big fat, huge announcement

We're pregnant!

Just kidding.

I started a new blog because:

1- tworussells is no longer applicable.
2- I'm really sick of this blog.

So, please change your sidebar links, Google Reader subscription, etc. to

scottieandmatt.blogspot.com


Please do it.  We promise it will be fun.

crazy summer

We have had a great summer thus far and I can't believe it is practically August. Here's a list of what we have done in no particular order. I don't have any pictures because my camera cord is packed away somewhere and I haven't taken many anyway because I have been having too much fun to think about it.

• We moved at the end of June. We left our really big, ugly basement apartment to move in with Scott's family. I know people think it's crazy to move in with in-laws, but I really love mine and it has been fairly smooth so far. Hopefully we won't have to burden them with our presence for long (I'm talking about Scott and me because they LOVE having Jonah around) because Scott graduates in May. Oh, and I kind of love living with two single girls and the drama of relationships. It's hilarious and also makes me glad I don't have to date anymore.
• Went to Island Park for a family reunion the same week we moved. It was really nightmare-ish to do it all in the same week, but we had a great time there. We really missed some family members. Island Park is one of my favorite places on earth and I can't even count how many times we have been there. Always a good time.
• Jonah turned 11 months. Wowsa. He is into everything. He can stand on his own for a little bit and is starting to climb on top of things. All I can say is that he is pretty much exactly like Scott. He is so curious, wants to explore everything, never sits still, and is not scared of anything. Yep, exactly like Scott. Let's just say that I'm not looking forward to his teenage years.
• Went with Scott's family to Cedar City to see some Shakespeeeeyaaaa (that's Shakespeare in a British accent). I saw four plays, Scott saw one, and Jonah saw none. I love the Shakespearean Festival--even though this was only my second time going--for many reasons: the plays of course, the fact that it makes me feel cultured, the interesting people, the memory of when Scott and I slept through Hamlet the first time we went, southern Utah, the tarts at intermission, the fact that we counted about 45 men in Hawaiian shirts, and it got me pumped up to go back to school in the fall to study English. I'm really excited. Seriously.
• And just tonight (yes, real time blogging sort of), we had a barbeque with my three best friends from high school. Oh man was it a good time. We laughed so hard at all our antics in the good ol' days and even heard a scandalous/hilarious story. Yummy food, gorgeous house, good conversation and reminiscing. It was perfect and I think it was the first time we've all been together since Tarisa got married. I sure love those girls and it was like we had never really been apart.

Anyway, those were a lot of words for you to read and congratulations if you made it. Probably kind of boring, but oh well. Maybe pictures will come later. This is my blog and I will post what I feel like posting. So there.

umm

I was just watching a video on YouTube.com and the girl who uploaded the video had not a profile picture, but a profile quote which went like this:

First of all, I'm glad I'm out of the "teenage angst" stage and second of all, I'm glad I know that I don't have to marry/be a vampire to be loved forever.

just wanted to say...

that I love my boys.

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo (is that junior high-ish?) much.

ten months

I can't believe he is already ten months old. That's like double digits! Weird that in two months he'll be one. Time sure flies.

Jonah has accomplished a lot this month. He is now a very proficient crawler, no more army crawl for him. He added mama, nana, and nada to his vocabulary. Not sure where he picked up nada. He is also climbing around on everything. I can't leave the room now without being scared of him smacking his head on something. He gets a new bruise on his forehead every couple days. Sometimes he also likes to stand without holding onto anything, but then it freaks him out and he falls. He is also turning into a little boy. He's not a weird newborn anymore and he actually has a lot of personality. This stage is so fun, except for all the movement. He always has to be moving, which makes it very hard to change his diaper. I have mastered the art of changing his diaper while he is standing.

For a couple weeks, he was beginning to be a really hard baby again. Taking short naps, waking up in the middle of the night for no reason, screaming his head off when I couldn't hold him...that sort of thing. But for the last couple days, he has been a dream. I have been so in love with him lately and can't stop kissing and snuggling him. He also seems like he likes me a little more. He even lets me cuddle with him sometimes!


I still can't believe that he is our baby and how we got so lucky to have him. We hope he knows that he extremely loved.

flaming gorge 2009

We just had our Daines family vacation to Flaming Gorge this past weekend.

Flaming Gorge is one of my favorite places on earth and we've been going there since I was a wee child...two weeks old to be exact. Lots of memories have been created there, from the trailer, to buying rings at the Lodge, to making a tree fort in the "forest" behind the trailer, to catching loads of fish and eating them the next day for breakfast, to catching my first fish on a flyrod on the Green River (probably my dad's proudest moment of me), to begging my mom not to tell the story "Falling Rock" anymore. Flaming Gorge is a great place.

Unfortunately, the water is way too cold in June to boat, so about the only other thing to do is fish, and fish we did!

Other things not documented in pictures:

-Jonah waking up at 2:30 in the morning and being wide awake. The only way to get him back to sleep was to take him on a car ride. So we drove to the dam and back at 3:30 in the morning.

-not having heat or hot water the first day. It rained and rained and we were all bundled up in the trailer freezing our buns off waiting for the propane guy to come fill up the tank.

-the best dinners. My mom can make a delicious dinner just about anywhere.

-my dad trying his hardest not lose his cool while teaching Scott how to flyfish the river.

-another rousing game of Psychiatrist. This has become a tradition and is always hilarious.

Some quotes from that game that only my family will find funny:

-"Oh I know! You're my eyes!"

-"Who do you look like?" "Osama bin Laden" "Oh...you're ZORRO!"

-"It HAS to be Zorro's brother!"

-"Are you an orchestra?"

-"Are you an earwig?"

Laurz and I decided to match so we wouldn't lose each other while floating the river. Actually it was more like we just walked out of our rooms wearing the exact same outfit.

Jonah getting psyched for his first river-floating experience. Needless to say, he did not enjoy this lifejacket one bit.


The only fish caught on the river was by Scott at lunchtime.

There may have been a little cheating on Will's part...please don't tell the Forest Rangers.

So happy to be out of the lifejacket at least for a few minutes.

The next day was fishing at the ultra-secret family fishing spot. Unfortunately, no fish were caught on the bank, but the kids who flyfished on the float tubes all caught at least one.

Perhaps the funniest moment of the trip was the following of Libby:

I was so glad I caught it on tape. She told me she was going to play like she was on the TV show "Wipeout" so I thought I'd better film and that's what she did. Not even on purpose.

The whole family minus parents. A great time was had by all.

The Greatest Wife in the World

If you notice anything different about this entry, that is because this is Mattie's husband, Scott, doing the typing. Mattie does not know I am doing this so she is in for a surprise! I hope I don't get in trouble for hacking into her blog, I cannot afford to go to jail right now. This is my first (probably last) attempt in the blogging world so bear with me. Anyway, the 28th of this month was Mattie's 22nd birthday. (I think she is still young enough to divulge her age) While it would have made a lot more sense to post this on her birthday, I am doing this now. As if you didn't already know, Mattie is an incredible wife, friend, mom, sister, sister-in-law etc. I would like to make a list of the things I love about her so in case you did't know what makes Mattie so wonderful, you will.

(these are in no particular order)

1. She is an incredible mother. I knew she would be because of her family background (being the oldest of 7 kids) But it has been even better than I expected. She always makes Jonah and me her top priority. She will do anything for either of us. She is patient with me when it comes to knowing what to do with Jonah. She sacrifices so much for Jonah, and I hope one day he will appreciate that.

2. She is intelligent. One thing I wanted in a wife, and wanted to be as a husband was intelligent. I am not saying I am the smartest around, becuase I am not. But Mattie is intelligent, cultured and likes to try new things. We have deep and meaningful conversations about modern issues and other things. It is great to be able to have someone smarter than me to correct my papers for school! (and sometimes do my homework!) just kidding, she would not do that (I already tried, on a few different occasions)

3. She cooks, and is very good at it! I just want to apologize to all other husbands out there (except to my dad and my father-in-law cause their wive's are great cooks as well) But when it comes to cooking I have yet to meet a woman who is a better cook than my wife! I am not exaggerating when I say her food is better than any other I have tasted. For example, on my birthday she made these meatballs (for spaghetti) and they were the greatest meatballs I have ever tasted, and we have been to many italian restaurants. She can take ordinary recipes and make them taste so much better then a restaurants, or anyone else's attempt at the dish. Another thing I love is that she loves to cook! She cooks probably 4-5 meals a week which is awesome! If you have seen me, you will know that I enjoy eating, so it is so great to have a wife who loves to cook and is great at it. She makes the best desserts as well; peanut butter bars (ask anyone who has had them, they are incredible, people are always asking her to make them for family parties or wherever) her chocolate chip cookies are unbelieveable as well. I always knew I wanted to marry someone who knew how to cook because I can't cook very well, and I grew up having incredible home-made meals from my mother, but I never thought I would marry someone who would be as good of a cook as Matttie is.

4. She works hard in all that she does. When it comes to being a mother, she works hard at always making sure Jonah is taken care of, when it comes to being a wife, she always makes sure I am taken care of. If those two things were not enough to drive someone crazy, she has recently started to work a couple of nights a week, and answering emails for her uncle to supplement my part time income as I finish school this year. It is amazing that she does not go crazy doing all these things, but Jonah and I appreciate it very much!

Since Mattie is probably going to wake up soon and Jonah is screaming for me to pick him up, I want this to be a surprise, so I will just list a few more things without explanations as to why Mattie rocks my world, and is awesome.

5. She loves the gospel, and is a great example of living it.

6. She always puts everyone else first.

7. She is motivated in all she does.

8. She is going back to finish her last 2 years of school this fall.

9. She loves her and my family.

10. She does not mind living with my grandpa.

11. She is NOT high maintenance.

12. She does not get too mad when I want to go golfing.

13. She is beautiful.

14. She gets up 3-5 times a week at 5:30 to exercise.

15. She loves to go on vacations. (Although we have not been on many vacations, we have been on a few and it is so great to have someone who loves to travel)

16. She is patient with me. As I enter my last year of school at the U, and try and figure out what to do (maybe law school, maybe a career etc, who knows) she is extremely patient, which I appreciate.

17. She is unselfish. 99% of what she does is for other people. 95% of that is for Jonah and me.

18. Did I mention she is a great cook!

19. She loves to spend time with me.

20. Is the mother of my child. I never thought I could love a little baby as much as I love Jonah. Everytime I stop and just look at him, I just cannot fathom not having him in our life.

21. She is the perfect wife. I am not making this up, but before I met Mattie, I had a list of things in my head that I wanted in a wife and she met and surpassed all of those. (I hope I have done, and can do the same for her)

So happy belated birthday Mattie, and thanks for taking a chance on me, I love you.

nine months

Stats

weight: 21 lbs. 15 oz. (75th percentile)

height: 28 1/4" (50th percentile)

teeth: 2.5

hair: long, thick, and blond

eyes: beautiful blue

two of his teeth. the top one is almost in.

Favorites

favorite food: anything he can get in his mouth

favorite length of nap: 30-45 minutes and the occasional 3-hour

favorite mode of transportation: crawling! he finally crawls.

favorite comfort object: his binky

favorite toys: calculators, pens, Blackberries, paper, boxes, remote controls, and sometimes a teddy bear

favorite parent: Dad

favorite places to be: outside, the car, and the grocery store (anywhere but at home)

favorite word: dadadada. Sometimes it sounds more like drladrladrla.
favorite bedtime song: I am a Child of God
favorite thing to do when he hasn't been held enough: get on his stomach, arch his back, flail his arms and legs, and scream at the top of his lungs

two other favorites: standing in his crib and being unphotogenic

favorite treat: Cheerios

Mom's favorite way to get a little break: Baby Einstein!

Adjectives to describe Jonah

curious

stubborn

unamused

social

energetic

unaffectionate

squirmy

nice bed head.

solid

ambitious

friendly

adorable

he loves his binky, no matter the color. he is no respecter of binkies.

I also just read this essay O My Sons and bawled my eyes out. If you have a son, or even any kids, or even not, you should read it.

know what is really frustrating?

Walking out to your car this morning on your way to the gym and finding the light on, door open, and things strewn all over.

They didn't take anything valuable...just two dollars cash (which was my Body Pump class money - thanks!) and probably 74 cents in pennies and nickels (seriously?!).

I feel violated. Burglary is something I don't understand. First of all, it is just DUMB. Second of all, it is just ridiculous. We figure it was a teenager roaming around last night because if he/she were a seasoned robber (or any kind of smart), he/she would have taken more things to sell.

Anyway, moral of the story...lock your car at night. Or put it in the garage if you're fortunate enough to have one of those things.

finally

spring is here.

okay, okay

I said I don't post political stuff, but this was too funny to not post.

The best part is like Scott said, the word pirate evokes this image in your mind of a one-eyed, peg-leg man and it's even funnier then. Nice work, Obama.

Found here.

messy eater

Jonah had his dinner outside tonight because it was so beautiful. He seriously loves being outside. Even since he was a newborn, I can take him outside if he is being fussy and he usually calms right down.

Anyway, he got pretty messy. His eyes are all squinty in these pictures because they're not used to the blinding light of the sun. Our dungeon basement doesn't get much natural light.

Yummy vegetable beef!

He is so happy.

Wow.

Since he is so advanced (yeah right), he can hold his own cup now.

The full body shot.

Bath time. The only way to get him completely clean was to give him another bath. He is also just about as photogenic as his mother. I always close my eyes at the perfect moment.

Nice and clean and happy.

water boy

We had nothing planned last night and as we were driving to find something for dinner, we drove past the rec center. I casually said that we should go swimming. After a little nagging, Scott finally gave in and we took Jonah swimming for the first time.

He didn't really know what to think of it at first.

Then after about ten minutes, he started screaming and wouldn't stop. We brought his rubber ducky for him to play with and he was pretty much clutching on to it for dear life. So we got him out and debated if we should leave or not. But we decided to be mean parents and make him stay. After all, we paid $1.50 for that swim diaper and we were not going to let it go to waste.

We put him in the kiddie pool and let him splash around like he was in the bathtub and he started warming up to it.

After a while, he started loving it.

Which is good because we're going to be at the pool pretty much everyday during the summer.

Kerri and Mekenzie had the same idea for their Friday night fun. We had a good time going down the slide together.

Jonah especially loved the lazy river. How could you not when you're that chubby? It's just a given.

The best part was that he was exhausted when we got home. We're glad we made him stay. That swim diaper really paid off.

six and seven months

I'm a big slacker. Jonah is now seven months old and I can't believe it. He is getting too big, but he is learning new things all the time and it has been a lot of fun.

I had Holly Hyde take some pictures of Jonah when he turned six months and I love how they turned out. She is awesome and really good with kids. So check out her blog if you need a photographer!

Jonah is a very good-natured baby. He smiles and laughs all the time now. When he's not tired or hungry, he is a joy to be around. I'm not saying anything about his sleeping because everytime I do, he seems to regress. He sits up all by himself, rolls over when he feels like it (but not very often because he hates being on his tummy), eats like a champ and will eat pretty much everything offered to him, and is still so chubby. He doesn't crawl yet, but he's getting pretty close to holding himself up on his hands and knees. We have multiple crawl-workout sessions everyday and he pretty much moans through the whole thing, but he's usually good and ready for a nap after, so that's nice.

He also had a little separation anxiety when we got back from Hawaii. Everytime I would leave the room, he would scream and cry and he would wake up in the middle of the night and not sleep unless I was holding him. I felt really bad for leaving him for that long. I guess he thought that everytime I left the room, I wasn't coming back for a week. Kind of sad. He definitely made me pay for it. Now's he good, so I think we're ready for our next trip! Just kidding.

Anyway, we sure love Jonah. He makes our home a happy place and makes us want to be better. We love him!