Merry Christmas

I've been reading the scriptures a lot today because Will and Cort are taking naps and I couldn't fall asleep, so I thought I would take advantage of this uninterrupted time to contemplate this special day. I've been thinking over and over about all the people in the scriptures who waited for Christ to come, but specifically, today, Simeon and Nephi. Christ always comes. And I've just been in awe thinking about what a profound knowledge that is: He always comes to those who seek him.

Christmas Eve

Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.

Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.

And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given.

3 Nephi 1: 13, 14, 19

Will- 8 Months

You are now 8 months old! I usually take this time to write down all the new things you are doing everyday, but I can't think of very many this month. I'm sure you are developing just fine, I probably just haven't been paying attention because of the crazy month and trying to keep you from killing yourself. However, a few things to note:

You pinch when you get mad. This is usually when we are changing your clothes (you HATE this) and you reach out and pull dad's arm hair or pinch us. What's worse is that you usually pinch me under my arm... which is a huge reality shocker... I need to work out my arms so there is no loose skin to pinch.

You're getting to be quite the climber and in another month you'll have the arm strength to pull yourself up and just about anything.

When we're eating on the couch (we don't have a table), you come over begging for food.

You love playing with other babies.

You constantly pant like a dog when you are crawling to get something. It's like its so exhilarating for you, you run out of breath. You also can whistle sometimes and its so cute.

You can hold onto the top railing of your crib and stand on your tippy toes.

When you are asleep, but you're stirring like you are almost waking up, you start whimpering (this whole time your eyes are closed) and you reach your little hand around and start feeling for your binky and hurry up and put it in your mouth before you wake up. It cracks me up every time.

I got the flu a few days ago and while I'm feeling much better now, being sick like that again made me think a lot about when I was pregnant with you and I wanted to write about that. This post isn't to make anyone feel sorry for me or to bring pity on, but rather to just express the sacrifices that went into getting Will here and prove to my son that every single ounce of it was worth it to be with him.

I was sick (and when I mean "sick" that means I was in the bathroom everyday) for 4 months. After those 4 months, I teetered for a long time and had bouts of sickness fairly regularly for the next 3 months. The first 4 months were the worst. Most days I forgot how many times I vomited and it was very common for Dad to get home from class and find me with my head in the toilet or lying on the bathroom floor. On those days, it wasn't uncommon for me to vomit 5+ times an hour. At the worst of it, I lost more than 20 lbs in a little less than 3 weeks. It took so much energy for me to do anything that I would sleep for hours after just taking a shower. I didn't even have the strength to dress myself after I showered and I would crawl into bed wet and naked and sleep for hours until I could get up to put clothes on. And I didn't even really shower because I was afraid of standing up that long that I would fall down because I was so weak. I would sit in the tub and turn on the water when I wanted to wash my hair.

We didn't have cable and I spent a lot of time laying in bed, looking up at the ceiling counting dots. Dad would leave me some snacks on the dresser before he went to school because there were some days that I couldn't make it to the kitchen to even get crackers. I'm still not sure to this day how Dad was able to handle those first few months. He would go to school all day, come home and ask, "Babe, what can I get you?" and take care of me until I went to sleep, then study till 2 am and then start the whole day over again in the morning. And he never even seemed bothered by it. I had quite a few trips to the hospital and these past few months I've been visiting Abby in the high risk ward and the nurses still remember me! The worst part of being in the hospital were the potassium injections. They put it through the IV and it feels like your veins are on fire and turning themselves inside-out. All in all, I was checked into the Riverside Hospital 8 times before you were born. The first time, I was there for 3 days to get rehydrated. The first day I was there, they didn't allow me to eat anything, just shoved fluid through my veins and I gained 4 lbs that day and I didn't even eat anything- just shows how emptyI was. Some days I just sobbed thinking, "How can I even do one more day of this?" but somehow another night would pass and it was the morning again and whole day began again. 'Just one more day' became a mantra and I had to tell myself that all the time to just get to the next day.

It took me months before I could walk through the grocery store without feeling like I was going to puke. Until I was 5 months pregnant, I never left a 3 miles radius from our apartment because I was afraid I would get sick and not be able to get home. Dad slept on the couch for 5 months straight because he wanted me to get all the sleep I could because if I ever woke up at night, I would start throwing up and not be able to stop for an hour or more. I took lots of medications, most of which was Zofran. It's a drug commonly given to chemo patients to help with nausea. Its $40 a pill and I took it 3 times a day. I never really could tell a difference, but I kept taking it because I was afraid of it getting worse if I didn't.

By the time 6 months rolled around, I was feeling pretty good. It was at this time that I broke even with my pre-pregnancy weight. From here on out, I was mostly functional and by the time 9 months rolled around, I was walking 5 miles a day for exercise. It was amazing to me how quickly things changed in that last trimester. I was induced 4 days early and you were born 5 hours after they started the pitocin. Labor and delivery were a cinch and I feel I had a pretty easy recovery. All in all, I gained 11 lbs. You were 8.5 lbs of that. Most women hate the end of their pregnancies and labor and delivery are horrible. Those were the best times for me and if pregnancy consisted of the last trimester, labor, delivery, and recovery, I would have 10 kids.

I still get bouts of nausea, for no reason, but it's almost a friendly reminder so I don't forget how much effort it took to get you here. I never want to forget that. I never want to forget how I felt like we were a team for those 9 months. We took everything together, you and me, side by side. One time I told Dad, that after such a rough pregnancy, I just wanted a mellow little boy to just be buddies with for a while. And that is exactly what we got. We still take everything together as a team (of 3) and I hope it will always be this way. Every morning when I go to get you out of your crib, your smile and the anticipation of us coming to get you make everything so worth it. I know that every mother loves their child and every mother/child relationship is different, but I tend to think that our is special because there were so many sacrifices to get you here. I learn so much from you. I think that's what parenthood is all about. Learning from each other. Dad and I love you more and more every day, Will. I have no doubt that families are designed in heaven, but I know that you were definitely supposed to come to us and everything it took for us to get you here made us so much happier and we would not be the same kind of family without you or those experiences. In all honesty, I look back on these memories with fondness because there were so many blessings that happened to our family when I was sick. Things happened that I know were direct blessings from heaven to help us get through that time and we all loved each other so much that I don't really consider being pregnant a 'bad' time, just very challenging. You have an incredible ability to make everyone around you feel so happy and I think that is a talent you will have for the rest of your life. It's not uncommon for students to show up at our apartment wanted to play with you when they are 'having a bad day' and when I take you to school you literally cause a blockage in the hallway because there are so many people lined up excited to see you. You're a ladies man already.

I'm sorry to say that with this flu episode, you definitely will not be having any brothers or sisters soon (at least not in the next 2 years) but I'm looking forward to all the time we will be able to share together being buddies- all 3 of us.

Happy Anniversary Cort!!

Today is our 2 year anniversary and since we are in Hawaii, I don't really have any sentimental pictures to post on this momentous day. And Will is chewing on my toes right now.... I absolutely love our life- the 3 of us. Thanks for everything and all the work you do for our family every single day. Can't wait for the next 50 years!

Here are some little tidbits... Thanks Tamber.

1. Where did you meet? We were in the same ward in Orem, Ut.

2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met? He just introduced himself to me at church and at the time I thought, "Oh, nice guy" but never gave it any other thought.

3. Do you remember what he/she was wearing? His grey suit. It's not hard to remember that one:) It was at church and he only had one suit at the time.

4. Where was the first time you kissed this person? Right inside my apartment. He kissed me and I was very happy he did so.

5. Where did you go on your first date? Our first unofficial date was going to the BYU basketball exhibition game with Eric, Tamber, Emma, Scott, and Hilliary and we all ate pizza after. Our first official date was him taking me to eat Thai food after I was at school ALL day and I was starving. But it was really to just get me some food and take me back to school. Our first OFFICIAL official date was going to a BYU swim meet and eating at Rio after.

6. How long did you know this person before you became a couple? Technically, I guess a few months, but I didn't really put a name with a face until about a month before we started dating. But even then, we hung out everyday for 2 weeks before either of us had the courage to ask if the other person was interested.

7. How did he/she ask you out? I honestly don't remember how he asked me to the exhibition game. I think he just asked casually and said he was going with his brother (I never knew Eric was married until I saw that night he was married and had a daughter) and asked if I wanted to go. He asked me out over Messenger for Thai food while I was finishing a load of projects at school. And I think we were doing our usual hang out when he asked if I wanted to go to the swim meet with him and that was the first night we held hands.

8. How did he propose to you? He proposed officially to me in the temple 2 weeks before we got married. Don't worry, we had been unofficially engaged for a long time before then.

9. Do you and this person have kids together? Yes, Will- 8 months.

10. Have you ever broken the law with this person? If breaking the speed limit counts... then, guilty as charged.

11. When was the first time you realized that you liked this person? After another string of dud dates, I remember thinking, "Cort seems so nice" and I made the mental note to get to know him better. One Saturday night he called me and we talked for 20 minutes before he asked me if I would say the prayer at church the next day. We had SO many things in common and I was really bummed that he 'just' called me to do something at church. He later revealed that he did that just so he would have a reason to talk to me and later, ask me out.

12. Do you trust this person? With my life.

13. Do you see her/him as your partner in your future? Of Course, forever.

14. What is the best gift she/he gave you? Himself and that is always a bunch of different things, but lately I've been so thankful that he has so much confidence and trust in me. He's constantly telling me that I'm good at x,y and z and that I should start a business or finish my grad degree in those areas. I feel really lucky that I'm constantly with someone that sees many talents, some that I don't, and always encourages me to pursue my dreams.

15. What is one thing He/She does that gets on your nerves? I wish he didn't drink so much soda.

16. Where do you see each other 15 years from now? Hopefully, living or have lived in China together, a few more kids and a ton of great memories.

17. What causes the most arguments? I don't know, probably things that don't really mean anything but I'm just in a bad mood. This happens frequently, I'm sorry to report. Cort is very patient:)

18. How long have you been together? Married 2 years. Together 3 years.

19. Favorite quality about he/she? Cort rolls with the punches so well. I make a really earnest effort to make healthy meals for our family every night for dinner and Cortney eats it every night and has never ever really complained about my cooking. Always says thanks, and takes both of our plates to the sink and more often than not does the dishes each night after dinner. Its something so small, but means so much to me. I'm sure there are plenty of days where he was definitely not in the mood for pancakes for dinner, but never even says anything about it and acts like he's been wanting to eat that all day.

20. Special Traditions? We listen to Prince on Christmas morning. We do something special as a whole family on our anniversary (we went to the beach today) to celebrate the starting of our family (we do something cool just the 2 of us some other time during the year). We give each other t-shirts for Valentines Day, and it seems like there are more, but I can't think of them right now...

*This is going to be a long asterisk, but it needs to be said. I lived in China for a semester in college and loved every single minute of it and wanted to live there for the rest of my life. Many of the families at church that I met in Shanghai, the husbands had served missions in Taiwan and because of their language abilities, had jobs in China. I remember thinking, "I've got to marry someone that served a mission in Taiwan so I can live here for the rest of my life" and made that mental note and put in the back of my mind. I never really thought that was a possibility after getting home and assumed that I would probably never make it back to China, if not for a very long time. 2 years later, Cort called me that night and it wasn't even until after I knew that I liked him that I put together he had served his mission in Taiwan and graduated in Chinese from BYU and always wanted to go back and live in Asia too. And the rest is history. We dated for a year and decided that we wanted to get married on the way to work, scheduled the temple, and had a secret engagement and loved every minute of it. We didn't tell anyone we were getting married until 2 weeks before the big day and I wouldn't change that for anything. I loved that no one had to do anything for our wedding but show up. Since we have been married (just 2 years) we have both applied and been accepted to graduate school, moved across the country, and had a baby. We like to make things interesting:) There are so many things I could say about Cort, but more than anything I really feel like Cortney is proof to me that God knows everyone on a personal level. Our Chinese connection is one of the minor notes of our relationship, but it's just amazing to me that little prayer from China was answered years later, no matter how insignificant it seemed at the time.

Will the Poop Monster

One day this past week, Will, my 16 lb. son, pooped 7 times in one day. No, he didn't have diarrhea and no, I wasn't feeding him anything different. Just pooped 7 times for the heck of it.

Camera SOS (HELP!)

The McAllister family is in the market for a new digital camera. Our trusty old one has vanished and we're pretty sure it got stolen. But we really need you help in finding a new one this week before we head out for Christmas vacation. We are looking for a point and shoot that takes pretty good pictures, but also does a good job at videos. I've read the reviews of a lot and it seems that getting good video quality isn't hard, but the sound is usually lacking. If you have a camera that you LOVE, please let us know. And if you have a camera that you Hate, please let us know:) And we're in the $150-$200 range.

Book Review: The Duggers- 20 and Counting

I had seen the Dugger family on a few talk shows and thought they were just a weird family. They home school their kids (all 18 of them), don't buy hardly anything, and are what I considered fanatical Christians. I was in Barnes and Noble the other night and I picked up their book to look through it and thought I would find a few more weird characteristics about them. However, I was pleasantly surprised and actually sucked into this book until I read all of it sitting on the floor in the store in about 2 hours. Don't be that impressed, there were a lot of pictures. I was absolutely amazed at this family and while I didn't agree with everything they did, no one can argue their pure intentions. I've been reading a lot in the scriptures about having the 'faith of a little child' and I really think that's what this family is. They have such pure faith and they do everything they can to make things work out and then they leave the rest up to God and it always works out. They talked about quite a few instances where they had a business decision to make or a troubling family situation and they all knelt down as a family and spent time in ernest prayer and it really seemed like miracles happened to that family every time they did that. It was definitely an eye opening experience and I learned a lot. They have some wonderful teaching methods they do with their kids that I will definitely be doing here at home. But more than anything, I realized that I needed to make a better effort at having stronger faith. I definitely recommend this book if for nothing else to 'people watch' through a book.

Carter's Sale

I actually didn't go to Carters at Midnight, which ended up being a good thing because our store opened at 6 am:) I only got a hoodie, khaki pants, and a few t shirts for Will. I didn't pay more than $6 for anything, but I still couldn't help but think when I was leaving the store that I could get all of these things at the thrift store for a dollar! I justified it in that it was a one time only thing and just to say that I went shopping on Black Friday. I hope you like your new khaki pants for church Will and hopefully you don't puke/poop on them too many times. Other than these purchases, I have yet to spend more than $3 on any article of clothing on Will. And actually, $3 is on the steep end. I usually average somewhere between $0.50 and $1.

2/3 done!

Today is Cortney's last day of class for the quarter and we only have 2 more quarters before we graduate!!! He has been running a marathon this last week and has been on campus about 12 hours a day. Way to go babe! As a reward for your hard work, we're going to Hawaii next week:)

Guilty Pleasure- 1/2 Price Day at the Thrift Store

On the last Tuesday of every month, the Volunteers of America Thrift Store has everything in the store for 1/2 price. On the last Wednesday of every month, Ohio Thrift has 1/2 price on everything at their stores. Its like a treasure hunt. I love it because there are always a few things that you'd like to have that you don't exactly need that are nice to pick up on these days. Like right now, I'm picking up a few extra sweaters for the winter. And I love getting Will's shoes there. I have him stocked up for the next few sizes and its so nice only paying $1 for shoes instead of $12 at Target or Walmart. You always come out feeling like you've just conquered the shopping world.

Black Friday- Carters

Due to the struggling economy, many store are opening at midnight Friday morning. Normally I don't really care about these things, but there is something about going shopping in the middle of the night that is intriguing me. And honestly, I kind of like the idea of shopping by myself, even if it's dark and 23 degrees out. I'm still throwing around the idea of heading out, and I think I'm going to do it just for the sake of experience and me-time. I'm only going to Carters and I can't imagine there will be ladies in quilted vests ready to bang down the door at midnight, you think? I would think everyone would be lining up around Toys R Us and Best Buy. Anyway, everything in the store is 50% off with an extra 10% off between midnight and noon, and an extra 20-25% off coupon. They're practically giving everything away! I love Carters clothes because they wear so well and I'm thinking of getting Will's winter clothes for next year. Good luck to all of you venturing out to buy the hottest toys for your kids at the wee hours of the morning. I'm glad we're not at the stage in our family:)

Here's the coupon if anyone else is intersted...
http://wl2.peer360.com/b/D5q5QuL69D2aSFT85XMy/main.asp?hl=-1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=peer360&utm_campaign=112508+Black+Friday+Sale&utm_content=Holiday+Sale+%2D+Nov+11+2008+12%3A55PM+copy+%2D+Nov+19+2008++9%3A02AM+copy+%2D+Nov+24+2008++3%3A51PM+copy

Happy 7 Months Will!

Will, in a word- you're a handful. But we love you that way! You are on the go non stop. Frequent sayings in our house:

"Will, are you getting into trouble?"

"Will, pulling mommy's hair really hurts her"

"Will, can you let go of the extension cord?"

I truly believe families are designed in heaven and you were the perfect little boy for us in every way, but you definitely keep us more busy this month than you did last month!

• You crawl like a champ and are very deliberate about it. You don't just glide across the room, you stomp on your hands and knees across the room.
• You usually dart across the floor to any shoes because you love to untie shoelaces.
• You love being naked and it makes you noticeably happier (if that were even possible)
  
• You're really starting to 'play' with your toys and its very fun to play with you- after we've pulled you away from the diapers, remote control, cords, and all other electrical devices.
  
• You can't hold still. I'm afraid you're destined for ADHD. The only way we can get you to settle down and sit still (for feeding, changing, and getting dressed) is if we sing to you. Needless to say, Dad and I know at least 12 verses for Old McDonald and The Wheels on the Bus.
  
• You can pull yourself up on everything.
  
• When I come to get you in the morning and you see me, you shriek and do the loudest power crawl ever because you're so excited. Whap! Whap! Whap! It makes me feel so loved!
  
• You absolutely love eating solid foods. You haven't really but up any resistance to any of it, but you consistently eat peas, carrots, applesauce, bananas, and squash.


• You still put everything in your mouth. Everything.


• You have a death hold grip. You get you finger on one thing and it takes us forever to pry your little fingers off it.


• You're pretty self absorbed in that you LOVE to look at yourself in the mirror. We have a big mirror in the hallway and you can sit in front of it and look at yourself for at least 5 minutes. That's like an hour for normal attention spans.


• You can say your D's, B's, and G's- all signs of good development.


• You're getting slightly chubby legs and a nice pillow layer off fat on top of your feet. Cute!


• You're very ticklish now. In every place.


• You still love your exersaucer, but you mainly like it for its jumping capabilities. You also love your Jolly Jump in the doorway and whenever you are not in those 2 places, you still want to jump. Especially in Dad's groin area.
  
• You're starting to get more into books. When you don't have them in your mouth, I can usually go through 2 or 3 books with you before you lose interest.


• You are starting to 'watch' TV and I love that you sit in my lap and watch the Barefoot Contessa with me when we get a chance.


• When Dad and I are playing on the floor with you, our bodies become an instant jungle gym and you start crawling all over us.


• You make really funny faces when you poop.
  
• Still a great sleeper and very thankful for that.
  
• You made it through your first BYU football season. The first of many.


• You still love your binky and I'm pretty sure you're going to be one of the kids in nursery with your bink, and I'm totally fine with that. It makes you happy and quiet during church.


• You like it when we kiss you and sometimes after we kiss you, you'll put your face up to ours so we'll do it again.
  
• When Dad is holding you, he puts his head down and you start slapping his bald head and laughing. It's like your personal drum.


• I still swaddle you to get you to sleep sometimes and I love that. I'll be so sad when I can't do that anymore.


• You're wearing some 12 mos stuff and that kind of makes me sad. I just love the little clothes.


• You continue to be the mascot of the Fisher College of Business and whenever I bring you to school, you usually block a hallway because there are so many people excited to see you.


• You're constantly doing all the cute baby noises. Blowing bubbles, clicking your tongue, and cooing.

I honestly can't believe how big you're getting and it seems like you're coming up on all of these milestones so fast! You keep us on our toes, you have an awesome personality, and we LOVE being with you. Can't wait to write next month!

Chewy Granola-goodness

This is the granola bar recipe I made the other day. AMAZING! And I'm pretty sure this is going to be my Christmas goodie to give out this year, FYI.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Chewy-Granola-Bars-20184

Demin: Found

From the comments I got earlier, it sounds like I'm not the only one needing some new threads... My friend Christy suggested I visit a store called Red Planet X. It's like Plato's Closet, but specializing in jeans. I went there the other day with Will and he lasted less than 5 minutes in the store. Gotta love that kid, but he's getting harder to take to places. I was able to go back that night while Cort watched Will, but I only had 40 minutes before the store closed. I tried on probably 20 pairs of jeans, and found a solid pair of Citizens. I need to take them in a little bit in the waist (I have junk in the trunk) but according to What Not to Wear and Tim Gunns Guide to Style, most everyone should be tailoring their clothes, but nobody does. While I was checking out, I saw a whole rack of Seven's that I missed and made the mental note to go back sometime. I conned my friend Christy into coming with me tonight and holding Will while I tried them on. Fit great, loved my butt, and handed over my debit card. I bought 2 pairs of jeans that retail for $200 and only paid $35 each and the Sevens still had the original tags on them. So for all of you Columbus-ites, pay a visit to REd Planet X. You only really have to go to one store and you get every possible demin brand and you're bound to find something.

They Totally Want My Body (I hope!)

A couple of weeks ago, my neighbor told me about a job posting she had found for Abercrombie and Fitch. The title was "Fit Model" and my first thought was, "I'm definitely not a model, and I'm not very fit", but it turns out that clothing companies hire 'normal' people to come in and try on the clothes they are making so they fit the average buyer. Because how can they make money if their jeans only fit the size 2 models? The only catch was that you had to have the right measurements... I had to take a full length picture of myself wearing jeans and a t-shirt, then email them with my measurements. Then I waited. They sent me a mass email saying that they had so many people apply, they would only be contacting the people they 'wanted' and since that was more than 3 weeks ago, I figured they had found someone more 'normal' than me. Until today!!! I just got an email asking me to come in for measurements on Friday. I'm assuming they bring in a bunch of candidates and take their measurements (to make sure no one was lying on their email) and then hand out the gigs. So, potentially I COULD be an Abercrombie model! And how cool is it that I could just go and try on clothes a few hours a week and get paid!?! Special K for breakfast every day this week! Cross your fingers for me:)

Desperately Seeking Denim

I'm on the hunt for some new jeans and need your help. The last pair of jeans I bought was from American Eagle, and I loved them but I think due to too many washes, or maybe a growth spurt, they are slightly too short. Previous to that, I was a Gap Long and Lean kind of girl. However, I went to the mall this week and tried on both and they just didn't do it for me, or didn't fit quite right. And, of course, I'm on a budget... $40. So if any of you have had success with a certain brand of jeans, let me know! Finding a good pair of jeans is a great feeling, you just feel like everything is right in the world.

Stake Conference Notes

This past weekend was Stake Conference and (pat ourselves on the back) we made it to the Saturday night session! Truth be told, I had no idea there was even a SAturday night session of Stake Conference until I was in college. Although I think its a great idea to have a session just for adults, what are people supposed to do with their kids? And doesn't paying a babysitter so you can go to a church meeting seem so un-Mormon? I digress. I was very excited that I went and I learned a lot, but it made we question that thinking about having more than a small infant.

Anyways, by far my favorite part of Stake Conference was from the Presiding Elder Hardy. He was talking about his family and how his parents created a Gospel culture in their home. He emphasized that by no means were they religious fanatics, nor 'weird' mormons, but a strong loving family who surrounded themselves in the Gospel. The thing that stuck out to me was when he said, "I didn't learn anything at church- that I hadn't already learned at home."

Cortney and I have been talking about this a lot since last weekend and have decided that is a really great goal that we have set for our family. As Cortney and I try to immerse ourselves in the Gospel, hopefully we can set the example needed for our home to have a "Gospel Culture".

Clubs

For some reason when you're married and Mormon, you join all these clubs as reasons to hang out with friends, get a break, and sometimes learn new things. And I'm ok with that. I am currently in 4 clubs.

Freezer Meal Club- 7 of us get together and exchange freezer meals so we all have something to throw in the oven on days that's its just too hectic to cook. Each person makes 7 batches of one meal (ie corn chowder) freezes it in a ziploc bag and then all the other person has to do it heat it up.

Card Club- my dear friend Kim organizes this and she teaches us how to make a new card and then each of us brings homemade cards to everyone else and we exchange. Truth be told, I seriously feel so bad for everyone getting my cards. They are so plain compared to their masterpieces of scrapbook paper and trinkets!

Book Club-This just started this month, so the jury is still out. Maybe this is something to be concerned about... I joined a book club last...

Quilt Club- I just joined this one too so I could learn how to quilt. Each month the host chooses a quilting square pattern and teaches everyone how to do it, then everyone goes home and makes one square out of the host's fabric, then we bring it back to the next club meeting and the host will get all the squares to make a quilt from.

What clubs are you part of?

Aurick

This is my neighbor, Aurick. He is 3 years old (2 weeks older than Emma) and I get to babysit him every weekday morning from 8:30-11:30 am while his mom studies (she's a PhD candidate). We have a lot of fun and I feel so blessed that I can have this job where I can still take care of Will and it isn't too taxing on me.

Aurick has an older sister, Liesel, and combined, they are some of the smarted kids I have ever come across. They can tell you about any animal and Aurick can tell you about any dinosaur. We spend many days going to story time at the library, playing the toys at the toy store, watching Scooby Doo, and of course playing with Will. Aurick is such a good helper and when we get Will dressed each morning, Aurick gets to help pick out the clothes he wears and get the diaper and wipes for me. One time I asked him if he would get Will a new diaper and he said, "Yeah, I'll get him a good one." Aurick is also quite into whether Will has pooped or not.

About once a week, we make a treat together while Will takes his morning nap. Today we made homemade granola bars, which were incredible and I'll post the recipe later. When they came out of the oven, I told Aurick they were still to hot to eat or cut into squares and he said, "Well, the bad news is the granola bars are still too hot, but the good news is you don't live with a Komodo Dragon."

Thanks for putting that into perspective, bud.

MoTab

When I was younger, I really didn't like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or understand why they were such a big deal. In my home ward, there was a lady named Kathy Brooks and she was a trained opera singer and I always just thought that MoTab just sounded like a bunch of Kathy Brooks' aka a bunch of old ladies singing. Although I have slightly matured since then, I still didn't have very much appreciation until this last conference. The choir sounded amazing and it was probably my favorite part of General Conference. And now, thanks to Directv, we get BYU-tv and we can listen to Music and the Spoken Word while we get ready for church. What an incredible pool of talented people! There really is nothing out there like it! I'm happy to say I can call myself a convert to MoTab.

My new favorite picture of Will.

Will puts anything that is in his hands in his mouth... he got Dad's tie this time. It was soaking wet by the time we wrestled it out of his hands. Good thing I have a coupon for the dry cleaners!

Do you think my son has an abnormal relationship with food? He always gets so excited when we get the cereal box out...

Just after bath time. I am waiting for the day that I can put a little gel in Will's hair and spike it a tiny bit.

Nap time. The little green thing under Will's arm is Ralph- his stuffed alligator. They always take naps together.

Happy Halloween!

Our Little Lion.

A 6th Grade Dream Fulfilled

A few weeks ago, I heard on the radio that The Smashing Pumpkins were doing an acoustic sold out concert in Columbus on Halloween. Angry that I had no idea how I could have missed such an incredible opportunity, I called Cort and said that we had to find a way to get tickets. I scoured Craigslist every day hoping that I could find a god deal on tickets. Sure enough, as the concert date grew closer, people were getting desperate and prices dropped. We gladly picked up tickets the day of and left Will at a friend's house while we went to see Billy Corgan Inc.

I have loved the Smashing Pumpkins since I think about 6th grade. Siamese Dream came out when I was in 4th grade and I think for a solid 2 years I heard my brother, Jared, blast "Today" while he was getting ready for school. And that's where it began. I even developed a secret crush on Mr. Corgan himself and in recent years have learned I wasn't the only one (Kim and Tara:)

The concert was at a venue called the Newport, which is right across the street from campus. It only holds 1700 people, so its prefect for intimate concerts. We were literally 30 feet from Billy and I'm 99% sure I lost some of my hearing that night, but I didn't care. The inner heavy rock lover in me came out and I just relished in it. I think my jaw was dropped for most of the show because it was just so incredible. Every time I go to a concert, I am reminded that Heavenly Father gave all of us special gifts and I was privileged to be able to see people with such incredible musical gifts.

Halloween let me check another great band off my list of "To See Before I Die".

My Emmitt Smith Year

I turned 23 a few weeks ago, again sorry for the late post. Cort equates birthday years to famous athletes numbers. So at 22, it was my Emmitt Smith year, and I've moved onto MJ (Michael Jordan), which I might add, Cort says is destined to be a very important year, because it's MJ's number. So in saying adios to 22, I thought I would take a minute to write about the good things that happened to me this past year of life.

I DEFEATED pregnancy and gave birth to an incredible baby boy who continues to light up my life.

I celebrated my first wedding anniversary. Marrying Cort was the best decision I ever made.

I traveled to Portland, Seattle, Indianapolis, Gettysburg, and Hershey- all places that I had never been and absolutely loved.

I attended almost 3 BYU Football games. The 'almost' part was for the Las Vegas Bowl last Christmas. My angel dad-in-law bought me a ticket, but I puked the whole drive to Vegas. See bullet point #1. But we did make it to BYU v. Washington and UCLA v. BYU- which were both great games.

I moved into the 21st century and got TIVO.

I supported my husband through his first year of grad school, and more often than not having food on the table when he got home.

I have been on a very tight budget for the last year and I have the satisfaction of knowing that I can sustain my family without hardly anything 'lacking' with a very small amount of money.

I have 2 jobs and am usually still sane at the end of the day.

I have developed incredible friendships and have felt closer to friends here than at any other time in my life.

I saw Bruce Springsteen in concert.

I went to my first OSU football game.

I visited Kirtland, OH twice. I love that place.

I moved into a bigger apartment and am loving the extra space.

I quit breastfeeding and have no regrets.

I learned how to find a coupon for anything.

I can think of a few more accomplishments that happened this year, but they are really only accomplishments in my mind. So for now, we'll leave it at these and thank my Emmitt Smith year for a lot of incredible memories.

Guilty Pleasure- NPR

I apologize for not being better about posting lately. 2 jobs, 2 kids to watch (I babysit my neighbor) and keeping the house together has gotten the best of me and I feel more busy than any other time in my entire life. So my postings tend to be very brief and multiples at a time...

I LOVE NPR! I think I listen to it 80% of the time I'm in the car. I learn the most interesting things from it and I count it as my continuing education at this point. The other day they were talking about kids music and I thought I would share this blog. Kids music has come a long way from "If you're happy and you know it" and many former bands we used to listen to are now doing kids music. Anyone remember They Might Be Giants? Yep, totally doing kids music now.

http://www.zooglobble.com/

Homemade Christmas Presents

I'm just throwing this out there because I thought it was somewhat cute, creative and kinda proud of myself for thinking about it. In lieu of buying presents (because really, who has money for that this year?!), I thought of a good Christmas 'service' present. Give friends and family a mock gift certificate for a "Cookie of the Month Club" and make a different batch of cookies for them each month and send them out. How fun would it be if you got a box of homemade goodies each month!!

If anyone else has any ideas they are using this year, by all means let's use this as a forum for all of us out there trying to make meaningful gifts out of nothing:)

Happy 6 Months Will

Will, next week you will be 6 months old! We can't believe how much you've grown and what an awesome personality you're developing every day. I just wanted to write down a few of the cute things you're doing right now.

• You're really into feeling textures and whenever your hands come in contact with any kind of fabric, you constantly open and close your hand next to feel every part of it.
• You hold your binky and chew on it and it makes the rubber squeaking noise.
• When you don't want you binky, you take it out of your mouth and chuck it.
• Sometimes when I put you in bed at night, I can hear you rubbing the hard plastic part of your binky against the slats of your crib and it sounds like you're a prisoner and trying to get out.
• You still sleep great and I love being able to just put you in your crib and you'll fall asleep on your own in a few minutes.
• You hardly ever cry- you just yell. Its really hard not to laugh when you're doing this.
• You LOVE sleeping next to the edge of your crib (pictured above), so much so that Dad is afraid to put your bumper up in the case that you couldn't breathe.
• You can smile on command and I wish I could take you to every sad person in the world. You always make everyone so happy.
• You think that "the Wheels on the Bus" and "Pinball Wizard" are the funniest songs ever.
• You're not completely mobile yet, but you can pretty much get to where you want to go via the 'scrunch up and nose dive' approach.
• Your favorite thing in the world is your exersaucer. You bang on that thing so hard, I'm almost positive you're going to burst into tears because you've hit your hand. I can leave you in there for a half hour before you'll even look up.
• I still come home from the gym every morning and you're watching Mike and Mike with Dad.
• It's impossible to change your diaper or your clothes without you trying to roll over. I've gotten pretty good at changing your diaper while your butt is in the air.
• Your legs are like 2 perfectly oiled pistons, constantly pumping with perfect rhythm and time. Your arms have started to follow and when you get excited we always know it because your whole body shakes when you smile. I love that happiness is a whole body experience for you.
• I'm pretty sure you're going to be the next Michael Phelps because you have the swimming motions down pat. You also love to lay on the floor and just swim for a while. I would have a 24 pack if I did all the ab workouts you do everyday.
• You yawn very loud and its one of our favorite sounds. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.
• When you're down on the floor, it probably wouldn't matter if Mickey Mouse were down there playing with you, you would only want to try to get to the baby wipes container. Its pretty much your favorite thing to put your mouth on that mommy hates.
• You're finally starting to suck on your thumb instead of just chewing on it.
• If your thumb isn't in your mouth, your toes are.
• You understand the "I'm gonna get you game" and you just laugh hysterically.
• You're ticklish. Especially in the thigh area.
• When you're tired, you pull on your ear. Its super cute and its nice to have a warning that you're tired before we both have a meltdown.
• I think you finally get that we're your Mom and Dad.
• You start smiling when you see me making you a bottle and when we put it in front of you, it's like you are going to disintegrate in 10 seconds if you don't get it into your mouth.

I'm sure there are a ton more things, but I'm just trying to keep a log somehow of the funny things you're doing. We love you Will, more than we ever thought possible.

Our current #1 reason we love Columbus. Highbanks Metro Park. I mean, really. I live here!

Hey Mom and Dad,

Just so you know, I sat up all by myself while you guys were watching the Texas v. Oklahoma game and you didn't even notice. Luckily you grabbed the camera after so you could at least capture my proud smiling moment of my developing life altering skills. I haven't done it since then, just so I can keep you and Dad on your toes and hopefully you'll be able to see me next time. Take this as a warning mom and dad- You better not miss my first steps!

Love,

Will

Family Pictures

These were taken in the old part of Lehi and at Lehi Roller Mills. Thanks Pete, you're the best! I'll post some more a little later, but tie has got the best of me and I need to run some errands.

Will and Marcus. Destined to be best friends.
Four Generations of Griffiths/McAllisters. Grandpa Jim, Sue, Cort and Will.
Happy kid!
MRS. Janelle Olsen. Janelle and I worked together at NuSkin and she got married 2 weeks before we met up at the Soup Kitchen. It was so good to see you Janelle and can't wait to hang out again!
This is the fabulous Erica Thomas. We lived in the same complex my freshman year and I've always had an enormous amount of respect for her. Easily one of the most talented people I know and really inspired me to go out of my comfort zone that year and beyond. I was SO excited to see her and catch up!

You can't really tell in the picture, but Will is glued to a "The Who" music video. WE're brain washing him while he's young.
Byu v. UCLA. FAntastic friends. Fantastic Game.
My boys at Sugarhouse Park. This is currently my favorite picture.
Will also has an affinity for sucking on noses if he's close to one. So if you're ever close to Will, guard your nose if you don't want him to slobber on it.
Emma holding her first cousin.

One of Portland's most famous attractions is it's Rose Garden. It's in the middle of the city and there are acres and acres of roses. Gorgeous.
The day of the BYU v. WAshington game. Once a Cougar, Always a Cougar.
All of us at the game. It was a great time and will for sure be some of my favorite football game memories.
Seattle. Another gorgeous city.
Cameron Barker and Will. Brothers in Football.