Neil

A few weekends ago, my sister, cousins, and aunts had the privlege and beloved opportunity to go see the Neil Diamond concert in Salt Lake. I did a post about Neil Diamond and our family's obsession for him like three years ago...check it out here.




When my mom and her sister's went to that concert three years ago, they were caught on the news. How embarrassing is this? The first people they interview are my mom, my Aunt Linda, and my Aunt Sue. My mom is the most embarrassing..."THAT's NOT MINE!!" and what can I even say about her dancing? The cameraman who caught this gem probably got a raise because it's so good. We know this clip exists because my Uncle Lynn, their brother, was home relaxing that night and just so happened to see his sisters pop up on the news. Yikes.

Anyway, this year, all the nieces had the joy of going along. What can I say, except that it was AMAZING? We sang and danced like no tomorrow. When Neil sang, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" my Aunt Linda shouted at a very silent moment, "I will Neil!!!!" Our whole section turned around and looked at us in unison. Man, I was so embarrassed. Just kidding, Linda.


Che' decided to take it upon herself to make us some nifty t-shirts. Aren't we just so cool? They say "Neil's Number 1 Fan-ily" If you can't read it.




Each of us had a nickname posted on the back. They were hilarious:
Kim- Killin' It Kim
Mari Ann- Masta Fan Mari Ann
Carlie- Kickin' Carl
Cortney- Naughty Nort
Sue- Sassy Suzie
Jennifer- Jammin' Jen
Linda- Luscious Linda
Che'- Shakin' Che

I just love my family and love that we have such a great time together!!!

Spuds

While home for Christmas, I had the blessed opportunity to go tour my Uncle Judd's potato warehouse. I have never seen it in all my years of him being a potato farmer (which is my whole life). It was seriously so interesting to me. I don't know what I thought happened to package and ship potatoes, but I imagined it more like someone standing on the side of the field tossing a few potatoes in a box and then stacking them in a semi. Yeah, right. That would take years. So, enjoy the tour of the potato warehouse with me as captured with pictures.

Here are Che' and Landon entering the warehouse. lovely!


First, the potatoes are washed.

This is my favorite part. After the potatoes go through a big machine that take a picture of each and every single potato, these tracks then sort them as they go by according to size. They have these little kicker things that kick off the potatoes to different levels depending on what size they are. They go so fast and it is seriously so fascinating.

Here are the potatoes being bagged. It is all automatic, they are all dumped in to a precise weight and then the bag is sealed and labeled with the date. There are different bagging areas according to where the potatoes are going, such as Albertsons, Smith's etc.

Our trusty tour guide, Judd. When the potatoes are boxed, they are all done according to weight as well. Then they are weighed again by a human (every box!) who either adds a potato or takes one away so that they are all about 51-52 pounds (they lose water weight as they travel).

Here are Che' and I with our souvenier bags of potatoes that Judd pulled right off the conveyer belt for us. Can't you tell we were so excited?


Oh and don't worry, Judd's warehouse is the supplier for Five Guys french fries. They are supposedly this great burger joint started out east, but they are making their way here now. I think there is one in SLC? Che' and I decided that we will make a trek to Salt Lake to eat there and tell them their fries are especially delicious. You know I am an Idaho girl through and through and that means that we can settle for no less than the best when it comes to potatoes. None of those scrawny potatoes or yucky flakes! These are the real deal! Love it.

A New Discovery

Devin talks in his sleep. Yep, I have never known this until last night after one of my late night "bondings" with Hallie. I arrived back in bed just in time to have the following conversation with him:

D:(In his best baby voice) Do you have poops?!
K: What?
D:(Again in his best baby voice) Do you have poops?!
K: Are you talking about Hallie?
D: yep
K: No, she didn't poop
D: (Again in his best baby voice) Oh good girl!!
K: Okay. Are you sleeping?
D: No response

This morning, I asked him about it. He had no recollection. Well, all I can say is what a good daddy that he is so concerned about his daughter pooping that he dreams about it. But, let's be honest, when you become parents, you all the sudden care a whole lot more about poop than you did before.

Devin is such a good dad. He has a way with Hallie that I don't. He can get her to sleep much more efficiently than I can. Look at how cute this is.
.

Also because Hallie is so cute and she loves to make funny faces, here is a bonus picture.

Sleep Tips

So I am in need of some serious help. Hallie is not a good sleeper. (And for any of you that know me well, you know that I LOOOOOVE sleep and I have to have it!). In the beginning, she was only getting up once per night and that was GREAT, but now she is getting up at least 3 times per night and it is taking its toll on me! I read in a book that our doctor gave us (I call it the baby Bible...I love it. Its called baby 411 for any of you that are interested) that if you get them to bed earlier, they will sleep later, and that seems to be helping. BUT--here is the problem. She wakes up every 3 hours like clockwork to be fed. So I feed her, lay her back down, and boom, 15 minutes later, she is wide awake. Most nights, I make Devin get up and rock her back to sleep, but sometimes I feel bad for him, so I just do it (like last night... he had a test at 7 am, so I let him sleep. But, I was so dead tired this morning, neither Hallie or I got dressed till 11 am...yeah, not good). Getting her to go back to sleep is the main issue. She just doesn't like to do it. I know she is too young (she is 6 weeks today) still to really be able to put herself back to sleep, but we have been trying that lately too, with minimal success. I will just lay her back down, put her binkie in her mouth and see if she will fall back asleep on her own. It works about half the time. The other half of the time, she is crying within minutes, wanting to be held. ARGH!!!! This too shall pass, right? Any good tips!? It's a good thing I love her or else I might not be so willing to wake up so frequently in the night!

Oh and here are some adorable pictures of her in her Christmas dress that she wore to church yesterday. Gotta thank my mom for the cute dress. The only problem was, it was a little slippery, so she was kinda hard to hold onto!

Advice to Live By

OK, so this is hilarious. Thanks to my aunt Mari Ann who sent it to me. I especially like number 6. That's all the advice I need right now when I am trying to rid myself of the baby pounds. That right there says I don't have to worry, so I won't. :)

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can..and quickly. It's rare. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, pumpkin, mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruit cake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:


"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Have a great holiday season.

Cheeeetah Reunion

Once upon a time, I was in an amazing Social Work class where the professor actually wanted us to learn instead of just regurgitate information. She started by assigning us to a group our very first class period. Every week thereafter, we met with our group for the first 15-20 minutes of each class period and answered intriguing questions as well as caught up with each others lives. Well, I just so happened to get the BEST group ever and we all became great friends. MaryAnn, our professor, asked each group to come up with a name. Well, let me just tell you, I am pretty sure our group was the only group to actually come up with a name, but not only did we name ourselves the CHEETAHS, we became the Cheetahs! We took that name to the next level. Now, a year later, we are all still Cheetahs at heart. I was able to meet up with the girls for a reunion lunch today and for them to meet the baby Cheetah, Hallie.

First things first, the girls brought this ADORABLE coat for Hallie! Its a 12 month, but hey, how could they resist such cute Cheetah print? Hallie loves it, as you can see.


Cassie (also known as Cathie or Cathy) and Amy with Hallie. I recruited Amy to work at Vantage Point, where she couldn't be happier.


Jessica, Jaime, and me. Jessica is actually now in my ward and I couldn't be more excited! I knew Jaime long before the Cheetah times...we both went to Ecuador (not at the same time, but that still means she is special.)


The whole crowd of us. I am sure the people at Sammy's loved us cause we were there for a long time and we were LOUD. Oh well...:) Another thing that makes all of these girls special is that they have obviously all chosen the same career path as me: social work. They are all still in the program and listening to their stories kind of made me jealous and wishing I was back in school...(re-iterate that kind of). Thanks for the great lunch ladies and the Cheetah coat! You know it will be a staple in Hallie's wardrobe as soon as she can fit into it!!

Blessing Day

Yesterday was Hallie's blessing day! We were lucky enough to share the day with Hallie's cousin Ryder, who was blessed at the same time. We blessed them in Devin's sister's ward (Ryder's parents, Kirston and Travis). We enjoyed the day with all our family. Devin did a great job on his blessing, I was so proud of him. Hallie looked gorgeous. She wore the same dress that I wore. It is a dress that my mom bought in Portugal many years ago and that makes it extra special because that is where Devin served his mission for those of you that don't know. After, we had a luncheon for everyone. Luckily, we had just enough food! I have never done one of these luncheons before, but fortunately Kirston and I worked on it together, or I am sure it would not have turned out as well as it did. Thanks to everyone who came and supported us, we really appreciate it.

Just some thoughts

I have kind of had a lot on my mind lately with regards to motherhood, love, adoption, and other things. While this may seem like mumbo jumbo to some, I want to share some of my thoughts. While being a mother is new to me (1 month down, a lifetime to go!), it has brought back a flood of memories for me of my time spent in Ecuador. I know anyone who has even glanced at my blog knows that I went to Ecuador because I talk about it all the time. It is such a part of me that I can't let go(nor do I want to). While working in the orphanages there, I learned to love like I have never loved before. Having Hallie only reinforced those feelings that I have felt before. The joy is overwhelming, the challenges ever present, and the love so unconditional it surpasses any other feeling.

I don't really know what I expected to feel when I had my own child, but I thought it would be something different than what I felt for the children in Ecuador. But it's not. I have really come to understand that love is not tied to blood. My feelings for Hallie are familiar to me because I have felt them before. Particularly with the baby that I grew so attached to, MF, I can honestly say I feel the same way toward her that I do toward my own biological child. While I was pregnant, I thought a lot about what would happen to MF and my feelings and care toward her. Would I just forget about her and move on since I would have a child of my own? Would my feelings lessen for her since she is not "mine"? The answer is no. If anything, I care about her more.

My heart aches to think that MF and many other children throughout the world do not have what my Hallie has. Not that I think Devin and I are amazing parents or anything, but we are parents, something MF doesn't have. I asked Devin the other day what would happen to MF and other children who were abandoned or orphaned in the eternities. I know thats a complex question, but I just wonder if they will be sealed to their biological parents or if they will be given a chance to be sealed to someone else. I know in many cases, parents abandon their children out of sheer necessity, but in the cases where they are truly abandoned in the sense that they were not wanted, I just like to think that a loving Father in Heaven will allow them to be sealed to a loving family.

I just want Hallie to grow up knowing how privledged she is and to know how much she has been blessed with. Even if we have trials and things are not always great throughout our lives (which I am sure they will not be), I want her to know that she is blessed because of the family she was born into and because of the church that she was born into. In her room, I have a picture of me and MF. I hope that as she grows up, she will ask me about her and that I can share with her my feelings toward MF and other children who are in different situations than she is.

Of course this all plays into my job in adoption. I have a greater sense of how adoptive parents can love children not biologically theirs now that I have some experience on both ends. I understand how people yearn for children to love and that the love is not conditioned on physically giving birth to the baby.

What do I want you to take from this? I don't know. Other than to know that I know how blessed I am and that I am grateful for the journey of motherhood and the feelings of love toward another human being that I have experienced in the past and am experiencing now.

Hallie's best friend

While home, I went with my long time friend Jill to see our friend Emily. Emily had a baby girl in July and I had not as of yet met her. Her name is Mary and she is a doll. Hallie and Mary hung out on the floor with each other for a while and they had a great time. I have decided that Hallie and Mary are now best friends. I am so glad I have decided her entire future for her, including best friends, husbands, etc. Yep, I think its better that way. Just kidding...

Me, Emily, and Jill. It's so nice to have such good friends. I am not sure why it looks like Em has a bird coming out of her head, but just trust me, she is bird free.


This one is my favorite! Aren't they so cute? They spent some time just staring at each other, becoming familiar with one another. By the way, Thanks Em for the picture, cause I stole it right off your blog!





For good measure, we better have a picture of us as a family. We of course took our own photo, therefore, we have no good ones. Oh well.

Turkey with all the trimmings

For Thanksgiving, we spent some time with my family in Idaho. Hallie was able to meet quite a few people that she had not met before. For some reason my blogger is being weird, so I will have to describe the pictures here.
1)This is Great-Grandma Daniels. She repeatedly told me how gorgeous Hallie is, which of course I love to hear because I am her mother. Everyone on my mom's side of the family thinks Hallie looks like Devin.
2)This is my brother Clark. He had not seen Hallie yet as he has been up at school at the University of Idaho.
3)My dad and Sharon. Though they were here when Hallie was born, they have not as of yet been pictured on the blog and they were upset, so here they are now.
4) Great Grandma Strobel. Hallie is great grandchild number 30 on my dad's side if I am counting right.
5) My step-brother Jack. He is 8 years old and apparently he has never been around babies much. He was quizzing my dad on the ride to Thanksgiving dinner all about Hallie and then when he got there, he was asking me all sorts of hilarious questions. He first asked, "what words does she know?" I told him I wasn't really sure, so he asked, "Well does she at least know 'hi'?" I said sure, she probably understands it. His response to that was, "Well doesn't she know how to say it?" He was really shocked that she might not know how to say anything. He then asked, "Well, does she walk?" to which I had to explain that Hallie is only 3 weeks old and she probably won't walk until she is a year old or so. I thought it was all pretty hilarious.







We enjoyed our Thanksgiving. It was great having so many volunteers to hold Hallie to keep her entertained. Now I am afraid she will be spoiled and I will be the only one around to hold her all the time. Oh, well. I love her very much and I can't get enough of her. She seems to be changing so fast, it is crazy. I can't blink or else I feel like I will miss something!

Lots to be Thankful For

Well since it is Thanksgiving week, I thought it would be appropriate to post on some of the many things that I am grateful for. I have so much and I continue to be blessed, so instead of just having this be a holiday where I stuff my face (which I will still do, don't you worry) I think I will take some time to reflect on what I have. Feel free to do the same! :)

I am grateful for:
*The fact that Devin and I were brought together and that we love each other
*My beautiful baby
*extra storage space in our house
*pictures
*memories
*my extended family on both sides. I have AMAZING family!
*A sister who listens to me whenever I need her to
*My health, Devin's health, Hallie's health
*The gospel in my life
*The blessings of tithing
*Modern conveniences: Electricity, Washers and Dryers (though we don't have one...), toilets, etc.
*An education
*My job...I LOVE IT
*The ability to have children
*In-laws who are great and are blessing the family through their service as missionaries
*Lasting friendships
*The genorosity of others
*People who teach me by example
*Parents who raised me, even though I was a bit of a devil as a youngster
*the hometown where I was raised
*A temple marriage
*A temple so nearby
*Family and friends who are just a phonecall away when I need them (or even when I don't)
*The ability to have FUN!
*Good food... (that equals Thanksgiving dinner to me, my most FAVORITE meal!)
*Examples of people who have passed away
*Learning from hardships
*Candy, Cakes, Cookies, Sweets in general (okay, I am a sugar addict!)
*Good books
*The ability to travel and see the world
*The kids in Ecuador who I still love so much, think about daily, and pray for daily
*Eternal families
*Temple work/Geneology
*Birthdays!
*Family together time (even if it can get rough!)
*Neil Diamond (especially those leather pants!)
*History
*Diet Coke
*baseball (love it)
*Running cars (oh yeah, only one of ours runs right now, but I am still grateful for it)
*Those willing to babysit for me
*Baked goods (oh did I already mention that?)
*Mental health
*Family Reunions
*Skittles, gummies, even chocolate lately
*Beaches
*Reader's Digests (I love those too...DI 25 cents apiece!)
*Good roommates during my college experience
*The things I learned from my internship/time at Vantage Point
*Knowledge of the Plan of Salvation
*Bikes
*the color yellow
*coloring books and crayons
*Technology, computers, cell phones, blogs, etc.
*fun games
*a good night's sleep (especially lately)

Ok, I am pretty sure I could go on forever. Once you start, you can't stop! But I am pretty sure no one is reading this anymore, so I will stop! But I am grateful for all of YOU too for being examples in my life and for the influence you have had on me, even if you think you have not. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!!

What do you think?

Sometimes I think Hallie looks like me and sometimes I think she looks like Devin. What do you think? Devin shortly after birth
Me-10 days old

Hallie 2 weeks old

First "Real" Pictures

If you are not sick of looking at my child yet, check out this link to see pictures of Hallie taken by our sister in law Marcene. She does a great job...Hallie was a somewhat willing subject, but she got somewhat fussy partway through. Anyway, Marcene did a great job and we love the pictures!

Hallie's first manicure

We are so lucky to have aunt Che' (though she is not really Hallie's aunt, we have decided it is easier to call her Aunt Che' than cousin once removed Che' or whatever she would be) right down the road because she is ready and willing to doll Hallie up anytime. Last night, Hallie got her first manicure and pedicure! She loved it. I am not lying, she just laid there the whole time content as can be and let Che' do her thing without even fussing. Here is some documentation. She is such a girly girl and we love it!!

And for good measure, because she is cute, here are some more pictures because she is growing SO FAST and changing day by day. These same pictures may appear on Jennifer's blog because they are stolen from her, but that is okay!

Hallie doesn't like boys

Within a few weeks of Hallie's birth, there has been multiple new baby boys born from both sides of our family as well as from my friends.

On October 14th, my cousin Joe and his wife Christina welcomed baby Joseph Hayden

On October 15th, my cousin Taylor and his wife Cara welcomed baby Anton James

On October 21st, Devin's sister Kirston and her husband Travis welcomed baby Ryder Mark

Also on October 21st, my friend Kassie and her husband Travis welcomed baby Calvin

On November 3rd, my friend Becky and her husband Marc welcomed baby Tyson Blaine

Wow, you say. Well, if we go back a few months, we can add two more baby boy family members to the list.

On July 9th, my aunt Linda and uncle Brad welcomed baby Jack Evan

On July 15th, my cousin Anneka and her husband Jonny welcomed baby Hyrum Jonathan

Holy cow, right? It looks like Hallie will not be lacking for male company! Hallie and Ryder met for the first time yesterday. They are two weeks to the day apart. Here is how it went:

Doing okay so far...

Oh Whoops! They were both screaming in unison. It was hilarious. Hopefully her relationships with these fine males will improve in the future....
But luckily, she did enjoy some quality time with Uncle Mike and Uncle Chris (below)