Fahrney Family

Beautiful Children

2011-03-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

I love to be the mommy...

2011-03-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

Wow! What purple thing did Grant eat!? Hum, funny. Nothing. That is the product of me daring to take a shower before church one Sunday. Grant decided to try on my make up. That's eyeshadow and lipstick on his lips. Let me tell you, it was not fun putting on eyeshadow a few minutes later with a wet brush.

What was even "funnier" is that just a few minutes before I got in ths shower I caught the kids licking milk off of the floor. Maybe I just need to pay more attention to them...

Crazy hair!

2011-03-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

I guess I should just be grateful that Sam's crazy hair covers her whole head and isn't just on top like Grant's was. And Sams does calm down, this is straight out of the bath hair.

He'll sleep anywhere

2011-03-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

Except his bed...

I'm getting the idea that my kids are not the only ones who don't want to go to sleep at bedtime. Grant does okay, some nights, especially when we drop a nap. But probably half the time, he falls asleep else where. It used to be in our bed. The last few times, he's brought his pillow and blanket into our bedroom and fallen asleep on Lily's pillow, definetly not a clean place to sleep. I guess I don't care, as long as I don't see him and he's actually sleeping.

Grant's New Do

2011-03-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

Grant kinda has crazy hair -- well, not kinda, really has crazy hair. It is so full up top and then doesn't really come in on the sides, and NEVER looks good except straight out of the bath. Nick decided to use the clippers on him, but accidently used the beard trimmer setting so Grant's hair ended up super short. I think it's really cute. And, this way, we also get to support our friends Jerrica and Maralee, who just had their heads shaved prior to brain surgery.

One of my favorite stories

2011-03-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my grandparents (well their faces at least).

In my grandma's words:
"Grandpa sent this picture of us when Grandma Herrmann asked for a picture of me when we were engaged. Grandma took a train to San Francisco shortly after to see what kind of a floozy he was soon to marry."

I love to see my grandparents personalities in the stories they share, and to me, this one shows quite a bit!

Samantha's First Birthday Party

2010-11-08T09:22:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2010-11-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

One of these things is not like the other...

We were actually all m&ms - even Nick dressed up at Trunk or Treat. This was the night before with a friend. Saturday night I was too busy to sit down and take a picture... make a note for next years Trunk or Treat to have a photo booth...

(Aren't these costumes beautiful, my very talented and creative sister made them!)

Cards for Stamp Camp

2010-10-27T19:47:00.001-07:00

1: Trees

2. Dasher

3: Peace

4: ornament

5: Bethlehem

6: mistletoe

Anybody who would like to come make cards on November 20th at my house is welcome. $30 for 25 cards, 10:00 - 2:00ish. Let me know, I'd love to have you!

Making home affordable

2010-07-21T14:06:00.001-07:00

Hello!

This post is for any random person searching for some hope that the "Making Home Affordable" program actually works. The short answer: YES IT DOES! It took 10 months from our first trial period payment, and LOTS of phone calls, but our mortgage was eventually modified and our payment was essentially cut in half. So, again, the short answer, it'll work, just hang in there.

IT WAS A NIGHTMARE THOUGH! We first started in May of 2009 and were told that we qualified. Then we heard nothing. Eventually, I called back and we were approved. We made our first trial period payment in August. We qualified because I'm no longer working and so our debt to income ratio was higher than the allowed amount. We made trial period payments, not hearing anything (but expecting to) because the 3 month trial period was over. In November, we got papers from the bank to get notarized, and were given a different mortgage payment. Sent them back. Heard nothing. In January, we got the same paperwork, but different numbers. No explanation, just a letter saying notarize and send back. We got a notice in the mail saying we had to do credit counseling. Did both. Waited and were told 4-6 weeks. Waited. Told 3-4 months. FINALLY the May statement reflected the changed interest rate and official payment.

I'm actually on the phone right now trying to fix a supposed late payment (we've NEVER been late). The account isn't showing on credit reports as delinquent anymore, just one late payment in January. Hopefully it'll be easy to fix.

Please feel free to share your experiences -- I've had a hard time finding a good site for these and I can move the comments to another blog if necessary!

Children's Discovery Museum

2010-07-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we went with my sister and my mom to the Children's discovery museum in Sausalito. All SF museums are free on the first Wednesday of the month! It was packed that day. It was nice, but I'm glad we didn't have to pay for it, as Grant's favorite things to do was play with the train set (which he did at Grandma's too), dig in the sand, and chase birds. He did have fun playing in the water too, but we both had a little meltdown because he kept splashing so big it was soaking Samantha, and it wasn't warm enough outside to get wet (their sweatshirts stayed very wet for the next 2 hours). Sam had a lot of fun splashing in the water too.

4th of July

2010-07-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

I think the 4th of July is my favorite holiday -- it's at least up there on the list (I know there aren't THAT many to choose from). This year we went to my Mom's house for a BBQ and then to San Ramon for their fireworks show. THe bottom picture is me trying to take a picture of Grant at the fireworks with the double flash. I had 3 pictures in a row with his eyes closed tight -- great smiles though!

Nick had the 5th off so we went to Santa Cruz. Grant actually is the one who started asking to go. On Thursday we were driving around and he started saying beach. So heck... why not. We took Lily too and let her play in the water until the lifeguard told us to put her leash back on. Grant had tons of fun in the water again, even though he was shivering. The sun didn't come out until after we left. Sam was a trooper, and after playing in the sand for a bit, fell asleep on the blanket. So sweet!

Weekend Fun

2010-07-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

Nick and I have been disagreeing lately on how to spend the weekends. I'm bored to death at home with the kids, so by the time Friday rolls around, I want OUT. He, on the other hand, just wants to relax at home. He's been supportive though, and we have been doing fun things. This past weekend, he hung out with Grant while I got to visit my grandparents and friend in Sacramento. It was great to get away!

Another Saturday, we went to a park and played Frisbee golf. I'm pretty bad, but it was really fun. Grant usually wants to walk so we just brought one stroller. After about an hour, Grant was so tired (and hot probably) he wanted to ride. So, between holes, he would separate Samantha's legs and crawl up in the stroller. She was getting impatient with him but they both got through sharing! YEAH!

Our good friends from Merced had a baby in May and we finally got to meet her! While Nick was working on our house in Merced, I hung out with this baby. She was SO QUIET. Her cry was nonexistent -- like a little baby whine. Samantha (and Grant for that matter) are screamers! Lucky dogs!

Grant Update

2010-07-13T14:03:00.000-07:00

Grant's sad face. He usually can't hold it long without cracking himself up.

What to say about Grant other than he is VERY 2. I think it's so much fun some days and other days I want to run away. Thank goodnes I have both! He loves to help us do whatever we're doing. He loves water and his sandbox (we took the sand out a few weeks ago and filled it with water -- it may be time for a kiddie pool). I'm constantly telling him to stop being mean to his sister (stepping on her, taking away toys, pouring water on her head...). We've heard him singing to himself at bedtime (fruit salad by The Wiggles) and he loves it when we sing. He's woken up from his naps lately VERY crabby -- not at all the best part of the day.

Samantha Update

2010-07-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hum, what to say about my darling child Samantha. She is now 8 months old. She got her first tooth on Grant's birthday. Her favorite things lately: Mommy (x100), her brother (he can make her laugh easier than anyone else) and people food. She could care less about baby food but loves little bites of whatever we are eating. Her hair has been in her eyes lately so I often put it up on the top of her head. She's still really skinny -- 13 lbs 13 oz at 8 mos -- and the doctor wants us to meet with a high risk infant follow up clinic, which we'll do next week. She's a bit of a challenge because she wants me to hold her all the time -- so bad that I can't even put her on the floor in the same room as me. And, she's not sleeping through the night. But, she is still tons of fun, crawling around and pulling herself up on things.

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Mommy update

2010-07-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

We were asked the other day what our goals were, and for the first time in my life, I couldn't think of one! I've always been very goal oriented and so to be at a time in my life when I don't really have one, I was kind of concerned. How about not to kill my kids before their 3rd birthdays?

I've also decided that I need a hobby, something for myself. I planed on making a quiet book for Grant but I asked my mom for help and she's doing it. I help when when I'm there. I enjoy reading. I love the Hunger Games series. I spend a lot of time on the couponing website planning my shopping trips. I canned peaches the other day after getting them for 33 cents a pound at the farmer's market.

My biggest thing now I guess is that I'm losing weight. I started Weight Watchers in April and have lost about 15 pounds. I have at least 7 more to go before I'll be happy, and I'd love to lose 12 or 17 (although not sure it's possible).

Taken with my dorm roommate -- September 2000. This is the dream weight. I love this pic of me -- the hair, the tan, everything!

Taken with my best friends from college-- Cami and Tamara in January of 2009, about a month before I got pregnant with Sam. After these pictures, I realized how much I needed to loose weight. Probably about the starting weight (or pretty close).

Our trip to San Diego

2010-07-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

My Mom and Step-Dad took us to San Diego for a few days in June. It was so nice to get out of town for awhile. The drive was long, but thank goodnes for family in Bakersfield to stop and visit with to help break up the trip! The resort we stayed at was really nice, I wish I'd been smarter and not planned so much to do so we would have had more time to swim. Grant loved the pool -- Sam, not so much -- but Grant didn't want to get out (even though he was shivering because it wasn't that warm out yet).

Wild Animal Park and Zoo

2010-07-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

I think Grant's favorite thing at the zoo was this helicopter up by the polar bears. We waited in line and let him sit in it twice because he had so much fun!

End of the day at the zoo... We're pooped.

We took Grant into the petting zoo at the Wild Animal Park and he was more interested in playing with the sand than petting the animals. He did pet a few, and went for the ears like he does Lily. Thank goodness these are very calm animals!

San Diego Beach

2010-07-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

Grant and Samantha both had so much fun at the beach in San Diego. Grant wasn't at all interested in the sand (and we can't keep him out of the sandbox at home) and wouldn't get out of the water. When we left, he kept saying "more beach." Samantha loved playing in the sand, and didn't really try to eat it until she fell face first into it. Oops.

Sea World San Diego

2010-07-12T15:31:00.001-07:00

This fish was huge! Grant was walking along the edge of the tank following it as it swam. It was really fun to watch!

Grant got tired of riding in the stroller and so we let him "help." He always wants to help.

One tired baby (we actually had 2 tired babies, but didn't get a picture of Grant sleeping).

We had fun at our day at Sea World in San Diego. Grant loved the shows that we went to. We even sat in the splash zone during the whale show and he didn't really mind getting splashed! We also saw a 4-D Sesame Street movie while we were there. We got a kick out of watching Grant react to the 3-D. Suprisingly, he kept his glasses on the whole time.

She's breathing my air!!

2010-06-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

Normally, whenever Grant gets within arm reach of Samantha, she dives for him. She loves Grant and wants to play with him. Normally, he has ZERO patience with her, and swats her away. I feel like the whole, "Mom, she's breathing my air" complaint is starting already. Today, Samantha scooted close to Grant and I had to take out the camera. Grant was patient with her because he likes to look at himself after I take the picture. Fair enough...

Water Skiing 2010

2010-06-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

We took a family from our ward water skiing. They have two boys aged 3 and 4 -- it was a ton of fun. All we hear from Grant now is "boat," especially when he sees a truck (with or without a hitch, he doesn't seem to get it)... Grant had a lot of fun playing in the water too - there was a great area to boat into and picnic for lunch and enjoy the lake from the shore.

Kids do the funniest things

2010-06-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

Grant loves this big bunny stuffed animal. He loves all over it and it sometimes even keeps him company in the sandbox when Mom's too lazy to play outside (and isn't paying attention to the white bunny going outside). The other day, Grant was sitting on our bed and grabbed his bunny, held it accross his chest and said "eat." He was nursing the bunny! At least he didn't lift his shirt too!

Grant's 2nd Birthday

2010-05-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

A wagon from Grandpa and Grandma Nut. Momo helped Grant open his other gifts.

A bike from Mom and Dad (he's stil too short for the pedals but he loves to ride it around the backyard.

A basketball hoop from Grandma Karen

The easiest cake ever... Grant picks up this hotwheel and says "birthday cake." It's amazing to me that he remembers!

Grant loved his cake (of course). When we sang him happy birthday he kind of just look around at all of us. He blew out his candle a few times (thanks to Daddy).

Couponing!

2010-04-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

When we moved here, I decided to start couponing! I am having so much fun, but also spending WAY too much money (which is funny because I should be SAVING). I found this great site: myfrugaladventures.com , that lists the deals for each store using multiple coupons. I am AMAZED at these people who figure this stuff out!

I've gotten a few great buys, but today, I walked away with a free bottle of lotion (8.99), a free bottle of dove conditioner, free body wash and free colorful panty-liners! I probably also spent 4-5 hours planning, clipping, shopping, etc... AND I had to go back to the store. Hum... hopefully I get better at it. Last week I also got a bag of 34 diapers for $1.99. (I used a Safeway coupon, a manufacturer's coupon, AND loaded a coupon on to my Safeway card). I also got Ben and Jerry's for less than $1.75 each -- which I totally don't need but when else can you find that ice cream so cheap!

I also bought 3 bags of Pepperidge Farm cookies for an average of $1.10 a bag. Did you know there are only 8 cookies in each bag!? Ridiculous! As my wonderful husband pointed out, even though they were cheap, it was still $3 I wouldn't (shouldn't) have spent otherwise.

I'm hoping to get better at this -- to stop getting so excited about things that are cheap that I don't need and have SOME RESTRAINT! Luckily, Nick is being patient with me.

Fun with Grandma Nut

2010-04-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

We went to the Oakland Zoo with my Sister and her kids and my mom and step-dad. It was fun, although it rained. At the end of the day, Grandma took Grant on the Merry-go-round. I'm not so sure what he thought of it, he was SO tired.

A week later or so, we went to Happy Hollow in San Jose. Grant usually could care less about slides but he went on this one over and over again.

I don't think he smiled during the ride a single time. However, after the ride was over, he asked for more. The second time, he cried. He went straight for my cousin to hold him instead of me... maybe I shouldn't have pushed him!

I thought it was really funny that she fell asleep holding the buggy. She and Grant fight over the buggies, especially when we have their car seats next to each other. (Well, she doesn't really put up a fight).

Easter Saturday

2010-04-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Easter was so fun this year! We celebrated on Saturday so that we could keep Easter Sunday about the Resurrection and not the Easter Bunny. We threw a bunch of eggs on the back lawn, and had Grant go out and find them. He couldn't figure out how to hold them all in his hands, and tried to put them in his sweatshirt pocket. He figured out about halfway through that there was candy inside of them and then he didn't want to find anymore, he just wanted to eat them.

Later that day, Grant went to his first birthday party and then to a friends house with an orchard and found more candy. They hid so much, we filled a brown lunch bag full of candy! It was a lot of fun, and I think Grant had fun trying to find the candy. I wish I would have hid it in the backyard instead of just throwing it on the ground.

Cousins!

2010-03-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

My mom made all of the granddaughters tie-dyed dresses for Christmas so that we could take a picture together. We finally got together for the pictures, which turned out okay, but it was much more fun to get together with the cousins than to take pictures, especially with so many young ones!

They grow so fast!

2010-03-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

I asked Grant to lay down so I could change his diaper and he layed down right next to Sam. It was really cute. (Since then, he's decided that this little mat his his and he doesn't want to share with Samantha.

Lily is feeling so left out she has finally figured out how to get up on the little ottoman for the rocking chair. Not an easy feat! Poor Lily.

2010-03-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

I was trying to take pictures of Samantha because it had been such a long time. Grant kept saying "Lily" and wouldn't (easily) let me take pictures of Samantha until I took a picture of Lily and showed it to him. I actually really like this picture of Lily too!

Samantha is very alert and is having a lot of fun playing with her feet and rolling over. I have to strap her in to the bouncer or else she will roll out of it. I found her sucking on her toes the other day -- she's fascinated with them! She is being a bit of a pill about sleeping because she'd much rather play, but so far, sleep training is going way easier with her than it did with Grant.

Weee!!

2010-03-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

September 2008
March 2010

Thoughts on Relief Society

2010-03-18T22:19:00.001-07:00

A letter I wrote for the February newsletter about the time I spent serving in Relief Society ...

With my impending release, I have been pondering lately what Relief Society means to me, and what I have learned in the last year and a half that I have been serving in this wonderful organization.

First, I will take away a deeper understanding that all sisters are part of Relief Society; that no matter where I serve, I am still part of that sisterhood and have a responsibility and kinship as a Relief Society sister. It is not just for old women, each of us has a part in this organization!

Second, I love visiting teaching. It can still be difficult to go some months, and I’m nowhere near 100%, but I know what an important and inspired program it is. As the Relief Society president, I rely on visiting teachers to report the needs of their sisters and to help them when they can. I will be an active part of that for the rest of my life.

Third, Relief Society is the Lord’s organization for women. He designed it. The purposes of Relief Society – to help us increase in personal righteousness, to strengthen home and family, and to serve the Lord and His children – assist us as we strive to keep the covenants that we have made at baptism and in the temple.

I love Relief Society, and I have treasured the time that I’ve spent learning from the sisters in our ward. Thank you for your love, support, and service.

Our move!

2010-03-18T22:15:00.001-07:00

We are here! Finally living in the same town Nick works in! It feels great to be here and Nick is enjoying being able to sleep in a bit in the morning. He's ridden his bike to work a few times and stayed up until 10:00 tonight without TOO much griping!

The house is in a fantastic neighborhood and has a good sized back yard. There are only 3 bedrooms but a living room and family room -- we turned one of them into a toy room/computer room. The kitchen is upgraded with granite countertops and newer appliances. The bathrooms are kinda nasty. I feel like my nose is only an inch away from the wall in our shower it's so small.

The ward is good so far. A few young couples just starting their families like we are.

Reading!

2010-03-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've read a bunch of books lately. I tend to get on a kick and just can't stop.

My thoughts/brief reviews of some of the books:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society: Really fun read. Great characters. Fun writing style (written in the form of letters). Kind of predictable.

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. Eh. I listened to it -- it took a really long time to get through and wasn't anything spectacular. Kinda cliche.

My Sister's Keeper. I thought I'd love this but I was actually really disappointed. A few too many bad words, and I thought too many under developed side plots.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel. After reading the end, I want to reread this book now. It was a little slow in the middle, I was getting anxious for something else to happen, but the end gives this great conclusion and symbolism that I want to re-read for. I think it would be a great book club book.

The Art of Racing in the Rain. Decent. Funny voice (from the perspective of a dog) but I didn't love the story.

The Glass Castle. Fantastic! I loved it. A woman tells her story about growing up in poverty, but she just tells the story without emotional commentary. I'd put it off for a long time because I'd heard it was depressing, but I actually didn't think it was even depressing -- a little maybe to know that people live in poverty, but the author doesn't feel bad for herself. Really good.

The Long Walk: The true story of a trek to freedom. About a man's escape from a prison camp in Siberia. Took a bit to get into but an amazing story of endurance and the will to live.

I just checked out Wicked and Life According to Garp. Wickeds taking a bit to get into...

Beautiful Family!

2010-03-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

It was so cute they matched, I just had to take a picture...

oh yeah this too

2010-02-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

Grant loves to look out the window. He carries his little step stool over to the window and looks out and says "bird." He gets frustrated when there aren't any birds to see, and wants us to find them for him (or make them come). Everytime we open the blinds, Lily comes running too. It's a common sight lately to see both of them staring out the window looking for birds.

Daddy's boy

2010-02-02T22:07:00.000-08:00

No, we are not technically potty-training Grant. However, a few weeks ago we set up his potty seat by our bathroom. When Daddy gets home, Grant follows him around like a puppy and does what he does. Poor Nick, no more going to the bathroom in private. Grant gets pretty upset when Nick closes the door. So cute...

Sorry its been so long... and so short this time! The only reason this is even happening now is because I needed to upload pictures of things I'm trying to sell on Craigslist and I'd already taken this picture.

Life's busy with the upcoming move.

Poor Merced

2009-12-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

From yahoo real estate...

"Merced, Calif., is a quiet, residential city an easy drive from Yosemite National and Pacific Coast beaches. It's also a perfect case study for the aftermath of the housing crisis. Homes at the median level in Merced have lost 62% of their value from the second quarter of 2006, when they peaked at $336,743, the biggest drop anywhere in the country, according to data provided to Forbes by Local Market Monitor, a Cary, North Carolina-based real estate research firm. Earlier, home building and buying grew exponentially in Merced, but the metro now suffers from a whopping 16.4% unemployment rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reflecting a drop-off in building industry jobs and a grim housing market."

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/cities-where-homes-are-losing-most-value

Poor Merced. Poor us. Will it ever recover???

Taking Pictures

2009-12-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

I tried to take some pictures today... Samantha cried everytime I put her down (it's amazing that I got the ones I did). Grant has decided that he loves having his picture taken (or at least the flash) so he often gives me a HUGE cheezy smile when I bring out the camera. It's been quite fun the last few weeks.

Grant's Animal Sounds

2009-12-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

Why I love him!

2009-12-03T15:34:00.000-08:00

We took family pictures last weekend and in order to help Grant smile, Nick made his elephant sound. When I saw the picture taken in the process of this sound, I had to blow it up! Grant loves his Daddy, probably because he is so darn funny (looking! -- ha ha ha).

Cute Grant moment

2009-11-16T14:54:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how much Grant picks up -- he is such a little sponge.

Today, he played a short song on his little xylophone and then folded his arms, talked for 10 seconds or so, and said "amen." He did it 2 or 3 times too, so I'm not just imagining things! This was particularly cute because songs in our church meetings are often followed by a prayer, during which we fold our arms, and end with amen! SO CUTE!

It's time to start paying attention and make sure I'm teaching him good things!

Samantha Michelle

2009-11-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

Right before we left for the hospital...

Samantha Michelle Fahrney was born on Monday, November 2nd at 9:56 am. Nick and I got to the hospital at 7:15 for a 9:30 surgery. It was a completely different experience to know exactly when she was coming. I got up and took a shower and did my hair and makeup (something I won't do with the next one(s) because I ended up putting my hair up and rubbing all my makeup off anyway).

Surgery went well. I love my OB and I really liked the anesthesiologist. It took a little longer because my doctor had to work a little to make my incision look pretty (I told him I didn't care... it's not like I'm a bikini person). I was nauseous off and on all day Monday -- I think in part because I was starving. Samantha latched right on and is a great nurser, although she's a bit of a barracuda.

I spent all day Tuesday in the hospital and got to go home Wednesday afternoon. Grant loves Daddy so much he didn't necessarily care that I was even home. He has taken peeks at Samantha, but hasn't really made any attempt to meet her yet. He does get a bit jealous when Daddy holds her, but Nick's doing a great job helping Grant.

She's sleeping well (mostly) and letting me sleep for at least a few hours at at time at night. She poops a ton (if I remember right all newborns do). The pediatrician gave her a stamp of approval. She is beautiful!

Grant's Antics

2009-11-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

Grant is such a boy! He loves his daddy and playing rough, loves to go outside (brings his shoes to me multiple times a day), and has more bumps and bruises than any poor kid should. Within a 2 week period, Grant rolled his ride on toy down the driveway into the bumper of the truck (no bruise but it looked like it hurt), fell off the curb he was sitting on and ate asphalt (goose egg on forehead, scrape on nose), and then tripped running around stepping off the curb (his forehead as shown). Interestingly enough, all 3 of the things happened when Daddy was in charge. Hum...

Grant has been a trooper the past few weeks (well months really) going to doctor's appointments with me. We get kind of bored sometimes waiting for the doctor. Recently, he has found it to be a fun game to empty my diaper bag. He finds my camera and hands it to be and signs "more" and then will stop and let me take a picture of him. This one I thought was particularly cute!

If there was any doubt in my mind that Grant is not ready for a big boy bed, this moment made it clear (again). He moves WAY too much for a big boy bed. It is so fun to go into his room and find him in different sleeping positions.

Grant is trying to communicate with us so much. We taught him two signs -- more and hungry. He has added ball and fly (he hits his head- thawp). He is mimicking sounds, and loves trucks and buses. Anytime we hear a bus (or truck that sounds like a bus) go by he says "bus." He loves ice, and says ice, which sounds just like socks. He makes a doggy, kitty, pig, and elephant sounds, as well as the gorilla in the video. I want to get a video of all of his cute things. When he gets tired (and delirious) he spins around and makes himself dizzy. That's really fun too! He says Lily, banana, milk, and baby. I'm not sure if anybody else know what the word is, but it's the same every time. I can't believe how much he is growing and learning everyday!

Halloween!

2009-11-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

For Halloween, we went to the church for the annual "Trunk-or-Treat." Grant was a monkey. I'd bought a skunk costume for him on E-bay but then a friend of mine offered me the monkey costume and it was so fitting, I had to use it. Grant could pretty much care less about going from car to car -- I think his attention made it about 5 cars, until he found a flower bed to play in. He pretty much spent the rest of our time there playing in the dirt and stepping down the curb. He didn't do his job of collecting candy for Mommy =).

Nick and I went to our first Halloween party since college at a friend's house the weekend before Halloween. It was kind of fun to get dressed up. I'm glad my friend had a big pregnant lady costume though -- it worked perfectly!

Grant at a little Halloween party with some of his friends. I'm constantly amazed at how cute and creative some of my friends are -- I never would have thought to have a Halloween party for Grant and his friends, but it was fun to see the kids dressed up (although none were too happy about it).

Yeah for real wood!

2009-10-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

After
After

Before

As Samantha's coming got closer, we started looking for a used dresser. It was tough because I wasn't really in the mood to search for a good one, but didn't want to go to Target and buy a cheap particle board dresser either. My mom had a dresser that was her Grandmother's that she was willing to give us -- the problem (for me) was that it was a mess! I didn't mind the color, but there were watermarks and other stains all over it. Nick and I spent a weekend sanding and staining the dresser and it looks fantastic! When Mom saw it, she said, "I want it back!" We are now hoping to find a bookshelf in the same type of wood that we can do the same thing to. It was fun (even though Nick did most of the work) and way cheaper than buying a new real wood piece of furniture.

Yeah for stress!

2009-10-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

I love to be stressed. I have as long as I can remember, felt and done best when I've had a million things going on. I had the opportunity to plan our ward's "Super Saturday" because the Enrichment counselor moved and we needed to get it done. It was scheduled for 10 days before Samantha was scheduled to be born.

We had a "Christmas in October" on Friday night, instead of Saturday morning. It was a huge hit -- we had fantastic attendance and I think everyone had a good time. We offered different 5 different craft projects, a service project, a class on using Shutterfly, and cookie mixes in a jar (kind of crafty).

I realized that it wouldn't have been stressful (at all) if I would learn to delegate. I did a little, more of a just in case than because I wanted to, but definitely had my little hand in almost every aspect of the evening. To just organize something is one thing -- to organize and plan and prepare 4 different projects is another. Goal of mine: LEARN TO DELEGATE!

The crayon fiasco!

2009-10-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

It is never a good idea to wash a crayon. Good advice: make sure you don't sort laundry on top of crayons hanging out on the floor. They can get picked up and washed. I, unfortunately, made that mistake with a very large load of dark clothing. It was the first time that I washed a lot of the clothes too -- I just finished buying a bunch of fall/winter clothes for Grant and was getting them ready for the first wear. Imagine my horror when I pulled them out of the dryer and found orange crayon on EVERY single piece of clothing. Some were worse than others, but there was at least a handful of marks on each. After researching online (what in the world would I do without the Internet) crayola's website said to use WD-40 and dish soap, and then to wash with oxy-clean and regular detergent. I started with a few items to test it out. I spent a good 2 hours finding the spots, spraying them with WD-40, letting it soak, and then rubbing dish soap into the spots I'd sprayed. I think I only did about 8 items too before I ran out of stuff. I didn't want those stains to set in (in case the WD-40 did damage) so I washed what I had done. I hadn't sprayed the maternity panel of my jeans (not visible=not worth it) or finished one of Grant's shirts because I'd run out of spray, but yeah!!! it came out anyway! Turns out, after a week of procrastinating and 2 hours starting, all it needed was a regular wash with detergent and oxy-clean. Yeah for oxy-clean. I no longer have crayon on anything EXCEPT the only two dark shirts that Nick wears on the weekends! Bummer for Nick, yeah for me!

Poor sick baby!

2009-09-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

We have been really lucky with Grant and he has only been sick twice in the 18 months or so that we've had with him. The first time was back in May, from a bug we picked up at the doctor's office (grrr), and we managed because he just slept. All day. This time around, Mom got sick first. It is no fun to care for a sick child when you are sick! Poor Grant was so tired but wanted to play so bad. He is not the type to fall asleep anywhere but his car seat or crib. I took this picture because he wanted to play so badly but just couldn't muster the energy. He was laying on the dog's bed with his paci and yarn, reaching for the steering wheel. Poor guy. He got better faster than I did though!

I love my blankie

2009-09-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

My grandma (Nyanya) makes a blanket for each one of her great grandchildren. This is a picture of Grant with his. He LOVES it, as do all of his cousins. I am excited to get the one that she made for Samantha -- I suspect Sam will love it too. We usually keep it in the crib, but if it ever comes out, Grant won't let it go -- he wrestles with it. He won't share it with me either. I tried to take a corner to sleep on in the car and he kept pulling it a way from me. My blankie!

Grant LOVES the water

2009-09-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

We've taken Grant swimming a few times and he loves it every time. These particular pictures are from June (YIKES) but he still loves the water. I took him swimming with my sister last week and all he wanted to do was "jump" in. Really, it was more like be pulled in by Mom, but he kept asking for more. He blows bubbles and does fairly well when we dunk him. Lily doesn't get to join us often, but she loves to swim too (maybe even more than Grant, we can't get her out).

Sprinkler Fun!

2009-09-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Often when we are eating dinner and Grant is driving us crazy, we'll open up the back door and let him play outside. He loves to wander around out there and rarely cares if we're not there with him. It's not like he actually eats dinner with us (if it's not cheese or fruit, he won't touch it). This particular night, we were eating a little earlier than normal and not 30 seconds after we let him out, the sprinklers turned on. This is his first experience with the sprinklers, but he showed NO FEAR!

Book Review

2009-09-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

I finished the other three books that are a part of the Confessions of a Shopaholic series. They were cute. I still got a little annoyed at the character because of her total lack of self control when it comes to shopping, but they were really fun stories. I read the three books in 5 days (I think). I didn't do much else those days obviously.

I also finished listening to "Q&A" aka Slumdog Millionaire. It was a great story. I'm not sure how it compared to the movie because I didn't see the movie, but it was really entertaining. It is about a poor boy in India who is trying to prove how he was able to win India's version of "Who wants to be a Millionaire." He tells how he knew the answer to each one of the questions through his experiences, rather than through education.

Now I'm working on the Da Vinci Code. Unfortunately, I've had too much to do to just sit down and finish it and it's driving me crazy!

Quite the shiner!

2009-09-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago when we were at my mom's house, Grant hit his cheek on the bottom railing going down the stairs. Not only did he have a cut on his cheek, but he had a nasty black eye for about a week. The first picture is the night after it happened, and the second picture is two days later. The third picture we took once we got home on our own stairs... no wonder he occasionally falls down.

Book Review

2009-08-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. This book is beautifully written. The descriptions he makes and the choice of words is incredible. It also made it much slower of a read - it wasn't the simple language I am used to =). It is about the trial of a Japanese American man in a small town soon after WWII (and Japanese internment). It explores different concerns of people during that time, including moving on after war and racism/discrimination of Japanese Americans. It was a beautiful story. I think it ended too abruptly though, there wasn't enough resolution for me.

The Invisible Wall: A Love Story that Broke Barriers by Harry Bernstein. This book is a social history set in England around the time of WWI. It is a biography of a Jewish family written by the youngest son. They live on a street that is divided, Jews on one side, Christians on the other. You learn what his experiences were and what he has learned over the years. If I understand correctly, the author didn't write the book until his 90s, so there is an understanding in the book that may have been missing if written by a younger man. It is definitely a quick read but I didn't love it. Lots of discussable topics though, so great for a book club.

Oakland Zoo

2009-07-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

Of all the pictures I took, I think this one is my favorite... Such cute men I have in my life =)

We went to the Oakland Zoo last weekend. Grant could pretty much care less but it was fun for Nick and I to go do something other than sit around at my mom's house. After going to the zoo in San Diego at the beginning of this year, this wasn't much to write home about, but I'm glad we went. Grant like the smaller animals, but only ones that moved.

Bay Bridge Tour

2009-07-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

Last week Nick and I got to go on a boat tour of the Bay Bridge construction. It was really neat and a HUGE endeavor. They are closing the bay bridge Thursday night of Labor Day weekend and reopening Tuesday morning so that they can create a detour through Treasure Island. It is crazy the technology and physics of what they are doing! Even I (who knows NOTHING about engineering) was amazed. Their website: baybridgeinfo.org. It has simulations of what they are doing. It even won a Webby (which I guess is a big deal).

We were so official with our hard hats, safety glasses, work boots and life jackets. We were so protected so that if someone threw something off the bridge we wouldn't get injured.

Two shots of the old bridge and the new bridge side by side. (The old bridge is the one made of steel). They attached steel "netting" (I don't know what else to call it) under the new bridge so that the species of birds that live under the old bridge would have somewhere to go when they take down the old bridge. It's kind of crazy the things they've thought of (or environmentalists have made them think of).

This is a mulit-million (like 45 million if I remember right) dollar crane that takes pieces of scaffolding off of the boat from Shainghi (I know I can't spell) and onto the barge for building the bridge. This whole process won't actually be part of the bridge, it's just there until the suspension cables are attached.

Another Book Review

2009-07-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

My books this week (or so):

Book 3 and 4 of the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. Children's books about a reserve for magical creatures. Fun books to read but definitely are written for children (whereas, for instance, Harry Potter could arguably be as much for adults than kids). Entertaining and easy to read though. I'll read the last one when it comes out and probably give them to my niece for Christmas.

Confessions of a Shopaholic. This book took me a really long time to finish because I had a really hard time getting into it. I'm not a shopaholic, AT ALL, and I found the main character really annoying because she has all this debt and still won't stop buying stupid stuff. I don't get it. However, I finished it, and actually enjoyed the resolution to her debt problems. In a way she was searching to find herself and I enjoyed the journey (even though I was annoyed during the first half or so). It is significantly different than the movie.

Bridge to Terabithia. I'd read this book in elementary school but didn't remember anything about it except that it was sad. Sure enough, still sad, very sad, but a great story and was worth rereading.

What next... I have The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books that I've been wanting to read. Am I ready to tackle them though after a bunch of kid's books? Hum... Or, I have a Nicholas Sparks book that I haven't read yet. That one will probably come first. I never said I choose the hard road...

Making Home Affordable!

2009-07-09T22:06:00.001-07:00

I feel like an advertisement but I'm stoked about his and have to share. Nick and I found out today that we are initially qualified for (and in a trial period of) a loan modification. Our interest rate was dropped so that our home debt/income is 31%. It is saving us $435/month! We have a 3 month trial period, during which time we have to make our payments on time (which we never stopped doing), and probably send in documentation of the information I gave them over the phone. Then, this new interest rate will be fixed for 5 years. After 5 years, it will be fixed at whatever the rate is now (lower than the 6.75 we're currently at, she said something about 5 something).

It feels so good to have actually qualified for something. After all my woes about the government only helping people who are financially irresponsible and NOT making payments, there is finally a program that will work for me. Yeah Obama!!

For more information go to http://makinghomeaffordable.gov/

What we've been doing

2009-07-09T21:57:00.003-07:00

Not taking pictures (obviously).

I went to Sacramento to see the Lion King with my girlfriends the last Saturday in June. My friend upgraded out tickets for us so we towards the front. The costumes were amazing and the woman who played Raffiki (the baboon) was incredible. I highly recommend it. It follows the same storyline as the Disney movie with some additional songs and scenes. Worth it for the costumes (if nothing else).

We went to Bakersfield for the 4th of July. Joe Eribarne, the man Nick worked for over the internet/fax machine while in college and who we were going to go to work for when Nick lost his job with Harris and Sloan passed away and his funeral was the 3rd. I'm grateful for my testimony of Jesus Christ and eternal families. I don't think there is anything quite like a funeral to remind us of our beliefs.

We opened a Health Savings account! For those of you who don't know what that is (as I didn't until recently), it is a savings account to use for medical expenses. It's meant for people with no medical insurance or with high deductibles. In 2009, $5950 that you put into the fund is tax deductible. It rolls over from year to year and can be used for any medical expenses (except premiums). We'll us it to pay for our new baby (I don't even want to think about how much that will be). It's a way to write of medical expenses that aren't 20% of your income (which I'm pretty sure is the requirement to put them on your taxes).

We also met with someone to discuss a rollover for Nick's 401K from Harris and Sloan and life insurance, as well as Roth IRAs for our future. Am I really ready for this stuff?

It's a girl!

2009-07-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

That's it. She's coming and there's no stopping her. This pregnancy has been pretty easy, I don't even realize I'm pregnant most of the time. My due date is November 5th. I'm hoping to not have to deliver until November 3rd (scheduled C-section so if she's stubborn like Grant was then it shouldn't be a problem waiting until just before the due date). We have no names yet because Nick won't talk about it until the 3rd trimester. I love the name Grace but I think I've decided it's too much like Grant to actually name her that. Bummer. Now I'm stuck. Teaching has made it somewhat difficult too... too many memories associated with names.

Books Books and more Books

2009-07-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

So I've learned something about myself. I get into something and I can't stop. Somedays (unfortunately) it's TV or video or computer games. Occasionally, it will be something constructive like geneology. Lately, it has been reading. I love to read. The latest in my quest for knowledge (or something like that)...

Cheaper by the Dozen by Gilbreth (I think). I read this for book club in April. It was the last book I finished before I started the other 4 in the last 10 days or so. It was a super fun easy read. IT IS A COMPLETELY different story than the movie. It's about a family with 12 kids, and the things their dad/parents taught them. It's a biography but readable as fiction (I'm not a non-fiction fan AT ALL).

The Note by Angela Hunt. It was okay. Worth reading but not on the top of my request list. It's about a reporter who finds a note written by a father to a child right before his plane crashes. The reporter is searching to find the child to return this lost note and final message from the father. As she does this, she grows and learns about herself also.

The Fabelhaven series by Muller (I think). I've read the first two of these and just started the 3rd (of 4) tonight. They are children's books (like upper elementary probably). The series is about a preserve for enchanted creatures (like faires, goblins, witches, trolls, etc). The main characters, a teenage girl and an 11ish yr old boy, go to stay with their grandparents who are the caretakers for this preserve. They get into a lot of trouble as they discover the truth about Fablehaven. They are fun to read but not at all on the same level as Harry Potter. Definitly kids's books, whereas Harry Potter could have been directed towards adults.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Hosseini. Beautiful. Difficult to read. It is about the treatment of women in Afghanistan through the eyes of a "bastard" woman and a girl who lost her parents to a bomb. It is by the same author as the Kite Runner and I'd say is more difficult to read but just as rewarding if not more so. I love the bits of history that he includes about the rule of Afghanistan and what their people have been through. If you can handle a little disturbing to reach a redeeming end, I highly recommend (I almost quit with about 50 pages left because I couldn't take it anymore. I'm very glad I finished).

Weekend in Ventura

2009-06-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend we went down to Southern California for a weeding and extended our stay in Ventura with Nick's best friends parents. We went to the beach, even though it was freezing cold. Grant thought it was really funny when the waves were coming, but wasn't quite sure what to think about when the actually hit him. He was completely shivering after 2 minutes of putting his feet in like this.

On the way home, Grant was perhaps dirtier than he ever has been to date. We stopped and saw Grandpa while he was working and he held Grant and got construction dirt all over him. Then, we stopped for ice cream in Fresno (and a break because Grant was driving us nuts!) and he got dinner and ice cream all over his face. We let him crawl around all over the ground outside Cold Stone and he got filthy (you can kind of see the tops of his feet). To top it all off, he also had a major poopy diaper that we changed soon after this picture was taken. Welcome to boyhood Grant (and Mommy).

Grant's First Birthday Party

2009-05-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at decorating a cake. Who knows if I will ever try again (it's supposed to be Lightening McQueen). It tasted good at least...

First bite of cake...

Yum this is good...

Wow! It's so much fun to get cake everywhere!

(Fairly) Recent Happenings

2009-05-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

Grant's first experience with a balloon. He was overly tired at that point, and so super goofy, but he just thought it was the funniest thing.

Already a Daddy's boy, Grant loved to sit on Nick's lap and "drive" the boat.

Grant ate dirt for the first time while helping Mommy and Grandma plant flowers. Yummy!

Not only does Grant now know how to open cabinets, he has started to pull everything out of them. How fun!

Thoughts on my pregnancy

2009-05-13T12:50:00.001-07:00

Hum... where to begin. I guess with "It's ALIIIIVE!!" This ultrasound is from 4/20... I was 12 weeks along and the baby had a heartbeat of 171. I sure do hope that the baby is still growing because my belly sure is.

So, the pregnany was unplanned -- "concieved in a moment of passion" as my mom puts it. I think it was Karma's way of punishing me for being so judgemental of people who have their kids close together. I was never going to be one of those crazy moms! (That's what I get). Grant and this baby will be 17 months apart. Aside from them being close together, I also really wanted to wait until the new hospital opened next May. Maybe other women will and I'll actually get a room to myself.

As Nick reminds me, we wanted more kids, so this isn't the end of the world. And, I'm pretty bored with just one. Maybe this really will be a good thing...

I am due November 9th. At least, that's what the doctor measured from the ultrasound. I thought it was closer to the 3rd. Maybe we didn't get pregnant when I thought we did (which means, it wasn't my fault). In any case, the baby will be delievered two weeks early, probably while my mom is in Hawaii. I may actually have to be a big girl this time and spend some time in the hospital alone.

It has been a fairly easy preganancy. I was a little bit icky feeling, but I have nothing to complain about really. I feel tired but sometimes I think it's because I'm sleeping too much (trying to bank it now before the baby comes) =)

I can't decide if I want a boy or a girl. I was thinking boy, especially because Grant will be so close in age, but I did this stupid "Chinese" predictor thing on the internet and it said boy and I was kind of dissapointed. Maybe that's just because I want all of my nieces' clothes. Do I really want to deal with a girl and hair and hormones and all that crap? Hum... good thing it's not really up to me.

Our busy weekend

2009-04-19T19:21:00.001-07:00

Next Monday is my "super birthday" where I turn the same age as the date. According to a family in our ward, on this particular birthday, the person gets to do WHATEVER they want to. I want to camp. I love it and we don't go often. However, our little monkey is not a great sleeper, and usually doesn't sleep well around us because he just wants to play. So, Friday night, we had a trial run. We set up the tent in the back yard and camped out there. We made it until 3am, when some crazy college students starting making a rukus. Nick says that we were crowding him too. It was good to know that Grant will sleep, and that we will be able to make it work, even if it's not the best night of sleep we'll get.

Saturday, we went on the boat. I love my husband for supporting me and my obsession with my childhood boat. We brought a family from our ward and spent the afternoon cruising around. The kids went on the tube and Nick skied (and did really well)! It was a little cooler than I thought it would be, but it was a great day and I'm really glad we went out there.

Saturday night, Nick packed up Grant and headed down to Bakersfield. Sunday, Grant, Nick, and his dad and brother went to Fabulous Fords at Knott's Berry Farm in LA. It was nice to have Saturday night off and a night of completely uninterrupted sleep, but I miss Grant and Nick and am anxiously waiting for them to get home (about 3 more hours).

What happens when you leave Dad alone with the baby at a BBQ place?

2009-04-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

A BIG FAT MESS!! I went to the bathroom and came back to find my child had been helping himself to BBQ sauce while Daddy was having a conversation with his grandma. He'd caught Grant with it right before I got back, but not before the little cup of sauce was emptied all over Grant. He was pretty proud of himself. He even licked his lips, but the camera wasn't fast enough to catch that one. What a mess!

Downloaded pictures

2009-04-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

So, I finally downloaded pictures from my diaper bag camera and was reminded of the fun thigns I've done in the past few months (I think since mid-February. Maybe things do actually happen in my life (it doesn't feel like it most of the time).

Visiting with Grandpa Ron in Bakersfield while we were there visiting Grandma in the hospital. She had meningitis, and it was nasty, but she's all better now. Thank goodness! Happy Valentine's day for us!

Visiting with great-Grandpa Joe in Roseville. It was a fun trip -- we played Wii with Great Grandma and Gramps. Grandma is better than me at the table tilt game on Wii-fit.

With Grant's new mobility, he ends up sleeping in the strangest positions. I think he's actually on his knees in this picture.

Grant's first time on a swing. He wasn't quite sure what to think about it-- he pretty much just hung out, no smiles, no cries.

Diet Inspiration

2009-04-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

A quite frightening picture. This was taken 2/10, the day after I started my diet. I'd just gotten my make up done (just for fun), so I think I look scary because of that too, but most pictures of me recently have just reminded me how much weight I've put on. This one was no exception.

So, it's been about 8 weeks and I've lost about a pound a week, unofficially on weight watchers. It's a slow but I'm doing good sticking to it (at least until the doughnuts and brownies I had today). My ultimate goal will be a loss of 30-35 pounds. I wasn't going to tell anyone I was doing it, but maybe I'll stick to it better if people are asking how it's going... anything to make me be good.

My college roommate and I on move-in day, September, 2000. I think this is the picture I should glue to my fridge. I was so thin (and tan too!) I also loved this haircut. This is the goal.

Having Fun!

2009-03-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

Grant's new favorite thing to do is stick his hands in his mouth while he is eating. It is so much fun! We have to hose him down when he's done. He just figured out how to feed himself cheerios, and I think he's trying to help with the cereal and mashed fruits and veggies too. This particular day, he also felt the need to rub his eyes. What a mess!

This is a super-cute bomber jacket that Grandma Karen gave Grant before he was born. We've been waiting to grow into it, but it's still huge. I don't think Grant felt like he could move much.

We've noticed that after a certain point, the more tired he his, the happier he gets. Most of the time, he is Mr. Serious, although he laughs often for Daddy.

Grant loves to play with Lily, well, at least her tail and her collar. If she doesn't like it, she'll either get up and move, or kiss him until he stops.

I was having fun yesterday taking pictures of Grant in the tub. He can be super crabby and then you put him in the bath and he forgets what he was whining for. We LOVE bath time.

This week's recipes

2009-03-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

I tried two new recipes since the last post. I wasn't a huge fan of either one, but I may try them again with some modifications.

The first I made because our friends were coming over for dinner and she is a vegetarian. It was totally different than anything I'd made before, but good for what it was.

Easy Mashed Potato and Vegetable Enchiladas (thanks allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
8 ounces whole button mushrooms (I used bell pepper instead)
3 small zucchini, chopped
2 cups chopped carrots
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups water
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 (7.6 ounce) package instant mashed potato flakes (I used potato pearls)
1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas
3 cups enchilada sauce
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, and carrots. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread vegetables in a single layer in a shallow baking dish. Roast vegetables in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes; stir halfway through their cooking time. When finished cooking, remove from the oven, and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bring water, milk, and butter to a boil in a large pot. Remove the pot from heat, and mix in the mashed potato flakes. Let stand two minutes, then stir the mashed potatoes with a fork until they are smooth. Stir in roasted vegetables.
In a dry, nonstick skillet over medium heat, quickly heat each tortilla on both sides to make pliable. Dip the tortillas in enchilada sauce. Put a large spoonful (approximately 1/4 to 1/3 cup) of potato-veggie mixture into the center of each tortilla. Top mixture with about 1 to 2 tablespoons cheese, and roll tortillas. Place seam-side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour extra sauce over top, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, or until the enchiladas are heated through.

Recipe #2: Lemon Rosemary chicken with vegetables (Thanks Sara) -- I liked the flavor of the chicken but not the lemony potatoes.

Boil 1 lb of red potatoes and 1/2 pound carrots for 5 minutes.
Fry 4 chicken breast filets in 1 TB of oil for 5 minutes/side.
Add veggies to pan and add: 1/4 c lemon juice, 2 TB fresh rosemary, 1 TB honey, 1/4 t pepper, 1/2 t lemon zest, and cook for 5 more minutes.

New Recipes this week

2009-02-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

I made a goal a few months ago to try at least one new recipe each week. I have a recipe from my favorite site, http://allrecipes.com , emailed to me every day and I usually print a few out each week. However, the time actually comes to cook and I default to the same old stuff (tacos, chicken honey-nut stirfry, apricot chicken, stuffed bell peppers). However, my Mom and I just started doing Weight Watchers (unofficially, who wants to pay $40/month!), and I can't really eat most of my normal meals anymore, unless I starve myself all day.

So, two new, lower-fat recipes I tried and enjoyed this week:

Apple Bacon Tomato Soup

INGREDIENTS
5 slices bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 cups beef stock
1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 medium apple, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine (I used chicken broth and a splash of red wine vinegar)
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, coarsely chop, and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and saute white onion and garlic 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in beef stock, pinto beans, tomatoes, celery, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir the apple in the red wine until soft.
Mix bacon, apple, and remaining red wine into the soup mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until well blended.

Chicken Breasts with Balsamic and Garlic (we don't like mushrooms so left them out, but I think it would be even better with them, if you actually do like mushrooms)

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Rinse the mushrooms and pat dry. Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on one side (about 3 minutes).
Add the garlic. Turn the chicken breasts and scatter the mushrooms over them. Continue frying, shaking the skillet and stirring the mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the vinegar, broth, bay leaf and thyme. Cover tightly and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter and cover with foil. Set aside. Continue simmering the sauce, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Swirl in the butter or margarine and discard the bay leaf. Pour this mushroom sauce mixture over the chicken and serve.

Grant's Trouble!

2009-02-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

Grant 30 minutes into his nap time (pretty unsuccessful nap, huh?)

Grant has decided that he doesn't need naps anymore. Or, he's just too busy to want to nap. We put him in his crib and he rolls over and gets on his knees. Yesterday, he pulled himself up in the crib to stand. So, we lowered the crib down (hence the wrench-- Grant was such a good helper). It didn't do anything, except maybe make him a little safer. Grant still pulls himself up. There's one more setting, all the way down, which I think we may have to do to discourage him from standing when he should be napping. Grant also crawled for the first time last week. He's all over the place, mostly where he shouldn't be. He goes straight for the Wii and PS3, Lily's toys, and the stairs. He could care less about his toys. I think my days of easy parenting are over!

Ohhh. That (the camera) looks like something good to chew on! Let me have it!

Letter to Congress re: Hope for Homeowners Program

2009-01-28T16:09:00.001-08:00

In the past few months, Congress has given money to banks to help people restructure their loans to the current value of their home. Unfortunately, only those people who are in forclosure are qualifiying for this program (the banks choose). I wrote a letter to Senators Feinstein and Boxer, my local representative, Senate's housing committee, and President Obama. I encourage you to do the same if you feel that it isn't fair. Here is my letter (feel free to use the same one)

To whom it may concern:

I am writing because I am very frustrated by the Hope for Homeowners program. I believe that it has good intentions, but I do not believe that rather than helping people, the program is just helping banks. My husband has been in touch with a mortgage broker who has been successful in any Hope for Homeowner applications for their clients, and doesn’t know anyone who has been successful.

A little about me and my situation:
When my husband and I moved from Arbuckle for my husband’s job, we purchased a home in Merced in May of 2006. We paid around $375,000 for it, and currently owe a little more than $290,000. The home next door to us just sold for around $150,000, making our home worth less than half of what we paid for it. I am also currently unemployed. Our debt (home debt only) to income ratio is 38%.
Over the past two years, while we both had steady jobs, we cracked down and paid off our cars and student loans, and put money into savings so we would be prepared for hard times. To live within our means now, my husband had to take a job that keeps him out of our home and away from our children an additional hour and half a day. We rent out a room in our home to stranger to help make ends meet. We drive a nine-year old car with 165,000 miles on it. We don’t travel, and rarely buy new clothes or go out to eat. We have a cash budget to ensure that we are living within our means. We do this because we made a commitment to pay our mortgage when we signed our loan papers. My husband and I both have college degrees, we are not trying to make ends meet anywhere near minimum wage.

What I want to know:
Why shouldn’t I go out and use my savings to buy a new car and stop making my mortgage payments? I understand that my credit rating will go down for a few years, but I am young and have time for it to spring back. Big deal. Really, other than my credit rating, and those crazy things called honesty and integrity, there is no motivation for us to not go into foreclosure. If we did, we could move into a rental closer to my husband’s job, pay rent that is probably half of our mortgage, drive a new car, and have more money to play with.

My point:
The Hope for Homeowner’s program is rewarding people who were financially irresponsible and doing absolutely nothing for those of us who continue to make wise financial choices. While the situation were are in now is not fun, at all, I would have a much easier time with it if the government wasn’t giving money to people who made poor choices. This is the sentiment of myself, and many friends and neighbors who continue to try to make ends meet. I feel like a little kid saying this, but really, it’s not fair at all.
As long as my husband is still employed, we will make our mortgage payments and continue to live frugally because that is what our values dictate. We just feel that if the government is helping some people reduce their loans, they really should make it a little more equitable and reward those of us who are trying and doing everything that we can to be responsible with our money, especially in this market. Making this program available to everyone with a home debt to income ratio higher than a certain percent, rather than just who the banks choose, may be a better way to do things.

Girl's Trip to San Diego

2009-01-20T12:39:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, I went with my college girlfriends, Cami and Tamara, to San Diego. I had a fantastic time, but I missed Grant a ton (and Nick a little too). We went to a fancy dinner, the Zoo, the San Diego temple (which is absolutely gorgeous inside and out), a bike ride along the water (maybe my favorite part), and whale and dolphin watching. It was nice to get away and the weather was warm and perfect! It is so great to have such good friends that I can still spend time with even though we don't see each other often anymore.

Help Mom, I'm Stuck!

2009-01-20T12:36:00.000-08:00

Grant is trying SO HARD to crawl, he just hasn't quite figured it out yet. He either pulls himself onto his feet (like a bear crawl) or his knees, and then pushes... and goes backward. He's gotten quite good at it, but he ends up pushing himself into corners, and on this instance, under the bed. What does it say about me as a mom that I ran for the camera before I helped him? Hum, no mean comments, please =)

Grant's Giggles

2009-01-12T12:50:00.000-08:00

It's always great when we can make Grant laugh without tickling him...

Grandpa's Buddy

2009-01-07T08:42:00.001-08:00

Grant and I tagged along to Utah with my mom and step dad to drop my brother off at the MTC. When we got to our hotel, Grandpa was carrying the carrier with Grant in it, and found cookies (how can he turn down free cookies?). He put the cookies at Grant's feet, thinking they were out of his reach. Grant, who is becoming quite a master at pulling things into his reach, grabbed a cookie and helped himself. I think Grandpa is his new best friend.

Grant's Trademark

2008-12-27T22:54:00.000-08:00

Grant was born with a head full of hair. Pretty much everything on the sides has fallen out, but we still have a frohawk (sp?) up the middle. If we comb it, we get a major comb over. It's cute, but it was getting so long we finally cut it. But, Nick and I had to play first. We tried gel and hairspray and couldn't really get it to stand strait up, but here are our attempts. Oh, and because I can't figure this out, they are in reverse chronology. Our handsome little man
I make Daddy do the hard part

He he he. It's so fun to torture him!

A few weeks ago... the perfect example of why we needed to cut it.

Grant and Santa

2008-12-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we lent Grant to my Mom's friend to play with. Her husband was Santa for the morning so they took pictures. I'm so happy that Grant is actually smiling!

Did someone say chocolate?

2008-12-09T22:53:00.000-08:00

My mom came last week to make truffles with me. Nick thought he would share a truffle with Grant. I'm afraid that we're creating a monster, who will have nothing to do with vegetables when we introduce them next week. Why eat peas when Daddy give you licorice and yummy truffles!?

Our little sitter

2008-12-09T22:51:00.000-08:00

Grant's newest thing is sitting up. I love it! I finally put away his bouncer and his little mat that he just lays on and grabs the toys. He is rolling all over the place. This morning, I wasn't paying attention after changing his diaper and he rolled off the couch. Oops! He loves to sit up and watch the dog. Lily can't help but give him lots (and lots) of kisses. Poor baby.

Yum! Celery...

2008-12-09T22:49:00.000-08:00

So, all the way back on Thanksgiving (its been a little busy around here), Aunt Bonnie sat Grant in this adorable little chair and Grandma gave him a piece of celery to munch on. He was as happy as a clam but wouldn't have anything to do with his oatmeal that day. Hum, I wonder why?

Happy 65th Grandma and Grandpa!

2008-11-06T14:54:00.000-08:00

On October 25th, my grandparents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. On the 23rd, we went to Roseville to celebrate with them. It was a neat experience to see them renew their vows. They have been through a lot together and I feel very blessed to be able to be part of their posterity, with a legacy of 65+ years of marriage.

When they first got engaged, Grandpa sent this picture to his mom, who was living in Ohio. When she got the picture, she hopped on the next train to San Francisco to figure out what kind of floozy her son was marrying.

Halloween

2008-11-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

Grant got to be a pumpkin for Halloween. We almost missed Trunk-or-Treat because Grant fell asleep like 30 minutes before it started. It was one of those nights when it was good that he was Mr. Cat Napper.

We love bathtime!

2008-11-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

The past week, Grant has been having so much fun in the bath. He kicks his legs and spashes so much water out of his tub. We finally moved him into the big bathtub and just let him lay down in there so we wouldn't have to clean up the big mess in the kitchen. The first night we did that, he pushed/kicked himself all the way to the other end of the tub like three times. It's so fun to watch him in the bath. I don't think it exactly counts as a soothing activity though. Hum...

The Fahrney Family supports Prop 8

2008-10-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

I have decided to support proposition 8 for many reasons. Among them are:

1. Four people should not be able to overturn the will of the voters in California, especially because they are appointed, not elected, officials.
2. Marriage between a man and a woman “stabilizes and enriches society.” Thirty years of research has shown that the best environment for children is with a happily married mom and dad. While this isn’t always possible, we should do what we can to try to protect our children.
3. For the freedom of religion. There are a lot of scare tactics out there that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I do believe that my right to worship as I please be affected. Catholic adoption agencies have pulled out of Massachusetts because they refused to adopt to homosexual couples. It is believed that churches may lose their tax exempt status if they do not agree to marry homosexuals. This affects my ability to worship as I please, and infringes on rights that I believe are more important and fundamental than the right to marry.
4. THIS DOES NOT TAKE RIGHTS AWAY FROM HOMOSEXUALS. In California, gay couples are given all of the rights and benefits of marriage without calling it marriage through civil unions. I like the fact that my marriage certificate says husband and wife, not party A and party B.
5. Most important to me, and most difficult to “prove,” I believe that marriage is sacred, that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to God’s plan for his children.” I believe that the Lord wants us to fight for this, that if He were here, He would make sure that traditional marriage were protected and preserved.2

News from our family

2008-10-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on picture taking. It's so easy to start with a picture --- sorry there's no new pictures.

Grant is the same, still a monster. I've been pumping after every feed and taking fenugreek trying to increase my supply and hopefully help him feel better. He does take longer naps during the day (now he's on #2 and they have each been over an hour), but last night he still wouldn't fall asleep for the night until after 10 (monster, I'm telling you). I'll take him to the doctor as soon as I get him weighed.

Grant and I went and visited my family last week. While we were there, my brother got his mission call to the Texas, Houston mission. He'll be speaking spanish. He's been interested in hurricane clean up and now he may get to be involved with that. He's excited but worried about the humidity (he's supposed to take 8 short sleeved shirts and 2 long sleeves).

On Sunday, I was sustained as the Relief Society President in my ward. I've known for awhile now, maybe almost a month (thank goodness for conferences)! I'm excited for the new challenge but nervous about the enormity of it. I do believe that the Lord called me to this position, because I doubt the Bishop would really choose a new, young mom who has ZERO experience in Relief Society serving there. I am reminded of the quotation by Mother Teresa "I know the Lord wouldn't give me anything that I can't handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much." I know that this is what I'm supposed to be doing, and I'm grateful for the trust and the challenge.

Go Uncle Dillon!

2008-09-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

We went to Nick's brother's JV football game in Madera on Friday. He caught this pass and then ran it quite a ways (unfortuately, I don't care enough about football to have paid enough attention to that). It was fun to be outside and supporting Dillon.

"Why would anybody watch a game would they could just watch me and my cuteness?"

Weeee Grandpa!

First Solids -- YUCK!

2008-09-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

We took Grant for his 4 month doctor's appointment and he had only gained a pound in 2 months. He isn't malnourished, he's just very skinny. With that and the other problems he's having (or I'm having with him) -- gas and not sleeping much, the doctor recommended starting solids. I already had a jar of carrots so I started with those. Of course, more made it out than in his mouth, but it was really fun. I've since bought rice cereal and have been doing that instead. He seems to spit less of the cereal out. Hopefully it will help.

Adios Tio "Tickle" Sean y Buena Suerte

2008-09-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

We went to Pleasanton last weekend for my step brother's farewell and for a family reunion. "Tickle" Sean enters the MTC to serve a 2 year mission in the Malaga, Spain area on Wednesday. We are all very excited for him.

The family reunion was on my grandparents side. My Aunt Judy and I planned it. It went significantly better than the one last year, except that we kind of ran out of space. It was great to see the family, especially my cousin Jo Anne, who serves in the Air Force and is currently stationed in Germany.

Happy 5th Anniversary!

2008-09-08T02:35:00.001-07:00

So I know it's the middle of the night, but I just finished nursing Grant and was reflecting on some of my favorite moments in the past 5 (really 6+ years) with Nick. These moments are why I love him. I have a wonderful husband who I plan to spend many more anniversaries with.

1. Nick throwing Starbursts at me in a successful attempt to put me in a better mood.

2. "I'm not stopping to look at romantic things with you, you're going to propose!" (as Nick is fishing the ring out of his pocket).

3. Soon after we were married, Nick dumped water on me during a skit for a ward social (that was completely unplanned on my part). I was completely shocked but it was so fun and spontaneous.

4. Our first apartment. The cockroaches, the leaky wall, the tiny bathroom. The cool whip fight (gross picture huh?).

5. Nick sent me on a scavenger hunt for our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. It ended at a hair salon where Nick had prepaid for an updo because I had been complaining that I could never get my long hair to look nice. I chopped it off instead.

6. Watching our first home be built (good ol' Arbuckle).

7. Learning just how spicy jabeneros are (we tried to pick them all out and could still barely eat the meal).

8. Walking Lily through the almond orchards in Arbuckle, and now watching her chase bunnies and squirrels in the open fields.

9. The hot air balloon ride in Napa. It was beautiful and quite an experience. The naked woman in the hot tub was just a funny bonus! (we were too far away to see anything, just that she didn't have any clothes on. A man was with her, but when he saw the balloon coming, he got out and ran inside!)

10. Watching Nick play with Lily, Bailey, Rachel, Gabriela, Ali, and now Grant.

11. Hiking in Haiti (during our cruise).

12. Our particularly fun night for our first homework assignment during Kendall's marriage class.

13. The 427 Cobra hotwheel Nick gave to me to tell me that I am perfect for him (just like that car).

14. Nick's beautiful brown eyes calming me during my c-section as he kept me in my "happy place" until Grant came out. Nick also made up a story about the sucking sounds to calm me down during the surgery.

15. Nick giving Grant a name and a blessing (crying through the whole thing), as well as the blessings that he gave me at the start of each school year and for comfort as needed.

16. Being on the boat with Nick and continuing with some of my favorite memories as a kid.

We love the grapes!

2008-09-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

We spent the day Saturday in the church vineyard picking grapes. It was one of the biggest harvets ever! One of our four rows had almost 600 trays (pieces of paper about 2x3 feet we lay the grapes on to turn them into raisins). Most rows in the vineyard were up by 100 trays this year over last. There were grapes everywhere! We got filthy (Grant even had dirt in his diaper) but had a really good time and were glad to serve. Grant was a trooper (until about 1:00 when it was just TOO hot to continue).

Why God made Moms

2008-09-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

Answers given by 2nd grade schoolchildren to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knowswhere the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like forthe rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out ofclouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss,but she has to because dad's such agoof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the realpower 'cause that's whoyou got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's alreadyperfect Outside, I think some kindof plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Book Reviews

2008-08-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

So, because I've spent so much time nursing the past few weeks, I've also had a chance to read quite a bit. It took me awhile to figure out juggling Grant and the book, but now that I have it down, I'm very grateful to be doing something other than watching TV.

The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich -- They were stinking funny. They are about a woman who is desperate for a job so she goes to work for her shady cousin Vinnie as a bonds woman. She has no clue what she is doing and gets herself into quite a few sticky situations. The characters are really well developed and I feel like I know them. There are 14 books in this series and I loved them all (except for the bad language of course).

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer -- I have to say, I was disappointed by this book. I absolutely LOVED the other 3 in the series and have been looking forward to this one for months. However, I thought it was too long and everything turned out a little too perfect. Maybe there just wasn't enough drama or something. I also would no longer recommend this book for junior high students.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen -- This was a really fun read. It is about a man who find himself working with a 1930's circus train. The author did research to write the book and many of the stories told are ones she found during the research. ***Warning -- there is a chapter describing a strip tease, as well as a picture of a topless lady.***

Women's Murder Club by James Patterson -- Another series, this time action/suspense. I actually listen to these on my MP3 player while I walk. I finished book 1, am in the middle of 2, and already listened to 3 and 5. I have really enjoyed these books and have had a hard time stopping listening to them when I get where I'm going or finish my walks. There have been moments when I thought they were a bit predictable, but for the most parts, I've really enjoyed them.

Now, I'm working on Lies my Teacher Told me. I've been wanting to read it for a while, but I still can't seem to get into reading non-fiction. I may have to pick up something else instead...

The Many Faces of Grant

2008-08-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

Taken at 10 pm, Nick's way to cope with the endless nighttime crying was to laugh and take pictures of the funny faces Grant makes.

SMILES!! Smiles come out of such a monster!?

Ahh... what an angel! One day after a particularly bad night, he slept for 3 hours in the middle of the day. This was a huge improvement on the 20 minutes he usually naps for.

Our most recent headache (as if Grant's not enough!

2008-07-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

The best pose I could get from my wonderful husband

We finally started our laminate floors. What a project! It has taken us two Saturdays already and we haven't even finished the hallway. We will do about 600 square feet total by the end of it. Nick has been a trooper though and I'm sure we'll get it done eventually!

First swim!

2008-07-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Grant and I went swimming for the first time. Grant screamed the first time I put him in the water, probably because it was quite cold. He got used to it though, but even then, didn't quite know what to think.

First time on the boat

2008-07-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

My first summer on the boat (1983) and Rebecca's first time on the boat (2008) - notice the life jackets!

Grant's first boat trip

My Sister, her girls, Nick, Grant, and I went on our boat for the first time. Poor Grant had this huge life jacket on (it's the same one until he's 30 lbs)!, but slept pretty much the entire time except when it was time to eat. Thank goodness he slept so much because it would have been very difficult to comfort him while he was in the life vest! It was great to take our kids on the same boat that Sara and I were on as kids.