PATRICK ● ALISHA ● MEGAN

15 Months

2012-01-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Megan Since Turning 1

- She blows on her food and blows kisses.
- Does a fake, whiny cry and a fake, goofy laugh.
- Puts everything in the garbage--if it's missing, check the trash can!
- Climbs on things. It started with the Wii balance board. I loved watching her climb onto that. It's only 2 inches tall, but you would've thought she was climbing a mountain. Now she can climb onto the couch and chairs.

- She loves sitting on things. The stairs, a chair, the Wii balance board...anything above ground level. And she loves sitting in things. A toy bucket, the diaper box...

- I finally got around to teaching her how to go down the stairs backwards. But, now she only wants to be a big girl and go down normally. So apparantly I waited too long to teach her to go backwards.

- She chatters, chatters, chatters and tries to say words. I have no idea what she's saying.
- She has fallen in love with baby dolls. She carries them around, wipes them with diaper wipes and wash clothes, puts diapers on them, shares her food with them, and just plain loves them to death.
- She is full of personality. She's so goofy and loves to just be crazy.

- She hits and throws fits. Not my favorite new skills.

- She was sick for about 3 weeks, but she's finally better! She had an ear infection. :(

- And her 15 month stats:

Height: 32.09 inches (91st percentile)

Weight: 22 lbs 13.5 oz (50th percentile)

Head Circ.: 45 cm (24th percentile)

Christmas Parties

2012-01-11T16:01:00.006-07:00

We had two extended family Christmas parties on Christmas Eve this year. It was a busy day! AND we got to talk to Elder Clayson while we were driving from one party to the other. Definitely a highlight of the day. It was good to talk to him and he sounded like he is doing well!

Here are the parties via pictures and a few words. Maybe one day I'll be less lazy and type more, but pictures are good! And sorry for the runny nose pics of Megan, she was sick on Christmas Eve...and Christmas...and she still is. But, I finally gave in and made a doctors appoinment for her so hopefully we'll be able to get rid of whatever junk she has.

Nativity program with the Frost's.

She definitely has her uncles wrapped around her finger.

Megan and grandpa in their hats made by Aunt Janelle. So cute!

Fun with Uncle Corbin

2011-12-29T11:06:00.003-07:00

Last Friday we went to the South Davis rec center. We had a blast and it was a good way to use one of Patrick's days off.

P.s. we have recent good news...Patrick was finally hired full-time with the state. He is no longer an intern and we have health insurance! It's fabulous. Megan and I are grateful for such a good husband and dad.

Anyway, we went swimming at South Davis rec and then just walked around. It is a fun place, but it's so expensive we can't go as often as we'd like. Here are some pics. The rock climbing picture is for Curtis...it was taken with him in mind. He'd be so proud to know we're teaching his niece to rock climb young! :)

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

Watch out...way too many blog posts are on their way! ;)

We spent Thanksgiving with my family this year. And so we went to Idaho. This year was a little different though because we went to Susan and Mike's in Idaho Falls rather than going to Grandma and Grandpa's farm. It was different, but still good. We will miss Thanksgiving at Grandma's house. I have almost no pictures of Thanksgiving, but I wanted to remember this year since it is the beginning of new Shively Thanksgiving traditions.

Here are a few pics of Megan from the car ride and one of her outside. It was such a warm Thanksgiving!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-27T15:28:00.003-07:00

So happy it's Christmas!

Our Sunday

2011-12-06T16:40:00.001-07:00

This has certainly been a weekend to remember. That wind was incredible. The wind came on Thursday morning, so these pictures (taken on Sunday) of our cul-de-sac are certainly after a lot of clean up. Seeing our neighborhood looking like a war zone kept reminding me of these lines from How Great Thou Art:

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed.

The root system of the huge pine tree that fell in our front yard.

And the huge hole that pine tree left in our front yard.

Patrick out working. Church was cancelled. Our ward cleaned up from 9-4.

A big tree down at the end of our street.

And one of the piles in our neighborhood that had to be cut, loaded, and hauled to the dump.

Happy Halloween and Fall!

2011-11-01T14:50:00.000-06:00

Yep. She's 1.

2011-10-17T15:53:00.004-06:00

Well this is my last monthly update. Can't believe we made it all the way to 1.

12 things about Megan for the 12 months she's been alive:

Fruit, fruit, fruit. She'd eat it all day if I'd let her.
Oh, and crackers. She can't get enough of those either.
She is starting to wave and smile and be goofy for people. And she loves waving hello to everyone at church.
She is understanding more and more words everyday. But can't really say many. "Pup" for puppy and "Ba" for ball are her favorites of the moment.
She will put on a cheesy grin for the camera.
Now that she is getting better at communicating what she wants with pointing and grunting, she thinks she should get what she wants all the time. Hello tantrums.
Being outside is like heaven for her.
She does not like milk. Warm or cold. From a cup or a bottle. She won't have it.
She loves her cousin Jenna.
She is helpful when we get her dressed. She will lift her arms or legs. Although she's only helpful if she's not trying to run away!
We are trying to teach her the concept of "soft." Especially around my parents dog. She is starting to catch on and is soft about half of the time. Maybe more.
And her stats for the month:

Height: 29.9 inches (76th percentile)
Weight: 21 lbs 15 oz (56th percentile)
Head Circ.: 44.2 cm (24th percentile)

We love you Megan Joy. Keep being happy and crazy!

Happy 1st Birthday Megan

2011-10-17T11:00:00.003-06:00

No Good Very Bad Day

2011-10-04T16:10:00.002-06:00

Three or so Saturdays ago we had a not so fun day. Megan was throwing up for no apparent reason, Megan's room flooded through the window, and Patrick sprained his ankle really badly while playing basketball. Why is it that bad things seem to happen in groups?

Patrick's ankle is still working on healing. It is looking a lot better, but it's still swollen and giving him grief once in a while. Here are pictures from a week or so after. This is after the bruising had calmed down a bit. I'm sure you all wanted to see them. :)

11 Months

2011-10-04T15:49:00.007-06:00

Okay okay. This post is coming like 1 week before Megan turns 1, but I still wanted to get a little something down before she has been around a whole 365 days! :)

It will be a short post because I can hardly remember what she did before she was 11 months and what she's learned since then, but I can remember a few things.

The big accomplishment for the month is walking. She started walking just a week or two after she turned 10 months. Now she is a total pro. I love watching her stomp around and seeing her legs look more and more like toddler legs. She's losing those rolls! This is a video I took of her a few days after she really started to give walking a try.

Here's what she's been up to other than walking:

- 2 more teeth. She now has 8. They are so goofy and crooked. I love them.
- She loves her blankies. It doesn't matter which blanket it is. She loves them all.
- She is getting more and more into books. But her version of reading is turning the pages as fast as she can. Maybe someday she'll figure out the words are good too. What can I say, she's a mover.
- She also has a strange love for the couch (as you can tell by the pictures above, they are pretty much all next to the couch). Laying on it, climbing on it, and playing hide and seek by it are definitely some of her favorite things lately. Pretty much anything is better when you're on the couch.

Summer 2011

2011-08-22T12:01:00.004-06:00

Patrick and I do exist. Hard to believe I know since I only post things about Megan. But we are alive and we acutally do things. So this is going to be a pictureless update about us. Pictureless because we are far less cute than Megan and I am bad at taking pictures.

So Patrick first...

Patrick is still working for the state. He was hired as an intern in January and has worked there since then. It is not our ideal job, but it pays the bills and we are grateful that although his internship was supposed to end in June it has continued through the summer and will continue for as long as we'd like. We are looking for other jobs/opportunities for him and hopefully we will know what he should be doing soon. :)

Patrick has also been schooling. He is such a trooper. I don't know how he leaves at 6:30 and comes home at 9:30 without complaining and then does homework on top of that, but Megan and I are grateful. And we can't wait until school is over so we can have a just plain working dad (still about a year to go though...).

He also stays busy with playing basketball as much as he can and reading Harry Potter.

Now me...

I think I am the most boring person of the family. :) But I have been trying to grow a garden this summer. Things haven't gone as well as I hoped, but we had a far less than ideal piece of land to grow plants on and an unexperienced gardener. And the garden didn't stay as weed free as I'd like because Megan is a total handful outside. I can't be weeding while she crawls around because she will end up eating dirt or bugs or bark. But, we've got potatoes and beans and some tomoatoes. So it's fun.

I have also been studying for the CPA exam and trying to find some sort of flexible work to help ease Patrick's load now that I feel a little more compentent at the motherhood thing. Finding jobs has not gone as well as I'd like and it's sort of frustrating, but I hope something will come when the time is right. I passed 2 parts of the CPA exam and have 2 left. That's usually what I spend naptime doing...studying.

I have also worked on a quiet book for Megan which has been fun. I'm not done yet, but maybe I'll post pictures when I've finished.

So there you have it. A post about the parents of Megan. Maybe we'll make an appearance in a picture someday soon.

10 Months

2011-08-19T12:20:00.010-06:00

My goodness this summer is flying by. I keep meaning to post something other than an age update about Megan, but the months keep slipping away and I still haven't done it.

Megan is 10 months now. She is a mover and a shaker. Her worst enemy is sitting still. :)

Her accomplishments for the month:

- She stands like a pro. She can stand on her own for longer and longer everyday. She can also stand up without using a couch or the like. She can just stand from sitting.

- She loves walking with things. But she can't do it on her own yet. She's taken a step or two on her own, but nothing consistent.

- She loves clapping.

- She grinds her teeth. Yuck. She has 6 of them. 4 on top and 2 on bottom.

- She sleeps less lately. Shorter naps and waking up earlier in the morning.

- She loves playing with cars and trucks. Basically anything she can push around.

- She says mama and I think she actually knows what it means. She is more mama clingy than I'd like.

- Trip to St. George with Frost cousins.

- Opens drawers and cupboards.

9 Months

2011-07-13T11:21:00.006-06:00

Megan is 9 months today. Wow! Time flies. She is becoming more and more like a little toddler. She is such a cutie. We love her to death!

Updates on the little girl:

- Real crawling is now the norm. And she is getting faster everyday I swear!
- She stands up to things like a pro. She will let go and stand for a bit (maybe 20 seconds) and when she has her hand on something to help her balance it usually isn't doing much.
- She loves being outside! Loves loves loves it. But she is such a handful outside. She wants to touch and eat everything. In fact she ate a huge spider web a few weeks ago. So gross!
- She has mastered her little pincers. She loves eating bread and cheerios and anything else we'll give her by herself in the high chair.
- She has 4 teeth now. But not the 4 you'd expect. The 2 middle bottom teeth (normal) and the 2 outside incisors on top (strange...). I wonder when the top middle teeth will decide to come in...
- She loves dogs! Grandma and Grandpa Clayson have one and now Jamie and Dwight and she is crazy about them. Watch out dogs because Megan is coming to get you!
- She follows her cousin Nathaniel around everywhere whenever he's around. And sometimes Nathaniel is a little cutie and crawls around with her. So fun!
- She is finally starting to sleep well again. Hopefully we have a break in the teething action so this continues. Teething and sleeping don't go together in Megan's book!

Her 9 Month Stats:

Height: 28.43 inches -> 76th percentile
Weight: 19 lbs 6.5 oz -> 58th percentile
Head Circ.: 43 cm -> 20th percentile

Pool Time!

2011-07-05T15:47:00.002-06:00

Eight Big Ones

2011-06-13T12:00:00.012-06:00

Well, apparently I only blog about Megan turning another age, but that's okay with me. I'm not good at remembering to document the other stuff. Maybe I'll try to do a quick post after this one. :)

Megan is 8 months old. I keep thinking that one of these months there isn't going to be much to post about because her learning is going to slow down, but she's proving me wrong so far! In the words of Grandma Frost...Megan has had an explosion of activity these past few weeks. She is doing so many more things and becoming more and more like a toddler.

She can crawl correctly now. But she chooses not to. She's gotten so good at scooting that it's faster.

She wants to pull up to everything. It drives me crazy! She really can't do it very well. She usually ends up kneeling next to things. And if she ever makes it up she doesn't know how to get down without hurting herself.

She is working on her first tooth! You can definitely feel it in there, but it's not quite far enough out to see.

She lets us cuddle her before bed again. It's been fun. When she was about 4 months old she decided that she didn't want to be rocked or held while she was going to sleep. So since then we just put her down in her bed and she does the rest. But this past month (maybe because her tooth was hurting her) she has let us hug her while she rests her head on us. Thanks Megan!

Megan eats bread really well now. She loves it!
She went through a banana phase this past month. If it wasn't bananas she threw a fit and wouldn't eat. But that's over now (thank heavens) and she'll eat basically anything.

She is determined. If she wants something she will figure out a way to get it. I swear she is way more mobile and crazy than most babies her age because she is so determined. Watch out world!

She dances. It's hilarious. It is basically head banging.
*Yes I know this video is sideways. I always do that and I can't rotate it! And please ignore my voice. I have to talk excited so she'll keep dancing. It sounds really dorky.

She has graduated to the big bath tub and loves it. She also went swimming once this month and did really well.

She waves and it's really cute. She uses her whole body to wave.

She HATES having her diaper changed or getting dressed. She HATES laying on her back. So I have resorted to changing her between 2 diaper boxes because it is a total battle otherwise.

7 Months

2011-05-23T10:45:00.005-06:00

Of course I'm a little bit late in posting an update about Megan. But it's for me more than anyone else, so I'm sure no one noticed. I was going to be so on top of it, but then we got a nasty strain of the flu at our house and we have been busy with it for about a week. No one come near us for at least a few days...seriously it's nasty! And no one escapes it.

So Megan is 7 months old. Time just keeps flying.

Megan babbles mama and dada. B sounds also come out once in a while. Unfortunately, mama=I'm sad/whiney and dada=I'm happy/playing. Lame! :)

Food: Megan has added sweet potatoes, peas, bananas, peaches, oatmeal, apple juice, and beans to her diet. Her favorites are definitely sweet potatoes and peas. She also really likes bananas. Oh and of course she likes apple juice. She doesn't drink much of it, but she really likes it and she loves drinking out of her sippy cup.

Megan is getting into stuffed animals. Every time she wakes up we pick a stuffed animal from the shelf next to her bed. She has also started cuddling with her blankets while she sleeps.

She is still army crawling, but gets up on her hands and knees a lot more often. She just can't do anything once she's there. She can also get to a sitting position all by herself. She has pulled herself up to standing on her highchair a few times, but I think it was a fluke.

Megan was a perfect angel sleeper from about 4-6 months (11-12 hours everynight). But then she learned to sit up and get on her hands and knees and army crawl and things have gone down hill. She wakes up a few times a night. We often find her on her hands and knees with her head in the corner of her crib (I think she gets stuck there...) or sitting up staring at the green light on the monitor in her room. I think the summer light is also throwing her off a little. She might also be going through a little separation anxiety problem because sometimes she just needs me to walk in there say hi and then leave. Hopefully the phase ends soon. Although it's been a month and doesn't seem to be getting tons better. Is this normal? Any suggestions?

Lastly, Megan went through a blinking and squinting phase. It was funny. I don't think my family ever saw her do it, so here's a video for good measure.

Clayson Family Pictures

2011-04-22T10:05:00.006-06:00

My mom wanted to get some family pictures before Curtis left. We will miss him, but we're so happy he's decide to serve a mission. He will be fantastic!

Half a Year

2011-04-21T10:49:00.005-06:00

Time sure flies. Megan is over 6 months old now. I had a 5 month update for her, but never posted it. It's below. So it's Megan overload on the blog today.

Here's what she's been up to...

"Crawling" and sitting up. I'm not sure how I feel about the crawling. It started just before she was 6 months. It is fun to see her get around, but it sure makes life a little crazier. I definitely can't take my eyes off her for a minute! And sorry the video is sideways. I can't flip it. I don't know why I took it that way.

She loves it when anyone claps and cheers for her. It always gets a reaction like the picture above. It also seems like she's tried to clap a few times, but hasn't been successful.

She went to the doctor again this month. Here are the stats:
Height: 26.97 inches --> 89th percentile
Weight: 16 lbs 12.5 oz --> 66th percentile
Head Circumference: 41 cm --> 12th percentile

So, she's staying about the same. Really tall. A little heavier than average. And a small head.

Other things we've been up to this month:
- Megan really likes looking at books...and eating books.
- We spent a couple days at Grandma Clayson's last week while dad was in St. George at a conference. Megan was definitely showered with attention and we got to spend a good few days with Uncle Curtis before he left on his mission.
- She is getting so noisy. She just likes hearing her own voice. So if she gets bored, watch out because she'll just start screaming and making silly noises. It makes church and the car more interesting! :)
- Megan has also been starting to get into solids. She doesn't love anything yet. She has had rice cereal, applesauce, and pears. We'll probably try some sort of vegetable next week and see if she likes that any better.

Basically she is super fun and we love her to death. I can't believe she's growing and changing so fast!

Five

2011-04-21T00:53:00.000-06:00

Well it's another month and another Megan post. I feel like the months go by so quick. I'm not good at blogging anything else, but I at least want to keep up with Megan's progress each month so I can remember what she was like! Some of these pictures don't have anything to do with the words below them, but pictures make everything better, right!?

Megan learned how to roll from front to back consistently! She started rolling from front to back every once in a while about 2 months ago, but she's finally gotten it totally down. So, now she can roll really well both ways. But, rolling over is so last month for this little lady. Now all she wants to do is sit up. I think she is going to be an independent child. She can't sit up on her own yet, but I'm guessing it's coming soon. She is determined. Also, ignore the fact that it sounds like I have a retainer in my mouth. I took this video right after I got a cavity filled.

Megan got her first taste of rice cereal on her 5 month birthday. She did better than I thought she would!

Megan has also been really into her mouth lately. She loves making all sorts of noises with it. She even went through a phase where she did a denture face all the time. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else, but it was pretty funny.

Thumb sucking has become our new reality. :( She had a nasty stomach virus for about a week and all she wanted to do was suck her thumb. And she won't take a binky since then. I still try to sneak it in once in a while just to see if she'll keep it in, but still loves the thumb at this point.

Megan is super giggly and loves her dad. They have playtime right before bed every night. She absolutely loves it. She loves being crazy with him. She's especially into hanging upside down right now.

Happiness

2011-04-06T11:14:00.002-06:00

I am always bugged by these sorts of studies...

"Scientific studies have found that having children does not increase happiness. In fact, experts say it has the opposite effect. The more children you have the less happy you are." -Deseret News Article

I have heard this so many times! Studies say that having children makes you unhappy. It just never sits well with me. It is so opposite of what I believe. So opposite of the life I want to have. So opposite of God's plan.

I don't know why I let it bug me so much every time I hear it, but I do. I just want to scream at them with clear and perfect reasoning...convince the world that families and children are part of God's plan. And God wants us to be happy.

But, after having a child of my own, I can see why studies find this. I feel like having a baby multiplies stress. In our case...I stay home to take care of Megan and bring in no income. Stress. We live in my in-laws basement. Stress. Patrick has to work full-time and go to school. Stress. There are sleepless nights. Stress. You have to pack your entire house to go anywhere. Stress. Babies cry in public and people stare. Stress. The list could go on and on. Having a baby brings added stress and multiplies the stress that's already there.

But, do these studies say anything about the feeling you get the first time your baby smiles at you? Or how close to heaven you feel when you watch your husband gently rock your unsettled baby to sleep? Or the joy of family cuddles and naps on Sunday? Or how excited you are every time your baby does something new? Or how the world stops when your baby giggles? Or how at peace you feel when you hold a sleeping baby in your arms?

Is having a baby hard? Yes. Stressful? Yes. Does it require sacrifice? Yes. Would I ever take it back? Absolutely not! Nothing has brought me greater joy. Nothing has brought me closer to God.

Sure, life would be easier if everyone just took care of themselves. If people didn't care for or worry about anyone else. But it would have so much less meaning. Be so much farther from heaven.

What do you all think? Are these studies correct? Or are families really the way to find true happiness?

Fund Raising For My Brother Corbin's Masters Thesis

2011-03-25T23:57:00.002-06:00

Hey Yall,

So my brother Corbin is finishing his Master's in film from USC. For his Master's Thesis he is making a movie called Sheldon Remains. As a part of the process he has to raise all of the money for the project. He has already raise the majority of the money but he still need's about $9,000. Any donation that you could make would really help him out (even if it's just a dollar). More information about the film and how to donate can be found below. If you have any questions about the project please feel free to ask me.

Thanks,

Patrick Frost

_________________________________________________________________

Supporters of Corbin Unite! This time it's for real, Corbin needs your help. Corbin is completing his Master's Thesis in Film from USC. While much of the work is volunteer there are still expenses for food, travel, scenery, etc.

We have raised funds for the majority of the project but are $9,000 short. We believe that if we spread the word we can raise the remaining amount. PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION OR SPREAD THE WORD!

To donate (online or by check) through our:

1. Kickstarter project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1756004922/sheldon-remains

(WATCH THE INTRO VIDEO, IT IS HILARIOUS.)

2. Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheldon-Remains/164815813533277?sk=wall

3. Website, http://sheldonremains.com/

4. Mail a tax deductible check to: "Filmmaker’s Alliance” with “Sheldon Remains” in the memo. The mailing address is:

Sheldon Remains

c/o Corbin Frost

11619 Ohio Ave. PH2

Los Angeles, CA 90025

With all your help we know that we can meet our goal. Pass the word: tell old acquaintances, family, and friends, like us, ask your work for a donation, post it on your blog.

Thank you!

Fun Date

2011-03-02T20:24:00.004-07:00

A couple weekends ago Patrick and I went to a Hunt Mysteries presentation at Spaghetti Mama's in Sandy. It was a lot of fun. It's a murder mystery dinner theater type thing. It reminded me of How to Host a Murder, but you just watched instead of actually being one of the characters. We bought a groupon for it that made it 2 for 1, otherwise we may not have gone because it's pretty pricey. We had 2 for 1 admission to the show and we split a dinner and I still felt like it was a pretty spendy date.

Anyway, at the end of the show everyone in the audience makes a guess at the murderer and the weapon and motive and then if you get it right you are entered into a drawing. Well, I got it right and won the drawing (totally crazy because I never win anything!). So, we got a 2 for 1 ticket for another show and some candy. So, if anyone wants an adventure and has some extra date money in their budget, you should come with Patrick and I! They have shows every weekend at Spaghetti Mama's in Sandy and some other restaurant in Ogden. It was fun to have a break from the usual dinner and a RedBox date. :)

Although speaking of RedBox we got a sweet deal (not that RedBox isn't already dog on cheap). We got 3 RedBox rentals for $1 from groupon.

4 Months

2011-02-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

I am about 2 weeks behind, but Megan turned 4 months old this month. I love this age. She's a "real" baby now and is so much fun. Here are some things Megan was up to between months 3 and 4.

Megan is a pro at rolling from back to front. She learned just after she turned 3 months old. She still hasn't gotten it down the other way. There was about a two week stretch where I did nothing but put her on her back after she had rolled to her stomach because her stomach made her angry. But she's pretty much over that now. She has learned to entertain herself on her stomach by lifting her bum up in the air, wiggling her legs back and forth, or, unfortunately, sucking her thumb.

She has also started recognizing herself in the mirror. Anytime she wakes up a little grumpy/groggy we go into the bathroom and look at the cute baby in the mirror and everything is all better!

Laying down doesn't quite cut it for Megan anymore-most of the time she wants to be sitting up! She has spent a lot of time in her high chair this month playing with toys and watching mom clean or study.

Megan has also become fond of walks because she gets to sit up in her stroller. We go whenever it's warm enough and Megan always wears her little bear suit since she kicks the blankets off the minute I put them on.

Megan went in for a 4 month check-up and got some shots. She is getting sooo chunky and is still really tall. The doctor also said she's super strong, but that is probably because her head is so much smaller than her body! :)

Length: 25.59 inches--90th percentile
Weight: 14 lbs 10.5 oz--72nd percentile
Head Circumference: 40.6 cm--36th percentile

Megan is a good blend of mom and dad I think. She is pretty quiet and solemn and observant a lot of the time, but she is also super smiley and giggly. She has even started cracking herself up. She will just babble at me and laugh and smile like she just cracked a hilarious joke. She has developed so much personality this month. She's such a fun girl and we love having her in our family.

More facts...
-Megan went on her first vacation to St. George with the Clayson family. It was quick trip, but we had a lot of fun and Megan did great in the car.
-She is starting to get a little more attached to mom and dad. But not too much yet. She just takes a minute to warm up to other people.
-Until about 2 weeks ago Megan would go right to sleep when she needed to. But now, she is getting super distracted which makes it a little harder at church. We are entering the walk the halls stage...bummer!
-She loves looking at pictures in books and storytime right before bed.
-She has found her thumb and loves sucking on it when she's tired or when she's on her stomach. I hope this habit doesn't persist.

New Job. New Semester.

2011-01-17T12:35:00.004-07:00

I am happy to announce that Patrick was hired as an intern with the state in the Division of Housing and Community Development. He was hired to help with the annual homeless count. We are really excited. This means government schedule work...7-6 M-Th and Friday's off! I will have to constantly remind myself of the Friday's off on Monday's and Wednesday's when he has class as well from 6-9. Those will be long days for both of us! I hope he enjoys his job and learns a lot.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

2011-01-17T11:18:00.007-07:00

Megan turned 3 months old last week. In some ways it seems like she's been with us for so much longer than that. This is what Megan has been up to the past month...

Usually Megan goes to sleep completely swaddled on her side. But in the morning, the arms are out and by her ears and she's on her back. We have no idea how she gets her arms out and keeps the blankets so tight. Houdini baby!

Here is a picture of the cute crib set that Great-Grandma Clayson got her.
***Mom, maybe you could show her this picture since she was asking about it***

Megan has made lots of progress this month as far as sleeping goes.

She has graduated from the bassinet in mom and dad's room to the crib in her own room. This change was probably harder for mom than Megan.
We have successfully moved her bedtime up to 9:00 or 9:30 rather than the 10:00 or 11:00 that she was doing a month ago. It's nice to have a little time to ourselves at night and we have a very happy baby in the morning!
She is getting to be a pro at taking naps in her own bed. She LOVES to sleep while someone is holding her, so it was hard to get her to nap in her own bed.

Megan has started grabbing and batting at things. The thumb is still stuck inside that little fist though, so grabbing isn't that productive.

Megan rolled from her stomach to her back once this past month. It has yet to be repeated. It must have been a total accident the first time.

The novelty of smiling and laughing has sort of worn off. She still smiles and laughs, but you have to work a little harder to get them. She still loves talking to people and has been working on her screaming.

Megan is about 12.5 pounds. She is getting some pretty chubby cheeks! :)

Other Accomplishments for the Little Lady this Month:
- She tasted a squirt of juice from a Clementine and loved it. She got a taste of applesauce and wasn't a big fan.
- She slept away from home for the first time (besides the hospital stays of course) and did great.
- She loves playing airplane or super baby or the like with dad.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well this is a little late, but here's a sum up of our Christmas!

We spent Christmas at the Clayson's this year. We stayed at my parents house for the week leading up to Christmas. I think my family loved having Megan around! We played games, the boys played basketball, we made delicious caramels and peanut clusters, Curtis opened his mission call (Culiacan, Mexico), saw Amy and Bean before they both moved (another evidence that we're growing up...our childhood friends are moving away!), visited Alyse and Bob, Christmas Eve party with Clayson's, and more...

We had a great time. I don't have pictures of anything but Christmas morning. Christmas morning was a little tired. I guess that's what happens when families grow up.

The sleeping beauties!

My mom got my brothers out of bed by telling them that Megan was awake and excited for Christmas. Nope! She slept through presents.

The traditional new Christmas PJ's.

Megan enjoying her new lay and play from mom and dad. She loves it! She can lay under it for hours. This little princess is naked because she had just exploded out of her diaper and peed two times while I was changing her. Merry Christmas mom! After that many diaper changes I decided to bag the clothes.

Megan playing with her cute dog Scout from Grandma and Grandpa Clayson. She loves him. He's cute. He talks and says her name and plays songs.

Overall Christmas was great. Even though we only got Megan one present it was really fun to be able to pick something out for a kid! Much more fun than shopping for grown-ups. :)

Loungin' on Saturday

2011-01-15T16:29:00.003-07:00

Happy New Year!

2011-01-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

Love my crazy husband!

The Many Hats of Megan

2011-01-07T11:01:00.003-07:00

She doesn't love them, but I sure think they're cute!

2 Months

2010-12-15T09:38:00.006-07:00

Well our little sweetie is now 2 months old! We love her more than ever. :)

Here are the facts about the little lady this month...and a few pictures.

Megan was blessed by her dad this month. It was a great blessing. She is wearing the dress I wore when I was blessed. She didn't love it. She got a little lost in such a big dress.

Megan has started crying to be put down. She just loves laying on the floor and talking to people. Or sometimes she just looks around. She especially likes the Christmas tree.

This picture is deceptive. She does not love tummy time. It can definitely ruin a good mood. I'm trying to convince her that if she just rolls over life will be good again, but so far she hasn't taken my advice.

She has definitely found her hands. She is fascinated by them. And most of the time they end up in her mouth.

Her hands are always in tight fists. Her poor thumbs never see the light of day and she gets nasty stuff stuck in there.

She has also started laughing more. This isn't the best video of her laughing, but usually when the camera comes out she just looks at it with a furrowed brow. She is really ticklish, especially under her chin, which is fun for mom and dad. She will laugh and laugh and laugh. She also cracks up when dad dresses her or changes her diaper really fast with sound effects.

Other facts:
- She blows bubbles and drools like nobody's business.
- She sleeps great from 10 p.m. to 11 a.m. (with a few feedings in the middle of course!), but daytime sleep is another story. It's spotty and unpredictable.
- She got shots today :(

And her 2 month stats are:

Length: 23.62 inches --> 89 percentile
Weight: 10 lbs 12 oz --> 45 percentile
Head: 37.7 cm --> 19 percentile

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-29T10:15:00.003-07:00

This post is a little late, but for my own sake I wanted to write a very little post about what I'm thankful for this year.

Never in my life have I had so little, but felt like I had so much.

Never have I felt God's presence so often. He is watching over our family. He has given us exactly what we need just in the nick of time over and over again the past few months and I'm thankful for that.

HP7

2010-11-20T14:23:00.004-07:00

Don't be too jealous...but Patrick and I saw the Harry Potter movie this weekend. We loved it! Of course, we are loyal Harry Potter fans, so we knew we'd like it.

Other things going on in our lives:
- Patrick is still working at Holt Elementary and taking classes at the U
- I just took one of the parts of the CPA exam and I find out if I passed in December (cross your fingers!)
- Thanksgiving next week with the Frost's and Corbin will be here!
- Patrick is excited that basketball season is starting...Jazz and BYU
- Megan is starting to smile and really trying to coo, but having a hard time getting it down

Here's a video of Megan stretching and smiling. It's more for me and grandma than anyone else... :)

Baby Bedhead

2010-11-20T14:22:00.002-07:00

Love it! :)

So They Say

2010-11-16T10:27:00.001-07:00

Our sweet baby is one month old. It is so hard to believe that she's already been a part of our lives for a month. And she has already changed so much in just a month--she has chubby cheeks now! We love her to death! She is a sweet girl.

So, what have people said about Megan Frost in the past month?

She has lots of dark hair
(old man balding style of course)

She has her dad's eyes and her mom's mouth and nose

She's tall and skinny

She always wants her hands tucked right under her chin

She loves baths as long as the water is warm

She loves laying on the floor to stare at people and things

Other fun facts about Megan:
- Her toots and poop are unusually stinky for such a little lady
- She will sleep and sleep and sleep if she's warm and bundled up
- Her umbilical cord fell off a week after she was born
- She has incredibly long fingers and toes (almost freakishly long)
- She has a small dimple on her left cheek
- She may have started smiling yesterday...not really sure

Thank You Baby!

2010-11-04T15:09:00.002-06:00

Well the little lady weighed in at a huge 7 pounds 6 ounces at the doctor yesterday. It seems a little crazy to me that she would have gained that much weight in only 2 days, but her weight is up and I'm not complaining! It kind of makes me wonder if the scale was off on Monday...

I Think It's Love

2010-11-01T17:39:00.001-06:00

Dad loves baby and baby loves daddy!
This is how they play...

Put on the Pounds...Please!

2010-11-01T17:34:00.002-06:00

Well the doctor's appointment with Megan today was a little less promising than I had hoped. She weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces at the doctor today. Which is an ounce less than she weighed at the hospital. The doctor thinks she looks healthy and that it might be a scale difference, but that's still not the news we were hoping for. We have been feeding her in exactly the same way we did at the hospital, so I don't understand why she hasn't gained but hopefully it really is just due to the scale. We don't want another big loss! We have to go back to the doctor on Wednesday to get weighed again, so cross your fingers that she's gained weight or there may be a lot more of the doctor in our future.

Happy Halloween Eve

2010-11-01T17:21:00.003-06:00

Halloween was a little less exciting at our house this year. Patrick usually likes to throw a Halloween party, but it didn't happen this year because we were a little busy with the baby and the stay at the hospital...but we still had time to have a little fun!

We carved pumpkins with Jamie and her kids. Patrick carved a character that I can't remember the name of and I carved Frankenstein. On Saturday night we went to Andrew and Victoria's for some delicious pumpkin pasta and pie! Megan slept through the party...

Thanks for the Halloween outfit Grandma Clayson! Unfortunately it got peed on about 10 minutes later.

Put on the Pounds!

2010-10-30T11:04:00.004-06:00

So, Megan updates...

Last week we went to the doctor when Megan was 1 week old. She was doing excellently! We were super happy because she was already back to birth weight and just as long and skinny as ever (I have no idea where the long and skinny came from...it's definitely not from her parents!). Here are her 1 week stats:

Length: 20.7" -> 80th percentile
Weight: 6 lbs 15.5 oz -> 20th percentile
Head Circ: 34.3 cm -> 24th percentile

Then, we went to the doctor for our 2 week appointment. Unfortunately the check was much less happy. Her stats at the 2 week mark:

Length: 20.5" -> 54th percentile
Weight: 6 lbs 2 oz -> 4th percentile
Head Circ: 34.1 cm -> 10th percentile

When the doctor saw how much weight she had lost in only 1 week, she sent us to the hospital with our little girl. The doctor said she seemed pretty dehydrated and thought that they would have to put her on an IV at the hospital, but luckily that didn't end up happening. I was heartbroken and felt horrible that Megan had lost so much weight. We went to the hospital to figure out exactly what was happening. It turns out that she wasn't getting hardly any milk while nursing...and when I say hardly any I really mean it. There were times at the hospital that she didn't get 1 thing after 20 minutes of eating. I am so grateful we had a doctor's appointment and figured the problem out or things could have gotten much worse. We spent 2 days in the hospital feeding her like crazy and doing all sorts of blood and urine tests to figure out what was wrong, but when we left the hospital yesterday she was up to 6 lbs 11 oz. She gained 9 oz in 2 days!!! Now we are home and on a strict feeding schedule. We go to the doctor again on Monday to make sure she is still gaining weight and doing well. I think she is doing much better. She is a completely different baby! She is so much happier.

So this is our life at the moment. We are feeding her in a somewhat complicated way (an hour long process generally) every 2 hours. But at least she is getting what she needs!

Notice the crossed legs. That's when you know she's in the zone. And you can't see her hands, but they're tucked right under her chin. So cute. Keep eating baby! We love you!

Oh Parenting

2010-10-19T09:56:00.005-06:00

Pure Genius or Total Desperation?

This lovely lady won't sleep anywhere but in this box or our arms. I don't know what we're going to do when she outgrows the box...

Megan Joy Frost's Big Debut

2010-10-14T10:40:00.012-06:00

Well, our little girl made her debut yesterday (Oct. 13th, 2010 at 7:32 a.m.). She was 6 lbs 15 oz and 20 inches long. We are so glad that mom and baby bade it through the ordeal safe and sound. Enjoy some pics. I am sure there are more pics and posts to come!

Fall

2010-10-08T09:45:00.002-06:00

I have loved the summer weather, but I am so excited it's starting to feel like fall outside. It is definitely my favorite season. The air is nice and crisp and it's the perfect weather for a light jacket. Love it! Plus fall brings my husband's favorite holiday--Halloween! We, of course, have already decorated...Patrick wanted to decorate starting about the middle of September, but we waited until the first day of October.

Fall is also supposed to bring the birth of our first child, but at this point, she still isn't here. I think the 2 weeks before my due date felt like an eternity (I just want the little sweetie here!), but now that I'm past my due date I think these days will feel even longer. I'm beginning to be convinced that she's never going to come. I know it's irrational, but I'm getting impatient and just want this birth thing over with so that we can start enjoying the new member of our family. Daddy has had a mid-term, final project, and final this week though, so maybe she's being courteous to him and waiting til he's done with all that. So, hopefully tomorrow after his final is over she will come meet the world. If not, we wait more. Luckily my doctors will only let me go a week over, so she's coming on October 14 whether she likes it or not! :) I can't imagine going 2 weeks over...it would be pure insanity.

Other good news, Chad comes home from his mission on October 15. Exactly one week from today. I think my mom is about ready to burst. She is impatiently waiting for her first grandchild and her oldest son to come home. All in the next week!

As for other updates, Patrick found a job which we are so grateful for. He works as a tutor at an elementary school. He has been working for a week. And now that I think about it, I have to repeal an earlier statement. I really wasn't very anxious about the baby coming until he started work on Monday. I was just freaked out about bringing a child into the world with no source of income. But since Monday, I've been anxious. Which has only been four days, but it seems like forever when you have nothing exciting to do but wait for labor. Patrick's job works nicely with his bizarre class schedule, so it is the perfect job. The one downside is that he will not receive a real paycheck until December 1 which means the job came just in time! Because another 2 months without income is about all we can handle.

Hopefully the next time I post on this thing I will have a picture of our cute Megan. If not, my worst fears have come true and I've been pregnant for the last 9 months with nothing inside me.

Scout Camp = Worst Ever

2010-08-05T20:22:00.001-06:00

Okay, maybe not the worst ever. But it is really lonely without a husband for a week...come home! I resort to taking naps and looking at baby clothes online. :)

Babies Everywhere! :)

2010-07-25T16:42:00.002-06:00

I am a bad blogger. But I'm trying to be better. So I'm giving an update on our lives.

I'm still pregnant and getting bigger by the minute! :) We are so excited to be having a girl and can't wait for her to get here (but can at the same time...lots of changes! :) We are most likely going to name her Megan Joy Frost unless some other name comes out of left field at us. She is a pretty calm baby and doesn't really squirm around too much . She mostly moves and kicks right after I eat or during loud, intense movies. I have resisted the urge to buy any clothes so far because I know that once I buy one thing, I'll just want to buy everything. So many cute baby things! Here are the pictures from our ultrasound 2 months ago.

As far as non-baby things go, Patrick and I are both working for the summer until we move up to Farmington at the middle/end of August when Patrick starts at the U. I am really sad about moving, but I know that it's a necessary change so we can continue on our crazy life adventure. I hate to leave BYU for good and I especially hate to leave our cute little apartment that really became home to me. I will miss this place!

Patrick and I are also both busy studying this summer. Patrick has been working to read the textbook for his 3 day prereq course that's in August. He LOVES the textbook and everything he's learning, so hopefully that is a good sign for the rest of the 2 year program. I have been beginning my studies for the CPA exam. It's a little overwhelming really. Especially with a baby coming in the middle of my testing time, but I hope everything turns out okay!

Other fun summer adventures: Patrick is going to scout camp in 2 weeks at Tifie. We also went to the Stadium of Fire for the 4th and saw Carrie Underwood. We love Carrie! We unfortunately weren't close enough to get any pictures of Carrie, but you can look at pictures of us! :) We absolutely want to go to another Carrie concert sometime. She is awesome!

Guess What...

2010-05-25T22:13:00.003-06:00

NYC

2010-04-29T13:13:00.009-06:00

My parents were nice enough to take us to New York for our graduation present. I had never been to New York City and so I was super excited. It was an awesome trip!

It started out a little rough (a red eye flight and then crazy taxi ride when pregnant is apparently not a good idea for me...), but luckily the hotel let us check in at 6 or whatever time in the morning it was so that we could get a little sleep before cruising the town.

We saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, climbed the stairs to the crown on the Statue of Liberty (so awesome!), visited ground zero, stayed in Times Square, went to the Empire State Building and took tons of pictures, saw Wicked on Broadway, went to St. Patrick's cathedral, visited Rockefeller center and the NBC store, sat in on a Jimmy Kimmel practice show, walked until we were sore, went to the biggest Macy's ever and bought a cute necklace, got rained on, saw David Letterman on Regis & Kelly, went to the Natural History Museum (we could've spent days there...it's enormous), saw Central Park, took a ride with the most impatient taxi driver ever, ate good food and lots of it, and all in all had a blast. We are so lucky we got to go and can't wait to go again someday.

Sorry there are about a million pictures...we just did too many fun things! And please ignore the fact that I had a really hard time taking a good picture in NY. My shirts are too small for my baby belly, my maternity pants are too big, and I always look a little tired and weird. I'm just struggling to find that pregnant glow I guess! :)

On our way to the Statue of Liberty. It was a pretty rainy day.

Inside at the old torch.

The staircase we climbed to get to the crown. These spiral stairs started at Lady Liberty's feet and went all the way up to her crown. They were steep, windy stairs!

St. Patrick's Cathedral. Beautiful!

A pieta inside the cathedral.

Atop the Empire State Building.

Those stupid pigeons were driving me crazy. I had a brown paper bag with a muffin in it and they could sense the food somehow. They kept flying right at my head!!!

Patrick actually got one of the pigeons to perch on his arm. We weren't fast enough with the camera.

On our way to Wicked on Broadway. Little did we know we would be seeing Letterman the next day in person!

I think he's casting a spell on me. Doesn't bother me a bit!

Times Square at night. Our hotel was seriously right in the middle of it all!

There they are! Regis & Kelly and David Letterman.

The only picture we really took in the Museum of Natural History.

At Central Park. That place amazed me. My dad just did something goofy so we're both laughing! :)

BYU Graduation

2010-04-29T12:57:00.007-06:00

Well, Patrick and I officially graduated from BYU this past week. We are happy to be done, but sad to be leaving such a great place! I am done with school forever (at least that's the current plan!), but Patrick has 2 more years at the U. He starts there in the fall. Here are some pictures of the occasion!

We randomly bumped into Kristina while waiting to march into the Marriott.

With some of Patrick's coworkers before convocation...or maybe commencement. Can't remember which is which! :)

Walking through and getting our diplomas.

Walking up the stairs in the Marriott after it was all over.

Thanks to our families for coming and supporting us. It was not a short graduation they had to sit through!

We love BYU and the memories we made here!

California!

2010-04-12T08:51:00.006-06:00

Last weekend we went to California to visit Patrick's brother, Corbin. It was a great trip! But it's definitely making the end of school a little rough. We'd much rather be hanging out in California still!

Outside the wax museum in Hollywood.

Visiting USC.

Outside the George Lucas and Steven Spielberg buildings. :)

At Huntington Beach. It was gorgeous!

This is what came out when Corbin told Patrick and I to make Mick Jagger. It looks exactly like him...right?

Patrick was trying to wash the sand off his feet. He missed.

On Small World in Disneyland!

Up and Coming

2010-03-26T11:12:00.003-06:00

So I don't think I've written on this thing since before Christmas! Pathetic really... But I'm back! :)

Patrick and I are really excited about this next month. We are lucky enough to get to go on 2 vacations! Love it. We are going to California to visit Patrick's brother Corbin next weekend and we are going to NYC at the end of the month. Needless to say, I am definitely a lot less motivated about doing school work than I should be.

Well that's all I have to say for now, but maybe I'll get back into the swing of this blog thing soon.

What is a balanced life?

2010-01-21T16:50:00.007-07:00

How many hours should I plan/seek to devote to my future job, my service in the church and my family? Should I seek for a job that pays a lot so that my family can have the niceties we desire? What if that type of job takes me away from my family more than I am comfortable with? What are the effects of amassing wealth for good and bad? What is the proper balance of meeting your needs and even some of your wants and greed? What is middle class lifestyle mean today? What are the costs of being poor? What are the costs of being rich? Should I aspire for wealth? What is meant by David O McKay’s saying “No Other Success Can Compensate for Failure in the Home”? Does that mean that I should work less and spend more time with my family? What are my responsibilities to help the poor? Am I doing enough to help those in need? Should I seek wealth so I can help the poor more? Is it true that “it easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God?” Do you have to be rich to impact the world? How do you balance you church callings with your family life? Is my time the most important thing that I can give my family? Is my money the most important thing that I can give my family?

I think that I find myself pricked each day by one of these questions (or something like them) .

I don’t think that I will ever know the perfect answer to any of these questions, perhaps because there is no perfect answer. I hope that as I go though my life I can become wiser, in answering these questions. My prayer is that I will lead the life that God wants me too.

I know that God lives and that we are his children. May we treat each other as such.

P.S. If you have any comments or ideas about any question I posed i would love to hear your thoughts.

Christmas is Coming!

2009-11-24T11:19:00.005-07:00

Well, I know it's a little early, but Patrick and I put up our Christmas tree last night. We wanted to get it up before we leave for Thanksgiving so we don't have to worry about it when we get back. It is our very first Christmas tree (we didn't have one last year) and I am super exciting about it! It is just so fun to have our own Christmas tree and start making our own holiday traditions. Here are some pics...

Getting the ornaments ready

Putting on our ornaments

With the completely decorated tree :)

Keep on Chuggin'

2009-11-12T13:43:00.004-07:00

I sure do wish BYU had some sort of break before Thanksgiving in the fall. Just a few days off would be so nice! School gets a little difficult at this point. I can't wait for Thanksgiving. I need a break--SO BAD!!!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T14:14:00.005-07:00

At the corn maze.

And again at the corn maze! :)

Carving our pumpkins. So many guts!

Mine was a black cat in a tree. The cat was good. The tree didn't really look like a tree...

And Patrick made an awesome face. It looked really good!

Happy Birthday Patrick!

2009-10-29T14:38:00.005-06:00

This past Friday was Patrick's birthday and he turned the oh so ancient 24 years old. I am the lamest wife ever and I didn't take any pictures of his birthday, but I hope he enjoyed it.

Birthday festivities started the Tuesday before his birthday with my Grandma Clayson. She takes all the grandkids out to eat for their birthday, so we went with her to Pizza Factory. Lucky Patrick got a free pizza in the shape of a 24 (grandma may have sort of pushed the waiter into it! :)).

On his actual birthday, Friday, his parents were nice enough to come down and hang out with us. We had some delicious sandwiches for dinner and then went to homecoming spectacular which was a lot of fun!

And then of course there was the Sunday birthday celebration with his whole family and a Monday night dinner with the Clayson's. So many parties!

I had my doubts, but I still love him, even as a 24 year old. Good thing.

Happy Birthday Love!

New Cutie!

2009-10-16T10:46:00.005-06:00

This is the cute new addition to the Frost family. We love Andrew and Tor for having a baby! I don't know if Andrew will appreciate me calling his baby a cutie, but he's a man's man too! :) Nathaniel is such a sweetheart and we are glad to be an aunt and uncle once again.

And a tribute to our other cute neice and nephew. Lily and Carter are great! We are so lucky to have such a good family.

This is an old picture of the two of them (before I even knew them), but I love this picture--I think it is just too cute!

What? No Way!

2009-10-08T14:10:00.002-06:00

I just thought this was kinda funny...

It's a dog snuggie. :)

Computers...

2009-09-25T09:35:00.003-06:00

Sometimes computers make me crazy. Every job I have requires me to constantly sit in front of a computer, most of my homework has to be done on the computer, and then stupid me chooses to spend some of my free time on the computer. Good thing it's almost the weekend...that means a small break from computers!

Seven Peaks

2009-09-19T10:34:00.003-06:00

This post is a little late, but we went to Seven Peaks with my brothers on Labor Day. Here are some pics...

State Fair

2009-09-19T10:19:00.007-06:00

For our date yesterday, Patrick and I went to the state fair. I had never been to the state fair before, so Patrick wanted me to experience it. It was fun. We spent our time looking at the animals, admiring the art exhibits, and eating a deep-fried snickers. Weird I know. Patrick wanted to try it sooo bad. So we got one, and it was honestly pretty good. They had other crazy deep-fried options like oreos, cheesecake, and twinkies. Who thinks of these things!?

The Pigs. Definitely not my favorite part. Pigs gross me out. The little ones are cute though.

The biggest, nicest cow ever. Over 3,000 pounds. Everyone loved him.

Super pretty flowers. I think they are called Dahlia...

The bunnies--my favorite part.

BIG vegetables!!! You should've seen the onions. Huge!

Cows made of butter. Lots and lots of butter!

Weird pumpkin guy in honor of the best season--Fall!

Gotta Love Him!

2009-09-17T22:11:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite things my husband has done lately...

The other night we were sitting in the living room doing homework. He was trying to read a chapter from one of his textbooks. We had some classical music on. All of the sudden I look over and he's plugging his ears while reading with a distressed look on his face--it doesn't really look like he's able to concentrate with the music on. So I say, "Would you like me to turn the music off?" and he says, "No. Classical music makes me smarter."

Air Fresheners

2009-09-11T13:49:00.004-06:00

Have you ever been in a bathroom that has one of those automatic air freshener dispensers? Do you know what I'm talking about? They just hang on the wall and shoot out some air freshener every once in a while. Well I swear that lately everytime I walk into a bathroom that has one of those, it immediately shoots out air freshener. I think it must be some sort of sign. It's making me a little paranoid. Maybe monthly showers aren't quite enough... ;)

Fun, Fun, Fun!

2009-09-10T15:56:00.003-06:00

Everyone be jealous because we are going to a Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband concert this weekend! I am super excited. I have seen them twice before and loved them. Can't wait for time number 3.

Here We Go Again

2009-09-03T13:51:00.003-06:00

Well, school has begun again. We are only 4 days into it, and I am already getting ready for a break. Good thing it's Labor Day this weekend! :)

Trip to St. George Before School

2009-08-21T11:00:00.012-06:00

Patrick and I decided we needed a little vacation before school started again, but we don't have much money. So, we decided to go on a little vacation to St. George and stay in my family's condo. We were so lucky that the condo was available the week Patrick had work off! It worked out perfectly.

Patrick likes to call this vacation HM2 (Honeymoon 2) because, essentially, we did the same things we did on our honeymoon. It was loads of fun though! It was nice to just get away together, celebrate our 1 year anniversary, and have a little break before school.

Our adventures included Fiesta Fun, St. George Temple, picnic in a park, Zion National Park, shopping, movies, swimming, shuffle board, games, and dinner with the old folk (for our anniversary we went to dinner at a country club...it was delicious and actually pretty reasonably priced, but we were definitely misfits--the only people under 50!)

Here are some pics of our festivities...

Miniature golfing at Fiesta Fun. We both got a hole-in-one!

On our hike to Angel's Landing in Zion National Park.

And pics in honor of our 1 year anniversary...

Lighten Up!

2009-08-08T14:33:00.002-06:00

So, it's been a long while since I've posted. Sorry! I just haven't really known what to say. Summer has been good and summer-y. We are going on vacation next week to St. George (the perfect vacation for poor people like us) and we can't wait! We have been counting down the days. We need a little break from work. I'm sure you'll hear more about it soon.

Patrick is taking the GRE as we speak. He is doing great I'm sure! Go babe go.

Lastly, I have had quite a few comments lately about the seriousness of posts on my blog. I'm not sure why...I don't really feel like I only post serious things, but I guess everyone else does. So, I apologize. I'll try and lighten up a bit!!! :)

I Love America!

2009-07-07T18:43:00.003-06:00

As July is a time to celebrate our great country, I thought I would reflect on how awesome America really is. I love the constitution and I am so grateful for the organization that the founding fathers set up. I feel like our country is set up in such a way that even if we have a horrible president/leaders, we are still so much better off than the rest of the world. We have so many freedoms that most of the world doesn't enjoy. God truly has blessed the USA.

4th of July Festivities

2009-07-07T17:41:00.007-06:00

I loved the 4th of July this year. I don't know why, but it's just never been my favorite holiday. But this year I had a lot of fun.

My husband and I went up to his house for the day. In the morning, the two of us went to the Kaysville water parade. I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of parades, but whoever came up with the idea of a water parade is a genius. It was so crazy and so fun. Strangers soaking strangers and everyone is okay with it. I thought it was great.

After the parade, we came home and played with a bouncy ball that we caught at the parade on the driveway while the sun dried our clothes. And Corbin lit firecrackers, or something like that. I swore he was going to start the tree on fire, but he didn't.

We also went swimming with our niece and nephew, Carter and Lily. It was great. It was my first time being swimming outside all summer. Sad day--I work at a pool and I didn't go swimming outside once in the month of June! I just love hanging out in the pool. It feels like a second home. Carter and Lily don't love swimming and of course being the experienced swim teacher that I am (haha) I just wanted to dunk them, but I didn't. I resisted the urge.

After our party at the pool, we ate a delicious BBQ and lit fireworks. We didn't do anything terribly spectacular, but it was a great day. We kept ourselves busy and I was pooped by the end of the day.

During the car ride home I fell asleep--surprise, surprise. I woke up once during the drive home and I heard my husband whispering very quietly to himself. I thought it was a little bizarre, but I brushed it off and went back to sleep. I woke up again about 20 minutes later, and the same thing--husband whispering quietly to himself. I was sure I was married to a crazy man!!! Come to find out he was just practicing his times tables. I guess I'm married to only a half crazy man! :) Love ya hun!

Here are the only pictures we took that day. Us before going swimming.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

So In Love With Summer

2009-06-30T17:09:00.007-06:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted. I just don't have anything too spectacular to post about. No pictures lately. I'm a picture slacker. But I thought I'd give an update of our summer so far.

Work: Both Patrick and I are still working full-time just trying to build up our bank account before we have to pay for tuition and books and health insurance and all that fun stuff that comes due at the beginning of fall semester.

I am loving my job at the pool. It's just nice to be outside and it's something I'm passionate about. I am in charge of swimming lessons at the pool and I also coach swim team. Even though I sometimes get annoyed that I'm working with a bunch of 15 year olds, it is so fun to do my best to continually make our swimming lessons better. And all the little kids who come to lessons are just too darn cute! And it also happens to be super fun to hear about all the teenage love drama.

Patrick is enjoying his job as well--as far as I know. :) He is spending his hours at the Freshmen Academy office at BYU. His job was a little slow at the beginning of the summer, but it seems to be picking up a little, so that's good.

Church: Well, as the last post indicated, Pat and I have new callings. We were not so excited about them when we got them a month ago, but we are growing into them. We still miss our sunbeams though! Patrick is the Scoutmaster of the 3 scouts that live in our ward. He was really nervous about this calling, but I think he's doing great. I'm sure his scouts love him.

I am in the Relief Society Presidency. It has been an adventure trying to learn everyone's names since I knew no one in our ward. Seriously I probably knew 3 people's names before I got this calling. I am still struggling, but hopefully it'll keep getting better...of course, then fall semester will start and I'll be back to square one.

Harry Potter: The other thing that has kept Patrick and I occupied is Harry Potter. We finished the 6th book and are now working on the 7th. And I am counting down the days to the new Harry Potter movie. Oh I can't wait.

And of course, we have been enjoying other summer activities...movies, walks (my personal favorite!), basketball, swimming, games, hanging out with our families, bowling, painting Grandma's house, studying for the GRE (Patrick, not me), sewing, tennis (even though I got us kicked out), eating ice cream cones, and so on. I sure do love summer.

Our Sunbeams

2009-05-29T11:13:00.004-06:00

Unfortunately both Patrick and I were just released from teaching sunbeams. We are both really bummed! We love our sunbeams. They are so cute and fun and although they often test our patience, we just couldn't get enough of them.

I will never forget my favorite lesson with the cute kids. It was our Easter lesson. They have so much faith and they love their Savior! They are such a good example to me. As we talked about the crucifixion they all wondered how anyone could ever want to hurt Jesus. They were so sweet and innocent and they couldn't believe anyone could hurt their beloved friend. Then, as we talked about the second coming and the Savior coming again, one of our little girls got a little teary and said, "But I want to see Jesus right now." You could feel the love she had for Christ as she said it. I love them all and I am going to miss them very much! Thanks for being such a good example sunbeams.

My New Project...

2009-05-18T14:04:00.003-06:00

So, a week or so ago I had this dream. It wasn't really a nightmare, but for some reason it has been haunting me and I just want to do everything I can to make sure it doesn't come true. It's so silly.

In my dream, I worked everyday in my yard. I worked as hard as I could, but for some reason I couldn't ever get any flowers to grow and my yard was horribly ugly. I was super upset and so I called my mom (in my dream) and she told me, "Sorry Alisha, some people just can't grow flowers." Such a silly dream, I know, but for some reason it keeps bugging me.

My mom gave me a pot of 3 flowers and for the past week I have been working hard to keep them alive and beautiful so my dream doesn't become a reality. Here is a picture of my flowers. I think I am doing well so far. They seem to be healthy and happy. Keep growing little guys!

Happy 9 Months!

2009-05-18T14:00:00.004-06:00

My sweet Patrick brought these home to me on our 9 month anniversary. Thanks baby! They are beautiful and Patrick was so proud because he arranged the flowers himself. He and I also love the fuji spider in the middle. It's an awesome flower. Way to go! They look great.

I am so lucky to have such a kind husband. He loves and cares for people (especially me!) more than anyone I know and I am grateful for him. Happy nine months Patrick!

Fun Filled Weekend

2009-05-18T11:20:00.003-06:00

This past weekend was event filled for Pat and I. Patrick was able to get off work early on Friday so we decided to go to a Bees game in Salt Lake. It was super fun. Unfortunately the Bees lost, but we still had fun anyway. Patrick caught a shirt at the game (which he was oh so proud of) and the weather was perfect. Here are some pics from the game.

On Saturday, Patrick and I went swimming (thanks Patrick!) which was fun for me. I got to try out the new goggles I got for Mother's Day. I know I'm not a mom, but Pat was nice enough to get me new goggles anyway. On Saturday night we had a bunch of our old roomies over for dinner and games. Patrick wanted to make chicken like they have at Cafe Rio. I was oh so nervous because I'd never made it before and I hate cooking food for the first time when other people are going to be eating it as well, but it turned out pretty well. We had fun with everyone and were glad our good old friends would come hang out with the lame married people.

On Sunday we went up to Draper to celebrate Patrick's grandma's 95th birthday. I should've taken the camera so we could've gotten a picture with the birthday girl, but I didn't think about it. Grandma Williams is so fun and doing very well for a 95 year old. Happy Birthday Grandma!

Our Summer

2009-05-06T09:30:00.002-06:00

For the summer Patrick and I are both taking a break from school and just working.

Patrick is working at Freshmen Academy full-time for the summer. He loves Freshmen Academy, but he misses having students in the summer. Hopefully they will keep him busy. He works in the office from 8-5. I don't think 8-5 in an office is Patrick's ideal job, but he is staying sane thus far.

I am working a few part-time jobs. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find an accounting internship, but that's okay. I at least found work. An internship would have helped immensely when I look for a job in 2 short semesters, but hopefully I will be able to find something that fits when the time comes. This summer I am working at the pool (the eternal fall back job), as a secretary for Bro. Dorius for spring term, and also as a research assistant with my previous financial teacher, Professor Christensen. I am excited, but nervous, for my new job with Professor Christensen.

We are so lucky to both have jobs. I am grateful for the work we have!

Moab

2009-04-29T10:47:00.006-06:00

Once finals were over, Patrick and I were both ready to get away! Neither of us had to work, so we decided to go camping in Moab. We had a blast. It was a short trip, but we were grateful to get away and forget about life for a while.

Our campsite was so funny. Notice the fence separating our tent spot from the next guys! We loved it anyway and it was a great place for our weekend away. Our poor little car was so out of place in Moab with all of the big jeeps and trucks.

When we got to Moab on Thursday we made a little fire (which turned out to be quite the ordeal...we had no kindling and semi-wet wood) and ate delicious tinfoil dinners. There is just something about a tinfoil dinner cooked over a fire!

On Friday, we woke up and accidentally locked the keys in the car! Haha. What a fun adventure. But it actually wasn't too bad. Our insurance company came and broke into our car for free within an hour. After that we took off to Arches National Park and spent the day there. So beautiful.

The weather in Moab was perfect, except the wind. So pardon the wind blown look in all the pictures. It was so windy when we got up to Delicate Arch. It made me more nervous than I already was. I am such a wimp. I love to hike and be in the mountains, but I get really nervous about falling off cliffs and what not. I thought I was going to blow over.

This was probably one of my favorite spots in Arches. It is just a little window that you can see the arch through. It was gorgeous.

Patrick and I next to the arch. Only after he dragged me over there! It was so windy and everything was blowing away and I felt out of control.

Double Arch

Balancing Rock

Finals

2009-04-22T12:11:00.003-06:00

Woo hoo! Patrick and I are done with finals today. It feels so nice. And, we are going camping in Moab this weekend. Patrick has been wanting to go camping since the beginning of March and I love camping, so we are both super excited. We are going to hike Delicate Arch (Pat hasn't ever seen it) and also go to Canyonlands National Park and do some little hikes there.

Also, exciting news for Patrick. He has worked with some of the faculty in the sociology department and he is going to turn his work at Freshmen Acadamy into a research internship. He is really happy that it worked out and excited to get his first real exposure to research--which he will be doing a lot of as a professor! :)

Easter

2009-04-15T16:12:00.007-06:00

Dying eggs at Patrick's house. The 6 of us dyed 6 dozen eggs. No joke! We were out of control.

Patrick making a masterpiece.

Our dozen eggs.

Look what the Easter bunny brought us!

Patrick is pretty excited! :)

Easter was so much fun this year. We spent Saturday dying eggs with Patrick's family and then we ate dinner with my family on Sunday. It was so good to spend time with our families celebrating the resurrection of our Savior. I am so grateful for Easter and the resurrection. It is so powerful to know that because Jesus lived again, so can we.

Wicked

2009-04-10T17:20:00.006-06:00

We were lucky enough to get great tickets to Wicked at Capital Theatre. I had never seen Wicked before and I was afraid I would be disappointed because everyone has told me how good the play is, but I was definitely not let down. I would recommend it to everyone! We went to dinner with Jamie and Dwight and Andrew and Victoria beforehand at Macaroni Grill. Delicious. The play was great and our Galinda was hilarious.

Rockin' out to Wicked music on the way there.

After dinner.

In front of Capital Theatre.

Intramural Basketball

2009-04-02T20:47:00.005-06:00

Patrick after the 43-41 victory!

Pat had an intramural BB game tonight against the most annoying team ever. Seriously, they were so weird. Luckily Pat's team pulled it out in the end and won. Pat did great and hit some vital shots at the end to help his team pull ahead. Nice going dear!

Isaiah and the Atonment

2009-03-31T14:39:00.006-06:00

So this is a paper that I wrote for my Isaiah class. The assignment was to write a lesson plan about something taught in Isaiah. I decided to write about Isaiah's teaching of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is long but I just wanted to put it out there.

Audience

The audience of this lesson is a gospel doctrine class in a family ward in Provo. The ward is primarily made up of young couples and empty nesters. The lesson will hopefully inspire a deeper understanding of the atonement for the class members and help them understand more fully what the Savior suffered for us.

With His Stripes We Are Healed

Lesson Objective

The purpose of this lesson is to build trust and faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ through to words of Isaiah. More specifically, this lesson will focus on building faith in the cleansing/healing power of the atonement, the repentance process, and Christ as our perfect judge, mediator, and advocate with the father. After hearing this lesson the audience should have a greater desire to apply the power of the atonement in their lives.

Key Scriptures to be Used

Isaiah 53 (particularly verses 2-8 and verses 11-12)
Isaiah 1:16-20
Isaiah 49:15-16
Isaiah 3:13
Alma 7:11-13

Introduction

The atonement of Christ is the central doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as Christianity as a whole. Millions upon millions of people across the globe call Jesus Christ their Savior because of the infinite act of the atonement. Unfortunately this doctrine is sometimes misunderstood, understudied, and left unapplied. Throughout the history of the world God has taught his children about the atonement through his servants, the prophets. The writings of Isaiah, as found in the bible, are some of the richest sources of knowledge about this subject.

Understanding the Atonement through the Writings of Isaiah

A Vicarious Act

One of the reasons the atonement is so important is because Christ did something for us that we could not do for ourselves. We, as mortals, have no way, by ourselves, to pay for our sins, reconcile ourselves to God, or resurrect our bodies. Because of this inability we needed someone to do it for us. So God in his infinite wisdom provided for us a Savior. Many times in Isaiah we read that Christ suffered for OUR sins and OUR transgressions; the use of the word “our” is a description of Christ’s vicarious actions for us. J. A. Motyer described the atonement like this, “He acted by means of substitution… [Christ] lifts up and loads our needs onto himself (p. 429).” In The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary this act of substitution was described like this, “The pain, humiliation, and abuse that we deserve, He took upon Himself (p. 291).” How could Christ do this? The Savior could suffer for our sins and take upon him our infirmities because of his supernal Godhood and also his sinless life. The fact that God accepted the atonement is also strong evidence that He will accept other vicarious acts like baptisms, endowments and marriages for the dead.

Question: Why did Christ have to suffer for us?

Bore our Grief’s

Read Isaiah 53:4-6

In Isaiah 53:4-6, the prophet lists several things that Christ took upon himself for our benefit. The first on the list states that He bore our griefs. Dictionary.com describes grief as a keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; sharp sorrow; painful regret. (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=grief). Christ took upon himself all of our mental suffering and distress. Christ’s reach is as wide as the distress felt by a child after losing a toy to the intense sadness brought about by the loss of a loved one. Also, in the Book of Mormon in Alma 7:11 we learn that Christ suffered “pains and afflictions . . . of every kind.” Not only did Christ suffer for all of our mental suffering, but He also endured all and any kind of physical suffering that man has been subject too. He took all of these things upon himself so that we could look to him to find comfort. Thinking about pain, sickness, mental suffering, and distresses on an aggregate level can be overwhelming and impersonal, but the truth of the matter is that Christ was able to suffer for all of these things on a personal level. He knows exactly what it was like when you endured a particular hardship. Understanding this personal level of the atonement is vital to unlocking its full power.

Questions: What are some examples of ‘mental suffering and distresses” that Christ could have suffered for? Why is understanding that Christ suffered for YOUR sins/hardships/pain/sicknesses important to unlocking the full power of the atonement?

Activity: Invite the class to think about a particular time when they had distress of mental suffering and then invite them to think about what that means to them that Christ has been through that experience as well.

Carried our Sorrows

The next item that Isaiah lists in his list about the atonement is the fact that Christ “carried our sorrows.” Isaiah used specific language to separate grief and sorrows. Surely there is some overlap in the two words, but there are also subtle differences. Sorrow, like grief, often comes about from loss, affliction, or sadness, but sorrow can also come from disappointment and regret. After hurting someone or doing them wrong, there often come a feeling of guilt and pain and we are lead to say “I’m sorry.” These feeling can be very deep and sometimes even debilitating. Imagine for a moment the pain that might come to a driver that accidently fell asleep at the wheel who then hit killed a family because of it. We all know this pain in one way or another—we may have hurt someone we love by not living up to their expectations or said hurtful things to someone close to us. Christ also took upon himself all of these feelings of deep regret and guilt. Once again it is important to understand that this was done on a personal level.

Question: How is sorrow different from grief?

Wounded for our Transgressions and Bruised for our Iniquities

Sin, transgression, and iniquity are often used synonymously in the scriptures, but once again Isaiah carefully chose his words and separates transgressions from iniquities. So, in Isaiah’s mind there must be a difference between these words. Perhaps the way Isaiah used the word transgression is the same way it is used in the second article of faith. Elder Dallin H. Oaks explains that syntax:

“This suggested contrast between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the second article of faith: “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression” (italics added). It also echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin—inherently wrong—but a transgression—wrong because it was formally prohibited. These words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall”

Motyer believes it is the other way around. He states that “Transgression is the willfulness and rebelliousness of sin, the deliberate flouting of the Lord and His law. Iniquities reflects the bentness or pervertedness of human nature, the result of the fall and the ever-flowing fountain of sin (p. 430).” Whichever way Isaiah meant it, the distinction is the same; Christ suffered for the effects of the fall and also for the willful disobedience of all mankind. Christ suffered for the effects of the fall so that he could restore the blessings lost in the fall for the whole human race. He also took upon himself the pain of every sin. He felt the feelings of guilt and estrangement that come from breaking the laws of God. He also paid the price of suffering that the law of justice requires for every sin of mankind. We are told in the Doctrine and Covenants that the awful burden of suffering placed upon the Lord caused him to “bleed at every pore (D&C 19:18).”

Question: How do the laws of justice and mercy relate to the atonement?

The Chastisement of our Peace

One of the ultimate questions that comes from the atonement is why did Christ have to suffer so much? In verse 5 of Isaiah 53 it reads that “the chastisement of our peace was upon him.” At first reading this might seem confusing but A.J. Motyer helps shed light on this subject by saying that this chastisement was “the punishment necessary to secure or restore our peace with God (p. 430).” In answer to the question that was posed as the beginning of this section, it is through Jesus Christ and his suffering that we can be at peace with the Father. The peace that is offered through the atonement will not only come when we return to heaven to live with God, but can be felt in this life. Through the atonement we can gain peace in this life that our actions are in harmony with the will of God, and with that peace we can walk with confidence.

Question: Why is peace in this life such a blessing?

With His Stripes We Are Healed

How does this promised peace come about? It comes through the healing power of the atonement. Isaiah ends his description of the suffering of Christ with the phrase “and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).” What can be healed from? All that Christ suffered for. As discussed before there are many hardships in this life; metal distress, pain, sickness, sorrow, depression, and alienation from God (to name a few) and we can be healed for each of these things. In the case of pain and sickness this healing may not always be literal, but it can be found in the peace to endure it well and the comfort that is available through knowing that the Savior understands what you have been through. Because of the atonement of Christ, all men can feel the wonderful peace that only He can bring. The awful feelings of guilt and uncleanness that come with sin can be healed and replaced with feelings of peace and joy.

Question: How have you felt peace and joy in your life?

Though Your Sins Be as Scarlet

Read Isaiah 1:16-20

How can the full blessings of peace and healing be obtained? Isaiah gives us the answer in Isaiah 1:16-20. Victor Ludlow makes it clear that the invitation to “wash you and make you clean; put away the evil of your doings” is an invitation to repent and be baptized (p. 77). Isaiah goes on to talk about the blessings of repentance by comparing our sins to red stains on our soul. Isaiah promises that if we repent we can be made white and pure again. Ludlow explains Isaiah’s color choice further by saying “he uses red and white to symbolize the purification process brought about by the cleansing blood of Christ’s atonement (p.77).” What an amazing blessing that our sins that were as red as scarlet can become white as snow. They can become as if they never happened. As we draw close to the Lord, repent and are baptized he will give us his peace and healing.

Question: How is repentance and baptism related to the atonement?

The Lord Standeth to Judge the People

Read Isaiah 3:13

One blessing that comes from the atonement that often goes unassociated with the atonement is the fact that because Christ endured all He will now serve as our perfect judge and mediator for the Father. After enduring the atonement Christ walked away with a perfect understanding of all our sufferings here in mortality. He will never forget what he learned about each of us because he hath “graven [us] upon the palms of [His] hands (Isaiah 49:15-16).” He has a personal knowledge of each of us. He knows what makes us tick; he knows our specific weaknesses and strengths. He knows what each of us has endured and to what degree; he understands our socialization, our culture, our situations, and even our biology. With this wonderful knowledge he can serve as a prefect judge, mediator, and advocate with the Father.

Questions: Why is it important that Christ serve as our judge? What are some of the blessings of the atonement that you can experience right now? Can all that is unfair about life be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ?

Conclusion

Christ did complete the atonement. Our responsibility is to seek the power and blessings that are made available thought the atonement. We must seek them daily. We should seek for them in the scriptures and in prayer. Peace and comfort can be ours. We also have the responsibilities of sharing and being the blessings of the atonement for those around us. He did bare OUR griefs and carry OUR sorrows. He was wounded for OUR transgressions and bruised for OUR iniquities, but because of His suffering WE can be healed.

I know that Christ did complete the Atonement, and I know that with it we can become healed.

Bibliography

The Interpreter's Bible the Holy Scriptures in the King James and Revised Standard Versions with General Articles and Introduction, Exegesis, Exposition for each Book of the Bible. New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1951-1957.

Ludlow, Victor L. Isaiah Prophet, Seer, and Poet. Salt Lake City Utah: Deseret Book Co., 1982.

Dallin H. Oaks, “‘The Great Plan of Happiness’,” Ensign, Nov 1993, 72

Motyer, J. A. The Prophecy of Isaiah. Leicester UK: Inter-Varsity Press, 1993.

Nichol, Francis D. The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary the Holy Bible with Exegetical and Expository Comment. Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assoc, [1953-57].

Oh No Way

2009-03-29T21:21:00.003-06:00

So my husband comes home from his priesthood meeting and I explain to him my lasagna fiasco. And he says to me, "Why didn't you just dump the noodles in the strainer instead of trying to pull the slippery noodles out of a boiling pot of water one by one with tongs!?" What an idiot am I.

Lasagna

2009-03-29T19:28:00.006-06:00

Can I just tell you that lasagna noodles are the most difficult thing ever!!! I made real lasagna for the first time tonight and in all honesty it took me almost 40 minutes just to get the noodles out of the pot of water. 40 minutes! It was ridiculous. Now I know why my mom always makes what she call "cheater's lasagna." Live and learn I guess.

One More Thing

2009-03-25T22:12:00.003-06:00

Okay...I may be a dork, but another thing to add my happiness list is that I just watched a video of a mathemagician. Yes, I spelled that right a mathemagician. Seriously, he was amazing. And he is coming to BYU and we can go see him for free. I totally want to...nerdy I know. But he is awesome. He can do like any math problem in his head. He squared a 5 digit number. Seriously, he did. I think he's basically the coolest math nerd I've even seen.

Oh Happy Day!

2009-03-25T18:22:00.002-06:00

Good things going on...

Girl scout cookies currently reside in the cupboard of the Frost home. Although it is unfortunate that there are so few cookies in every box...they are just too good.
We are going camping in a few weekends. The best!
I am done with my two tests for the week. Such a relief.
The car is clean!!! We haven't vacuumed the car all winter and I just can't tell you how good it feels to get inside a clean car.
Our sunbeam class is the absolute cutest and I love being with them every Sunday.
School is winding down. Although stressful, I just can't wait for summer.
We finally got our federal income tax refund. I can't tell you how much better our bank account looks with that money in it!

This list isn't really for anyone but me. But enjoy if you read it...and be jealous of the girl scout cookies. :)

Spring!!!

2009-03-17T11:13:00.002-06:00

I just have to say that I am so excited for spring. I love seasons and the excitement that comes as they change. Last night for FHE we played frisbee outside...it was fantastic! And it's just so nice walk to school without a big coat on.

Scrapbook Time

2009-03-04T17:56:00.005-07:00

So, cute thing my husband did for me...

Last week he was in charge of Family Home Evening and for our activity he decided we were going to do something for me. So we scrapbooked. I want to scrapbook, but I just never seem to have time so the sweetheart decided he would scrapbook with me for FHE. Poor guy had to scrapbook, but together we got 5 pages done--the first five pages of our family scrapbook. I loved it and was so grateful for the time we had having fun together.

Vacation Please

2009-02-23T15:10:00.012-07:00

For the past few days I have been wanting so badly to go on a trip. It's very strange for me because I am usually such a homebody, but I just want to go somewhere with my husband. Hopefully we'll get to go somewhere this summer! We're shooting for Disneyland, but we'll see how things turn out.

The one vacation I have been on with my husband is our honeymoon. It was so much fun. So to get rid of my vacation needing blues, I've decided to post a few of my favorite pics from our day in Zion National Park.

Weeping Rock

I can't remember what this place is called...

The beginning of our trek through the narrows.

An awesome picture Patrick took of a waterfall in the narrows.

His bum got a little wet after taking the picture. Oops!!!

Remember Lot's Wife

2009-02-17T13:16:00.002-07:00

About a month or so ago Elder Holland came to BYU to speak at devotional. I loved his talk. It was so powerful and full of the sincerest, deepest love for God's children.

The talk is called "Remember Lot's Wife" and I wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes from it. It's a great talk and I would suggest anyone read it. You can get it off speeches.byu.edu.

"There is something in us, at least in too many of us, that particularly fails to forgive and forget earlier mistakes in life—either mistakes we ourselves have made or the mistakes of others. That is not good. It is not Christian. It stands in terrible opposition to the grandeur and majesty of the Atonement of Christ. To be tied to earlier mistakes—our own or other people’s—is the worst kind of wallowing in the past from which we are called to cease and desist."

"When something is over and done with, when it has been repented of as fully as it can be repented of, when life has moved on as it should and a lot of other wonderfully good things have happened since then, it is not right to go back and open up some ancient wound that the Son of God Himself died trying to heal."

"Dismiss the destructive and keep dismissing it until the beauty of the Atonement of Christ has revealed to you your bright future and the bright future of your family and your friends and your neighbors. God doesn’t care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are and, with His help, where you are willing to go."

"Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the 'high priest of good things to come.'"

"Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today, tomorrow, and forever. That is a New Year’s resolution I ask you to keep..."

I know that the power of the Atonement is real. And I pray that I can keep the past in the past and move forward with an unshakable trust in God knowing that the best is yet come. He is in control and He is watching over us all.

Valentine's Weekend

2009-02-16T17:41:00.003-07:00

When I told Patrick I was starting a blog for our family he told me that I'm in charge of writing about what happens in our lives while he is in charge of recording his thoughts. So, I'm fulfilling my duty as the family historian and writing about our Valentine's weekend.

Pat had a basketball game on Saturday morning, so we went to that bright and early. The team didn't do so well...but Pat played great. After that we finished the second season of Lost which we have been working on for a while. Although it's a little confusing because I have never seen the first season, I really like it and secretly want to watch the the third season. But don't tell Pat because I can't admit I like it...

We went out to eat at PF Chang's for dinner, which was delicious of course. We had almond and cashew chicken and of course the lettuce wraps. So good!!! The best part of dinner, however, was when Pat spilled his full glass of water all down his front! :) Okay, maybe that was me, but he had a little spill too.

We came home and watched Casablanca--one of my favorite old movies that Pat hadn't seen. And played our new favorite game (which I got for V-day), Carcassonne. Pat bought it for me for V-day about 2 weeks ago, but we definitely didn't wait to open it because we love it too much.

Unfortunately I am no good at taking pictures, so we don't have any photos to document the day, but it was a great Valentine's Day. We have now been married 6 months (can you believe it!) and are loving every minute of it. I am so blessed to have Patrick as a husband.

Oh and I almost forgot one of the best parts of the day. Patrick got me lilacs and they are so pretty. They make our entire apartment smell so good.

Post the First

2009-02-10T23:08:00.004-07:00

Well I never thought that I would be writing on a blog, but thanks to my awesome wife that took the initiative here I am. Well for the most part I think that I want to use this blog as a space for me to share my thoughts. I am not a faithful journal writer but I am hoping that this blog will help encourage me to write just a little of what I am thinking so that I will have a means to reflect and grow, and if my thoughts seem to catch anyone else's interest that will just be an added bonus.

So I have been thinking a lot about things in my life that have brought me to this point in my life, and one of the most important things that I have is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

One of my new hobbies since getting married is watching the news and trying to stay up on current events. I do my best to follow the news about the economic crisis, I try to follow the doings of our new President, and try to follow the other leading stories of the day. It is all quite interesting and makes for some great conversation.

There is a side effect from all of my news watching, I actually become more aware of the world around me. With my growing sense of the world, I become more and more grateful for that "Rock" (the Gospel and Christ himself) that I have been able to build my life upon. The soundness and correctness of the Gospel seem to shine brighter than ever before. The wisdom in keeping the commandments seems so much more obvious to me. I look around the world and see many troubling things. Daily you hear about horrific acts of violence. The core moral values of nations around the world (especially America) seem to be sliding down a slippery slope. But because of the great Gospel of Christ I am full of hope and not fear. I look forward to making my positive mark on this world. Leaving my small patch of this earth better then when I found it.

Whatever the problem I know that the Gospel is the solution. So I will hold fast to it. It is an exciting time to be alive, and I am so glad that I am apart of these times.

Here It Goes...

2009-02-04T17:13:00.001-07:00

Well, we're jumping on the blogging train. It's about time--wouldn't you say!!!