Six Years...

Hiking Sundance, July 2002

September 2002

On Sunday was our 6th anniversary! We celebrated the next night by going to Body Worlds in Salt Lake, then out to dinner. Body Worlds was really cool. My favorite part was seeing the digestive tract up close and personal. When we went out to eat, the host looked at my belly and said, "You're having a boy!" I told him he was right. Then he said, "And you're 8 months pregnant!" Again, he was spot-on! Amazing :)

The last 6 years have flown by and we have had many fun experiences and many growing experiences. I am so glad to be married to my best friend!

Holiday Parties

**Warning: I have officially entered the completely unphotogenic phase of pregnancy. I tried so many angles, so many backgrounds, I just couldn't get a break. Thanks for the mercy. If my brother Loren saw these photos, he would officially announce that I have a new "fat picture."**

Now, on to the positive :) We have been partying it up the last few weekends. We attended Matt's company party for Novogradac two weekends ago and had a good time. This is my one posh event out of the year. Thanks to Bethany for letting my borrow her dress, although it fit her a little better last year, I think :) The Novogradac event was held at the Ritz Carlton in downtown San Francisco and despite every Novie asking me for my signature on their Bingo card, it was my favorite venue. The food was pretty good. As usual, I pretty much licked my steak dinner plate clean.

Below is myself with Marisa and Bethany, a few of the Novie wives. We missed a few there (Laura and Miriam) and of course, I miss seeing Melissa Savage.

Matt with Warren and Thomas. Drunk on martinellis. If you want a fun account of the party and Matt's "bro-mance", check out the Sebra blog.

The best part of the night was not this photo below, although I really tried. It was when Matt continued his raffle winning streak and won the 50 dollar gift card to American Express. Doesn't Matt look great in a suit???

The next night we hit up our ward Christmas party. For the second time this year, Reagan sat on Santa's lap without any fear. Also for the second time this year: fried turkey!

Last Saturday night, we attended a dinner party our friends threw that involved a white elephant gift exchange of the tackiest Christmas sweaters you could find. I think the sweaters we got were the prize-winners (Marianne is the best).

Marianne and Kevin. Notice the "K" in the middle of Kevin's Christmas tree. Nice touch!Catherine and JasonThese are the sweaters we brought. I guess I forgot my Christmas spirit, as you can see they are not holiday-themed. But I think by the end of the night, Mike actually really liked his and I won't be surprised if he dons it on Christmas day. Thank you, Goodwill.

Rasmussen's Favorite Things 2008

**I have been working on this one for a week!! I am finally up to posting it.**

We still didn't catch Oprah's Favorite Things, but here is a few of our favorite things for this year. If you want to see our list from last year (and a pretty fun picture of Reagan by our tree), click here.

Yoshidas Gourmet Sauce. We buy this in a huge bottle from Costco and I marinate a lot of our meat in it. My favorite is to marinade chicken and then bake it. It is also good with meatballs.

The Ipod Shuffle. Matt got one of these bad boys from his work as a gift last year and he has used it quite a bit. It is so nice how small it is. We don't own an Ipod, so this is it for us as far as Apple products go!

We have been using these for years! It is the California Scents car fresheners. I first smelled it in my friend Ruth's car so long ago and we have had one in our car since. The best scent is Coronado Cherry. Everyone asks us what that nice smell is in our car. I laugh because I have grown used to the smell and now I can't even smell it, but it must last forever. I only change it out a couple of times a year.

Men's Nike Low Cut Socks. Matt swore he would never wear low cut socks, but after getting him some this year, he thinks differently!

This is Reagan's favorite Christmas book: Snowmen at Christmas! We read it twice a day and she loves to help me turn the pages. It is a really cute book, even for adults.

The day after Thanksgiving, we were at Costco and saw a deal to upgrade our phone. We needed a new one badly and this is what we ended up with...a Blackberry Pearl. I am still trying to work out all the fun technical things because I am just not a gadget person. But it is a really cool phone with lots of extras. It also came with a bluetooth, which I am growing accustomed to using, but still feel like a weirdo talking to myself.

Catwalk Camera Ready Shiner and Defrizzer. This is the best stuff for my hair. I use it every day and I have super frizzy hair because I blow dry it. This stuff has been a tremendous help and even though it costs a pretty penny (for me), it is so worth it!

Suave Kids Orange Mango Shampoo. When Reagan washes her hair, I sniff her all night. This is about the yummiest hair shampoo I have ever smelled. And you really can't beat like a buck fifty a bottle either.

Another Reagan book! Good Morning, Good Night. We have read this almost every day (and night) for the last 12 months. I got it for her at Christmas last year. She loves to touch the fuzzy things in the book.

Vera Bradley travel organizer. Okay, to be honest, I do not own the Vera Bradley one. It is like almost 50 bucks and a little out of my comfy price range for something I only use for traveling. However, I did buy one right before we traveled for Thanksgiving this year, a cheapy at Bed Bath and Beyond (http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=11898840&RN=529) and it really was nice. I am so used to throwing all my toiletries in my big suitcase and every time I shower, have to do Reagan's hair, brush my teeth, I have to go dig through that big suitcase. Not anymore! I bought a package of travel size containers for 99 cents at Walmart and was able to condense ALL mine, Matt's and Reagan's accessories and toiletries into the travel organizer. It saved me so much time. Basically, everything except clothes, shoes, and my curling iron and hair dryer were packed into it. Very much worth investing in.

Sleep well, dear babies

A good winter use for summertime clothing.

What do I do now?

Matt and I have ABSOLUTELY agreed that we do not want to even attempt to potty train Reagan until next summer, after the baby is here and we have somewhat adjusted. But this is what she tries to do everyday. Everytime we use the bathroom, she takes her clothes off and wants to "go to the baf-woom." For me, that is like every 30 minutes. On the actual day I took this photo, we spent most of the morning with her just sitting on the toilet, then hopping off, only to get back on a minute later. She thinks she is pretty cute (and I admit it is.) You're probably asking yourself, why don't they just let her do it? Well, friends, she doesn't actually GO yet, she just sits there. And tries to take off her diaper every chance she gets. And she is obsessed with flushing the toilet. So she really may be ready, but it is still going to take a lot of work.

I have no problem with diapers right now. I would a million times over rather change messy and wet diapers all day than be stuck in traffic with a child who had to pee or poop or have to clean up accidents on the carpet and bed linens.

This house is amazing

So my last two posts have been about my favorite tv shows and I just want readers to know that I do more in my day than watch tv. Honestly, between The Biggest Loser on tuesday nights and The Office on thursday nights, the only other time I watch tv is maybe Food Network here and there. It's true!

But to prove my point, I thought I would post what we did last night. We went to this house in Pleasant Hill that is completely made of awesomeness (can you guess who I am quoting?) The entire property is decked out in lights and the dude that owns the place dresses like Santa and takes pictures with the kids in his sleigh. It doesn't cost anything, but they do ask for donations, which go towards the county food bank. Anyways, we mostly went to show Regs the cool lights, but Matt and I were blown away as well. As you can see from the photos below, Reagan had no problem sitting on Santa's lap....WHAT???? What 2 year old doesn't cry sitting on his lap? Unheard of. We were impressed. She still talks about him all the time. I can't wait till Christmas!

I'm voting for Ed.

Here is why...

(for all you The Biggest Loser watchers out there): Heba thinks she has already won this and already has her spot in the finale. Ed completely threw tonight's weigh-in, which I think is so messed up. There are so many people who would kill to be in his spot and he just sees the game aspect of it. He thought that it would come down to him and Michelle and she would be gone. He basically was guaranteeing Heba's and Vicky's spot in the finale. Then the "curveball" came and now America gets to vote!!! Haha, Ed's all trying to save face now and pleading to keep his wife in.

Ed doesn't pull consistently big numbers, never has, but his wife has before. I am personally rooting for Michelle and know that Heba is the bigger threat, so I want to see her out of the finale. Too bad Vicky didn't fall below the line, man she would be gone in a heartbeat. I hope she doesn't win it. GO MICHELLE!

If you have time tomorrow, go online to NBC.COM and vote for ED to be in the finale!!!!! You can vote up to ten times per email address, you can also vote on the phone. I voted with my 2 email addresses tonight (20 times total) and will try to convince Matt to let me use his hotmail address to vote tomorrow. Next week's finale should be good...if Vicky doesn't win it.

The Surplus

Last night's episode was so funny for me. Actually, most of it was. I laughed out loud at the battle in the office over what to spend the surplus on (chairs vs. copier), but the Andy/Angela/Dwoght thing was just sort of funny. I think that some of the supporting characters (Oscar, Stanley, Kevin) are the ones that make the show. Stanley's glares were awesome last night and the Oscar/Jim taking Michael to lunch was the funniest part. I love when the episodes stay in the Office and show the mundane every day things.

We got Season 1 from Amazon on black friday and have been re-watching those episodes. They are hilarious. I forgot how much the awkward silences really made this show.

I am totally looking forward to next weeks episode: Moroccan Christmas! I love the holiday themed ones and the synopsis looks pretty funny.

Week In Utah

We spent a week in Utah with our families over Thanksgiving! It was great to see family! I didn't take as many photos as I usually do, but I did get some good ones and I guess I can fill in the rest with words. The week flew by, probably because we ended up doing a ton. Reagan spent the entire 8 days before asking to go see Grandma and Grandpa, so I think she was the most excited to leave.

She made sure her babies were all tucked in before we left. She has lots of babies. From left to right: Baby with Fluffy Hair, Regular Baby, Mickey, Bear, and Other Baby.

Here is my countdown of our TOP TEN reasons why our trip was great...and a few lowlights, I cannot forget those, they always make our trip unforgettable!!!

10. Light parade in Spanish Fork. Mel put a lot of work into this and it was so much fun. I love the feel of small town parades. The choo-choo train was especially impressive.

Some of the kids watching the light show.

Reagan, dad, and Grandma.Enjoying the lit up reindeer.

Mel made a fondue dinner, complete with a chocolate fountain for dipping and a cheese sauce as well. It was really tasty.

9. We got to see TWILIGHT! My sisters, mom, Caitlin, Matt, myself and Loni's flavor of the month, Drew, went to see it. Yes, in our group of 7, there were 2 guys present. I love it. We went to the gateway in Salt Lake, where seats are assigned so we didn't have to fight people for a good one. But then we realized that the Jazz game started at the same time, so we ended up going a little early anyways. We had great seats, and my sisters wore their Twilight/Paramore shirts to make it all festive. Afterwards, we all wanted ice cream, since it was like 20 degrees or something, so we headed to Haagen Das only to find it closed. As we stood outside, the guy working came out and asked if we wanted to come in and have some! Nice! We felt pretty special.

Oh yeah, I liked the movie, by the way. I had zero expectations of it, which helped, but I think they did a pretty good job of it. Basically all the girls liked it, and Matt didn't, but he is kind of a movie snob since he took a "film" class in college (haha, just kidding Matt...about the snob part). Drew didn't care for it either, but he didn't read the book, so his opinion doesn't really matter anyways, right?? :):)

8. Chuck E. Cheese's. They just opened one in Layton and it has probably been about 20 years since I have been to one, but it was really cool!! Reagan had a great time! She played air hockey with her cousins and they were so good to her!

7. Watching Reagan butter her bread at California Pizza Kitchen. This was an amazing highlight of the trip. She kept sticking her tongue out in concentration and had no idea she was doing it or that we were all watching her do it.

6. Hanging with the cousins. I wish I got more photos of all the cousins, but I didn't have the camera out 24/7 like I usually do. I have this amazing photo of Matt with his Schelin cousins building a fort in the Rasmussen basement, but I won't post it because of their blog being private.

Reagan walking to church hand-in-hand with Emma was about the cutest thing I have ever seen.

5. All the attention from everyone started to go to Reagan's head...and mine. I am using my sister Lindsey like crazy because I know that once she has her own kids, Reagan won't get as much attention from her. So I am using her while I can. When we are in town, Lindsey dresses Reagan, does her hair, buys her tutus, bathes her, feeds her, you name it. I love it. I take advantage. Thanks, Lindsey.

4. Shopping on Black Friday. We got some good stuff, but it wasn't anything like last year. I did find a toy for Reagan and some things for Matt. Our best shopping so far has been online. I am now kind of embarassed to say that I am a black Friday shopper given all the crazies out there, like those that didn't even care a Walmart worker got killed by the stampede. My goodness, have people totally lost their minds? All in the name of a $130 kitchen-aid. Puh-lease! Truth be told, I didn't start shopping until 9am, and by that time, the crazies are long gone from the big stores.

3. Deep fried turkey. I love this stuff. If you have never tried deep fried turkey, do. Your missing out. We had a great Thanksgiving and if Loni uploads her photos and sends them to me, then I can post some, because my camera was AWOL that day. We spend the morning at the Rasmussen's taking family photos. That was fun, except for Reagan being all uptight and stuff. We headed back for dinner at the Roundy's and I got to see my brother Lance, who has been back east since the end of August, completing FBI training!! What-up?! Isn't that the coolest? I have no idea how his wife does it back home, though, with three kids and no husband. I ate so much food I thought I was going to pop.

2. Discovery Gateway. We went to the Children's museum there and man, does that place rock. Mostly for kids, I guess, but it really is a great place. I think that Reagan could have easily spent the entire day there. I got quite a few photos of her here, but these are my favorites below. It was so interactive.

1. Cafe Rio/Costa Vida. I ate this food 3 times, three pork salads. It was so good.

LOWLIGHTS OF OUR TRIP:

1. My weight gain. Hands down the ultimate low point. I just can't help myself out there. There is food in abundance, everywhere, and given my current condition (32 weeks) all I want to do is eat and fat dog it. If you refer to number 1 above, then factor in all the turkey, pie, Thanksgiving, plus leftovers, also the cookies Lindsey and I baked, Mel's fondue dinner. Oh man, the list could go on and on. And just to prove it, I went to the doctor on Monday, the day after we got back and it was confirmed: I gained 9 lbs in the last 5 weeks! The doctor I saw is not a weight nazi like my normal nurse practitioner, but he did give me some tips. He also said the I had a bit of hypoglycemia from my diabetes test way back when and that maybe I should eat meals more frequently and lay off the sweets. So that has helped me some. By the way, supposedly hypoglycemia is the opposite of diabetes, so how is it such a bad thing??? I mean, I do know it is bad, but I can't really find the logic to explain it, so if you do know, enlighten me, will ya?

2. Watching BYU hand the Utes a win on a silver platter. I can't really talk about this one right now, it is still kind of painful.

3. Reagan's cough. She got sick while there and coughed till she was hoarse, but now she is all better. Nothing like a little California air to heal you up!

We are looking forward to seeing family 3 weeks from tomorrow. Yes, that is right, at 36 weeks, I will be in Utah. Nice, huh? I need to make sure that I know where the nearest hospital is, just in case...you never know.

I can't wait

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

Every day I pester my mom and dad about how I want to go to Grandma's house. It is almost time. Mom bought me a hat and mittens to wear to your house. I like wearing them. Now I won't be so cold.

I love you and can't wait to see you!

Kisses,
Reagan

Pixieland Amusement Park

This is Reagan's Disneyland, Concord-style. Kind of pricey, but she loves the rides. My heart swelled with pride when she rode the Dragon Rollercoaster with dad this last Saturday! That is right, she rode a rollercoaster! I have never been on it, but Matt, who has been on some collosal rides, claims it wasn't exactly the joy ride he expected. It went rather fast! And she held on, but after three turns, she was more than ready for it to be over! She barely made the height requirement. In this below photo, you can't even really see her, but she is tucked under Matt's arm if you looks closely.

Next up: Six Flags Magic Mountain! Ha, just kidding. I will give her another two or three years before we hit that!
Feeding the ducks at the pond. There was a duck that looked just like Kramer from Seinfeld with his hair and all. I didn't get a photo.

We couldn't leave without our ride on the train. She is still obsessed with trains.

Garbage Truck

Twice a week the garbage truck comes to take our trash. Reagan is obsessed with watching it and we hear loud and clear (repeat: VERY loud) when it arrives. She goes and gets her yellow little tyke chairs and watches him. He actually gets out of the truck, opens the gate, rolls the bin out and then it hooks onto the truck and lifts and dumps. To Reagan, most loud trucks constitute a garbage truck! She sure looked cute this morning when she ran out and watched it. A couple of times the garbage guy has noticed her and given a little wave. She gets a kick out of that. It is hard to see (thanks to our 70-80 degree weather, heck yeah baby) but the white part of the photo towards the top is the truck.

Oh, she just looked so pretty while posing for this picture. In fact, just before her nap today, in an effort to get her nice and drowsy, I put on Mickey's Christmas (thanks, Mel) for her and we laid on the couch together. I just sat there and watched her profile. She would smile when the characters would, her mouth would form a little "O" of surprise when they would fall or cry or yell. I sat there and watched her face for quite a while. She is such a pretty thing and I cannot get enough of her. Am I psycho sounding?? Maybe. I guess I am just in love with this little girl.