHE was the one to tell me all kinds of lies to get me to the party without suspecting anything. It was awesome. I wish I could do the same for her now, but I don't live in Hawaii anymore, dang it!! So here's the surprise Kat...and don't be mad. You deserve it.

And now...my tribute to Katherine Elizabeth Clark, the coolest girl I know:

Well, I could write a novel about Kat. I'll never forget the day I had to say good-bye, as we were moving from Hawaii. I'd never felt that kind of pain of losing the best friend I'd ever had, not knowing when I'd see her again.

She came into my life when Jack was 7 weeks old, and I was 37 weeks pregnant. As soon as I met her and talked to her, I walked off with my husband and said, "I think she's going to be my new best friend." I was right.

She got me through those last three miserable weeks of pregnancy. It was her pool that I floated around in, and her stairs that I went up and down that finally got my labor started.

I remember one time being so hungry for fast food, but too fat and lazy to leave my house. She dropped in with some Jack in the Box, and made my whole day.

And one I'll NEVER forget, shortly after having my baby, I went back to the ER and couldn't nurse for 24 hours...guess who donated breast milk for my baby girl??
KAT DID! (My mother-in-law was so impressed that I had a friend like that.)

She was the one who listened to every story, complaint, or problem I ever had. As anyone can attest, she is SOOO easy to talk to, and she always makes you feel good about yourself, and she makes all these great, valid points that help you clear your thoughts. She's SO REAL, and I love that about her.

She has so many amazing qualities, let me list just a few more:

• She's an INCREDIBLE cook. I learned a hundred things from her, and my husband likes her cooking better than my own.


• She's super knowledgeable about fitness and nutrition, and has the fabulous body to show for it.


• She's so smart...she can sit and argue about politics with the best of them. Most of what I learned about politics, I probably learned from her.


• She's a wonderful mom. She has the darling, wonderful Jack to show for it, and she has given me so much advice about being a mom.


• She's absolutely gorgeous. She's going to be modeling next week in Kauai, and it's OBVIOUS why...hello, America's Next Top Model. Strikingly beautiful...Beautiful hair, skin, teeth, eyes, I'm sure every girl is jealous of at least five to eight parts of her, or else they just want to BE her, cause let's face it, who doesn't...


• She's beautiful on the inside too. She has her priorities straight, and faithfully attends to what's most important.


• She keeps an IMMACULATE house, and has totally shown me that it CAN be done, and it feels so much better when it's that way.


• She's just a sexy mamacita and Michael's lucky to have her.
  Happy Birthday Kat...I guess you can go and change your password now, but don't forget how much you are loved.

First Post Poop

Let's make this a very un-original post by introducing ourselves one by one. And to be nice we should call it traditional instead of un-original. So here goes.

Michael is the work horse in the family right now. He is at the hospital around 100 hours a week sewing people up and keeping them alive. Michael is a strong and confident man who is goal oriented and hard working. He has a bevy of nicknames for Kat and the baby (who do you think came up with the title of our blog?) and what he comes down to is fun. He uses his "spare" time to do the following which are listed in order of importance; surf, sleep, play with Jack, eat, watch tv, and Kat. No seriously, he loves me but he is a little backwards in the priorities this year seeing as how we are in Hawaii. He believes in living life to the max and making every minute count. His surfing has improved 100 percent since moving here last June and the thought of leaving in two months turns him green. He is currently enjoying his large stash of after easter markdown Peeps as well as March Madness.

Kat is the stay at home Mommy in the middle of an identity crisis, but more to that later. She enjoys spending her days lazy around the house. She rarely misses the Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune and has concluded that this makes her real age approximately 57. She loves to workout, layout or pigout while the baby takes naps and has hit a weightloss plataue because of the counteractive combination of these activities. As for her hobbies or whatever, there aren't a whole lot, hence the identity crisis. One good, defining thing is that she will finally be putting her aerobics instructer certification to use by teaching the relief society sisters on Saturday mornings! Yay! Overall she is generally happy and content or would like to think she is. For a more truthful analysis you should probably consult Michael.

Jack is the best ever. He is a little over ten months old and is a thrill everyday. He has six charming teeth and beautiful blue eyes. The best part about his day is when Daddy comes through the front door. Coming in a close second is bath time. He is social and friendly and will go to anyone who will hold him. He loves to crawl after birds and hear Mommy make animal noises. His favorite foods are chocolate soy milk, potstickers, oatmeal cereal and booby. Both Mommy and Daddy are sad to think that he won't remember the most wonderful year of his life here in Hawaii but have done their best to document it with plenty of photos.

Ok folks. That is it for now and today. Kat will probably be the primary poster on this blog but to avoid seeming vain and trendy she has created it for both her and Michael's use. Now a picture to end it all.