50-75 Random Things about me

Jodi tagged me and then Carianne double tagged me. I am not sure if that means I have to do 50 or 75, so I will see how far I can go before I run out of things or get boring. I have done this before, so if you want to see some more look at my past blog. (It's in July 2008) By the way, this is instead of Memory Monday this week. It took a huge effort to come up with this list.

1. My initials stayed the same when I got married, like my mom's.

2. I graduated from SUU Summa Cum Laude.

3. I was a member of two honor societies, Phi Alpha Theta (History) and Kappa Omicron Nu (Family and Consumer Sciences).

4. I was the Outstanding Family and Consumer Science Student when I graduated. (Chosen out of very good candidates.)

5. I was unable to attend Pam's graduation from U of U because of the above. (And also Andy working and child care issues.)

6. I have been told I look like Drew Barrymore, Britney Spears, Judy Garland and Alicia Silverstone. (There are more, but I can't remember which ones.)

7. I am the third of four girls, but the tallest.

8. I have given birth to all three of my children naturally and was induced with two. No pain killers!!!

9. My water broke with both of my boys.

10. I currently watch a baby named Marcus and we call him BM.

11. I get most of my current reading material from the Beehives I used to teach.

12. We play flag football most Saturdays with our Bishop and his family.

13. I remember people's birthdays from when I was growing up; like Elise's, Cody's, Mandy's etc.

14. My favorite color has always been red and it was my "code word".

15. I didn't want pink clothes when I had a girl. My sister, Heather, yelled at me about that.

16. I didn't find out the sex of my first child.

17. I have a bone that sticks out just below my toes on both feet. It makes my feet wider and I call it my "sixth toe".

18. I have never owned a Cabbage Patch doll.

19. My children's initials spell MAC.

20. I can't wear jewelry with nickel in it.

21. I have named each car I have driven. Currently I drive "Mimsy".

22. I don't handle confrontations very well.

23. My name means Noble.

24. I worry about everything.

25. I love camping and am excited to go to Girls Camp this year.

26. I have scrapbooked my whole life up until Boulder 2006.

27. The only furniture I own that was bought new is my bed.

28. My favorite animal was a cow, but now it is a kangaroo or a penguin.

29. I do not like pets. They smell.

30. Andy put up with me cooking the same 5 or 6 meals for over a year before asking if I knew how to cook anything else. (I didn't, but learned quickly.)

31. For the whole 8 years of marriage Andy and I have been in school.

32. My blood type is A+. (Andy's is O+, but Anneke's is A-.)

33. I wrote to 12 missionaries for a while.

34. My bridal pictures were used in advertising for the photographer.

35. I have modeled a few times. Nothing major, a local ad, photo story, etc.

36. My oldest sister and I have identical hands. (We are "hand twins".) Her husband almost held mine once.

37. I was an assistant director for the Mormon Miracle Pageant.

38. I wore my mom's wedding ring until mine was done so guys would stop hitting on me.

39. There were at least 3 guys very upset when I got engaged to Andy.

40. I was born in San Antonio, Texas.

41. I have a bit of Texas Pride.

42. Because my sister Heather was born in San Antonio and her name started with an H, too, we thought we were twins.

43. I went through I period where I thought I was adopted and my parents wouldn't tell me the truth. (All my sisters look alike, but I don't.)

44. I had "fangs" before I got braces. (Thanks Dad.)

45. I fear that my children will get my teeth. (Andy fears they will get his jaw.)

46. I try to do pilates at least 3 mornings a week.

47. In elementary school I mixed a new color in my art class that my teacher liked so well she asked me to make it for her and used it as a standard color in her class.

48. My eyes have stayed the same prescription since I got married.

49. I took 4 institute classes one semester.

50. I have written a few songs with my sister's ex-boyfriend. I have no score or recording anymore, just the words.

51. I am pleased with myself for making it this far. I will see how much farther I can go.

52. I started out majoring in Special Education, but it was too time consuming when I had a family.

53. Growing up I had some crazy pets; a black toy poodle that thought it was a cat named Kristy, a potty trained bunny named George (well, Heather's), and a duck that didn't like water named Lucky (again Heather's).

54. I am a Mary Kay consultant.

55. I have naturally curly hair that I don't like.

56. My hair gets darker with each pregnancy.

57. I go through flavor phases. A few months ago I couldn't get enough of vanilla, right now it is mint.

58. I kept stats for the wrestling team in high school a few times.

59. I painted the photo back drop for Sadie Hawkins my junior year in high school.

60. I have pitched, played first base, short stop and catcher in slow pitch softball.

61. I also played basketball and volleyball competitively.

62. I played the french horn in middle school.

63. I was asked to be in the high school band when I was in middle school.

64. I used to dance jazz and modern dance.

65. I took voice lessons for 4 years.

66. I named our all girl choir, "Treblettes", when we added boys the next year it was "Treblettes and Troubadours" or T & T.

67. I designed necklaces and shirts for the above mentioned choir. They never got made, though.

68. I babysat first when I was 11. I was terrified and it was for my cousins.

69. When I was little I would put a diving ring around my ankle and pretend to be a mermaid.

70. I have never had the courage to attempt a back flip into a pool. (I watched the Olympics when I was little and remember that infamous dive.)

71. I took piano lessons briefly in Elementary school. I still remember how to pick things out a bit.

72. My aunt tried to teach me the piano in middle school, but I never practiced.

73. I regret not trying harder to play the piano. I would love that ability now.

74. I wish that I could sew better.

75. I made Andy pajama bottoms (without a pattern) for a wedding present. One leg was three inches, at least, longer than the other one. Last year he finally asked if he could throw them away.

I don't think I repeated anything and I did do 75 things. Hey, Marisa, Melissa and Elise see if you can come up with 25 random things about you. I won't double or triple tag you.

Collections

I am a pack rat when it comes to some things. Since we have moved so much (and I live with a fellow pack rat) I have let myself become a "declutterer" though. I still have things that I hold onto and can't let go of. When I was little I wanted a collection so badly I tried to come up with ideas. Carianne (my older sister) got upset when I wanted to collect teddy bears because she was collecting teddy bears. Heather had bunnies. Pammy had odd stuffed animals like a platypus. So, I thought I would do something like salt and pepper shakers. Mom told me that was not practical. Like stuffed animals are? Anyway, here is my list of collections now.

*Angels - this was my fall back plan after the salt and pepper shakers fell through. I don't have a lot but still love them. Carianne at one point collected angels, too.

*Willow Tree figures - again, Carianne collects them, too. Mona Merz gave us one for a wedding present. I thought that they looked freaky, but now love them.

*Playing cards - Our friends Audrey and Barrett introduced us to a game called hand and foot. In order to play the game you need about 2 decks per person. I have been addicted to buying up playing cards ever since.

*Snow Globes - I had an angel snow globe (Mom do you still have it?) that I loved. When Marcus was born Andy was trying to come up with a gift to give me. I got a 2002 SLC Winter Olympics globe. Now I have a snow globe to represent every member of my immediate family and other major events such as the blizzard of December 2006, Andy at Oxford, etc.

*Earrings - I love earrings. I used to have a huge collection of odd earrings. I have no idea what happened to all my earrings, but I still love them. It makes it hard that I have sensitive ears and have to wear only precious medals or nickels free if I can find it. (Even the hypo-allergenic ones don't work for me.)

*Cinderella books - I love this fairy tale. I even had "glass slippers" when I got married. There are so many versions of this story I love to see the different ones. Oddly, I do not have my favorite version, Domitila, the Mexican Cinderella. I like it because it could really happen.

*Junie B. Jones books - She makes me laugh and reminds me of my daughter a lot times.

*Children's books - I really collect any children's books, especially the ones I read as a child.

So, what do you collect?

On the Bright Side

Nevada's governor has proposed a 52% budget decrease in education for the coming year. It is such a huge decrease that schools will have to close in order to make it work. (By the way, Heather, I sure hope you did not vote for this guy. He stinks on pretty much every level!) It has been a great worry to us on many levels, so I have decided that I need to look on the bright side of things. Here is my list (I am sure there are more, but I have to take care of laundry):

• I live in an apartment, so I don't have to worry about mortgage payments or taxes.
• I have a mini-van so I can take my children plus the baby I watch places.
• I live within walking distance of church and Marcus's school.
• There is a lot of free entertainment here.
• People visit us more now that we live in Las Vegas.
• I can play with my children outside in January without coats or jackets.
• I don't have to fear tax season.
• I can do all my laundry in about 2 hours once a week.
• I enjoy cooking, anyway, so when there is nothing to eat I get to use my creativity.

The Year of the Ox

Happy New Year! We have just entered the second year in the 12 year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. It is the year of the ox/bull and we just ended the year of the rat. (It is kind of fun to know what your animal is. Mine is the same as Anneke's since I was 24 when I had her. It's the monkey. Andy is the sheep/ram.)

Andy and I had a great time Friday night. Andy's parents stayed with the kids. They had a "pajama party". So, Grammy and Grampy took the kids to get a bunch of treats and new pj's. They also saw a mermaid at the Silverado casino. Anneke loved that.

In the meantime, we were eating in the Rainforest Cafe after having our room bumped from the MGM Grand to a better one with no extra charge to us. (I took two baths in the jacuzzi tub because I liked it so much!) We brought in the Chinese New Year in style by going to see the Cirque de Sole show Ka. The lady sitting next to us said that the best Vegas Cirque show is Mystere. Anyway, it was amazing to watch the acrobatics and listen to the music. They would swing out over the audience and the whole theatre was in the ship motif, as if you were a passenger. It was fairly short production with no intermission. I wanted to purchase the music CD, but it was $25 and Andy figured that we could find similar music for less. We were away from the kids for less than 24 hours, but it was so refreshing. We had more patience and were so content and happy when we returned. I highly recommend an occasional get away. It was super!

When we went to pick up our Ka tickets the hotel didn't have any red. They sure put up the decorations fast. That was 3 days before we came.

I tried to get a picture of our awesome room. This doesn't do it justice. Oh, well...

Just before we went to Ka. The battery was dying so we didn't get one of Andy.

Memory Monday - Random memories

I finished cutting and pasting my old blogs from Friendster. Currently it is 5:00am. Luke is not sleeping well, as usual, so I am not. I may go back to sleep after this. That probably means no working out then, I won't wake up in time. Okay, on to the reason for the post. I have a lot of disjointed memories, so I thought i would put a few in.

• I remember Big Mama and Little Babe. Those were 2 hills up the street from our house. I only went down Big Mama once on my bike. I was so scared I forgot to squeeze both brakes and flipped over my handle bars when only the front tire stopped.
• I remember sitting on the tail gate of our station wagon while we would drive through the river road at HEB camp.
• I remember when they were building our new ward building and we would walk around in it occasionally to see the progress. The Kerrville ward was finally big enough to have the full building when I visited last year. ;)
• I remember playing in the birdbath outside and stirring things into it for a witch's brew. That place was disgusting and no bird would go near it.
• I remember our green light out in the lamppost. It helped people find us better.
• I still remember our phone number, 367- 4804.
• I remember our tree house. The map on the wall of the third floor was always a mystery. I still have no idea what that map was to.
• I remember our failed attempts at a garden. Our carrots were about an inch long and very skinny.
• I remember playing waitress for my sisters. They would place orders and I would go and make them food. I was excellent at making Kool-Aid, bread pizza with vienna sausages and Ramen noodles. I still love to cook, but hope my cuisine is slightly more appetizing.
• I remember the "pond" around the corner from our house. It was just water at the end of a dead end road, but for a long time that is what I would picture when a story/book talked about a pond. It is odd that now the elementary school is in it's place.
• I remember planting Box Elder trees and thinking they were really called Square Missionary trees like my dad said.
• I remember sharing a queen size bed with Pam and telling everyone that she peed so much I was floating on my body pillow. Every thought it was hilarious, but in my head that was 100% accurate and I was upset by the laughter.
• I remember watching "Toy Story" when I was 12 and feeling so guilty that I played with all of my toys every day for weeks. (I know, I was very mature for my age.)
• I remember sharing a room with each of my sisters. We would spend all day Saturday's switching things around. I didn't share a lot with Carianne because Mom was afraid Heather would kill Pam. They never did get along when Pam was younger. Weird that they are now best friends practically.

Borders

I will post about our amazing anniversary celebration later. I wanted to blog about what I did with Marcus and Anneke yesterday afternoon. After a night away I felt rejuvenated and content. Andy needed a nap since he was working a graveyard last night. So, Luke stayed for a nap, too.

At the Towne Square mall Borders store they had a Tea Party. It was pretty lame, with cheesy games and such. But, they had hot chocolate and a cookie for the kids. The last thing we did was a book questionnaire. Marcus got all of his questions right, including the ones about Little Women and Heidi. When they started doing the Hokey Pokey, Marcus looked at me and told me that it was time to go.

Anneke kept her pink balloon close because of the unsupervised children taking whatever they wanted.

Marcus looked very serious while answering questions. He said that he looks like a pig because of the way the picture took.

I don't like going to things like this because parents let their children run wild and theygo shop elsewhere. One mom was on the phone and her daughter took the balls for one of the games. She paid no attention to the people trying to get them back. I finally went up and took one from her hand. She was not happy. Oh, well.

We also got some fun books. Calvin and Hobbs was one sale for $5.99. Marcus got Bailey School Kids and Anneke of course got Princess books.

Miss Utah

My in laws are currently visiting us for the Miss America pageant taking place at Planet Hollywood. My father-in-law is covering the event for the Messenger-Enterprise newspaper. Miss Utah is from Manti, Kayla Barclay. It is odd to think that I knew her when she was in elementary school. She was pretty obnoxious and a show off from what I remember. I had a crush on her older brother, Ken, at one point. My older sister, Carianne, was good friends with her sister, Cammie. It is weird that she is now representing Utah. I sure hope she has changed for the better in the 9 or 10 years since I last saw here. ;)

Ear Piercing

When Anneke was 15 months old I had her ears pierced. I was so sick of everyone calling her a boy. She pulled them out a lot. After repiercing her ears 3 times I let the holes grow in. Since then she has talked about her earrings and asking when she can get them. The deal was that she had to leave her hair in when I did it each day. That was very difficult for her. However, in the last two months she has tried very hard and left it in. So, on Friday Anneke got her ears pierced. I filmed the experience. The first time around she didn't notice a thing. This time she winced slightly. I told her that if these holes grew in she would have to wait until she was 12 like I did. So far so good. The earrings are 14k white gold pink daisies. SO Anneke.

Memory Monday - Pammy

26 Things about Pam since she just turned 26

1. On a trip home from Utah Pam lost a Reese's peanut butter cup. At the next rest stop we found it on the back of her white shorts, thereby being dubbed Poo-bottom for years.
2. We convinced Pam that she could walk on the air like a cartoon character. She would be safe as long as she didn't look down. She fell out of the treehouse and the three of us ran and hid.
3. Another treehouse adventure was when Carianne, Heather and I each held a corner of a blanket and told Pam to jump. She did, but since there were only three of us, one corner was left unattended. That was the closest one to her. (How did she live this long?)
4. Pam had this awful black cowgirl dress that she would change into every afternoon. It had snaps all the way up. One day she was dancing in the driveway and we told her to stop, but she wouldn't listen. She was always on the move.
5. We have a standing deal that if either of us intentionally drinks alcohol we have to pay the other $50.
6. We made up the game "Run Across". One person would stand in the driveway and be "it" the others would try to make it to the grass on either side before getting caught.
7. Let's not forget Purple Angie. Pam made up her imaginary friend one day because she wanted MY purple coat. Mom thought it was so funny that she gave her the coat.
8. Purple Angie was soon joined by Pink Angie, Crumb Angie, etc. They all lived in Rainbow World and she could call them on a clock that she pretended was a phone.
9. We would wake up early each Saturday and play Barbies in the playroom. We used shoes as cars and basically dressed them and set up their houses. We often used the oven on Pam's stove as a house for them.
10. "Look at the dance Carol taught me," could be heard most evenings as we talked about our day. Carol was Pam's best friend. Later Pam admitted that she made all those dances up, but wanted us to pay attention to her.
11. Pam would make bunny ears by raising her nose and showing us the shape of her nostrils. They did (do?) look like bunny ears, but the rest of us had mouse ears.
12. Pammy kisses were very long. She would kiss your cheek and sit there until she felt done. It could be a minute or longer.
13. Omi (our Great Grandmother) taught Pam her colors using Skittles. I was very jealous that she got candy every day and I didn't.
14. Sunday afternoon we often made up plays and put them on for our parents. I don't remember what they were about though.
15. At night when we were supposed to be in bed we would all meet on Carianne's bed and make a train then scratch each other's backs.
16. When Pam gets scared she runs in place. (Like when macaroni is boiling over.)
17. We had close walls in our hall growing up and we would often "walk up the walls". When we moved I think they had to be painted because they wouldn't come clean otherwise.
18. Pam had a surprise party every year in high school put on by Heather and me.
19. Pam has been the first aunt to meet each of her nieces and nephews.
20. Pam made a blanket for each of my children that they have used since they were babies and still use.
21. Pam came to me each time she dated a guy to see what I thought of them. I didn't like Jay, or Mike. I am surprised she still let me meet Chris with that track record.
22. Pam has an odd connection to trees. She loves them with leaves, without leaves, etc. She photographs them and probably even writes about them.
23. Pam would always sing "The Girl I Mean To Be" from The Secret Garden when she auditioned for things.
24. Pam has always been a great writer. She had a couple dozen journals floating around the house at all times. (That may only be a slight exaggeration.)
25. She collects porcelain dolls and would get one every year for Christmas from the time she was eight.
26. Pam is my only little sister and I love her. We obviously were not very nice to her, and I regret that. However, she is still one of my best friends and gives me great book advice. P.S. The pictures on your birthday were because you chose that yucky one for mine.

Can you believe...?

Can you believe that this girl is turning 26 today?

It's even better when you can see the nails.

Pamela Eloie Bailey Davis, I love you!

I will do an amazing tribute to you on Monday. I can't decide if i should do 17 (embarrassing) memories or go for 26... Stay tuned for Poo-bottom and other great memories.

P.S. Luke ate the pictures after I scanned them in. He must like his Aunt Tummy.

New Value

Being in the Young Women's program I have had a lot of fun. Tuesday night we played Human Foozball. It was awesome! But, I wanted to share something with those who may be out of the loop.

They added a new young women value. The values now are faith (white), divine nature (blue), individual worth (red), knowledge (green), choice and accountability (orange), good works (yellow) and integrity (purple). The new value was so obvious when people heard what it was they would say, "Isn't that already one?" The new value is Virtue with the corresponding color of gold.

It came about because of the amazing talk given by Sister Dalton in the last General Conference, A Return to Virtue. It is so important and I am so excited to have it.

In another note, we got a new Young Women's president. The old one was released soon after her lesson that made me so angry. The new president has a cool charm bracelet. It is gold and has her gospel in action charm, Beehive charm, Mia Maid charm, Laurel charm, lettering in seminary charms, and her YW torch. She has a total of 9 or 10 charms on her bracelet and she earned each one and all she had to buy was the bracelet. I am seriously considering it. I found all my charms today, but I only have 8.

Birthday cakes

I have made many birthday cakes in the Seven years I have been a mom. I am particularly proud of a few of them. Marcus tends to ask me to make cakes that have me really worried. I want him to like his cakes. But, I haven't failed yet. It is nice that he is so easy going about it.

I was so proud of this one. I used fruit roll ups for sea weed and Swedish fish. Plus, I went and bought the cake topper from Albertson's bakery.

Marcus's 5th birthday was not so easy. But, it worked out. I love the candy bar draw bridge and the licorice ropes. Believe it or not the frosting is supposed to be gray. By the next day it looked purple. Oh, well...

My latest creation. I used 8 inch cakes and that made it all come out square instead of oblong/rectangular. Still, I am pretty proud of it. I even have Whopper cannon balls, root beer barrells, Swedish fish and Hershey's treasures. The pirates were Marcus's already.

I would include last years cake, but it was a dirt cake with worms. Not too original, but still fun. So, I may never be a professional but I had to brag about my successes. ;)

My seven year old!

I have a 7 year old! Indulge me while reminisce.

I was told by two doctors that I would most likely not have my own child. That was really hard. I cried a lot and then accepted that I would probably end up adopting and that was okay. Then my sister, Heather, made me take a pregnancy test on May 25, 2000. It was positive and I was angry at her. My world was turning upside down. Andy was upset that he wasn't the first to know. After all of the initial scared feelings, though, I was thrilled.

My pregnancy was not too bad. My sisters thought I was trying to kill my child because I wouldn't eat a lot. (When they got pregnant, they understood.) My mom went with me to my first appointment and we heard the heart beat. My mom also fed us for a lot of my pregnancy.

There was a scare where the baby's heart kept skipping beats. This was before we had cell phones. I had walked to the doctor and was by myself. They told me that after my ultra sound if they still were concerned they would run tests. I cried. I had no one to talk to. I was so worried. I wasn't supposed to have a child, I just knew it. Obviously, it was not a big deal, though.

I didn't find out the sex of the baby. I wanted to be surprised. However, I knew he was a boy. Everyone told me that you can't know that, but I did. I have known with each of my children. Andy gave me a blessing that said basically my baby was a choice spirit and he needs to come down NOW for a reason.

Before we got married Andy and I chose 4 boy names and 4 girl names. We chose Marcus Andrew because in Andy's family a son has the dad's name as a middle name. Marcus was because of the initials MAB, it is from Romeo and Juliet. If the baby was a girl the name would have been Bailey Ann. My maiden name and the middle name covers A LOT of family members. We have used none of the other names, Christian Logan, Keith Dirk and Gabriel Robert for boys. Girls were Erica Lyn, Paige Nicole and Amy Susan.

I look so young in that picture! Andy's beard is pretty scary too. That is me in labor. My water broke and I finally decided to go to the hospital when I started bleeding. I had no epidural and after my water breaking at 3:00pm on Sunday, January 13th, I went to the hospital at 9:00pm. (My dad was upset that I labored on the Sabbath.) I was started on pitocin to induce labor at 1:00am and I had Marcus Andrew at 7:21am on Monday January 14th.

He was more than 2 weeks early. My due date was January 25th or 29th, depending on who you asked.

Marcus was too long. We couldn't button the bottom, that is why Andy's hand is there.

Marcus loves to make people laugh. (age 6)

He is a great big brother. (almost 6)

He loves science and exploring. (age 5)

He is happy most of the time. (age 4)

He loves to learn. (His kindergarten class on his last day of school.)

He loves family. (age 5 with Great Grandpa Bahlmann)

Happy 7th Birthday Marcus Andrew. Thanks for choosing my family.

Memory Monday

Eight years ago today at 10:15am (Mountain Standard time) Andrew Robert Bahlmann was sealed to me, Heidi Noel Bailey, by my grandfather, Archie Maynard Brugger, in the Manti temple. We had a few incidents with my dad sliding off the driveway because of the snow, Andy's family bringing up their drama, the photographer and the groom's family showing up late to the reception, the pen not working and me not throwing the bouquet far enough, but it was a nice day. I know that I had "Bridezilla" moments, but in the end it didn't matter. I had a one of a kind dress, cape, glass slippers and tulips. What more could I ask for?

You can see my temporary bouquet in this picture. My flowers were white, yellow and purple tulips (my favorite) and not easy to find. I love those color tulips, so planned my colors around the flowers. To this day Andy's grandparents think that those are my favorite colors.
This is one of the only pictures that I have of me with my hood up. I didn't want it to flatten my hair, but I loved my cape. Andy carried me over the slush puddle because my feet were already cold from all the snow that got in the shoes. Advice - Wear tennis shoes. No one can see your feet anyway.
This is a great picture from the reception. I am with my Popi (he is the one that sealed us). Plus, you can see the amazing backdrop my dad painted for us. Yes, I had a theme for my wedding, "Starry Night". It went well with my purple and yellow colors.
Here we are leaving for our "honeymoon". There are a lot of important people in the background for this one. If you look at my face I am kind of fake smiling for two reasons. I just got a lecture from my aunt about how important it is to finish your education and contribute to the family finances while she helped me change out of my wedding dress. The second reason was my sisters making comments in my ear. They were being stinky.

Celebrating 7

Gift from Anneke, opened early this morning.

Today Marcus got to plan the day. I enjoy doing things as a family, so instead of Mommy-Son dates, we usually do a "family date". It would be cheaper just 2 people, but this way we get to spend time together while Andy is still in school and gone a lot. Marcus did not have cheap taste, so I told him that if we did all that he wanted he could invite one friend for the afternoon and not have a birthday party. (I miss planning birthday parties. However, Marcus still wants a pirate cake on his actual day. Too bad I can't hire Sharah to make it.)

Marcus wanted to go to Egg Works for breakfast. It was soooo good. I was still full at lunch time, too.

Next we went to Mandalay Bay to the Shark Reef. Luke kept trying to touch everything. This sea star was pretty neat.

(Still at Shark Reef) The petting pool was neat. I overcame my aversion and did pet a sting ray. Marcus and Anneke were totally freaked. Finally Marcus touched a ray that was just sitting on the bottom. It lasted about .1 seconds, but he tried. Luke wanted to do it so bad, but he was too little.

At TGIFriday's the kids got dirt cups after eating their lunches. Everyone was so full that Andy and I got plenty of dirt, too.

Last we went to Wildfire to go bowling. It is one of the only casinos with a separate entrance for the alley. I won, Stephen came in second, Anneke 3rd and Marcus last. (The last time we played I came in last and Marcus did really well. I am not sure what happened this time.) Luke was not happy that he was left out. Well, I need to go so I can play "Guess Who" with my almost 7 year old! I can't believe that next year is baptism time.

Red

I love the color red. It is my color. I am the red pieces when we play games. My children don't say "red" they say "Mom's color". Anyway, I have very few articles of clothing that are red. So, when Andy took me dress shopping (with HIS Christmas money) for our BIG date I was excited to find a modest red dress that I liked. I went with a cute black one instead. (If you click on the links they make them look more sexy and revealing than they really are, but you get the idea.) All week I have thought about that red dress. So, today I went back to get it. It was on super sale for less than $30 and I was so excited. I also found a shrug to go with my original purchase. While I was in line to buy the dress I noticed gaps in the seam where the thread had come loose. I couldn't find my size in that style. So, no red dress. I am very sad. I don't even have a red shirt. Oh, well.

Ears

Photo - Luke found a box to hang out in at Uncle Jeff's house. He loved it!

Luke has been running a fever for a week, but not really acting grumpy. He has slept more than usual. I was trying to let whatever it was run its course, but when I had two screaming babies yesterday I called the doctor. Last night we found out that he has a massive ear infection. I am going to claim this problem is from my side of the family. Today is better. No fever, anyway.

Memory Monday - Engagement

Next Monday Andy and I celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary. I thought I would give some memories of the time before we got married but not the actual story per-say. I hope it isn't too long and boring.

I knew Andy in high school. He would walk down the hall with his best friend, Dave, and not smile too much. (His little brother Zack does it too, but Andy was not that bad.) I thought he was such a dork. He thought I was stuck up and dating Chris Helms. Ewwww! I remember when I found out that Andy, Jeff and Scott were brothers. I was shocked! They aren't very alike in appearance or personality.

So, I wrote to Andy on his mission because of my best friend Liz...Blah...Blah...Blah...I feel like I tell this story a lot, so I won't go into it again unless I get requests.

Before Andy and I were engaged I remember Pop and Grandma coming over. Andy and I were doing homework and they came to show off their new Cadillac. (I think.) I went out to help Grandma into the house and Popi cornered Andy. My grandpa is not a big man, but standing over Andy sitting on the couch he seemed to loom. I think Popi's exact words to him were, "I hear you want to marry my grand daughter. I just want you to know that I approve." I was so embarrassed. Grandma was excited and we chatted a bit, but Popi's encounter stuck with Andy. Luckily this did not scare Andy away. We got engaged September 17, 2000.

The night we got engaged and Andy asked my dad was also memorable. I am pretty sure my dad knew what was going on by the look of sheer terror on Andy's face and he decided to torture him or put him at ease, I am not sure which. Anyway, my dad tucked his feet up under him and gave us his attention. I don't know what was said, because I had to go to church and get a calling, but I felt bad leaving my future husband that way.

After our engagement the man I thought I was going to marry and had written to for 2 years on his mission came home. He called and came to visit. I hadn't told him that I was engaged because I felt that I should do it in person if at all possible. My mom called him back to tell him I was engaged. I didn't know she did this. So, Corey and I spent a couple of hours chatting and getting reacquainted when I finally got the nerve to tell him that I was engaged. He looked at me and said, "I know, your mom already told me." I was furious. Corey came to the temple when I received my endowment. He said that they thought he was my fiance and it was hard to admit that he was not. I invited him to the sealing and he couldn't come. (Andy was upset that I invited him, but I couldn't understand at the time.) Later I found out that Corey had another girl that had written to him his whole mission and they got married. As far as I know she never knew about me and still doesn't.

This is getting long. I won't add anymore memories now. Our engagement was fun. I took my mother in law shopping for my wedding dress since she has all boys. When Jeff got married, his wife did the same thing. When I found my wedding dress I knew it was the one for me and it was one of a kind. My mom made a cape with fur lining and I felt like Cinderella in "The Slipper and the Rose".

Bahlmann Christmas

Bahlmann Christmas was celebrated after the New Year. It was a lot of fun. I played games with my mother in law and brother in law, Scott while my husband went out and got shot with paint balls. Jamie decided that her husband had spent enough time away from home paint balling that Shirley (my MIL), Jamie, Scott and I all went to see a movie. It was not one I would want to see, but I went along for bonding time. Scott sat by me and told me that we could cuddle. It was hilarious to me because I knew it would never happen. Last night we went to Pirate Pizza in St. George. The restaurant was all decked out and a lot of fun. We got 2 Kraken's (24 inch pizza) and it fed our group of 15 barely. (2 of those were babies. One ate nothing and one ate crusts.) It was like Chuck E. Cheese, but with good food. I felt so old because everyone that worked there was younger than me. I could tell I was in Utah for 2 reasons, 1) odd children names (Who names their child Cajun?) and 2) There were moms there that looked like they were barely adults with 2 and 3 kids. Weird! (Okay, I know I am young/look young, but I don't look at me...)

Luke hanging with his Grammy.

The two babies loved playing with Zack (AKA Uncle Silly). Luke wouldn't move after this picture was taken. Landon just laughed as usual.

This is all of us. 2 grandparents, 6 sons, 2 daughters in law and 5 grandkids. Connor wanted to sit by Marcus and not "she"/Anneke.

If you are interested here it is more detailed:

(back) l to r - Scott (26), Luke (1 year), Heidi, Landon (6 months), Jamie, Anneke (4 years), Grammy/Shirley, Connor (almost 3), Grampy/Bob, Marcus (almost 7)

(Front) l to r - Andy, Jeff, Zack (18), Michael (9), Brian (15)

Book Review

St. Nick brought me this book. I didn't read it for about a week. I think St. Nick was worried that I didn't like it, but honestly I was afraid to read it for 2 reasons.

1) I tend to devour books and neglect my family and this one was especially long.

2) I was afraid that I wouldn't like it and further offend the giver of the gift.

Well, I finished the book quickly once I started, but showed great restraint... for me, anyway. I enjoyed it. It was definitely not "Twilight", which was good. I was afraid it would be, but it was like reading a totally different author. I am also not a "sci-fi" fan, but this book was not distracting in it's sci-fi ness. (I know you are all thinking I should be a professional reviewer.) Also, the romantic element was not the main theme, and I liked that. I am going to suggest that the main theme is Family. So, overall I was able to enjoy the book. I didn't even think about Stephenie Meyer's other books as I read it. I would recommend the book to those that enjoy similar books to the ones I like. But, I did not enjoy "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card, so if you enjoyed it, maybe this book isn't for you. "The Host" is definitely not your typical Sci-fi book. (This will probably be my last written book review. I can't seem to articulate what I want to in writing. A bit ironic.)

Look what I did

I have been blogging for a while on a different site. (I am currently transferring them over. I have 87 so it will take a while. Plus, it will tell you I have new posts when I don't. They are old posts.) When I first heard about blogging I thought it was weird. My friend told me that it is basically keeping a journal that everyone can read online. My response was, "Why would anyone want to do that?" Now, here I am 3 years later. My friends with the Shakespearean Festival finally bugged me enough that I started a blog on Friendster. Last March I started a public blog because of Katie. I thought it would be a great way to keep in touch with my family. I had just spent the weekend with my mom and sisters and was missing them. Well, one by one my sisters, and mom have started blogging. Now, I found out my cousin, aunt and grandpa have blogs. Wow! I probably can't take full credit, but I think it is great.

This is short and to the point. We are in St. George. Andy has worked all week and now we get to relax a bit before school starts next week. I am sad we don't have more time to go further north and see my family.

New Year's Resolutions

Heather posted her resolutions, so I will post some of mine. This is so I have a public record and accountability. If you have any suggestions on how to accomplish them, please chime in.

1. Find a work out program and do it at 6am, 5 days a week. (I did this in Boulder and it was awesome, but the opportunity is not the same here.)
2. To go along with the previous resolution - No food after 8pm. That is when I tend to break out the sweets and unhealthy stuff.
3. Write in my journal daily. (I used to do this and then started blogging and it replaced it. That was unintentional however.)
4. I have a hard time remembering personal morning prayer. Maybe if I succeed with the workout time (instead of a baby waking me up) I can remember to pray.
5. Be better at saving money.
6. Type up my favorite recipes for family cookbook.
7. Have a cleaning schedule and stick to it.
8. At least 50% Visiting Teaching. (I am not good at remembering. I was doing great before the ward split.)