A Party A Party A Party

I took some videos of Kelsie while she was in town. That girl cracks me up. She certainly has a cute sense of humor and says the darndest things.

She was playing with our Peep Show, mostly because it was the only thing that resembled toys in our apartment.




We (my roommate and I) really miss her around the house. Come visit us any time, little girl!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day marks the end of summer. School has often started, the nights are beginning to cool down and the pools close. It's depressing, but we celebrate it anyway by getting the day off work...which is totally rad.

I can't really account for the last few Labor Day weekends, though I suspect a few of them have been spent in Boise with my Uncle Allen and his family. Usually I waste the day sleeping, but this weekend was different - it felt longer. I accomplished much.

Saturday I woke up and watched Slumdog Millionaire at the BYU International Cinema. If you haven't seen it: go now. It is sooooo good, and totally worth all the hype that it received. BYU edited the film for us because it is rated R, but it is my understanding that the rating comes from thematic elements and not actual from bad content, language, etc. I recommend it x1000. From what I can tell, even BYU had very little to cut out. Go. See it. I can't believe I've only just now watched it.

Thank you, Facebook! I noticed that Holly was in town, so I made a point to snatch her and take her to the concert with me. It was great to see her!

Kira's dad works for Thanksgiving Point and got us the tickets. This is her adorable son, Owen. Thank you for the fun evening!

After the movie, I decided to take pity upon my poor car and take her to the Car Wash. I vacuumed the inside and scrubbed the outside. I'm afraid to look up how much I actually spent detailing my car, but I do have to admit, it was worth it - she looks so clean. I finished emptying out some of the things that I've been driving around with since my move and then I came home and baked a carrot cake to take up to Holladay for a BBQ with my cousins. That didn't really work out as planned, but I got to say hi to everyone, grab some food and run to Thanksgiving Point to see John Schmidt in concert with Kira and Holly. I've never actually been into Thanksgiving Point, and it is awesome! The stars were out in full force and the gardens are beautiful. I'm looking forward to going back when I have a little more time to explore.

Can I just say, I don't remember 9 a.m. church being so hard to get to...

Today I woke up to the smell of French toast and bacon. My roommates hosted a big breakfast for a lot of their friends. William -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILLIAM -- came to represent the small numbers of my remaining posse. Our house still smells like bacon. After everyone left, I got some things together and headed up to South Jordan for a BBQ at Reuben and Kira's. This is where the real adventures began.

Owen in full agreement of the BBQ.

Reuben decided that we needed a grill for our meat, and that makes sense - it is Labor Day after all, and that typically comes with a BBQ of sorts.

The original plan was to grill up some meat, enjoy some water melon and head to the lake at Daybreak for a little kayaking/sailing. Reuben came home with a $16 grill and got the charcoal lit up. Bryce soon arrived to supervise the whole ordeal.

Of course, under Bryce's supervision, he managed to singe his arm hairs and burn his finger... but we won't judge him. Both Bryce and Reuben are pretty avid campers, and I usually trust them with fire -- if not a grill.

I think that we just didn't let the coals get hot enough before we tried to cook the meat. We were, after all, in a hurry to get to the lake before they closed for our water activities. But the fire kept going out, and the meat was cooking weirdly. In fact, it was more like we were smoking the steaks, hamburger and chicken. The chicken was turning a green, slimy color.... After much debate, we took the meat back inside to cook.

That was only after Reuben dropped the grill on the porch, causing much laughter between Kira and me... It was as if he didn't know there was a screen door. Like when you walk into a door because the glass is so clean...anyway...

We cooked the meat inside to make sure we wouldn't get food poisoning from eating undercooked meat.

One bite, and we were more concerned about getting cancer from the lighter fluid we were eating.

Owen is grossed out by the green, slimy chicken and lighter fluid.

So we gave up on the whole idea, deciding that none of us were quite ready for the grilling championships. I felt like a BBQ was such a grown up thing to be doing on Labor Day and I felt so sophisticated. But I think I love that this happened more. It was definitely entertaining.

The guys went down to the lake for a little sailing. And Kira and I played with this little guy.

And for dinner, we settled for the delicious, American favorite: In-N-Out.

Over all, it was a great weekend. But I'm definitely going to throw out there that we need some grilling lessons before our next BBQ.

I am Biased (offensive)

Considering the timing of several very cute arrivals to some of the coolest people I know... this blog post could offend some people. Don't let it. I am posting this on my blog but I am not necessarily posting about you. Most of my friends/family are pretty good about not annoying me with their kids. It's just random people, friends of friends, etc.that really annoy me. (But if you see yourself doing these things... maybe, tone it down a bit???)

So... it's official. I hate parents (not mine, of course). I hate the new moms that post on their Facebook every "cute" thing their baby does, how much their head circumference is, whether or not they've gone #2 today or not, and how just perfect, awesome, amazing, incredible, etc. their baby is.

I hate waiting for two or three moms all pushing their baby strollers across the street in the morning. (This is an irrational irritation... so if you do this, don't feel bad. I understand you want company while taking your child for a walk. It still bugs me though.)

I hate blogs that are ONLY about the baby and say everything the Facebook statuses say only much WORDIER. Trust me, every kid learns how to say, "da" and "ba." It is also part of human development to learn how to crawl, pull yourself up, eat with a fork and stack blocks. We all did it as children. Our grandparents did it. Cain and Abel did it. Your baby is not really that special because at 5 months he learned to crawl. Turns out most babies learn to crawl at 5 months. If it were 2 months, when he's barely begun to hold his head up but still managing to crawl... well then, that is pretty spectacular. One could say that I should stop reading the blogs (or block the Facebookers) but I continue to read on the off-chance that you will post about something else in your life. Because I'm still interested in what is going on in your life, even if you've turned completely lame since having a baby.

I hate moms that refuse to get a babysitter because they don't TRUST anyone to watch their baby (or are too cheap to get a babysitter) or are offended because you don't want their little tyke coming to the opera with you (I don't go to the opera, but you understand my meaning, I think...)

I hate the moms that are so consumed with worrying about germs reaching their baby. Hello. It's called an immune system. Your baby will die if it doesn't learn how to fight a little bit of germs.

Has anyone noticed that parents have the grossest conversations, ever? And they put it on the web, even though it should be private information. Your nips are chapped? No one needs to know that. Your baby is constipated? Wow, who cares? Normal people don't walk around complaining that their uterus feels like it is about to erupt or that they are so gassy or have the runs so bad they've had to change their pants twice today. Ok - I do know some people like that. But really, they don't post it online, which is one of the most public places ever these days. There are some things that really should just be kept to themselves.

Of course, none of this applies to my sister, Amy. Because I can't get enough of Kelsie stories. I would sit on the phone and listen to her talk and scream and cry the whole day. I can't get enough pictures of her. I look through them 100x a week. Kelsie actually is the cutest, smartest, most advanced baby I've ever seen. I don't want to know if she throws up or poops - but if that's the only story you got for me, go ahead and give it to me! (Maybe not....I'm just trying to prove a point.)

Also, Amy is probably one of the more normal moms I've ever met. (Except the whole fear of flying to Florida...............) She tries to stop Kelsie from eating the dog food, but you know, isn't ridiculous about it. She doesn't mind if someone, like a little kid, wants to talk to Kelsie. She'll let her run around and play. She'll get a babysitter (granted, usually my mom or Mackenzie) when she needs to. She's not afraid of germ, of Kelsie dying spontaneously. She's fairly laid-back. Much like my mom was when Brad and Mackenzie were babies.

When all is said and done, babies are funny creatures. They are so dependent. They are terribly easy to make fun of. If you aren't making fun of your kid, then you aren't doing something right. Lighten up and laugh a bit. And do try to remember to retain your personality. You've had a kid. You aren't brain damaged.

All of this just goes to prove that I am extremely biased and obviously not a mom. I love that Kelsie baby more than anyone else's kid. So, sorry. 

I guess that means that I am giving you free leave to not be offended and to take what I write with a grain of salt. Because even if you are a crazy mom, and I claim to hate crazy moms, I more than likely don't hate you. You're probably one of my most favorite people in the world.

Clothes are for...someone else

From Amy:

Kelsie wants nothing to do with shirts.

 




















And now she is trying to take off her pants.

Kelsie Story

I had to work today.

Somehow I can't bring myself to be sad about that - mostly because I get a couple of hours of over time. And I feel really good about the work that I did. I got to design two covers for an RFP that is going out, and I don't care how simple it is, I really enjoy doing that sort of thing. Plus, Kevin even complimented me and said I "really have a talent" for it. It made me sort of puffy. Also, Kevin bought us all lunch. So that was really nice of him.

When I checked my Facebook last night, Amy's status read something pretty interesting.

Amy Patrick is so excited that little miss Kelsie woke up at 2 in the morning and decided that she wanted a bath? What the heck, kid!!!! So she had a bath in the dark and then played for about an hour and is finally deciding she might be tired again!!! AHHHHH

It was posted around 1:40 a.m. MST, so that means Amy was up really late. I couldn't help but laugh. How did Amy know that Kelsie woke up for a bath? It seemed so funny. And so like Kelsie. Perhaps Amy just thought that if she put Kelsie in the bath, it would calm or soothe her enough that she would go to sleep. Well, I know for a fact that 2 a.m. is a GREAT time to take a bath (I've taken many at this time) so I'm not really surprised that Kelsie would be smart enough to figure that out. I was still skeptical though, that this recently turned one-year old would be able to communicate such a fact.

When I checked Facebook again later, Amy had responded to my questions:

She woke up and screamed bloody murder till I got her... I tried to get her to go back to sleep, she would not. I let her down on the floor in my room, she got the door open walked down the hall, stood in the kitchen doorway pointing at the bathroom saying, "mamamamamammama" then she came back to me. I was sitting on the floor in the front room watching her in the dark, she gave me a hug, and walked down the hall again pointing at the bathroom, i followed her into the kitchen, she went into the bathroom saying, "ba ba ba ba..." she tried to climb in, I said, "a bath?" she tried to take off her clothes, I assisted she climbed in and had a bath.

Also, it was all very random. and then as I sat there watching her walk up and down the hall in the dark, I think it must have been my eyes playing tricks on me, but she looked either like she was walking in a strobe light (you know how like you see something in one place, then all the sudden it is right next to you not the flashing light part.) I don't know how to explain it, but she like waddled up and down the hall in her little feety pajamas like something had possessed her! lol. like a small gremlin or something. 

I couldn't help but giggle. I love Kelsie stories - they are the best! And since Amy doesn't blog religiously about her daughter (I may or may not be the only one who would obsessively read it, but I still think she should take up the past time. Hint. Hint) I thought that this particular story should be recorded.

Also, Amy said that Kelsie was really confused by my birthday gift I sent her. I found that Target (and probably other places, but that is where I bought it) is selling retro Fisher Price toys and decided that I had to get Kelsie something that we all remember having as a child. The toys these days are not nearly as fun as the silly ones they put out when we were little and our parents were little. Anyway, I found the hand dial phone that you pull with a string and the eyes move up and down and thought it was SO cute that Kelsie just had to have it. AND it was her first birthday on February 2, so she deserved it. (Whether or not Mom and Amy say that Kelso has too many toys or not.)

Anyway, Kelsie has never used a phone with an actual CORD before. So Amy said that they tried to show her how to use the phone, but she didn't want to pull it - but she did because that is what they showed her - but she knew that you didn't PULL phones, so she just laid her head on it.

Gosh, I love that girl.

Picture Drop

This picture is from this summer when Amy and Mom came to visit. I just really like it - and I couldn't remember if I had posted it anywhere else. Amy had just gotten her hair done by my good friend Jessica Walker - who is amazing.

This is proof of my slight obsession mentioned in these posts. Of course, this isn't including the several e-books I also have saved on my computer. It is a sickness. I know.

If this isn't the cutest baby you have every seen - you are pretty much heartless. Or you have a relative that you think is cuter. Whatever. This kid is pretty much boss. And I love her so. I am also excited that she is growing out a mullet. Just like her aunt Shelli.

From Pictures from the Past   I always meant to post this picture when I talked about my amazing sandwich that I made over the summer. You can find that recipe here. This is what is passing for art at BYU these days. Yes, it is a dead turkey spray painted white. The platform on which it lies - it was probably 200 ft long. Neat, huh? Wish I had been an art major. Oh, and the title, "A Reflection on Killing" or something along those lines. The artist killed the turkey himself. Lastly, a picture I took while shopping. I know that I am immodest, but I really liked my hair that day. Because I am pretty sure I got my bangs trimmed, and I thought they looked good. And maybe they did - on that day. Afterward, they looked awful. Luckily, I have since remedied the situation, and my bangs are no longer too terrible to manage. Even if I do want to chop off my hair everyday, thus resulting to me wearing it in a pony tail almost everyday - certainly the past four days in a row. I didn't buy the black tank - though, I am regretting that decision. I DID buy the purple shirt hanging in the background. I am pretty sure I owe Jessica a thank you for that because she sent me a gift card for my birthday which allowed me to purchase said item.

Trade Off: Shelli's Version (Don't read this Meghan!)

My friend DeeAura posted this same blog post a few days ago...but, it is SO true that I couldn't help do the same.

Yesterday was a bad day. There were tears, frustration and phone calls made to Mom that included tears, complaining and frustration. That's the sort of thing that stats does to me on a regular basis. Of course it was made worse by seeing a low test score that I had hoped would be much higher. I had been almost confident when I went in to take the test, and then realized that no matter what I do or how much I know the material - I will still probably just barely pass the class. It squashed any type of motivation I had to move on to Unit 2. Gosh I hate stats.

So I was in a fairly bad mood. Emotional, bitter, resentful, angry, frustrated and anti-social. But I popped online and my sister's "For Shelli" folder of pictures had been updated. A new album had been created for Halloween pictures.

And I got to look at this cute thing for half an hour:

 

S

She's just stinkin' adorable. I can't even stand it. I could look at her all day. Seriously Amy, anytime you want me to take her - I will. You just have to get her here. :(

Check it

Brad doing crunches on the kitchen floor...while the rest of us die laughing. Because we are immature and we do think the farting sounds are hilarious


Kelsie eating baby food. This makes me laugh every time I watch it.

Julian

Ice cream is a favorite treat. Kelsie is a favorite baby.

So we went to Coldstone for a little cold treat (and frankly, to get out of the house) and while we were enjoying our personal favorites, another family walked passed us and I noticed that the little boy was particularly excited to see the baby in Amy's arms. He wanted to say "hello" but his mom was trying not to disturb us.

So I invited him over, letting Amy that the little boy wanted to say "hi" and so she turned and said hello and he got REALLY excited. He was just so happy to see the baby. And then he attempted to touch the baby, and when he stroked his little finger against her arm, he squealed. It was pretty much the most hilarious thing ever.

We asked his name and he told us, "3!" Very enthusiastically. (His mom told us that his name was Julian - I'm assuming he's just used to answering how old he is, as most kids are programed to do.)

Julian kept trying to touch Kelsie's head and arms before she could make contact with him. He would hide behind his mom and laugh and laugh and squeal and giggle. And we all had a good time laughing at his enjoyment. I've never seen a little boy - who didn't even have a younger sister - so happy to be around a baby. He was thrilled! And more so when he was able to play with her for a few seconds.

So thanks, Julian, for the amusement.

(I tried to get a picture, but my camera was past Cinderella hour and had depleted batteries...too bad.)

Mommy Sense

A month or so ago, my mom and sister came to visit and stayed in my room. I loved having them here, of course, but Amy left the remnants - and when I say remnants, I mean the whole thing set up and ready for use - of a "Play'n'Go" or a play pen for a baby.

They had borrowed it from my aunt and uncle in Idaho for Kelsie, and of course, I am the one who is responsible for getting it back to them. However, leaving it fully operational left me in quite a bind. I have never been able to figure out, without difficulty, the safety snaps, car seats, strollers, high chairs and play pens that are necessary to keep a baby restrained.

I'm convinced that along with lactating and a mother's intuition, also comes the ability to figure out all of those things.

Since I have never had a baby - I am still clueless.

The play pen is now sitting in the corner, happily put away in its little covering, but really...I won't admit how long it took me for it to get that way. The only thing I will say, is that I didn't say any swear words in trying to get it there - almost, but not quite. Amy made fun of me while she was here (or maybe the last time I was in Ohio) because I couldn't figure our the car seat or the stroller or something... but really, I am convinced that I may never figure out how to do it. Especially if I don't ever become a mother...then again, I won't really have a lot of use for knowing how... until Amy comes and visits again. But I think I will insist on her taking it down herself.

OHIO

While wallowing in the misery that is, and will always be, the thought of being registered for a STATS class (my personal hell on earth...), I have been thinking about home and the wonderful place that Troy actually is.

I must say, Troy exhibits several characteristics that just compliment my personality. For instance, Troy has always been an elitist and exclusive type of community. Although I have always found myself on the outside of these exclusive clubs - i.e. the basketball team, the popular kids, the rich kids, the kids in with large groups of friends... I find myself supporting these not-so-secret combinations. I don't have to tell you, dear reader, that I like to be exclusive. I like having my own private group or club or gathering. I enjoy inside jokes.

Troy is also a quaint little town and does really dumb things with its money. I am quaint. I think that if friendships were based off of mutual likes and dislikes - I wouldn't have the friends I do. The people that I cherish most have some of the most opposite interests and likes than I do. In fact, my interests are so "odd" (to them, not to me) that I don't think I would have ANY friends if I had to find a single person that shared my interests. Further, these interests often lead me to spending money on things that I probably don't need or won't use - but I swear I think I will use them when I purchase them. This is like Troy's thought process concerning potential look-out towers on the Adams Street Bridge (why?) and the Troy Water Park (I personally liked the regular SWIMMING pools better) or the gigantic football stadium and basketball gymnasium when our sports teams SUCK. But whatever. They all probably sound like a good idea at the time.

The thing I like most about Troy is that they know what's beautiful. Troy is full of pretty parks, and well-kept public areas. The river, the levee, the square, the cemeteries, the parks all around, the historical buildings... All pretty well-kept, all beautiful in their own right. I love that we have trees all over the place (forget Lindon, the city of trees - Troy has gotten the arbor award for ten years in a row - or something like that...) and I just love it. I love the bike path that they have created and extended. I love the green grass that is everywhere. I love love love the beauty of Troy. Did I mention the historical houses? I want one. Anyway, I like to think that I, too, appreciate beautiful things. And sometimes, I can be quite beautiful myself. (It takes a lot of work...but it happens on occasion.)

Of course, being beautiful in Ohio is a titch difficult. For some reason, my hair and even my make-up refuse to cooperate. I think it's the ever-present humidity. It doesn't matter what I do to my hair or how much make-up I put on...but the middle of the day, or within a few hours, all evidence of that effort is gone. GONE! Ohio is a magical place. It makes hours of preparation disappear in a matter of minutes. I am also magical. Or...not really. But I'd like to be.

I was so glad to go back to Troy this past week and be home. The weather even started to cooperate a few days in and it was absolutely WONDERFUL! I love Ohio. I love Troy. And most of all, I loved the time I got to spend with my family. They're my favorites.

Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday baby girl! I am so excited that you are here and a part of our family. You are so gosh darn cute already.

Your mom is a pretty excellent person. I've known her since I was fourteen months old. She's been one of my greatest companions and friends throughout my whole life. She underestimates herself a lot, so just keep in mind that you have one of the coolest moms in the world.

Life is hard; but that is why God gave us families. Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when he sent your special spirit to us. Just know that He is aware of you and your mom, and He will be there to help and aid throughout your life. He's also given us to you, and as your family, we will be there to watch you grow and succeed in life in whatever you choose to do.

I love you already, little one.

Love,
Aunt Shelli

Amy - happy birthday to you too, kiddo. I love you VERY much. You don't know how badly I wish I could be there to share this experience with you. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you - even if I am 1,600 miles away.