So we live in an apartment, we have neighbors above and on one side. Its not too bad most of the time but I've decided it's ok that I don't know my upstairs neighbors. In fact it's probably better that I don't; I'm sure I would feel incredibly awkward meeting them by the things I've heard coming from their home. I know there is at least a her and a him that live there. I've heard her phone conversations (maybe she's a loud talker?), I've heard someone pace the front room, nearly everytime I'm in the shower I hear that someone up stairs ALSO is in the shower (which is kinda really weird...). But the most awkward 'I don't want to look you in the face on purpose' factor is the noises that go Bump, Bump, Bump in the night. Great for them and their relationship but come on 3am every Sunday (well I should say Monday I guess) is that really the best time to make all the noise? Bumps and hollers and sometimes even screams, because of the fact at 3 am and that we live in Davenport I'm pretty sure alcohol is often involved at the early morn encounters, but if I hear all sorts of noises at all times of the day and night wonder what my neighbors think of me? Even walking through the hallway you can hear peoples conversations from inside their apartments; maybe we just have very thin walls. Maybe my neighbors complain about how my baby at 1 still doesn't sleep through the night, or when she slams the doors? I don't know but I don't think I'll really be finding out on purpose.
Another thing to look at as we are looking for a new place to live, hopefully the sale of our condo goes through soon so that we can be free of that debt and have the financial freedom to pay for a place a little bit nicer. Maybe even one with a basement! I would just love a washer and dryer, or even hook ups for them seeing as we have the machines they are just in utah at the moment. So we're on the lookout but if we can't find anything, it will be interesting to see if we do get to know our neighbors; and any awkwardness that might ensue.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Our turn in Jimmermania
We are HUGE cougar fans right?! So this year when our team has been doing Amazingly! We sat around on Selection Sunday waiting to hear where our boys were gonna play! And wouldn’t you know they were selected to play in Denver the weekend of Boards!! Since Jesse is in 4th tri he didn’t yet have to take the tests meaning we had the weekend off, free to go watch the game of course! Once in a lifetime opportunity, how often in our lives is everything going to line up so perfectly for us to be there, right down to good weather! So we bought our tickets and headed out thursday after school (well after SOME school.. ).
We got a new car seat just for the trip its got more of a reclined position compared to the last forward facing one we purchased and thus was easier for Maia to nap in on the road. So majority of the time she was a happy baby. Since BYU played thursday night and our tickets were for saturday (yes we assumed they’d make it to saturday…and they did DUH) we wanted to be able to watch the game so we stayed over night in Lincoln Nebraska. The Holiday Inn there in downtown is quite nice! And we were on the 14th floor which in itself was pretty cool to us! Great view :)
and some great pizza from Old Chicago that was right next door! (heavenly!)
SO Friday we drove the remaining 7 hours to get to my parents home in Highlands Ranch. It was so sunny and warm! Nearly every time we make a trip to Denver it snows, or in the summer last year it rained and there was a tornado (while we were circling the city in an airplane!!!) so to have great weather the entire time was WONDERFUL!!! I love how sunny it is in Colorado, LOVE IT.
My family has a new dog; a poodle named Melvin. We met him at Christmas but he has not had a haircut since we last saw him so this time around he looked more like a sheep!
He has been great with Maia! Poodles don’t exactly have the best reputation with small children but he has been very tolerant of her and likes to play with her. She loved patting his fluffy hair and throwing the ball for him and putting things in his mouth. I’m pretty sure his favorite part about her was that she likes to drop food off of her highchair tray. Especially when she figured out that if she dropped food he would eat it.
Saturday soon came and we worked on our Jimmer shirts and signs for the game!
we are definitely a Cougar Fan Family!
Maia stayed home with Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Mandy and Uncle Totty (Scott) while Jesse and I went to the game.
Pepsi Center-its HUGE and unfortunately no one watching on TV was able to see our awesome sign we were just to high up.
But our Cougars won and it was a great time! We were sitting amongst fans from the first game that decided they were all rooting for Ganzaga mostly because they’d been trailing most of the game! So all the more fun to be loud and cheering “Jimmer, Jimmer!” as well as Heartsock, Emery and Abouo of course!
Then we had a pretty quiet Sunday with my folks before we headed for home monday morning. Sunday Maia liked playing in the backyard with Grandpa Garry and Mandy doing pull ups on the gazebo and watching the fish in the pond (searching for the turtle too!)
Then she took some time to play piano with mommy ( who hasn’t played for a long time…) But she really enjoys the piano, I hope she keeps that up I didn’t have the patience with myself to keep it up; but Maia loves music so much already. And it would be wonderful to have a piano player in our family.
Monday morning we began the trek home to Iowa, and since it is such a long drive we made the decision to stay in Council Bluffs for the night. While there we were able to have dinner with our friends Sarah and Sean who we know from Provo. It’s fun having friends dotted all over the country. This summer we hope to get to visit with more of them as we are planning quite a long cross country trip to visit family and friends for our break. SO our friends and Fam in CO, UT and ID and Canada and everywhere in between lookout here we come!
We got a new car seat just for the trip its got more of a reclined position compared to the last forward facing one we purchased and thus was easier for Maia to nap in on the road. So majority of the time she was a happy baby. Since BYU played thursday night and our tickets were for saturday (yes we assumed they’d make it to saturday…and they did DUH) we wanted to be able to watch the game so we stayed over night in Lincoln Nebraska. The Holiday Inn there in downtown is quite nice! And we were on the 14th floor which in itself was pretty cool to us! Great view :)
and some great pizza from Old Chicago that was right next door! (heavenly!)
SO Friday we drove the remaining 7 hours to get to my parents home in Highlands Ranch. It was so sunny and warm! Nearly every time we make a trip to Denver it snows, or in the summer last year it rained and there was a tornado (while we were circling the city in an airplane!!!) so to have great weather the entire time was WONDERFUL!!! I love how sunny it is in Colorado, LOVE IT.
My family has a new dog; a poodle named Melvin. We met him at Christmas but he has not had a haircut since we last saw him so this time around he looked more like a sheep!
He has been great with Maia! Poodles don’t exactly have the best reputation with small children but he has been very tolerant of her and likes to play with her. She loved patting his fluffy hair and throwing the ball for him and putting things in his mouth. I’m pretty sure his favorite part about her was that she likes to drop food off of her highchair tray. Especially when she figured out that if she dropped food he would eat it.
Saturday soon came and we worked on our Jimmer shirts and signs for the game!
we are definitely a Cougar Fan Family!
Maia stayed home with Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Mandy and Uncle Totty (Scott) while Jesse and I went to the game.
Pepsi Center-its HUGE and unfortunately no one watching on TV was able to see our awesome sign we were just to high up.But our Cougars won and it was a great time! We were sitting amongst fans from the first game that decided they were all rooting for Ganzaga mostly because they’d been trailing most of the game! So all the more fun to be loud and cheering “Jimmer, Jimmer!” as well as Heartsock, Emery and Abouo of course!
Then we had a pretty quiet Sunday with my folks before we headed for home monday morning. Sunday Maia liked playing in the backyard with Grandpa Garry and Mandy doing pull ups on the gazebo and watching the fish in the pond (searching for the turtle too!)
Then she took some time to play piano with mommy ( who hasn’t played for a long time…) But she really enjoys the piano, I hope she keeps that up I didn’t have the patience with myself to keep it up; but Maia loves music so much already. And it would be wonderful to have a piano player in our family.Monday morning we began the trek home to Iowa, and since it is such a long drive we made the decision to stay in Council Bluffs for the night. While there we were able to have dinner with our friends Sarah and Sean who we know from Provo. It’s fun having friends dotted all over the country. This summer we hope to get to visit with more of them as we are planning quite a long cross country trip to visit family and friends for our break. SO our friends and Fam in CO, UT and ID and Canada and everywhere in between lookout here we come!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Observations
I am the kind that observes situations before jumping in... Lately I seem to be observing the funniest things when in the Walmart check out line.
First off you know the conveyer belts that bring your food to the cashier? Continually moving, just like the moving side walk at the airport, Human conveyor belt..or toddler treadmill (see video on my facespace page). So you have your stuff on there and the little divider at the end so some one can go next. Ever notice how people will fill up that tiny little 6 inches of conveyer belt you leave them like there's no tomorrow? The conveyer belt suddenly broke and they gotta fit their whole cart on that tiny little spot or they wont get to check out at all? When you're in front of them it's easier to be like "geez calm down buddy its gonna move again in like 30 seconds" but being behind them you're more likely to look back and forth at his cart and the small space to see if maybe YOU could squeeze some more of their stuff on, like its gonna move the line any faster. I do it but at least I'm not alone in the endeavor. And to be honest since observing this I am working to break the habit and be patient with the conveyor belt.
Do any of you use the recyclable bags? When I bring them to the store; I hand them my 4 bags, the cashier is usually annoyed. How dare I bring my own bags! But come on they don't break as easily and are easy to carry, oh and Eco friendly, okay i'll bring my own bags, when i remember. But as the cashier is going it becomes a mission to fit all of your groceries into one bag! I sit there watching them bag my groceries thinking, you know there's more than one bag there...you dont have to fit it all into one... so then i end up leaving with one bag I can barely lift and 3 other bags each with a loaf of bread, box of cereal and the milk (cuz it needs its own bag..?). Unless of course the cashier is a man and I'm purchasing feminine hygiene products then those will be put in their own separate bag as if they never had to touch them. On more than one occasion I have found myself getting to the car and reorganizing the bags so that when I get home I will be able to lift them and my toddler inside in as few trips as possible.
The only time I've noticed it not being this way, so far that is, was in Maui where you're option is to bring your own bag or don't have one. Some places provide paper bags but there is a new law that prohibits plastic bags being used for things like bagging your groceries (unless you bring them in yourself).
So is it just me?
First off you know the conveyer belts that bring your food to the cashier? Continually moving, just like the moving side walk at the airport, Human conveyor belt..or toddler treadmill (see video on my facespace page). So you have your stuff on there and the little divider at the end so some one can go next. Ever notice how people will fill up that tiny little 6 inches of conveyer belt you leave them like there's no tomorrow? The conveyer belt suddenly broke and they gotta fit their whole cart on that tiny little spot or they wont get to check out at all? When you're in front of them it's easier to be like "geez calm down buddy its gonna move again in like 30 seconds" but being behind them you're more likely to look back and forth at his cart and the small space to see if maybe YOU could squeeze some more of their stuff on, like its gonna move the line any faster. I do it but at least I'm not alone in the endeavor. And to be honest since observing this I am working to break the habit and be patient with the conveyor belt.
Do any of you use the recyclable bags? When I bring them to the store; I hand them my 4 bags, the cashier is usually annoyed. How dare I bring my own bags! But come on they don't break as easily and are easy to carry, oh and Eco friendly, okay i'll bring my own bags, when i remember. But as the cashier is going it becomes a mission to fit all of your groceries into one bag! I sit there watching them bag my groceries thinking, you know there's more than one bag there...you dont have to fit it all into one... so then i end up leaving with one bag I can barely lift and 3 other bags each with a loaf of bread, box of cereal and the milk (cuz it needs its own bag..?). Unless of course the cashier is a man and I'm purchasing feminine hygiene products then those will be put in their own separate bag as if they never had to touch them. On more than one occasion I have found myself getting to the car and reorganizing the bags so that when I get home I will be able to lift them and my toddler inside in as few trips as possible.
The only time I've noticed it not being this way, so far that is, was in Maui where you're option is to bring your own bag or don't have one. Some places provide paper bags but there is a new law that prohibits plastic bags being used for things like bagging your groceries (unless you bring them in yourself).
So is it just me?
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Hawaii 2011
Yes we went to Hawaii!! And it was wonderful, what else would you expect? We had the opportunity to visit our family in Maui. My sister in law, and her husband and 2 boys, live upcountry in Maui and we haven’t seen them in a very long time! Since before little boy number 2 in fact! Griffin is their newest he is about 7 weeks old now and growing like a weed! He is SO long! Well he’s just a big little baby :) Yes he has red hair too ( yes he is Native American) He is so precious! I was very curious to see how Maia interacted with Lincoln who is now 3 and then on the opposite end little Griffster. She did great! She tried to do whatever Link did, and he was really good about sharing his toys with her and helping her as she tried to be big like him! And Griff she didn’t care much at first until Jesse and I began to hold him, then she started paying more attention to him. She tried to take his soother when she thought we weren’t looking and would sit in his calming vibrations chair when he wasn’t in it. But she warmed up to him and by the end we could hold him without her trying to climb on top of him and she even kissed him on the head a few times.
LOVED the pool!!
On our first day there we walked around the hotel area to get the feel for where we were and such. We walked passed the pool and Maia ran right up to the edge! We caught her in time so she did no jump in but we let her dip her feet in the water (it was still to early to swim). After that anytime we she was outside she ran for the pool so after breakfast that day we suited up and lathered up the SPF and went for a swim! And just as we suspected she adored every single moment! She even made some friends with some other kids that were playing catch, she was watching them so intently they shared their water football with her. She may not be able to throw very far but she sure tried!
And what kid doesn’t like being thrown up and drop down into the water with daddy!? Cuz mine wanted to do it all day!! The beach was a little more intimidating to her but we got it down eventually.
This was her first reaction to the softer sand! She would not have anything to do with it.
but she didn’t mind walking closer to the water, as long as she had mommy’s hand! With all the different and new surfaces she walked on like cement to grass and grass to sand she was holding our hand a lot to make sure she was safe. It’s a great feeling to know you mean that much to someone, she wouldn’t do it without me. But that was only at first cuz once she got the hang of it much harder to stop her!
Here was her first encounter with Baby Griffin looked at him…then looked at me…looked back at him…then went back to playing blocks and trains with Linky.
But she also got a kick out of their screen door. She played with it for at least 30 minutes totally content by herself. Such a big Girl!
So we had lots of fun with family we also got to go to the beach, of course it IS Hawaii!!
Our footprints
all in a row baby, mommy, daddy
Daddy and Maia swimmin in the ocean
family at the beach
We got some nice sun and played in the water and even built a sand castle. It lasted only a little while but was fun.
The beach sure is tiring!
It was pretty rough adjusting to the time change for her, good thing for melatonin! We all used it a couple times there and then once when we got home. Helped a lot! 4 hours time difference is a big deal when you’re little! Okay its kinda rough when you’re not little too :)
We were out there to visit family so it was so so so great to get to spend time with them! The weather was beautiful most of the time too we had like 2 days of rain which did mean our whale watching trip was cancelled due to bad water. Which is ok the ocean is scary enough don’t want to be on it when a storm is coming! We were able to see some whales from the beach and off the side of the road to Lahaina. I didn’t get super great photos though we were pretty far away :) But one day I’ll get a great whale photo you can count on it!
We spent some time up at the Lavender fields some beautiful scenery and lavender everything in the gift shop! We tried lavender scones and both lavender lemonade and herbal tea. I almost got a lavender and dark chocolate bar but I was all lavendered out by then. There were these cool black flowers there too, I’ve never ever seen black flowers outside of the craft isle so that was really exciting to me!
Also our friends the Wongs happened to be in Maui the same time! It was great to catch up with them again! 
Their daughter Cassidy is adorable :) She and Lincoln were like best friends! And she got along with Maia too! They are expecting a little boy this summer, we’re so excited for them!!
Well it was a great trip filled with family friends and great weather! Can’t wait to plan our next visit to the Islands, mostly because it will probably be when we’re all graduated from Palmer!
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