Because You Can't Enough of Me

This list is for all of the things you forgot to put on your 25 Random Things. It's harder than you think to come up with 25 More.

26. I once skied an entire ski run backwards just to see if I could do it. I could! (Alta, Albion Lift)
27. I can solve a Rubix Cube.
28. I know a ton of great children’s books.
29. In restaurants I like to order something new about half the time and the other half stick with a favorite.
30. I like to listen to NPR.
31. I enjoy making slideshow/video compilations of my kids (wedding video style).
32. I had never flown on an airplane until I was 18. Since then I’ve flown many times.
33. I am not a fan of pickles.
34. There are a lot of people I admire, but I think that my Grandma Cannon is the epitome of generosity. I hope to be just like her.
35. I have naturally curly hair.
36. When I was a teenager, I used to draw house floor plans on graph paper. I thought I might want to be an architect.
37. I brought a lot of people together. Several of my friends were introduced to each other through me and are now friends independently.
38. I have never broken a bone.
39. I am glad that my kids get to be around pets at grandma’s and their friends’ houses, because we aren’t getting a pet any time soon.
40. I dye my hair regularly. I didn't choose the graying young hair genes, but I do choose not to let it show.
41. Some of my favorite smells are fresh baked bread, fall leaves, rain and Escape.
42. I wish that I laughed in glee as much as my two year old.
43. Most of my favorite movies are romantic comedies.
44. I don’t especially like cleaning, but I like having my house clean and the sense of accomplishment I feel afterwards.
45. When I was in college my friend and I trained with a boxing coach. We did it for exercise; I don’t think you could pay me enough to want to really punch someone for entertainment purposes.
46. Before I decided to study elementary education, I had done all of the prerequisites for nursing.
47. It is important to me to feel that I am self-disciplined.
48. I speak Spanish, but I’m afraid I’m losing my vocabulary.
49. I wish I had a piano so that I could practice. I took lessons for a long time, but am not as accomplished as I should be.
50. My family drove across the country when I was 15. We drove from Utah to Massachusettes, then down to Washington D.C. and then back to Utah again. It was super cool to see everything, but the U.S. is big. It was 137 hours in the car. We had been all along the west coast on other trips.
51. (This one is too funny to leave out.) When I was outside in 7th grade P.E. a seagull pooped on my head. Yeah, that was lovely.

Good Luck!

My brother Peter is taking the Nevada Bar Exam tomorrow and the next day and the next. What a long test. Good luck!

Also, my neice just got glasses. I need to get a better picture of Heidi with her cute new look.

Random Photos from Back in the Day

So my parents got a new all-in-one printer, so I was the lucky recipient of their old scanner. I've been having fun scanning in some pictures. Here are some totally random sweet photos.

This is inside the M & M Factory in Las Vegas! (Jen, Nina, Mayra, Janet & Me)

Brad and I in my parent's backyard when we were engaged.

My friend Lisa and I having fun at the store. This was during my senior year on high school.

Janet and Deb came to see me off on my mission to Bolivia. (Check out my super-short hair.)

Christmas when I was three. I remember loving those cute red shoes.

Deb, Kaylynn and I raided my parent's 70s clothes. Stylin'!

Thanks for coming on my trip down memory lane.

Parker's Soul and Jive

Parker cracks me up. He can really get into dancing when he wants to. The other day he was dancing in the car, but his carseat restraints were limiting his movements. It was too funny, so when we parked I asked him to keep dancing so that I could record it. Here are a few highlights from different dance songs.

When I'm feeding baby Parker loves to listen to music and dance. One of his favorites is "Watch Me Sing" by Janine Brady. I used to listen to the tape as a child and my mom had an extra copy. Parker loves it. This is a montage of him dancing along.

Valentine's and Recommendations

Brad and I take turns planning what to do for Valentine's Day. This year it was my turn. I considered going out, but decided to avoid the Love Day crowds and go out another time. My sister and parents offered to watch the kids, but we'll take them up on that in a week or two and go out.
I decided to make a candlelight dinner with all three of my boys. I made lettuce wraps (one of Brad's favorites), Kung Pao Chicken and rice. I had never made either of the recipes before, but they turned out well. The Kung Pao Chicken had a little too much "pow" because it was quite spicy, but I'll probably make a toned-down version again. Afterwards we read the valentines from grandparents and the ones we had made for each other for family night. Then Parker went to bed.

Brad and I watched Fireproof, which I really enjoyed. The movie is about a firefighter whose marriage is on the rocks at the point of divorce. He takes a love dare to do nice things for his wife. I'm sure the things he does would strengthen any marriage. It's a little cheesy at times, but really funny at others. I think we might buy it and I really don't like to buy just whatever movie. As an added bonus it starred Kirk Cameron who I haven't seen since Growing Pains. It is the same type of movie as The Ultimate Gift in that it's about what is really important in life. If you haven't seen either of those movies, I highly recommend them.

Not so clean:( but slimmer :)

Yeah, so you know how my whole house was perfectly clean and organized two weeks ago. Well not anymore. I have a ton of laundry to fold and put away, dishes to unload and load in the dishwasher, and junk to clean off the kitchen counter. Oh well, at least it's clutter-messy and not filthy-messy. I can handle clutter, but certainly not filth. On a happy note, I've been trying to get in shape and having some success. I am only mildly consciencious about what I eat, but I've been really good about exercise. I've lost nine pounds in the last month. I'm sure I've been able to make so much progress because the baby weight is still coming off, but it still is encouraging. I'm even beginning to wear some of my non-maternity pants- sweet! Hopefully I can stay disciplined, because I've got way more to go.

Party at the Museum

Today we went with some friends to the Hill Aerospace Museum. The kids were so excited to see the planes and helicopters. We tried to keep the kids from being too loud, but we sounded like we were having a party. It was fun to get out, hang out with friends and let the kids release some of their energy. The first photo has all the kids, minus Baby Jason (Karly, Brandon, Cadence, Kara, Madelyn and Parker).

The museum volunteer let us go up inside one of the giant helicopters. It was amazing to see how large it is and see all of the cockpit controls. The kids are peeking out one of the windows.

Parker is walking out of the helicopter. We had a great time!

Angel Baby

My little Jason is such a good-natured little baby. I don't know how I ended up with such a little angel, but we sure love him. Here is a quick video of him cooing and giggling.

25 Random Things

1.I got married at 25. I’m so glad I had time to enjoy single life before getting married. I have many fond memories of those days, but make no mistake; Married life is better.
2.I wish I were funnier. Only occasionally do I have a witty comment and my two year-old Parker is the only person who thinks I’m hilarious.
3.I had funny college roommates. Just to give you an example, one of them thought Mr. Slim Goodbody was sexy. Yes, she was serious.
4.I enjoy sports. In college I took courses in alpine skiing, gymnastics, Latin dance and hockey. I like playing softball, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee and shooting hoops. Sadly, I haven’t played any sports in about two years. I did go rollerblading today, though.
5.I lived In Bolivia for a year and a half. Anyone who has served an LDS mission has lived somewhere different, but Bolivia is kind of random. I LOVED IT, by the way!
6.I loved teaching elementary school; except for those moments when I really wished I had chosen another career. Anyone who has dealt with naughty children knows what I mean.
7.Sometimes I want to go where everybody knows my name and they’re always glad I came. I’m referring to a feeling of camaraderie rather than a bar.
8.My internal thermostat broke when I returned from my mission. I guess it was the Bolivian heat. Anyway, I was almost always cold- until I got pretty pregnant with Jason. I still don’t get cold much anymore.
9.I used to always carry my cell phone in my sock, even when I had pockets.
10.I’m really into personal productivity. I like knowing that I use my time well.
11.I am a real people person and love to spend my time with friends and family, but I’m kind of shy around people I don’t know. I’m working on becoming more outgoing.
12.Poking me in the sides is the worst. It hasn’t happened since Junior High, but just know that if you try it, you might get punched.
13.I used to be on the track team in high school and ran a half marathon in 2003. You wouldn’t know it now, but I’m working on that too.
14.I owe my family big time. They are always doing me favors and rarely ask me to help them with anything. I am very willing though.
15.I have now worn contacts for 17 ½ years. Before that I wore glasses. I got them when I was 2 ½. Maybe I can get Lasik sometime.
16.I love breakfast cereals. Chex and Honey Bunches of Oats are some of my favorites.
17.I love it when I get compliments on my cooking. I’m becoming pretty good if I say so myself.
18.My husband Brad and I have been lucky to travel quite a bit since we got married: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Honolulu Hawaii; San Diego, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Manhattan, New York. Plus, we’ve gone to Bear Lake every year. Lucky us.
19.I used to fold my gum wrappers into roses.
20.I love my in-laws. I couldn’t ask for better parents-in-law and Brad’s sisters and their families are the best!
21.I took undergraduate courses at Utah State and the University of Utah. I had grad classes from Utah State and Weber State.
22.I enjoy blogging and reading my family and friends’ blogs.
23.I enjoy reading. Some of my favorite books are: To Kill a Mockingbird, Black Like Me, Les Miserables, Anne of Green Gables, Gone with the Wind and The Hiding Place. I also liked reading Jane Austen, J.K. Rowling, James Herriot and Gerald Lund.
24.Before I started dating Brad, I hung out with friends every day and used about 3,000 minutes on my phone every month. Times have changed.
25.Having children is THE BEST thing I have ever done. I love being home with my boys.

If you want to be tagged, then go for it!

Jason's Blessing

Brad blessed Jason yesterday. It was so great to have so many family members come up to support us. Jason was lucky to have all four great-grandmothers at the blessing! We don't have everyone pictured, but we're glad so many came.

Grandma Pratt and Grandma & Grandpa Cannon Aunt Suzie, Grandma Cannon and Grandma Ipson






Pratt and Aldous grandparents

Cousin Isabelle and Aunt Angie.

Thanks to everyone who came!

Relieved to be done

So for the past month I have been organizing like crazy. I went through every single closet and cupboard. I cleaned out the junk and made everything more accessible. It was a HUGE job, especially with a newborn.

The garage, pantry, our walk-in and linen closets didn't take too long, but filing did.

This four drawer cabinet is new. Before we had a desk with a couple of filing drawers, but we hadn't gone through them in ages. We had useless things like old bank statements from 2004 for accounts that we had since closed. We also had a massive pile of unsorted papers. It took me a long time to go through everything and organize it. It is such a nice feeling to finally have it done.

Our house was perfectly clean for the blessing this weekend. There is already new laundry that needs to be put away and our library books are strewn across our living room floor, but I still am enjoying the peace of a clean home and the satisfaction of knowing I have the self-discipline to spend my discretionary time organizing instead of doing something more fun. (I don't intend to make that permanent, of course.) We also set up Jason's crib. (He had been sleeping in the cradle.) Here are some photos of his room:

Now that our home is clean and organized, let's see if we can keep it that way.